Part 1

As we were walking around, a certain shop caught my eye.

The sign said: “Cole’s Magical Item Shop”. This building was in the Merchant’s District.

Let's check it out.

The doorbell chimed as I opened the door into the store.

“Ah, welcome. Please take a look around.”

The receptionist behind the counter welcomed us listlessly, his eyes were half-open with his chin resting on his hand. The dark circles under his eyes were visible, it was clear he hadn't slept.

Where were we?

The Magical Item Shop.

“Woah, this is my first time in a shop like this.”

Elaina toed around the shop, inspecting its wares.

“Mm, same here.”

I replied as I too began to look around.

The shop itself was about small to medium size, it had a variety of magical items all around. Though with the amount of it, the store itself didn’t feel cramped, but it wasn’t vast either

It was clear that the shop was split into sections, each holding its own genre of magical items.

There were bookshelves, accessories, swords and other miscellaneous items hanging around the place.

It looked very magical, as expected of a magic item shop.

I approached a certain section of the shop, it was full of robes and clothing.

Other than special-looking clothing hanging on the wall as a form of advertisement, there were about two rows of different coloured robes lined up by colour and size.

“…These are probably physical resistance clothing.”

I inspected one of the articles of clothing on the rack.

“How so?”

Aerich asked me, his eyes trailed towards the same robe I was inspecting.

“Isn’t it obvious? Look at the material, it’s not normal leather but magic created leather which is known to be much more resistant to slash and stab attacks.”

It’s all in the books, so read books!

Since there was nothing but resistance robes of all sorts in the clothing section, I left and approached a certain girl inspecting a shelf.

“What are you looking at?”

“Professional magical sleeping bags.”

Professional magical sleeping bag?

As expected of this indolent sleeper, picking out instruments of her specialty.

“-I heard this type warms you up even if you use it outside throughout the entire night.”

“That’s amazing, how much does it cost?”

“One Gold Coin.”

“Uwah?!”

So expensive!

Well, that’s as expected of such a high-quality sleeping bag, they’re probably more features than just heat.

I quickly made haste towards the reception table.

By the way, Aerich went to inspect the magical swords.

“Hello hello children, are you done with sightseeing?”

The man behind the counter lifted his chin from his hand.

“No, I want to buy a wand.”

I said with an innocent look on my face.

That’s right, I’m buying a wand.

Wands were something special to magicians.

How do I put it?

Wands are basically magic amplifiers for any sort of magic.

Of course, staffs existed too, and they too were magic amplifiers themselves.

The defining feature of a wand or staff was the crystal on the tip, that’s mainly where the mana of the spell is gathered and shot out. Another important part was the shaft itself, it’s through the shaft that the mana of the spell itself travels towards the crystal.

The amplification of the spell greatly depends on the size or quality of the crystal and the quality of the shaft.

The crystal on each wand has its own specialty, like a green crystal that leans towards the Wind attribute and etc.

This information was all from books I've read of course.

Why was I buying a wand?

Isn’t it obvious?

Because having one is like, super cool, right?

“Ah, kids these days, cast one spell and think they’re all qualified as a magician. Aaah, fine-“

As the shopkeeper groaned, his hand went under the counter, pulling out some weird crystal.

It was a pure white crystal shaped like a ball, to keep it in place and not roll around, a small silver stand with very noble-like engravings held it in place.

Uwah, what’s that? I’ve never heard of this, why didn’t the books mention a device like this? It looks very expensive, it’s also very shiny. It has a white crystal-

…Ah.

I get it.

According to a book, white crystals absorb mana.

Our conversation from earlier was about getting a wand.

And wands have their own elemental attribute, though some others are neutral.

So why would he pull out something like this?

It’s easy to understand.

You get it, right?

Right?

It’s obvious!

“-This is a device that absorbs your mana. Once you put in about 80% of your mana supply, you’ll be able to see your dominant attribute. And with that, I’ll pick out a suitable wand."

It’s to figure out your dominant element!

There are many branches of magic, like Rebuild Magic I learnt a few days earlier, Analysis Magic and so many more.

But at the centre of all these branches, are the four elements: Fire, Water, Earth and Wind.

Of course, you can be dominant in the Fire element and still be able to cast other elements like Water just as easily and skillfully, although the Fire element will always be just slightly stronger.

The magical item in front of me basically determines which one your most proficient at.

“What is this device called?”

I asked the shopkeeper behind the counter.

Once I find out the name, I’ll spend the entire night in the library doing some satisfying research about it.

“It’s called Foer’s Elemental Crystal, the famous Crystalologist and Manalist Foer Vaunt made this and mass-produced it-“

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“How much does it cost?”

A mental notepad appeared in my mind, taking down notes.

First off, if something like this ever existed and I was somehow a “talented” child in magic, why didn't Papa use this on me?

“One King Coin.”

“Uwwwaaaaahhhh????!!!!”

That’s too much! Too too too much!

Uwwaaaah!

That’s why Papa didn’t use something like this on me, and travelling somewhere to get this tested on is just a waste of time!

Let’s put this into perspective.

The coin denomination system is: Tin - Copper - Iron - Silver - Gold - Platinum - King’s Coin

A tin coin is enough to buy an apple.

A Gold coin is enough for a high-quality magical item.

A Platinum Coin is enough to bribe corrupt nobles into doing whatever you want with no limits.

And a King’s Coin is enough to buy an entire army and feed them for an entire month.

Nearly one hundred thousand men’s worth for this one crystal?

I doubt Papa or even Runo has possession of two King’s Coins, even combined.

…So how did a magical shop like this get one?

“…If you’re wondering how we could afford this, it was loaned by the Kingdom. Never mind that, put your hand on the crystal!”

“Awawa- Wait, I’m not prepared to touch such an expensive item-“

My arms wailed from side to side as I shook my head vigorously, refusing to touch it.

“-Don’t worry, it’s just a touch.”

The shopkeeper grabbed my wrist and placed my hand on the Foer's Crystal.

“…”

It’s hard and cold.

My fingers spread, taking up part of the crystal.

“Alright, now that you’re grasping it, send in your mana. If you've cast spells before, you’ll understand how.”

“I know.”

After my initial shock faded, I closed my eyes and began to concentrate.

My mana began to flow in.

“-You have to put enough mana until you feel tired, basically exhaust about 80% of your mana supply, if you don’t, it won’t work. The initial signs of this are when your eyes begin to close, almost like you’re very tired.”

“Understood, but why about 80%?”

“The Foer’s Crystal is pretty new, invented about 30 years ago, so there are still limitations like having to put 80% of your mana inside. But it won’t take long.”

My mana continued to flow in.

“Ah… So how long does it usually take?”

As I felt mana being sucked from my fingertips, I asked the shopkeeper.

“Normally it takes about a minute for someone to feel tired but for a kid like you maybe about 20 seconds, when it’s done the crystal will change colour into your element. I mean, you probably know this but blue is Water, brown is Earth, green is Wind and red is Fire.”

The shopkeeper explained.

“Reign, what are you doing?”

After listening to what the shopkeeper was saying, I heard Elaina’s voice from behind me.

“I’m determining my dominate element through the Foer’s crystal.”

To put it frankly, it doesn’t really matter which is my main element, I can use each of them as efficiently.

But getting a wand based on your dominant element sounds pretty interesting, and knowing it in the first place is also as intriguing.

“Oh, the Foer’s crystal? Father told me about this a long time ago, and that we couldn’t use it because it was so expensive and the closest one was too far away. Though I heard that father’s attribute is Wind and Earth, and Lord Lukyus’s is Fire.”

“That’s something new.”

Satisfied with window shopping the magical swords, Aerich came in and interjected.

“That’s very cool, I’m trying next… Is there a fee to use one?”

“Nope, it’s free for anyone to use if they ask.”

The shopkeeper replied to Elaina, who had a glittering look in her eyes.

She seemed more interested in magic lately, especially after I lectured her on Magic Theory and the variety of spells for hours on end.

“Then I’m next!”

Elaina’s chin hit the top of the counter as she tried to peek at the crystal.

“Uuuu…”

She recoiled, holding onto her chin as she squatted in pain.

…Ouch.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine-“

After a while, Elaina stood back up.

Come to think of it, it’s been about two minutes.

“Oi kid, are you just pretending not to suck up any mana?”

“No, look at the crystal, I still am.”

In the white crystal, a gas and grey-like substance was coming from where the surface of my fingers was touching, forming a ball inside the crystal.

“That’s weird, it shouldn’t be taking this long.”

The shopkeeper bent over to take a closer look.

“-Oh well, there are one or two people who have a lot of mana, we’ll just wait a bit more.

10 minutes later…

“The hell is wrong with your mana reserves, kid? You realise the average magician would be on their knees now?”

“Hehe…”

20 minutes later…

“Why are you just standing there! It’s my turn! It’s my turn!”

“But I don’t feel tired yet!”

“I don’t care, let me on it!”

Elaina sulked and shouted, grabbing onto my shoulders, shaking them vigorously.

It seems like she really wants to test out the Foer’s crystal.

30 minutes…

“…The hell?”

The shopkeeper crossed his arms with a puzzled look on his face.

“…I’m sorry for taking so long.”

One hour…

“H-H-Huh? T-This shouldn't be possible.”

The shopkeeper’s eyes widened as his head tilted, his hands trembled on the desk.

It was clear he was both awed and confused.

At this point, my arms were aching and needed some rest.

Seeing how futile it was, I let go of the Foer's Crystal.

Because it took about an hour, both Elaina and Aerich returned to browsing the shop, only returning now that I let go.

By the way, the Foer's Crystal was still white with the hint of grey inside that was fading away now that I let go.

Wasn’t it supposed to take one minute before the white crystal would turn into the colour of your dominant element? He said that you would have to exhaust about 80% of your mana to see what your element was, right?

“-Oi, your mana reserves are unnatural, explain.”

“How am I supposed to explain that?”

“I don’t know! A normal above average magician would just barely last about 5 minutes on the Foer Crystal, and you just held it on for an entire hour! Don't you feel tired?!”

“No.”

“Eeeeeeeeh?!”

The shopkeeper’s fists bounced on the table as he quickly leaned forward closer to my face.

It seemed as though there was something heavy on his stomach, he glared at me without blinking.

After a while, he dropped back down into his seat and shakingly grabbed the Foer’s crystal, examining it.

“It’s not broken, it’s clearly not defective… [Wind: Magical Analysis]… Yeah, it’s still working.”

Muttering to himself his head tilted backwards.

As the realisation dawned onto him, his skin paled.

"Could this kid really...?"

I looked to my side, I saw Elaina put her hands on the Foer Crystal, after about twenty seconds, the crystal turned brown.

“Oh! So my dominant element is Earth!”

It was now Aerich’s turn, and after about five minutes the Foer’s Crystal turned red.

“…Fire, huh?”

Aerich muttered to himself.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper’s muscles tensed as his skin paled even further.

And with a soft shaky voice, and with a hint of fear, he spoke:

“S-So it’s definitely not defective. Alright kid no, hero, even if we don’t know your dominant element I can still recommend some versatile wands for you… But before that, let me just-“

The shopkeeper rested his back on his seat, taking a deep breath and closed his eyes.

He was either relaxing or was deep in thought, maybe both?

But after this, he stood back up with a grin on his face. Almost as if he came down to a decision.

"Alright!"

He left the counter and walked into the door behind him, signalling his hands to follow.

I entered, Elaina and Aerich glanced at each other and followed in.

In the staff room was an entire row of tiny cabinets that were shaped to hold wands, one wand per cabinet.

Of course, there were different things but my attention wasn’t there.

After searching each of them by number, the shopkeeper opened a cabinet and pulled out a wand.

He represented it to me.

“This is a jack-of-all-trades wand, it’s called Neutrality’s Desire. I know, it’s a simple name, there’s no specific element and it amplifies your magical power by at least fifty times, please take it.”

The wand itself looked to be made of a thick branch but thin enough to fit into a hand. The grip handle itself was of both black and dark blue, mixing in like water and oil.

The shaft of it was wood of some sort and a grey crystal as big as the nails of my thumb sat on the tip of the wand.

“How much for it?”

“…It’s free, just take it.”

“Why’s that?”

“Investment.”

The shopkeeper smiled. The tiredness in his eyes was nowhere to be seen.

It looked like he was expecting a lot from me when I grow up.

“-And anything your friends want is also free, though they can only take one thing each.”

“Really? Then I’ll take the Foer’s Crystal!"

“Don’t be unreasonable.”

“MMMMM!”

After the shopkeeper shot down Elaina’s request, she bit her lip and made a weird pouting sound.

“Now then, what’s your name?”

He looked over at me.

“My name is Reign.”

I didn’t want to say my last name, the Cinage House is pretty famous in the Capital, so I don’t want any weird reactions.

“Alright, Reign, I’ll remember that. Then-“

The shopkeeper placed the wand into a wand holster and handed it over to me.

The wand holster itself looked to be pure leather.

“The wand holster itself is a magical item, it’s moderately resistant to practically anything and can fit on your belt or trousers, it’s also free of charge.”

“W-Wait, are you sure you want to hand these over for free?”

“Yes, I told you, it’s investment. With the amount of mana you have, I’m sure you’ll become quite the man in the future.”

I reluctantly took ahold of the wand holster that had the wand in it.

“W-Well, I can’t thank you enough for this. I’ll come back if I need anything else.”

“Please do!”

With that said, I acquired something today.

The Jack-Of-All-Trades Wand…

…

What was the actual name again?

Ah, Neutrality’s Desire.

…Isn’t that name a bit boring? Oh well.

Neutrality’s Desire Wand 1+ acquired.

Part 2

So in the end, Elaina took a magical sleeping mask, Aerich nothing and me a brand new wand.

I put the wand and its holster in a small leather waist back on my side.

“Hey hey, you got a wand, right?”

As we walked, Elaina took a few fast steps and turned around in front of me.

“That’s right.”

“-That means you know a lot about magic, right?”

“Yes, I’ve told you about the basics of Magic Theory, didn’t I?”

“I want to hear more.”

“…”

Goddamn it.

You know how much I love lecturing people about the things I know!

“Alright so-“

I couldn’t resist the temptation to just spew out all my knowledge.

This is your fault, okay?

It's not mine.

You made me do it!

After finding a perfect path to walk on, I lectured her more about the Theory of Magic and extended it into other branches.

Aerich too was silently listening in.

As I continued lecturing, I looked over to Elaina and Aerich, they didn’t seem annoyed.

Aerich was listless and Elaina was attentively listening in with glittering eyes, man, she understands how cool magic is.

This went on for about three hours, and before I knew it, we were in the Noble’s District.

“Ah, I get it now.” x2

Both Aerich and Elaina nodded.

“See? Do you understand how complex magic is now?!”

For some reason, I get very excited when talking about things I know, though I’m sure that’s just a phase.

But putting that aside, it was now an hour before mid-afternoon, 2 o’clock. The sky was pure blue with only strips of clouds.

The sun was shining very brightly, though it wasn’t hot.

As we walked through the Noble’s District, I noticed a figure sitting on a patch of grass outside the walls of some rich noble’s estate.

Since we were going in the direction towards the figure, I was able to make out the features after a while.

It was a girl with short brown hair and yellow eyes, about the same age as us.

It seems she noticed us too, looking in our direction.

“Hi.”

When we were close enough, I greeted her.

"Hi, is something wrong?”

The girl just sat there on the grass, even before we approached it looked as if she was staring into the sky listlessly.

“We were just passing by, but you look bored and something’s clearly troubling you, is something the matter?”

I asked her.

Yes, I could tell that something was troubling her.

How?

I don't know, it's just pure instinct.

“E-Eh? No, nothing’s wrong, I’m just bored.”

Ah, I guess I was wrong.

“Ah well, my name is Reign, this is Elaina and that’s Aerich, it’s nice to meet you.”

Seeing as though she’s fine, I introduced both Elaina and Aerich to this person.

Hearing this, the girl replied:

“My name is Rose, Rose Mont. It’s nice to meet you too.”