October 27, 2010. Berlin.
The time on the clock was 8:11 in the morning.
In the autumn season, Berlin was more gray and foggy than ever. Covered in a veil of mist, the city seemed to hide from everyone. The streets were empty, and the few passersby who were unlucky enough to be caught in this scene hurried to their homes, seeking shelter from the rain. Everything was quiet except for the sound of the rain rustling on the ground.
A man in a long black jacket, black classic suit, and a black case calmly walked along the street and caught people's attention. And that man was me!
As romantic as I might describe this noir landscape, to be honest, such a melancholic scene was not to my liking. If it were evening now, I would have happily admired the night colors of Berlin... But the colors of tonight were not that impressive.
Although, it's foolish to blame my own mistakes... On the other hand, it's a sin not to complain about spending a whole night in the underground, or more precisely, the sewer of this city. Wait, the question is different! Why do third-rate, no, fifth-rate villains like to hide in the sewers!?
The only thing I can say in the end is "Hail Sheele, the great mage who invented the magic of purification!"
At that moment, as if in response to my thoughts, the rain intensified and the wind howled. Alright, enough sightseeing in Berlin for today, I thought, picking up my pace.
My destination was... this place. I stopped at a seven-story building, clearly of German design, with a green roof. It was the Berlin branch of Grau Zauberer, which includes the Adlon Hotel.
The Adlon was designed by a very pragmatic and minimalist architect, so it had a square shape and a military style. Although many may call it classic, I prefer to call things by their names, and so this is a style of simplicity, efficiency, and cost-saving. Such a choice is not surprising, as the building was built for military purposes, not for the pleasure of tourists... that's just how its fate turned out.
Inside, I was greeted by an elegant interior with marble floors, beautiful mosaic ceilings, and expensive furniture. When I was here for the first time, I couldn't help but admire the refinement of everything in the hotel, even the people. However, later I visited the Association's branch in Paris... I had never seen such luxury and aristocratic spirit anywhere before.
Heading towards the reception, I noticed two people at the counter: the administrator, a tall man in his fifties with blond hair, dressed in a simple classic khaki suit, and a woman in her thirties, clearly a client, who could be described in one word - gothic. Black hair, black eyes, lips painted with black lipstick, and lashes lined with... also black mascara. And her clothing was of the same style: a black floor-length dress with a tight bodice and corset. And of course, black stockings, rough bulky boots, and leather gloves on her hands.
"Number nine eighteen," said the administrator, placing the key on the reception desk. "Have a pleasant stay."
"Thank you," the woman's voice was sweeter than wine.
Taking the key, the dark-haired woman picked up her luggage and headed towards me before stopping next to me, placing her hand on my shoulder.
"Good to see you, Ryan," she said, smiling seductively as she walked away, swaying her round hips.
I just watched her go… Martisha Adams, a slippery woman... Being around her feels like a snake choking my neck.
"Welcome, sir," the hotel administrator greeted me. "How may I assist you?"
"Hello, Oscar," I said, placing a gold coin on the table. "Extend the room for one more night."
"Mr. Romano doesn't forget names," the administrator smiled, taking the gold coin from the stone countertop.
"How can you forget you?" I smiled back at the old fox.
And it's not like it would be an insult, not at all, rather this man would thank me for the compliment. It's funny that all the administrators I've managed to meet stand out for their cunning, intelligence, and good manners... It's quite possible that they are selected precisely for these qualities. But for a complete statistical analysis, I need a larger sample size because in the past month, I've only been able to meet administrators from the London, Paris, and Berlin branches. Although, despite their fox-like "breed", they provide top-notch service, so there are no complaints in that regard.
"Is the hotel owner here?" I asked.
"The manager is always here," replied Oscar, looking at me. Interestingly, he didn't stop registering me in parallel, calmly dividing his attention between two actions.
Looking around, I couldn't help but sigh. It's been over a month since I graduated from the academy and became a regular member of Grau Zauberer, and I've already had to leave for different corners of Europe. First mission, first blood, first scar... Yes, it feels like an eternity has passed since I met Zelretch.
By the way, I even had a classic suit made for myself, or rather ordered from a special magical tailor. Externally, it's the most classic of men's suits: a white shirt, tie, vest, jacket, and pants. However, if you look under the hood, then you will see a real masterpiece of tailoring. Made from palladium flax fibers, the suit has impressive strength, thermal insulation, viscosity, and lightness.
But even more important are the other two characteristics of the suit, namely: incredible elasticity, which allows for the most breathtaking acrobatic tricks, and the so-called magoscopic ability of the material to interact with mana and magical power. Thanks to its magoscopic ability, the suit was able to receive just under two dozen enchantments.
For example, any ordinary metal such as silver, iron, bronze, or copper can only withstand one enchantment. In turn, magical metals like palladium, mithril, or orichalcum can withstand a maximum of two dozen enchantments.
As a result, a Superman suit was created, only without tights and a cape, but with a tie instead. Initially, I wasn't a fan of this fashion, but when you find yourself in a society where ninety percent of people dress similarly, and the remaining ten percent are either fans of freakiness like Morticia Addams or lovers of James Bond culture, then you just have to adapt. And then I realized that a classic suit is the foundation of any man's wardrobe destined for family trips, assassinations, and robberies.
"Growing up... I came to the conclusion that a suit is just as much an object of male romance as furs, weapons, or a 1967 Chevrolet Impala."
"Eight eighteen," the administrator's voice and the key he handed me brought me out of my thoughts.
"Thank you," I nodded and, turning around, headed towards the elevator.
"Mr. Romano," the administrator called after me. "It's great to have you back at the Adlon."
"How you love formalities, Oscar von Knoring."
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Sitting in my room with my eyes closed, I was planning my next moves. First of all, I needed to consider that I still hadn't managed to become a 4th Circle mage in the last month. Not that I couldn't, no, I just decided to sacrifice this aspect of power for something more important in the long run. I turned to the visualized information in my head.
[The Grimoire of Gluttony]
[Rank: E
Effects:
Proximity to the elements increases by 30.
Magical sensitivity increases by 100.
Magic Power Amplification]
Instead of feeding Gluttony with a large number of magical artifacts and reagents, I focused on books, which allowed me to increase my magical sensitivity to one hundred and proximity to the elements to thirty. All thanks to original books, not like "Sagitta Magica", but written by 3rd Circle mages and below or those where the remaining soul of the author, a powerful mage, has almost completely "evaporated". In both cases, the books are not subject to Synchronization, but I can absorb a small part of the author's sensitivity and understanding.
This is crucial in my situation, and in the long run, it can become even more important than original books with the possibility of Synchronization.
It's because even after increasing my magical power by learning Nagi Springfield's Secret Spell and becoming a 3rd Circle mage, I almost failed one of the exams at the academy, namely "Magic Activation Speed", which logically evaluates the speed of activating spells from different circles. It is a well-known fact that activation speed depends on the level of magical power control, which in turn mainly depends on a mage's Sensitivity, their natural talent. Of course, it is possible to improve one's mastery of magical power control through training, but its effectiveness will only be noticeable in the first three circles, and beyond that, there is so much magical power that a mage with low Sensitivity will not be able to control it no matter how much they train.
"Based on my calculations, even with a magical power increase modifier of fifty, becoming a 4th Circle mage would give me incredible problems with controlling magical power when creating almost any spell, except for the Thousand Master's magic arrows. And most likely, I wouldn't be able to become a 5th Circle mage..."
That's why I stocked up on patience and discipline and purposefully sought out and absorbed original books. It was much easier than I initially thought because all mages record their research and then compile them into books of various formats. So after a month, I was once again convinced of the incredible power of Gluttony... I have no idea what abilities other grimoires in the "Seven Deadly Sins" series possess, but I have a strong feeling that Gluttony is the most perfect and powerful ally of any mage.
"When you think about it, before improving my Sensitivity, it could be compared to a score of ten... which, in my perception, is ten times less than the Sensitivity of an average mage."
In any case, now my sensitivity has at least risen to the lower limit of an average mage. And although by the standards of the supernatural world this result is not impressive, personally for me it is a kind of a won battle, proving to myself that I can win the war. So, even though my sensitivity is mediocre at the moment, at least it exists, which means that now I know that in the future my "magical talent" will only grow and keep up with my abilities. I won't have to worry about controlling magical power, spell activation speed, and magical power accumulation speed...
"However, I can't delay any longer," I said, recounting the precious gems in the black case. "Eight gems, each worth a gold coin... Taking into account the purchase of the suit, hotel fees, and other expenses, it turns out that I'm broke!"
Many will consider it foolish to spend all my money on magical reagents, but I will say that I'm not going to save money for the next life... Although who am I kidding? My heart is filled with bloody tears from such extravagance, because these are low-grade gems, and I have already spent almost all that I earned, working like a horse.
What did Rin say about gem magic? First of all, it's incredibly expensive magic, and then it's special. After talking with Tohsaka, it occurred to me that precious stones used in gem magic are the perfect magical reagent for increasing magical power. Of course, I won't be able to learn magic inscribed on magical artifacts, but these stones hold an immense amount of magical power. And these eight gems should be enough for me to transition to the 4th Circle.
"I hope that the feeling of the Four Circles around my heart will override the feeling of poverty in my heart," I muttered, holding my hand out to the gems. "Eat, Gluttony."
And in the next moment...
The tongue of Gluttony started on its luxurious, almost aristocratic, meal. Precious stones were sucked into my palm like an endless vortex. At the same time, a familiar voice sounded in my head, constantly announcing various changes.
[You have consumed the Precious Opal. The item holds a large amount of concentrated magical power of the fire element. Proximity to the elements increases by 5.]
[You have consumed the Precious Jade. The item holds a large amount of concentrated magical power of the earth element. Proximity to the elements increases by 5.]
[You have consumed the Precious Sapphire. The item holds a large amount of concentrated magical power of the water element. Proximity to the elements increases by 5.]
[You have consumed the Precious Topaz. The item holds a large amount of concentrated magical power of the wind element. Proximity to the elements increases by 5.]
[Full digestion of the items will take 1 hour and 12 minutes.]
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A bit of post-chapter coddling:
Up to eleven chapters are available here: patreon.com/watson_