The Bookstore Mage

With the butler of the Goldhearts family gone, Lucien was left behind with a strange black ring. He fiddled with it for a few seconds, studying its shape while paying close attention to the mysterious runes carved into its surface.

"But how do I make this thing work?" He muttered out loud. Moon who was seated by his side meowed in response.

"What do you think Moon?" He asked with a smile and gently patted her head, making her snuggle closer to his hand.

'Well, since it's a magical ring, or at least the butler says it is, then would mana do the trick?' Lucien wondered while rubbing his chin, deep in thought.

The strange ring had no glowing particles surrounding it, nor did it emit any. This put Lucien's mind a little bit at ease, but he was still confused nonetheless. Why did a family as big and strong as the Goldhearts approach him? From what he gathered in the last meeting with the Hermits, the four families despised the Rogue mages, they hardly respected the Council. So why was Ron that nice to him?

Lucien first thought that maybe it was fake. But who would want to fool him when he just joined the magical circle, and why go through such lengths to do it? Besides, the runes and the small insignia of the sun, carved on its surface were a little too real for Lucien's liking.

He didn't know why, but Lucien had a feeling that they must have misunderstood something. Scratching his head, Lucien places the ring on the counter and grabbed his phone. He hesitated for a second before dialing Estrea's number.

After a couple of rings, her sweet charming voice answered:

"Lucien, and here I thought you'd never call." Her tone was joyful and a little bit flirty.

An awkward smile made its way to Lucien's face. He had indeed forgotten about her. He was too immersed in studying the book, and then the butler came, putting her out of his mind. Still, Lucien shamefully lied through his teeth:

"How could I forget about you, Estrea? I was just a bit preoccupied with some matters."

"I see." She chuckled sweetly.

"So, how are you doing?"

"Haha, I assume you didn't just call me to exchange pleasantries?"

"Ah, well, I called you for two reasons."

"Oh, pray do tell."

"First, let me take you out for dinner tomorrow."

"Mr. Lucien, are you inviting me on a date?" She asked in a flirtatious tone.

"I am indeed inviting you for a date, Ms. Estrea."

"Oh, and what's the second reason for your call?"

"Well, I had an old man that called himself the butler of the Goldhearts family come visit me."

Estrea turned silent for a few seconds before she answered in a somber tone, surprising Lucien:

"What did he look like?"

"Middle-aged with a well-trimmed mustache, and grey sideburns. Though he did look rather pale when just came into the bookstore."

"That should be Ron. What did he ask you to do?"

"Ask me to do? Nothing, he was exceedingly nice and even gave me a black ring with what I think is the Goldhearts insignia and some runes carved onto it."

Estrea was momentarily stunned and did not know how to reply. After a few seconds of silence, she managed to compose herself, Lucien was after all quite a strong mage, perhaps the Goldhearts have decided on a different type of approach. After all, Ron was known to be quite sly.

"Usually, when the Goldhearts sent someone to visit a Rogue. It's either to directly invite them to join the family as servants or if they are unsure of the Mage's capabilities, then they would offer them a mission to complete. That way they'd have a general idea of the mage's prowess. If the Rogue is a high-ranking mage then they'd try to entice him to join with family treasures. Similar to your case, It seems like Ron was able to tell that this would not work on you, and they instead came in peace, which is quite shocking if I'm being honest, as the Goldhearts are known for being hard-headed."

Estrea's explanation momentarily stunned Lucien. 'He was able to tell it would not work on me?! How the hell would It not work on me?! I knew something was wrong the second he was being too respectful! Damn it, and what high-ranking mage?! I don't even know what the ranks are!' Lucien inwardly cried out.

"Are you still there?" Estrea asked in concern.

"Ah, yes, I'm just thinking."

"Well, it seems like they didn't directly offer you to join the family, which is good. As I said, looks like Ron is aware that your fighting prowess and rank vastly outmatch his own. So, I believe they will be keeping their distance. You don't have to worry too much about it."

The more she talked, the heavier Lucien's felt. His heart tightened in his chest, as he thanked her and said his goodbyes. Throwing the phone on the counter, Lucien covered his eyes with his hands and released a long sigh. Moon seemed to sense his anxious mood, she quickly jumped on top of his lap and pushed her head against him affectionately.

Lucien subconsciously began stroking her fur, something that seemed to ease his mind by a little bit. "What the hell do I do? It seems like everyone is misunderstanding something. I only wanted to learn magic in peace, what high-ranking mages, and what fighting prowess!"

"F*ck" a curse slipped from his lips as he found thinking about the consequences. The Goldhearts were not known for being kind, so what would they do when they find out he is in fact quite weak?

A shudder ran through his spine. "I can't let that happen!" He whispered. Although it was their fault for misunderstanding everything, could he count on them being reasonable? Lucien doubted it. The only way he could insure his safety was by growing stronger.

With his mind made, Lucien took a deep breath and grabbed the black ring. Moon jumped from his lap into the counter and watched everything with a curious expression on her face. "Wish me luck." He told her before he willed the mana to move towards the ring.

After learning a few spells, Lucien's control over the particles increased dramatically. He was now able to make them move with his will, though that was the extent of his abilities so far. He still needed to make them follow a certain pattern to activate certain spells, and for others, he needed to use the appropriate hand gestures.

The ring seemed to sense the mana gathering around him, but it did not react. "Huh, nothing happened?" Lucien paused and studied the ring for any changes, only to find none.

"Could it be a fake?" He mumbled. Scratching his head, Lucien tried again but to no avail.

After a few minutes of silent contemplation, a sudden idea flashed through his mind. Instead of using the mana in the world, he would use the one inside his body. Closing his eyes, Lucien willed a small strand out from the tip of his finger and into the ring, when something magical happened.

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