Friendship ties

Raphaello and Lancer walked back home late at night, the stars shining above them as the moon lit the way. The cool evening breeze whispered through the trees, creating a peaceful and magical atmosphere.

Raphaello couldn't help but notice that Lancer was quieter than usual. He gave his friend a curious look, noticing the change in his behavior.

- Lancer, you look different since we saw the crystal ball in Bugree's shop. Is something bothering you?

Lancer sighed deeply, as if he was carrying a weight in his heart. Raphaello and Lancer have been friends for a long time, the only good memories Raphaello has are with his friend Lancer, sharing laughs and overcoming challenges.

- Yes Rapha, what's bothering me is what Bugree said. If I really have difficulty with mana manipulation I will never achieve my goal.

Raphaello frowned, worried about his friend. He could see the sadness in Lancer's eyes.

- Lancer, you shouldn't take Bugree's words so seriously. He's just one person, and everyone has different ways of learning and growing.

- But you don't understand. If I cannot become a powerful wizard, I will never be able to free my people from the slavery imposed by the mad king. They are hurting, and I feel it is my responsibility to help them.

Raphaello absorbed Lancer's words seriously, understanding the gravity of the situation and his friend's great responsibilities. His worried and thoughtful expression became visible as he pondered Lancer's words, his hands balling into fists.

At that moment, Raphaello became reflective about Lancer's objective, as if a light turned on in his mind, making him realize that his friend had a clear purpose, while he, until then, had been living without a defined objective. And with that he decided to create one of his life goals, to help his friend to free his people.

Raphaello stops walking and turns to his friend Lancer who had his head down.

- Don't give up Lancer, I promise you we will find a way for you to become strong and we will definitely free your people.

- Thank you Rapha.

After such a meaningful conversation, Raphaello and Lancer headed to the shipyard, where they would spend the night. The weight of the words and promises made that night echoed in their minds, but there was also a sense of renewed purpose that propelled them into the future. With hope in their hearts, they lay down to rest, ready to face the challenges that lay ahead.

...

Dawn's light filtered through the cracks in the shipyard's boards, waking Raphaello and Lancer once again for a new day of hard work in the warehouse. They both knew the work was exhausting, carrying bags of grain day after day, but it was what they had to do to survive.

Raphaello stretched and yawned before speaking to Lancer, who was waking up next to him.

Good morning, Lancer. Today is another long day at the warehouse. But from now on, I think it would be a good idea for us to start exercising and doing some stretching before we go to work. This can help us support the weight of the bags more easily and avoid injuries.

Lancer nodded sleepily, agreeing with Raphaello's suggestion. It was a sensible idea, and they were willing to do whatever was necessary to prepare for the workday that awaited them.

As Raphaello and Lancer headed to Adalynne's house to receive the morning bread, Lancer broke the silence with a question that had been on his mind since yesterday, at the parchment and magic book store.

- Rapha, what is our plan now? Yesterday, at the store, we didn't have enough coins to buy any scrolls, and that skill you wanted was rather useless. I don't see much use for it. I think Bugree was only interested in you because you were lonely and had no one to talk to about magic.

The magic scroll that had caught Raphaello's attention was the "comprehesion" magic, as explained by Bugree, which was a magical ability. These skills were known to require little mana and were categorized as basic level 1 skills, and depending on the level of your core, required almost no mana.

- No, my friend Lancer, this ability, in my opinion, is the most fascinating of all. If everything is as Bugree explained, this skill should be mandatory for all mages, but many of them see no use in it.

Raphaello was laughing in his mind it was difficult to contain his happiness he didn't imagine there could be a skill like that.

- Lancer, I don't know how they enter a skill into a scroll. Bugree said that the amount of magic in the world is limitless, and the way someone learns magic from a scroll is not always the same way the original wizard taught it from the scroll.

- What I mean is that there are no identical spells. People learn magic in unique ways, and each spell cast is different from the others.

Lancer scratched his head in confusion, he didn't understand anything Raphaello was saying, but he was completely in agreement.

- Yes, it seems like you explaining it makes perfect sense but I didn't expect that understanding from you, dararara.

- Our initial plan is to accumulate 5 silver coins to ensure our financial security during the winter. To achieve this goal, we will need to dedicate the next two months to hard work. If you follow all my instructions, I am sure we will succeed.

Raphaello and Lancer arrived at Adalynne's house, where they were warmly welcomed by the hostess. They had met before, so familiarity was present in their smiles and gestures.

Adalynne greeted them with a welcoming hug and said:

- Welcome back, my friends. I'm glad you came.

She then picked up a wicker basket near the door and took out some fresh bread from it. They received the bread and prepared for the day's work.

And that was the only routine until the end of the seventh day since they went to the store. Cornelius informed Raphaello that it would not be necessary for them to attend the following day as there was no work available. He suggested they take advantage of the day off.

Raphaello, taking advantage of the fact that they weren't going to work tomorrow, suggested some things to Lancer.

- Lancer, Considering that we have 540 silver coins together, this is equivalent to 5 silver coins and 40 copper coins, I have an idea but you will have to give me all your coins.

Raphaello needed Lancer to trust him to accelerate his plans. Even though he knew that Lancer wouldn't hesitate to give his coins. He was still nervous with his hands shaking, he didn't know if it would turn out the way he expected. It would all depend on a few factors

- Yes, here are my coins.

- Now tonight we need to go to Bugree's parchment store and then we will begin my plan.

"The die is cast", thought Raphaello

Raphaello and Lancer head to Bugree's store.