Grimoire

As it was getting darker, Merlin decided to head back to the noble district. Once he got away from prying eyes, he returned to his real appearance, with his hair turning back to its rainbow colour from under the sunlight. The effects would start to fade away soon once the sun had completely set, as the city was currently enveloped in the orange glow of the sunset.

"Let's go see how the others are doing," Merlin said, making his way towards House Silva first since that was the closest to him. Before reaching them, he sent a message to Sebastian informing him that he would be late.

Arriving at the Silva Estate, many of the servants could recognize Merlin instantly and went inside to inform their master as Merlin continued forward to the front door.

Opening the door was a slender woman with long silver hair and purple eyes. She smiled once she saw Merlin and said, "My, how nice is it for you to visit us, Merlin. Come in, I'm sure Nozel would be pleased to see you again."

"Hello, Acier. Sorry to drop by unannounced but I have something I wanted to give to Nozel." Merlin said as the two entered the mansion and into a great open hall.

"It's not a problem at all!" Acier said, waving her arm in protest. "Besides, you should hear how much Nozel talks about you. He would always-"

"Mother!" Nozel's voice rang out as he appeared from a hallway and quickly shouted out, fixing his appearance to look as presentable as he could.

"Looks like I said too much. I'll go check on Nebra and leave you two alone." Acier said as she giggled and left the room.

"So, what did you come here for Merlin?" Nozel said crossing his arms as he had his trademark serious look on his face with his silver-white hair and long bang's hanging between his eyes and down to the tip of his nose.

"Well, I took a short trip recently and bought some little trinkets. I got one for Mereo, Fuego and you. Take a look at this." Merlin said, handing over the silver bracelet with the eagle head attached to it. What he didn't tell him was that it was imbued with a charm to protect them against one fatal attack, breaking upon its use.

Nozel took the bracelet and nodded in thanks. "Are you going to visit the Vermilions estate next then?"

"Yup, see ya!" Merlin said, turning around and leaving with hesitation.

Nozel sighed, seeing how un-noble like Merlin was acting. Appearing from behind him, Acier was holding Nebra in her arms as she asked, "What are you sighing about? You wanted to spend more time with Merlin?"

"No, that isn't it! He should at least start acting in a capacity fit for his position." Nozel grunted, crossing his arms.

Acier giggled and patted Nozel's head, saying, "Let him have some fun, you've seen how he reacts to those that he doesn't consider his close friends. He's already burdened by a huge responsibility since birth, so moments like these would be when he can truly be himself."

Nozel turned from his mother and looked towards the distancing figure of Merlin's back, not saying another word. Seeing this, Acier let out a gentle smile and turned back inside, deep in thought.

'The Caliban curse… It can't be a coincidence. Devils…'

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After visiting the Silva household, Merlin then proceeded towards the Vermilion Estate and handed over the 2 trinkets to Fuego and Mereo. He then had to run away before Mereo overreacted to his gift by tackling him, to which he skillfully dodged.

Returning back to the Caliban mansion, Merlin had a satisfied smile on his face as he ate his dinner.

Sebastian, seeing this, said, "You must have encountered a lot of pleasant things today, young master Merlin. You seem to be in a lighter mood than usual."

Merlin nodded as he finished his dinner and said, "Today was an eye-opener for a lot of things. Especially the divide between both the Nobles and the Commoners when seeing it in person. Really puts things into perspective."

"Your meaning?" Sebastian asked.

Merlin sighed and said, "We're all humans in the end, right? We all live, and we all die. We are all born human, we die as humans. The stuff that happens in between the cycle of life and death is merely just human gratification. Sure, I might be a part of the Nobles and a Royal, but I take no pride in the fact that our citizens would rather cower before us rather than see us as the leaders of this Kingdom. At this rate, we might as well just become glorified gangsters."

Sebastian was stunned for a moment, then broke out in a genuine smile. Merlin merely just got up and left towards the library once more, an area where he could be at peace with himself.

Sitting on his armchair, Merlin floated a book towards him that detailed the 1st Wizard King and his fight against the giant Demon.

"It's said that the skull of the Demon still resides there in the Forsaken Realm, in a village called Hage. I should visit there in the future when I have the time." Merlin said, putting the book back into his place as he fell back into his thoughts on another quiet night.

...

Another 5 years had flown by since Merlin had first left to explore the city on his own. Compared to his first outing, he was much more experienced now as he got more familiar with how the commoners were and how they lived.

Now at age 15, Merlin had grown much taller compared to his past self, standing at 175cm (5'9). His face matured, losing more of its childlike appearance and baby fat, shaping him to become a handsome man in the future. His hair grew longer as it cascaded down his back, resorting to him having to tie it in a low ponytail.

(AN: Basically Merlin appearance, but slightly younger)

This was the day that Merlin would be receiving his Grimoire. However, due to his status as the head of House Caliban, he would be having his ceremony in private, compared to the usual where multiple people would be present.

"I will be waiting for you out here, master Merlin," Sebastian said, bowing his head as he left Merlin to enter the royal library where the Grimoire would be chosen.

Having grown over these past 5 years, Merlin emitted a calming aura to those around him, no matter their deposition or personality. However, he did have a certain quirk about him that those closest to him would have suffered because of it.

He loved to tinker and create artefacts that were… unconventional. Most of these would usually result in him getting some sort of inspiration and then deciding to stuff it into a ball. For example, he had once made a metal box that, once opened, would emit a loud screeching noise from hundreds of birds at once. Needless to say that Mereo and those from the Vermillion household were not appreciative of such an artefact.

Moving on to the present, Merlin proceeded into the royal library but was stopped before he could enter. Outside the door, stood a 17-year-old boy with golden-brown hair and a face that reeks of arrogance.

"Merlin Caliban, I heard that you will be having your ceremony today. Quite swell." The boy, Augustus Kira Clover, and next in line to the throne, said to the approaching Merlin.

Merlin inwardly sighed but put on a smile on his face, saying, "Well, that's correct. Did you come to wish me luck in the selection?"

"Oh, I have come to do no such thing, not at all," Kira said, shaking his head with his arms crossed. His head, through natural development, was slightly crooked upwards, giving people the impression that he was looking down on them.

"Knowing you, I would expect nothing less than a 3 leaf clover Grimoire, or even the fabled 4 leaf clover! So no, I did not come to wish you luck. My father, the king, however, wishes to have a discussion with you in the coming days when you are free. Naturally, this is in the capacity that you two be in the discussion as King and vassal." Kira said, saying what his father told him to say towards Merlin.

"Is that so… Well, tell his Majesty that I shall let him know at my earliest convenience, now if you'll excuse me, I have a Grimoire to obtain," Merlin said, walking past Kira who merely nodded and walked away, glaring at a passing servant with his nose raised towards the ceiling.

Shaking his head, Merlin entered a large spacious hall. Its walls were filled with numerous books that lined from the bottom to the very top of the tower that reached hundreds of meters.

Although the head librarian, a famous mage in charge of the Grimoire ceremony for Nobles and Royals alike, was usually required, the exception would be made for the heir of House Caliban, a tradition that ran for many past generations for unknown reasons. Perks of a royal household.

With a wave of his hand, Merlin began the ceremony to receive his Grimoire. Dozens of books flew out of the walls and hovered in the air above Merlin, coated in different sources of Mana, glowing brightly as though trying to show off their lustre.

Activating his Mana eyes, when Merlin observed the Grimoires closely, he saw that they were merely just giant clumps of Mana condensed into a physical form, allowing its users to have easier access to the flow of Mana around them.

People with a Mana signature similar to a Grimoire would have a closer connection to the type of magic presented within it. To explain in simple and crude terms, it is akin to using your hands to scoop out water, compared to a cup, with the water being Mana, and the person being the one who scoops.

Once a person finds a compatible Grimoire, the act of drawing Mana for spells from the Grimoire itself becomes simpler and easier for its user.

"I don't really have the need for a Grimoire, since I can perform magic flawlessly without it. But, let's see which one I would receive." Merlin said, raising both of his hands out and opening himself up to the flow of Mana.

Merlin's body started to glow with a rainbow hue, as hundreds upon hundreds of Grimoires flew out of the walls and surrounded him, fighting each other over which Grimoire would be closest to him and catch his attention/

Merlin smiled and said, "I'm sorry, but I can't take you all with me, otherwise the King would go berserk." With a wave of his hand, the books returned back to their shelves. However, moments later they flew back out and instead of flying towards Merlin, they formed into a large ring and started to spin around the entire room, causing the Mana to shine brightly.

"Just what are you guys up to?" Merlin said with a playful smile, watching the Grimoires being stubborn as they started to spin even faster, with the shine of Mana getting brighter and brighter.

Then, the light condensed and exploded outwards, releasing Mana particles of numerous colours into the air as it trickled around Merlin. Merlin ran his hands through the air around him, feeling the warmth passing into his hands.

From above, appeared a rainbow-coloured Grimoire that was made completely out of the purest form of Mana. However, unlike every other Grimoire, it did not have a single leaf clover on the front of it. The Grimoire slowly floated down in front of Merlin and it opened.

What Merlin saw caused him to laugh. "Hahaha, you guys really do know me, don't you?" Merlin said, taking the book into his hands. Within the book, were no pages, it was merely just a book cover, containing no spells. A blank slate.

However, to Merlin, this book represented who he was as a person. Someone who was a blank canvas. He did not need a Grimoire to be able to use magic, and instead, the Grimoire needed him in order to fill it out.

"Well, we can't have others knowing what you are," Merlin said, waving his hands over the book to make it appear as a normal but exquisite rainbow-hued Grimoire, with its edges adorned with flower petals of various kinds. This would settle people's expectations of him, especially the uptight Nobles.

A 3 leaf clover then appeared over the cover. The traces of pure Mana also disappeared, making it adopt the physical properties of the other Grimoires.

"There we go, not overly extravagant, but enough to not bring unnecessary trouble upon myself," Merlin said, snapping the book shut and turning it into the form of a long staff, crooked at the top, similar to the number 4, with ribbons adorned on it, hanging from the crooked section and wrapping around the length of the staff.

(AN: Think Merlin's staff, but without the sword in the middle for now)

"I've always wanted a staff." Looking around the room to the shelves, he saw that the Grimoires that combined into the one he was currently using appeared back in their respective shelves.

Merlin thought to himself for a moment, then muttered. "Now, if someone were to ask what kind of Magic I acquired, I'll just call it… Omni-Magic. Jack of all trades, master of none. Well, that's technically a lie." Merlin laughed to himself a bit, intending for the last bit to be a joke, but the future was always ever-changing.

"With my training in the usage of swords coming along quite well, it won't be long where I won't even have to use Magic at all to fight against others. Just imagine their expression when they realize they've been beaten by mere swordsmanship." Merlin grinned to himself, already having plans to include a sword into his main equipment soon enough.

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Authors Notes:

Later on Merlin will be including a sword into his repitoire. Meaning that if people are far too weak to fight him, why even bother using magic and just destroy their ego completely with merely a sword?

Let me know your thoughts on the chapter in the comments! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

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