Chapter 25 — Sages of the Nine Circles

The store Leon led her to had fancy white wedding dresses on display in the window.

Ria chuckled behind her hand and smirked in Leon’s direction. “You’re a pretty bold guy, you know?”

She was feeling more confident again after having smoothed over her earlier violence and with their conversation going well.

Leon gave a wry smile but otherwise took the ribbing in stride. “Miss Danna is the best dressmaker in the village, but she’s affordable enough that my sister was able to buy a pretty dress for the Harvest Festival without asking mom and dad for help. We were all impressed.”

Ria moved closer to the window to get a better look, feeling an excitement bubbling up at the quality of the work. “My mom was a seamstress and dressmaker, so… Oh! Making flowers from fabric like this is very challenging, and these are quite well done.”

“Ria, I’ve been wondering… did you make those clothes yourself?” Leon asked.

She felt a surge of pride at being asked. “Yep! From killing the wolves to the design and all the stitching. Though, I did have some help with scraping the pelts. This was my first time working with fur, but I thought it came out well.”

A woman’s chuckling voice came from behind, “Well the outfit is certainly creative and stands out, I’ll give you that, but the boots are clearly the best piece.”

“Miss Danna!” Leon exclaimed in surprise.

Ria spun around to see a thin woman in a flowing white dress and flower-adorned floppy hat, a basket of fabrics in hand.

“A pity, since your mother was also a dressmaker, but the two apprentices I already have are all that I can handle,” the woman said with a self-deprecating smile.

Ria bowed. “Thank you. Your kind words and the thought alone are sufficient.”

“Oh-hoh! Your mother raised you well, I see. From the accent, I’m guessing you’re not from around here,” Miss Danna observed.

“From the southern region of Revant. I just arrived in town,” Ria confirmed and admitted, “Grandma Fana has sent me to buy some ‘more decent’ clothing.”

“The butcher’s wife? Haha, I can imagine. Well, let’s not stand out here all day,” Miss Danna said and ushered them into the shop, but as would probably become the usual, Ranger had to wait outside.

The shop’s interior was bursting with color. Dresses in a variety of styles were on display all around the large front room, though something different displayed quietly in one of the corners caught her eye.

“Um, Miss Danna, is this a mage’s robe?” Ria asked.

“It is. Do you have an interest in magic?” Miss Danna asked conversationally.

Ria nodded. “I’m planning to attend the Grand Crysellian Academy of Magical Studies.”

Leon gave her a wide-eyed look.

Miss Danna was also surprised and leveled an evaluating gaze at Ria before responding, “That’s certainly a lofty goal. Have you already secured an apprenticeship and a sponsor?”

“Not yet, but Lord Vorshan has promised to arrange for a master when I can perform ward magic by constructing the wards without drawing them. It is a difficult task, but not impossible,” Ria explained.

“Ward magic?” Miss Danna raised an eyebrow. “Are you a shaman, Ria?”

Ria considered for a moment. “No, not yet anyway, but ward magic originated from shamanic magic.”

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“You know, unlicensed shamanic magic is illegal, right?” Miss Danna asked worriedly.

“Oh, no need to worry about that,” Ria reassured. “Lord Vorshan said he would issue my license later today.”

“That is surprising, but not my business, I suppose. So, I’m guessing you have an interest in mage robes?” Miss Danna asked with a smile.

Ria nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, I have an air robe that improves my ability with air magic, but it’s too large for me to wear.”

“An enchanted robe, is it? Re-tailoring it would be risky. The enchantment might be lost or damaged. I would recommend against it,” Miss Danna advised.

Leon seemed like he wanted to ask about the air robe but refrained.

“Is it possible to have an enchanted robe made?” Ria dared to ask.

“W-what are you saying, Ria?! Aren’t enchanted robes ridiculously expensive? What if you outgrow it?” Leon worried.

Miss Danna nodded at Leon’s words. “Quite expensive indeed. Not just because of the high-quality materials. Most everything used to make the robe needs to be blessed by priests or imbued by enchanters.”

“Can it be done for 10 gold?” Ria asked. Leon was aghast that she would spend that much, but she ignored him. She already had a staff, spell wands, a magic dagger, and a magic cloak. What else would she spend it on?

“Hmm… maybe. If the fabric and thread are blessed at the local temple, that could reduce the cost. I’ve only made two enchanted robes before, so there’s no guarantee that the effect will be particularly strong. I could ask around about the materials if you are serious,” Miss Danna offered.

“If it is something that I can wear at the academy, then I would definitely be interested. I am okay with a slightly larger budget if the gains are significant enough,” Ria confirmed. Getting her own magic robe made would be really exciting.

“Ah, academy robes have certain requirements. I’m not familiar with all of the specifics, but some things like the color and embroidery related to your certifications and what Order you belong to are important. For example, generalists wear grays. Specialists wear a variety of colors: red for fire, blue-green for water, light-blue for air, and so on. The Order of the Eternal Flame wears red robes embroidered with gold flames. The Order of the Silent Sky wears light-blue and white with silver cloud motifs embroidered into the stole and borders," Miss Danna explained.

Ria was shocked. "I-I think my air robe is from the Order of the Silent Sky!"

"Wow… the Silent Sky," Leon breathed out.

Miss Dana nodded sagely. "That would make sense. They are the most prestigious Order for air mages. Do you have an air affinity?"

"No," Ria shook her head. "I'm a… generalist. Though I do seem to have some natural talent with earth, shadow, and fire magics."

"From what I understand, many mages without affinities still choose to specialize. Do you know what Order you want to join?" Miss Danna asked.

Suddenly, Ria had an idea. "Miss Danna, does the title 'Sage of the 9th Circle' mean anything to you?"

Miss Danna's eyes crinkled in amusement. "You must have read one of the heroic stories about Archmage Luventi. There aren't many who join the Sages of the Nine Circles anymore, mostly just impressionable youths and scholarly types. It's a generalist order that seeks to preserve knowledge of the old ways, something that's fairly controversial with the banning of ritual magic. Their motif is nine overlapping circles, one for each of the nine major types of magic."

"Is there anything special required to join an order?" Ria asked. Luventi's Order did sound like a good match for her.

"There are some exclusive Orders, but most allow any apprentice mage to join at the apprentice rank. Often apprentices will wear a mantle with their desired Order's motifs and colors long before attending one of the academies, particularly when it's the same as their master or parents," Miss Danna said to reassure her.

"How come you know so much about mages, Miss Danna?" Leon asked.

Miss Danna gave Leon a wink. "Let's just say that, in my youth, I had ambitions of being a mage as well."

Ria ran her hand over the light purple robe in the corner. A design of intertwining gold and silver lines arced and crisscrossed in intricate sprays over the fabric. There was a faint enchantment on the fabric, an energy that she felt was there but couldn't quite touch. Strange. "Was this your robe, Miss Danna?"

Miss Danna made a sly smile. "I didn't get accepted to the Grand Academy, but I did attend the Northern Regional Academy. I was in the Order of the Woven Dream, which specialized in illusion magic and cloth enchanting, but I wasn't talented enough to graduate and decided to turn my clothing hobby into a business."

Leon was looking at Miss Danna with new eyes. "Wow, a mage apprentice. Who would have guessed?"

Miss Danna made a glowing light zip around her hand and fade away, then chuckled at Leon’s wide-eyed reaction.

Illusion magic was certainly something that Ria was eager to learn. That aside… "Miss Danna, I'd like to order the enchanted robes in a dark gray with the Sages of the Nine Circles motif. Also, I wouldn't mind having some of the beautiful designs from yours worked in as accents."

"Dark gray, huh? With some creativity in the weave, that could certainly allow for a range of interesting material choices, and with your chosen motifs, I'll definitely be able to make a beautiful robe," Miss Danna agreed.

"You're really going to do it?" Leon asked, shaking his head.

"Yup.” Ria nodded determinedly.

Miss Danna laughed. “Don’t worry. For such an expensive purchase, I’ll make the robe a little large to give some growing room.”

Miss Danna confirmed a few other things, made some quick measurements, and collected the deposit money.