The old Gnome jumped up and struck Kael's knee.
"Which item in this old man's collection doesn't have a story behind it?"
Kael thought for a moment, "I doubt you never accept ordinary adventurer's equipment."
"...That's just pocket money! Not my collection! My collection is all—" Bom stopped mid-sentence, noticing Kael's gleaming eyes, and grew suspicious, "What are you up to?"
"Nothing. I just realized you look a lot like my grandfather. I was thinking of visiting you during holidays, like family."
"Visit like family? You're just eyeing my treasures!"
Oh no, exposed!
Kael tried to hide the greed in his eyes.
The Spirits are heaven's favorites, like deities themselves — naturally immune to being targeted. Plus, Gnomes excel at tunneling and stealth, so no one wastes effort pursuing them without reward.
However, while you might not fear thieves stealing, you should fear thieves coveting.
Bom, not wanting to spend every holiday feeling anxious, put on a stern face and shouted, "Get out! Take your things and get as far away as possible!"
His calf took a kick from the Spirit, and blood droplets seeped through the bandages into the ground.
"You..." Bom caught the scent of blood in the air and looked up with a complicated expression, "You'll have to pay for dirtying the floor..."
It was then that he noticed the delicate bones on Kael's arm and the bandages covering his undergarments. This kid has it rough too, in this cursed era.
"Does your grandfather really look like me? Where is he now?" Bom asked, seized by a strange impulse.
"Hanging on the wall."
"You brat!" The worldly Gnome master instantly understood his implied meaning.
Just as he was about to jump up and teach this disrespectful kid a lesson, the figure had already vanished into the silent night.
Looking at the bag of Valis left by Kael, he counted while muttering, "That was the Magician's molt—this kid is something else..."
As he counted, his hand suddenly stopped.
"Damn! There's only 499 Holy Coins here! The old man is still short 10,000 Valis!"
❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈
Under the silent moonlight, Kael donned the "Magician's Shell" he'd gotten from Bom, his body shrouded in darkness as he wandered the nearby streets.
"It should be... around here."
Bom's shop wasn't far from his destination. Like many establishments frequented by magicians and magic users, its location was quite mysterious.
After wandering for a full thirty minutes and descending countless steps, he finally spotted a battered door in a deserted alley.
A rickety sign hung on the door, faintly reading "The Witch's Secret House".
"This is it!" Kael steadied himself, stretched his shoulders, and exposed his fleshless, skeletal arm.
He moved forward toward the bottomless underground room. When he opened the door, a sharp, elderly voice reached his ears.
"Oh my, a new face... you... You? Who are you?"
Behind a shabby counter sat an old woman with a hooked nose, wearing a cloak and pointed hat — she looked identical to witches from storybooks.
"Are you the shopkeeper Lenoa? An old acquaintance asked me a question, and I believe I'll find the answer here."
"Oh? Please speak." Seeming to sense something, Madam Lenoa straightened her back.
"Has Altina's cat ever dreamed of immortality?" Kael lowered his voice, making his age indiscernible, and spoke the password that existed in his memory.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, the eerie witch's eyes widened as she stared intently at him.
When her gaze fell on his skeletal hand, she exclaimed, "You... are you Lord Fels's messenger?"
Kael didn't know the relationship between the witch and Fels, but no explanation was needed now—his body was the best answer.
"I've encountered some problems. Can I find answers here?" Kael repeated his earlier words.
Lenoa lowered her head, "I spoke too much. You've come with that lord's message, that's all. Follow me. The answers you seek are inside."
The old woman turned and walked into the shop. Kael forcibly suppressed his excitement and followed.
The shop's shelves held jars containing snake and scorpion specimens, and strange cauldrons brewing deep red liquid. They passed through a tunnel where chains and sickles hung from the ceiling, arriving at a massive bookshelf.
The old woman extended her weathered hand, gently stroking the spine of a white-covered book. With a click, the bookshelf moved forward and slid sideways, revealing a hidden warehouse behind it.
The warehouse was filled with a dazzling array of magical tools.
Paired twin crystals, holy grails made from unicorn horns, treasure chests filled with jewels, music boxes crafted with elven arts... This was the Magician's emergency warehouse, storing all of Fels's works.
Lenoa spoke with emotion, "That immortal lord can only dedicate their light to those absurd Gods. That lord never cares about these fleeting lives. Our ancestors have guarded this place for generations, and in all these years... you're the only one who has visited here with that lord's trust."
She spoke slowly, facing away from Kael, while occasionally watching as he raised his hand to touch the magical tools on the counter.
This person must be very important to Lord Fels, perhaps the successor who will achieve true immortality!
"Take whatever you like, please help that lord!" The old woman spoke of her reverence and sorrow for the noble one, then left him alone in the warehouse.
When only Kael remained in the room, he could no longer suppress his surging emotions. He covered his mouth and lowered his head, trembling all over.
"Heh... hehe... ha."
The low laughter echoed in the empty chamber.
Magical tools! A whole warehouse of magical tools — and she had said, "Take whatever you want!"
She truly meant he could take anything!
Kael savored his first taste of knowing the plot and understanding the world's secrets. This place was meant to be revealed to Bell through Fels's secret letter during the Heretic incident — a scene that had flashed briefly in the anime but was fully explained in the novel with the password!
Now, he had intercepted this opportunity seven years early!
"I'll definitely win over this centuries-old sister-in-law eventually!"
Passing by the dazzling array of magical tools on the shelves, Kael remained focused on his purpose.
"Grimoires!"
Among the various artifacts, a pile of discarded books in the corner caught his attention. Blowing off the dust that covered the book's surface, he carefully opened its time-worn pages.
"A Simple Magic Guide Even Gnomes Can Learn"
"Ha, this is it!" Kael eagerly began reading.
But after finishing the entire magic book, he didn't feel sleepy at all.
"No... this isn't right. Maybe I'm not opening it properly?"
As he quickly flipped through it again, the book in his hands crumbled to dust and fell to the ground.
Kael froze, "Could... could it be..."