I arrived five minutes early for our trip out of town, Sun and Colette arrived shortly after me. Colette was in her usual dress, but Sun looked different today, wearing a casual shirt and jeans instead of his usual formal attire.

I was surprised to find out that the town was just a short walk away from the academy. As we walked through the marketplace, I couldn't help but marvel at the vibrant colors and bustling activity around us. The marketplace was a mix of different cultures and merchants selling everything from exotic spices to intricate jewelry.

As soon as we entered the marketplace, Sun left us alone as Colette dragged me through the stalls. She stopped in her tracks staring at an item in a glass case. It was a golden bracelet, with glowing runes etched all over it. The owner of the stall walked forward and smiled at Colette.

“You have a great eye young lady,” He said, “This is a one of a kind bracelet for a mage such as yourself!” Colette’s eyes almost looked like they were shining, “See it’ll increase the rate that your mana recovers,”

“It’s a fake,” Alexander says in my mind, “It’s a well-made fake, but it won’t have any special effects,”

I smirked as I looked at the clerk, “Can I ask you a question?” I asked, but without waiting for an answer I continued, “Do you think I'm an idiot?” I gave him a withering look.

“I’m not sure what you are talking about ma’am,” He said, his smile faltering.

“It’s a forgery,” I said firmly, “In fact, all of these are fake. Why, it’s so obvious I could tell even if I was blind!” The man started shaking slightly, “Maybe I should go tell everyone that this stall is a scam.”

“No!” The man said, “Please, what can I do to make you keep your silence?”

I raised an eyebrow, “Well, for starters, you could give my friend here a discount on something that’s actually worth buying.”

The man nodded frantically, “Of course, of course! Please, let me make it up to you both.” He quickly pulled out a small box from under the counter and handed it to Colette. “Here, take this bracelet as my apologies for the inconvenience.”

Colette beamed as she put on the bracelet, and I couldn’t help but feel satisfied with the outcome. As we continued to browse the marketplace, Sun rejoined us, carrying a small bag of pastries from a nearby bakery.

“Sorry about that,” Sun said, “I had to take care of something for a moment. Did you guys find anything interesting?”

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Colette showed him her new bracelet, and Sun looked impressed, “That’s a nice find. It looks like it will come in handy.”

Colette led us to her favorite bookstore in town, and as we entered, I was struck by the unique layout. The store was divided into two distinct halves, separated by a line of chalk that created a magic wall between them. On one side were the more magical books, divided by school, and on the other were the more traditional books, divided by genre. The store was run by two twins, Click and Clack, who did not get along, hence the divide in the store.

As I perused the spellbook section, I picked up a tier 2 conjuration book, and a notification appeared in front of me: . Intrigued, I selected yes, and a small ball of light emerged from the book and entered my mind. However, when I tried touching a tier 3 book, no such message appeared. Realizing that I was only able to absorb books that were at most one tier higher than my current tier, I went around the spellbook section, eagerly absorbing as many spellbooks as I could get my hands on.

After absorbing the tier 2 Enhancement book, Clack walked up to me. He was a tall man with short blonde hair and a serious expression.

“Ma’am, can I ask what that light entering your head is?” he asked.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how he would react, but then decided to be honest. “It’s a magical ability that my family possesses. It allows me to absorb books into my mind to read later,” I explained.

“That’s practically thievery!” Clack exclaimed, his voice rising in anger. “You are going to need to pay for those!”

I could feel my face heating up in embarrassment. I didn't want to cause any trouble, especially in Colette's favorite bookstore. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause any problems. I'll take them out,” I said, trying to sound as sincere as possible.

Just as I was about to remove the absorbed books, I had an idea. I lifted my hand to my head and cast the Light spell, creating a ball of light similar to the way the skill was working. I handed him the ball of light, “Here you go sir,” I said with a smile. The ball disappeared into thin air when it touched his hand. “Now as you can see, I no longer have the information. So there should be no further problems,” I said, feeling proud of myself for coming up with a solution.

After Clack left, Colette approached me with a look of wonder on her face. "Is that spell you were talking about real?" she asked.

I nodded, a smile spreading across my face. "Yes, it's very real. It's a family spell that's been passed down for generations."

Colette's eyes widened with excitement. "That's amazing! With a spell like that, imagine how fast I could progress!" She grabbed my shoulders, her enthusiasm contagious. "Do you think you could teach me?"

I hesitated for a moment before replying, "I could, but it's a family spell and I'm not really supposed to share it with anyone outside of my family."

Colette's face fell at my response, "Unless..." I said slowly, drawing out the word.

"Unless what?"

I grinned at her mischievously. "Unless you want to marry me right now," I said jokingly.

Colette's face erupted into a mix of red and pink. "Even I'm not power-hungry enough to do that," she said, shaking her head and turning to walk away.