Chapter 37 Custom made
Zaos thought the carriage would be ready the next day, but he then learned that a lot of people used it. Even though the captain of the guards used his family's influence to get one as soon as possible, Zaos had to wait for two days. In the end, upon noticing that his son would travel alone around the capital, Lyra decided to go with him. The carriage's interior was quite comfy, so she would be able to fall asleep pretty easily, much to Zaos's relief.
"Is there any place you want to go, young master?" The captain of the guards asked.
Speaking of which, while there was a shop where one could rent a carriage and a pair of horses for a day, the services didn't grant a driver. So, the captain of the guards would fit that role. In contrast, two guards would follow the carriage behind in horses, and two others would offer support to the captain in front of the cabin. Thanks to that, Zaos was starting to feel troubled. He caused problems for too many people considering that he only wanted to see the capital for the first time. Not to mention, a gold coin had been used to rent the carriage and the horses.
"I just want to see a small part of the city," Zaos replied. "A quick trip around the commercial district should be good enough for today."
Soon the carriage began to move, and after a couple of moments, Zaos saw through the carriage window that they were crossing a small bridge. That was the first time he noticed that there was a river nearby his home.
"A long time ago, this river had been used as a natural defense to protect the castle from attacks," Lyra said. "However, since the war against the demon lord, now it only separates the castle, our house, and Seres family's house from the rest of the city. Some people say this river was created by a powerful wizard since it splits in two parts on the West side of the city and the river meets in a single place again on the East side of the city."
"So, a single river covers those three massive residences by four sides?" Zaos asked.
"That is right," Lyra nodded.
That didn't make any sense. For some reason, Zaos knew that rivers couldn't work that way. In any case, it was very likely that it was a river made by magic. While it wasn't that large, it could slow down some decent group of people that try to cross it without a bridge.
After a short while, they arrived in the commercial district. It was much closer than Zaos thought, probably because that was another important part of the capital. Most families that would have some extra money to spend would have another reason to get closer to the castle.
While the vast majority of shops were simple, some of them were pretty well-made and looked as good as new. The streets and some buildings had been built by using bricks. Even though it seemed quite rough, the place was so clean and organized that Zaos couldn't see a single person in a bad mood while moving around.
Some people tried to see who was inside the carriage, but it was impossible to find out since neither the carriage nor the guards had any emblems. Zaos saw the guards changing their armor earlier on. Besides, the windows had been made in order to give some privacy for the people inside.
Zaos began to feel quite excited when he began to see countless bookstores, shops selling armor and weapons. Some were even selling weird-looking potions. One probably would have to explore that part of the city for the days before they can check all the products being sold in all shops.
"Maybe we should buy a magic book," Lyra said. "The only one I have isn't useful to you anymore, Zaos."
"We only have one?" Zaos frowned.
"That was the only one I have, that was the first one I bought for myself," Lyra said. "I bought others, but then I sold them after I learned their contents."
That was kind of weird, but after thinking about it, Zaos understood why she did it. Even mages don't carry magic books with them. Besides, they train in order to memorize the spells and use them without external help. That was the best way to surprise their targets. Besides, knowing his mother, Zaos could easily imagine that she didn't bring many things from her old home to her new home.
"So, which type of magic book do you want?" Lyra asked.
Zaos had the chance to check some of the magic books he found in the warehouse, and he discovered that they could teach him mostly a slight variation of the spells he had heard off. Apparently, over the years, mages managed to adapt those spells in order to make them become more user-friendly.
"While I am learning some other types by myself, I want mom to keep teaching me about the support-type spells," Zaos said. "So, mom can pick anyone."
"… You are so considerate, Zaos," Lyra said in an expression of surprise, but then she smiled. "Well then, let's visit someone we already know. It would be easier to find what we want with him."
Zaos had no idea what his mother was talking about. After all, he didn't know a single person in the commercial district. However, after a couple of minutes, they stopped in front of a bookstore, and Zaos found someone he already knew… It was the old man Merkin. Zaos had no idea that mages sell books.
"Aside from teaching others, mages can research magic and write down their own versions of certain spells," Lyra explained. "If they show some amazing customized spell, they can become famous and sell a lot of books."
That made sense, but Zaos couldn't help but wonder what might happen if someone decides to copy the book of another and try to sell it… Zaos had to research that.
