Clutching her giant sword, EeDechi strolled through the living room, completely oblivious to the terrifying dangers lurking within the castle. She moved as if she were in her own home, casually scanning the room's four corners.
On the floor lay a toppled iron ladder cart, surrounded by several books splattered with bloodstains. It seemed someone had been standing on the cart, reaching for a book, when they were suddenly attacked. They crashed to the ground along with the cart, the books they held scattering as blood gushed from their chest and abdomen, staining the pages red.
A row of wooden shelves was nailed to the wall, holding several glass retorts filled with strange potions that shimmered faintly. One glass bottle had been shattered, its brownish-yellow liquid spilling out and drying into droplet-like stains on the wall.
The floor was littered with torn parchment scrolls and a striking pool of dark red blood. This place seemed to be a wizard's lair, but it had been raided, and the attacker was clearly far more powerful than the resident.
To the side of the living room stood a fireplace, its grooves embedded with a few gleaming red magic crystals. In the center of the room was an oak roundtable, surrounded by five cushioned chairs upholstered with goat fleece. One chair was pulled out, facing the table's side.
Surveying the scene, which looked like the aftermath of a murder, EeDechi could picture a late autumn night. A group of wizards had gathered here, excitedly discussing something.
The magical flames in the fireplace danced, casting a warm glow. One of the wizards, caught up in the moment, had pushed the ladder cart over to grab a book from the shelf.
As he climbed the ladder cart, face pressed against the bookshelf, arm stretched to pull out a few books, an unknown assailant burst in. The wizards in the living room barely had time to react before their lives were snuffed out.
EeDechi rubbed her chin, lost in thought. She approached the roundtable, where a thick book lay open. Curiosity piqued, she picked it up.
The book felt solid and heavy in her hands, its cover made of tough leather, embossed with bold, gold-lettered words: The Mystery of Magic.
She flipped to the title page, where elegant, high-quality paper bore the book's name in ornate script, followed by a long list of names—likely the authors—and a small note at the bottom: Under revision.
EeDechi skimmed a few pages. The book was packed with high-level magic spells, casting techniques, magical effects, and dense, arcane theoretical knowledge.
Ever since she'd been transported to this world, EeDechi knew she had an extraordinary knack for Arcane Magic. She could master almost any spell at a glance, not to mention her overpowered skill, The Magic Repeater. But the highest magic she'd encountered so far was 3rd Tier, and without a grand wizard to guide her, she'd never had the chance to systematically study higher-tier spells.
By the way, the number of repeats for the Magic Repeater is calculated as 11 minus the tier of the magic. For instance, for a tier 5 magic, the number of repeats would be 11 - 5 = 6.
EeDechi opened the book and dove in, reading intently, treating the place like a library instead of the danger-riddled, eerie castle it was…
Before long, she'd mastered a relatively simple 5th Tier spell: Advanced Item Identification.
The adventurer captain, gripping the hefty book, put her new knowledge to use and cast the spell:
5th Tier Magic: Artifact Appraisal!
Lines of text materialized before her eyes:
[Item Name: The Mystery of Magic]
[Type: Book]
[Authors: Check the book yourself]
[Enchantments: 4th Tier Permanent Durability, Waterproof Aura, Stain Resistance, Pest-Repelling Aura, 3rd Tier Ink Immunity, Heat Resistance]
[Notes: Due to its enchantments, you can't scribble on it with ordinary ink, but you can learn a ton of 4th Tier and 5th Tier spells from it, plus clues for even higher-tier magic.
Way back in the empire's early days, wizards (aka Magic Casters) set out to compile a book covering all of The Mystery of Magic. Drafts were passed down through generations, finally compiled into the original version 30 years ago, and later revised into this one.
Arrogant mages found a diamond outside a magical mine and thought they'd claimed the world's entire treasure trove.]
This spell's pretty cool! EeDechi blinked, the text fading from her vision. She picked up a white quill pen from the table and cast the spell again:
5th Tier Magic: Artifact Appraisal!
The text reappeared in her sight:
[Item Name: Quill Pen]
[Type: Pen]
[Quality: Swan Feather]
[Enchantments: None]
[Notes:
This is just an ordinary pen, plain as plain can be;
I know what's on your mind, even wizards use a pen that's ordinary.
People care if the pen works well, ignoring the feather's lament;
That graceful white swan, with its proud neck so elegantly bent.
Swimming through the clear lake, feasting on shrimp and fish,
Spreading wings to soar the clouds, fulfilling every wish.
But once it's caught, it meets its end, no more to glide or flee,
Its white feathers stripped away, steamed goose it comes to be. ]
"Hahahaha! Hahahaha! This is so funny!" EeDechi burst into wild laughter.
Her timing couldn't have been worse. Her three jittery teammates stared at her, baffled, wondering if their captain had lost her marbles in this creepy castle.
Nearby, Stella knelt on the floor, cradling her teacher's withered corpse, tears still clinging to her cheeks. She glanced at EeDechi, her eyes brimming with confusion.
"What's wrong? You lose your mind or something?" Barrett asked, stunned.
"Your mind's the one that's lost! Ahem, sorry, folks, got a bit carried away there." EeDechi waved them off, signaling she was fine, then tucked the hefty The Mystery of Magic into her spatial ring.
Suddenly, a spark of intuition hit her. She pulled a Bronze Seal from her chest. The seal hovered above her palm, spinning smoothly.
EeDechi blinked and cast the spell:
5th Tier Magic: Artifact Appraisal!
Unlike before, a line of bold red text appeared at the top of her vision:
[Magic Item Level Too High, Unable to Retrieve Complete Information]
Even so, fragmented lines of text flickered into her sight:
[Item Name: Ban]
[Type: Magical Seal]
[…Range Magic: Comprehensive Ban…]
[Remarks: …Indiscriminate…]
[Non-Targeted Magic: The Great Banishment]
[Remarks: Use with caution… Within ten days… Maximum of three uses… Otherwise…]
[Unique Passive: Magic Aura One: Affection… Lost…]
[Remarks: …Betrayal by all…]
[Unique Passive: Sealed Space…]
[Remarks: …]
…
If Ainz could see these words, he would surely exclaim, "This magic aura is way too overpowered!"
[Unique Passive: Magic Aura Three: Suppresses all eavesdropping, surveillance, and detection magic.]
[Remarks: So, does public opinion still want to monitor me?]