Chapter 13: Aptitudes

Lylia’s mouth fell open.

A rainbow. The entire orb was swirling with a rainbow of colors. 'That had to mean something amazing, right?'

Her eyes sparkled as she turned to the receptionist. "Hey, hey, Miss! What does this mean?" she asked, practically vibrating with excitement.

The receptionist froze, completely speechless. For a moment, she simply stared at the orb as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Then, in a hushed whisper, though Lylia still heard it, she said,."…It’s just like Archmagus Grant…"

Lylia’s eyes widened even more.

"Archmagus Grant? You mean like, I have the same color as one of those famous archmagus, they call?"

The receptionist drew in a slow breath and nodded. "Yes… you can use all aptitudes."

"Really? Hmm, by all aptitudes, do you mean all as in, fire, water, wind, whatever, everything?"

"That’s correct," the receptionist confirmed, her tone still a mix of awe and disbelief.

"Heh." her one hand clutched her chest. "... woaaah. That's wonderful then. Very useful. And that means I'm also powerful!" she said proudly.

Then she blinked and tilted her head. "…Well, sorry though, but can you, like, list all the aptitudes for me?"

The receptionist gave her a puzzled look. "…You don’t know them?"

Lylia decided it was no use coming up with another excuse. She just gave a sheepish smile and said, "Yup. Sorry about that."

"Ah, I see," the receptionist said, clearly recalling Slade’s 'grew-up-on-the-mountains' backstory. She nodded in understanding.

"There are nine aptitudes in total," she began patiently. "The common ones are fire, water, wind, stone, plant, electric, and ice. The two uncommon ones are light and dark.”

"Oooh, nine total, huh?" Lylia nodded, trying to look wise.

'Nine. That’s a lot to juggle. But hey, apparently I can do them all, so… guess I’m just that amazing.'

She didn’t bother asking for detailed explanations. 'Fire is hot, water is wet, light is… well, light, and dark is dark. Easy. I’ll just read about the rest later,' she thought smugly.

"Thanks for explaining." she said with a short polite bow.

"No worries." The receptionist smiled warmly.

Lylia perked up with curiosity. "So about this Archmagus Grant you mentioned earlier... he was like, an all-rounder too, right? Are people like us… rare?"

"Very rare," the receptionist said with a nod. "Typically, only one appears every few decades. Until now, Archmagus Grant was the sole one alive. But with you here…" She trailed off meaningfully. "I’m certain you’ll accomplish great things too."

Lylia’s grin returned, full of unearned confidence.."Woah, really? Hehe." She puffed out her chest, hands on her hips, eyebrows wiggling. "That’s right! I’m going to be the seventh Archmagus. Or no, even greater than them all!”

The receptionist chuckled at her enthusiasm.

Feeling theatrical, Lylia tossed her hair dramatically, striking a cool pose with one hand raised high. "By the way, beautiful Miss," she said playfully, "sorry for taking up so much of your time with my endless questions. But if you don’t mind…" She smirked. "Could you tell me about the other Archmagi? To defeat my competition, I need to know who I’m up against, right?" 

The receptionist giggled behind her hand. "Of course. It’s my job to answer your questions, after all."

"Hehe, just a short description for each is fine," Lylia said, waving a hand casually. "I just want to get a feel for who these ‘greatest mages’ are."

The receptionist paused to gather her thoughts, then began.

"So first, there’s Irvette Thornee, the traveling witch who specializes in Dark magic. Despite her element, she has accomplished countless good deeds, and her accumulated feats earned her the title of Archmagus."

Lylia’s brows shot up. "Dark magic and good deeds, huh? That’s… a combo I wasn’t expecting." In her head, she added, 'So dark magic isn’t automatically evil here. Good to know.'

"Next is Sir Rai, the Engineer," the receptionist continued. "He's famous for owning shops all over the world, and every single shopkeeper is one of his clones."

"Whoa, really?" Lylia gasped. "That’s insane."

"Have you ever been to one of his shops?"

"Nope," Lylia admitted.

"You should visit sometime. As a mage, you’ll find the best magical items there."

Lylia nodded eagerly. "Got it. Once I get some money, I’m going shopping." Then she paused and added slyly, "So… as you said, all his shops are protected by his clones, right?

"That’s correct."

"Wow." Lylia whistled in admiration. 'Talk about worldwide reach. This Rai dude is basically a walking corporation.'

"The third is Sir Grant," the receptionist said, voice tinged with respect. "He is the principal of the Magic Academy and the keeper of the world’s largest magic library."

"Hoh" Lylia said, eyes glimmering 'Magic Academy, huh? I kinda miss being a student… Maybe I’ll enroll one day, you know, just for fun. And also, uh, to learn magic. Totally.'

"Then there’s sir Knox Aegis," the receptionist continued. "He manages the Magic Tower Association and serves as the official examiner for Archmagi. His signature alone makes titles official to the world, and is enough to rewrite official rules of the world."

"Woaaah." Lylia blinked. "I didn’t really get that last part, but… examiner guy, got it."

She tilted her head, thinking.

'Wait. Rewrite rules? That sounds... hmmm, kinda like what that god did when he said he was rewriting the laws of the world midair with golden letters? ... is it like that, I wonder?'

"Next is Evrienne, the disciple of the God of Time."

Lylia staggered back and raised a brow, "A disciple of a god? And the god is the god of time?"

"Yes," the receptionist confirmed with a small nod.

"Well... that's kinda cheating?" Lylia placed a hand scratching on her chin. "Yeah. And time on top of that? That sounds op. After all, time is gold."

"... As for the last Archmagus…" The receptionist hesitated.

Lylia raised a brow. "What about the sixth?"

“…To be honest,” the receptionist said slowly, “no one knows. We don’t even know if the sixth truly exists. No name, no appearance, no records.”

"Ooooh." Lylia’s grin turned sly. "A mystery competitor, huh? Now that sounds like a mystery that needs to be uncovered."

In her head, she added, ‘Secret agent type, definitely. Or maybe a hidden card waiting to be played at the right moment.'

"And that’s all of them," the receptionist concluded.

"I see, I see. Thanks a bunch!" Lylia said, smiling.

"Do you have any more questions?"

"Yeah," Lylia said. "What happens now? Like… what’s next for me?"

"You’ve completed the first step," the receptionist explained. "Please return tomorrow."

"Huh? Wait, am I not officially an adventurer yet?"

"Not quite," she said with a patient smile. "You still have to pass a test. Unfortunately, there’s no staff available at the moment to conduct yours."

"Ehhh? What kind of test?"

"You will take on a quest of your choice while being monitored by one of our staff."

Lylia groaned dramatically. "Boo. Can’t we just do it now?"

"I’m afraid not," the receptionist said apologetically. "You’ll have to wait until tomorrow."

"But I'm kinda in need of money..." Lylia clasped her hands together, eyes shimmering pitifully. "Pretty please?"

The receptionist winced, clearly flustered. "Ah, um…"

Seeing her lack of progress, Lylia slumped even further, radiating tragic energy.

Finally, the receptionist offered, "Even if you’re not an adventurer yet, you can still sell monster loot here. The price will be slightly lower, though."

Lylia’s eyes lit up instantly. "Oh! I can do that!".She clenched a fist in determination. 'I’ve got my magical atomic book. I can totally handle some field practice while earning money! Two birds with one stone.'

The receptionist looked relieved. "I’m glad to hear that."

"If that’s all," she added gently, "then I’ll take my leave."

"Got it. Thanks again for everything!" Lylia said with a grateful bow before spinning on her heel and heading for the door.