"It does have a few interesting spells though,
Young Master Vaan might want to study them.
I've combined all the Spell Directories into a single, consolidated version for convenience. I've taken care to separate them properly, so it shouldn't be an issue for Young Master. However, if Young Master prefers the original versions of the seven directories, I still have those available as well."
Seraphina spoke as she passed the notebook to Vaan.
"Oh?"
Vaan raised his eyebrow as he took the book and skimmed through it for a while,
"I didn't think you would bring something like this."
Of course, Vaan was impressed.
Right now, what he needed the most were these Spell Directories. His Swordsmanship training with his father was alright, however, in the end, Vaan was still a mage.
Even though he was training with his father, it didn't mean he had stopped practicing Magic, he had already learned all the spells from the directories he got through the little 'challenge' he had arranged.
Now, he needed more.
And Seraphina brought him more.
And she did it so effortlessly that Vaan was taken aback.
Not to mention the format of the Spell Directory was perfect, normally, Mages, if they ever create one, usually mentioned the spells they mostly in their directory. Which, was of course, absolutely useless for Vaan since without knowing the basic building blocks of the mage's Magic Language, understanding his new spells was simply impossible, even for Vaan.
That is the reason Vaan specified a certain pattern of Spell Directory he needed when he announced the challenge, and here, Seraphina had followed that exact pattern.
"Young Master Vaan gave me an opportunity to travel with one of the strongest mages in the world, returning empty-handed felt discourteous, so although nothing I can give you is something you cannot get your hands on yourself, I hope these directories are enough to show my sincerity," Seraphina answered respectfully.
Vaan raised his eyebrow,
"I did not give you this opportunity, it was Lady Eliza you did it."
"I doubt she would have done that if you weren't there." Seraphina's response was instantaneous.
"Alright Alright, let us set some ground rules first,
The way you talk, change it.
It is too respectful.
Talk normally, respect common boundaries, however, do not always keep your head bowed and talk more fluidly.
You will be my secretary in the future, I can't have you talk to me as if you are suppressed or threatened by me,
It ruins my image as a peace-loving and calm man."
"I understand."
Seraphina nodded.
By now, she was already used to Vaan's antics.
There were so many things Vaan said that she wanted to snort and completely dismiss, however, right now, she was in no position to do so.
Not right now, not till she is capable enough to stand on her own and make a new, stronger base.
Until then… she needed to act like she was loyal to this man and win his trust.
While Seraphina was thinking about all this, Vaan continued to observe her as well.
Honestly, Seraphina addressing him this politely and going out of her way to try and impress him, this felt too strange. Vaan didn't trust Seraphina, there was no way this girl would actually submit to him so quickly.
So when Seraphina addressed him so respectfully, Vaan got a feeling that he was being scammed.
A feeling he didn't like at all. That was why he ordered Seraphina to talk normally.
He was the one who did the scamming. Not the other way around.
That was not how it worked.
The dynamics here needed to be changed.
Thinking about it, a smile appeared on Vaan's face,
"Anyways, you did well by bringing the Spell Directories and combining them into one like this.
So this will be your first task as my secretary,
Gather as many of these Spell Directories as you can.
The Elements, Tier, and Quality of spells don't matter, just gather as many Spell Directories as possible, even the trash.
And of course, I don't want you to use any of the resources while doing that.
If I wanted to buy them, I could have done it myself.
This is like a test for you,
A test to prove your capabilities.
So the more Directories you gather, the better it would be."
Vaan spoke with a smile on his face.
"Can I ask why Young Master Vaan needs so many Spell Directories?"
Seraphina questioned with a curious look on her face.
Vaan narrowed his eyes, Seraphina understood and quickly stepped back,
"I apologize, I shouldn't have crossed my limits."
"Don't be too eager, you will know about it yourself as you win my trust eventually."
"I understand."
Seraphina bowed her head.
"You have just returned from a long journey, so return to your mansion and take some rest," Vaan ordered.
"I wish you a productive and resourceful day."
Seraphina nodded then she bowed her head and walked out of the room.
As she left, a small smile appeared on Vaan's face.
"Guess we have new spells to learn huh."
He commented.
"Krriii~"
Flamey, who was sitting on his right shoulder exclaimed.
"Guru Gurrr?" Splashy was the same, however, for the little water spirit, rather than the new spells, something else was much more important.
Seeing Splashy patting her stomach, Vaan couldn't help but chuckle,
"Yes, Yes, I haven't forgotten, come here, I'll feed you."
"Guurr!"
A bright smile appeared on Spalshy's face.
Flamey as a responsible bit sister just smiled and let Splashy have her fill first.
…
Time passed, Vaan's days weren't much different from before, training with Elara, then his father, then his own Magic Training where he learned the new spells Seraphina brought with her and adding some of the useful spells into his own Spell Directory.
Vaan himself searched for some Inner Circles as well, although doing this normally was time-consuming, Vaan felt like he shouldn't rely on Spell Directories too much.
Elara had the same opinion as well,
Copying other Mage's spells was an overpowered ability, however, to become an exceptional mage, one has to choose his own path, Vaan may not need to do it right now, since he was only a Basic Mage, however, in the future, when he jumps ranks and becomes Intermediate and Advance Mage, he needed his own spells, spells that could represent him as an individual.
It wouldn't be good if he gets too reliant on these Spell Directories, he still needed to keep his mind open and have more options available.
Especially when the biggest treasure trove for any mage, the Vesta Library was right within his reach. Relying on the Spell Directories of other mages and ignoring the Vesta Library would be outright foolish.
Therefore, even though Vaan spent considerable time learning spells from the Spell Directories he gathered, he made sure to spend at least 2 hours in Vesta Library and learn something new.
Magic was an art based on knowledge after all.
And all Mages were a bunch of nerds.
'Tsk, to think I've become what I've always hated.'
Vaan shook his head as he snorted inwardly.
Anyways, just like this, a week had passed, and it was finally 1st Octavian 5039, it was the time Vesta Children returned from the Agresia Academy for their month-long vacation.
Yes, it was time for Vaan's brothers and sisters to return.
And, at the same time, the Year 5039's Elemental Clash was about to start, in 2 weeks.
Right now, Vaan, Elara, and people from the Vesta Family were standing in the Vesta Hall with Astra sitting on the Family Head's position, in the middle of the hall stood 16 young mages.
They were the Young Vesta Mages who had returned from the Agresia Academy.
"Children of the Vesta Family, welcome back to your home."
Astra greeted with a light smile on her face.
"Thank you, Family Head."
The Man standing in the front bowed his head as he answered, he was Vaelen Vesta, the oldest son of Draven Elysia Vesta, and,
The strongest out of the 'Young' Vesta Mages, a prospective heir with the highest chance of inheriting the Family Head's position, a 5th Circle Intermediate Mage.
Vaelen wasn't a student in the Agresia Academy, after becoming an Intermediate Mage, he was automatically promoted to a teacher.
Mages were already rare as is and not many of these already rare mages could become Intermediate Mages.
The strength and status the Intermediate Mages possessed wasn't weak, one shouldn't, Seraphina's father, Anderson Stormweaver, he had recently broken through and became an Intermediate Mage, and that alone, helped his 'Magic Family' rise in rankings.
Intermediate Mages may look common when it comes to the Vesta Family, however, in the real world, Intermediate Mages were people who could start their own Magic Family.
Even the largest academy in the world didn't have the capability to teach Intermediate Mages.
They could only be teachers there.
"I believe your journey was comfortable?"
Astra questioned.
"Yes, it was."
Vaelen nodded. Then, with a confident smile on his face,
"And now that I have returned, I am excited to witness this year's Elemental Clash,
I would love to see how strong my fellow Vesta Mages have gotten.
After all, as the future head, it is my responsibility to keep an eye on how the future mages of my family are doing."
