At the table, Renato stared at the incomprehensible magical formulas on the parchment and rubbed his throbbing temples.
"Renato, this is just the simplest spell, 'Light.' It took me less than two hours to learn it on my own." Perly slumped over the table in boredom, her chin resting on her arms. "And I was only ten then."
"What exactly don't you understand? I've explained it almost ten times, and you've been studying it for nearly three hours. It's just a cantrip. The model is simple; all you have to do is plug in the relevant formulas..."
"All right, Perly. I think I know what the problem is."
"Oh?" Perly raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "You've finally finished the first step? Don't rush to cast it yet. First, follow the steps in the spellbook to build the model and connect to the Weave..."
Renato simply closed the spellbook and handed it back to Perly.
"The problem is that I actually wanted to learn these useless spells. I must have slept myself stupid yesterday."
"Hey, how can you call 'Light' useless? It's one of the most practical cantrips there is." Perly glared at him, gesturing with her hands. "I can name more than ten situations where this cantrip would come in handy..."
"Yes, yes. Then you can handle casting 'Light' from now on," Renato said dismissively. "Hurry up and identify the Crown of Intellect. We've already wasted the whole morning. I'm not a street performer, so why did I ever want to learn tricks... Maybe I really do need this Circlet to boost my intelligence today."
Perly snatched the Circlet he held out and said angrily:
"You certainly do need to boost your intelligence! You're the one who asked me to teach you magic, ordering me to do this and that... I'm a mage, not a mule! I've spent the whole morning teaching you, and I haven't even had a sip of water!"
Despite her complaints, her hands moved briskly. Perly had made all the preparations the night before and could cast the spell at any time.
She took out a pearl and recited an incantation. The pearl dissolved into a soft glow that clung to her palm, then slowly touched the Circlet under her guidance.
A moment later, the faint light faded. With her eyes closed, Perly stated confidently:
"This Circlet isn't under the influence of any other spells. There are no curses or harmful spells on it."
"The item isn't enchanted with a complete spell, so it doesn't require attunement. Its effects are more or less what Malik described: it improves the wearer's memory and speed of thought within certain limits."
"As for side effects like dizziness... I didn't detect any. Those should be issues with the wearer rather than anything caused by the Circlet."
Perly picked up the Circlet and placed it on Renato's head.
"Here, try it. Don't worry about the size. This Circlet adjusts itself automatically, but I need to activate that function with my mana. Hold still."
In her hands, the Crown of Intellect slowly changed shape, gradually fitting itself to Renato's head.
Only when it matched perfectly did the Circlet settle into place, fitting better than one made to measure.
A cool sensation spread from between his brows. It wasn't physical cold, yet it slowly seeped through his scalp, bringing a surge of clarity to Renato's mind.
He felt that the "speed" of his thinking had increased. His thoughts flowed like light, smooth and effortless.
"A sudden increase in intelligence often makes people overestimate their ability to calculate," Perly cautioned. "I've drunk an Arcane Wisdom potion before, so I know how it feels. But that's only an illusion, Renato. I suggest you close your eyes and adjust to this change in perception."
Renato closed his eyes, but not because of the Crown of Intellect's effects. It was because the [Adventurer's Guide] had suddenly appeared before him.
[Equipment] Crown of Intellect: This silver-plated Circlet was designed and crafted by Moon Elves. A moonstone inscribed with magic is set in its center. While wearing this Circlet, your Intelligence becomes 14, the value granted by the Circlet. If your Intelligence without the Circlet is already equal to or greater than the value it grants, this item has no effect. Requirements: Perception 14, Resolve 12 Rarity: Uncommon
It was a new feature of the [Guide]. Having already experienced the class-change feature, he wasn't unfamiliar with this.
Renato wondered why the new feature had suddenly unlocked. Had he gained it by leveling up?
Probably not. Renato promptly dismissed the idea. After leveling up yesterday, he had specifically checked the [Adventurer's Guide], and there had been no new sections.
[Equipment] displayed only the Crown of Intellect. Could it be because of that?
What was special about this Circlet...
After turning it over in his mind, Renato came up with one possibility.
This was Renato's first time wearing a magic item, which was why the new feature had appeared. Just as [Quests] had appeared when he completed his first adventure quest.
Renato turned the [Adventurer's Guide] to the [Character] page.
[Character] Renato de Fernando Race: Human Class: Champion Warrior level 6 (500/5000), Chosen of Dakoul level 1 (30/?) HP: 72/72 Strength 15 Constitution 14 Dexterity 14 Perception 15 Intelligence 11 (+3) Resolve 15 Feats: Heavy Armor Proficiency, Martial Weapon Proficiency, Swordsmanship Specialization, Darkvision, Mind Over Body Skills: Religion Knowledge level 6, History Knowledge level 4, Linguistics level 4, Group Tactics level 3, Riding level 2
After checking his character panel, he heard Perly ask cautiously:
"Renato, a brief period of confused thinking is normal. How do you feel right now? If your head hurts, tell me first..."
Perly's worried gaze made Renato set aside his exploration of the new feature for the moment.
"The Circlet is great. I feel like I'm thinking much faster."
Once the Circlet was fitted, Perly also helped identify the bottle of unknown potion they had seized. There were no surprises. It was only an ordinary Potion of Health, used to prevent common illnesses, and it was worth less than the pearl consumed in casting the spell.
Sunlight fell across the windowsill, shrinking the curtain's shadow to its shortest length.
"It's already noon, Perly. What would you like to eat?" Renato took out the menu he had kept after ordering yesterday. "Honey-glazed beef ribs. How does that sound?"
"No, there's no need. I still have plenty of white bread in my bag..."
"You spent the whole morning teaching me magic. This meal is on me. We can celebrate successfully finishing yesterday's quest while we're at it."
"But I didn't even manage to teach you a single cantrip." Perly shook her head and declined. "Renato, you're much smarter than I am. I just don't know how to explain the formulas, and I'm not good enough myself... An apprentice really can't teach someone else magic..."
Renato opened the door and called to the server at the front desk.
He paid no attention to her muttering. Young people had a strong sense of pride; Renato understood that.
He reached out and drew the bashful Perly to his side, whispering in her ear:
"Then I'll punish you. Since you wasted my whole morning, your punishment is to have lunch with me and help me strip all the meat off the bones."
Looking at the hands resting firmly on her shoulders, Perly's ears flushed slightly, and she murmured:
"All right. I'll help you, then..."
At the door, the half-elf server Lailas looked at Perly nestled quietly in Renato's arms, her expression twitching slightly. She wasn't naive enough to think they were father and daughter, siblings, or any other sort of relatives.
"What would you two like to order? Today's specialty at the Silver Deer Inn is bacon-wrapped asparagus, made by wrapping fresh asparagus spears in thick-cut bacon and roasting them..."
Hearing the half-elf's professionally pleasant tone, which carried no genuine warmth, Renato inwardly groaned. The good impression he had made on her was probably about to vanish completely.
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