Episode 2: I've Come to Introduce a Good Product! (2)
“Huh?”
The boy doubted his own ears.
Customer? Bank? Passbook service?
Due to the unfamiliar terms he was hearing for the first time in his life, he couldn’t understand even half of the words echoing in his head.
Moreover, the owner of that clear, melodious voice was clearly a woman.
Having met only men all his fifteen years of life in the monastery—a place where women were forbidden—even a woman’s voice was foreign to Sid.
“Um… Did you say ‘Passbook-nim’? Are you perhaps an angel?”
The boy calmly collected his thoughts.
The name he hesitantly brought out was a word easily found even in scriptures.
To this awkward question, the mysterious magical artifact continued in a businesslike tone.
[Yes~ Dear Customer. You asked about my identity just now; I am the Hope Bank Passbook Service. I’ve come because I have a good product to introduce to you? Could you please click ‘View More’ at the bottom for details?]
The voice once again asked him to click ‘View More.’
Sid found himself taking an instant liking to the kind, lively tone.
Soon, the boy’s finger clicked the ‘View More’ floating in the air, and with a flashy sound effect, bright text burst forth.
[Welcome to the new product registration page! The product you will sign up for is a
“Mana deposits and withdrawals?”
Once again, unfamiliar words.
Sid read the text with a blank expression.
However, when there was no sign of him making a selection even after some time, the Passbook continued as if frustrated.
[Our service helps you save mana that you don’t use and withdraw it when needed. Your current maximum mana capacity is 75 Mana Coins. Precisely 75.3 Mana Coins.]
“75 Mana Coins? What does that mean?”
‘Mana Coins?’
Sid understood that his mana was roughly expressed as the number ‘75.3,’ but the unit ‘Coins’ was something he was hearing for the first time in his life.
In any book he had read until now, there had been no writing that expressed mana density as ‘numbers’ or ‘coins.’
Was mana even something that could be expressed in numbers in the first place?
He was a boy who asked another question every time one was answered, but the voice inside the magical artifact did not tire.
Rather, one could even feel a strong will to absolutely secure this new ‘customer.’
[
“Ahh! So that’s why I failed at Ice Bolt?”
The boy’s eyes sparkled.
It had just said his ‘mana capacity’ was ‘75.3,’ and if ‘92’ was needed to use Ice Bolt, it was only natural that he couldn’t use it.
That meant he was in a miserable state where he couldn’t even properly cast a single Ice Bolt.
However, having appeared to solve that very problem, the Passbook spoke up energetically.
[Yes~ that’s correct. The mana you currently possess is 12 Mana Coins. It appears that in another 50 minutes, you will recover to your maximum capacity of 75 Mana Coins.]
At the neat figures expressed in numbers, Sid nodded.
About 10 minutes had passed since he attempted Ice Bolt, so he had recovered about 12 mana, and in another 50 minutes he would approach his maximum capacity.
Having understood these basic concepts, he recalled what the voice had said.
This magical artifact called a ‘Passbook’ had said it would ‘store’ leftover mana after use.
That meant he could easily surpass his maximum capacity of ‘75 coins.’
The moment he realized his wish had come true, the magical artifact waited with a smooth, honeyed voice.
[Have you finished sufficient consideration? Our service always prioritizes customer satisfaction……]
“Um, wait a moment! I’m grateful for the offer, but……”
Even though his dreamed-of wish had come true, a corner of the boy’s heart pounded.
Of course, he desperately wanted to try using this ‘Passbook.’
However, according to the books he had read, the beings that gave gifts were largely of two types.
Angels who pity the wretched and save them.
Devils who deceive those standing at the edge of despair with sweet lies and covet their souls.
The stories passed down in various retellings mostly conveyed a common lesson.
‘Good fortune without a price does not come easily.’
As if sensing these thoughts, the Passbook continued in a bright voice.
[It’s fine! Among the customers who use our service, there have been those who doubted the product like you, Dear Customer. We are that confident it’s a good product. Then, would you please check the Terms of Service at the bottom? If you agree after reading the terms, the product will be issued immediately.]
“Oh.”
Dense text appeared before the boy’s eyes.
He was captivated by the faintly glowing letters, as if they held light within them.
When the complex sentences ended, rectangular blanks appeared, and there were four such terms.
Sid focused on the dense text.
It stated that the product could not be transferred to others or arbitrarily discarded, and requested consent to ascertain the customer’s physical condition and collect personal information for several purposes.
Fortunately, there was no sentence saying, ‘Give up your soul as the price for using magic!’ as he had worried.
He was merely curious as to why personal information was being collected.
Thus, the boy’s nitpicky questions continued.
“Um, I’m curious about the sentence regarding collecting my personal information. It shouldn’t be a major issue, but… is there something you want from me? If there is a way I can pay it back, I will definitely pay it back. Please don’t deceive me.”
For these words to come from the mouth of a fifteen-year-old!
Even under this barrage of annoying questions, the Passbook’s tone was nothing but kind.
[
Should I say a professional is different after all?
In truth, having heard this far, he no longer felt the urge to doubt further.
This opportunity was like throwing a fish in front of a cat, and the boy was desperately holding himself back.
Finally, when he checked the button next to the terms, a large message appeared.
Sid savored the trembling moment and opened his mouth.
[You have been successfully registered for this product! We hope you continue to use our product in the future!]
Bang!
“Gasp!”
With that message, the light before his eyes disappeared.
Only the ‘Passbook’ remaining in his hand proved that the moment had not been a dream.
With a pounding heart, Sid held up the magical artifact.
The moment he turned that emotional first page, the letters were skewed to the right corner.
“Ahh, so you don’t turn it like a book?”
Having learned how to read the Passbook, Sid scrolled the page from bottom to top.
Unlike high-quality parchment or paper commonly used to make books, it felt hard and smooth.
[Hope Bank will strive for your success, Dear Customer.]
[Mr. Sid] [Account Number: ****-***-****]
[Deposit Type: Unlimited]
[This passbook cannot be sold or transferred to others.]
This was written on the first page of the Passbook.
The ‘Signature Field’ in the upper right corner, sealed with a magic circle, stood out along with the part where his name was engraved.
And there was an unfamiliar item called ‘Account Number,’ but even as he tried to read what characters were used, the content was illegible.
It seemed some special magic was placed on it.
In any case, overjoyed at obtaining such an incredible magical artifact, Sid turned the passbook to the next page.
[Description] Deposit
[Amount Withdrawn]
[Amount Deposited] *21
[Balance] *21 (Chepeshu Monastery)
The moment he opened the passbook, a neatly organized message window appeared.
The square passbook emitted a faint light as if resonating with the message window.
Before long, the boy realized that this was the ‘mana storage function’ that the Passbook boasted.
‘Deposit’ probably meant putting the mana he currently had into the passbook, and ‘Amount Deposited’ referred to the amount of mana that had entered it.
And ‘Balance’ was the total amount of mana remaining inside the passbook!
His heart trembled with excitement at the function that even displayed the location where the mana was stored.
“What a fascinating thing. How much mana did you say was needed to use Ice Bolt? If I save up a bit and use it……”
[Ice Bolt. At your current proficiency, Dear Customer, 92 Mana Coins are consumed.]
“You startled me! Miss Passbook Service, you’re still here?”
Sid was startled by the voice he had thought had left.
Soon, the kind voice was heard inside his head.
[I am the System that will assist you in using your product, Dear Customer. I look forward to working with you.]
It felt like the same person speaking with only the tone changed, but a smile spread at the words that someone would be with him from now on.
“I look forward to working with you too. Sys… System? Sister? Are you perhaps related to a nun?”
[We are completely different.]
“I see. In any case, I look forward to working with you, Sys… Sis!”
Having tucked the passbook inside his clothes, Sid neatened his attire.
His heart pounded at the fortune obtained so suddenly, but now it was time to go down.
Just as he passed the tree with a fist carved into it, he heard the sound of someone coming up.
Trudge, trudge.
‘Eek, the other brothers?’
A chill ran down Sid’s spine.
Come to think of it, the other monks had been waiting for him.
He quietly moved to hide behind the tree, and a familiar voice was heard.
It was Abbot Chepeshu.
“Sid. Are you there?”
“Abbot!”
Forgetting that he had been depressed, the boy’s bright voice burst out.
Chepeshu, who had come up to console the boy mired in disappointment, raised an eyebrow at the unexpectedly bright voice.
At the appearance of his teacher, who had clearly been worried about him, Sid politely bowed his head.
Seeing the boy’s bright appearance, Chepeshu finally felt relieved.
“Yes. Has your heart eased a bit? It’s good to see you smile like that.”
“I’m sorry for worrying you. For showing you such a pathetic side for no reason… Huh?”
Sid flinched as he raised his head.
At this reaction, Chepeshu looked around, wondering if someone had followed them.
However, there was nothing special to see.
“What’s wrong? Is there something behind me?”
“Ah, no, Abbot. I hiccupped……”
Sid grinned sheepishly.
In truth, the reason Sid was so startled was because something had definitely changed in his vision after contracting with the Passbook.
[412,400]
Above Monk Chepeshu’s head.
Numbers indicating mana were now visible in the boy’s eyes.
Even though he was a monk who did not specialize in magic, his mana capacity was enormous.
Sid could not take his eyes off the shining numbers above Chepeshu’s head.
This too must be an ability obtained by contracting with the Passbook.
“What is it? Is there something on my head?”
Chepeshu touched his crown.
Like the other monks, he had a shaved head, and the bright sunlight was shining upon his balding crown.
Surprised by the sudden ability, Sid quickly shook his head.
What the boy’s finger pointed to was a fluffy cloud passing by at that very moment.
“Ah, no! The cloud behind you was so beautiful……”
“Clouds? That’s right. They say the clouds are truly beautiful when you come here.”
Chepeshu patted the boy’s head.
The two sat on a tree stump and watched the clouds.
Seeing the deep fist marks carved into the tree, the old monk’s heart ached.
Just as he was about to tell the boy to abandon his dream of becoming a mage and become an ordinary monk, the boy’s bright voice burst out.
“Abbot. Have there been mages who could see other people’s mana?”
“Mana?”
Chepeshu swallowed at the childish question.
He had thought he had given up everything and settled his heart, yet it was talk of magic again.
It was disappointing and pitiful, but what he had to do now was not scolding.
He moistened his lips and found the answer he had been asked.
“Let me see… There were those who said they saw mana as concentrations or different colors. They must have been mages exceeding the 6th Circle as well. Why do you ask? Were you going to ask how you look in my eyes?”
“No! I was just curious.”
Sid smiled innocently.
From the story he had just heard, he became certain of what it meant to ‘see mana as numbers.’
To be able to know how much mana a mage had left, and how much mana a certain spell consumed.
With just this, he was already close to a high-circle mage.
- To be continued in Episode 3 -