“Yes,” I replied excitedly. “Where can we find those?”

“What kind of spells are you after? Do you know if your mana pool supports what you’re looking for?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Because it’s not for me. It’s a gift for my little sister. She’s still very young, so I’m looking for something basic. It doesn’t have to be strong or anything.” I paused for just a second. “Something with fire magic would be great.”

“An interesting choice for a gift,” Felmar replied, raising his eyebrows. “But at the same time, I can only appreciate the gesture. For fire-related scrolls, spells, and reagents, I’d advise Lelz. I’ll take you to him. Though, I don’t think you’ll be able to enter his parlor.”

“I expected as much,” I said with the usual minor frustration that had now become my standard reply when my dimensions were mentioned, or implied. “But as I said, we’re not looking for anything special. Just something simple that she can use. If this Lelz person can help Cellestra with that, that’d be enough.”

“Understood,” Felmar said after nodding.

He motioned us to follow and led us through the city’s busy streets, in the opposite direction of where my parents had gone. The main road split off into smaller ones that were less frequented and the one we took was nothing more than a glorified alley, barely wide enough for me to fit through.

Fortunately, it wasn’t one of the dark, crime-infested back alleys that my former self would have to deal with on a regular basis. This one seemed to be clean and quiet and connected the rear exits of several stores.

This seemed to be a shortcut of some kind, as we took a turn after exiting this smaller street into a wider one. It was a building that easily stood out from the others as this one had walls of which the lower half was made of stone bricks, and the top half and roof made out of wood. Above the door was a hanging sign which had a clear image on it of a rolled-up scroll of which only a small part was opened, just enough to read the first line. An excellent way to make clear what was sold here at a glance.

Cellestra hopped off my back and entered the store, right behind the guild’s clerk. I couldn’t help but allow my curiosity to surface and peek inside.

From the glance I got, I noticed rows and rows of bookshelves filled with books and other literary material against the wall. I also got a brief look at the shop owner. At least, I believed it was the shop owner. On top of a counter at the center sat someone that I could only describe as a small elf with cat features. It was about the same size as Elira, small to an adult elf in comparison, but I didn’t doubt his maturity.

He had the head of a cat, which looked slightly odd when it was enlarged to that size, but that was only because this was the first time I’d seen a beastkin like this. A black layer of fur covered his skin showing grey spots here and there. At either side of his head was a big, furry ear. A long tail that was tucked behind him started dancing as soon as the elves entered the building and closed the door again.

I smiled, knowing that relations between the elves here and at least the beastkin were good. Then again, the demons of Gwyn’s blood were on excellent terms too. That was the kind of peace that my heart loved to see.

I had to wait for quite a while, admiring my halberd which continued to hypnotize me. To have a weapon made of starmetal had been a dream I was never able to realize in my old life. Thinking about it made me feel a certain empty sadness. That a fancy weapon was all I had to aspire to or dream about was nothing else but sad. The things that had just recently happened to me, finding my parents, growing closer to Cellestra… it made me see just how narrow, how small I’d made my old life.

There was so, so much more to life than I’d always believed, or wanted to believe.

I was glad I was given the option to leave it all behind. Thanks to Elysa, I now, for the first time in my life, felt… complete, whole. We now found ourselves at this shop for one of the things that had given me meaning — Elira.

The bright elven girl held a special place in my heart, and I had resolved to be the best sister she could possibly wish for. Her existence, as well as my parents’ and Cellestra’s made me contemplate even deeper.

Would I still sacrifice myself for others as easily now that I had all this?

It went against my previous beliefs to say no to that question, but I wasn’t so sure about those anymore. Frustrated that I would likely say ‘no’ to a question I’d previously answered with a resounding ‘yes’, made me push it away as far as I could.

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Distancing myself from the question made me even more puzzled than before. If that was what had gotten me reincarnated into this world as a reward…

My thoughts trailed off, and eventually caused a new question to surface.

If I couldn’t hold up to that same standard anymore, then why was I here? It couldn’t be that there weren’t others who would do what I did? What was it that made me so special that it wasn’t just me, but also my parents were given a new chance. Come to think of it, this was the very first time I’d reflected on that question.

Was I that special? I asked myself the question a second time.

I’d never seen myself as anything special, and despite what I was now, and the power I possessed, I still didn’t. Did Elysa have any ulterior motives for doing this to me?

It brought me to something else entirely. Was this why her braziers had not responded to me? Why did Nilene’s? Perhaps I should ask the priest in green to prepare a ritual so I could ask the goddess of the harvest if there was anything going on with Elysa. If I did that, though, and it turned out that my initial assessment of Elysa wanting to protect me from the mental strain proved correct, it would take quite some time before I could talk to her again…

Could it be possible for Cellestra to talk to Nilene instead? If she knew more, she could relay that information to me through the brunette.

Cellestra once told me that the ritual could be conducted, even if there was no clear indication that the corresponding deity wanted to talk to them. We did have a decent amount of money now, so I guess it couldn’t hurt to actually try. Perhaps Nilene was willing to talk to her.

I sighed deeply. Things didn’t make sense in my head and I hated it. I’d probably ask Cellestra later tonight if she would be willing to try the ritual. For now, I hoped she could get a spell for my little sister. I couldn’t wait to see her reaction.

A smile crept on my lips, just thinking about it.

Come to think of it, would my parents have any use for spells? I didn’t know anything about their capabilities for magic. I’d never even thought about asking them, either. They had told me Elira had affinities for multiple elements which meant she could learn spells and expand her mana pool with proper practice and guidance, but they never mentioned anything about themselves.

I didn’t seem to remember that part from my past life either. Maybe they had never told me after all. I’d definitely ask them later.

The door opened just as I finished putting my thoughts in place. Felmar exited first, followed by Cellestra, who had a large smile on her face, and a scroll in her hands, held tightly against her chest.

“You’re going to love this,” She said, literally hopping instead of walking because of how excited she was.

“I assume you know how to find your way back?” Felmar asked bluntly, indicating he would rather get back to the guild hall as soon as possible.

“We’ll be fine,” I said. “Thank you.”

He nodded and turned around the corner, leaving me behind with piqued curiosity.

“You won’t believe what I’ve found,” Cellestra said, almost stumbling over her words.

“Do tell,” I eagerly said.

“A very basic fire spell called sparkstorm. Despite the name, Lelz assured me that it was one of the most basic spells out there. He knows because he’s seen this one multiple times before. The spell creates a small cone of superheated sparks. Apparently, they reach incredible temperatures, but only very briefly and with low penetration power. That being said, it can still be dangerous within touching distance. It’s more showy than anything else, but…” She trailed off.

“It’s still dangerous,” I finished her sentence.

“Yes.”

“Of course it is. When we give this to her, we need to make sure that she understands certain rules. No matter how beautiful magic is, it is dangerous if you use it carelessly.”

Cellestra nodded.

“That being said,” I said with a smile. “This spell sounds wonderful for a certain elven girl. I’m confident she’ll be elated.”

“I’m sure of it,” Cellestra replied.