As a side note, the currency of Himril is denominated in Kohl. The smallest denomination is the copper coin, worth 1 Kohl each. Next comes the silver coin, minted from the more precious silver metal, worth 100 Kohl per piece. At the top is the gold coin, forged from rare and valuable gold, with a value of 10,000 Kohl per coin.

  It is worth noting that these currencies are not issued by the Parsala Empire, but by the Seven Days Church—an authoritative organization that spans the entire continent.

  In the past, there were indeed countries that tried to issue their own currencies to seek huge profits. However, their credibility paled in comparison to that of the Seven Days Church, which had existed for countless ages. As a result, their currencies were not recognized by other nations, or even by many of their own citizens. Before long, such currencies would fade into oblivion.

  But the most crucial reason for these nations’ failure is this: the Gumora Copper used to make copper coins—the most widely circulated currency—comes almost entirely from mines controlled by the Seven Days Church. This special copper emits a distinctive blue-purple luster under sunlight, making it extremely difficult to counterfeit.

  Without access to Gumora Copper, countries that still wanted to issue their own currency had no choice but to use substitutes. Inevitably, this led to rampant counterfeiting, which in turn triggered repeated economic collapses. In the end, all those nations had no choice but to abandon their currency issuance plans.

  ......

  Jingle~!

  The bell above the door jingled as it swung open.

  In the dim corner of the bookstore, an old man known to everyone as Old White had been dozing off with his chin propped on the counter. He turned his head lazily toward the entrance.

  When he saw that the visitor was just a little girl, his interest faded instantly.

  "Oi, kid! This ain’t no place for hide-and-seek. Go play outside!"

  Hulim Heyerar looked around the bookstore with curiosity. The shop was tucked away in a corner where sunlight rarely reached. Inside, only a single old table lamp—powered by unstable Mana—flickered, casting a feeble, barely useful glow over the room.

  Such a gloomy and dim environment was hard to imagine for a place that was supposed to be a source of knowledge and enlightenment.

  Hearing Old White’s gruff voice, Hulim looked up toward the counter.

  "I’m not here to play. I’m here to buy a book."

  "Buy a book?"

  Old White blinked in surprise, then finally took a proper look at Hulim.

  "Oh—you’re from the Heyerar family, aren’t you?"

  Judging by her clothes and appearance, Old White could roughly tell she was a member of the Heyerar household, though he couldn’t put a name to her face.

  "That’s right. My name is Hulim—Hulim Heyerar."

  "Hulim! Right, right! The youngest daughter of the Heyerar family is named Hulim!"

  Now that Old White had fully confirmed her identity, he jumped up from behind the counter in an instant. His wrinkled face broke into a warm, enthusiastic smile—which only served to make his wrinkles look even more numerous.

  "What kind of book are you looking for? Storybooks? Then you’ve come to the right place! Don’t let the size of my shop fool you—I’ve got all kinds of books here. I’d even dare say that some noble families’ collections can’t hold a candle to mine! Oh, sorry—forgot your family’s nobility too......"

  Hulim ignored his overly enthusiastic yet rather rude chatter, cutting straight to the point.

  "I want to buy a grimoire—one that teaches you how to cast actual magic."

  Old White’s voice trailed off abruptly. His eyes lit up with a greedy glint.

  "A grimoire? You bet I’ve got ’em! Of course I do!"

  Old White was so excited he started rubbing his hands together. He thought his luck was truly turning around—even though it was already afternoon and this was his first customer of the day, it looked like it was going to be a big sale.

  "Miss Heyerar, please follow me!"

  Hulim trailed after him.

  Old White led her to a row of locked bookshelves at the back of the store. He unlocked the padlock, revealing a whole shelf lined with grimoires.

  At the sight of the shelves filled with grimoires, Hulim’s eyes lit up instantly, completely captivated.

  Old White’s smile widened even more at the sight of her reaction. He rubbed his hands together eagerly and began his sales pitch.

  "What kind of grimoire are you after? I’ve got every elemental type right here! I’d recommend this series—aside from containing some Second-Tier Spells, it also covers a great deal of knowledge related to Magic Arrays."

  Old White pointed casually at the shelf in front of him.

  "Really? It has knowledge about Magic Arrays too?!"

  Hulim’s heart skipped a beat. She was immediately tempted to buy one on the spot.

  "Absolutely! My shop may be small, but its reputation in Mentor Town is second to none—I’d never sell you anything fake!"

  Old White patted his chest, making a solemn promise.

  Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

  "You only need to pay two gold coins—that’s 20,000 Kohl—and you can take home any elemental grimoire from this series!"

  "Two gold coins......"

  Hulim’s smile faltered slightly.

  She silently weighed her small coin purse in her hand. 20,000 Kohl minus 1,952 Kohl......

  It seemed, roughly speaking, that she was just a little short.

  "......Um, do you have any other grimoires?"

  Hulim looked up and asked.

  "Of course I do."

  Old White didn’t think much of it, walking forward again.

  "You don’t need books about Magic Arrays right now? No problem at all! Let me recommend this other series to you! While these books don’t include any extra knowledge, they do cover all First to Third-Tier Spells for every elemental type. If you buy one of these, you won’t have to worry about learning Third-Tier Spells for a long time!"

  Old White pointed to the books on the second shelf, introducing them with great enthusiasm.

  "First to Third-Tier Spells—all in one book?!"

  Hulim was tempted all over again, the urge to buy one growing stronger by the second.

  At the same time, she did a quick calculation in her head. She was just about to start learning First-Tier Spells. If she had a book like this, wouldn’t it mean she could keep learning for ages?

  "That’s right—all of them! This series is practically the perfect grimoire for any noble family’s collection! And it only costs five gold coins per book!"

  Old White announced in a booming voice.

  Hulim’s smile faltered once more. She weighed her coin purse again.

  This one also seemed to be just a little out of her budget...

  "Do you have any other options?"

  At Hulim’s question, Old White raised an eyebrow.

  Oh? She’s not impressed by those? Looks like I need to bring out the big guns.

  "Heh heh heh. Since you asked, I suppose I’d better show you the real deal!"

  With that, Old White marched over to the last bookshelf. He then carefully retrieved a small box from it.

  Hulim watched with curiosity.

  Old White carried the box back to Hulim, then opened it gently and reverently, revealing a beautifully crafted grimoire with a glowing fiery-red cover.

  "What is this?"

  Hulim asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

  "This," Old White replied in a solemn voice, "is a Fourth-Tier Grimoire."

  "What!? A Fourth-Tier Spell?!"

  Hulim was utterly shocked. She was no longer the clueless beginner she had been just a few days ago. She knew full well that while Fourth-Tier Spells were only one rank above Third-Tier Spells, they belonged to an entirely different realm—for Fourth-Tier Spells were classified as High-Tier Magic.

  "Is it really a Fourth-Tier Grimoire? That’s amazing! How could you possibly have such a powerful grimoire?!"

  Faced with Hulim’s shining, admiring gaze, Old White suddenly looked a little awkward.

  "Ahem...... Well, while it is indeed a Fourth-Tier Grimoire, there’s a tiny little catch to it."

  "A tiny catch?"

  "Uh...... How should I put this? The spell recorded in this book is a Fourth-Tier Fire Elemental Self-Destruct Spell......"

  "......"

  The light in Hulim’s eyes dimmed instantly.

  "——So it’s completely useless, then."

  "No no no! How can you say it’s useless?!"

  Old White hastened to argue,

  "Even though it’s... well, that kind of spell, you can’t deny that it’s a genuine Fourth-Tier Spell!"

  "Oh, I see...... Do you have any other grimoires?"

  Hulim had already lost all interest.

  Seeing the potential cash cow slipping away from his grasp, Old White gritted his teeth, steeling his resolve.

  "Alright! If you’re willing to buy this book, I’ll sell it to you at a massive loss—at a rock-bottom price! How does that sound?"

  "A rock-bottom price?"

  As expected, this piqued Hulim’s interest. She silently weighed her coin purse again. If it was cheap enough, buying it wouldn’t be out of the question......

  "Normally, a genuine Fourth-Tier Grimoire would cost at least several dozen gold coins—even up to a hundred! But for this one, I’ll charge you only ten gold coins! How’s that for a bargain?!"

  A bargain, huh......?

  Hulim froze on the spot.

  After a long moment of silence,

  "Do you have any other grimoires?"

  Looking into Hulim’s eyes, Old White sighed inwardly with regret. So much for making an easy profit.

  "Of course I have other grimoires. But what exactly is it that your parents are looking for? I’ll just find it for you directly."

  "Huh? It’s not my father or mother who wants to buy a grimoire," Hulim shook her head, "it’s me."

  "What?"

  Old White’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He stared at Hulim intently, then asked, uncertain,

  "Are you sure it’s you who wants to buy it? Not your father?"

  "Yes, I’m sure. Is there a problem with that?"

  Hulim asked, looking confused.

  "A problem......"

  A problem? There’s a huge problem!

  Old White let out a long breath, forcing himself to speak in a calm tone.

  "Did you bring any money with you?"

  "Of course I did!"

  Hulim pulled out her small coin purse and showed it to Old White. The copper and silver coins inside clinked together, making a crisp, cheerful sound.

  Old White’s eyes lit up. He broke into a broad smile and took the purse eagerly.

  "Great! You’ve got money!"

  However, when he opened the purse and looked inside, his smile froze instantly.

  "......This is all the money you brought?"

  "Uh-huh!"

  Hulim nodded emphatically.

  "You expect to buy one of my grimoires with this measly amount of money?!"

  "Mm-hmm!"

  Hulim nodded once more.

  The wrinkles on Old White’s forehead twitched violently. He took a deep, deep breath.

  Snap!

  He then slammed the box containing the self-destruct grimoire shut with a loud sound.

  Thud! Thud! Thud!

  He strode back to the last bookshelf, his footsteps thudding loudly against the wooden floor—as if he was about to stomp right through it.

  After putting the box back in its place, he walked over to a cluttered corner filled with junk. There was a loud clanging and clattering as he rummaged through the pile.

  A moment later, Old White emerged with a tattered, yellowed old book in his hand, his face as cold as ice.

  "This is the grimoire you want."

  As he spoke, he reached into Hulim’s coin purse again. He quickly sorted through the coins, picking out all the silver ones.

  "Nineteen silver coins total! That’s all your money is good for—just enough to buy this thing!"

  "Wait a minute—this book......"

  Hulim stared at the tattered old book in her hand, which was worlds apart from the beautifully bound grimoires she had seen earlier. She couldn’t help but want to protest.

  "Enough already, kid! This ain’t no free consultation service! Go home and ask your parents if you’ve got any questions! And one more thing——"

  "Take your pocket money—meant for buying candies—and get out of my bookstore!"

  ......

  Bang!

  The sound of the door slamming shut echoed behind her.

  Hulim had been thrown out onto the street.

  She glared at the bookstore door behind her, feeling thoroughly dissatisfied. Then she looked down at the old book in her hand—its cover was so worn that the title was almost illegible: A Comprehensive Guide to Basic Magic of the Seven Elements.

  Well, even though the whole experience had been rather unpleasant, Hulim had finally gotten what she wanted most right now.