The Liberomancer [Isekai Progression LitRPG]

Jiah Pei waved off his own suggestion with that throwaway comment, but I had a feeling that he had been serious when suggesting it. That he really would consider that kind of alliance if she was still unwed.

Was that the only reason that Jiah Pei had wanted to invite me? Because he saw me as an investment for the future?

A part of me hated that I was becoming so cynical, but I couldn't help it. Once I had reached Rank Three, and even slightly before that when I had been let go from Lauren's shop - I had seen how much politics were involved in the background when it came to Liberomancy. It was not as simple or straightforward as I'd originally thought when I came to this world. I was convinced of this even more so given the new position I had found myself in.

I did not want to sink into the mire that was Arconia's politics, but had found myself unable to avoid it.

"No, thank you, I have work tomorrow," I told him. "I need my head on straight."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself - might be the last drink you take though. Who knows what'll happen tomorrow and the day after that? If I died tomorrow, I know one of my regrets would be: 'I should've taken another glass!' Hah!" He then downed it in a single motion.

"Wait - are you participating?" I asked him.

"In what?"

"I mean, are you going to fight?" I asked. I thought that he, much like Granny Qi, would stay on the sidelines.

"Of course!"

"But…" I was going to say 'you're old' but realized that he would find that extremely offensive. "...you don't have to, right?"

"Have to? Well, maybe I could get an exception for my age, but why would I? Do you think those dryads are going to give me an exception for my age if they breach those walls when deciding whether or not to kill me? No! And if I have to die to save one of you pups, so be it. I would prefer dying on my feet than passing away from sickness anyway," he said.

I glanced around. "Speaking of, I don't see the rest of your family here… do you live alone?" He still had a pretty big house by even a wealthy merchant's standards, but it looked like it was just him and his servants. The size of the house just made it even more apparent just how empty much of it was. People in Arconia mostly lived in big joint families from what I'd seen - it was uncommon for children to move out even when they had hit adulthood.

"Well, I still have a big family," he said. "Many of them have moved out though - you see, or are doing something right now. Siege's been keeping everyone busy. That and ah, one of my sons and I had a little misunderstanding and he's been out of the house for a while now - but we'll patch things up soon enough."

"Right, right," I said.

We continued talking about lighter topics after that. He did try asking me stuff about home - questions which I really couldn't answer fully, but he didn't seem to mind much.

The conversation then switched to him telling me stories about earlier in his life and his opinions on various things going on within Arconia.

There was quite a bit to learn from him as well as wisdom in his words, but we couldn't stay up talking all night. Both of us had matters to attend to.

"Alright, sorry, but that's enough from me," he said after he had clearly reached his limit on drinking. "But just you wait, if the two of us survive this, let's have a real party - and I'll even invite the rest of my family for that one!"

I smiled. "Absolutely. And I wanted to thank you for supporting me back there." He had been the one who had first said anything positive about me in that room - and I was sure that was a major reason as to why the job had gone so smoothly.

"No problem my boy," he said. "Talent needs to recognize talent…"

I led him to his bed whereupon he fell asleep almost immediately. "If you want… it's late, you can pick any room here…" he mumbled before drifting off.

That was a fine offer, but I had to go back as I had things to do next morning. I told who I thought was the head housekeeper that I was leaving before exiting - the driver of the carriage was still dutifully parked outside.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

When I got home I had expected Granny Qi to be fast asleep, but she was still up, praying before the Goddess Serragnin. As I'd imagine many families were doing right now, actually.

"Finally home?" she said, still keeping her eyes closed.

"Ah, sorry, that lasted for much longer than I'd thought," I told her, a foot already on the stairs that led up to my room.

"Wait," she said and nothing further beyond that single word, but I stayed put. Five minutes later she was done and turned towards me. "I have something for you." It took her a few moments to find a special key kept in a drawer which she used to open up a chest I'd never seen her use, but which was buried beneath a few others that I had to help her shift.

The lock was rusty but still opened up with a satisfying click! when the key was turned.

She pulled out a book wrapped in a leather cover, though its light green aura leaking from each page was still visible. It was a grimoire, and the only thing that was in that chest.

"This is one of the last grimoires my husband wrote," she said, hands tracing over the cover. "It grants the Rank Three spell [Grand Fireball]… he never got around to putting it up for sale before he passed away, leaving that task to me. I couldn't find it in my heart to sell it, even after all of these years." She embraced the book like a mother would her infant. She then took a long look at it before turning around and trying to hand it to me. "I want you to have it."

"Granny Qi, I can't take this," I protested. "For one, I don't have the money to pay for-" I was going to tell her that I didn't have the cash to pay for it given I had spent quite a bit of my savings on supplies in preparation for leaving Arconia, and while I did have two Rank Three grimoires to sell, I had not put them up for sale as of yet - saving them for the merchant caravan. But, I wasn't able to finish my sentence before Granny Qi smacked me over the head. It wasn't hard mind you - but it was the first time she had ever struck me. She had been annoyed at me more times than I could've counted; though this was the first time she had decided to express it physically.

"Idiot - did I ever ask you for money? I'm saying that this is yours now!"

I shook my head. "No, Granny Qi, it wasn't about the money - I meant to say that this is one of the last things that you have that belonged to your husband - how could I take it like that?"

"Tell me child, why do people write grimoires?" she asked, exasperated.

"To sell them later or trade them for-"

"No! They write grimoires because someday, someone will read them!" she said, hands now shaking. "He would not have wanted this collecting dust and then eventually rotting away, turning all of his effort into naught, now then would he? He would've wanted someone to read it - otherwise he might as well have lit this grimoire on fire for all the good it would do to the world!"

"Are… you sure?" I asked her.

"Tell me one thing," she said. "If, I learned that in the upcoming fight, that the spell [Grand Fireball] could've saved your life, but you had instead died because you lacked it, could I live with myself then? These dryads are weak to fire, no? Would it not be better that this be with someone who could use it to save the city instead of being food for the spiders in a cabinet? Forget that - what if you can't defend the city properly because of a lack of this, and then those dryads swarm in and tear my head off, but oh, this grimoire would still be safe in its box? Do you think my husband would've wanted that?"

"No…" I said, not having expected such passion in her voice.

"This is the last thing that remains of him - and also his legacy," she said. "His legacy is teaching someone [Grand Fireball] - and may that legacy live on through you, child. May his legacy help in protecting this city he lived in all of his life. That is what he would've wanted."

"Granny Qi, you say all of that - but if that were true, that you wanted someone to read it, wouldn't you have sold this a long time ago? You've kept it for so long - doesn't that mean that it's special for you?" I asked her. She clearly had some attachment to that grimoire beyond its use to teach [Grand Fireball], which is why she'd even bothered keeping it this long.

She nodded. "It is special - which is why I would have never given it to a stranger. To you, however, yes, I have no regrets in doing so."

There was a lot unsaid in those words. Foremost being that it meant that I wasn't just some random stranger. Secondly, that we were simply not landlord and tenant or two people who just had a business transaction. Could we call ourselves family now? She certainly seemed to think so, giving me the grimoire like she was handing it to her eldest son when he finally came of age.

I had no objections to give at that time, and I took the grimoire from her. "But… I wouldn't want to take this without giving you anything in return." The grimoire was likely the most expensive thing she had - aside from her house. Her fields back in her village would not grow anything for a while due to the dryad invasion, and I didn't know how the rest of her businesses were affected either.

"We can speak of that after this is over," she said, waving her hand, delaying the matter, though I resolved that I would not forget it. "Now get some rest! It's getting late already!"

Her annoyance melted as I approached her and gave her a hug - it was a spur-of-the-moment thing, and was likely very awkward. However, she didn't pull away, and she got the sentiment, even if I hadn't voiced it. "Thank you for taking care of me." I then added, "I can't remember any of my grandparents." She gave me a confused look - it was not often that I spoke of my life before coming to Chipker. "They had all died by the time I was two - though I always wondered what it would've been like to have met them if I was a bit older. Hearing the other kids talk about their own grandparents... I couldn't help but feel jealous. It's only now though that I realized just how much I'd missed out on."

She gently wiped away a single tear from the corner of her eye in response. "Since when did a blockhead like you get so good with words?"

"If I wasn't so good with words, I wouldn't be able to write grimoires like I do," I said, and she chuckled before turning in for the night.

"I'm serious - go to sleep!" she yelled out before leaving.