"A stone tablet? Ancient artifacts are a little tricky to deal with… but well, it should be fine."
After all, if even a child of the prestigious Sungmu family wanted to borrow the power of her deciphering eye, this tablet couldn't be just any ordinary object.
Taking out something like that in her workshop was a bit risky — but no matter how unusual it was, there was no way it could affect the workshop's meticulously designed magical structure.
Some minor errors in the spells might occur, but that was easy enough to fix.
Valerie cautiously activated her Mystic Eye and examined the stone tablet.
"Hrk—!"
A sharp intake of breath escaped her lips before she could stop herself. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
"This is…"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"…an ancient artifact. At the very least, something from the 3rd or 4th century?"
"You saw through it immediately."
I let out a dry chuckle.
Could her eye even measure the age of objects like that?
Meanwhile, Valerie felt a chill run down her spine.
Crazy… Something this old? I almost walked straight into disaster!
She had expected it to be impressive — but this was on a completely different level.
An artifact over a thousand years old.
Artifacts that had withstood the passage of time carried power of their own.
If it contained even a trace of magic that didn't mesh with her workshop's structure, she would've had to rebuild all of her spells from scratch.
The workshop's spells were like lines of code in a computer program.
Fixing a bug here and there was no big deal — but scrapping the entire system and starting from the beginning? That was an absolute nightmare.
If it held some kind of unique power…
Just the thought made her shudder.
Not a hundred-year-old relic — a thousand-year-old one.
Her workshop was already layered with spatial magic. If this tablet's power clashed with her spells and disrupted the framework, it would've been a catastrophic mess.
And more than anything — after bragging so confidently about her skills, how humiliating would it have been to have everything fall apart right in front of this cheeky kid?
Valerie stole a glance at Lee Chul's face.
— So you talked all big, but I guess your workshop's spells weren't that impressive after all. Looks like your Mystic Eye is all you've got — your magic's nothing special, huh?
She could almost hear him saying it in her head.
Her hands trembled as she clenched her fists.
This little brat… With an artifact this dangerous, he should've at least given me a heads-up!
Just then, Lee Chul looked up.
Their eyes met.
"Is something wrong?"
"Huh? N-No, what do you mean?"
"You seem a little flustered. And you're sweating…"
"N-Not at all! I, uh, it just feels a little warm in here. Haha!"
Of course, the entire workshop was under temperature control magic — cool and comfortable, not the slightest bit warm — but that was the only excuse she could come up with.
Why is she… Oh, it's because of this.
I noticed the slight tremble in her gaze and let out a faint laugh.
Did she think I hadn't accounted for that?
I knew full well there weren't any special magical protections on this artifact. That's precisely why I'd casually taken it out here.
"Ahem. So, a stone tablet, huh. Let me take a look."
Valerie smoothly pulled on a pair of latex gloves used for experiments and carefully lifted the tablet.
Who would think this thing was over a thousand years old…
She swallowed hard.
It was in such good condition — the carvings hardly weathered at all — that she had assumed it was maybe 400 or 500 years old at most.
The edges were a little corroded and worn down, but even then — it was hard to believe this thing was nearly two thousand years old.
Valerie shook her head, calming her nerves, and refocused on deciphering the tablet.
Before long, her brow furrowed.
I can't read it?
She could pick out a few simple elements — the movement of the sun and moon, the positions of stars — but that was it.
Nothing more.
No detailed meaning, no structure to the symbols or patterns — nothing.
Her Mystic Eye could normally read even the oldest languages, decrypting simple codes at a glance.
And yet, aside from the most basic content, this tablet revealed nothing to her.
Well… archaeology and linguistics aren't exactly my specialties…
Aside from magic, her academic background was in physics — more specifically, particle physics and chemical physics.
Still, even for a non-specialist, the fact that she could decipher so little with her Mystic Eye was shocking.
For the first time in a long while, genuine curiosity sparked within her.
"It looks like it contains some Eastern astronomical records, dates, and simple inscriptions… But what is this thing, exactly?"
"It's a map. And at the same time… a key."
"A map? And a key? Wait — you know what this is?"
Valerie tilted her head, puzzled.
I hesitated for a moment — but the answer was obvious.
If we were going to decipher it, I'd need her help. And if she was going to be working on it anyway, she would find out sooner or later.
"That is…"
I made up my mind — and spoke plainly.
When Valerie heard my answer, her eyes widened in shock, nearly splitting apart.
***
I ended up staying in Valerie's workshop for a while after that.
It was going to take some time to fully decipher the tablet.
I didn't want to bother anyone, so I was planning to find a place to stay outside. But Valérie waved it off and offered me a room without a second thought.
Since I was already staying at her workshop, I decided to ask her for a second favor.
When she heard my request, Valérie agreed without even a moment of hesitation.
"Alright, let's head straight to the training room."
"…You have a training room in your workshop?"
"Hmph. Combat magic isn't exactly my specialty, but I'm still a mage. It only makes sense to have a space for training, don't you think? I mean, doesn't everyone have a training room in their workshop?"
She said it like it was nothing, but I knew better.
I knew Valérie as the woman who would one day wipe out entire legions of demons and subdue an Archdemon in a battle of wits — without even drawing her weapon.
Watching her proudly puff out her chest, I couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle.
'So this is her way of bragging, huh.'
A mage's workshop costs a fortune.
And I'm not talking about a little pocket change — it's an absurd, astronomical amount of money.
Every piece of equipment costs a small fortune, and when you add in research materials and consumables for magic experiments, the total price is staggering.
Which meant that any mage who owned a workshop wasn't just talented — they had serious financial power too.
Sure, some mediocre mage might set up a workshop if they came from a rich family, but without real skills, they'd have nothing to fill it with.
On the other hand, Valérie not only had an intricate workshop — she'd even installed a fully equipped training room inside.
That alone spoke volumes about her wealth and ability.
'In a way, she's as much trouble as my aunt — just in a different flavor.'
Whereas my aunt carried a faint air of self-doubt thanks to her family situation, Valérie practically radiated self-love.
"Come on in. This is the training room."
She opened a door, and I couldn't help but let out a small sound of admiration at what lay beyond.
The space was huge — easily the size of a school gymnasium.
Despite being indoors, the air was fresh and comfortable, likely thanks to multiple spells layered throughout the room. And everything was impeccably clean.
"You must be pretty loaded."
A café inside her workshop and a private training room?
Setting up magic formulas isn't easy — or cheap — which is why most mages keep things as simple as possible.
"You didn't know? I'm from an old noble family."
Sure, modern advancements in magic had empowered wealthy civilians and brought down many noble houses, but the old elite rarely disappeared completely.
Even now, I'd heard that in parts of Europe — France included — noble titles still lingered, even if mostly in name.
Besides, the Bell family had always been known for their wealth.
"Of course, I didn't go begging to my family for money. If I come up with a decent magic formula and sell it to a corporation, it makes a tidy sum. I've got a few businesses under my name, too."
"I see."
"Hmph. I recently made some extra cash from a project involving mana engines. With that money—"
And off she went, proudly listing off her various accomplishments.
Hearing her talk about business reminded me of Jeong Jinsoo.
He had more than enough seed money, along with several paper companies for laundering funds and foreign currency exchange. Starting a business wouldn't be hard for him.
'I have a feeling he'll go into finance.'
Before working under Baek Cheolsu, he'd been the right-hand man and secretary to the CEO of a large private equity fund. It wouldn't surprise me if he went down that road.
If things worked out, I might even consider feeding him the names of companies and talents that were destined for high valuations in the future.
"You listening?"
"Ah, yes. Of course. Very impressive."
Not that I was actually listening.
Valérie glanced sideways at me and asked.
"But seriously — for your second favor, you're fine with this?"
"I told you, I'm not looking to ask for anything unreasonable. I'd prefer if it was something mutually beneficial for both of us."
"No takebacks then? I heard there's a saying in Korea. 'Nee-mee-il-eon-jung-cheon-geum.'"
"…Sorry?"
I froze for a second.
Dear god.
A half-broken attempt at Korean, mixed with that distinctive slurred French accent — the result was more shocking than I'd expected.
"I mean, nee—"
"That's not how it goes. It's 'Nam-a-il-eon-jung-cheon-geum' (남아일언중천금). But regardless, I'll do my part to help you however I can."
At my words, Valérie grinned.
"Don't call me 'ssi' (씨). I don't like it. The pronunciation sounds too harsh. Isn't that a curse word too?"
"It's just a title. Kind of like 'Miss,' though slightly different."
"Still. It feels distant, doesn't it? Let's just be friends. Drop the titles. I'll just call you by your name too. I'm not Korean, so I don't need to bother with honorifics anyway."
I'd expected eccentric behavior from her, but befriending one of the future Archmages of the world?
Not bad at all.
Smiling easily, I replied.
"I'll try to loosen up my speech gradually, Valérie."
"Mm, good. Then let's get started right away. I'll fulfill your request first."
The moment she finished speaking —
Purple energy began to swirl from both of Valérie's eyes.
It was the mark of a mage who had awakened their Mystic Eyes.
"I never thought I'd find myself in a situation where I'd have to teach someone else about Mystic Eyes."
That was the second favor I'd asked of Valeri.
I had asked her to teach me about Mystic Eyes.
It was a fair request, something I'd rightfully earned — though, to be honest, it felt like I was bending the rules a little. So to make up for it, I agreed to cooperate with her research on Mystic Eyes.
The moment she heard my request, she didn't just agree to teach me. She promised to pass on all her knowledge, including her techniques for controlling them. And that's how we ended up here, in the training hall.
"Hold on a sec."
Valeri bit down on a cigarette — though it wasn't your typical store-bought kind. It looked like something she'd rolled herself.
The smell wasn't that of an ordinary cigarette either.
I caught a whiff and gave a small nod.
Beruberan leaves, huh.
The scent was similar to mugwort but lighter, more refined.
Beruberan was a type of magical herb that only grew in parts of Europe — known for enhancing the flow of mana. Usually, it was brewed into tea, but inhaling the smoke was said to be even more effective.
"Here, take a puff. It's just herbs — even a warrior like you won't be affected."
"I'll pass."
"It's for efficiency, you know. I heard that in the East, when they write 'Mystic Eyes,' they use the same character as 'magic power.' And it's true — Mystic Eyes consume mana differently from other abilities. The better your mana control, the easier it is to handle them."
"Even without that, I'm confident in my mana control. No need to worry."
Even my monstrous eldest brother had been impressed — genuinely impressed — by my ability to control mana.
"Well… if you're that sure. I guess I didn't really need it either."
Valeri made a sour face and flicked her half-burnt cigarette away.
"Alright, let's get started. First, open your Mystic Eyes."
I closed my eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them.
Shhhk.
I felt the Mystic Eyes drawing in mana.
A reddish glow gathered near my pupils, and my vision began to distort — everything I saw started to shift and change.
Lines. I began to read the countless lines filling the workshop.
"Tch."
And the moment I saw the overwhelming flow of mana and the sheer number of spells embedded in the space — pain shot through my eyes.
My eyelids grew heavy.
Lines and points were tangled together in such a complicated mess that I couldn't see a clear image at all.
As I frowned and let out a low groan, Valeri's expression subtly changed.
"What's wrong?"
I didn't answer immediately. Instead, I calmly controlled my mana.
I had trained extensively in controlling my Mystic Eyes back at Tianweishan.
I distinguished between what I wanted to see and what I didn't — then quietly responded.
"No, it's fine now. There were just too many spells in the workshop."
"What? Your eyes hurt just from seeing a few spells… Wait. Hold on. Are you saying… you can see all of them? Every magic circle, every trace of mana, every spell in this place?"
Why is she so surprised all of a sudden?
I had already given her a rough explanation of my eyes.
My eyes still felt a little dry, but I forced myself to maintain my Mystic Eyes and looked straight at Valeri.
"Yes. Like I said, my eyes can read the flow of power — or perceive things that are normally hidden. But controlling them is difficult. I've gotten better, but…"
"W-Wait. Hold on. You can deactivate them now."
I closed my eyes tightly, then opened them again.
It was a routine I'd developed for opening and closing my Mystic Eyes. It wasn't strictly necessary — but doing it felt certain, like flipping a switch.
"Tell me in more detail. Are you saying you can see through objects or perceive mana directly?"
"Not exactly see through things — but I can make an educated guess. I can predict an opponent's movements, sense hidden presences… And it's not just mana I'm seeing. It's the flow of power itself."
"…"
Valeri let out a quiet breath and slowly approached.
She looked into my eyes with a complicated expression.
"Do you realize how absurd what you're saying sounds?"
Her expression was strange.
I furrowed my brows.
"In what way?"
"If that's true… then your eyes aren't ordinary Mystic Eyes."
Valeri's expression stiffened.
"No Mystic Eyes in this world can see that many different things."
Her voice echoed quietly through the empty training hall.
I looked up at her, my eyes widening slightly.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]