She put an arm over the backrest and propped her head up with it. “I’m saying that I can feel your emotions. You are full of regret and loneliness.” She breathed slowly. “Frankly, I do not wish for you to attempt the dungeon or become involved in the demons’ crisis, not as you are. I fear you may jeopardize things.”

Ah, well that hurt, but she was right. I didn’t feel like attempting anything at the moment. All I wanted to do was disappear, at least temporarily. I felt like a change of scenery would do me good, so I switched to my male vessel, “Another time, perhaps,” and teleported to Ivora, Reuland’s capital.

I snuck past security; wouldn’t want them arresting me since my vessel was hanged for a crime that I had no idea about. Once inside, the city’s vibe offset my messed-up mind state a little. The walls were tall, all painted white, and encircled the entire city. At that time, most people were busy with their jobs, so it was lively, but not exactly entertaining.

After I got some baked treats from a street vendor, I noticed a small purple shop. Its wood looked old and the pain flaked a little. Compared to the white-brick buildings and stores surrounding it, it stood out like a sore thumb. The sign hanging in front of it was a symbol that looked like a witch’s cauldron with some old books scattered about it.

Like a kid with no sense of danger, I ventured inside the archaic shop. There was a bitter scent about the place. The clerk who manned the store was nodding off, as he didn’t seem to have any immediate responsibilities. On the left wall were many glass casings that held several books in them. For display? I pondered. The cobwebs on the top of the casing made it obvious there was nothing of interest there. On the opposite wall was an arrangement of small plants and flowers. A mortar and pestle – also steeped in dust – rested on the ledge next to the potted plants.

The place was dimly lit by candles, which irked me. Candles? In a world full of magic that basically everyone and their grandma could use? The proprietor was either the most irresponsible fraud and basically ruined the shop, or this place was actually worth its weight in gold and was a gem. Either way, I was curious to know what they were about.

I tapped the counter and the young man looked like his soul was ripped out from him for a few seconds. He glanced left and right before focusing on me directly in front of him. “Welcome to Helga’s Arcane Archive!” He greeted with more gusto than I expected. “How may I serve you?”

I knew his movements as well as his words were recited, but they made me laugh nonetheless. He seemed so bad at it that I wondered how he wasn’t fired yet. “Hi there.” I performed a gratus. “What is this place about?”

“Everything magic, dear customer.” He spread his arms apart and wiggled his fingers. “We sell a wide range of spell books, enchanted grimoires, and we even compile various ancient texts about magic and its history.” He proudly pointed at the dusty books with a smile on his face. “We also have herbs, elixirs, and even their recipes. Many healers know the importance of both herb and magic when treating their patients or comrades.” At this point, he sat up properly. “Is there anything that interests you, sir?”

“What would you recommend for a newbie wizard?” I asked.

His eyes lit up, “Ah!” and he reached beneath the counter, “I have just the thing!” He brought out a pair of books, one thin but of average size, and the other one was gigantic. “These! Big one’s full of theory, and it can be a bit of a bore, but you really shouldn’t skip it.” He leaned forward and whispered, “Most people just read the summary at the end of the book.” His eyes then shifted to the smaller book. “This one has a few lifestyle spells to get you used to the feeling of learning a new spell. The rest of spells are novice spells. Won’t get any offensive spells in them though. That edition is reserved for those in the Wizard Guild or Knight Guild.”

I rubbed my chin. Well, the theory book is useless to me. “And, what if I was a master wizard?”

He grinned. “A master, huh?” He jumped off his stool and came out from behind the counter. “Come on, let me show you something cool.”

We went around back, and there was a preposterous number of bookshelves, potions, herbs, and all sorts of notes scattered about the place. However, it was well lit by Dawnlight, unlike the spooky atmosphere they went for in front. The guy pulled a black cloth off a pedestal and revealed a book. In fact, it was fancy, just like my grimoire, and had the thickness to match. I’d go as far as to say it was almost as large as my grimoire.

“This bad boy,” he hit the front of the book, “is an ancient, sacred grimoire said to be used by a legendary master wizard from eons ago. It was discovered in some ruins a century ago, protected by an unbreakable enchantment. The only reason this shop has something so important is because of that enchantment.” He laughed. “Otherwise, this thing would be in the treasury and probably have more guards assigned to it than our queen.”

Hmm, the enchantment’s so powerful that they basically let it become a museum item since they couldn’t access it. “May I?” I stretched my hand out a little.

“Be my guest, just be gentle.” He motioned with his hand. “These old things tend to fall apart easily.”

I walked closer and touched the front of it. Suddenly, my grimoire on my waist began moving about. Wait! Stop! Calm the fuck down, man! Finally, it ceased the theatrics.