Chapter 2: Chapter 2

The first place where we’d visit is the market area. I was told that it was typical of city folks to frequent shops, just like how people from my village would often visit the passing merchants whenever they come by. 

 

The difference between shops here and back in my hometown are like night and day; the city stores are far greater in both variety and quantity. 

 

"What do you think? I bet there weren't as many people here in your hometown." Angeline said, her heading tilted to my direction. 

 

I gave her a nod. Indeed, compared to my hometown, this place is rather crowded. However, it doesn't exactly look that way, due to how the shops here are so large. At the same time, if there were less people here, it would probably feel very deserted. 

 

"That should be of no surprise to anyone, M'lady. He is from a particularly rural area, after all."

 

Oh right, Ryner is accompanying us. 

 

"Oh come on, even if he is from the countryside, there must be some things that you'd only find in shops over there." 

 

Angeline, on the other hand, seems to be defending me for whatever reason. 

 

It's not like I can blame him for telling the truth, though I'm pretty sure that the only thing that can't be found here is the homemade candy that the store owner has in his shop.

 

"Why are you with us anyways?" Angeline asked Ryner.

 

"M'lady, you must understand that I must keep you safe. Besides, we can also take this chance to get Mister Uriel fitted for his new clothes."

 

"Um…Isn't it a bit too early to fit me with clothes? I don't know if I'll be able to pass the examination yet." I spoke up. It's not that I was complaining, but it seemed strange to provide me with luxuries before I even got any results.

 

"Ah, it's a courtesy that we as the host have to provide our guest with a means of fitting in. This only applies to students that we sponsor though." Angeline replies.

 

A courtesy? This is normal for these people? Those questions float around in my thoughts. Perhaps it is only strange for me since I don't know the ins and outs of the city, but I suppose I can understand being nice enough to provide your guests with warm food like last night. Either way, this is just strange to me.

 

"Besides, even if you are mediocre with your test at best, you'll probably still be able to get in anyways." Ryner added.

 

"What do you mean? I thought that the school is supposed to be a prestigious school where not many people can just join." I asked with a confused tone. 

 

"Yes, but I really don't see them throwing away a rare person such as you. Even if you do fail, they will probably keep you in mind just in case someone is unable to attend." Ryner answered. 

 

His answer seems strangely confident for a servant. That aside, I wasn't expecting that this school would be the type to give out special treatment for certain individuals. Well, no, I can. I just don't see the point of them keeping someone that they probably won't be able to reap any rewards from. After all, I'm from a peasant family, not an aristocratic one.

 

"Oh come on Ryner, I'm sure that Urie will be able to pass with flying colors. After all, why would the scout recruit him if he wasn't smart?" Angeline chimed in against Ryner angrily. "Apologize to our guest, Ryner."

 

I wasn't the only one that was shocked by that, even Ryner and also some in the crowd had turned to look in our direction.

 

"Uhm…It's alright, Miss Angeline. I wasn't offended by him at all, so there's no need for him to do that." I said, trying my best to save Ryner some face, since I technically don't have anything against him.

 

"B- but…" She seems to be unsatisfied by that.

 

"No, it's alright, Mister Uriel. Allow me to offer my apologies for my rudeness." Ryner gave me a bow, though I can tell from his tone that he is doing this begrudgingly. 

 

"Uhm…It's alright, I'm not offended at all. I'm still new to all this, so I don't mind you filling me in on how things work." I said that with a nervous tone, waving this off.

 

"Thank you." Ryner said, before raising his head.

 

Even with this, Angeline lets out a sigh. "I suppose if you're fine with it…"

 

I let out an awkward chuckle after that. Angeline must be very kind to stand up for someone like me.

 

"Umm…Anyways, where to next?" I asked.

 

"Well, since Ryner has mentioned it, we can go get you measured for some clothes." Angeline said, before promptly leading the way to the nearest tailor shop, one called Dane's wears.

 

Ryner and I followed along, despite the awkward atmosphere between us, Ryner kept silent for the moment. 

 

As we entered the store with a ringing of the door bell, alarming the tailor to our arrival. I stare at all the fabrics hanging from the walls and clothes left for display on the cupboards. 

 

"Mister Dane? Are you here?" Angeline called out a name, presumably the name of the owner. 

 

"Coming!" A man's voice came from somewhere deeper in the shop. 

 

Surprisingly, this place is rather empty. Though, I guess a tailor usually needs all the space he can get.

 

Everyone's gaze eventually turned to the stumpy man, whose beard is magnificently braided, he spoke to us in a cheery tone. “Oh oh oh, Miss Angeline, how can I be of assistance today?”

 

“Ah, it’s nothing for me, but for Urie here.” She gestures to me with a smile.

 

In response to that, Dane looks me up and down. “Hmm…Not from around here, are ya boy?”

 

“N- no sir. I’m from a village that’s quite far from here.” I stuttered in my reply. I have never seen anyone as short as he is, nor have I seen someone that has a beard as well taken care of. “I’m Uriel Lux, I’m going to take the entrance examination for the Magical Institute.”

 

“Ah! I see, so you’re here to get some uniforms tailored!” Dane said cheerily, “Though, I hope you don’t mind it might come out a bit close to your examination day. I have so many orders coming in recently that I barely have any free time at all.”

 

Despite what he says, he seems to be quite happy with his situation. 

 

“That is to be expected after all, since it is around that time of year where people start having the need for new clothes.” Ryner chimed in, “That being said, have you—”

 

“Ah, yes. I’ve already finished with that handkerchief that you asked for, Mister Blaidd.” He said, giving Ryner a knowing look.

 

Which got the attention of both Angeline and I, though only Angeline makes it obvious about her curiosity.

 

Ryner coughs a bit, “A– anyways, please get on with measuring Mister Uriel.”

 

“Hehehe.” Dane lets out a jovial laugh, “Right, come over here boy.” He gestures to me to walk over to him.

 

Once I am in his range, he pulls out a rope which he used to measure my dimensions, where he needed to get on a stool to reach my shoulders. Now that I am this close, Dane is rather short. While standing next to me, I can tell that he is barely up to my stomach. 

 

All the while, I can hear Angeline teasing Ryner.

 

“Ohh, at least ya ain’t too tall. It’d be a pain to get anything done if that’d be the case.” Dane commented, “Though, I’ll say this; you got pretty nice proportions for someone yer age.”

 

“Hm? What do you mean?” I asked.

 

“I’m sayin’ yer right is the same length as yer left. I’m guessin’ it has to do with whatever ya ate back in the boonies.” 

 

I wasn’t exactly sure what he’s implying by saying that, but I’m not going to voice it out either. Before he pulled himself away from me, I noticed that his ears are of a particular shape too. 

 

“You know, they say that people with even proportions like ya are destined for things.” Dane said, heading over to some cloth that he has in the cupboards. 

 

Destined for things? What did he mean by that? Before I got to ask my question, Angeline spoke up.

 

“What do you mean by that, Mister Dane?” 

 

“Well, for one, they say that those with even proportions are like special children or something." He said, pulling out some cloth from the cupboards, "Honestly, it's more just legends than anything concrete. I'd like to think that each person is unique in their own way."

 

Unique in their own way. With the almost sagely manner in which he said those words, it'd give you a sense that he's been through his own hardship to arrive at that conclusion. 

 

"...Are they really, though?" An unfamiliar downcasted tone came from Angeline.

 

My attention was caught by that unfamiliarity, despite not having been around her long enough. She seemed to have a daunted mood, although her expression betrays that. 

 

"Well…That's just the conclusion that I came to after living for so long. My apologies, I'm rambling quite a bit, Miss Angeline." Dane apologized, before heading to do his work. "Will there be anything else that you need of me?"

 

"No, that's all we came here for." Angeline turns to the exit.

 

Ryner and I merely followed behind, neither of us knew what to say. I didn't exactly understand what caused her to go into such a mood either.

 

As soon as we leave the store, Angeline brings up both of her hands and clasps her own cheeks. Which seems to have triggered a worried response from Ryner.

 

"Ah, sorry you had to see me like that, Urie." And with a turn, she seamlessly transitioned back to her original self. "Anyways, now that we got that settled, let's get you familiar with the area." She said, smiling in a gaily manner. 

 

"R— right. Please, lead the way." I said.

 

After we exchanged smiles with one another, she led me around town to see the sights. Of course, Ryner has been following us.

 

I don't know if I was the only one who noticed it, but I felt as if some eyes were looking in my direction occasionally. I didn't mention it to either Ryner nor Angeline since it doesn't seem threatening, and the fact that it quickly disappeared the moment I noticed it made me think that it might have been my own imagination.

 

Our day went by in no time and we arrived back in the Waldenburge residence by evening. 

 

Upon arrival, it would be none other than Agnes to greet us upon our entry. "Welcome back you three. Hope your day out in town was eventful."

 

"Eh, not really. Nothing much really happened, though it was fun either way." Angeline replies.

 

"I see." Agnes nodded before turning to look at Ryner, "My apologies for any trouble my sister might have caused for you."

 

"No, it's nothing at all. I'm just doing my job." Ryner bowed his head.

 

"Haha, there's no need for that." Agnes waved it off, then her gaze turned to look at me. "And how was your day, Mister Uriel?"

 

You are reading story Lux at novel35.com

"It was fine. I– I'm still not used to how things work here." I said nervously, scratching my head while smiling a bit wryly.

 

"Well, I don't expect you to acclimate to things immediately, so take your time." She smiles, "On the other hand, however, I would like to speak to you about something."

 

"O‐ oh, alright then."

 

She turned to walk towards a room, which I promptly followed. We both arrived in a room where it seems that it’ll be just the two of us.

 

“Please, have a seat.” Agnes gestures to the couch that’s across from where she is sitting, between it is a table which has some deserts and tea, as well as a rectangular box.

 

I walked and sat across from her, where I felt rather nervous as to the sudden meeting. Perhaps something came up?

 

“Um…Ms Agnes? I– Is there something that I can help you with?” I asked nervously.

 

“No need to be nervous, silly. It’s nothing too serious, I just wanted to tell you that something unexpected has happened that will delay your transfer to your dormitory.”

 

“O– Oh, I see. So, what happened?”

 

“Tch. One of the wyvern riders somehow managed to smash into the building making a huge hole in the second floor. Needless to say, it’s going to take a while to repair.” Agnes said, her voice filled with frustration and exasperation, “Like really, how clumsy can you get to crash into a literal building!”

 

“I– I see.” I replied with a nervous tone, though the word ‘Wyvern’ caught my attention. I have heard that they are a type of flying creature which also has a poisonous tail. “So, how long will it take until it gets fixed?”

 

“Not too long, I hope. At best, It will take two entire weeks.” Her exasperation continues.

 

“You…uhh, seem rather upset by this.” 

 

“Ah…My apologies.” She clears her throat before continuing her speech, “Anyways, it’s because that dormitory is also Waldenburge property. I believe you would be upset as well, say your farm got smashed by someone else.”

 

“I– I see. That’s understandable then.” I gave her a nod. 

 

“Aside from that, there’s something else that I want to give you.” She hands me the rectangular box on the table, “Here, open it.”

 

A gift? This is getting all too sudden. I am not used to being given things out of the blue like this.

 

“U- umm…Thank you…?”

 

“Just open it up and you’ll see. Regrettably, I fear that it might not be compatible with you.”

 

“What do you mean…?” I asked with a curious look. But, nonetheless, I opened up the box. Within it is a metallic rod, not longer than perhaps a foot and a half. 

 

“It’s your arcane focus. It’s what you need to help you cast spells, since children your age often need one of these during practice and I noticed that since you didn’t have one with you, I decided to get one for you.” She explained.

 

“O– Oh, how thoughtful of you, Ms Agnes.” I stuttered seeing such a beautiful piece of craftsmanship before me. Although it is a metal rod, it is also shaped in a very elegant way and the handle is very comfortable to hold onto as well. Not to mention the green gem at the hilt.

 

“Because it’s subpar for you, I took the time to modify it a little.”

 

“Umm…W– wow, this is very kind of you, Ms Agnes.”

 

“No need. Feel free to attune yourself to it though.” 

 

Attunement.  A process where one is in sync with another. In this case, I will be performing an attunement with this wand. My caretaker has taught me how to do it, but I have just not been able to find anything sufficiently durable enough naturally for me to attune with. It seems that it also requires both parties, the attuner and the object which is getting attuned to, to be compatible in some kind of criteria. I know this, since all of the makeshift wands that my caretaker has made for me and ones that I tried to make myself in the past have all broken the moment I try to synchronize with its wavelength. 

 

At least, it does that whenever I don't preemptively strengthen it. Perhaps it was out of excitement, I brought the wand to my forehead as I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and began to pour my magical energy into it in order to try getting a feel for the wand. 

 

“Yeah, like that, but—” Agnes tried to explain something, but by that time, I had already stopped listening to the excitement I felt. For as long as I can remember, I have always found a sort of pull towards the thing that everyone calls magic. Though, perhaps that’s because my caretaker had such a profound impact on me, but I simply can’t help it whenever I am given the opportunity to do any magic.

 

Before I could really get into it, though, a voice shouted through the concentration I had up until now. “Stop—!” 

 

That voice was what caused me to reopen my eyes to see that the room was in a messy state. I feel a bit shocked by this and then embarrassment as I can feel my cheeks heating up. I can only imagine how red my face is right now, it's to the point that I covered my face with my hands.

 

Agnes, on the other hand, let go a sigh of relief at the sight of me regaining myself as well as falling onto the couch with a thump.

“That was…too close,” she said, taking in a large gasp of air before speaking up once again, “Are you alright?”

 

“I…I’m alright.” I said, trying my best to hide my face from this scene. Though, I take a quick glance at the wand that I was holding, seeing that it has many cracks on its surface. This made me feel even more embarrassed. 

 

“Are you sure?” she asked again, this time with a more noticeable concern tone.

 

Before I could completely give her a nod to confirm my status, someone broke down the door with a loud shout.

 

“Mistress! Are you alright?!” It was Ryner.

 

“Sister! Urie! Is everything alright?” Oh, Angeline as well.

 

Though, upon seeing the messy state of the room, they both were about to call in some help to investigate, fortunately, Agnes managed to settle them down with a simple wave. 

 

“Calm down, we’re both alright.” Agnes explained.

 

“...What happened?” Ryner asked, his eyes looking around the room in its disorganized state.

 

“Umm…” I raised my voice and hand, steeling myself for whatever’s to come. “I went a bit…overboard.” As I said that, my embarrassment laid bare for everyone to see.

 

“What…?” Ryner said with a confused tone.

 

“To think that you would almost completely break a wand made by one of the best craftsmen in the country, one with a core made of basilisk's bone, no less.” Agnes said, rubbing her temple. 

 

After she said that, Ryner looked shocked, which left me and Angeline with confused expressions.

 

“Uhh…Is that supposed to mean anything special, Sister?” Angeline asked.

 

“I would also like to know…” I raised my voice meekly.

 

“It’s a subspecies of a long extinct race of monsters called Dragons,” Agnes said. Hearing this, I blinked a few times at what was said. Dragon? They actually exist? 

 

“They’re very powerful monsters with potent poison and deadly gaze. It also has a rather tough hide, which makes most bladed weapons ineffective against it.” Agnes continued, “Aside from that, they’re bones and other parts of their body are used to make magical items, for example…” she points at the almost shattered wand in my hand, “Wands and various other things.”

 

“O— Oh…” I am a bit shocked and amazed, but at the same time, I am embarrassed. I was always told not to go overboard with using my magical energy by my caretaker, since I tend to not be able to control its output when I feel excited. “Uh..Umm…Sorry that something so expensive went to waste on me.”

 

“What? No, no! That just means that you’re just incompatible with it.” Agnes interjected.

 

“But…I’ve never heard of anyone breaking a wand through attunement.” Ryner said with certainty, since he probably managed to piece things together after he entered the room.

 

“Is it rare?” Angeline said to Agnes.

 

“Usually, there’d be some kind of rejection. But, this is a new case that I haven’t seen myself.” Agnes explained.

 

“S– So, what does that mean exactly?” I asked.

 

“It means that the wand and you could not make a successful synchronization. I suppose it’s only natural in a sense, but this violent reaction is something I’m not clear about.” Agnes shrugged, “Either way, as I said, that wand was subpar for you anyways, so I guess a rejection is to be expected.” She stands up, “Anyways, I’ll take you to the wandsmith tomorrow.”

 

“Subpar? Did they not have anything else, sister?” Angeline asked.

 

“Unfortunately, all of the highest quality ones were all bought out. Though, I supposed that’s to be expected and it was foolish of me to think that I would find any sliver of Mithril without having to commission one beforehand.” Agnes said, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Anyways, Ryner, can you please tell the servants to clean this up? I have other work to attend to.” She said with a rather stern expression.

 

“Of course, M’lady.” Ryner bowed before heading out of the room, presumably to do as he was told.

 

“Anyways, you two have a great evening.” Agnes said, preparing to leave the room herself.

 

“Wait–” Angeline spoke up, “Sister, you haven’t forgotten have you?” 

 

Forgotten? I don’t know what this is about, but from her tone, I can tell this is probably something personal. Before I had the chance to make my escape out of the room, Agnes seemed to give Angeline a smile before speaking.

 

“Of course, I’ll be coming for your coming of age party next week. For now, focus on your studies. You have to attend that exam as well, you know?” Agnes left afterwards, leaving me and Angeline with a rather awkward silence for some reason.

 

“Uh— Is everything okay?” I asked, feeling a bit concerned. 

 

“...Everything’s okay…It’s just…” Angeline hesitated, “My birthday is coming up soon and I really want my sister to be there, you know?”

 

“Ah…” I can understand her feelings in that regard. If I were to compare it to my and my caretaker, I would be a bit sad as well if she didn’t celebrate my birthday with me. 

 

“Anyways, I understand that she has a lot of work and might have last minute changes and stuff like that, so I’m not going to fault her for that. I know she’s busy…" Angeline said with a saddened tone, and after a bit of a pause she continued. "A– Anyways, I better get back to studying."

 

"U– umm, what are you studying for? If you don't mind me asking, that is." I asked nervously, unsure if she would find it meddlesome. 

 

“Ah, no, it’s not a problem. Actually, I am studying to attend the same school you’re going to.” She replied.

 

“O– Oh, really?” I asked, a bit surprised to hear the news. “Well, maybe we can study together? I– if that’s not too presumptuous to ask, of course.” I said with a nervous tone. 

 

“Ah…Are you sure? You don’t think that I’ll hold you back from your studies or anything?” Angeline replied, perhaps feeling a bit nervous by my sudden request.

 

“Well, I’m apparently going to be staying here for a while, so I might as well make a friend…right?” I said, timidly scratching my cheek. 

 

Perhaps from something that I said in that sentence, Angeline smiles brightly as if she found something she has been looking for ages. “Truly?! W– Well, that’s great!” Out of nowhere, she grabs my hand and takes me out into the hall. “Then, come on, we’re burning daylight here!”

 

For that evening before dinner, I spent my time studying with Angeline in their personal study room, where there are many books neatly organized on the shelves.

You can find story with these keywords: Lux, Read Lux, Lux novel, Lux book, Lux story, Lux full, Lux Latest Chapter