Chương 39: Skimming through Magical Primers

After a night of rest, Lira started the next day early by skipping breakfast and tapping into her candy stash for sustenance. She would need to buy more soon, as she had been craving it constantly since she began absorbing books at such a pace. It was as if her body demanded fuel to keep up with the strain her mind was under.

"Paldina fila coopar tarasana kurur."

"Paldina. Ladar. Pristana. Turat. Oshkan." After casting both her warm pocket spell and her danger sense spell, she settled into her chair inside the alcove and stretched, letting the familiar comfort of the space ground her thoughts. Her current objective was to create a book restoration spell that would allow her to fix the sword saint book, so she could bribe Sir Deren into helping her with Steward Dalwin. Her gaze drifted toward the stack of magical primers she had gathered yesterday.

Three, she had already learned. Four were too damaged to be of any use for now. That left only five she could meaningfully work with. She hesitated. Time was a factor for her current mission, and her objective was clear. Every delay only served to push it further.

But there was also the possibility that one of these primers contained something important, a missing piece that could make her current task easier or, if she was incredibly lucky, the spell she intended to create already existed within those primers, waiting to be learned rather than built from scratch. She exhaled slowly. Fine. She would learn them, but she would not test them or expand on them unless they were directly related to her current goal. Book repair came first.

The first primer turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment. It was the one hidden behind the false cover. The real binding revealed a simple design, four elemental symbols carved into its surface. Inside, it contained four spells, three of which she already knew. Fire Manipulation. Pika. Fila. Frushum. Mind. Fire. Manipulation. Water Manipulation. Pika. Maha. Frushum. Mind. Water. Manipulation. Wind Manipulation. Pika. Riad. Frushum. Mind. Wind. Manipulation.

The final spell was the only one that added something new. Earth Manipulation. Pika. Terran. Frushum. Mind. Earth. Manipulation. Lira considered it for a moment. She had already encountered the word for earth in her father's lexicon, but she had learned that knowing the word did not mean she could create a the spell using it easily, especially when it come to elemental magic rather than anything tied to the mind or knowledge.

In that way, the primer was useful, offering her an easy starting point in the earth magic discipline, something she could leverage into greater understanding if she wanted to develop that discipline. Plus, moving dirt, shifting debris, and clearing space were practical applications she could already see being useful, especially when she eventually turned her attention back to cleaning the upper floors. It was not a complete waste of time. The second book proved far more interesting.

It was written by Lorant, the same Archmage as the divination primer, which made it structurally easy to absorb. The content, however, focused entirely on fire. Fire Manipulation, repeated again. Pika. Fila. Frushum. Mind. Fire. Manipulation. General Fire Ignition, an improvement on the candle ignition spell, making it more versatile. Pika. Fila. Curad. Mind. Fire. Ignition. Sustained Flame.

The description claimed that it would allow her to create a spark of flame and keep it alive as long as she focused on the spell. Eldra. Fila. Curad. Unknown. Fire. Ignition. Finally, Fireball. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Eldra. Fila. Curad. Tarasana. Velkor. Unknown. Fire. Ignition. Pocket. Launch. Lira paused after integrating the final spell. If she had been someone else, someone drawn to combat, she might have been giddy with excitement.

Even now, she recognized the value of such a spell for self-defense. It was not something she would use lightly, especially not in a place as flammable as the library. She really needed somewhere safe to test it. Still, having the option was good. More importantly, the primer expanded her vocabulary. She was able to find Velkor in her father's lexicon; it meant launch, and it was listed near Kaldris, which she already knew meant retrieval.

The pairing made sense, as both words seemed to represent directional actions, one pulling inward, the other projecting outward. Opposites. Eldra, however, remained unknown. It clearly interacted with fire in some way, appearing in both sustained flame and fireball, but without a direct translation, its meaning remained uncertain. It could represent intensity, persistence, or even scale. She made a note to revisit it later when she had the opportunity to test the spells.

For now, it was not essential to her current task. As she reached for the third book, she froze. A sharp sensation cut through her awareness, filling her with dread. Her hand recoiled instinctively, the book slipping from her grasp and landing softly against the floor. Lira stared at it for a moment, her thoughts catching up with her reaction. Then she understood. It was her danger sense spell activating. She had not felt anything like this before. Carefully, she reached for the book again, slower this time.

The sensation returned, not as sharp, but still present. She examined the book more closely, her mind working through the possibilities. It was not physically trapped. She had handled it before without issue. The spell reaction only appeared when she considered reading it, when she allowed her thoughts to move in that direction. Understanding settled in. The danger was not external to the book but in its content. She opened the cover just enough to glimpse the structure within.

She focused her intent on examining the book, rather than learning the spell within it. The danger spell did not trigger. She sighed in relief and continued her action. The title explained everything: A Compendium on Flight Magic for the Journeyman Wind Mage. A flight spell. Of course, the danger sense reacted to it. The spell must be at least tier two. Her grip tightened slightly before she closed the book again. She only knew a single wind cantrip.

Attempting to learn something like this now would not just fail... it would scramble her brain. Yet her heart beat faster despite herself. Flight. The idea was tempting in a way few things were. The freedom of movement and a perspective beyond anything she had ever known. She could almost imagine it. Then she set the book aside. Maybe one day, but not today. The next primer was beautiful. Out of every book she had read, it held some of the finest calligraphy she had ever seen, second only to her grand uncle's work.

Each letter was precise, deliberate, and shaped with a level of care that went beyond simple writing into artistry. To her surprise, the text itself focused on the symbolic nature of writing. It explored the etymology of the word fire, tracing its origin back to Fila, the magical word itself. The way the author described it made it clear that the written form was not arbitrary, and that each stroke carried symbolic meaning and shaped the intent behind the word.

Lira leaned forward slightly as she read, her attention completely consumed. The first section ended with a spell. Runic Ignition. Kisar. Fila. Curad. Symbol. Fire. Ignition. Lira felt a surge of excitement run through her. She was almost vibrating on top of her chair. This was something entirely new, a discipline that turned writing into magic. She had not even considered that something like this was possible.

What made it even more striking was that the incantation itself used magical words she already knew and had used before. This was not beyond her reach. It was something she could have discovered on her own if only she had been more knowledgeable. The realization made her grip on the primer tighten. She needed to try it. She picked up a piece of paper and cast:"Asatan. Tir. Kisar." The meaningless scribbles shifted as the ink moved, reforming into a single word written clearly at the center. Fire.

Then she followed with the newest spell.

"Kisar. Fila. Curad." The written word ignited. Flame spread across the ink, consuming it as if the text itself had become fire. After a moment of steadiness where the flame remained stable, the paper was consumed. Within seconds, it was reduced to ash. Lira sat back, her heart racing. This was language made magical. Past Lira and current Lira combined into one person. For a brief moment, she considered abandoning everything else and focusing solely on this. The urge was strong, almost overwhelming.

The potential of this field alone could occupy her for weeks, maybe months. But she forced herself to stop. She could not afford to lose focus now. Carefully, she set the book aside and made a quiet promise to herself. Once her current task was complete, she would return to it and dedicate as much time as needed to fully understand it. With that decision made, her attention shifted to the final viable primer. She hesitated. The cover was plain, almost dull.

It resembled the governess books she had read when first learning about magic, something instructional and rigid that might be handed to a young noble lady. The title only reinforced that impression: An Educational Guide for a Young Debutante First Season. Lira frowned slightly. It did not look promising. For a moment, she considered skipping it entirely and relying solely on her father's lexicon instead. Then she picked it up anyway. Never judge a book by its cover. What she found inside was not what she expected.

And more importantly, it might be exactly what she needed to solve her book restoration problem.