Another world, Celeste

Chapter Twenty Six, pt 2

"First of all, can you tell someone from the dining hall to bring me another glass of iced tea, no, make it a jar?"

"Right away, my lord."

It only takes a single glance from Kinai to signal one of his assistants to execute the task.

"Contact Luna at the rehabilitation centre. Tell her to brief us about what's happening over there and maintain constant communication. Also, inform the head librarian to bring books about monsters' anatomy and records about monsters' core to my office."

"Is there anything specific you'd like to read? I shall inform the head librarian to gather the information for them first."

Kinai enquires to narrow the search; his quick-wittedness works best in a situation like this.

The head elf responds straight to the point, "The Lion Pride."

"We shall compile the articles from the most recent data."

Kinai and his assistants momentarily halt their work and execute the tasks they abruptly receive with swift action. Back in his own office, Lord Sol takes out two file boxes labelled mana signature and heat sensors from the shelves. Due to the confidentiality nature of the two subjects, safety devices are attached on the file boxes and it can only be unlocked with the registered owner's mana. In this case, the owner is Lord Sol. The head elf skims through the contents of the papers; results from conducted trials done by the rangers and magic researchers that derives from Iris's well-written theory. So far, there's been several successful attempts of controlling the 'heat sensor' spell from the rangers during night scouting. However, 'mana signature' is proven to be more challenging even for the elves that have lived in the forest with densely filled mana for centuries.

"We're relying on relatively new magic to fight against a persistently strong pest and save a feeble soul," says the head elf as he puts down the paper he's reading and gulp the refilled glass of iced tea.

Lord Sol recollect the conversation he had with Iris.

She explains. "Basically, what we know so far is the large pool of mana inside a person whether they are born with it or receive a blessing from a spirit, affects the colours of either their hair or eyes. A perfect example is the shade of the green forest for Luda's hair."

Iris ignores the stare she's receiving as she is the most qualified as proof.

"Anyway, after learning that colours reflect each elemental attribute including the shade of white and dark grey for light and dark, respectively. Oddly enough, black is not included in the colour scheme of mana. I read about them somewhere from an old scroll; about how each person's core shines differently. It was probably transcribed by a mage with the skill that allowed the person to see what normally cannot be seen. So, I tried 'seeing' it by sensing mana all around me but all I got is one big mushy green canvas and a terrible headache. Then, I tried changing my perspective. The scroll is ancient so, the meaning of the same word might be interpreted differently. Let's not forget I'm not from around here, so the word could be translated to fit the context for my own understanding."

"Your point, Iris?"

"Spirits with the same elemental attribute doesn't share similar ambience. Why is that?" Iris raises a question.

"Because they retain their own uniqueness and that defines who they are."

"That uniqueness is what we should be focusing on."

Lord Sol rubs his chin and considers her words with keen interest.

Iris hints the crucial point with a single word while showing a playful smile, "Colours."

Lord Sol thinks for a while in his seat, but Iris couldn't wait to relay her findings anymore like finding the last missing piece of a thousand puzzle pieces. She provides another hint.

"Instead of waiting for a person with a unique skill to untangle the ambiguity of mana, there's already one that we can use right now."

Realisation slowly dawns on the head elf when he compares his knowledge with Iris's explanation and the hints.

"'Presence Detection' is also a skill that detects mana from our surroundings, isn't it?"

Iris widely grins after giving the answer that's right in front of him all along. The head elf who claims to be the most knowledgeable of magic after Elder Spirit sit motionless and dumbfounded.

When Lord Sol shows no sign of coming back to reality, Iris tries to consoles him. "Sometimes the answer is not so far as one might think. Maybe that's the reason no one thought to find the method to the answer when it's closeby."

No response.

"Come one, it's not conclusive yet." Then, she murmurs to herself, "I manage to catch a small glimpse, though."

A knock on the door disturbed the head elf's thoughts. Kinai carries in the books and documents he asks for.

"Here are what you asked for, my lord."

Lord Sol opens the marked page on the book about monsters' anatomy.

"Thank you. Leave me be for a moment."

The head elf mentally notes how much time has passed since Roy called.

"No time to waste."

Lord Sol organises all the information he needs on the table then gather his mana and recite a spell. "Unlock the door to the [skill] 'Archives'."  

Floods of information rush into his head and the head elf skilfully steer through the heaps of knowledge accumulated throughout his long life.

"An answer that's always been closeby."

The head elf remembers the words Iris says clearly then commands the skill. 

"Show me."