Rowan gave me a huge surprise on his 18th birthday by asking me for a book as his gift. That was the second time he had talked to me first, and this time he had even put up a request.
It was certainly very unusual for him to do so, even though it was supposed to be his birthday. The book he had requested me to buy for him was a book about potioneering, a very unorthodox and unverified field of research.
How unorthodox was it? Well, the best-known potioneers have also been called the biggest lunatics by a majority of people.
At first, I couldn't find any reason as to why he would develop a sudden interest in such a field but remembering that one time I had seen Uncle Albert writing something down in his notebook as he analyzed the pinkish potion that he had fed me later, I figured that Uncle Albert might also be an expert potioneer. After all, that potion had given me strength when everything else seemed to have failed.
Since Rowan had been spending more and more of his time in uncle's pawnshop, it was understandable that he would be influenced by him. Both of them were just too similar in their temperaments.
Therefore, as I was returning home after buying him a cake, I thought about visiting Aunt Enka's shop for information regarding books related to potioneering.
It had been more than a year since I had last visited her shop, but before that, I had visited it or at least passed by it countless times. Yet, the weird and exotic products present on the shelf managed to excite and confuse me as usual.
Those products opened a window to my past self. They were a reminder that I had grown up now, and I had left my treasure-hunting and jewel-collecting hobby somewhere in my past.
She was surprised when she saw me visit her shop out of the blue but quickly stood up to greet me since her shop looked empty, "Yo, look who stumbled in. How have you been, kid? Brought coins today?"
Even though her words seemed spirited, her tone clearly wasn't. The day had tired her. Perhaps, she had to keep up that facade all the time to deal with all sorts of customers. I found it a little sad. I wasn't a little kid anymore that considered a person asking for money the major antagonist of their life. I had already turned 16 a few months back.
I gave her a light bow gracefully, and replied, "I hope to buy an introductory book for someone willing to learn potioneering. Don't worry aunt, I'll be paying in cash today."
She gave me an amused smile and answered, "Instead of a 'book', why don't you give that person some advice? Just walk up and say, 'potioneering is stupid, rather just sell piss in a bottle', it's not that hard."
She was still the same Aunt Enka that I remembered from my memories, sly, vicious, and with a mouth used to dealing with all kinds of rogues that visited her shop. Everything was so nostalgic that it brought a natural smile to my face.
She saw that and her amused expression began to melt. She knew that I was determined to buy the book, and perhaps didn't want to turn a customer away when it was around time to close her shop.
Shaking her head at me, she commented, "Your stupid smile reminds me of those noble ladies of the capital. It irks me when those idiots act like they have control of everything. Anyway, here's your book, it would be 75 copper."
With that, she took out a book titled 'An introduction to potions by L.W. Huffman' from her drawer and passed it to me. I thought about asking her that if she hated potioneering so much then why did she keep a book like that in her drawer, but considering her foul mouth, I was bound to suffer a loss if I did.
Her explanation did bring out my curiosity and so, as I was paying her the money, I commented softly,
"You've been to the capital, Aunt?"
She shrugged as she counted the three copper coins that I had given her, a 5, a 20, and a 50 pence, and replied nonchalantly, "I had gone once in my childhood to try my luck at the Central Academy, but too many monsters appear there, I had no chance. It's ancient history now."
"Why would you go so far for the Central Academy though? Isn't there a prestigious academy within the Luopis province somewhere?" My curiosity only grew when I heard her answer, and therefore, continued to ask.
She wasn't exactly the open-hearted old lady who would share everything with children, but perhaps she was feeling nostalgic that day or she was feeling guilty about telling our parents, she didn't hurriedly shoo me off and instead answered,
"The Central Academy has the best and the most experienced teachers the Kingdom has to offer. Moreover, they give out free blood infusions to their top entrants and their top-10 graduates.
If it still isn't alluring enough for you, then keep in mind that both of those things aren't the most attractive factor to most students.
Instead, it is the skills and knowledge that are taught there by the teachers and the combat training that makes their graduates become rising stars in the human army, that attracts most of the folks.
I was also there for that, too bad, it didn't work well for me."
When she was done, she reclined on her chair and slowly slumped down, sighing and shaking her head as she remembered her youthful journey.
I didn't care about any of that. My mind was wandering elsewhere. Wasn't the blood infusion my biggest problem? How come I never heard about the benefits of the Central Academy then?
Well, it was definitely because I had a little source of information about such things, and my biggest support was a block of wood, Uncle Albert. Thinking of going to the capital and acquiring power to help Sister Hin, I felt a little giddy from excitement.
I also felt a little regretful that I hadn't visited or interacted much with Aunt Enka sooner. Every person had a journey and a story. I was holding a meaningless resistance against her, and it only ended up delaying my progress.
I wanted to visit Uncle Albert and confirm about that free blood infusion offering thing quickly, but I had a happy family waiting to celebrate the birthday of their eldest child, waiting for me to bring them a cake, and I couldn't afford to delay.
I bowed to Aunt Enka again, this time much more sincerely, and left the shop to celebrate my elder brother's birthday.