Chapter 41: Participating in History
The sunlight fell upon their faces. Somme walked over. "What's all the commotion about?" He had been watching from the side, but when he saw Eirik join the conversation, he decided to come over as well.
"We were just talking about writing Mr. Rhodes's spells into a book," Norne explained. He had already agreed to Serie's request; in fact, he felt it was his duty. Mr. Rhodes's actions deserved to be remembered by future generations of humanity. He would surely be revered as the first Great Sage of the human race.
Somme's eyes lit up. "That's a major undertaking! A grimoire needs to be made of materials that can stand the test of time. I bet the treasury in the dwarven ruins has something like that."
"You dwarves collect that kind of stuff?" Rhodes asked in disbelief. The dwarven treasury seemed to have a bit of everything.
Fortunately, Serie knew her history. "It's not surprising. It was said that the treasury of the Dwarven Kingdom contained all the treasures of the world."
"That sounds a bit... odd." The idea of a treasury containing all the world's treasures felt strangely familiar to him.
Norne's expression was thoughtful. "If that's the case, does it contain the grimoires of other races?"
Somme thought for a moment and nodded. "It should. That's what the old man always told me, anyway."
Norne didn't press the matter further. His question had been answered. The only thing left was to verify the truth in the dwarven ruins.
Rhodes gazed into the distance, his thoughts once again drifting. He was acutely aware that he was participating in the creation of history. Perhaps a thousand years from now, when future generations read through the great magical texts, they would sing the praises of the ancient sages of humanity who, in the chaotic Age of Myth, had lit the first spark of human magic.
"What are you thinking about?" Serie's voice brought him back to reality.
"I was just thinking about what to name the grimoire."
"The Magic of Rhodes?" Clearly, our elven miss had no talent for naming things. Rhodes had no intention of using that name. He wanted his name in the author's section, not on the cover.
"Try again."
"Then how about The Grimoire of God-Slaying?"
"A bit too over-the-top. I'm afraid a name like that might get me struck by lightning."
The gods were very real in this era. To name your book The Grimoire of God-Slaying was a bold move, to say the least.
"Fine, then! Think of a name yourself!" The elven miss turned her head away. She had come up with two perfectly good names, and this ungrateful man had rejected them both. This made our elven miss a little unhappy.
Although Serie had withdrawn from the discussion, the others had taken her place. A heated debate over the book's title began. It seemed that this was no longer a project for Norne alone, but a group effort.
In the end, Rhodes and Norne, against all other suggestions, managed to settle on a name.
Codex of Origin.
It would be the first official grimoire of the human race, and it would influence all of humanity for generations to come.
As they finalized the title, the warm, golden sunlight fell upon them. Rhodes could almost see it in his mind's eye: the golden light of history itself.
"Origin... yes, that fits perfectly," Norne said, repeating the name in a low voice, his fingers unconsciously stroking the blank animal-hide parchment he always carried with him. It was what he used for his notes, crude but the best writing material the tribe could provide. But such material would not last for generations.
"If you want this book to endure," Serie said casually, "it would be best to use paper made from the hide of a red dragon, with its blood as ink. That way, it will not fade or decay for a thousand years."
"Dragon's blood!" Eirik's eyes widened. "Are dragons very strong?"
Serie sniffed. "The second strongest race in this world. What do you think?" She paused, then added, "But the dragons of today have no fixed settlements. They are mostly solitary creatures."
The strongest race in this world was, without a doubt, the gods. The mere fact that their existence was rejected by the world itself was proof of their terrifying power. Second were the dragons. The Sky-Winged, with their innate ability to fly, were third. And then came the magic-wielding elves and the cunning, insidious demons.
"So that means every dragon is on its own?" Rhodes mused.
"Yes. Shall we go kill one?" Serie asked, a new eagerness in her voice. She had never killed a dragon before. The very thought of it sent a thrill through her.
"We can."
Seeing the look on her face, Rhodes had no intention of pouring cold water on her enthusiasm. Besides, in the future, dragons were nothing but trouble for humanity. If they ran into one, they might as well kill it.
Hearing his agreement, a smile spread across Serie's face. She could hardly wait to challenge a dragon. With the magic Rhodes had created, she was confident she could even defeat one.
The night passed. The next morning, the party packed their things and prepared to leave. Norne carefully put away his initial draft of the grimoire, while Eirik used the spare time to practice the water-generation spell Rhodes had taught him. He lost control, however, and ended up splashing water all over his own head, leaving him looking like a drowned rat. Fortunately, the others were too busy to notice, saving him some embarrassment.
"I think we should write this on the first page," Rhodes said to Norne just before they left. "Magic is not just about imitation. One who only learns by rote from a book can never become a truly powerful mage."
"I understand. Shall we add 'failure is the mother of success'?"
"Perfect," Rhodes said with a satisfied smile. Norne and Eirik had failed many times when they were first learning. They understood the sentiment well. Innovation and perseverance were essential to becoming a great mage. Rhodes was already imagining a future with a vast and varied array of spells.
Serie stood a short distance away, watching them talk. Somme walked over and followed her gaze. "What's wrong? Worried they won't write it well?"
"No. Rhodes will make sure it is written well," she said softly. "I was just thinking that this book... it might change many things." Once the humans had this grimoire, she couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of waves they would make in this world.
"It might even change the world itself," Somme replied.
At that moment, no one could have imagined that this book would become the most important magical text for future generations.
Many years from now, when the Codex of Origin was widely circulated in the first human kingdom; when the first human magic academy was founded based on its principles; people would whisper a name in reverence.
The First Great Sage—Rhodes.
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