I was sitting behind a desk on which was an open book that had been completely drenched by both sweat and what I could also tell drool.
"What the hell was that?"
For a moment, I struggled to grasp reality, the remnants of the dream still lingering in my mind like a heavy fog. But as my senses gradually sharpened, I realized where I was. The library.
Shaking off the remnants of the nightmare, I pushed myself upright, wiping the sweat from my face. It felt so real, as if I had truly been transported to another time. But it was just a dream, a vivid, haunting figment of my imagination.
Taking a deep breath, I surveyed the library around me. The sight of these books, these parchments, and that giant lavish chandelier hanging from the ceiling, illuminating the room like a sun that could never be found in that old house, provided a sense of grounding. I had been lost in my thoughts, lost in that dream, but now I was back. Back to reality.
Gathering my composure, I looked at the book I drenched and sighed. Being someone who’d walked this world several times already I knew for a fact that books weren’t something that was easily affordable for your average peons, even to most highbreed they still weren’t so easily available so, despite the book belonging to the Wei? family, I winced. Partly out of stinginess and partly due to the importance of the book, more precisely the knowledge contained.
The book was titleless, its worn cover and weathered pages making it resemble more of a journal than an actual book. It documented principally about the existing classes, common titles, and various leveling milestones. It was during my perusal of the leveling milestones section that I had fallen asleep, meaning that it was this section that was the most drenched.
Pondering how to rectify the situation, I retrieved Wanda, my wand. Though I hadn't planned on training today and had intended to spend the day in the library, I couldn't tear myself away from it. Contemplating further on how to address the issue, I summoned a magic circle with which I froze the sweat that dampened the book. As the magic circle dissipated, I summoned another one through my wand, but this time, it didn't produce the same effect. Instead, it drew the ice into itself, allowing me to extract the sweat from the book's pages.
Inspecting the book sheet by sheet, I noted with some relief that the sweat had been successfully extracted, leaving the pages dry. However, they were now smudged, the remnants of my hasty attempt to clean them. With a faint mutter, I lamented, "It’s time like these that I wish I had [Water Magic]."
While the skill wouldn’t have made the fixing of this mess any easier it would’ve done it, neater. "But this would have to do for now."
Coming up with a quick plan of action that involved placing the book back where I found it, resolving to leave its problematic contents for someone else to deal with, I closed the book, and was about to stand up to do just that when the sound of approaching footsteps caught my attention. Hastily, I sat back and hid the book behind my desk and opened another one, feigning casual interest as the owner of the footsteps came into view.
"So here you were, Faye."
Normally, when one speaks of someone’s presence in the library one could safely assume that person to be the old man, as much like a librarian he would spend most of his day in here, either reading, scribbling or painting, but given what just recently happened, I knew for a fact that these footsteps weren't his, unless I was dealing with a ghost. I wasn't. The person approaching was a tall, black-haired man whose features, for the better or for the worse, I, along with my many half-siblings, had inherited. He was carrying something in one hand that instantly caught my attention, but not wanting to seem impolite, I pretended it didn't and acted like the good daughter I was supposed to be. But nonetheless I immediately activated my skill.
Standing up from behind the desk, I greeted him solemnly, with a curtsy, "Good evening, Your Grace..."
… Target locked.
… Identification in process…
As if being reminded of something he'd rather forget, the tall figure came to a halt as if freezing in place. For a moment, he just stood there before eventually sighing, "Your Grace, huh? I was hoping that, at least from you, I could escape that title, even if just for today."
"I then apologize for that," I said, sounding as reasonably apologetic as I could, "I was trying to uphold—"
Target successfully appraised.
"You were trying to uphold the mourning ritual. There's nothing to apologize for. If anything, it is I who should be ashamed for expecting otherwise," he said, chuckling in a self-deprecating manner. "So much for the new head of the Wei? family."
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"Father..."
Perhaps picking up on my internal plea, he suggested, "Let's change the subject. What were you doing?"
"Reading."
"Reading, huh? I can see that." Instead of delivering an uninspired comment about how my grandfather would have been proud, a comment I half-expected, he simply inquired, "What were you reading?"
Casting a quick glance at the book I had randomly opened on the table, and from what I could quickly glean from the content of the page, I replied, "I was curious about the angel race and more precisely, the angelic deities."
"Oh," he nodded, feigning interest. "And what did you learn?"
Thinking quickly, I replied, "That they're stronger than I imagined."
"Oh," he repeated before resuming with a question, characteristic of him, "and how strong did you initially imagine they were?"
Sigh.
"I always assumed they were as strong as His Imperial Majesty Cleon."
For humanity, this man, who self-proclaimed himself as the "One and Only", is without a doubt the pinnacle of strength. Having been raised in this particular family, having been taught how that man ascended to the throne he now sits upon and how he established his empires, I was well aware of that. So much so that if I were a normal kid without any grounds to make an objective judgment, I would be led to believe that that man is the equal of the three angelic deities, except he's not.
"They're not?"
"Yes, they're not. They're stronger."
He nodded, then chuckled, "Having been raised by a family that is first and foremost a servant of the empire before being a Highbreed family, it took me years to finally come to the understanding you just made."
The Angel deities were the object of worship for a cult called the Faith of the Three Moons. And in this world, being a Highbreed is equated to being a believer in this faith. As to why that was the case, there were several reasons, among which the fact that Highbreeds spawn with additional attributes literally called faith was a significant one. So when one met a Highbreed, one should not wonder if they believed in the deities or not, but instead, the question was which one of the three deities the Highbreed believed in. That's how it is, that's how the order of things is, at least, until a certain variable is involved: being a vassal of the Emperor, an Emperor who actively tries to instate himself as equal to the three deities.
For those under him, he is to be worshiped as a deity, he is to be hailed as the strongest, so it is naturally hard for children reared within this belief to see him as inferior to anyone. But he is, at least when compared to the Three Angel deities, he is.
"You're right, he isn't. It might be hard to admit, but that's how it is," he said, placing what he'd been carrying on the table and reaching for the book, quickly flipping through its pages. "Once you finish reading this, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to come to me to ask. I might get a little busier now that Father is no longer with us, but I'll make sure to have time to answer your questions."
"Understood. I'll do my best not to importune you, but when I have questions, I'll come to you to ask, Father."
"Good," he said before returning the book to its original place and slowly sliding his arm back to the object he had initially been holding onto, leaving it on the table. "Now then, I think you're most likely curious about what this is, right? And most likely, you already know what it is," he said, handing the object for me to hold onto.
The object in question was a staff that loomed at 150 cm, towering me by at least 15 to 20 cm. Its jet-black body was carved from a coarse, almost tree-like wood, but clearly, from the vibrations I felt upon touch and what was displayed through the interface in the corner of my eyes, it clearly wasn't wood. Instead, it was, as per shown by the interface of my identification skill, made of a material known as Paprite. At its summit, cradled in a nest of dark tendrils, lay a gem as deep and endless as the ocean, its blue hues flickering like the heart of the sea amidst a stormy night. This gem was made of manacyte, the same material adorning my wand. However, with how it casted a subtle aura of majesty and mystery against which the gem on my wand paled in comparison, this was obviously of a higher purity grade. I didn't know what it was that made me feel that, but holding onto that staff felt like, after all these years, holding a gun. It made me feel like I had retrieved something that, as a man reborn as a girl, I had lost, which was sad because I knew that this was something the touch of this staff granted. The moment I separated myself from it, I would feel that void better than ever before. Luckily, this didn't look like something I would separate myself from.
"This is..."
"You should try using your identification skill on it," he suggested.
But knowing that admitting that would make me look bad, I simply nodded.
—
Identification: ???
[Status]Name: ???
Object: M.C Amplifier and M.P-storing Staff,
Stored M.P: N/A
Material: Paprite, Unmeltable Iron, Manacyte
Core Gemstone: Refined Manacyte (+10.000 years)
Origin: Unknown
Age: 3 year
Creator: Unidentifiable
Owner: N/A
Condition: Pristine
[Special Attributes]Infused Abilities
- Elemental Affinity: Shows a strong affinity with water, ice and wind-based magic, increasing control over such spells.
Infused Skills
- Magic Amplification: Enhances the potency of spells cast through it by 0.25, making magic circles manifest with greater clarity and stability.
- Mana Storage: Can store up to 25% of the wielder's available M.P, up to a maximum of 1500 M.P.
Recommended Use
Best suited for mages specializing in water-based magic or those seeking to enhance their spellcasting precision.
Warning
- Gemstone Bonding: The Refined Manacyte is deeply bonded to the staff. Attempts to remove it may result in loss of staff's unique properties.
Value
Estimating…
—
"So?" he asked after a while.
Knowing the level of my Identification skill and the extent of detail it allowed me to perceive at this level, I didn't pretend not to know who this staff was made for; that would make me look like an idiot. "Is this for me?"
He nodded, then said, "But before you thank me, this is not a gift from me."
"Then this is..."
"It's a gift from your grandfather."
"I see..."
"He had this staff made for you the moment he saw your potential as a mage. The staff was ready for about a couple of years now. As to why he didn't give the staff to you immediately..."
Coming up with a conjecture on the spot I asked, "is it because I chose Sorcerer as a class, instead of mage?"