The old goblin suddenly jumped up and smacked Charles sharply on the knee.
"Which of an old man's collections doesn't have a history?"
Charles thought for a moment and said, "I don't believe you usually collect ordinary adventurer gear."
"That's just pocket money! Not my real collection!" Shopkeeper Bohm protested halfway—but when he caught the gleam in Charles's eyes, he stopped and eyed him suspiciously.
"What are you up to?"
"Nothing. I just suddenly thought you look a lot like my grandpa, so I thought I'd visit you more often during New Year and holidays."
"Planning to visit your kin, huh? You mean my treasure!"
Oops. Exposed.
Charles quickly suppressed the greed sparkling in his eyes.
Fairies were favored by heaven and earth—almost like gods themselves—so they didn't worry about spies or thieves. Gnomes especially excelled at sneaking underground and vanishing. No one bothered targeting them.
But it wasn't thieves stealing he feared—it was thieves thinking about stealing.
Bohm frowned and shouted, "Get lost! Take your things and get as far away as you can!"
Bohm kicked Charles's calf, and drops of blood seeped through the bandages and stained the ground.
"You..."
Bohm sniffed the blood in the air, looked up with a complex expression.
"If you dirty the floor, you have to pay for it..."
Only then did he notice Charles's slender bones beneath the bandages.
"This kid's not having it easy either, damn this era."
"Does your grandpa really look like me? Where is he now?" Bohm asked mysteriously.
"It's hanging on the wall."
"You brat!"
The well-informed goblin immediately understood Charles's meaning. He was about to jump up and teach this rude kid a lesson—but Charles had already vanished into the silent night.
Bohm looked down at the bag of valis Charles had left behind, murmuring as he counted the coins:
"That's the remains of a sage. This kid is no ordinary guy..."
Then his hand froze.
"Damn! Only 499 holy gold coins here! He's short 10,000 valis!"
Under the silent moonlight,
Charles donned the "Sage's Shell" he'd gotten from Bohm, shrouded himself in darkness, and wandered through the nearby streets.
"It should be... nearby."
The goblin shop's location was very close to Charles's next destination. Perhaps inheriting the interests of magicians and wizards, the shop was mysteriously hidden.
After wandering for thirty minutes and descending countless stairs, Charles finally came upon a scarred door deep in an abandoned alley.
A shaky sign hung from the door, bearing the faint words: "Witch's Hideaway."
"This is it!"
Charles calmed himself, stretched his shoulders, and bared the arm stripped of flesh and blood, all bone now.
He pressed forward into the bottomless underground chamber.
As Charles opened the door, a sharp, ancient voice rang out:
"Oh, a new face... You... Who are you?"
Behind a crude counter sat an old woman with a hooked nose, draped in a cloak and wearing a pointed hat—the very image of a storybook witch.
"Are you the owner of the Renault store? An old friend sent me with a question I hope you can answer."
"Oh? Go on." The witch, sensing something, straightened her back.
"Has Altina's cat ever dreamed of immortality?"
Charles lowered his voice, disguising his age as best as he could, and spoke the 'code' stored deep in his memory.
Sure enough, the witch's weirdly intense eyes widened, and she stared at Charles nervously.
When her gaze landed on the bony hand Charles was studying, she whispered,
"Are you the envoy of Lord Fels?"
Charles didn't know the relationship between this owner and Fels, but his body spoke for itself.
"I have questions. Can I find answers here?" Charles repeated his request.
Granny Renault lowered her head and said softly,
"I'm sorry to speak plainly, but the truth is—you came bearing a message from that gentleman."
"Follow me. All the answers you seek are inside."
The old woman rose and walked deeper into the shop. Charles suppressed his excitement and followed.
The shelves were lined with jars of preserved snakes and scorpions, strange cauldrons simmering crimson liquid.
Passing through a tunnel hung with chains and sickles, they reached a huge bookshelf.
The old woman stretched out a weathered hand and gently stroked a white-covered book. With a click, the bookshelf slid forward, revealing a hidden storage room.
Inside was a vast collection of magical tools.
Twin crystals, a holy grail carved from a unicorn's horn, a treasure chest brimming with gems, a music box humming with fairy magic...
This was the "Sage's" emergency vault, filled with Lord Fels's artifacts.
Granny Renault sighed deeply:
"That immortal master dedicates his light only to those ridiculous gods, never caring for fleeting mortals. Our ancestors have guarded this place for generations. And over all these years, the only person trusted to enter... is you."
Her voice slow and heavy, she watched Charles as he gingerly touched the magic items.
"You must be very important to Lord Fels—perhaps his true successor in the quest for immortality!"
"Take whatever you want, but please help that lord!"
With a mixture of respect and sorrow, the old woman left Charles alone in the vault.
Alone, Charles could no longer contain his excitement.
He covered his mouth, bowed his head, and trembled all over.
"Heh... heh... hah!"
His deep laughter echoed in the empty chamber.
Magic tools! A whole vault of magic tools—free to take!
For the first time, Charles truly felt the power of knowing the plot and the world's hidden secrets!
This was the place Lord Fels revealed to Bell in a secret letter during the Heretic Child incident. The scene that had flashed by in the animation was now revealed in code in the novel!
And Charles had seized this opportunity seven years ahead of time!
"Sooner or later, I'll get this centuries-old sister-in-law!"
Glancing over the dazzling array of magic artifacts, Charles didn't forget his purpose.
"Grimoire!"
Among the clutter, a pile of dusty books caught his eye.
He blew off the dust and carefully opened a time-worn volume.
A Simple Guide to Using Magic That Even Goblins Can Learn
"That's it!" Charles eagerly began reading.
But after finishing, he didn't feel sleepy at all.
"No... wait, is this the wrong way to open it?"
He flipped through the book quickly—only to watch it turn to dust in his hands.
Charles froze.
"Could it be... could it be...?"
-End Chapter-
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