Chương 60: The Cost of Greed

Back in her alcove, Lira watched her coin pouch with deep suspicion. The coins themselves were not glowing with magic, nor did they leave any ripple effects on the ambient mana, but that did little to reassure her. What if the magic had already dissipated? What if she had already spent the affected coins without realizing it? Or worse, what if the spell's effect had already seeped into her soul? Lira shuddered at the thought. Her eyes drifted toward a book resting open in front of her.

It had come from the military section, titled A Treatise on the Use of Magic for Subtle Manipulation. It was the same volume she had located through divination when considering what kind of text Harwin would value most, back when she had been trying to secure Dalwin's cooperation. Harwin was clearly interested in manipulation magic, or something closely related to it. That was what unsettled her the most. Were the coins a medium for such spellcasting? Had she already fallen under his influence without noticing?

She did not feel controlled, but would she even know if she was? Lira glanced back at the book. She had already absorbed its contents and read it several more times for good measure. Unfortunately, it had not been as helpful as she had hoped. The text emphasized that mind manipulation magic had to remain subtle, otherwise the soul would resist it. At most, such magic could nudge a person toward agreement, make them more suggestible, or incline them to listen more favorably to the caster.

More importantly, the book stressed that manipulation magic rarely worked on strangers. A connection had to be established first: a relationship, familiarity, or repeated interaction. The text also briefly mentioned methods of identifying a manipulator, usually by tracing common contacts between affected individuals. As for detecting whether someone was already influenced, the answer was far less comforting. One would need a specialist: a mind mage, an inquisitor, a mage-detective, or a diviner.

None of whom Lira had access to. What Lira did have was a little mind magic of her own.

"Pika. Moren. Kaldris." She activated her memory recollection spell and carefully scanned her own mind, searching for any unusual changes in her thoughts or behavior. She found nothing. The only relevant memory that surfaced was from her brief time working in the scribe tower. Harwin had given her coins as tips, and she distinctly remembered feeling uncomfortable while holding them. Once she had discarded those coins, the unease had faded. That memory alone was enough to justify further investigation.

Tomorrow was payday. She decided that she would observe carefully and determine whether the coins distributed as wages carried the same effect. Lira barely slept that night. The next morning, she made her way to the scribe tower earlier than usual. A short line of servants had already formed. Cedric, Harwin's second-in-command, stood behind a desk handling payments with the assistance of two aides. The process was simple.

Each servant approached, gave their name, and Cedric would check the ledger before handing over the appropriate payment. Lira did not join the line. Instead, she stood off to the side and watched. After taking a steadying breath, she activated her magical sight.

"Pika. Maja. Syneth." What she saw made her stomach drop. The chest containing the coins was saturated with magic. A footman stepped forward and gave his name. After a brief check, Cedric handed him four coins, one silver and three bronze. The coins glowed faintly with magic and left faint ripples in the ambient mana, just like what she had observed yesterday. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. However, something unexpected happened.

The moment they touched the servant's hand, the magical effect instantly vanished. Lira frowned. That was not what she had expected. When she magically observed Harwin had given coins as tips yesterday, the magic had remained active while in the recipient's possession. Here, however, the enchantment seemed to disappear the moment the coins were accepted. It fizzled out as though the spell had failed.

She narrowed her eyes and activated both her meditation and perception spells, focusing more carefully on the process.

"Pika. Selan. Tureth… Pika. Velar. Syneth." Two more servants received their wages. Each time, the same result. The coins lost their magical glow upon contact. Then there was a change in the pattern; the next servant was mistakenly given one extra bronze coin instead of the usual amount. She received one silver and four bronze coins, when most maids only received three bronze. Lira immediately focused on the coins, and to her growing horror, one bronze coin remained active with magic.

Lira's heart began to pound harder when, to her surprise, she watched the maid speak.

"You seem to have made a mistake, sir," she said in a soft, hesitant voice. She reached forward and returned one of the bronze coins to Cedric. Lira winced. She had not returned the coin glowing with magic, but one of the normal ones.

"Ah, sorry, my bad," Cedric said with a smile. With her enhanced perception, Lira could tell it was a practiced smile rather than a genuine one.

"Thank you for your honesty," he added. As he took the returned coin, the magic within the extra coin still in the maid's hand instantly dissipated. Lira's frown deepened, not fully understanding what was happening. Moments later, another mistake occurred. This time, a footman received an extra coin as well, but instead of returning it, he pocketed it without comment. The glowing coin retained its magic. Lira watched him walk away, the faint magical disturbance trailing behind him like a tether.

Under meditation and the perception spell, her thoughts began racing. Coins that were earned lost the magical effect, while coins given improperly retained it. Was that the condition? Was the spell tied to merit? A punishment for greed? A test of honesty? Or something even more complex? Before she could analyze further, Cedric noticed her standing off to the side and called out.

"Lira." She quickly deactivated her perception spells but kept her magical sight active as she approached.

"Hello, Cedric."

"Why are you standing there instead of joining the line?" he asked.

"I was waiting for you to finish with this lot before asking a few questions," she replied smoothly, having already prepared a cover story.

"Ah, I see. Go ahead then."

"I wanted to ask about my pay raise as the library caretaker. Did you receive the memo?"

"Yes," Cedric said, glancing down at the ledger.

"Both Dalwin and Celine sent notes. It says here you are to receive three silver and two bronze coins."

"That much?" Lira asked, allowing a hint of surprise into her voice. He nodded.

"May I see the notes?" she leaned forward and asked in a hushed tone.

"I would like to know what they wrote about me."

"I am not sure I should…" Cedric hesitated.

"Oh, come on, help a sister out," Lira said with a broad smile.

"We have worked together before. Surely you can make an exception."

"Why do you even want to see them?" he asked, sounding exasperated.

"You know," Lira said with a shrug, "understanding how my direct superiors think of me could be useful."

"Fine." He sighed. He opened a drawer and handed her two letters. One from Celine praised her diligence and recommended the raise. The other, from Dalwin, was longer and full of flowery language, but conveyed essentially the same approval.

"Thank you," Lira said, handing them back.

"It was helpful."

"Do you want to collect your pay now?" he asked.

"Yes." Cedric counted out her coins and handed her three silver and three bronze… one extra bronze coin. Lira's eyes flicked toward the coins as they landed in her hand. As expected, most of the magic dissipated immediately, except for one. It remained active. She could feel a faint tingling sensation from it. Lira looked up at Cedric with a polite expression.

"You need more sleep," she said lightly.

"You are making mistakes." She handed the extra coin back.

"You are right," he said, rubbing his neck.

"Thank you."

"See you next week." Lira turned and walked away, her thoughts anything but calm. She doubted the mistake had been accidental. That meant Cedric had just tried to trap her.