Chapter 15
“Paper and pen.”
“What?”
“I said, give me paper and pen.”
“Oh!”
Mark hurriedly fetched the paper and pen placed beside the counter and handed them to Ceres.
Ceres quickly scribbled something down, then strode decisively toward the unconscious mercenary on the floor.
Smack.
She slapped the paper onto the forehead of the still-unconscious mercenary with a loud snap.
‘What’s that?’
‘What’s written on it?’
‘Uh…?’
The mercenaries nearby, who had been cautiously approaching to get a closer look at the paper stuck to the unconscious man’s face, instantly recoiled.
They then quietly put down the weapons they had been gripping tightly just moments ago.
A notice read:
Those who cause disturbances in this shop will be banned entry for a week.
Any companions who didn’t intervene will also face the same one-week ban.
It was an impressively swift severance.
“Ahem.”
The mercenary who had been fighting with the unconscious one also discreetly set his weapon down and shuffled toward a nearby table.
He picked up a half-eaten bowl of stew and casually moved to another seat, pretending he wasn’t associated with the unconscious man.
‘You’re kidding, right?’
‘What a shameless bastard. Oh wait, of course he is.’
‘That guy is hiding his sword! Put it back in his hand!’
The onlookers glared sharply at the mercenary attempting to distance himself.
‘But… who is that?’
One by one, the mercenaries’ gazes turned back to Ceres.
They were all curious about the person who had suddenly appeared and left such an impression with a mere piece of paper.
“Ah, this person is…”
Mark, sensing the growing curiosity, stepped forward.
He glanced at Ceres cautiously before introducing her.
“She’s the owner of this shop.”
***
“So, you decided not to sell the shop?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
Ceres returned from inspecting the shop on Delasi 1st Avenue and decided to postpone selling it.
Antonion, who had been reluctantly preparing himself for the shop’s inevitable sale, was stunned by her unexpected decision.
“They’re more obedient than I thought.”
“What?”
Ceres’s next response was even more unexpected.
“Because they listen well.”
“Who does?”
“The mercenaries.”
A sanctuary for mercenaries.
A place of solace for their hearts.
Their one and only soul food.
Ceres, well aware of the numerous grandiose descriptions attached to the shop, was left utterly baffled when she actually stepped inside.
The state of the shop was chaotic, to say the least. Seeing the mess, she seriously questioned whether it was worth keeping the place at all.
But…
Even amidst the chaos, there was a certain order to be found. Even while fighting, the mercenaries made sure to protect Mark, the chef and only employee, ensuring that no attacks or flying objects reached him.
Above all, their swift compliance to the notice banning troublemakers from the shop left a positive impression. Instead of protesting, they immediately set their weapons aside.
“They have potential,” she concluded.
“So that’s why you decided not to sell.”
“O… I see…”
Antonion’s face brightened upon hearing that the shop wouldn’t be sold.
He knew firsthand how much effort their late parents had put into keeping the shop running.
“The problem is the house.”
“The house?”
“You know that Aunt Agne’s people have all left, don’t you?”
When Agne was imprisoned, the staff she had brought into the household also left.
While they weren’t particularly competent, the simultaneous departure of so many people left a gaping hole that the remaining members couldn’t possibly fill.
Not that it was being managed well before…
Now, the mansion was in such disrepair it felt like it might truly become a ruin.
“Sister, what about calling Colin back?”
“Colin?”
Who was that?
“The butler who worked for us since Grandfather’s time.”
“A butler?”
“Yes. Aunt Agne falsely accused him of something and drove him away.”
‘That wouldn’t be wise, Lady Ceres.’
‘Borrowing that kind of money is…’
‘The nursing home? You should find out more about the place first…’
Agne naturally saw him as a thorn in her side, given his constant opposition and challenges to her authority.
Once she succeeded in molding Ceres to her liking, Agne immediately drove Colin out.
“You’re accusing me of embezzling funds?”
“I have proof right here, don’t I?”
“…Sigh.”
Though the accusation was utterly baseless, Colin, visibly worn down by Agne’s endless harassment, left without much protest.
Even as he departed, he expressed concern for Ceres, who remained under Agne’s thumb.
He reminded her that the true master of the Drow household was none other than herself, urging her to take care of her health—comments that reportedly infuriated Agne to no end.
“A butler, huh…”
Antonion’s suggestion wasn’t bad.
But would someone who was falsely accused and driven out be willing to return?
“Well, let’s think about that later.”
For now, the most pressing issue was money.
After all, even if they wanted to bring the butler back, they needed to have the funds to pay him a salary.
“Maybe selling that would be the best option…”
Lost in thought, Ceres posed a question to Antonion.
“Is there a magic shop nearby?”
“A magic shop?”
Though Antonion seemed puzzled, Ceres didn’t elaborate further.
___
Ding-a-ling.
“Welcome!”
Rons, the owner of the magic shop, greeted the customer entering the store with his usual smile, but his expression faltered.
“What’s this?”
A young woman in tattered clothes had walked in.
Most of the shop’s clientele were well-dressed, given that it sold high-priced magical items and materials.
Even novice magicians affiliated with the Magic Tower earned salaries dozens of times higher than the average person.
“Still, she has an air of nobility…”
Her shabby attire aside, the woman’s appearance was striking enough to draw attention, and her presence exuded a unique aura.
“Is there something you’re looking for?”
Rons cautiously asked while trying to deduce her status.
The woman glanced around the shop before finally turning her gaze to him.
“I heard you also purchase magical materials here.”
“Oh, purchasing materials?”
Rons quickly scanned the woman from head to toe.
He didn’t know what she had brought, but his expectations weren’t high.
“Tsk.”
It wasn’t uncommon for people like her to come by, presenting oddly shaped or unusually colored stones, claiming them to be magic stones.
The woman before him seemed very likely to be one of those customers.
They were people with no money, desperately searching for something to sell, trying to scrape together even the smallest amount.
“Show me what you’ve brought.”
The friendliness in Rons’s voice and demeanor had begun to fade. He had already judged her as someone who wouldn’t bring in much profit.
Thud.
The woman placed a small box on the counter before him.
“What’s this?”
“A magic stone.”
“…A magic stone?”
Rons smirked inwardly as he eyed the box, which was surprisingly luxurious for someone like her. She seemed genuinely convinced that whatever she had found was a real magic stone, even packing it in a box that gave off an air of sophistication.
“Nine times out of ten, it’s just some ordinary rock picked up off the ground…”
Click.
Rons opened the box casually, but his eyes widened, and his gaze shook violently the moment he saw its contents.
Inside the box was a small, blue stone.
Rons instinctively swallowed dryly as the powerful magic emanating from it washed over him.
This was real.
Quickly regaining his composure, Rons forced a bright smile onto his face, the grin of a seasoned merchant.
“It’s a genuine magic stone.”
Hearing his confirmation, the woman—Ceres—nodded lightly. She knew almost nothing about magic or magic stones, but she had no doubt about the authenticity of what Kainel had given her.
She never even considered the possibility that it could be fake.
“Hm…”
Rons examined the magic stone closely, its mystical blue light shimmering enchantingly.
He fell silent, his lips pressed tightly together as if lost in thought.
Seeing his hesitation, Ceres spoke up with a calm but firm tone.
“…Fifty gold?”
—
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