The two messengers looked at Buno, but they were smart enough to figure out what happened without asking. This was a private matter for Lynn, as the Magician's Association did not participate in disputes between nobles. However, magicians could be hired by the nobles through the association. After they counted the gold coins, both messengers breathed a sigh of relief.
"Master Lynn, this is exactly six hundred gold coins," one of them said.
Once they finished speaking, they took out a book that had a leather cover. Simple lines of magic rules were written on its cover.
"This is yours, all right. Now, we have to leave quickly."
The two messengers handed over the book to Lynn with a solemn attitude and asked him to sign his name as proof of purchase. Lynn did not check the contents of the book since the Magician's Association would not deceive their customers.
"Both of you," Lynn said, gathering the attention of the two men. "Please mind your safety on the road. If you meet with Professor Ramill, give him my thanks and tell him I owe him a favor. Whenever he needs my help, he can just send me a letter."
The two messengers nodded and took Lynn's words seriously. After spending five days with him, they saw an amount of perseverance in Lynn that awed them. People like Lynn would most certainly become a high level magician in the future, which meant that their promises were of great value. They would not dare to neglect their duties in delivering the message. After sending away the messengers, Lynn looked at Buno.
"This was the Sla family's doing?"
Buno nodded and explained the events from the past two days. The initial transaction was progressing in a smooth manner as the fire mushrooms were high quality and were popular with merchants. Yet, when they exited the city they were spotted by soldiers. The Sla family's soldiers had come to arrest Lynn's people while they were trading. To avoid tarnishing their reputation, the merchants paid a sum of money and left.
Buno and his entourage, on the other hand, were chased and beaten. Luckily, they had combat experience, which allowed them to escape with no casualties. Lynn patted Buno on the shoulder in congratulations.
"It is good that you managed to make it back home. Take a shower and have a break."
Several of the entourages also gained the opportunity to take a bath. Bathing was considered a luxury for territories without any water conservancy projects, and it also took a while for water to boil. Only Lynn and Lucy were allowed to bathe regularly. Using the bath was a reward for Buno and the others.
Lynn returned to the castle and ordered the maids and servants in the kitchen to prepare some beast meat for Buno as his contribution had helped Lynn. Lynn was not a stingy Lord, after all.
With the magic book in hand, Lynn and Lucy went back to the study where Lynn sat down. Lucy stood beside him and gripped his shoulder with her small white hand in excitement. Her strong grip caused Lynn a little pain. Lynn put his hand on the book's cover and slowly imbued mana into it. A slight flame appeared and the book opened by itself. Lucy was a little surprised at the contents.
"Why are there no words?" She asked. Lynn explained with a smile.
"Only the person who activates the book with mana can see the text. At the same time, it only allows one user at a time to read. If others wanted to read it, they would have to infuse their mana into the book. At the same time, if the original user does not retract their mana and someone else imbues their mana in it, the book would burn itself."
Magic was a precious resource that was difficult to obtain for this very reason. The Magician's Association had imposed a lot of restrictions in order to stop the theft of magic books. It would be useless to steal them this way.
Lucy looked curiously as Lynn focused on the contents of the book. It was written in ancient text that could not be read if one did not have special knowledge on culture and ancient history. Lynn had studied hard for ten years, which allowed him to be able to read the ancient text effortlessly.
After a few minutes, Lynn had read the entire book. He then closed his eyes and followed the instructions written in the book. He began to meditate and formulate a detailed picture in order to manifest his magic. He needed a clear picture of what the magic looked like in order to cast it. The magic power in his body also needed to be used according to the methods specified in the book. It meant that his mind had to focus on two purposes, which was very difficult.
The first attempt ended in a failure as his mana was not focused and his imagination was not complete. It was a complete failure, yet Lynn did not accept defeat. He quickly reflected and began his second attempt. This time, Lynn found a feeling that made his picture become more concrete and the mana more fluid. A magic ball of flame appeared in front of Lynn.
There seemed to be an entity in the middle of the flame, which was the stark difference between an ordinary fireball and Starfire Fury. The power of Starfire Fury had become even greater. Lynn was very excited, and used more and more mana to fuel the flame! The flame grew larger and larger, and Lucy's eyes sparkled with excitement in a cute way.
"Wait, Lynn… What are you going to do with it? You will not let it explode in the house, right?" She suddenly asked.
The fireball stopped growing for a moment, and after a few seconds of thought he came up with a plan.
"I will try and get it out the window. Stay away from there."
Less than a minute later, the villagers who were working suddenly heard a loud noise. They followed the sound and saw a sight that shocked them. The Lord's Castle was bombed! There were intruders in the territory! It was an enemy attack! They must protect the Lord.
The villagers gathered with haste and rushed towards the castle. When the commotion became louder, Lynn called Buno over with a black smoked face to explain the situation. He then had Buno send the villagers back. Lucy's clothes were also dusty, and her beautiful skirt had been dirtied beyond recognition. Lynn returned to the study and sat in a chair, while Lucy sat on the sofa opposite to him. The two looked at the gaping hole in the castle window and laughed together.
If you want to support this book, pls go to f-w-o.com