Jericho's little interrogation answers something that's been at the back of his mind.
Chariot can't be the one. She has no clue of the Grand Triskellion and the Seven Words of Arcturus.
Jericho isn't sure why she suspected the girl in the first place. It's difficult for him to imagine such a gentle and innocent girl to be the wielder of a world-altering magic. Why, he can't help but imagine that if she's in the possession of such magic, she'd use it first to do silly and whimsical things. Like how a baby would use a wand they stumble upon.
"You know, Conan, you had me worried for a second. I thought I was missing out on some must-know part of magic history, but thankfully it's not that important, huh?"
Jericho shakes his head disapprovingly. "I said we as average students are not expected to know, but it should be common knowledge for more learned people. It's, after all, a vital part of our history".
Chariot looks confused. "No, Conan, that makes no sense! If it's such a big deal as you're making it out to be, then why are you having a hard time finding materials about it?"
"Well, obviously that's because…"
The wizard stops. He wants to say something back, but he finds himself unable to.
Chariot's point makes perfect sense.
He asked himself the same question earlier, back when he's met with difficulties finding the book.
He finds himself to be the one speechless, unable to answer.
Chariot shrugs. "See? It's not important after all".
The two hears someone approaching. Loxley returns with a small stack of books and lays them on the counter. It was like a lifeline only the wizard could see. Standing up to his feet, he doesn't let Chariot's momentary victory become a decisive one, declaring, "you know what, Chariot? You'll very soon see that they're actually very important when you see the abundance of academic texts researching about them".
Smiling confidently, he goes to the counter and takes the first book from the stack. Exactly at that point, the confident smile slightly changes. From her place on the sofa, Chariot notices him immediately dismissing the first book then going to the next, then the next, then the next in quick succession, while his smile degrades further and further with each new book until he reaches the bottom of the stack, at which point his smile and optimism are completely gone.
Curiosity besting her, Chariot joins beside him. She's completely baffled when there are only colourful and thin books on the counter. There's no sight of thick academic books anywhere on the counter.
"Conan? I thought you were talking about history, not fables and stories for children".
Chariot intended that to be a joke, but to her horror, she hit too close to home: they are, as a matter of fact, a collection of children's books and storybooks.
Jericho visibly stiffened at Chariot's question. But he remains dumbstruck. He's as confused as she is.
For a moment, Jericho thinks the man was the mistaken one and had brought him the wrong books in his confusion. But that's not the case; these are children's books, indeed, but they are stories about the Grand Triskellion and the Words.
Unable to contain his confusion and disappointment, he looks to Loxley for an explanation. He hadn't spoken a word since the beginning, but there must've been something in his eyes that immediately signals Loxley that he better explain very quickly.
"K-kids, these are the best I could find. They're far from what you requested, but I thought you might want to check on them. Who knows?"
The man's words did nothing to remedy Jericho's disappointment. In response, the man crosses his arms. In one quick breath, as if not wanting to admit it, he says, "these are the leftovers from the main shipment I talked about. Beggars can't choose".
With a heavy heart, the wizard gives the man the benefit of the doubt and takes one of them and flips through. These books' stories do revolve around the Grand Triskellion and the Words. He even notices one of them depicting the Claiomh Solais, though he notices some mistakes here and there in the book's depiction of the rod. Indeed, these are children's books, after all, hardly the stuff of study.
He keeps flipping through one page, then the next, and the next. But even until the last page, he saw nothing of worth in the books, nothing hardly close to an academic level of information. In no way are these books meant to be taken as historical accounts.
"Why do you think I'd want this?"
Arms still crossed the man seems difficult in finding his answer. "Ah, honestly, I can't say. I…"
The further Loxley delays, the further Jericho realizes something.
Chariot is right.
The Grand Triskellion is something obscure and unimportant.
Jericho realizes Loxley doesn't even understand what he's looking for. Now that he thinks about it, no one does. Chariot seems clueless about the Grand Triskellion and the 7 Words of Arcturus, and apparently, she's not wrong to be clueless, not when Three bookstores shake their head, now a fourth, too.
Chariot and all the owners of those previous stores had very little clue what I was talking about, and the only books that talk about them are found in second-hand shops. And even then, they're worthless books. But why? Why is a big piece of history now an obscure knowledge, so hard to find out about and instead reduced to bedtime stories for kids?
To say that realization demotivated him is a huge understatement. Because this one realization is also followed by another, more ominous one.
At this rate, learning to unlock the Words will be way harder than I initially expected.
He breathes deeply before closing the book and places it back on the counter. "Thank you, but I'll pass".
As Jericho turns to leave, Chariot follows closely beside him, sharing a worried look for the boy. While she has no idea the deeper reason for his demotivation, it doesn't stop her from worrying, nonetheless.
"We can try one more time. I don't mind".
"Nope. I think I'm going to call it a day", replies the wizard. It alarms Chariot how tired and defeated he sounds. "I'm starting to think it's impossible to find what I want. I'd just go running around in circles. At least not here".
Jericho's hand was inches from the doorknob when Loxley suddenly calls them to stop.
"A moment, if you please!"
That manages to stop the pair, but only Chariot turns to look at what the man is about to do, while the wizard feels contend to just listen.
Loxley clears his throat before beginning.
"I don't know anything about these books or the subjects they talk about so I can't convince you on that ground. But I know one important thing that tells me you should buy these books: the girl that requested those books you're searching for also wanted to buy these books too".
At the mention of the girl, the wizard freezes in place.
"These storybooks weren't part of what she asked me to ship. These are part of my collection. I nearly didn't bother showing them to her but it caught her attention like a dragon to a sorcerer's stone the moment she lay eyes on them! Now she already had a couple of quality books in her order, so it made me scratch my head why a book for children caught her attention as well. To me, it's like seeing an Olympic swimmer buying a life vest!"
As he hears his story more and more, he perks up gradually. That's right. Didn't he mention something about the books being shipped here at the behest of someone?
Swiftly, he returns to the counter. "Who was she? This girl?"
"Just some girl I've never seen here before", Loxley answers. He looks puzzled that the wizard asks that. "In terms of why she's interested in these books… well, I don't know. She didn't explain a thing to me. But considering she wanted them, I figured they have something of worth. That's why I'm showing them now to you".
Had Loxley realized the wizard now couldn't care less on the books anymore, then he'd understand why he asked about the buyer instead.
This mysterious buyer knows about the 7 Words of Arcturus. While so many are ignorant of the Grand Triskellion and the Words, this person stands out as the first person who seems to be aware of the existence of the world-altering magic. More than that, she's dedicated to it, willing to buy so many books she spent her resources.
But Jericho stops himself right there. Ever cautious, the wizard doesn't let his excitement cloud his judgement.
Loxley could be lying—fabricating this person and story just so I'd buy these books. But if he's right, there will be two good things going on for me: there could be someone who's potentially the champion of Claiomh Solais and these books are something worth considering. But how do make sure he's not lying?
"Something doesn't add up!" Chariot exclaim, catching both Jericho and Loxley's attention. Resting her hands on her hips, she says, "if she's as interested at these books as you make it sound, then why are they still there?"
The wizard looks at Chariot with wide eyes, impressed she noticed that flaw so quickly. He didn't think of that.
"Simple! She ran out of money", Loxley answers. "She bought a lot of thick books, after all. The choice was either to sacrifice the real academic texts she ordered or these children's books. She got wiser and let the books you see today go".
Chariot seems unconvinced. "But I heard you like to give out discounts to customers you like?".
"You heard right".
The lack of any hint of regret or shame in his answer sort of convinced the pair he's not joking.
Loxley clasps his hands together, and the pair jumped slightly at how loud it was. "So, after hearing that tale, what will you two decide? Are you going to buy these books or not?"
The wizard tugs at Chariot's sleeves, hinting her to follow him. He turns to Loxley and politely says, "maybe we'll talk about this first".
Chariot was slightly anxious to see what the wizard has to say. She thought he's unconvinced and dissatisfied with the books and wants to give up and call it a day. But to her pleasant surprise, he was smirking at her, looking very well pleased about something.
Once well out of Loxley's earshot, the wizard praises Chariot. "Good thinking, Chariot. You cornered him for a moment there".
Chariot tilts her head. "You're welcome?"
"You had the right idea, asking that question. I was thinking he was making up the story and the person, so we'd be interested in his books. It was smart of you to ask that".
This seems like news to Chariot. She snaps her fingers and says, "oh! You are right! He could be lying to make us buy the books".
This time, it's the wizard's turn to be surprised. "Chariot, this didn't occur to you?"
"No! I don't like thinking bad of other people".
"Then why did you ask him that question earlier?!"
Chariot blushes and awkwardly shrugs. "I was just pointing out the obvious, but now that you put it that way, yeah I guess he could be making the story up".
Seeing Jericho stifling a chuckle, Chariot folds her arms in front of her chest and rolls her eyes. "Alright, alright. Very funny. Haha".
Flustered, she tries to continue the conversation as quickly as she could. "So, are we going to figure out how to determine if this mysterious girl is not some made-up sales-increasing person or not? It'd be horrible if you buy the books and she turns out to be a lie".
Little did Chariot know, at this point, Jericho is more interested in who the buyer is than the books. Knowing whether the girl is real or not and who she is sitting at a higher priority than figuring out the worth of the books. Fortunately, it didn't take long for him to hatch a plan that could answer all three of his curiosities.
Still smirking, he pulls Chariot close for a whisper. "I know a way. Now I need a little help with the opening though…"
Loxley was watching and waiting, arm folded as he rocks on his heels impatiently. The pair walks up to the counter again and he greets them with the warmest smile he could muster.
"Say, who's this girl that left us with only these books?" Chariot asks.
"Hm? And why would you want to know?" The man questions back.
Chariot shrugs. "She could be someone from my school that I know. Just making sure so I don't buy something she wants for herself".
While Chariot does the talking, Jericho says nothing, only listening to the conversation. This is his way to figure out of Loxley was fabricating the girl and the story. If he's lucky, Loxley might even know who the girl is. As a bonus, if the girl is indeed real and she was interested in these books, then he's also in the presence of some worthwhile books despite their unassuming appearances.
To Chariot's question, Loxley answers, "well she's… I told you already I've never seen her around. She was wearing a hoodie and wore the hood so I can't tell much on how she looks. She didn't look like a witch. No hat, no wand, nothing. Had she not specifically asked for books about witchcraft, I would've thought she's here for teen novels. She really hates me being nosey. She didn't like me asking too many questions about the unusual choice of books she asked me to ship here".
As Loxley continues describing the buyer consistently and with little contradictions, Jericho is growingly convinced this mysterious rival isn't an impromptu work of imagination and instead of a real person.
For a second, Jericho feels like he's back atop that cold hill, accompanied only by Woodward. 'You must find the champion', she instructed him in her echoing voice. He could still hear—and feel—it branded on his mind.
He feels a chill climbing up his back as the realization hits him: have I done that? Have I found the one I'm looking for?
Here he is, searching for books, and instead struck gold. Perhaps it was fate that dragged him into searching for books, just so he'd find the girl he's looking for.
He's abruptly dragged out of his thoughts as Chariot impatiently nudges him repeatedly with her elbow.
"Conan, Conan, Conan! What do you think?"
He's so occupied within his own world he lost track of the rest of the conversation. He's now cluelessly blinking at Chariot.
She urgently pulls the sleeve of his shirt so she can whisper. "What do you think?"
"Um… what about your thoughts first. What do you think?"
"I think she sounds convincingly real. I don't know about you, though. Are you still unconvinced?"
He quietly glances at the books that he earlier regarded as worthless, and just seconds ago as non-priority. Now, however, he's more open-minded. The once sceptical look in his eyes when he first saw the books is replaced with contemplation.
I don't see any worth in these books, but the buyer—who appears to be more knowledgeable than I am and could be the champion—seems to see them worthy, despite her already possessing academic texts. There's no hurting in trusting her judgement.
"I'll… buy them", he says after a moment's consideration. He turns to Chariot. "Do you disagree or anything?"
"Silly! You don't need to ask permission", Chariot replies, smiling. "If it makes you happy, I don't want to stop you".
"T-that so?" I hope she's not saying that because she's tired of following me around all day. "Then that settles it. I'll buy them".
Loxley seems delightedly surprised. "Really? Which one?"
The pair exchanges a glance. "We'll have four of them", answers the wizard.
"Two for each of you?" The man chuckles. "Why don't you just buy all five of them?"
The boy frowns. "You really shouldn't push your—"
But Chariot interrupts him. "If we buy all of them there wouldn't be any left for that girl!"
The man laughs heartily.
He smiles at Chariot, his thick whitening beard could barely hide it. "You know? I'm feeling charitable today, so I'm going to charge you for only half".
Chariot replies with a grin of her own. "Yay! You're too kind".
She's— she's too strong.
The pair called it a day after that. Chariot was tired but she's too satisfied to feel it. In their climb towards the Ley Line terminal, the heavy weight of all the things she bought hardly slows her down. The wizard on the other hand, despite only carrying two books, walks slower behind her. It was not the things in his arms that slow him down, but the thoughts that weight in his head.
Thoughts about the mysterious buyer won't leave him. The possibility that he's close to who he's looking for makes him anxious. The further he distances himself from the town, the more his regret for leaving the store before trying harder in questioning Loxley grows. He remedies this by convincing himself Loxley was being honest about being as uninformed as he is about who the girl is, and no amount of effort put in questioning him would give him any satisfying answers.
In the end, I figured that the mysterious buyer is real and the books worth it. But I have no clue who she really is. That's annoying.
He was too slow and too quiet that Chariot didn't realize he's left slightly behind. She waits for him to catch up, but the wizard barely says a word when he finally catches up to her and instead continues walking without waiting for her.
When he passed Chariot, her satisfied smile disappears the moment she sees he doesn't share the same look of satisfaction as her.
Worried, Chariot asks, "Is something the matter?"
"Chariot". Remarks the wizard, as if he just acknowledges her there. "I was just thinking about the girl who wanted these books I now have".
"What about her?"
"Do you know anyone like her, Chariot?"
"No, I don't".
"Maybe you don't recognize her because she's not someone from Luna Nova".
"I guess you could be right. The mister did say she wasn't wearing any uniform".
"Then she's not a student".
"Not necessarily. She could be sneaking out. I know a few who doesn't wear uniforms to do that".
"Hm, you're right".
I remember Amanda mentioning something like that.
"That means she could be a student. I don't know everyone in my school, see, so it might explain why I don't recognize her".
"True, too".
The chances that a witch around our age in this town isn't from Luna Nova is slim. All the witches in this area of our age are mostly concentrated in Luna Nova. The rest, the adults, are either teachers or the ones living in the town.
Chariot is waiting for him to continue. But the conversation drifts into silence as Chariot keeps waiting and waiting until she realizes he's back to his usual silence, too preoccupied in his little tower he calls his mind.
Still wanting the conversation to go, Chariot must be the active one. "Why are you interested in her?"
"Nothing, really", answers Jericho. I can't really tell her, can I? "I, um… figured I won't need to search for more books if I could just borrow from her".
That was a simple lie he made on the spot since he's put a higher priority on figuring out who the champion is than finding books for a good while now.
And just like that, he stops talking again, and silence devours the air around them.
Chariot is noticing this kind of silence keeps happening when she's with him. He says he's thinking when he does that, but Chariot couldn't help but feel something is wrong whenever he does that. Chariot doesn't like thinking negatively about others, but that doesn't mean those thoughts never come across her mind. Chariot now has the wrong impression that he's trying to hide his feelings. But what feelings? The boy wears his feelings up his sleeves most of the time, but when he hides them, he hides them well.
Jericho answer as to why he's interested in the girl was a lie. But Jericho didn't think his lie thoroughly, because Chariot took it at face value, and now she has the impression that he's hiding the fact that he's still troubled about not having the right books despite working so hard to search for them.
At this point, it never crossed Chariot's mind that he's actually worried about something else entirely. But how could anyone blame her? How could anyone know what Jericho really worries about when he never opens up?
But Chariot sees he's worrying about something, and she has her own good guess about what that is. So, nothing is stopping her from trying to fix what she believes to be the problem. So, Chariot starts thinking secretly about what to do about his need for books.
And the idea she hatched was so brilliant it put a smile to her face. Feeling a rush of courage, she has no hesitance in breaking the silence.
"Hey. If you're unhappy with what you have, I have a pretty clever idea".
"Chariot? No, I'm fine with what I have".
Seeing Chariot's eager smile surprises him. She looks eager about something. Where is this coming from?
Chariot isn't convinced with his response, which happens to be honest. But Chariot, thinking he's making another lie to not make Chariot worry, ignores the lie and says, "you'll eventually visit Luna Nova, right?"
"Yes… that's what I promised the nurse", says the wizard.
"I was just wondering that if you wound up unsatisfied with children's books, you can take that opportunity to borrow from my school's library. If anywhere around has an obscure record of something magical, it's my school!"
"But I'm not a girl, Chariot, nor am I a student there. I won't have a chance".
"But I am both, so I do have a chance. Nothing's stopping me from borrowing from the library then passing it onto you".
That makes the wizard stop on his tracks. With a surprised look, he asks, "you'd do that? For me? You're saying you want to do this for me?"
"I mean, it's no big deal". Chariot, on the other hand, keeps walking. But since he stopped, she resorts to going round and round the worrywart boy.
He folds his arms in front of his chest. "But… that means you'd break some rules".
"I know, I know. But in reality, no one checks on what I do with the books! One time, the librarian ignores the fact I forgot I borrowed a book for months!"
"Poor execution of rules is no excuse to break rules", the wizard mutters quickly.
He instantly regrets even saying that.
…Am I lame for worrying about that now?
Oh, wow I'm totally lame right now, aren't I?
He shakes his head and starts to make up his mind. Looking at Chariot, who's on her way circling beside him, he asks, "you sure they have what I'm looking for?"
"I think so. I think so", replies Chariot. She finally stops when she feels she caught his attention.
She looks slightly embarrassed as she scratches the back of her head. "I have a history of sorting through the library's catalogue. Its Miss Finnelan's go-to punishment for me. So, Conan, what do you think?"
Jericho hasn't known Chariot for long, but he could somehow tell that this look in her eyes means she won't take no for an answer.
He knows a few stubborn people in his life. He doesn't question why they're stubborn, just as people don't ask why he's quiet. It's simply their respective natures. The question he often asks himself, however—particularly now with Chariot right in front of him—is 'why now?' Why are they stubborn about this seemingly mundane thing? First when she refused help carrying her bag and now in offering help borrowing book. Why is Chariot suddenly stubborn about not making his days difficult?
Knowing better, he knows not to argue against her. "Fine. If you really want to do it, then I'm not going to stop you".
Chariot grins. She seems unbelievable happy at accepting an errand she's practically jumping. "Yes! You won't regret this. I promise!"
It was Jericho who was offered help, but oddly, it was Chariot who seems most happy on the rest of the trail back home.
Along the way, he finds himself wondering.
Why is she so eager?
Did she think I was upset or something, so she offered help?
I was just thinking to myself though…
At some point of the way, Chariot asks, "Hey, how'd you know we're not allowed to lend our books to outsiders?"
And the wizard would answer "hunch".
Author's Notes:
And there it is, Jericho's deductions lead him closer to the champion of the rod. I wonder if he's going to keep believing his deduction or change his mind...
A mysterious girl who is seemingly obsessed with the Grand Triskellion and the 7 Words of Arcturus and loves to wear a hoodie. I wonder who that is…
No need to be surprised by the update speed of this chapter. Because this and the previous chapter was once one chapter, which I decided to cut to make the first half quicker to deliver to you guys.
Next chapter we'll follow Chariot as she tries to fulfil her promise. That's right, folks, we'll get a glimpse of Luna Nova in Chariot's time through Chariot's eyes. Wonder what's in store there…
Also, I'm happy to see some of y'all listening to my recommendations and checking out that fanfic I gave a shout out to. Even leaving some comments there! You're all wonderful.