Merchandising

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I became catatonic for several minutes as I stared at the list of items I had gotten. Excalibur? As in, the Excalibur? Yamato, Vergil's sword from the DMC series? Two buttons that provided a straight-up percentage boost to my stats? Something that would increase my level by up to four? What the hell is this gacha thing, and why is it so OP?

I shook my head and climbed back up into my chair, bringing out the gem under the table and looking at it. It was the size of an adult fist, and white, with blue cracks. Each crack released a small amount of light. I was enraptured by the sight for several moments before squeezing it, the same way I had with Adam's attribute crystal ten months ago, causing it to burst into dust, which turned into light and flooded into my ears.

[Select a Crafting Skill:]

{ Agriculture }

{ Alchemy }

{ Architecture }

{ Blacksmithing }

{ Calligraphy }

{ Carpentry }

{ Enchanting }

{ Engineering }

{ Jewelry-Crafting }

{ Programming }

{ Runecrafting }

{ Textiles }

' Ooh, ' I thought, looking them over. Everything was exactly as described: {Blacksmithing} would grant me skill with a hammer, and the innate knowledge of how to bend metal; {Engineering} would help me make mechanical structures and such; and {Programming} would help me code. But, seeing as I was just a child who didn't have access to technology, I decided none of those were right, at the moment. Besides, I wanted to do something exotic, which left only {Alchemy}, {Enchanting}, and {Runecrafting}. The rest, I could pick up without a gem.

{Alchemy} was certainly an interesting option, as the concept of potions was cool. I wasn't particularly good at chemistry, in my past life, but I was knowledgeable enough in the subject. I knew from listening to father that potions were a rare and valued resource, so being able to make them would be nice. Still, I could pick that up later, either through apprenticeship beneath an established alchemist, or if I got another gem.

{Runecrafting} was also interesting, because they, from what I got from the skill description, allowed magical actions to be ascribed to objects, allowing them to perform tasks automatically. Collecting the soul of a slain creature and storing it into a gem connected to a sword, for instance, or automatically absorbing blood to be disposed of at a later date. I speculated it could be used for much more advanced things, but that could, again, wait.

It was {Enchanting} I ended up picking, and not only because I could use it immediately. Being able to enhance any mundane equipment, even things like clothing, to have certain qualities would be invaluable in certain circumstances. Besides, I was certain I could convince mother and father to get me stuff to grind the skill on, which would then allow me to make some personal funds enchanting stuff for the people in Endrillion. The perfect skill to get me started on my mercantile empire.

[Skill {Enchanting} Learned!]

<Enchanting > (1/100)

Crafting Skill: You can use mana to assign attributes to objects.

' Cool, ' I nodded. I decided to wait on the rest of my loot until I was ready, going back to reading with a happily-content expression on my face. I cycled my mana as I did so, trying to grind my <Mana Control> skill as I went. I could do so without taking away from my concentration, now, which was nice.

*****

That night, during dinner, I requested an audience with my parents. Father and Ravelus were shocked when I spoke up, but that only lasted for a short time before I finished speaking, getting their focus. Father, of course, accepted, while Ravelus simply gaped at my ability to speak and walk. He knew it had taken him almost twice as long to do either.

The King and Queen led me to a sitting room, which I knew they used to patronize whatever noble family came for a visit that week. They were treating me like I had requested, then. I hopped up onto one couch, while mother and father took a chair each, across from me. Father stared at me inquisitively for several moments before speaking. "So, you can speak."

"Yes," I nodded. "I've been able to- to comprehend speech since I was b-born, but have been unable to em-ulate it. So, I've been content to simply l-learn. As you can s-see, I still struggle a bit."

"Blessed indeed," he nodded, a smile gracing his lips. "So, what is it you wanted an audience for?"

"I wanted to a-ask for a loan," I said plainly. "I have an idea to help with th-the economical problem in our k-kingdom, and I need f-funds to get started."

"Oh?" Mother cocked an eyebrow, interested. "And what is this idea of yours?"

"Many things, r-really, but the first is just a way to ea-earn money to both pay b-back the loan, and fund future pr-projects," I said. "In my magical st-studies, I've noticed a few things about some of th-the objects around the castle. Some of the guards h-have things that are, from what I understand, m-magically enchanted. I would like to p-purchase some pieces of enchanted e-equipment to study, as well as unenchanted items to p-practice enchanting."

Father hummed, scratching his beard as he thought. "You believe you can learn to enchant? I know you're first awakening, but that's a bit of a stretch."

Mother looked at me for a moment before sighing. "He's at his fourth awakening, right now. I witnessed the process, myself, nine months ago."

Aedon paused. "And you didn't bring it to my attention? What if he had died?"

"I believe the god that blessed him is protecting him," Rel was quick to defend herself and me. She then looked off to the side with a wry smile. "Besides, I really wanted him to be a mage, so I might've been helping him learn to control magic since then…"

Arron's eyes narrowed for a moment, then his expression softened and he simply sighed. "Maybe his magical prowess is what has allowed him to develop so quickly. Either way, I trust you with the lives of our sons, so I won't be angry about the matter. As long as he is okay, in the end."

Mother beamed. "That's why I love you, honey~! So noble!" She hugged him.

Aedon coughed and nodded towards me, prompting mother to right herself with a blush. "So, you are fourth awakening. How is your mana control?"

"He was able to conduct environmental subsumption on his first try," mother interjected.

"And I've im-improved much, since then," I added. He nodded towards me, which I took as a queue to demonstrate. I first infused all of my mana into my aura, expelling almost all of it in a few seconds without disturbing anything before activating <Mana Absorption>. Instantly, my regeneration was boosted from 12% to 42%, making it take only two minutes to restore my 3600 MP. When I opened my eyes, father was staring at me with wide eyes, both at the display of quantity and control.

"How about this," Aedon said, motioning to Ilyor. "We give you two objects - one enchanted, one not - and if you can replicate the enchantment by the end of the day, then we will give you your loan. Otherwise, you must figure it out on your own."

"By the m-morning," I haggled, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "There's only s-six hours left in the day. I want until you w-wake up tomorrow."

"Bold way to speak to a King, even if I am your father, but you have a deal," Aedon smiled. "Ilyor, tell Pyarron to retrieve a leather shield with a durability enchantment, and an unenchanted leather shield. Tell him to bring them here, immediately."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Ilyor bowed before promptly leaving.

"I am proud that you've taken an interest in craftsmanship," Aedon looked back at me. "I hope to see it work out for you, so try your best. Don't be upset if you fail, however, as you're still but an infant."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I must return to my paperwork," he stood and nodded to me and mother before leaving. "See you both tonight."

I breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he exited. That was so tense! I was worried he'd turn me down, or get mad at me or mother for my usage of magic. And I haggled with him, The King ? Sure, he's my father, and the chance of him punishing me is zero, but I should still know better! Mother noticed my demeanor and smiled.

"He had a bad experience with magic when he was young, so it's only natural that he'd be worried for your safety, with you being so small," she said. "Also, I suggest you speak with more respect, at least in a formal setting like this, even if he is your father. I know you don't know such things, yet, which is why he allowed it, so we'll have to teach you, soon."

"R-right," I stuttered, and not because of my struggle to control my lips. "I remember seeing b-books on the subject in the l-library. I'll read th-them when I get the chance."

"Good," she nodded. The door opened and Pyarron came in with two leather shields. "The sooner those habits are implanted, the more natural they become as you develop. For now, I'll watch as you try to figure this out." Pyarron set the shields down on the table in front of me and promptly exited, inviting Ilyor back in.

I looked down at the shields, finding no physical difference between them, almost immediately. They were identical, likely crafted by the same person with the same leather stock. Instead, I shut my eyes and infused mana into my brain and aura, to better perceive the two shields. I hadn't been told which one had the enchantment, after all, so that was the first step.

It didn't take long for me to figure out which one had the durability enchantment, mostly because I knew it would affect the shield's durability. A thin veil of mana wrapped around one of the shields, fed by a connection to the mana realm. Not using the mana realm to absorb mana from the environment, as with environmental subsumption, but drawing from the mana realm itself. It was then that I understood that enchanting wasn't going to be as simple as the skill made it out to be.

Still, I took up the enchanted shield into my lap - the thing was way bigger than me - and held my head closer to it, so I didn't have to strain to see it via my aura. 

The barrier was like a canvas of mana threads, overlapping and woven together like a sheet of cloth, then made solid. I focused my attention on the threads that made up the canvas, finding that they all converged on a single point, towards the edge of the shield. There, the thread actually passed into the mana realm. It took some effort, but I managed to bring my vision into the mana realm, allowing me to see the vast, esoteric plane, made up entirely of the energy of a higher dimension.

Physical matter wasn't present in the mana realm. Instead, shadows of those objects could be 'felt' simply by focusing on an area. I could 'feel' the guards standing beyond the door to the room. Similarly, I could 'feel' the shield in my lap.

Something surrounded the 'shadow' of the shield. A veil of invisible runes that I could barely pick apart from the rest of the realm, unlike the stream of mana I pulled through it from the material world when absorbing mana. In fact, the only reason I could find it was because of the breach it was feeding mana through, into the material world. Otherwise, it would've blended in like blue on blue.

The runes were repeated four times, covering the surface of the veil in each of the cardinal directions.

Each rune took the shape of a Greek delta - a hollow triangle - with small marks around the edges and inside. It was simple enough to memorize, but too complex to describe, like in a textbook. It seemed my <Understanding > perk, combined with my <Enhanced Recollection> and <Insight > perks allowed me to memorize it with ease. I innately understood - not in words, though it became clear when I questioned myself about it explicitly - that the delta symbol was actually a part of an unspoken language used by enchanters to represent barriers.

How a triangle represents a barrier, I had no idea, but this was a fantasy world. For all I knew, potatoes didn't exist.

Anyways, having memorized the symbol, I brought my attention over to the unenchanted shield, only to screw up my face as I tried to figure out how to create the threads of mana making up the enchantment. I pondered over it for a while, before deciding to attempt compressing my mana into a single point. I squeezed, and pushed with my mana control, creating a point in the physical realm where my mana was so dense, it was displacing the air slightly. Rather, it was disturbing the air; there was still air there, it was just thinner, by a tiny margin. Still, it was thick enough to appear just as it did on the other shield, only it moved around as I shifted my perception.

I tried creating a line from the point using the same method, but it just moved around to wherever my head was pointing, remaining in place relative to my brain and eyes. I quickly adapted, trying to remember its position relative to the room I was in, before my head started to hurt. Then, it became clear to me, and I simply anchored it to the shield. That way, wherever I moved the shield, the threads remained suspended above it.

How to make the little marks around the delta, though? Having practiced enough with making the threads, I brought my attention back over to the enchanted shield and inspected the space between the runes in the mana realm, finding that they did indeed continue, merging into the larger strands - only, they were less dense. Still connected, but less intensely.

Taking a deep breath, realizing I had been holding my breath for a while, I shifted back over to the soon-to-be-enchanted shield and started the process of creating the runes. I wanted to experiment, so I tried making eight runes instead of four, filling in for the intercardinal directions, too. I then brought the strand over to the edge of the shield and into the physical realm, before beginning to build the canvas thread by thread. It took a long time, regulating my mana control so I didn't run out mid-process, but I managed to build the canvas four-layers thick, where the first shield had only been two. If I was correct, the enchantment should be twice as strong.

[Skill <Enchanting > Leveled Up! (3/100)]

I opened my eyes, suddenly feeling very tired, and looked over at the couch where my mother had been watching me. She had fallen asleep, slouching against the back of the couch with a line of drool dripping down her chin. I snickered at the sight before clearing my throat, waking her up.

"Eh? Why am I…? Oh," she mumbled, sitting up. She looked over at me, remembering what had occurred the night before. "Ah, I got so caught up watching you work through my mana that I fell asleep! I dreamt of a network of channels being dug in rich soil, flooding with vibrant waters. It was so relaxing~…"

"I finished," I said simply, holding up the shield I had enchanted. "I'm tired…"

"I'd imagine," she chuckled, looking at the window. "It's almost dawn!"

"What!?" I asked, surprised. I was still getting used to my voice being so high. "Jeez, it felt like minutes… I guess that's what pure focus does…"

"I understand that feeling; many-a night has gone without seeing me rest, just because I got caught up in my work or studies," mother nodded appreciatively. "You're talking a lot better, now. Your vocabulary and grammar is refined."

"It must be because your mommy is so good at talking to you~!" She ruined the compliment by picking me up and swinging me around like a doll as she spoke in a baby voice.

"Ah!" The commotion awoke Ilyor, who had fallen asleep in her chair as she sewed. She accidentally poked her finger with the needle, waking herself up fully.

"Oh, my!" Mother set me down.

"S-sorry, Your Majesty!" Ilyor hastily got up and set her set aside, bowing deeply as she tried to keep her blood from dripping on the carpet, smearing her uniform as she did so. "I must've fallen asleep at some point. I apologize! Did you need something?"

"Come here," mother ordered, pointing at the floor in front of herself. Ilyor obeyed, almost stumbling as she walked. Mother grabbed her hand and held her bleeding finger, shutting her eyes for a moment. I immediately shut my eyes and focused on the spot with my mana senses, seeing as the mana within mother's body passed through two… rings, before moving to her hand and spreading into Ilyor's finger. I watched as the muscle and skin knitted back together, as if it had healed naturally, but in only a few seconds.

Brow scrunching, I looked back at my own core, and could see an array of similar rings, but one was brighter than all of the rest. An orange one; very dim and barely noticeable, but now that I could see it, it stood out easily. That seemed to be a trend when it came to magic - obvious things hiding in plain sight, as if hidden by the same magic that it channeled. Curious, I passed my mana through the ring, watching as it shifted from blue to orange. Focusing it into the aura around my hand, I noticed as the air started to heat up. Not by much, as I wasn't using much mana, or really focusing it, but it was noticeable.

[Skill <Fire Manipulation> Leveled Up! (74/100)]

I stopped before I accidentally caught myself on fire, cutting off the supply through the ring and opening my eyes. Mother was looking at me with that weird smile again. I hesitate to call it weird, because she's my mother, but it is weird, so… Anyways, I had apparently done another thing that I shouldn't have been able to do. Typical, at this point. ' This system really is a cheat… '

[Blame the one who created me.]

Before I could respond to the system, mother scooped me up. "Oh, my baby! Learning to use your gates already~!" She cooed while Ilyor gaped. She still hadn't learned to use her gate, and she was twenty years older than him! Maybe she could ask one of the mages guarding the castle to teach her… "We'll talk about that later. For now, let's see your enchantment~!"

She picked up the shield, but she didn't have an opportunity to look at it before the door was opened by a guard, admitting father into the room. Pyarron looked between the three of us, seeing the blood on Ilyor and Rel's hands and cocking an eyebrow. Ilyor blushed and bowed, not knowing what to do, while mother simply smiled cheekily.

Father pursed his lips and turned towards me, decidedly ignoring the commotion. He had been dealing with this for over a decade, and had learned better than to address the things that happened around his love. "I was wondering why you both never returned. I assumed you've finished?"

"Yes, father," I said, straightening my back and bowing. I picked up the shield I had enchanted - careful not to lose balance and fall over, and handed it to him. He inspected it for a few moments before nodding to Pyarron. Father held out his hand and picked up the other shield with some kind of telekinesis - invisible threads of mana, I realized while looking through my mana senses - as Pyarron drew his sword. I could immediately tell that the royal guard captain's sword had multiple enchantments, as layer upon layer of runes were anchored to the blade and even his scabbard within the mana realm.

Pyarron stepped forward and slashed the shield, his enchanted sword making it a third through the shield despite its enchantment with a terrible rending sound. Two more targeted slashes, and the shield was cut in half.

Father then held mine up, and Pyarron did the same thing. However, it took him eight slashes - all perfect, as expected of his station - to get through. Father looked at the two halves - one of which no longer held the enchantment, due to being separated from the side that was still connected to the runes in the mana realm - then back at me. "Very well, you may have your loan. Write down what you need, and give it to Pyarron; he'll get it for you. In return, we want 110% the worth of whatever you get."

My eyes immediately opened wide. "Y-yes, father!" I almost shouted, overjoyed. Ten percent interest was reserved for the most trusted of those with the highest credit scores, back in America. I had been expecting twenty or thirty percent! This was a boon I'd gladly take.

"Good. I'll see you both at breakfast, as I have to confirm a requisition order from Duke Stede. Farewell." With that, he and Pyarron left. I looked down at the pieces of the shield and picked up that which was still connected to the enchantment. The fibers of the canvas were still there, but the edges had frayed as the blade tried to cut through it. The number of runes and layers of canvas did effect the strength of the enchantment. And, they could be layered one after another. I'd have to do some testing, in that regard.

"Well, I'll leave you to it," mother said, looking down at the drying blood on her hands. She produced a bit of water from her palm and used it to wipe off the blood, gathering it into a ball, which was reduced to vapor in an instant. So fast, I couldn't even observe the process. Usually, she slowed it down, so I could see, but she probably assumed I couldn't use water magic, so it didn't matter. Judging by the fact that I had at least the core six rings - five of which were currently inactive - I could, though. "Ilyor, help my son compile a list of the things he needs. Help him find books on enchanting, too."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Ilyor bowed.

"Goodbye, darling. I have to go check up on your brother before breakfast," mother smiled at me before excusing herself. Ilyor busied herself by picking up the broken shields and tucking them under her arm before leading me back to the library, dumping the refuse in a chute along the way. It didn't take long to find the section on magic - seventh floor, in the back - though it did take a bit longer to find the few books on enchanting. I picked out one on the designated runes and rune modifiers - the rages around the edge of the primary rune - and another on the theory behind each one.

I was dead tired, but my high END allowed me to stay awake for days on-end without any negative repercussions, so I was able to endure it as I read. Ilyor didn't have my END, though, so she fell asleep at the table, snoring loudly. It was somewhat annoying, but I allowed it to continue, because it was my fault she was this tired. Besides, the look on her face when she realized she had fallen asleep on the job again would be entertaining.

*****

Two days later, mother woke me up and insisted upon carrying me somewhere. I hesitantly allowed it, watching as she went downstairs a whole fifteen floors, which went down below the throne room, dining hall, kitchens, and gardens. I knew that the castle continued down into the plateau, as the royal jail, treasury, bunkers, and storages were there, but I didn't expect it to go down this deep. It was cold down there, too. Not freezing, but it was winter time, and the temperature dropped accordingly, underground, especially without the warming enchantments that were placed on each floor tile in the castle proper.

She stopped two floors below the ground floor and turned down a hall. I made sure to note the way back as we went, just in case. It didn't take long for us to arrive at a double-wide door, about as big as a carriage. Mother held me with one arm and knocked on the door, which opened inwards a few moments later. Inside was a rather large space, about twenty square meters, with a vaulted ceiling that stood at about eight meters in height. A couple tables sat around the edge of the room, and in the center, while shelves spanned the entire back wall - a horizontally-sliding ladder arrayed to roll in front of it.

In the room were two people - Ilyor, and a man I had never seen before. He was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing blue and gold-colored plate armor that must've weighed fifty kilograms. On his back was a massive great-ax, inlaid with several gems and lined with gold.

"Sweetie, this will be your new workshop!" Mother said, setting me down. "It used to be mine, back when I was just visiting royalty, but now you can use it however you like!"

"Really?!" My eyes widened.

"Of course!" Mother smiled and pet my ears - something she had been doing more frequently, now that my hair was longer. "Now, let me introduce you to your new bodyguard, Sir Vaquin. One of the fifty-eight knights of the Eilon kingdom."

"A knight?" I cocked an eyebrow. "Don't you all have better things to do than guard a kid?"

"You are the second son of the reigning king," Sir Vaquin said simply. "It is an honor to serve him so directly. And, frankly, this is better than overseeing the feud between the Quia and Quio Duchies."

"I chose Sir Vaquin because he's not so formal, just like you. He comes from a civilian background," mother explained. "He will guard you whenever you leave the castle - he is a very capable knight!"

' Ouch, ' I thought. I wasn't that bad, was I? I shook my head and glanced over at Sir Vaquin, using <Observe >.

[Whinn Vaquin]

Race: Human;

Titles: Forty-Ninth Knight of Eilon; Peasant Knight;

Age: 27

Rank: Human*** (1.6x)

Affinities: Wind; Space;

Level: 280 (73%)

Health Status: 8960/8960

Mana Status: 4480/4480 (5th)

Stamina Status: 8960/8960

Body: 896(560) (+2/)

Mind: 448(280) (+1/)

Spirit: 448(280) (+1/)

Status: In good health and spirits.

Thoughts On You: Curiosity; Respect; Wonder; Quasi-Familial Love;

' Oh? A three-star human? No wonder he has such high stats for a level two-eighty, ' I missed in my head. ' Quasi-familial love? Does he have a younger brother, or a son? Something to ask him about, later. '

"It's a pleasure, Sir Vaquin. I'll be in your care," I said, nodding to him. Royalty only bowed to other royalty, as father made abundantly clear to Ravelus day after day. 

He nodded in return, living up to mother's description. "You're how old, again?"

"Ten months, two weeks," I answered simply. It was always entertaining to see people react to how much I had grown in so short a time, but Vaquin didn't look impressed. I cleared my throat awkwardly and looked at Rel. "So, I can go outside?"

"Yes," she said with no small amount of hesitance. "So long as you don't flaunt your position, you should be okay. With Sir Vaquin with you, you'll be safe. Just… be careful. Even your brother hasn't left the castle often."

"I understand, mother," I nodded. "I've thought about that, and I have an idea. A cover persona-"

A portal opened up in a corner of the room, alerting the four of us. Vaquin shouldered his ax, while mother condensed liquid in the air itself into the shape of a wand in her hand. Ilyor stepped back to give them room, while I drew fire from several candles around the room into a basketball-sized sphere above my hand. A few tense moments passed, before a seven-year-old girl walked through the portal…

' What the fu- ' mother slapped the back of my head lightly, before I could finish. How she knew when me and dad swore, or were intending to swear, I had no idea. She didn't even notice it, either, never commenting on it.

"Hallo~! Kyun was told to drop off these shipments of stuff~!" The girl said happily, completely ignoring the weapons. She was short, even for her young age, with vibrant pink hair, tied up in buns with red ribbons. Juxtaposed to her bright hair and expression, she wore a dirty jumpsuit, with a leather apron over it. Too big for her, by a long shot. With a wide smile, she reached back through the portal and grabbed something, then yanked on it, eventually pulling a cart through.

The cart was long, holding several large crates I could only assume were filled with the stuff I'd requested. Why it was being delivered via portal, and by a little girl, I had no idea.

[Kyun Andre]

Race: Spirit; Human;

Titles: Space Prodigy;

Age: 7

Rank: Space Spirit (3x)

Affinities: Space;

Level: 18 (19%)

Health Status: 1080/1080

Mana Status: 380/1620 (3/m) (4th)

Stamina Status: 1080/1080

Body: 108(36) (+2/)

Mind: 162(54) (+3/)

Spirit: 54(18) (+1/)

Status: Joyous and content.

Thoughts On You: Curiosity; Placid Infatuation (You are Cute);

' What the fuc- ' I got hit again. ' She's super strong, and she's only seven?! No wonder she's called a prodigy, with stats like that! A three-times multiplier?! I have a measly one-point-two! Some people are way too overpowered! '

[You're one to talk.]

' …I guess not, but I can still be flabbergasted at the sight of someone else with cheats! This girl will be stronger than mother, if she trains seriously! Only level eighteen, and she's one-sixteenth as strong as the Mage Queen! '

"Aww, does my son have a crush?" Mother teased me, ruffling my hair.

"N-no! I just felt her magic, and it's super strong for her age!" I denied immediately, looking up at her.

"Yes, Kyun's magic is an oddity, just like yours," mother nodded. "It started rapidly developing after her first awakening, a year ago."

"How do you know her, if I may ask?" Vaquin asked, replacing his ax at his back.

"She's Pyarron's niece," Rel answered. "Her and her mother are in the smithing trade; among the best in the nation. Her magic helps them make deliveries incredibly quickly, so I asked Pyarron to contact them."

"Yup! Kyun's space magic is very handy~!" Kyun exclaimed, creating a portal beside her and reaching through to scratch the back of her head. I blinked, realizing she referred to herself in the third person, and beckoned mother down to me.

"There's something weird about her, too," I whispered. Mother made the connection and nodded.

"Yes, she's only half human. I'll explain it to you, some day; or, maybe she'll do it herself," she whispered back. "For now, be polite and thank her for bringing us your supplies!"

"Oh, right," I nodded, turning back to Kyun. "Thank you for delivering my goods!"

"Anytime~!" Kyun grinned. "Kyun had better get going before-" the portal closed with a snap, and Kyun fell onto her butt with a grunt. "…Before she runs out of mana…"

"Oh, no! Are you okay?" Mother rushed to the girl's side.

"Yes," Kyun answered. "Mana exhaustion isn't as bad for Kyun. She will be fine in a few minutes, though she won't be able to open a portal for a while…"

' Ah, that's my fault. I shouldn't have kept her waiting for so long, ' I frowned. "Will you lose any business because of this? I'm willing to reimburse you, if you will," I said.

"No, Kyun only makes one shipment a day," she said, getting up and wiping the dirt from her jumpsuit. At least, that which she had picked up from her fall; the rest of the garment was still completely covered. "This happens, sometimes. Kyun's magic takes a lot of mana, at this distance."

"Well, you can come up into the castle for a while, if you want," mother offered. "We will be having breakfast after Alistair inspects the goods you delivered, which you are more than welcome to join us for!"

"Kyun would like that, Your Margensty," Kyun said with a smile.

After that, Vaquin opened each crate and took out a few of the contents for me to examine. Shields - wooden, studded, leather, and steel; weapons - swords, axes, daggers, bows, arrows, maces, and hammers; common goods - utensils, farming tools, buckets, and such; and a whole bunch of other crap I had thought of. All of it was high quality, and in perfect condition. With it, Kyun had brought a piece of paper that read the total cost of the supplies - a staggering five-hundred gold pieces. One gold piece was worth about 150$, from my estimation, bringing to total to 75,000$.

Fortunately, enchanted items were worth much more than their unenchanted counterparts, so I could easily make three-times that with just that, while leveling up my <Enchanting > skill as I went! With every level, the process would become faster, and cheaper, which was worth the price by itself!

Breakfast went well. Apparently, Kyun was acquainted not only with mother, but with father and Ravelus, too. Her status as a magical prodigy, and her father's previous knighthood, allowed her some manner of proximity to the royal family, even after her father's passing. As such, the meal was saturated with laughter, which I appreciated.

After eating, Kyun said she wanted to go back down into my workshop with me, to see what I would do with the goods she delivered. Mother agreed, and I decided to allow it, if only because of the pleading look on her face. In the two days between my first enchantment and getting my workshop, I had read through the books on enchanting I'd picked out, memorizing everything within. As such, I was able to get to work on my next enchantment almost immediately, which happened to be another durability enchantment.

I decided to conduct a test, first enchanting a wooden shield with a four-rune fire-resistant barrier, then a second one with two layers of four-rune fire-resistant barriers. Using <Fire Manipilation>, I blasted either one with fire, and counted the seconds until the enchantments broke, managing not to burn the shields themselves. The double-layered enchantment lasted 150% as long as the single-layered one, at twelve seconds over eight.

Since I had done no damage to the shields themselves, I focused and enchanted each with a sixteen-rune durability - eight layer canvas - which took roughly four hours each. By the time I was done, Kyun had enough mana to leave - I could tell via <Observe > - but she decided to stay for dinner.

We talked while I drew up enchantment plans, and meshed together pretty well. I could say she was somewhat of a friend, though I hesitated to say so, because she was so hard to read. The only emotion I ever got from her - outside of using <Observe > - was happiness. Even when she talked about her recently-deceased father, who had been the seventh knight of Eilon, and a mid-level Spacial Spirit. Her being Half-Spirit is what made her so powerful, magically.

"Kyun should go, now," she said, standing from her chair and walking into the center of the room. "She thanks you for the interesting dialogue and cool magics show. She would be happy if you purchased from her mother's smithy again, so she could have an excuse to visit!"

"You're Pyarron's niece, so you could always visit him, and see us as a side benefit," I offered.

She shook her head. "Kyun is only permitted to use her magic to make deliveries to the castle, as the wards would read her intent and deny her entry, otherwise," she said, frowning for the first time since I had met her. "The answer, then, is for you to buy lots of stuff from us!"

' …I can't tell if she's lying, or not… '

[Get more charisma; there's a perk for that.]

' Oh, thank you. ' I nodded, more to Kyun than to the system. "I'll find a way to let you visit more often, though I really shouldn't take away from your time, like that."

"Kyun and Prince Alistair are friends, though, are they not?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. "Kyun is friends with Prince Ravelus, after all."

"O-oh! Uh, y-yeah, we're friends!" I stammered, blinking as if I'd seen a flashbang go off. Make no mistake, I wasn't attracted to Kyun, or anything. As I said, I don't like-like little girls. I just… never really had any friends, aside from Anne and Ricky - Johnny's son. But they didn't count, because they were family. Kyun had unknowingly become my first friend in two short lifetimes, which deeply affected me.

Kyun smiled and turned around, releasing a concentrated burst of mana that passed through her only ring and into the air in front of her. It shredded through both the physical realm and the mana realm, creating a wormhole that stretched through the fifth dimension to the Andre estate all the way in the Ma'Run Duchy. She curtsied to me before stepping through, shutting off the portal a few moments later.

I immediately got to work, enchanting all fifty of the wooden shields with sixteen-rune, eight-layer-canvas durability enchantments. I got faster and faster as I went, going from four hours to two, then to an hour. By the time I finished with the last shield, two days later, I could do that level of enchantment in forty minutes.

[Skill <Enchanting > Leveled Up! (9/100)]

It seemed crafting skills took a lot more to level up than the ones like <Mana Control> and <Fire Manipulation>. Probably because it was based on the number of successful enchantments and the quality of those enchantments. Speaking of my other skills, I had leveled them up a ton, in the ten months I'd been here.

[Skills]

–(Passive)--

<Beastfolk Kinship> (7/100)

Allows you to find kinship with animals.

<Fire Affinity> (41/100)

+13% Skill EXP with all fire related skills.

<Royal Presence> (60/100)

You have an innate aura that encourages respect and attention.

<Mana Control> (99/100)

You can passively control mana with greater efficacy.

–(Active)--

<Observe > (99/100)

You can, upon activation, obtain information on the target person or object.

-1mp

<Fire Manipulation> (73/100)

You can bend fire to your will.

-13mp(v)

<Mana Infusion> (98/100)

You can infuse your mana into something, increasing its effectiveness.

-11mp(v)

<ID Create> (2/100)

Allows you to create and enter an instant dungeon at will. You can alter the flow of time within, and even disable your aging, but only to a degree determined by the skills level. Currently, you can make time 1:1, and you cannot disable aging.

-10mp

<ID Escape> (2/100)

Allows you to escape an instant dungeon at will. You cannot do so in certain sections, or in boss rooms, and you may be restricted by your mana, or lack thereof.

-25mp

<Mana Absorption> (55/100)

Increase your MP regen by 225%. Can be done with an idle thought.

<Enchanting > (9/100)

Crafting Skill: You can use mana to assign attributes to objects.

Crazy, I know. It seemed as if I had hit a plateau with <Observe > and <Mana Control>, as I couldn't reach level 100 for the life of me. I, then, either required an item, or a massive amount of EXP for them. Either way, I was just below the peak of what a Human-Beastkin could do, in terms of <Mana Control> and <Mana Infusion>. I wondered if I could surpass that, somehow. Possibly by changing my race?

[There is a potion you can make with <Alchemy > that allows you to change your race, with the right ingredients.]

' Oh, aren't you suddenly helpful, ' I grumbled mentally. Either way, I was ready for another enchanting test. I had one of the steel tower shields set up in front of me. Without a ritual setup, one could not add more than two different enchantments, or over a certain number of runes, to an item. Now, I planned upon putting two sixteen-rune enchantments onto this one, using up all of the 'free' slots.

Enchanting different materials took varying amounts of mana and focus, which was why I had stuck to wooden shields up until this point. I wanted to try doing the most I possibly could on something that would be the most resistant to it. I had just woken up, and mother agreed to have my meals sent down to me for the day, so I had all day to work on this. Hopefully, it wouldn't take that long. Ilyor and Vaquin sat in one corner of the room, working on the paperwork I'd asked father for, which would help move along my plans.

Taking a deep breath, I started my work. First, on the bottom layer of the enchantment. Sixteen barrier runes, with all of their tags, arrayed equidistant from one another around the circumference of a circle, all the way around the center of the shield. Each line had to be perfectly placed, otherwise the enchantment would be weaker, so I took my time in making it. I don't know how much time passed, as I didn't stop to check my atlas, but I knew several hours had passed before I was done.

I took the thread connecting it all together and brought it out a layer, then repeated the process again, only stopping to regenerate my mana and eat along the way. It was more difficult, as I had to discern the new thread from that which I was layering over - and drawing in a three-dimensional space with only my 'eyes' was incredibly taxing on my brain - but I managed to finish the second layer faster than I had the first layer.

Bringing the thread into the physical realm, I began layering it in a fractal pattern over and over again, meshing it together like a chain-link fence. I thought this would make it stronger, like it did with metal on a molecular level. I also made the gaps as narrow as possible, and covered the entirety of the shield - front and back. It took a long time, almost twice as long as the enchantment runes, but I eventually wove sixteen layers of this canvas - the maximum the runes could handle with their current tags.

I decided to bring the thread back into the mana realm and connected it back into where I had started, creating a loop that made the construct even more efficient, as it could then repair itself. The whole process consumed about 500,000 mana, over the course of eighteen hours.

[Skill <Enchanting > Leveled Up! (12/100)]

I felt utterly exhausted, but it was worth it. Three whole <Enchanting > levels from one item.

Vaquin was still awake, used to staying up for days on-end in combat, but Ilyor was snoring as she leaned on the knight's armored shoulder. The man looked very annoyed, but held his tongue for the sake of my focus. Ho notice me looking at him and cleared his throat, waking the maid up.

"Eh? What?" She mumbled, sitting up and wiping the drool from her chin. "Ah, shit! Did I fall asleep again ?!"

"For the fifth time this week," I answered simply, a teasing smile on my face. "Oh my, Miss Hegna will not be pleased…"

"Ouaah… Don't tease me, Your Highness…" Ilyor blushed deeply, then coughed and cleared her throat. "D-did you finish?"

"Yes," I said, patting the shield that was almost twice as tall as me.

"Took you long enough. What enchantments?" Vaquin asked.

"Double-layer sixteen-rune barrier enchantments devided between all tags. Sixteen-layer barrier wrapping around the entire thing, rebound so it can self-repair."

"You're joking, right?" Vaquin laughed. When I didn't, however, he slowed and stared me down. "You're not joking?" I simply shook my head. "That's- that's impossible! Such a thing should take a hundred times the mana you have, which would be many-times impossible to regenerate in so short a time as eighteen hours! It would take a master enchanter months to fulfill that enchantment!"

I shrugged. "I'm built different." The room was silent for several minutes. "So, did you finish that paperwork?"