"Is this a painting of Jeanne d'Arc?"
"Yes, I suspect she is one of the last seekers using this base down here."
After entering the base, we looked around for a bit. Yuki admired the various artworks on display while caressing her luscious black hair, meanwhile, I headed straight for a shelf to search for antique books—and perhaps something more.
Fortunately, I made a good discovery.
[Skill Book detected. Would you like to use it? Yes/No]
Among all the books and documents, there were a significant number of them. Interestingly, the vast majority of these 'skill books' weren't actual books but scrolls. This was the reason I came to this world: the Titans and the spells.
While my sister admired a stone statue with her brown eyes, trying to memorize the shape of the depiction of two knights in battle,—clearly a piece inspired by the Hundred Years' War, given the details on their armor—I mentally clicked on "Yes," and the parchment dissolved into motes of light.
[You've obtained the skill: Boltflare]
Just like that, I acquired my first true spell. And no, I'm not referring to [Mana Arrow] and [Touki]; those are more akin to techniques or applications of their respective energies.
As I approached Yuki, I noticed her frowning in frustration while trying to understand another piece of artwork.
"What do you think, Yuki? Have you found something interesting?"
She didn't even look up as she replied, "No. For a place filled with magical light bulbs, some areas are still dark..."
"Oh, we can't have that, can we?"
I raised my hand and dramatically intoned the name of my spell.
"Boltflare."
At my command, a ball of bright yellow light formed above my hand, its light reflected in my own brown eyes like they were stars. I mentally directed it to the ceiling, illuminating the surroundings. Yuki, momentarily forgetting the painting, looked up in delight at the little orb of light hovering above her. She excitedly hugged my arm and exclaimed, "I want it!"
"Everything my lady desires."
We then made our way toward the bookshelf, as I intentionally ignored yet another notification that appeared on my screen, and the strangeness it brought.
[Charisma Lv.98->99]
[Playboy Lv.32->33]
---
(A few minutes later)
"Onii-chan, I really like your power, truly."
"I hear a 'but' coming."
"But it could be more user-friendly. I mean, the scrolls clearly indicate what spells they contain, but you have to read an entire book just to know what skill is inside."
It's true; my power only tells me about the skill books detected, not the skills I will obtain from them.
"Just continue what you're doing. Ignore the small details."
"Yeah, it's just a small detail. It's not like it will change your life if you move forward without it."
Sorry, Yuki. Now that you've noticed—and consequently, I've noticed—it's only a matter of time until it corrects itself.
---
We finished sorting through all the books. In the end, we found 18 scrolls and 4 other skill books. That was a great number, but it did come with one simple fact: many of those scrolls were duplicates, even triplicates of a single spell. Still, we weren't disheartened, as we had quite the repertoire of spells.
The books remained untouched, as I had decided to read them to deduce the skills they would give, and maybe attempt to acquire them without consuming the books. Instead, we used the scrolls.
We both now have Boltflare, Bubblelift, Kindlestrike, Magicnet, Overshield, and Raypulse. I also have Everfight and Hyperstride, while she has Nimblefire and Overslam. The two remaining scrolls are copies of Boltflare and Raypulse.
"Well, we've had our adventure. Now it's time to head back outside."
"What? Why? I just got magic! I want to try it!"
"I know you want to, but look at the MP cost of those skills compared to your pool."
She did as I suggested, opening her skill list and reading the information about each one. Her pout deepened with each skill she read about.
Then she looked at me, fluffing her eyelashes, trying to make the cute eyes she knew I was weak to.
"Can't you do something about the mana? Maybe buy a batch of mana potions or something? Pleeeease?"
I nearly opened the [Shop] to check my Shard balance but caught myself. I looked seriously at Yuki before answering.
"No. If we start using potions just for this, the expenses would be enormous. You need to train them slowly."
Her response was a deeper pout, but after holding it for a few seconds, she deflated.
"I know, I know. It's just... magic, you know? Don't worry; I won't ask for those potions in the future. I understand it would cost much more than I imagine..."
We then returned through a secret passage that brought us to the surface. Since she was feeling a bit down about being in the middle of nowhere, I gave her permission to use magic. After casting two Boltflares and one Raypulse at a tree, her mood improved significantly.
We moved to the spot where the boat was anchored and returned to civilization.
---
After a day spent resting in a hotel, we set out to explore once more. This time, we were on a tourist adventure.
"Whoa, so this is the legendary Eiffel Tower…"
We were in Paris, a city every girl, like Yuki, dreams of visiting. As we walked around the City of Love, she admired the couples around us, the smell of baguettes, and the rich French cheese in the air. While I couldn't fully embrace the idea of "true love," I didn't want to spoil Yuki's mood by voicing my skepticism. Luckily, I had a passion for exploring new places, and this was my first time here in both of my lives.
The day was relaxing. Our first stop was the Arc de Triomphe, where we took photos and enjoyed a typical French breakfast of croissants. We then hopped on a bus that took us closer to the Eiffel Tower, where we bought souvenirs. After that, Yuki embarked on a shopping spree.
I silently thanked all the past zombies who supported me and helped me climb the walls of my challenges because, seriously, in just an hour, she spent €3,000—almost ¥500,000—and the day wasn't even over.
Next, we headed to a restaurant I had booked: Madame Brasserie, located in the Eiffel Tower itself. As expected from the restaurant's renowned chef, the dishes were exquisite, enough to make me momentarily forget that this restaurant is set in a world where the year is 2009, even though it technically opened later.
After a rich lunch, we moved to the lounge to discuss a topic I had promised her.
"...You should have followed the Seer Pathway, like a true LOTM fan."
"But I'm the author, not a fan. It doesn't count."
I explained to her that I was now a Beyonder. While her initial reaction was a totally not-so-subtle squeal, she soon begged me to let her become one too. I firmly, yet gently, declined her request. I knew she was excited about being like a character from one of her favorite shows, but I wanted her to avoid anything that could interfere with her sanity. LOTM knows how much effort I put into leveling up my [Mental Fortitude] and [Madness Resistance] to a point where they wouldn't disrupt my everyday life.
After our discussion, she finally asked about my path—something she didn't particularly like.
"…I think it should… Anyway, so you're now a Marauder?"
"No, right now I'm a Sequence 7 Cryptologist."
"But you told me you were a Marauder four months ago. How did you manage to change?"
"Yuki, dear… It's difficult to complete the acting process of the Marauder and Swindler roles unless you have different worlds to access and a company you want to develop."
"…You scammed your workers?"
"You want to hear something funny? Yes, I did… I scammed them by offering normal Japanese company salaries along with other duties."
At that, she looked aghast.
"Does that mean the Japanese workforce has been scammed… since forever?"
"Yes."
The progress should also relate to my contrasting views on Japanese and American workloads. Before, all my employees signed contracts similar to those typical in American companies, I switched out my methods later.
"And your Sequence is also why we got to this world?"
"Exactly. It's the best choice I could make."
Ancient ruins, sealed monsters, and secrets waiting to be uncovered—a paradise for a Cryptologist.