Danmachi: Magus Rex

Today was the start of a new day. Magnus got out relatively fresh and ready to dive into the dungeon once more. On his way he was called out by an old man wearing brown robes and wielding a curled staff

"You there boy! Are you the one they call 'Purple Cape' Magnus?"

The seemingly frail old man gave off a vibe that showed he wasn't to be messed but his attitude showed friendliness.

"I don't know about the purple cape part but I am indeed Magnus, is there anything you need old man?"

"Ah well I just wanted to thank you for looking after my juniors yesterday in the dungeon, I'm Irildor of the Hecate Familia. Say boy are you by chance interested in learning magic?"

"Magic eh? Well I do have a magic spell of my own but I don't know much about the topic"

"How about it, if you have the time this old man can show you the basics of magic and even help you determine your magical affinity"

Thinking over his schedule for today, Magnus found that it wouldn't be too bad to spare some time for this, if it worked he'd have improvements on his trump card, if it wasn't anything special then there wasn't much waste "Sure, I have time" laughing cheerily Magnus walked after Irildor as he lead him to a restaurant nearby. He was greeted by a sign labelled "Hostess of Fertility", inside he saw a variety of adventurers getting served by multiple females in green robes.

"Ah Irildor-san what can I get for you today?" a cat person with brown hair came forward to greet the old man

"Anya-chan it's nice to see you as always, we'll have some your fruit liquor"

At the mention of 'we' Anya's attention was directed towards Magnus

"Are you a new recruit for Irildor-sans familia? If you take my word, don't' go there, they're just boring people who spend half their time stuck inside rooms reading books" Anya gave a grin as she talked

"Ah no I just owe him a small favor so I'm teaching him somethings about magic, and don't go badmouthing my familia, we prefer out peaceful lives with our books thank you very much" saying as much Irildor walked onwards to a table with a silent Magnus behind him and a cheerful Anya on her way to get the order

"Why the silent mode all of a sudden boy, don't tell me you got caught in that cats charms?"

"Hmmm? Oh no I was thinking how this isn't an ordinary place"

"What do you mean by that boy?"

"So many strong people and they're working as serving staff, especially that lady at the counter. The old man was right, the world is indeed wider than I thought" Magnus gave a small chuckle

"I see, you have good senses boy, now onto the subject that brought us here. Magic" At this word Magnus was once more attentive towards the old man "Magic is the power to bend the natural power in the environment to a mages will and then use it to cast spell. Magic is traditionally activated by chants as they have been proven to be the most mana efficient methods. There are other ways to utilize magic but they either lose out in terms of mana efficiency or spell stability. One such way of magic is by trigger words." Before he could continue he was interrupted by Magnus raising his hand "what is it boy?"

"Can you go into further explanation regarding trigger words?"

"Hmmm why not, trigger words or words of power are a way of casting magic by speaking words in the tongue of magic itself to bring forth effects. The advantage of this way of magic is that it requires at most 2-3 words spoken to activate the magic sequence but the mana required for such a feat can easily drain a normal magician in one or two words therefore people have moved onto the slightly longer but more efficient form of casting that is chants. Now the next thing you need to know about magic is affinity. Every budding mage needs to know their affinity. What sort of magic suits them best and what sort of magic is just a death trap. As a way of returning the favor I'm going to measure your innate magic capacity and magic affinity should you allow it. Don't worry I'll keep your information a secret that I swear on my falna"

Contemplating this information Magnus had a determined look in his eyes "I'll be in your care"

"Wonderful, now give your hand and sit still" Irildor grabbed Magnus's hand and closed his eyes. Magnus began to feel a warm current rise from his hand which he figured must be the old man's magic and let it enter without resistance. After a while Irildor let go and the warm current disappeared

"I am amazed to say the least. This is my first time sensing this much amount of magic in someone who hasn't even officially joined a familia. To give you a b.a.r.e estimate, you could cast a Master-Level magic without burdening your reserves too much."

"Is that a lot?" "A lot? Good heavens boy that's enough magic to last a top level 1 mage on a dungeon dive"

"Huh, as expected of me I guess" Magnus gave out a smug smile while Irildor just shook his head.

"Now then let's test your magical affinity" saying so he reached into his pocket and somehow managed to pull an entire orb out of there

"How did you do that?" Magnus asked with a shocked expression

"Oh this? Any self-respecting mage would keep a spatial pocket artifact on his person at any time, moving on place your hand on this orb and let's see what we have"

Following his order, Magnus placed his hand and the orb started glowing a bright purple color no unlike his eyes and with a small spark it cracked.

"Oh, I did not mean to do that, I'll pay you for it" Magnus looked at the old man. Irildor himself had a surprised expression on his face, clearly not expecting this result.

"Don't worry about the orb my boy, it wasn't much anyways. Rather than that you seem to have an excellent affinity for lightning and even more so you have a specialized affinity with storm lighting. This type of lightning is best for destructive attacks and one of the more rare types of lightning affinities. I'd recommend you study up on lightning magic in preparation for the day you join a familia and are able to learn these magics"

As their conversation continued, Anya came back with their drinks and both of them indulged in the fruity wonder that was served to them

"Now then I must take my leave, don't worry about the drinks they're my treat. Should you find yourself in need of a familia, the Hecate familia welcomes talent like you with open arms."

"Thanks for the treat old man and I'll keep that in mind"

Both parties said their goodbyes and parted ways with Anya telling them to come again from the back

* * * * *

*Irildor POV*

Walking down the streets back to his familia base Irildor was deep in contemplation regarding the interesting youth he had just met. If molded carefully he had excellent potential as a mage, enough to even reach Level 6 easily. Irildor had no doubts in his head that the youth would make it big one day

Another thought in his head was regarding the youth's interest in Trigger Words and judging by his colossal reserves, it was probable that he was already a user of those words.

"Hahaha it seems like it's going to be an interesting time with that boy around. I hope he takes my offer, there's so much potential in him and even if he declines I must make sure to keep friendly relations with him"

Making up his mind Irildor made his way back to the base to alert the familia regarding the interesting youth.

It had been quite some time since Archmage Irildor had taken such interest in a youngling and hell take him if he didn't see that potential through to the end. Laughing wildly Irildor made his way back ignoring the strange gazes sent his way.