The Bookstore Mage

Lucien moved to the door and locked it, he then proceeded to lower the window blinds before he made his way behind the counter. He glanced at Anna who was seated on a small chair in front of it and asked:

"Would you like to drink something, tea, coffee?"

"Just water, please."

Lucien nodded and was about to head upstairs when the butler fairy appeared by the side with two glasses of water, it then gently placed them before the duo and gave a deep bow before it disappeared.

Lucien who started to get used to the fairy's sudden entrances was not alarmed. Anna on the other hand gasped loudly and quickly placed her hand over her mouth.

"Thank you," said Lucien.

"T-Thank you," Anna quickly followed after him.

The entire scene made him chuckle inwardly as it was almost the same as when Ian came to visit.

"What was that, Mr. Lucien?" Anna couldn't help but ask with gleaming eyes.

Lucien leaned back on his chair and replied with a faint smile:

"That's a house fairy."

"A house fairy?" She asked again, to which Lucien simply nodded and refrained from elaborating.

Anna hesitated for a second before she reached out for the cup of water. After a few seconds, she finally mustered the courage to ask:

"So you are a mage, right Mr. Lucien?"

"What do you think?" Lucine smiled in reply.

"I can't believe it! So the oppressive aura in here is from you? Is that why I can't use circulated my mana?" She asked.

Lucien maintained his enigmatic smile causing Anna to take his silence as that of confirmation. Lucien, however, was just as confused as she was.

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'Oppressive aura? What the hell is that?' He inwardly mumbled.

Changing the subject, Lucien quickly asked:

"When did you become a mage?"

"It happened on my trip to the northern mountains. I met a wandering mage who said something about me having the potential to grow to a high mage. At first, I thought he was just a random crazy guy, but then he summoned a giant horned wolf in front of my eyes!" Anna explained with glimmering eyes, it seemed like the entire scene had a great impact on her.

'Some sort of summoning spell? Or maybe an illusion?' Lucien noted inwardly.

"He left me with a simple spell and asked me to learn it before he disappeared. I did, but he never came again after that. I ended up prolonging my trip by a few more days, yet the result was the same with no signs of the man."

"What did he look like?"

"Well trimmed black beard, tanned skin, dark brown eyes, and a little bit above average features? He was probably about your height, Mr. Lucien. Does he sound familiar?"

Lucien shook his head and answered:

"I don't think so."

"I see," Anna answered with a tinge of regret in her voice.

"Did you catch his name?"

Shaking her head, Anna replied with a frown:

"No, he told me that I wasn't ready when I asked…"

'That's weird.'

Trying to change the subject, Lucien asked:

"About that spell, you said you learned, do you mind showing me?"

"Ah, of course! No problem! Anna replied excitedly before she paused and added:

"It's just that with the aura in here, it's hard for me to use my mana, as I said. If possible, please recall it..."

"Ah, just the spell instructions are fine." Lucien quickly replied. He had no idea what aura she was talking about since he felt nothing.

'Is it the house fairy's doing? Or is it something else?' He wondered.

"Oh, of course." Saying that Anna opened her bag and brought out a small normal notebook and handed it to Lucien.

He nodded and opened the first and only page inside. Instructions on how to sense the surrounding mana were recorded on it, along with the flow one should follow, before finally, the incantation which was written in normal language.

Seeing that, Lucien was a little bit disappointed since the spell was a normal summoning one. Unlike the one, Ian had left him, or the ones he had in his book.

"So it's a summoning spell." He mumbled out loud to which Anna nodded and replied:

"Yes, I came here to check if I can find any books with similar drawings," she said while pointing at the bizarre drawing of the flow of mana.

Although the entire spell was not very complicated compared to the likes of Usem, and Tajajiht, it was still not something a complete beginner could easily master. Thinking about that, Lucien curiously glanced at Anna who still had a beaming smile on her face as she looked at him excitedly.

Lucien shook his head and answered;

"I'm afraid I don't keep such books in here."

"Ah, yes that makes sense," Anna answered with a nod.

Silent quickly descended As Lucien lowered his head to study the new spell. He was quite curious about it and wanted to try it, yet stopped himself since Anna was present. He did not want to embarrass himself.

"So, Mr. Lucien, I'm sorry for asking so many questions, but it's really hard to contain my excitement now that I know magic is real, and that the owner of my favorite bookstore is a mage himself!"

"Haha, It's alright. Ask away, I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge," Lucien replied with a chuckle.

"Great! First of all, is there some sort of secret hidden world for mages? You know kind of like the movies! Oh, and what about magical creatures? I mean I suppose my summon can be counted as one, but what about other magical creatures? Oh, and monsters! Do they exist? What else-"

"Slow down, I'm not going anywhere. Ask one question at a time."

Embarrassed, Anna scratched the back of her head and replied:

"Sorry, I got too excited."

"It's fine," Lucien answered with a smile.

*****

The duo continued with their conversation with Anna asking all sorts of questions. There came a couple of times when she asked Lucien something he had no idea about, still, he managed to masterfully divert her question away and gave a vague answer.

After a couple of hours, Anna had to leave for work leaving Lucien behind with a copy of the summoning spell. He was quite excited to try it, but before he did, Lucien grabbed his phone and called Estrea.

The phone rang for a couple of seconds before she replied:

"Oh, if it isn't Mr.Lucien. Finally calling me about that date?" She asked in a teasing tone.

Lucien awkwardly winced and replied:

"Haha-"

Estrea interrupted him before he could continue;

"I'm just kidding. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Is it possible for me to bring a new mage to the next meeting?"

"Oh? Is it your friend; or perhaps an apprentice?" Estrea asked without hiding her curiosity.

"It's a customer that ended up stumbling across who I believe is a rogue mage. He taught her a spell and disappeared."

"Her?" She asked causing Lucien to feel a sudden chill for some reason.

"Uh, is that a problem?"

"No, not at all. Please, do bring her in next time you come."

"Great, thank you Estrea!"

"Hmm, I already told you the best way to thank me."

"Of course, and I didn't forget I'm just trying to find something special."

"Sure."