Low-Fantasy Occultist Isekai

Crossing the grassland to the Valis River took Nick about half a day. It would have been less, but he decided to take a quick detour southeast, around the Hunter's Temple, to avoid leaving direct tracks for anyone to follow.

Maybe it was just paranoia, but he liked to see himself as ready for anything.

Despite that, he still made it to the majestic river just in time for a late lunch.

It seemed like a trivial use for his newest workhorse spell, but summoning a trout from the water with [One with the Storm] and frying it midair using a gentle electrical current let him eat his fill without even getting his hands dirty, since he held it up with telekinesis.

Truly, magic made everything easier. If only I could summon salt, I'd never need to buy anything again.

Considering his class, that probably should have been a higher priority. Purifying salts made for great magic circles, after all, and any occultist knew not to summon anything without a proper binding circle.

But Nick had long since outgrown the need for such things. He still used every ingredient to ensure his rituals succeeded, but he wasn't dependent on them anymore.

If anything, being able to cast a Greater ritual on his own allowed him to be that arrogant.

In the far distance, a massive stone bridge hovered above the water, yet Nick could sense it wasn't anchored to the ground. It took him a moment to recognize what it was, but when he detected the delicate yet incredibly dense spells woven around it, he understood.

A drawbridge of impossible size, if built with Earth's construction methods, floated just a few inches above the ground, giving the appearance of a normal stone structure.

Only someone with senses as sharp as Nick's could see it for what it truly was. The keystone of a defensive array, the likes of which he'd never encountered before.

The magic was incredibly complex, made up of hundreds, if not thousands, of tiny inscriptions on each stone, so small they couldn't be seen with the naked eye but glowed with power to his sight.

Alluria's massive walls stretched high before it, dormant for now, but Nick could see the gap in their structure and knew that once the bridge was raised, defensive spells of the likes he couldn't possibly fathom would activate, turning the city into an impenetrable fortress.

The magic is old, probably over a century old. There are some newer additions to reflect recent practices, I assume, but the overall structure is from a different era.

Considering that around the time the wards were raised, Alluria had been the last bastion of Berea before the wild grassland where the beastmen's tribes lived, such defenses made sense.

These days, Nick imagined they didn't see much use. The grassland was still mostly wild, but the 'enemy' no longer existed as a united entity, having been fractured and pushed to the far corners of the kingdom, while the presence of Floria and the other border towns on the edge of the Green Ocean made it impossible for a large wave of monsters to form.

Essentially, the protections over Alluria were relics of the past, yet they seemed to be carefully maintained. From a cursory observation, Nick couldn't find any weakness to exploit.

Not that he planned to attack the city, no, but it was sort of a professional habit for him to look for ways to break into any ward.

I need to study this more carefully. I doubt I'll have to force my way in, but they are by far the best protections I've seen, so figuring out a way through will help sharpen my skills. I've gotten a bit too comfortable with frontal assaults lately anyway. An Occultist should always keep their subtler abilities ready.

Despite his academic interests, Nick still had some tasks to handle today. So he hurried to the bridge, where a thin line of people was coming and going.

Since it was past midday, most of the merchant traffic had already ended, but he could see a few people carrying large sacks walking toward the entrance, and he took his place behind them, smiling politely when one of the men turned as he approached.

"A kid?" The man muttered, before shaking his head, apparently unbothered.

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That was a different reaction than he expected, considering his sudden appearance, but if he didn't have to explain himself, he was perfectly happy to just keep walking.

Fortunately, the line moved quickly, as what he was pretty sure were adventurers returning from a hunt were checked in by the guards stationed at the open gates and directed away, toward a sign that read "monster processing."

A few minutes later, it was his turn, and he walked up to the nearest soldier, nodding politely. "Good afternoon, gentlemen."

"Aye, good afternoon," the man replied, eyeing him curiously. "Don't remember you leaving. Are you a student of the tower?"

His tone was skeptical, which was understandable given his relatively young age. He wouldn't be the youngest student once he passed, but it wasn't common for anyone under sixteen to attempt the tests.

"Ah, no. First time visitor," Nick replied, and before the soldier could question him further, he pulled out the silver plaque his father had given him for this exact situation.

The man stiffened upon seeing it, taking it with careful hands. He turned it over, tapping it with his fingers first and then a dark crystal stick, and only when it emitted a soft glow did he nod. "Everything looks to be in order. Welcome to Alluria, young lord."

With that, he stepped aside, signaling for him to walk through the gates. Nick had expected to pay a fee to enter and had prepared some coins, depending on the amount, but apparently, being a nobleman came with extra benefits.

"Thank you for your hard work," he said, earning a surprised look from the soldier, before moving on. He didn't want to hold up the line, even if only a few people were behind him, and everyone had stepped back upon seeing the silver tag.

Nick quickly made it disappear, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with how rapidly everyone had changed their behavior. It might make things run more smoothly, but I don't want to be treated like a bomb about to explode.

Before he could get lost in the implications of that, he passed through the stone archway and entered Alluria proper, and all thoughts left him.

Where Floria, Honeyton, and Oakenhallow were lively, small towns where the market district could be crowded with only a few hundred people going about their day, Alluria was ten times larger than any of them, and its population was proportionally bigger.

Today shouldn't be a special day. As far as I know, the end-of-season festival is still over a month away.

And yet, there were enough people out and about to dwarf what Floria saw on its busiest day. For someone like him, who had once lived in a modern world, the sight shouldn't have been so shocking, but there was a small part of him who was still young, who couldn't help but gape.

Cobblestone paths, swept meticulously clean, wound their way between lively stalls and shops, their awnings vibrant with bright colors.

Aromas of spiced meats, fresh-baked bread, and sweet pastries filled the air, blending pleasantly with the faint scent of incense drifting from nearby stalls.

Merchants eagerly called out to passersby, displaying shimmering crystals, enchanted amulets, and glowing bottles of potions that they claimed would cure any illness.

Right beside them, simpler stalls sold fresh produce, intricately woven clothes, and hand-carved wooden toys. Everywhere Nick looked, people from all walks of life were bargaining, buying, and selling.

Adventurers, dressed in armor both shiny and battle-scarred, laughed together as they looked at enchanted daggers and rune-marked leather armor, trying to persuade one of their group to splurge.

A young mage in colorful robes demonstrated a small, floating flame orb to an amazed group of wide-eyed children, drawing excited gasps as he transformed it into various animal shapes.

Peasants moved easily through the crowd, baskets full of goods tucked under their arms, exchanging friendly greetings with passing friends.

Nick could even spot wealthier patrons, dressed in fine clothes and bearing an aristocratic air, accompanied by guards and a retinue, which moved through the crowds without stopping, with people letting them pass without hesitation.

In the distant distance, beyond the colorful shops and busy stalls, the majestic silhouette of an ancient castle rose, undoubtedly the Duke's seat, as indicated by the sapphire banners flying above.

Nearby, a tall tower etched with spiraling runes reached high into the sky, hundreds of feet above even the castle.

That was Nick's eventual goal: the magic tower. But for now, he had a few things to take care of.

I'd like to start selling right away, but I doubt any shop here would buy more than a single thunderhoof, and I don't want to advertise my spatial ring so openly. First, I'll visit Xander's place. Dad gave me a letter and said he'd host me, but I want to confirm there won't be any problems. After that, I can begin searching for buyers.

The instructions he'd been given were fairly straightforward. He needed to follow the Market Street until it brought him to a large plaza, where he'd have to turn right and continue that way until he entered a quieter neighborhood, where manses and nobility lived away from the noise of the crowds.

Nick took longer than expected to reach the plaza, so much so that he almost decided to take to the air. However, the wards he'd observed earlier formed a dome over the city, and he didn't want to risk what they might do if he took off without permission.

It was possible they wouldn't do anything. As far as he could tell, the entire array was in some kind of low-power mode, but it only took one catalyst to activate the whole system, and he didn't want to be the one to do it.

That, and the concentration of mages I can feel everywhere, means I'd be noticed long before I found the right manse.

So he trudged through the street, careful to avoid the densest parts of the crowd and keeping an eye on what was being sold.

Already, he'd noticed several things that could improve his life. A sturdier cloak, for example. The one he wore now wasn't terrible, but it wasn't magical either. While he could probably weave enchantments himself, he was now in a city full of mages, where he'd find plenty of options.

There were also many different kinds of street foods being sold, from fried eggs on brightly colored sticks to a surprising variety of sweets.

Considering the overall technology level, Nick wouldn't have expected sugar to be so abundant. Floria had some honey and sugar cane production, but nothing that could support this level of indulgence.

They must have a better way to produce it here. Or maybe, all the mages wanted to enjoy sweets and found a way to speed up the growth of sugar cane.

With magic, the possibilities were endless. Admittedly, he hadn't spent much time thinking about how much his magic could improve Floria's quality of life, but then again, with Marthas blessing the fields, the yields this year were already incredibly high.

After finally reaching the plaza, Nick paused to ask a guard for directions. He was fairly confident he had it right, as there were only two roads to his right, and one of them appeared to lead toward a poorer residential area, but he didn't want to risk getting hopelessly lost.

"Yeah, the noble district is that way, but you have to be invited to get in, kid," the man grunted, eyeing his travel clothes suspiciously.

Nick sighed, took out his silver plaque, and once again revealed his noble status. Hopefully, it won't become a habit.