"Ah!"
Digori had been staring blankly at Heros. Finally snapping out of it, he hurriedly stopped Heros.
"Hold on!"
"Yes?"
Heros had just been about to open the Little Flame Grimoire. He paused at Digori's interruption.
"Before learning magic, you need to consider the capacity of your vessel and how full it is."
"My vessel?"
"It's a term for the limit of how much magic you can learn. Even among mages, some can only handle two spells, while others can master ten or more. In other words, it's innate talent."
"What do you mean by 'can't learn'? Even if you open the grimoire, you can't contain what's inside?"
Heros's sharp question. Digori realized his explanation had been vague and hurried to clarify.
"You can learn the magic. But your body won't hold up. Those who learn more magic than their vessel can handle eventually lose their sense of self and turn into monsters. And we call those monsters spirits."
"Gasp."
"Still, don't worry too much. There are warning signs of side effects. Do you have headaches? Nausea? Hallucinations? Anything out of the ordinary—tell me."
Heros checked himself over after hearing Digori's words, then looked back at him.
"I'm fine."
"Good. Still, always keep side effects in mind. You never know when, where, or how they'll hit."
"Have you experienced side effects too, Digori?"
"Call me Master from now on."
"Ah! Yes, Master."
"Of course I have. Every mage does."
"If it's not rude, what's your side effect, Master?"
"Nightmares."
Heros fell silent. Nightmares didn't seem so bad. Digori guessed his thoughts but continued calmly instead of scolding him.
"Every time I sleep, I have nightmares. Being killed is routine. If I'm unlucky, it's even worse torment."
"Ah..."
Only then did Heros grasp the severity. Then he remembered Digori had opened the Gravekeeper Grimoire with his help. Learning magic despite side effects! He'd lose his master right after becoming his apprentice.
Isn't that dangerous?
Thinking that, Heros quickly asked Digori.
"Then you shouldn't read grimoires, right, Master? You read the Gravekeeper Grimoire earlier."
"I'm still okay. The worse the symptoms, the fuller the vessel. I can handle it for now."
Digori dismissed Heros's worry with that. Seeing his master's firm response, the apprentice asked no more. Quick on the uptake. He'd shut his mouth the moment Digori showed displeasure. That meant he was perceptive. A skill honed for an orphan's survival, no doubt.
Digori felt a pang of bitterness. But he didn't show it. He wasn't in a position to pity others.
"Anyway, the point is, side effects come in all forms. Magic and grimoires are mysteries. That's why we don't know why they happen."
"Yes."
"Remember this, Heros. A mage is like a tightrope walker between two cliffs. You could fall into the abyss at any moment. So always be cautious."
Digori met Heros's eyes as he spoke. And his apprentice stared back steadily, replying firmly.
"Yes!"
Hearing Heros's resolute answer, Digori stood. Then he noticed Heros clutching the Little Flame Grimoire tightly and paused. His apprentice's face plainly showed his desire to learn a new spell.
That one should be fine. No side effects yet, so one more spell wouldn't cause trouble. Besides, the mana from the grimoire felt faint, so the magic inside was surely simple. It wouldn't fill his vessel much. After reasoning it out, Digori concluded Heros could learn it.
"Heros. Learn the Little Flame Grimoire. Then let's call it a day. It's late."
Digori tried to end the conversation there. But with a novice mage before him, more things kept coming to mind that he wanted to teach.
"By the way, the more powerful the magic in a grimoire, the greater the burden when you learn it. Learning a spell to make a water droplet fills your vessel less than one to summon rain."
"Is there a way to check if a grimoire holds powerful magic beforehand?"
"No. But you can guess. If opening it is difficult or the mystery swirling around it is intense, it probably holds strong magic."
"What's a mystery?"
"Mystery means something wondrous beyond common sense..."
Questions poured like he'd been waiting for this chance. Digori could finally sleep only after cutting off Heros's barrage.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I left the village with Digori—no, Master. Our destination? The rowan tree deep in the nearby forest. To satisfy yesterday's curiosity. There was a high chance of mystery there.
"It blooms year-round?"
"Yes. The villagers see it as the village's guardian deity."
In simple terms, the sacred village tree. Spring, summer, autumn, winter. A tree blooming through all four seasons. No wonder superstitious folk revered it.
Honestly, it pissed me off. No belly button and year-round blooms. Both abnormal, yet only I got shunned.
"High chance of mystery. But why haven't you found a grimoire there before? If mystery manifested, one should be nearby."
"I've never been there."
"It's close to the village."
"They stopped me. Said they couldn't let an impure person near the sacred tree."
"I see."
Truth was, I could've gone anytime if I wanted. I'd held back fearing repercussions. Not anymore. Leaving the village, I no longer feared the villagers' revenge. That's why we set out.
Conversation died again. Like yesterday, Master wasn't talkative. Silence often fell like this. Actually, good for me. Time to review what I'd learned.
Tree Bark, Moisture, Ignition. I recalled the spells I'd picked up yesterday. Tree Bark made bark grow on skin, Moisture wet something down, Ignition lit fires. Simple effects, simple spells. Still, better than nothing.
Tree Bark for defense, Ignition for offense. Moisture... versatile support? Thirsty in a dry place? Useful. After sorting my spells, I pondered deeply. Plenty left to mull over.
Mana costs vary per spell. Want to quantify it neatly... Ah! Base it on Moisture? Moisture was weak, so low mana cost. I'd set one use at 1 mana. Numerizing my total mana and spell costs. Like a game. My preferred method. Prep for emergencies too. Say combat hits. Calculating usable spells mid-fight wastes time. So organize numbers now. Quick mana checks anytime.
[Moisture: 1, Tree Bark: 2, Ignition: 5. Total mana: 30.]
Pathetic. My mana let me cast Ignition six times max. For someone craving big spells, disappointing. But no despair. I'd grow! First, read more grimoires. Learn everything in sight.
Increasing mana? Read grimoires. Three yesterday gave 10 each, total 30. Proven effective.
Huh? Already here? Lost in thought, destination appeared.
"There it is."
Amid barren trees, one burst with white blossoms. Beautiful sight, but to me: That's it? Villagers beat, shunned, threatened me over this. Ridiculous.
"Definitely a mystery."
While I stewed, Master concluded. Then instructed me.
"Heros. A grimoire's somewhere here. Remember last night's mana talk? Sense the grimoire's mana and find its location."
"Yes."
Mana. Simply, magic power. Not the sharpest, so I still didn't fully get it. But I could sense it clearly. Like this. Moisture. Cast Moisture; hand got wet. But I focused on the energy draining from me, not the result. That subtle emptiness from last night. Concentrating on my unknown power depleting.
Now find similar unknown energy nearby. I circled the rowan, seeking mana like mine. Mystery distracted toward the tree, but after laps, I found denser mana elsewhere.
There? Mana from underground. Like mine, but gentler. Focusing closer, a voice rang out.
["There's a grimoire here! Please dig me out!"]
Desperate voice. Hearing it, I realized something new. Master said you hear a grimoire's voice only after sensing it. Sensing range seemed wide. Not just visual.
Scrape scrape!
I dug eagerly under the rowan with both hands. Soon, a book edge emerged. Apricot cover grimoire.
"Master! Found it!"
I shouted, turning to Digori. Confident it'd score points. But his reaction was odd.
"How on earth...?"
Digori questioning me. Only one answer fit.
"I just did what you told me, Master?"
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