The Bookstore Mage

The Chairman's question made Lucien's expression change ever so slightly. He was unable to stop a chuckle from escaping his mouth.

All of the people present tensed up. It was to be noted that the Chairman, one of the strongest people in the Council was exuding his aura in an attempt to gauge Lucien's true strength.

But even in the presence of so many of the Council's strongest people, he remained unphased. He even went as far as laughing. The person closest to him to his right was a short middle-aged man with brown hair and an amicable face.

Seeing the expression on Lucien's face made him involuntarily push his chair away. He didn't know why, but a chill ran down his spine at the moment, and he was not the only one to feel that way.

To Lucien's left, an old woman with grey hair and two scars beneath her eyes frowned as she subconsciously gathered her mana.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Wood? Forgive me if I offended you, I'm merely trying to understand you."

"That's a little bit rude, don't you think? This doesn't feel like you are trying to understand me, I mean with your aura at full blast like that," Lucien shook his head with a smile as he leaned back against his chair, appearing unbothered by the whole situation.

This only served to make everyone on edge. A sigh escaped the Chairman's lips as he reigned in his mana. He stared deeply into Lucien's eyes, who in turn stared back unflinching.

"Mr. Wood, as you know our job is to maintain order, and keep tabs on any... variables shall we say that may threaten that order."

"And is this your way of telling me that you're keeping tabs on me?" Lucien asked.

"No, we just wanted to make sure that we don't have any problems," answered the Chairman. His eyes remained glued on Lucien watching his every move.

"You tell me, Mr. Chairman. You people kindly invited me here and gathered what I assume is your strongest personal. You even had the entire floor secured and got everyone to mask their auras completely."

Hearing that the people hiding were already seen through, the Chairman remained unbothered. This just further confirmed his hypothesis. The man in front of him was an enigma. It was too risky to start a fight with him, even when they held the home ground advantage.

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"That is nothing but a precaution. I sincerely ask for your understanding," he replied and lowered his head causing the people present to gasp. Still, no one said anything.

"Oh, please raise your head Mr. Chairman. I care little for such matters. I'm pretty sure you should have also figured out that I had nothing to do with the death of this Ryan. So next time, kindly refrain from bothering me."

Lucien spoke in a firm tone. He had to make a stance here, he couldn't allow himself to be seen as a pushover. The problem was that his strategy worked as a double-edged sword that could come back and bite him in the ass at any time.

Still, he trusted his instincts and calmed his emotions as he stared back at the Chairman. It helped that their aura did not affect him, whatsoever.

"Of course. This was a one-time occurrence. Thank you for your understanding."

Lucien simply nodded and then stood up. Everyone but the Chairman flinched at his abrupt movement.

"Now then, if you'll excuse me. I have a bookstore to open."

"Yes, Nia will escort you back," The chairman answered.

Lucien gave him another nod and glanced at the people present before he spoke:

"Well, gentlemen, ladies. Although brief, It was a pleasure meeting you all," saying that he turned around to leave when the Chairman called out to him again.

"Mr. Wood."

"Hmm?"

"You never answered my question."

Lucien grinned and replied:

"Take a wild guess," and with that, he turned around and left the room.

"Phew" sighs of relief escaped the people present while the Chairman's smile disappeared only to be replaced by a deep frown.

"A wild guess, huh."

"Mr. Chairman, that is not a person!"The brown-haired middle-aged man was the first one to speak.

The scarred old lady quickly followed after him:

"His eyes were not normal. It felt as if a beast was lurking beneath them."

The eastern man Nur continued:

"He has the same aura as some of the otherworldly monsters. Just where did he crawl out from?" He asked with a shudder.

The platinum blonde lady in front of him was deep in thought. The Chairman turned to glance at her and asked:

"Adina, what do you think now that you've seen him?"

She rubbed her eyes and shook her head before speaking:

"Definitely not human. Didn't feel like an Elf either."

The Chairman nodded and turned his gaze to the last female in the room. A short-haired tanned lady, her black hair long and her honey-colored eyes deep and asked:

"What about you Diya?"

She spoke in a soft tone, but everyone quieted down the second she began:

"He does not have the aura of a monster nor that of a demon. But yes, he is not human. I could feel something, something ancient hidden inside... Something terrifying."

Her words caused the Chairman's frown to deepen as he rubbed his temple.

"What do you think our chances were?" He asked.

The beautiful lady paused for a second before she answered:

"Slim to none."

The room went deathly silent as everyone contemplated her words. After a few seconds, the Chairman said:

"Recall our men from 27th Street."

"Right away, sir." Answered the final member. An old man with greying hair and wrinkles all over his face.

****

When leaving the headquarters, Lucien remained on edge as Nia led him outside. He could feel the invisible gazes on him and he wasn't sure what he was going to do if they decided to just attack.

Thankfully, however, his gamble seemed to have paid off and he managed to leave the building undisturbed. The same car that brought him here was waiting for him.

The nervous bearded man opened the door for him and Nia spoke:

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Wood. We apologize for the disturbance this might have caused you," saying that, she gave him a professional bow.

Lucien smiled and nodded before he entered the car which quickly drove off. It took them a little bit longer to reach his bookstore due to traffic and he could feel the tension of the driver.

Smiling wryly, Lucien gazed out of the window until they reached home. He opened the door and walked to the bookstore, the car quickly left after it dropped him off.

Once inside, he closed the door behind him and made his way behind the counter before he slumped into the chair. A long sigh escaped his lips.

"I survived. I survived," he repeated it to himself, almost as if in disbelief at what happened. A wide grin extended across his face.

"Welcome back, my lord," said Tamellalt who reappeared by his side.

"Hey, Tam. I don't see Moon?"

"She's still sleeping upstairs."

He nodded with a smile and asked:

"I see, well please help me prepare for the ritual. It's about time I tried that spell."