Chapter 23. Exploring Roa

"You want to go out to explore the city? Then why won't you take Eris and Ghislaine with you," Philip proposed.

"Take Eris?... How about not yet? I just want to look around at my own pace."

"Is that so? Well, that's fine. Then I'll assign someone else to act as your bodyguard."

"…Thank you."

Philip allowed me to go out.

But I guess he felt it would be too irresponsible for him to let me go on my own, so he assigned one of the knights of the Boreas family to accompany me.

My bodyguard was a middle-aged man with a body that was neither thin nor burly, clad in armor that looked neither very light or heavy. A neatly trimmed beard-covered face which was neither ordinary nor especially handsome.

His name was Gilbert Risel.

After introductions, I curiously asked, "Gilbert-san, I'm sorry if I'm rude, but can I ask how strong you are?"

"It's alright. I hold an Advanced rank in the Water God Style. As for the Sword God Style, I'm also at the Advanced rank, but it isn't my specialty."

I see.

So he's quite strong.

Philip didn't assign me just anyone.

Gilbert seems like a loyal knight of the family, a trusted shield.

He added, "And just calling me Gilbert is fine, Young Master Seraphim. As a Greyrat, your status is higher than mine."

"As you wish."

Just how much was he told about my background?

…

I walked out into the city with Gilbert while Eris could be seen on the way, sleeping in a haystack.

The city of Roa, also called the Citadel of Roa, was said to be the biggest city in the Fitoa region.

However, it was not that big. If you walked the perimeter of the outer wall, you could probably circle the entire thing in two hours.

Still, it was not small either.

And the most impressive part about it was, as I already noted before, the seven to eight meter tall wall that wrapped around the entire city.

"Gilbert, were these walls built with magic?" As I had this question, I decided to ask Gilbert.

"Yes." Gilbert nodded. "However, only the outer and inner parts of the wall were built using magic. The inside was then filled by manual workers."

I see.

So the outer parts were probably built using Advanced rank [Earth Fortress], and then the inside was filled up manually to make the wall thicker. On top of that, various structures were built around it.

It was not made using a Saint rank spell or silent spell-casting… Probably.

At least, a high-rank Earth magic spell that could do something like this didn't seem to be introduced in the novel.

I thought about this as we made our way through the upper-class residential area and into the crowded place.

From there, we headed to the commercial district.

All the shops near the noble district were posh, and even the street stalls here and there were peddling expensive wares.

"Hello, Young Master, take your time and look around." An old man running a shop that sold second-hand wares called out to us, using a line straight from a Xianxia novel.

As the Young Master in question, I checked out what was on display.

My eye-level barely reached high enough to be able to see it.

I took out a notebook and began to take notes of the products and their prices to get a general idea of the market.

Gilbert seemed to have observed me, but didn't comment on what I was doing.

But because he was always looking over my shoulder, I decided to write in this world's language, even though it was less convenient.

To be honest, that merchant was selling some rather questionable things.

Sleeping pills, handcuffs, bondage-style clothing…

He's really targeting the nobles, alright!

After looking over the stall, I then moved to the next one.

The merchant looked disappointed that I only browsed and didn't buy anything, but that's how it is in this business.

I'm currently too poor to buy anything here anyway.

I continued looping around the area and took my time taking inventory of items that interested me from all the stalls.

I skipped entering the posher shops, since then there would be simply too many things for me to note. I'll visit those in the future.

I thought I would find it here, but I didn't see anywhere the 'aphrodisiac' that was often brought up in the novel.

I remembered that after the Mana Disaster, the method of production of this aphrodisiac disappeared and the item's price skyrocketed from 10 to 100 Asura gold coins.

That's why I thought of possibly stocking up some of them to sell in the future.

But the stalls didn't even have it.

'I'll keep an eye on it.'

We headed toward the outer part of the city.

Just a short walk away, the shop wares changed completely. The prices were dramatically lower too, down from five gold coins a piece to one gold coin.

Still not something I can afford.

But I was only there to browse and feel out the market.

In this area there were more people here. Based on their appearances, ranging from nobles to adventurers.

Even the shop stall owners seemed livelier when they hawked their wares; perhaps because 1 gold coin was just on the high end of affordability.

Either way, for this trip, Paul gave me 5 Asura Silver Coins, which is half of a gold coin, so I could not afford almost anything here.

5 Asura Silver Coins was also the monthly salary that Roxy was receiving when she was working as my tutor.

All in all, 5 silver was a large sum of spending money for a kid for a month's vacation.

But for the things that I want, I felt it would surely be far from enough at a glance.

As I was taking notes, a store caught my eye: a bookstore.

Since I was already there, I decided to check it out.

As I walked in, I saw that the inside was deserted.

There were just two bookcases, volumes of the same title lined up in twos and threes. Each book cost around one gold coin.

The store owner took one look at me and yawned as if he dismissed me as a potential customer.

In one part of the store there was a locked case with rows of books inside. These books were about eight gold coins each. The most expensive one was ten gold coins.

In here, I wasn't noting down the prices of the books and simply browsed.

Seeing a high chance that books on magic could be here, I was very curious about the locked case that seemed to have the most valuable books.

I glanced inside the case and quickly noticed a book I had seen before.

'Plant Dictionary, eight gold coins.'

It was the same book Zenith had given me on my 5th birthday not long ago, one that I still had a long time to finish reading and studying.

Expensive.

I already knew about this from the novel, but seeing the price in person made me truly comprehend it.

If 1 gold coin was something like 1,000 dollars, then this book was 8 grand!

Zenith and Paul must have used their savings from adventuring time for this one.

Since it's so valuable, I'll need to carefully read it when I get back.

Thinking so, I continued browsing the books.

Unfortunately, I was again disappointed.

These were mostly non-magical books here.

The Summoning book that I remembered from the novel was also not here at this time.

There were two books here that seemed to be about practical magic, but they were described to only be about Elementary rank magic.

Nothing interesting here. At least in regards to magic.

After checking the entire counter with premium goods, I approached the shopkeeper and spoke up, "Sir, if it comes to magic, is that all that you have here?"

The shopkeeper looked at me with a bored look, then said, "All magic books are already on display."

He didn't say any more than that.

I pressed on and said again, "But there's a chance that you might have some more interesting magic books from time to time?"

"...There is a chance… From time to time we're getting books you can only get in the Magician's Guild. But those are often quickly sold out."

"I see."

I then browsed through the more ordinary section on books.

These books were mostly legends, novels and history. After skimming through those, I left the shop.

"Young Master, are you interested in magic tomes?" Gilbert asked me outside.

"Yes."

"Then you should visit the Magicians' Guild. I heard before that book stores only sell Elementary rank tomes. If you're lucky, you might find an Intermediate rank one, but that's about it. The Magicians' Guild is more reliable. It's the best source of magic tomes and scrolls."

Yes. The Magicians' Guild was already one of my targets.

Since Gilbert brought it up, let's go there next.

…

I stopped before the large three-storey building of the Magicians' Guild.

"Gilbert, If I want the clerk to show me around and advise me about how I can get magic books, how much do you think is a good tip?"

"Hm? I think one large copper coin would be a good tip just for some advice. Not too much, not too little."

"Okay. Thanks."

After asking Gilbert, I wandered into the building.

There was a guard near the entrance, and a few, but not many, people inside.

I read from the wall:

-First floor is for equipment.

-Second floor has tomes and materials for sale.

-Third floor is a library for guild members.

'Tomes for sales and a library for guild members…'

The Magicians' Guild sold magic books, but as long as I became a guild member, I could read various books that they have in their library.

However, registration was a bit expensive… I could not afford it yet.

Roxy had mentioned all this before.

However, she never made good use of the Magicians' Guild before joining the Magic University, so what she could tell me was limited.

"Let's first check out the equipment," I said.

Gilbert didn't speak up and simply followed me as I began to browse the displays on the first floor.

The first thing that caught my eyes were the staves.

Several wands, and several longer staves…

Their prices ranged.

The most expensive ones were about one hundred gold coins.

A B-rank magic stone, a fire-attributed wood… specialized in Fire magic.

Another staff was at a similar grade, but specialized in Water magic, and another one in Earth magic that had a core made from an alloy of metals rather than wood.

There were also staves with a 'neutral' magic stone that did not have an attribute.

'Interesting.'

After taking a look at the staves, I looked at the other items.

Clothes enchanted with fire resistance, made from special materials more resistant to blades and the like…

Most of the items there were clothes, but there were also Magic Tools.

'A dagger that boosts wind spells. Interesting. How does it work? Do you slash out with it while activating [Wind Slash] or something?'

Apart from Magic Tools, there were also some Magic Items for sale, which were slightly different, but like it is with Magic Items, they mostly had useless random effects. There wasn't a single powerful Magic Item here that made me think: 'oh wow, it's useful'.

After browsing through most of the items, I decided to go up to the second floor.

"Excuse me, could you tell me what kind of magic books you have for sale?" I approached the clerk and stretched my hand to place the Asuran Large Copper Coin on the counter.

The clerk was a woman in her late twenties with sand-colored medium-length hair, a slim figure and a large bust.

She looked at me with a gentle smile, smoothly picked up and stored the coin, and said, "Of course. Are you interested in anything in particular?"

"Basically, things that are not in the general magic guidebook," I said.

The clerk stepped out and began browsing while explaining:

"I see. In general, we need approval from the author to sell anything above Advanced-rank, so the stock is limited to Advanced-rank. It's the same with scrolls."

"Anything Saint-rank and higher is typically restricted to the Ranoa University of Magic. Many of the writers are the instructors there, after all."

"Out of the things we have, I would recommend this book."

She handed me a book.

'Azur's Water Magic'

She explained, "It includes Advanced-rank spells like [Blizzard Storm] and [Ice Edge] that can't be found in the general guidebook."

Ah, I see…

Well, I already know those!

I said, "I see. My teacher already knows these spells. Anything else?"

I don't think there isn't anything on Water Magic here that Roxy couldn't teach me, so that one was out.

"Ah. Okay. Then perhaps this. It's about melded magic."

With the clerk's permission, I skimmed through the table of contents from the book.

Quagmire, Magma Gush…

Yep, I already knew all those.

Some of these were already mentioned in the guidebook, while Roxy taught me the rest. This book should talk about these in more detail, but I already knew how to use them.

I returned the book.

She then handed me another one.

But it was also useless.

"Yes, my teacher can already teach me those…" I returned the book with an awkward expression.

"Oh my… Then what about books on Detoxification and Healing Magic?"

My eyes perked up at this.

"Advanced-rank Healing and Detoxification magic?"

"Yes, we have those too… Like this."

She showed me a book.

I checked out the note attached to it.

As it seemed… The book included an Advanced-rank healing spell called [Shine] and 20 'must known' Advanced-rank Detoxification spells.

I want it.

"How much is it?" I looked up at the clerk.

"10 gold coins."

I see. 10 gold coins.

It wasn't too much, but I obviously couldn't afford it.

I flipped through the book again.

Actually, for a book that only had words in it, it was quite expensive. Couldn't someone simply easily copy it and re-sell for big money?

As if to answer my thoughts, the clerk said, "The book is quite expensive because it's distributed by the Milis Church. The church takes a margin of the profits and they punish anyone who's suspected of copying the contents. No one is allowed to teach Advanced rank healing magic without the church's permission. If someone wants to learn it, they have to buy their book."

I see.

So it's expensive because the church is involved, huh?

Ideally it should be the opposite, with the church wanting to spread the gift of healing magic to everyone to rid them of pain and illness, but it isn't. So typical.

The clerk smiled and continued, "Originally the Ranoa University began publishing books on Advanced Healing and Detoxification Magic, but then the Millis church pressured them. Eventually it was decided that the Church will be the one to distribute magic books on the subject, but because of it, they're a bit expensive."

"I see."

"It is still better than long ago when it was difficult to find anything on Advanced healing magic. Or so I heard."

"I see. I still can't buy it today. But I'll buy it in the future."

The clerk smiled like a flower as if she already expected this. Taking a book from my hand, she said, "Alright. There's a discount for members of the Magician's guild. Your master could buy it for you."

Ah, yeah.

Unfortunately, my master left me in search of love while the registration fee to become a member of the Magicians' Guild was 1 Asura Gold Coin, so yeah…

Just to confirm it, I asked, "Becoming a guild member costs one gold coin, right?"

"That's right."

I let out a breath.

The Magicians' Guild was not like the Adventurers' Guild where anyone could join. It was an organization for people with money and background.

First I'll have to get more money.

I looked around and noted various herbs, as well as some flasks with ink that were displayed on a table in the middle of the room.

I suddenly recalled something.

I turned to the clerk. "Right. Do you have books on Magic Circles?"

"Yes, of course. But to learn about Magic Circles, I would first recommend reading textbooks in the library."

"I see."

Okay.

They do, that's all I needed to hear. I'll think about it in the future.

Looking around, I also had a desire to buy some magic ink to draw simple magic circles from the guidebook, but once again, I had to save money, so I gave up.

I then asked, "About Saint rank magic, how is it exactly? Can a normal guild member gain access to it, using the power of money?"

I looked up at her meaningfully.

The clerk chuckled at my words, smiled and said, "Of course, with the power of money anything is possible in this world. It would be quite expensive though. Someone interested would probably need to travel to the capital's Magicians' Guild as well."

OK.

I see.

Saint-rank magic is normally off limits, you need special permission, but as long as you can pay their minimal price, it isn't anymore.

The clerk added, "From what I'm aware, the requirement should also be at least a D-rank in the guild. And it'd be limited to browsing. It's for safety concerns."

A D-rank member.

A new guild member starts at F-rank. Then it's E-rank and only then D-rank. I knew that much.

I'm not sure how much effort ranking up to D-rank required normally, but if I wanted to, I could instantly advance to D-rank using the recommendation letter that Roxy had written for me in advance.

However, I would rather avoid exposing my talents to the public before I decide on my future course of action. If I could purely use the power of money to learn Saint rank magic, it would be better…

As I was deep in thought, the clerk broke the silence and added, "To learn Saint rank magic, the best choice is joining the Ranoa University of Magic. It's a magic school at the forefront of magic research. They accept people regardless of their background. Alumni from the Ranoa university of magic are also automatically enrolled as D-rank mages."

"Yes, I know. Anyway, what about King-rank magic? Is it also available in the Magicians' Guild?"

The clerk wryly smiled in amusement, then said, "I don't think so. Even the Ranoa University should have limited sources, I'm not clear on it. King-rank magic and above is normally only in the hands of major factions like the Asura Royal family."

In other words, tough luck learning King-rank magic if you don't join a high-end magic school or become affiliated with a country.

"Oh, excuse me now, but I seem to have a customer," the clerk said.

A man in a robe seemed to be standing at the counter and impatiently looking around.

"It's alright. Thank you for your time."

"You're welcome." The clerk smiled, then sent me a wink, before hurrying to the counter.

I glanced around, then approached something that looked like a request board.

It was a quest board.

To satisfy my curiosity, I checked out some of the requests.

Basically, the missions requested magical services.

Even quests at only F and E rank asked for someone with rather high qualifications, asking for Intermediate or Advanced rank magic use.

In spite of that, the few missions that were on the board were rather troublesome and not very attractive. Even if I could do some of them, they seemed like a bother.

I guess the better quests are quickly picked up or perhaps are passed to people with connections.

"Are you looking at the requests?" At one point the clerk returned to my side with a slight smile. "These are only available to the guild members."

I turned to her. "Yes, I know. I want to ask, do you have any books on Summoning magic?"

"We do have books on Enchantment magic, but on Summoning not so much. Which one is it that interests you?"

Commonly, Summoning magic is separated into two types: Enchantment type and Summoning type.

'Enchantment magic' is known as a kind of magic used for crafting Magic Tools using Magic Circles.

Meanwhile the Summoning type deals with summoning beings, also using Magic Circles.

This is what Roxy taught me. It's considered common knowledge in the Ranoa Magic University and in general.

But I knew that something was seriously wrong with this information. Based on what I remember from the novel, it isn't quite correct.

Either way, this is how people classify Summoning magic in the world.

"I'm mainly interested in the Summoning type," I said.

At my words, the clerk gave me a wry smile. "Well, Summoning is a very rarely practiced form of magic these days. From what I'm aware of, we don't have any practical books on it for sale. We can try ordering something from the capital, but the availability should still be low. Summoning magic beasts is also not something recommended for beginners because it's dangerous, so I don't recommend you think of dabbling in it."

I see.

Disappointing, but not unexpected.

I'll worry about it later anyway.

"I see. Well, thank you for being so helpful, um… Miss…"

"My name is Camille. And you're welcome," the clerk said with a gentle smile.

I bowed slightly and said, "Thank you, Miss Camille. You can call me Seraph. You were a big help, I'll be going for now."

Philip instructed me to not bring up my family name if possible, so I decided to skip the 'Greyrat', also cutting short my name.

Camille chuckled. "No problem. I hope you'll visit soon. It's been fun chatting with you, Seraph-kun. It's a surprise for a boy so young to be so interested in magic and books."

I slightly nodded in a farewell, then walked out, with Gilbert following me silently.

There was still the library on the third floor, but it was for guild members only.

I did enough reconnaissance for now.

Money, money, money. No matter what, I needed more money if I wanted to get magic books.

By the way, seeing how big sister Camille was smiling at me throughout, I had a feeling she was a shotacon.

Perhaps I didn't even need to give her a tip, damn it.

…

After leaving the Magicians' Guild, I visited the Adventurer's guild, just to check it out.

And the inside was…

"It's more deserted than I thought."

The guildhall was mostly empty, apart from a few folks chatting and drinking without making a commotion.

There wasn't the usual hustle and bustle that you'd expect from an Adventurer's guild.

"Yes, of course. During this time most Adventurers would be out on quests," Gilbert explained.

"Yeah, I figured…"

At this time, it should still be early afternoon.

"Normally Adventurers don't have many jobs in Asura, since it's too safe here and the knights frequently clean up any monsters. But Roa is different. Because it's close to the border and the mountains, the concentration of mana is higher and there are many forests filled with monsters."

"Yes, I heard."

"Roa is a time-honored fortified city. 400 years ago it was the last bastion of defense in the war against the demon race. That's why there is a castle in the city's center. That being said, these days the nobles of the capital only see Roa as nothing more than a crude backwater full of adventurers."

"Yes…"

I saw that Gilbert was slightly agitated as he spoke.

I ignored him and approached the quest board.

Compared to the Magicians' Guild that requested Intermediate and Advanced rank magic use, the quests here directed at magicians asked for an Elementary and Intermediate ranked magic much more often.

After checking out some of the quests, I left the Adventurer's Guild.

"Gilbert, do you know where there is the best herb store or something like a pharmacy? A place where you can buy healing medicine and herbs?"

"Healing medicine? Why do you need those?"

"Out of curiosity."

"...Alright. Very well, I know one place."

After that, Gilbert took me to a herbalist's store.