Chapter 3: Specialty "Arcane Mind"

Chapter 3: Specialty "Arcane Mind"

The morning had been the busiest time at the Cain residence, awakening from a night of silence with the activity of the servants.

Maids had prepared breakfast, diligently wiping down the dining room tables and chairs that had yet to gather dust.

In the stables, stablehands had replenished the troughs with fresh hay and carefully brushed off any hay fragments clinging to the horses—a task that could not be neglected. Neglect could have led to embarrassment for Master William if noticed while he was out riding, spelling trouble for the stablehand involved.

Maid Rosie had cautiously knocked on Master William's door and, receiving no response, had planned to enter and wake him as usual.

Before Rosie could push the door open, it had suddenly swung open from inside, and William, already dressed, had stepped out.

"It's Rosie, isn't it? Please tell Bend that I'll be going out soon."

"Of course, Master William," Rosie had quickly replied, bowing and stepping aside, her maid's outfit accentuating her figure.

Even the seasoned William couldn't help but take a few extra glances, admiring the original host's diligent pursuit of knowledge.

In the open-minded capital of the Fis Kingdom, being a virgin court noble at 18 and wholly absorbed in magic to the exclusion of all noble social events had been, in a sense, quite notorious.

At 18, the original William had been merely a bronze mage—a prodigy if he had been of common birth. But for the scion of the Cain family, known for producing legendary mages, spending years and vast resources to achieve only junior mage status had hardly been remarkable.

Consider Princess Hilda Fis, who had become a golden warrior at 20 and had ascended to the legendary realm ten years later. The gap between their achievements had indeed been disheartening.

But William had clenched his fists.

In this second life, he had refused to be an inconsequential background character. He had been determined to seize control of his destiny in the coming era of tumultuous change.

Starting that day!

In the morning, the bright and warm sunlight filtering through the mansion's corridor stained glass windows had fallen on William. Maid Rosie, stealing a glance at his retreating figure, had found something different about the master who had never used to rise early.

—

In the dining room of the Cain mansion, William Cain, now the family's sole member, had enjoyed breakfast alone at the long, white dining table.

After wiping his mouth with a napkin, William had set down his cutlery, satisfied. The house's cook had excelled once again, with delicious chocolate pancakes and butter-jam-slathered white bread. The slightly bitter chocolate had perfectly balanced the jam's sweetness, though William had found the morning black coffee a bit much, preferring a rich green tea instead.

Seeing this, Joyce, the butler in his crisp black uniform, had signaled a maid to clear the tableware and had presented William with a tray of various letters. The intricate gold filigree on the envelopes had indicated they were from nobles and merchants eager to flaunt their wealth and status.

"Master, these are invitations from Count Rey, Viscount Peck, and the Golden Rose Commerce Chamber Of Commerce, inviting you to their upcoming dinners."

"I see. Leave them on my bedroom table. If I decide to go, I'll let you know."

To William, these had been merely obligatory gestures; as a relatively obscure noble, his attendance or absence would hardly have been noted.

"As you wish," Joyce had responded meticulously, as always.

"Your carriage is prepared and waiting at the front, sir. Shall we depart now?"

"So soon, then let's go."

Eager to acquire his first and most crucial professional specialty, William had hastened to depart.

"Master William!" Stablehand Bend, in his neat black livery, had polished the Cain family crest on the carriage, greeting William with a bow as he had stepped outside.

"You're looking sharp today, Bend," William had remarked with a smile.

"Of course, sir. It's not often you use the carriage, so I must make every effort," Bend had replied with a chuckle, his efficient demeanor slipping into sycophancy as he had assisted William into the carriage before asking, "Where to today, sir?"

"To the royal library."

"Right away, sir. Please, make yourself comfortable," Bend had said as he had closed the carriage door, saluted butler Joyce, and had taken his seat at the front, guiding the sturdy chestnut horses forward.

William observed the bustling scenes along the way, befitting the capital of the powerful Fis Kingdom, a hub of commerce with endless streams of merchants and travelers.

Perhaps it was psychological, but the sporadic calls of vendors seemed to carry a bit more of the lively essence of real life than the "100% realistic" ambiance of the game from his previous life.

Fis Street, where his mansion was located, had been known to be an important area of Canlight City, humorously referred to as the noble district. It hadn't been far from the Royal Library and the Royal Magic Academy, and he had arrived shortly.

With Bend's courteous assistance, William had stepped down from the carriage. He had looked up at the solemn granite entrance, distinct from the surrounding architecture, had smiled slightly, had adjusted his black hat, and had walked in.

"Good day, Viscount Cain. How may I assist you today?"

Upon entering the Royal Library, a server had promptly come forward to inquire.

The Royal Library, as Fis Kingdom's most esteemed court library, generally hadn't been open to the public.

Access to peruse its collections had required certain qualifications, which, for players, had meant needing a reputation of "Friendly" or higher with the Fis Kingdom and spending contribution points to gain entry. This had been the biggest barrier to acquiring this professional specialty in his past life.

But for William Cain, a court viscount, entry to the Royal Library had hardly been an issue, which had been why it had been his first choice for obtaining a professional specialty.

"No need, I'll just look around on my own."

William had waved off the server and had strolled deeper into the library.

It had been early, and not many had been inside. A few people had been slumped over tables in the borrowing area, surrounded by stacks of books, evidently having spent the night.

"A moment of fun for a lifetime of grind!"

William had shaken his head, no longer paying attention, and had recalled the location of the book from a guide in his previous life.

Having frequented the library for magical research before, William had quickly identified his target.

"Hmm, second floor, history section of the continent."

"Seventh row, innermost shelf."

"Top row. Found it!"

William had carefully descended the rolling ladder, holding a thick volume with a dark grey cover.

He exhaled deeply as he had opened the "History of Magical Development in the Fis Kingdom" (Volume 7) to pages 352 and 353, where a thin piece of parchment had been tucked between pages detailing the legendary mage Bobaca's significant contributions to spell modeling.

William had gently held the parchment, inscribed with elegant handwriting:

"Ah, congratulations! For mages who have made it this far, this is a small reward from the great Elemental Manipulator, Master Bobaca. Accept it and praise the magnificent Bobaca!"

[Item received: "Bobaca's Arcane Notes"]

[You have begun studying "Bobaca's Arcane Notes," gaining many insights!]

[Learning progress: 10%...50%...100%]

[Your understanding of magic had improved, allowing higher-level elemental control. you have acquired a new mage professional specialty— "Arcane Mind"]

[Analysis in progress... Detected possession of the lower-tier professional specialty "Magic Mind," which could be replaced]

[Replacing...]

[You have lost the mage professional specialty "Magic Mind"]

[You Have acquired the mage professional specialty "Arcane Mind"!]