Hulim was thoroughly astounded. She finally understood why every mage carried a magic wand—with a wand and without one, a mage’s combat prowess were worlds apart. And this was just a wand meant for low-tier mages, yet it made such a colossal difference.

  What kind of power would the wands used by high-tier mages—or even S-Rank wands—possess......? She suspected they might be capable of completely transforming a mage’s abilities.

  Whoosh~!

  Dispelling the fireball in front of her, Hulim decided to test another spell.

  “Well? How do you like this wand?”

  Seeing Hulim dismiss the magic, Colette asked eagerly, unable to contain her curiosity.

  “It’s incredible—its effects are surprisingly powerful.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “Next, I’m going to try casting other types of magic.”

  “Go ahead, keep experimenting.”

  Hulim focused her mind on the wand once more, then unleashed her next spell......

  After a while, Hulim stared at the wand in her hand, a puzzled frown forming on her face.

  “Hulim, is something wrong? Is there a problem with the wand?”

  Noticing Hulim’s odd expression, Colette spoke up in concern.

  “Hmm...... I’m not sure how to put it, Ms. Colette. When I cast fire-affinity magic, everything went smoothly. But when I tried light-affinity magic, I felt a strange sense of resistance. Even though it was still more effective than casting without a wand, the improvement was nowhere near as significant as it was with fire magic.”

  “Huh? Is that true?!”

  Colette looked equally surprised.

  At that moment, the shop assistant chimed in.

  “Miss, that feeling of resistance you’re experiencing might have to do with the wand’s inherent properties......”

  Both of them turned to look at her. Hulim asked in confusion, “What do you mean by that?”

  “You see, the wand you’re holding right now is a fire-affinity specialized wand. For a fire mage, this wand would be perfect. But precisely because it’s so attuned to the fire element, its compatibility with other elements is reduced—which ends up hindering your ability to cast non-fire spells.”

  “I see. Thank you for clearing that up!”

  Hulim glanced at the wand in her hand. It was indeed excellent at enhancing fire magic—but she could never afford to let a single element hold back her other affinities. She had always aimed to become an omnipotent mage.

  “Miss, could I please try a different wand?”

  The assistant nodded. “Of course! No problem at all!”

  She took the wand back and returned to the shop. Moments later, she emerged with another wand in hand.

  This wand had a rather peculiar design. It was silver all over, with a tip shaped like a curved spearhead. It looked less like a wand and more like an oddly crafted spear.

  Even Colette looked taken aback when she saw it.

  “Miss, this wand......”

  The assistant explained with a smile, “Earlier, I heard that this young lady is a rare three-affinity mage. While our shop doesn’t have any holy staves for light magic, we do happen to have a wand that’s perfect for mages with both fire and non-elemental affinities.”

  Hulim took the wand from the assistant. Her first impression was that it was heavy—surprisingly heavy. Was this wand made of some kind of metal?

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  “Miss, why is this wand suitable for both fire and non-elemental affinities?”

  A wand for non-elemental magic users—what an unusual concept. It was like a warrior wielding a wand.

  The assistant seemed to read their confusion and went on, “You see, this wand was forged with a large amount of mithril. Besides being an ideal material for magical artifacts, mithril is also commonly used in warrior’s equipment. That’s because mithril’s exceptional mana conductivity works just as well with the aura of non-elemental magic!”

  “So when you wield this wand, not only can you cast fire magic for ranged attacks as usual, but you can also use it in close combat just like a regular spear.”

  “......”

  So it was essentially a spear. She’d thought it just looked like one!

  After listening to the assistant’s explanation, Hulim still wanted to give it a try. She had mastered the Heyerar Sword Style and possessed non-elemental affinity—if you looked at it from another angle, she was practically a warrior-mage hybrid. If this wand really let her combine ranged and close-quarters combat, it might turn out to be surprisingly useful.

  “【???????????????????????】”

  “Cleanse!”

  A faint white glow emanated from the wand.

  Just as the assistant had said, when Hulim cast the first-tier non-elemental spell, the non-elemental mana flowed through the wand without the slightest obstruction.

  “【???????????????????】”

  “Ignite!”

  Whoosh!

  A flame also burst to life at the wand’s tip—but compared to the previous wand, this flame was noticeably smaller.

  After all, it wasn’t specialized for fire magic.

  She thought for a moment, then continued to test other spells.

  Soon, a bright light shone from the wand’s tip.

  Moments later, the light faded. Hulim stared at the wand in her hand, lost in thought for a brief moment. Then she raised it and attempted to swing it using the Heyerar Sword Style.

  After a few swings, she lowered the wand with a sigh.

  It won’t work......

  This wand was far too heavy for her right now. What’s more, as someone who specialized in swordsmanship, a spear-like wand was completely impractical.

  On top of that, even though the resistance wasn’t as bad as with the first wand, it seemed that any wand with a distinct elemental bias would hinder the casting of other types of magic. These minor flaws might be negligible in daily practice, but in a critical moment, they could lead to irreversible consequences.

  “Miss, could I please try another wand?”

  Hulim handed the wand back to the assistant.

  “Was this one too heavy? Of course! I’ll go get you another right away.”

  The assistant had noticed how strained Hulim looked when she swung the wand and readily agreed to exchange it.

  Hulim thought for a moment, then added, “Miss, does your shop have any wands that don’t interfere with the casting of any elemental magic? You see...... I don’t want to let a wand hold back my training in any of my affinities.”

  The assistant, who had been about to leave with the wand, paused in her tracks.

  “Hmm, I see...... Alright, I’ll look around for you. But I can’t guarantee we’ll have one.”

  “It’s okay if you don’t find anything. Thank you anyway!”

  “If you don’t mind waiting, I’ll be right back.”

  With that, the assistant took the wand and returned to the back of the shop.

  Once she was gone, Colette spoke up, “You’re right. Finding a wand that can accommodate three affinities really is a tough problem...... I’m sorry, Hulim. As a single-affinity mage myself, I completely forgot that a specialized wand would interfere with other elements.”

  “Please don’t apologize, Ms. Colette. If anything, I should be the one thanking you! If you hadn’t reminded me, I never would’ve thought to buy a wand. And you even took the time to come with me today. To be honest, if I’d come here alone, I wouldn’t have had the faintest idea where to start—I know nothing about wands.”

  “......You’re far too modest, Hulim. I feel like I haven’t been of any help at all. Earlier, I was so arrogant, saying I’d help you choose a wand. Now I feel like such a useless teacher.”

  “No, that’s not true at all! You’re a wonderful teacher, Ms. Colette! I promise you are!”

  “Hahaha, really? So I’m a good teacher......”

  Colette touched her cheek awkwardly, a shy yet delighted smile spreading across her face. Even she couldn’t help but feel a flutter of joy at the sincere compliment.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting, ladies!”

  Just then, the assistant returned from the shop.

  In her hand, she held another wand—one that looked nothing more than a plain piece of wood.

  “Wow, I really didn’t expect to find one! This wand has been sitting at the bottom of the display case for ages, collecting dust. I guess no one ever wanted it, so I completely forgot about it.”

  “Miss, what kind of wand is this? I’ve never seen a wand made from this material before.”

  Colette was the first to voice her curiosity.

  The assistant explained with a smile, “Ladies, this wand is crafted from the trunk of a Mist Marsh Treant. Mist Marsh Treants are quite rare, so magical artifacts made from their bodies aren’t common at all.”

  “And Mist Marsh Treants have a unique trait—they possess roughly equal resistance to all elemental magic. That means materials made from their trunks won’t repel magic of any affinity whatsoever!”

  After listening to the assistant’s explanation, Colette’s eyes lit up with excitement.

  “Oh~! Really?! I can’t believe such a wand actually exists! I’ve only ever heard of Mist Marsh Treants in stories. I never thought I’d get to see a real artifact made from one!”

  “Come on, Hulim! Hurry up and try it!”