Ars Magna (1)

“What do you mean?”

“… it’s too dirty.”

“Now you are suddenly talking like a kid.”

Firstly, he looked like a kid!

Jamie took a step back to let the dust from inside the store move out.

Siegfried stood in the same place.

If the dust was coming out like white smoke, Jamie would get a headache if he breathed in.

“What the- Kids these days make a fuss about dust.”

Siegfried shook his head as if he didn’t understand.

And then began to speak about his childhood.

“When I was young, I used to sleep close to pig shit.
It was a daily occurrence to roll in the fields full of cow shit and there were times when I searched the trash cans for food left by the nobles.
I didn’t care if it was disgusting or not.”

With such a luxurious face, he was spitting out horrid things.

It was then that Jamie remembered Siegfried’s origin.

Slave.
Now he was a great magician, and had a huge reputation, but there was a time when he wasn’t even treated like a human being.

So this amount of dust wouldn’t be anything compared to his slave days.

“Anyway, come in.
If it is hard, just block the air.”

As he said, this matter could be solved with magic, but it just depended on his mood.

Jamie wondered what to do, and ended up wrapping himself around a blanket of clear air.
Did he have to go this far?

‘He is the only one to enter, right?’

He could just wait outside for him to be back.

But Jamie didn’t want to come out as a rude kid.

“Now now.
Let’s head in.”

Siegfried smiled and opened the door wide.

Jamie sighed and entered the store.
The magic stone shop Ars Magna was a cramped place.

To be precise, the store was wider than he expected, but there were so many things with magic stones and two people made it feel cramped.

It was lucky that Jamie had a small body, if he was a little taller, it would have been uncomfortable to walk around.

“Isn’t this gorgeous?”

However, for Seigfried, this place was gorgeous.

Apart from the narrowness, the magic stones decorated with lightning and the magic stones artistically arranged were beautiful.

“The magic stones we can see are all E-C grade, but the magic stones themselves are beautiful, so this kind of fairy tale-like place is created.”

“You have a child-like side which doesn’t suit you.”

“Haha, every magician needs to have two hearts.
Aren’t we creators?”

Magicians were creators.

And it was a fun expression.

There were many magicians who did not create anything in the world, but the magicians who left their names behind in the world were the creators.

“It makes sense.”

“Right?”

When Jamie agreed, he smiled.

“But the owner of this store is nowhere to be seen?”

A guest arrived but no one came.

If the door wasn’t locked, then someone had to be there…

Siegfried said.

“It is free here.
But she'll be here soon.
Ah, you came just in time.”

Jamie too felt that presence.

A presence which left like an illusion suddenly appeared from inside.

Until that moment, Jamie couldn’t feel anything.

“Must be a magician.”

“Could be.”

The old wooden door inside opened with a squeak.

“Long time no see.”

Siegfried bowed his head.

Jamie didn’t see much.
It was because he was small and the numerous racks were obscuring his vision.

“Why are you bothering me again?”

The voice of an old woman.

Jamie stood on his toes but he still couldn’t see the person.

Putting on a nice smile, Seigfried said,

“I told you I’d be back again.”

“Bothersome guy.”

“Did the goods come?”

“Still…”

“It's a bummer again.”

“Listen till the end, you idiot.”

A staff appeared and hit Siegfried on his head.

As bad as it could be, Siegfried made an ack sound but didn’t show any displeasure.

It wasn’t that he was a slave in his young times, but because he was close to this owner.

If not… because the owner was someone even a 7th class great magician couldn’t treat lightly.

‘I wonder who it is.’

It was at a level where he couldn’t see the face but just felt the presence.

Jamie, unable to stand the curiosity, soared into the air.

“No flying here!”

He felt something loom behind him.

Something came for his head which made Jamie instinctively unfold the shield.
At the same time, he drew out his sword and deployed several fireballs in the air.

And the moment he turned around, Jamie could confirm.

This was the owner of Ars Magna.

And his first impression was.

“… old?”

“That isn’t something you say to a lady!”

Tak!

“Ack!”

The staff pierced through the shield and hit Jamie on his head.

“You mean this one is the kid in the rumors?”

The old woman, Kiriel, looked at Jamie with curious eyes.
She bit her lip and laughed.

“I heard you have great skills.”

She was riding on a crystal ball the size of her body and as Jamie said, she was old, she was the same size as the crystal ball.

On her head, she wore a wide-brimmed cone hat which was worn by the witches, and looked like a human at first glance.

“Reading all my movements.”

“I guess the rumor that he is the greatest talent wasn’t for nothing.”

Siegfried looked at Jamie as he listened to the woman.

Jamie was glaring at the woman.

‘Who the hell is she?’

Obviously he unfolded the shield.
It was in one piece, but the staff came through.

‘I’d rather think about it as a difference in strength.’

The staff moved inside as if it was one with the shield and then hit his head.

Thanks to that, he had a small bump on his head.

“Little boy, you don’t get how you got hit, right?”

“How did you do it?”

“A merchant never gives out the information for free.”

As Jamie stared at her without answering, Siegfried smiled and spoke to Kiriel.

“Even if he is a genius, he is a kid.
Stop joking around.”

“Huh? Aren’t you a kid too?”

“I crossed that age a long time back.”

“Right, the kid was called a great magician and then he turned arrogant.”

“No… I was never like that.”

Even Siegfried, who was like a serpent, was nothing in front of this old woman.

Kiriel snorted as if she felt glad for winning.

“This is an artefact.”

“Artefact? But I feel nothing from it.”

“Of course you don’t.
That is because it has the ability of anti-mage.”

“Anti-mage!”

‘Anti-mage’ was an enemy to magic.
The power made magic useless.

In other words, it has the ability to scatter mana, no wonder it passed through the shield like that.

“It is one of the most valuable things I own.”

If it had anti-mage ability then it wasn’t simply a high-value item.

Even calling it a national treasure wouldn’t be bad.

The owner of such a shabby store had such a thing…

He knew she wasn’t an ordinary old woman, but what was she doing here?

“He is a kid who seems to know of Anti-mage.
Does this grandma now seem like a great person?”

“How far can it go?”

Jamie asked a question instead.

Even the anti-mage was unable to neutralize all magic.
If all magic could be neutralized then dragons would have been brought down to nothing by humans.

Yet, the value of anti-mage didn’t decrease.
Even if it neutralized 1st class magic, it was of enormous value.

“Up to 5th class.”

“… where did you get it from?”

“Huhu.
It is a secret.”

He knew she wouldn’t tell, but it was too much.

In other words, if one had to go against the woman, then a Great Magician would have to come down.

A 6th class couldn’t go against the 6th class nullifier.

“Let’s end this here?”

Siegfried, who was silent till then, stepped up.

“Ah.
We were talking about your stuff.”

“Yes.
And you asked me to listen till the end.”

“Yes, yes.
I have it.”

“Oh! Is that true?”

“Why would I like it? You rotten bastard.”

“Oh oh!”

“But not now.
You won't get it until at least Morena.”

“I will be staying here for 2 days.
No problem.
In the meantime, we can do some sightseeing.
Anyway, the purpose is to broaden the knowledge of young lord Jamie.”

Siegfried then asked.

“Then how much should I give?”

“Well, it is a price and it is open to negotiation.
But there is one problem.”

“Problem?”

“Yes.”

“What’s the problem?”

“The problem is that I have no intention of handing it over to you.”

Siegfried’s face went stiff.

Silence passed.

Jamie took turns looking at the two of them.

And Siegfried spoke first.

“Before, you definitely said that you would hand it over to me right away.”

“I did.”

“Then why did you change your mind? Maybe a fucker who offered more price showed up?”

Siegfried was quite angry seeing how he spoke, and he cursed too.

Despite being with him for a couple days, it was Jamie’s first time seeing the man lose his cool.

However, Kiriel responded in a relaxed voice.

“Yah.
What generous price when nothing has been suggested?”

“But why… what is it?”

“I don’t mean that I don’t want to sell it to you.”

“Then why…”

Siegfried grimaced as he didn’t understand the change in the woman’s intentions when Jamie spoke.

“You have something you want us to do, a request?”

“Ho oh! The kid seems smart witted.”

“Request?”

Siegfried titled his head at the world request.

Was there anything that she couldn’t get?

Kiriel answered.

“I am not omnipotent kid.”

“The day after tomorrow, a secret auction will be held.”

Secret auction.

A generic term for auctions held in the dark, selling things which couldn’t be disclosed.

For examples, slaves of different races prohibited by law, drugs, etc… when disclosed these things could cause a stir.

However, it wasn’t illegal to trade.

There would be no problem with that, but things like cursed objects which cause bloodshed and affliction just by possessing them, or valuables that were so precious that people would be assassinated.

Siegfried asked.

“What do you want us to get from there?”

“You will?”

At Jamie’s question, Siegfried nodded.

“Because it’s necessary.”

“It isn't illegal so you don’t have to worry.”

Kiriel smiled and continued.

“What you need to retrieve is the ‘Heart of Shadow Sheep’.”

Shadow Sheep.

The so-called spirit-like beast which didn’t belong to the world.

“If you bring that, I’ll give you what you want, very cheaply.”

Siegfried’s face contorted at the request.