The Price of a Story

The following day, after finishing his meal, Ai Ou, as was his custom, recounted his creatively adapted tales from a previous life to his adorable little maid, Elena.

The other diners in the restaurant had long grown accustomed to Ai Ou’s habit of only telling half a story. They had initially resolved not to listen, believing that if they didn’t, their curiosity wouldn’t be piqued. Yet, the moment Ai Ou began to speak, they invariably found themselves drawn back in.

Each time, they would tell themselves it was the last, but they could never resist perking up their ears to listen.

Sure enough, just like always, Ai Ou stopped mid-sentence when the story reached its most thrilling point. He then rose, escorting Elena away. However, this time, something was slightly different; Karen’s lips curled into an involuntary smile as she watched Ai Ou depart.

She cast a disdainful glance at her companions, a feeling of superiority rising within her. Perhaps this was human nature: people often couldn’t help but feel pleased when they perceived others as lesser than themselves.

Consequently, the others watched as Karen stood up and followed Ai Ou’s retreating figure.

“What’s gotten into Karen?”

“Ah! I think I know what happens next in the story!”

“Why do I feel like Karen is smiling? She’s usually the most eager, but this time, she’s so calm?”

“Something’s wrong, definitely wrong. Hmm, Karen seems to be heading towards Ai Ou’s room.”

Though various conjectures filled their minds, they remained mere guesses, not the truth. Since Karen offered no explanation, these theories would forever remain unconfirmed, unable to transform into facts.

Nevertheless, some astute individuals, without needing proof, already had a strong inkling of what was happening.

A surge of indignation rose within them, a desire to betray the ‘revolution,’ followed by regret that they hadn’t acted sooner, allowing Karen to seize the opportunity first.

This young girl truly was intelligent. She was indeed worthy of being the daughter of Douglas Elliott, the Lord of Stormwind City, Karen Elliott. Her understanding of the situation was remarkable. If her talent proved exceptional during the academy’s assessment, her future would undoubtedly be promising.

Provence watched Karen’s departing figure, a golden glint flashing in his eyes as he fell into deep thought.

Thus, Karen finally enjoyed a complete story in Ai Ou’s room, rather than a frustratingly incomplete one. Listening to half-finished tales during every meal had left her sleepless, tossing and turning as she pondered the unresolved plot. When she finally heard the full version, she suddenly realized that Ai Ou wasn’t quite as annoying as she’d thought.

****

In the evening, Ai Ou opened his door, intending to go to Elena’s room to accompany her to the restaurant, but he froze.

He found someone leaning against the wall, waiting for him.

“Ai Ou, you’re finally out. I’ve been waiting for you for ages.”

“You’re… Reik?”

The person before him was indeed Reik, one of the two members of the mage group who had stayed behind to guard the ship. Within the group, his strength wasn’t the absolute lowest, but it ranked second to last, vying for that position with Aaron. Yes, second to last.

Reik leaned coolly against the wall, striking a pose, his black robe fluttering even without a breeze. In that moment, he felt particularly handsome. Although he presented a detached demeanor to ordinary people, among mages, he was essentially a chuunibyo idiot.

Ai Ou’s previous display had already earned his respect, and Reik had accepted him as one of the mages, so he no longer treated him with cold indifference.

“If you needed something, you could have just knocked, you know. Why wait foolishly?”

“…You’re right! Why was I waiting foolishly? Hahahahaha, it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter. The path of magic is long and arduous, requiring exceptional talent, unwavering conviction, and tenacious willpower to reach its end. My standing here, in fact, is to temper my will, making it easier for me to master magic!”

‘This… he’s truly a hot-blooded idiot.’

After his explanation, Reik pulled a small pouch from his robe and tossed it to Ai Ou. Ai Ou caught it, feeling several small, bead-like objects inside, and a faint magical aura emanating from the cloth.

“You only ever tell half a story, you’re trying to get this, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

“The stories! Every time you tell a story at dinner, you only tell half. Aren’t you looking for some benefits? Here, open it and see.”

Ai Ou opened the pouch Reik had thrown to him, and immediately, a strong magical aura diffused from within. Upon closer inspection, Ai Ou discovered ten thumb-sized, crystal-like beads wrapped in the cloth, all emitting a blue luminescence.

“These are the benefits we’ve each given you. There are ten second-tier water-attribute magic cores in total. Our group has seven people, and everyone except the teacher gave one. The teacher was more generous, directly giving four magic cores. Oh, Ai Ou, you probably don’t know what a magic core is, do you?

A magic core is an energy crystal found within a magical beast, brimming with abundant magic. It’s the source of their magic; without a core, they can’t cast spells. These ten magic cores are from water-attribute beasts, which are very helpful for water-attribute mages. We know you’re a fire-attribute mage, so water-attribute cores might not be of much help, but these are all we have for now. You can trade them for fire-attribute cores with others once you get to the academy.”

Ai Ou felt the immense magical power radiating from the cores in his hand. It was comparable to the magic stone he had previously received from Karen, but since he only had one magic stone before and now possessed ten magic cores, the combined magical aura of the ten cores was far more substantial than that of a single magic stone.

‘I think I threw the magic stone onto Dragon Island and haven’t checked it yet! I almost forgot. I’ll check it when I go to Dragon Island tonight.’

“Alright, these ten magic cores are our sincerity. From now on, after dinner, just head straight to the lounge next door. We’ll all be waiting for you there. Remember to finish the story!”

After saying this, Reik turned to leave. At that moment, Ai Ou called out to him.

“Wait, Reik, I have something else I want to ask you.”

“It’s Reik! Get my name right before you ask your question, you scoundrel!”

“It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter, as long as you know I’m calling you. I wanted to ask, are magic stones attractive in the magic world? And compared to magic cores, which is more important?”

“Magic stones, well, they’re essentially the currency of the magic world. They contain unowned magic that can be easily absorbed, benefiting all types of mages, which is why they’re used as currency. One thousand gold coins can be exchanged for one magic stone. As for magic cores, a first-tier core is worth ten gold coins, and a second-tier core is worth a hundred. You can do the math yourself to understand.”