Chapter 8 - Nights Hold Out (2)

After checking out at the inn Victor recommended we headed for the Brewery and Mage's shop.

"So the shops down here?" I said as I was walking down the stairs.

"Yes, since technically witchery is counted as a forbidden art they tried to keep their shop at least slightly hidden," Victor answered.

"I see…Wait, how exactly did you know this shop existed?" I asked with a bit of suspicion

"Well, one of the times you sent me on an errand I had run into one of their employees and helped them so they repaid me by giving me the location of the shop and a ticket for a free item." He explained.

"Ah, ok I guess that explains things."

"Here we are, please mind your step on the last step my lord," Victor said as he extended his hand out.

As I stepped off the steps there was a door. The door was a dark purple with carvings in the frame and a small curtained window. Above the door was a sign that said "Melinda's Mage's Shop and Brewery".

"Shall we go in?" Victor asked.

"Yes we shall" i replied

As the door opened a strong smell of herbs and wood came rushing by.

"Welcome, how may I be of assistance?"

There was a man holding a box standing a couple of feet from the door.

He had long black hair that had light gray highlights underneath and he kept it in a braid he also had blue eyes. He was wearing leather armor and boots over top of a black turtle neck and jeans, with a gun at his waist. He appeared to be around 6'3.

"Hello, Keenan it's been a while," Victor interjected.

"Mr. Gwyneira, it's good to see you again!" Keenan said with a bright smile on his face.

"Indeed it is."

"Oh, and who is this you brought with you?" Keenan asked tilting his head and setting the box down.

"Remember how i told you I was a butler for the son of a noble?" Victor questioned.

"Yes…Wait don't tell me?!"

'I guess I should use proper manners to introduce myself.'

"Hello there, my name is Lev Griffins, eldest son of Count Griffins. It is nice to make your acquaintance." I said as I did a slight bow.

"Oh please, the pleasure is all mine Young master," he said waving both his hands, his face looking embarrassed.

"No need to be so formal, we're here simply as customers."

"Ah I see, then please let me guide you inside," Keenan said as he turned his hand toward a black curtain on the wall in front of us.

"Then please excuse us," I said

Through the curtain was a room, the room had dead tree trunks on the corners of each wall, a fountain in the corner, shelves carved into the wall, as well as some in the center of the room. To the back wall in the corner was a cashier's desk, and next to it was another curtain.

"This is quite the shop, it has a lovely interior," I commented noticing the craftsmanship.

"Thank you, the boss told me that it took about 1 year to both plan out, design, and build," Keenan said.

"Oh, I thought you were an owner," I said

"No, that's Miss. Melinda. She makes all the potions and grows all the herbs here." Keenan replied

"I see, Victor have you met Miss. Melinda?" I asked

"Unfortunately I have not, but from what I hear she's quite the skilled witch," Victor said with a smile of admiration.

"Ho, well then she must be something, especially to hear you talking about her that way."

"She really is, in fact, she once saved me from a group of Imps. I really owe her, which is why i'm working here." He said as he looked down with a smile of nostalgia.

"Well then hopefully I get to meet her one day, after all, she seems like quite the respectful witch," I said smirking

"I would like to meet her as well," Victor interjected.

"Well, I'm sure you will, perhaps when she comes back from her trip I could introduce you all," Keenan said

"That would be wonderful, Oh yeah before I forget, this is a mage's shop as well right?" I asked

"Yes, actually I'm the one who makes all the enchanted objects here."

"I presume your a soul mage then?" I asked.

"I- Yes I am, is that alright?" Keenan said with a bit of fear in his voice.

'I almost forgot how soul mages are usually treated.'

"Why would it not be? We do live in the Quare Kingdom and soul mages are welcome here." I said putting on a welcoming smile.

"Yes, your right I should have more confidence." He said perking his chin up.

'He could be useful, after all, there isn't much about him in the novel.'

"By the way, about the reason we're here," Victor interjected.

"Oh right, I almost forgot, do you have any poison antidotes and healing potions?"

"Yes, actually we just got new stock, what grade would you like them to be?" Keenan asked

"3 medium grade and 4 high grade please," I said.

"Alright I'll go get them, oh and would you like a box for them or individual bags?"

"A box please, and do you have any magic crystals here as well?" I asked.

In the novel, breweries and mage shops usually sold at the very least low-grade magic crystals. Typically because most of the people shopping there would either be a mage or a witch. Though they use different structures of magic, they still get most of their power source from mana. But witches and wizards are unique because some of them can use just regular incantations using a medium, so most of the time they don't use magic crystals.

"You're in luck then, we recently had an investor give us a decent stock of them. So I'll bring those out as well."

"Alright thank you"

"My Lord, are you perhaps going to learn magic? If so should i start looking for a teacher?" Victor asked with curiosity shown on his face.

"No I'm not going to learn magic, I'm buying them for Avery," I admitted.

"Miss Avery? She isn't hoping to become a mage is she?"

"No she's a runest, so I'm not only hoping to get her some magic crystals but also a new rune set," I explained.

Runests also use mana, except for them it's drawn directly from the stone the mana is embedded in. But even though the runes already have a significant amount of mana in them, some runests still use magic crystals to make their rune spells stronger.

"I had forgotten that some runests use magic crystals."

'Yeah ya sure did, I mean I remembered that I'm not even from this world. Way to get yourself a good butler original Lev, way to go.'

"Ok, here is everything you asked for. And here are some of the magic crystals we have." Keenan interjected.

"Is it alright if i take a look?" i asked

"Of course, please feel free to look at them for as long as you like," He said with nervousness.

"Then please excuse me."

In the box were 32 individual spaces filling the top and bottom of the box, each filled with medium-sized magic crystals. They all seemed to have the same amount of clearness to them.

"Keenan, what grade are these?" I asked

"They are all high-grade, but the ones in the corners are for different elements."

"What do you mean, That the ones in the corners are for different elements?" Victor asked, he had an eyebrow raised.

"Well, the three that frame each corner are a set of three for each element. The four sets on the bottom of the case are for Fire, Earth, Wind, and Water. While the four sets on the top are Nature, Light, Darkness, and Lightning." He explained while pointing to each.

"I see that would be quite useful to have crystals for those too," I said.

"Ah- yes, but um is there anything else you need today?" Keenan asked with a look of fluster.

"Oh! Yeah, that reminds me, do you perhaps happen to sell rune sets?" I said remembering my original plans and the reason that I came here.

'I practically forgot the real reason I was here.'

"Yes we do, they're right on the shelf over there," he said pointing to a shelf on the left of the room.

I then walked over there and started looking around, picking which rune sets looked the best.

***

After that, we went back to the inn for the night. The room i had booked had two beds and two desks as well as a dresser in the middle of the bed under a window, which curtains were drawn. On the right side of the room was a door that led to a bathroom.

"My lord, may I ask why you only booked one room?" Victor asked.

"Well, I thought we would save more money this way. Plus what's wrong with it, if its bothering you then just think of it as a sleepover."

"Well yes it does save money, but why would you need to…don't tell me you're going to the bar downstairs."

"Don't worry, I'll be wearing clothes that the nobility doesn't usually wear so nobody will be able to recognize me." I tried to assure him so as to not piss him off.

"My Lord even if that was the case, you still have features that people would recognize immediately," Victor said as his eyebrow twitched

"Then I guess we better prepare for just that," I said with a mischievous smile on my face

***

'I'll say the Tavern the inn has, has a great atmosphere.'

After finally convincing Victor to let me go get a drink at the tavern, Though of course I only convinced him after showing him my disguise. I was sitting at the bar which I figured was the least conspicuous place to be, considering I look like your typical fantasy assassin.

The disguise I was wearing was a pair of khaki pants with a tight black turtle neck and combat boots. I was also wearing a cloak with its hood up. My hair was half up, in a bun with my bangs in front of my face.

'Haaa, if only I didn't have to wear this stupid disguise. Plus this guy seriously needs to cut his bangs, I can barely see!'

"Yo, bartender! Could I get another?" a guy said raising a jug

"Same Here!" said the person next to him.

'Heh, this brings back memories.'

Back when I was in the army, on my holidays at home I would go drinking with my friends. They would always shout "Another one please bartender!" when they finished their drinks. Though of course I would do the same thing, and one of us would end up going home with the other then, leaving to go to our own place.

'Those were good times, I honestly miss it.'

"Feeling nostalgic now are we?"

"Huh!"

"Sorry did I startle you? I just saw you sitting here with a look of sorrow on your face."

"Oh, no your fine and you were right just feeling a bit of Nostalgia haha," I said

Looking up, the person had gray hair with maroon tips, their hair in two messy buns. Golden eyes, and Caramel skin. They also had two light pink crystals by their eyes and a nose piercing. They were wearing a gray bomber jacket with black jeans that had pockets over top of the knees on the sides of them, they were also carrying a Halberd on their back. They looked to be about 6ft.

"So you were? If you want you could tell me what it was." They said

"Eh, I don't know about that it's a little personal," I said being wary of this person.

"That's true, plus I kinda did just start talking to you randomly." They said sitting down.

"Haha, it's alright I actually was wanting someone to talk to," I admitted.

'If only Victor came down with me..that would have been much more entertaining.'

"Oh? Did you not have a comrade accompany you here?" They asked tilting their head.

"Well i did…but he doesn't drink, plus he said…."

***

"Hey, Victor you should come with me!"

"Yeah no, I'm not drinking with you." He said putting on the most annoyed face he possibly could.

"Huh? Why, it'll be fun!" i tried to assure him.

"TO YOU! I don't want to be stuck having to try to carry you back upstairs while you're drunk!"

"..."

"...Plus I don't like drinking in front of people I don't know…"

***

"So yeah, basically he just doesn't drink" I finished

"Oof, that sounds tough," They said.

"I mean, yeah it does get a little lonely. But it's ok because it means that once in a while I get to meet people like you Miss…." I continued

"Oh right, i forgot to introduce myself! I'm Sapphire Laylani Terrance, its nice to meet you!" They said reaching their hand out.

'I guess I should use a fake name then.'

"My name is Conrad, and the feelings likewise," I said reaching out my hand to shake theirs.

"Well, Mr. Conrad, I look forward to perhaps a future friendship," Sapphire said.

"Ho? Moving fast now are we?" I replied in a joking tone.

"HAHAHA, I can tell we're going to get along great!"

"Yes, I think so as well!"