"This is the place, huh," Alex said, surveying the modest countryside village from atop a hill, with Gardevoir standing at his side. "Who would have thought the Hammerlocke Kingdom's Great Librarian would retire somewhere like this?"
His investigation of the royal castle, conducted by reading the Thieves' Guild Master's mind, had yielded several valuable pieces of information. Among them was a blueprint detailing the castle's hidden passageways and defensive wards. However, one discovery had particularly caught his interest. The kingdom's Rank 8 Mage, who had served as its Great Librarian, had recently retired and settled in the countryside, leaving his position at the royal palace behind.
According to rumors, the old man was an avid reader with an insatiable appetite for knowledge. He was reportedly eager to acquire new information, regardless of the subject. Given his former position and his passion for reading, Alex suspected he had already read most, if not all, of the restricted books in the royal library.
That made the retired mage worth seeking out. Rather than sneaking into the palace and painstakingly scanning the pages of restricted books himself, Alex could simply obtain the information from the old man. Not only would that save him a considerable amount of time, but it might also give him access to knowledge that wasn't recorded in any book, provided the mage was willing to share what he knew.
Of course, approaching the man wouldn't necessarily be straightforward. He was at the peak of Champion rank and could potentially challenge Gardevoir for control during a mental confrontation. Although Gardevoir had the advantage of being a Psychic type, the old man might still be able to put up a fight and resist her attempts to read his mind long enough to take his own life or otherwise destroy his memories. That was why Alex intended to negotiate with him rather than resort to the same forceful approach he had used on the Thieves' Guild Master.
"Are there any people keeping an eye on him?" Alex asked.
"Gardevoir," she replied with a nod.
"Alright, knock them out while I have a chat with the old man."
Alex strolled leisurely down the hill toward the village while Gardevoir teleported ahead, remaining hidden from sight. Using her psychic energy, she located several sharp-eyed villagers keeping watch over the old man's house from their own homes. They had positioned themselves on all sides of the house, allowing them to monitor the old man without drawing attention to themselves. Gardevoir quietly incapacitated them one by one, putting them to sleep before anyone noticed anything amiss.
With the watchers taken care of, Alex made his way to the old man's home, a modest, single-story wooden house with just one bedroom. The old man sat in a wooden chair on the porch, enjoying the sunshine as he watched the children playing and frolicking nearby.
"And who might you be?" the old man asked.
He appeared to be around 80 years old, which meant he was likely well over 150 given his strength. His long white hair was unkempt, and a similarly unkempt beard hung from his chin. His robes were cheap and worn, befitting an old man in the countryside.
"Someone who's interested in knowledge, just like yourself," Alex replied, stopping in front of him.
"I see. Well, have a seat, at least. I can't promise I'll have what you're looking for, but I'm always happy to chat with someone willing to keep an old man company."
"Thank you," Alex said, taking a seat on the wooden bench beside the old man.
"So, what knowledge do you seek?" the old man asked.
"Everything you know about Knights and Mages," Alex replied, turning his attention to the children playing nearby and joining the old man in watching them frolic.
"That will be difficult. At most, I can recommend a noble you could serve in exchange for their knowledge, or perhaps direct you to a magic tower."
"No. What I want is the knowledge in your head."
"That will be impossible. And I cannot explain why."
Alex frowned. The old man didn't seem unwilling to help. It was more like he couldn't, even if he wanted to. Perhaps the kingdom had placed restrictions on what he could reveal and assigned people to watch him in case he betrayed them.
"You don't need to worry about your watchers," Alex said.
"I know. You dealt with them rather swiftly. I appreciate that you didn't frighten the villagers in the process."
If the watchers weren't the reason the old man couldn't talk, Alex could only think of one other possibility. He doubted anyone on this continent used such a technique, since Mages focused mainly on spellcasting, but he decided to give it a try anyway.
"I see. Then, please excuse me," Alex said, reaching over to place a hand on the old man's head.
He discretely released his Dark type energy, flooding the old man's brain before extending it throughout his body. A sound like shattering glass echoed in the old man's mind as the psychic restrictions enforcing his Oath of Silence crumbled away.
The process caused no pain, telling the old man that it could only be done by someone who was at least Rank 9. After all, the Mind Mystic who had placed the restriction was Rank 8. The fact that the man had accomplished this without activating a spell further suggested that he was a Mystic himself. Mystics were rare to begin with, making the presence of a Rank 9 Mystic all the more astonishing. Someone of such capability possessed enough power to challenge entire kingdoms and perhaps even conquer the continent.
"Who are you?" the old man asked warily as Alex withdrew his hand. "What do you want?"
"I'm just someone interested in learning about Knights and Mages."
"And what do you intend to do with that information?"
"I plan to develop a technique that combines both professions. Something generic that anyone can learn."
The old man sighed.
"It's impossible. That's precisely why the professions were divided in the first place. Knights need powerful bodies, Mages need powerful minds, and both require different kinds of talent. Trying to develop both simultaneously is like attempting to control eight arms when our bodies are only built for two."
"Perhaps. However, I have other means of finding a solution. For now, I need as much information as possible to understand what works and what doesn't, cutting down the time required for research."
"Assuming you could attain such power, what do you plan to do with it?" the old man asked, his eyes sharp as mana roiled within him and he silently prepared a spell. "Will you bring ruin to this continent in the misguided belief that you can build a better world? Will you bend every kingdom to your will and force its people to kneel before you? Will you turn the lives of ordinary people into playthings, sacrificing thousands simply to satisfy your own curiosity?"
"Why would I do something so bothersome?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the old man. "I just want my family to have access to that knowledge, nothing more. If anything, I'd prefer the kingdoms to remain as they are. I already have enough responsibilities without taking on the burden of governing more territory. That would just be a hassle."
"Besides, I already have enough power to conquer this continent, or even wipe out all life on it if I wanted to. I could destroy all the kingdoms, nobles, and magic towers in a single day, then spend a few months sweeping across the continent and killing everything that remained. I do neither because dealing with the aftermath would be a pain. There might also be some sort of guardian protecting this continent from external threats, and I'd rather not attract its attention."
"More importantly, I already have a kingdom of my own to the south. As long as these kingdoms remain divided, I can let them fight among themselves without wasting my own resources to prevent any of them from invading my lands."
"The south?" the old man asked, his mind racing through grim possibilities. "You mean... the Frozen Tundra, the land teeming with monsters and magical creatures? Are you the one responsible for their constant rampage?"
"We only took control of the region a decade ago, and our territory doesn't even extend to the mountain range. Farther south lies a lush land where we cultivate magical creatures and cull any that reach Rank 9 or higher."
The old man's eyes widened as he realized just how much he had underestimated his guest. The mysterious man wasn't only a Rank 9 Mystic but also commanded enough military might to claim and maintain control over lands teeming with otherwise untamable magical creatures. Under different circumstances, such a claim would have sounded like an absurd boast. Having witnessed the man's power firsthand, however, the old man could hardly dismiss it as such.
"Are you truly uninterested in ruling over these lands?"
"I am interested, but the effort required hardly justifies the gains. Also, I would prefer to avoid massacring people whenever possible."
The old man lowered his gaze, deep in thought. After a moment, he seemed to reach a decision and looked up to meet Alex's pitch-black eyes. His expression had taken on a new resolve, accompanied by an unmistakable glint of interest.
"Very well. I shall share my knowledge willingly, but I have one request."
"Sure, as long as it's reasonable," Alex replied.
"I would like to see your lands for myself."