Tyler had been waiting for Nassar to expose his true intentions.
This wait had already lasted for two days.
As soon as Nassar returned to Sunny Town, Tyler had detected his insincerity through mind-reading.
At the time, Nassar was extremely displeased after being tactfully rejected by Emilia. Yet, he maintained a gentlemanly facade with a smile, which immediately caught Tyler’s attention.
<Click paragraph comment to see quote from Chapter 105: Forethought>
Considering Nassar’s good reputation among the people of Sunny Town, Tyler immediately deduced that he was the sly, two-faced type.
Usually, people don’t hide their true nature without a reason. Since Nassar had been so dedicated to his disguise for so many years, he must be plotting something sinister.
Tonight, Tyler didn’t tail Emilia. Instead, he donned a black cloak to cover his face and followed Nassar throughout the night.
If it’s a level 67 Mercenary Sage, Tyler may give up to tail, but he wasn’t afraid of a level 36 Sword Wielder.
Unfortunately, Nassar still hadn’t revealed in his heart what “that thing” was.
This only piqued Tyler’s curiosity even more.
The more reckless Nassar was, the more assistance he could provide Tyler.
To be more extreme, if Nassar wasn’t “reckless” enough, Tyler would even frame him as a villain using the force — as long as he was indeed a person with ill intentions.
.
Following Nassar’s footsteps, Tyler arrived on the outskirts of Sunny Town.
The eastern outskirts were lively due to their proximity to the Sunny Forest, teeming with various creatures. In contrast, the western outskirts, close to the North Wasteland, were colder, desolate, and silent.
Under the moonlight, Tyler faintly saw Nassar meeting with a tall, skinny, elderly man who looked like a pole.
The old man had white hair, held a walking stick, and wore a fine dark green robe. He appeared to be either a noble or a wealthy individual.
In front of the old man, the prideful Nassar bowed his head respectfully, nearly kneeling as he listened to the elderly man’s words.
Tyler wanted to move closer to identify the old man’s information, but an ominous foreboding in his heart made him decide to observe from a distance.
In this exposed outskirts, if the old man was a powerful figure on par with or stronger than Granny Kasi, Tyler would undoubtedly die if exposed.
“Too slow… you… many… years… why… haven’t… obtained…?”
“Ten… sorry… month… definitely… get…”
“Fine… hope… this is… last… time… saying… this…”
Despite the surrounding silence, Tyler could only hear a few intermittent words.
Nassar and the old man exchanged only these two sentences before the old man left.
The old man headed towards the North Wasteland, which puzzled Tyler. Was there a secret residence in the wasteland that the old man was visiting so late at night?
As for Nassar, after watching the old man disappear into the distance, he turned back towards Sunny Town, his heart filled with dissatisfaction.
After some thought, Tyler decided to continue following Nassar. The old man emanated an aura of immense danger, and it was unwise to get too close for now.
.
Nassar returned to Sunny Town and went straight home. Tyler rested for the night and went to the magic bookstore early the next morning, pretending to browse books while waiting for Emilia to arrive.
That day, Tyler saw Emilia lingering in front of the fire magic bookshelf for a long time. He guessed that she must be hesitating about whether to buy “a certain book.”
There could be two reasons for Emilia’s hesitation:
1 She didn’t have enough money;
2 Her own abilities didn’t match the book;
Regardless, this showed that the spirit of a mage in Emilia’s heart had not been extinguished.
Tyler still remembered the “Fireball” spell that Emilia had demonstrated the day before. It was evident that her magic skills were not rusty. 𝒐𝔳𝒍xt.𝐂𝒪𝑀
“Excuse me, are you also interested in fire magic?” The previously drunk shop owner was quite sober today.
(also?)
“Besides me, who else is interested in fire magic?” Tyler asked back.
“Hahaha, you’re quite observant. There’s a girl from the Quest Guild in town who’s quite obsessed with fire magic.”
“Oh…”
Tyler didn’t reveal his thoughts but decided to probe the shop owner for more information about Emilia.
——『Combat profession skill ‘Deceiver – Lv9’ has been activated and remains in effect…』
“What books has she bought from here?”
Perhaps it was due to the bookstore’s lack of customers, or maybe the “Deceiver” skill was very effective, but the shop owner eagerly began to list the books Emilia had bought:
“A lot! Tier-1 Fire Magic: Fireball, Tier-1 Fire Magic: Fire Ring, Tier-1 Fire Magic: Multiple Small Fireballs, Tier-2 Fire Magic: Flame Spear, Tier-2 Fire Magic: Flame Vortex…”
Tyler quietly took notes, now knowing Emilia’s magical capabilities.
——『Combat profession skill ‘Deceiver – Lv9’ has been deactivated』
It should be a closely guarded secret what magic a mage can use. If an enemy knows a mage’s magic in advance, it would put them at a significant disadvantage.
However, the versatility of a mage’s combat abilities is undoubtedly stronger than most other combat occupations. If possible, Tyler would love to partner with Emilia in battle.
As they were talking, the bookstore door opened with a “ding-ling” sound.
Tyler glanced over and saw Emilia’s blonde hair. He quickly walked to a corner and signaled the shop owner to attend to the new customer.
The shop owner was quite cooperative and promptly greeted Emilia. Tyler took the opportunity to secretly observe what Emilia was doing in the bookstore.
He saw her skillfully refuse the shop owner’s recommendations and head straight to the fire magic bookshelf. She picked up a copy of “Tier-3 Fire Magic: Wall of Flames” and seemed deep in thought, as if she couldn’t bear to put it back.
After a while, she picked up another book, “Tier-3 Fire Magic: Pillar of Flames,” and was equally reluctant to let it go.
Tyler quietly pulled the shop owner aside and asked if the young lady had come to look at these two books several times before. The shop owner confirmed that she had.
Tyler then inquired about the price of the “Tier-3 Fire Magic” books, and the shop owner said they were 150 silver coins each.
Such a high price left Tyler speechless for a moment.
According to Tyler’s understanding, an average person in the Wester Kingdom needed about 15 silver coins for a month’s living expenses, or 1500 copper coins – daily expenses amounted to 50 copper coins.
150 silver coins equaled 15,000 copper coins, nearly a year’s worth of living expenses!
No wonder Emilia couldn’t bring herself to buy the books after so many visits.
Considering that Emilia was also supporting the demi-humans in the slums, she likely didn’t have enough money.
After a while, Emilia reluctantly put the books back and left the bookstore.
Only then did Tyler come out from hiding. He took both “Tier-3 Fire Magic: Wall of Flames” and “Tier-3 Fire Magic: Pillar of Flames” and walked to the cashier’s desk.
“Can I help you with anything?” The shop owner asked, his eyes shining.
“I’ll take both of these books.”
——『Combat profession skill ‘Deceiver – Lv9’ has been activated and remains in effect…』