CH 40.2

Library

After about 20 minutes, I found the book I was looking for. The contract in the book contained the necessary magic circle, and it also answered a lot of questions like, “What is a familiar?” but I don’t need to look at that. It’s just that the magic circle wasn’t in the book I read about familiars before, so as long as I know the magic circle, we are good to go! Generally, there are facilities were you can obtain magic circles, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn it myself, so I decided to look into the contract magic circle on my own. With a provisional contract, I am not completely connected to the familiar, and I can only vaguely understand Coote’s intentions, but with a full contract, he will be connected to my soul and this would allow me to talk to him even when we are far away. Of course, if we are too far apart, we won’t be able to talk… or rather, use telepathy. However, the distance depends on the amount of magic power, so anywhere within the city should be fine. Well, if the place is warded off, we can’t have a telepathic conversation either.

After about an hour of getting the necessary information into my head, I headed for the forbidden bookshelf next. This was located in the basement. To prevent theft, knights from the Knights Order are always stationed there, and it is stored behind a heavy door.

“I’m here to browse the forbidden books. Here is my student identification.”

“The forbidden books are not allowed to be viewed by anyone below the rank of Magician… hmm, you are the Sorceress I’ve heard so much about. There are many traps in the forbidden basement. Don’t try to do the impossible. Also, you cannot use magic classified as offensive in the basement. Keep that in mind.”

Ancient heritage is wonderful, isn’t it? It appears that we are not allowed to use offensive magic inside, but they are okay with analysis, etc. Alicia is not a Magician, so even though she is my personal maid, she cannot enter. So has to wait at the entrance. They are very thorough, aren’t they? Well, it’s possible that the maids, etc. could be spies from somewhere, so there is no way around it. Moreover, the books in the basement, if taken out, would activate a security spell, so basically you can’t take them outside. If you are a Mage, you can take them out with your authority, but if you take them out, and they get stolen, it won’t end just with your apology.

“Point me to it, the book of my desire.”

The crystal yielded several possible books in my search for books on barriers and magic shields. However, the names of some of the books were grayed out. These must be books that I cannot browse.

The reason why I came to look at the grimoires in the forbidden bookshelf is because I wanted to learn a highly effective magic. My physical ability is not enough to defeat monsters, and my defense is less than paper. It is not like in games where you can only get stronger if you have good armor, so defensive magic is a must for magicians.

Ancient magic is the same as today’s magic, but the formulas are rather different. The magic of today is quite simplified. So basically, even if the magic is the same, ancient magic is usually more effective.

Well, even if magicians of the past use the same “Fireball”, they could have improved it individually. They may have improved the fuel efficiency, increased the power, and so on. Therefore, there are many different types of “Fireball”.

Today, I will be learning Barrier, Shield, and Bind. With these, I will be able to handle most situations. And on the way home, I can borrow some books on the magic formulas. There should be a few good books among the books I can borrow.

“It’s not too difficult. I guess there is no magic I’m not good at. I have to thank Teth for that. But I want to stay cooped up in here… if only I could become a Mage, I could get in beyond this point.”

If you read a grimoire, the necessary information will flow into your head. If you simply can’t make use of the knowledge, nothing will happen, and if you go over your capacity, you will get a striking headache, but the grimoire I’m reading today won’t give me one. That’s how high my magic qualities are.

I finished reading the book in about two hours. Now I just need to get used to using it in the real world. I used chant retention so that I could use the magic I learned at any time. Since I didn’t activate it, I won’t get caught by the security here. Currently, I can hold up to 15 spells, so I always have some magic ready. This allows me to use near chantless magic at any time. The only drawback is that if I hold onto it for too long, it can disappear. If I don’t use it within a week, it will dissolve on its own. Moreover, once used, I need to chant again.

“I’m done.”

“Did you take anything out… doesn’t seem that way. Pardon me. It’s just another rule.”

A nearby female Knight patted me down. She said they only have to check the body because people can’t use space storage type magic or items in the basement with the forbidden books around. But I can still use my Treasury.. .let’s not mention it. Of course, I won’t take anything with me, though.

I ignored Alicia, who addressed me, and went home after processing the books I will be borrowing at the reception.

Speaking of which, let’s make a contract with Coote as soon as possible. The magic circle itself can be done with just a wand, so it shouldn’t take long. All I need is the magic circle and each other’s blood. Since we have a temporary contract, we don’t need any catalyst.

“Coote, are you really okay with this?”

“Woof!!”

Okay, a contract it is. A familiar contract is a special magic circle that temporarily summons monsters or divine beasts, but it is also possible to make a contract with a monster you meet like me. In both cases, the monster side may demand something from you, but in Coote’s case, he says that if the food is up to current standards, everything is good. He is cheap, not like a proud Silver Wolf at all. He is already a domesticated dog.

The contract requires a drop of each other’s blood on the magic circle. Nothing more. I and Coote take the blood with a needle and drop it on the magic circle.

First, I pricked my finger with the needle… it hurts. Coote seemed to be fine. I took blood from his ear. When I dripped it on the magic circle, the magic circle started glowing and disappeared in a few seconds.

“Can you hear me?”

“I can hear you, My Lord.”

It was a success. I could hear Coote’s voice clearly, though it was limited to me. He has a surprisingly austere tone. If it were just his voice, I would feel his dignity. However, he’s a cute, big dog wagging his tail with excitement.

“I feel that you lack dignity… have you gotten fatter?”

“N, not at all!! I can change my size at will, so even if I gained weight, it wouldn’t make any difference. Besides, I don’t eat enough to gain weight.”

I know that he can change his size, but not his body shape.

But now I have solid communication with Mr. Coote. I will ask him to cooperate more with my experiments in the future.

“I will be in your care.”

“Likewise, My Lord.”