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Something that I had been thinking about during this past week is that, now that I have a lot more money, I should buy a higher-level magic enhancer.

If possible, on the same level as my sword.

And if it can also store mana, that would be ideal.

Also, I could buy some other artifacts. Since, now that I don't use the necklace that masks my appearance nor Sofia's storage ring, I only have one enchanted item affecting my body, which leaves me the possibility of buying two more artifacts…

Anyway, I'll see what to do when I know how much the magic enhancer will cost me.

So, today I'm going to see Alaric, the arcane enchanter.

Since, when I asked Deirdre about whether Charity made those kinds of artifacts, she told me that, although the blacksmith's creations are amazing, she doesn't control what effects the final products will have.

And that the orc knows nothing about enchanting objects because the ones she creates are already enchanted.

So, when we left the labyrinth and I dropped Deirdre off at her house, having been fighting and exploring for a few hours less than usual, I decided to pay a visit to the old demon.

The ring cost me 482 platinum coins, so I'm back to being left with considerably less money, but I still have more than enough for daily food and lodging expenses.

And that's not counting what I'm getting daily out of the labyrinth thanks to the loot bonus…

But, given the price I had to pay, I can put off buying more artifacts for the time being.

Still, I asked her about the ring Lilian gave me, which serves as a communication artifact.

Since I wanted to buy one for Deirdre so I could keep in touch with her even if we don't see each other.

But he told me that communication enchantments are only available as relics in the labyrinth and that he can't replicate them.

Alaric was very interested in how I got it, as they seem to be very valuable and rare, but I couldn't tell him much more than the truth. It is a gift from a friend.

I don't know why Lilian would have given me such an object if it is so valuable…

On the other hand, the accessory I bought is an orichalcum magic enhancer, which according to Alaric is the best there is.

Although to my identification skill it only shows up as an enchanted orichalcum ring…

I asked Alaric about how arcane enchanters identify objects, but he said it was a professional secret.

I guess I'll have to take his word for it, or I can go to the guild and ask them to identify the ring.

Anyway, I think there's no point in doing that.

He knows I'm friends with Sabrina and Sofia. Besides, if an arcane enchanter decides to swindle his clients, he will surely be sanctioned by the kingdom.

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The ring, in addition to empowering my magic, can store up to 6000 mana, which is double what the ring Sofia had given me so long ago could store. And unlike my old ring that stored mana, this one helps me heal 60% faster. Although, as Alaric told me, the latter buff will reduce my normal mana regeneration a bit.

But this isn’t a big problem, considering that neither I nor Azur usually use too much magic and that I will be able to have 6,000 mana stored as 'extra' mana as soon as I can take the time to fill up the ring's reserves. Which, added to my 820 mana, adds up to a huge amount.

An amount that I don't think I'll ever need to use all at once.

So, with this little ring, I won't have any more mana problems... Assuming that I ever had any.

But, as far as I remember, I only fainted once due to lack of mana.

Hmm, perhaps I could try out the mana spears and summoned weapons used by Regis and his family now...

Nah, it's not worth the risk.

My new sword is very good, and I don't think any summoned weapon can outperform it.

And about the mana spear… Well, I guess I can always counter quality with quantity.

Hmm, I'd like to visit them.

But now I have Deirdre as a companion, and even if I could explain to her who Teresa, Gideon, and Regis are; I don't think the idea of accompanying me to a cave full of beings that can kill us very easily would make her particularly excited.

And I know that Azur agrees with me based on the feelings he transmits to me through the link.

Although it is also true that he indeed seems to be very afraid of Regis, even if he tries to hide that feeling from me…

******

We were leaving the labyrinth, happy because today we could climb up to the 67th floor when suddenly I got Lilian's message telling me that the tournament will start in two days.

But I already knew that.

It's impossible that we hadn't noticed, given the number of announcers and flyers that have been distributed everywhere this past week.

I likewise thanked her for the reminder and asked her to register Deirdre and me to participate, as my partner was also eager to test her skills against other people.

People who have been trained, as opposed to the riffraff we encountered when we were ambushed in the alley.

***

"Hi. You look exhausted. Has there been much trouble with the tournament organization?" I tell Lilian as Deirdre and I walk up to her and Sebastian at the entrance to the huge circular arena they built for the fighting tournament.

"Nah… Or maybe it is, but I don't know, because I'm not in charge of it..." she says laughing and playing it down "What makes me tired are the problems that are being created among certain groups of people who believe that the refugees have cast a curse on us."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. We too, these days, have had more than one problem because of that kind of people," I say, and at the same time, I notice how Deirdre, who is standing next to me, looks down at her feet, clearly uncomfortable.

"I don't think that it is that stupid..." she starts to say, but hurries to clarify when she sees my murderous expression. "Look, don't misunderstand me. I think the ‘curse’ thing is silly, but the truth is, ever since Charity and her crew came, there have been cases of a strange illness attacking people. You probably don't know about it, since you are strong and the disease only attacks ordinary people, causing coughing and shortness of breath. It can be stopped with a health potion, but this is only a temporary fix. Because, while you gain some immunity to the symptoms after being cured once, this immunity does not last forever. The biggest problem is that, if left untreated, it can be fatal in some cases. And health potions aren't cheap… The kingdom is picking up a portion of the cost of potions purchased for that purpose, but that's just a palliative."

"I didn't know that," Deirdre says sadly under her breath without looking up. "I think you're talking about the flu. It is a common thing in our land, and most people are hardly affected by it... I think those people may be right in what they say. It's not a curse, but a disease… We should have thought about it."

As she spoke, I put a hand on her shoulder to try to convey some confidence to her.

"It's not your fault," Lilian says, and Deirdre looks up to see her. "no one could have known how things would turn out in the interaction between two such different civilizations. We just have to deal with the problems that come our way as best we can for the sake of all people equally, including you and your people."

"And haven't you consulted the refugees about it? Maybe they know how to solve the problem," I ask, understanding from another perspective the people discriminating against Deirdre and her people.

"That's the first thing we did, but they only told us the same thing your colleague told us a few moments ago… And the fact of knowing the name they give to this illness is not helping either," explains Lilian, and her expression shows how frustrated she is by the situation. "The worst thing is that, in the beginning, there were very few people affected. But, since the orc empire attack happened, we are having hundreds of cases daily, and the number is increasing. That's another reason why the counterattack expedition is so important. We need to see if we can find a better solution to this problem. Because there will come a point where the number of potions that can be produced during the day exceeds the number of daily cases. Anyway, I think that..."

As Lilian speaks, she is interrupted by Sebastian, who taps her on the shoulder to get her attention, and points out in the direction of the stadium.