Chapter 3

Solomon. Winterfell.

Lord of Winterfell study was rather ordinary, but spacious. Everything was made of wood: the floor, the ceiling, and all the furniture. There was a light odor of wood, papers, and ink in the room. The rays of the afternoon sun streamed through the window and illuminated Lord Stark's office where I was.

It wasn't until I saw Winterfell that my eyes were able to pick up on one thing. The castle was surrounded by a closed field. A powerful one at that. I'm beginning to understand how Jon has such a high perception of mana. Perhaps I should research the history of this castle, as well as the ruling family of this land.

As our group walked here, we managed to attract the gaze of every inhabitant of the castle. Mostly, they all focused on me. I guess my usual attire was a bit... inappropriate.

In my past life, not Solomon's, not Romani Archaman's, but my own, I had no problem with that. I was a very ordinary average man: ordinary job, ordinary family, ordinary life. If this had happened to the past me, I would have died of embarrassment by now, but now... Now I didn't care. As if catching stares from a huge number of people is completely normal. No, it's not. It's like I KNOW it SHOULD be.

And need I mention the female attention? My hearing could clearly pick up their sighs and gase. My appearance is very exotic for this time...and very attractive. I could feel their attraction to me. And it was so dense that you could physically touch it with your hand. But, again, as with the looks, I didn't care.

What a strange feeling. Is this Solomon's influence on my perception? Quite possibly.

Besides me, there were three other people present: Lord Stark, a man of advanced years, and Lady Stark. I could tell from the way she was acting: a confident expression, a proud posture, and a glance in my direction filled with hidden rage. But in it, I sensed a certain... uncertainty. As if she was questioning how exactly to respond to me, beyond fury at my helping Jon.

The man kept his hand on the hilt of his sword and watched my movements carefully. But his eyes occasionally expressed doubt. Maybe even worry. That was true of Lord Stark himself. But that was to be expected, since the first time we met, I had released a small amount of mana and focused it on him. I wanted to test him. To test Jon's faith in him and one theory.

And Lord Stark came through with flying colors. If he had lived in my time, I would have accepted him into my retinue.

At that thought, I froze.

My time? Why did I think that? Why were my thoughts so certain? Well, it would have to be faced either way.

- Ahem," Lord Stark cleared his throat. - Let us begin with an introduction. My name is Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell - then he pointed to Lady Stark - She is Catelyn Stark, Lady of Winterfell and my wife - and then, to the last man in the room - The man next to me is Rodrik Cassel, knight and master of the weapons of Winterfell.

- It is a pleasure to meet you," I bowed with a slight smile. - My name is Solomon. And I'm a Magician.

- Magician? - The man Lord Stark called Rodrik asked hesitantly. - Why did you call yourself a Magician and not a sorcerer or a wizard, Lord Solomon? And can we see proof of your words?

- Lord? - I asked, tilting my head to the side.

- You may not have mentioned it, but you give the impression of noble blood. Your movements, your posture, and your way of speaking give you away," Rodrik replied, and Lord and Lady Stark nodded silently. - I would even say that you are directly related to the royal family.

- I see. In a way, you're right. As for your question...

I raised both of my hands and two swords appeared in them. They were absolutely identical to each other, but one of them appeared in a brief flash of blue light, and the other without it.

With my side vision, I managed to catch the stunned faces of the people in the room: their mouths were wide open, and their eyes were frozen in shock as if they would fall out of their eye sockets just a little more. Lady Stark even managed to take a step back without even realizing it.

- Here's an example," I said, and turned to Sir Rodrik and held the swords out to him, hilted in his direction. - Sir Rodrik, would you be so kind as to compare them? Is there any difference between them?

He glanced briefly at Lord Stark, and when he saw him nod, he took the swords in his hands.

First he examined them thoroughly, then he compared their weights, moving them one at a time. Afterward, he took a few swings of each of them. After a moment, he finished and handed the swords back to me.

- They are exactly the same, Lord Solomon. If that was an example, I didn't get the point at all.

- Let me ask you a question. Is it possible to forge swords like these? - I asked, still holding them in my hands.

- Of course.

- And did you notice that one of them appeared in a brief flash of light?

- Of course I did. But I still don't understand the difference between them.

- This one," I pointed to the sword, which, after a moment, shattered into flashes of blue dust. - Sorcery, or Magecraft, is the most ordinary forging process, but in an accelerated mode. My mana, or magical energy, essentially went through the entire forging process and took the shape of a sword. I won't go into details, but when this happens, the world itself considers it wrong. Such a process goes against the most fundamental laws of nature. More specifically, the cause and effect chain of things. For example, you can't start forging a sword without melting the metal beforehand, and so on. So items created by magic are short-lived. And the time allotted for existence depends only on the amount of mana you put into creating the item. A flash of light during creation is the mana filling of the object, and scattering into dust during destruction is a sign that the mana in the object is running out and can no longer maintain its shape. The influence of the world only hastens the destruction of this unnatural object, draining the mana that makes it up.

- I see," Lord Stark nodded. - And Magic?

- That's much simpler," I smiled and picked up the remaining sword. - Magic, or True Magic, is a miracle. It bypasses all the laws of the universe and imposes its own rules, adjusting the world to suit itself. This sword that I still hold in my hand is completely real. It will not disappear in a year, or two years, or even a century. To the world, this sword has come into its own. As if it had always existed. And that's the point of Magic - to create "something" and have the world recognize that "something", no matter how illogical or impossible it may be. That "something" just is. That's why there was no flash, and there never will be.

After the explanation, I handed the sword to Sir Rodrik and waited for the end of Lord Stark's musings.

- It's... very complicated," Lord Stark said after a couple minutes, rubbing his temples. - And perhaps I'm a little late with this, but I'm grateful to you for saving Jon. And I'd like to reward you.

- No need, Lord Stark. I did it of my own free will, and I don't want any reward. But I was very grateful if you could give me a modest place to stay and access to your library. Plus, we can continue the conversation if you have any questions about me.

I decided to give him a hint that I was willing to tell him about myself, and that I was not a spy for his enemies. Since I don't know the full picture of these lands, I think I should take a purely wait-and-see attitude. And once I've studied the records of them, I'll make plans. Well, I already have a plan.

- I see. You can stay in the castle as long as you need to, Lord Solomon," Lord Stark nodded, understanding my words. He got looks from Lady Stark and Sir Rodrik. - And you may visit the castle library. If I am right, you are not from these lands, which means you can share good stories with Maester Luwin.

- Thank you, Lord Stark," I said with a slight bow. - And may I ask one more favor?

- What favor? - He asked with a raised eyebrow.

- I would like to teach Jon magic. If you would allow it, of course.

Not only he was surprised to hear me, but the other two as well. An expected reaction. From talking to them, and from Jon's words, it was clear that magic was still alive in this world. Pretty good news, if I do say so.

Besides, Jon has a hard fate ahead of him, as my eyes have shown me. So why not give him a little boost to his development?

- May I ask why, Lord Solomon?

- He's very sensitive to the mana I mentioned earlier," I said and looked him over. - And it seems to be hereditary. You, too, are gifted in that way.

- You mean the incident at the gate?

- That's right. If you didn't have that gift, you wouldn't have lasted a second. I understand there are certain legends or myths about your family, aren't there?

- You're right. There are indeed. And I will consider your request," he nodded, scratching his chin. - I think you are tired from your long journey, Lord Solomon. I suggest we continue this conversation another time. Sir Rodrik will take you to your chambers.

- Thank you for your generosity, Lord Stark. Have a good day," I said with a bow and headed for the door where Sir Rodrik was waiting.

- Follow me," he said and led me into the chambers as I approached him.

Well, this was a pleasant conversation. I hope it continues in the same vein. I hope so.

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