She was too far away for me to hear what she was saying, but I could see the obvious shifts in her mood. She went from worried, to shocked, to happy, then to sad all on her own.
“H-Hey, what’re you doing over there?” I was ready to hear about this Ancient Magic, so I decided to rush her a bit. That’s what I was here for, after all.
“N-Nay, ’tis nothing. Nothing at all! Thou art here to discuss Ancient Magic, art thou not?”
Now that we had moved on to our main topic of discussion, I could finally relax a bit. So, what was Ancient Magic, exactly?
“Ahem! Then I shall divulge. Put simply, ’tis magic passed down from days of yore.”
“Then is it something I could learn?” Before I heard the rest, I decided to ask what was weighing heaviest on my mind. If I could learn this magic, then maybe I could finally be of some help to Yui and the others. At least, that’s what I thought, but...
“Nay, ’tis not possible.”
“I-I see.” Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like it. So, this Ancient Magic really was out of my reach. “Then I really am not good enough to...”
“Nay, not even a hero of legend mayst learn it.”
“Huh? What does that mean, exactly?”
“Acquisition of Ancient Magic is rife with mystery; it requireth neither class nor toil.”
If class didn’t matter, then what did? Was Ancient Magic fictional, or maybe just theoretical?
“Ancient Magic doth be magic passed down from times of old. For a hundred years—nay, centuries—mages toiled to learn it, and one among them did even imperil his very life. All attempts hath ended in failure. But once every few centuries, a being appears who bears this unusual magic, which existeth just as it did in legends.”
“Right.” I was finally starting to get a grasp of what she was talking about. “You mean Claira, don’t you?”
“Indeed. She doth possess the Ancient Magic of legend. She is an inheritor, and she doth be the only one. In recent times, ’twas the Demon King, though he is no longer.”
The Demon King? I had heard of him before. He was the ferocious king of the demons who once tried to conquer the entire continent, but I didn’t know much else given the strict regulations on intel about him. A knight had once told me that this was probably meant to prevent anyone from acquiring and abusing that same magic, but huh. I guess they weren’t trying to conceal intel regarding the Demon King, but the existence of his magic—Ancient Magic.
“Do the Three Great Nations control all information about Ancient Magic?”
“Indeed. Most knoweth not even its name. Its existence alone is far too mighty—whether borne by friend or foe, it shall inspire fear in the people. And while only an inheritor canst use Ancient Magic, others may wield it by proxy, just as the demons hath.”
“Huh...” So, that’s why all intel on Ancient Magic was concealed. I got why.
“So I have heard. Only one woman hath analyzed and repurposed Ancient Magic to cast spells without chants and develop spells that requireth no staves, like storage magic. ’Tis none other than Merlin,” whispered Ryouen, too quietly for me to hear.
“Did you say something?”
“Hmm? Nay, ’tis nothing. At least, naught for thee to worry about.”
“R-Really?”
“Indeed. In any case, Ancient Magic doth be magic of old known only to few.”
And thanks to Ryouen, I was among them. I had also learned that Claira’s existence was even rarer than I thought it was. “This doesn’t really seem to have anything to do with me, though.”
“Hmm... Besides inheritors, there art... Zounds!”
“Huh?”
Ryouen brought a hand to her chin, looking like an idea had suddenly occurred to her.
“What?”
“’Twas once a lone noninheritor who didst cast Ancient Magic.”
“There was?”
“I-Indeed. However, it marked their life’s end. I know’st not the details, but there must be a cost. Casting such spells repeatedly appears truly impossible for a noninheritor.”
So, even if there were exceptions, actually using Ancient Magic would still be impossible. But once Ryouen was done speaking, a question suddenly occurred to me. “But why tell me this? Just to be clear, I’m done protecting Claira.”
“Indeed thou art. I simply thought it to be information thou might find useful, given thy knowledge. Let us now move on to the crux of our discussion.”
The crux? So, Ancient Magic was just a lure to get me interested, but this was top secret level information. Was I really allowed to hear all that just to get me hooked? “Which is...?”
“Wouldst thou like to research magic together? Of course, that doth include Ancient Magic.”
“You want me to help you with your research?”
“Indeed! Wouldst thou be mine assistant? I have been in search of one well-versed in magic, and thou seemst to possess intel beyond even my ken! So? Art thou interested?”
Researching magic, huh? I was interested, and I was quite thankful for the invitation, but... “Sorry. You probably know this already, but I’m with Yui’s party, and when we’re not adventuring, I need to focus on raising my rank. I don’t think I can be your assistant.”
“Hmm. Then shall I help thee increase thy rank?”
“Huh?”
“I was once an adventurer myself. While I am no S-rank, I do hold the rank of A.” Apparently, Ryouen had joined the guild to earn funds while traveling from the empire to the kingdom. There were plenty of adventurers who had no permanent home and instead hopped from place to place, making it the perfect job for a long journey.
“A-rank, huh?” Not to mention, her rank was pretty high too.
“Indeed. That shan’t be a problem, yes?”
“It won’t, but... There’s nothing in this for you, is there?” I was grateful she wanted to help, but it didn’t seem like she’d get anything out of it herself, nor could she have enough free time on her hands to spend it on what basically amounted to volunteer efforts. After all, she was the type who locked herself away in the castle’s dungeons to focus on her studies.
“Nay, there is much for me.”
“Is there?”
“Forsooth!” She was grinning so hard, it was almost weird. I couldn’t tell what she was plotting, but if she was offering her help, I had no reason to refuse. I could increase my rank and maybe even learn some magic from her in the process.
“Got it. Then will you help me when you have the time?”
“Of course! Oho ho! Merlin’s decades of research art now...” She was trembling in excitement, but my eyes weren’t too focused on her. Just what was she after, exactly?
✦ ✦ ✦
After concluding my discussion with Ryouen, I followed the map I had received from Elizario to a house in the royal capital, which had been lent to our party for personal use. We had talked for so long, it was already morning. While I could have slept in the room the king had prepared for me in the castle, night was already over, so I decided to just return to the others.
Thus, I left the castle, and after a short walk, a certain building came into sight. It seemed like the right place considering how much it resembled the structure built for the Hero’s party that I had lived in until just a few months prior. Elizario had even said it was constructed for Heroes in anticipation they’d be staying in the capital for extended periods, and this one specifically had been built for Allen, which meant it was brand-new.
“This takes me back,” I muttered. Suddenly, I began to wonder about Allen. What was he up to? Ever since he had abandoned that emergency request, his whereabouts had been unknown. “He’s fine...right?”
I knew fretting about him wouldn’t help anything, but we had spent over a year together. Of course I was a bit worried.
“Lloyd! What’re you doing out there?” Yui’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. She was waving at me from a window on the second floor.
“It’s nothing!”
“Yeah? But you must be pooped! We’ve got breakfast for you!”
Now that I was thinking about it, I hadn’t eaten anything since the lunch Elizario had brought me yesterday. “I’ll be right there! Thanks!”
“Tell that to Daggers, not me! He’s the one who made it!”
“Yeah, I will!” I said as I stepped through the door.