Episode 10 

 

After leaving the dessert shop, I stopped by a few of my favorite stores and enjoyed some shopping for the first time in a while.

 

Normally, nobles would have merchants come to their mansions to make purchases, but I preferred going around on my own two feet.

 

I enjoyed the experience of wandering around and looking at various places.

 

‘In my previous life, it was something I couldn’t even imagine’

 

Back then, I was so busy earning a living that I couldn’t even afford proper meals, let alone go shopping.

 

Even when I occasionally had some free time, I never even thought about going to places like department stores. After all, there was no point in going since I couldn’t afford to buy anything.

 

‘But now, it’s different’

 

“Please wrap everything from there to there.”

 

“Yes! I’ll wrap them right away!”

 

As I gestured from one end of the display case to the other, the jewelry store employee smiled and nodded in agreement.

 

 

‘I’ve always wanted to say a line like this at least once’

 

I grinned with a satisfied expression while giving a fist bump.

 

“Send all the items I bought today to the mansion. If any good new arrivals come in, let me know.”

 

“Yes. We’ll be in touch soon!”

 

After finishing shopping and exiting the jewelry store, I was greeted by a larger crowd than before.

 

It seemed that it was almost lunchtime, and everyone was slowly coming out to have a meal.

 

“Are you going back to the mansion now?”

 

Carl, who was glancing around the bustling surroundings, suddenly asked me a question.

 

I nodded and replied casually, “No. Before going home, I want to make one last stop at our top floor.”

 

“The top floor, are you talking about Everglow?”

 

“Yeah. I want to see what new products they have since I’m already out.”

 

In response to my words, Carl nodded in agreement.

 

“All right. Then, let’s go together.”

 

I followed behind Carl as he led the way, humming a little tune softly.

 

Perhaps it was because I had a satisfying shopping experience after a long time.

 

Even when I stayed still, the tune naturally flowed from me.

 

“We’re here.”

 

A little while later, Carl, who had been walking ahead, finally stopped in front of a building with a sign that read “Everglow.”

 

Simultaneously, I, who had also come to a halt, looked up at the building with a fresh gaze.

 

“Everglow” was the top-tier magic item store operated by the Evergreen Duke, with numerous branches throughout the country. Among them, this building was the headquarters and could be considered the heart of Everglow.

 

Unlike other stores, which typically had only one or two floors, Everglow’s headquarters had a whopping five floors. The first and second floors housed shops that sold magic items, while the third floor had meeting rooms reserved for VIP customers.

 

 

The fourth and fifth floors were restricted areas for authorized personnel only, and they housed laboratories for magical research.

 

‘In fact, one could say that the Evergreen Duke’s livelihood is heavily reliant on Everglow.’

 

According to the original work, it was said that the Evergreen Territory stored a large quantity of mana stones.

 

The founding Evergreen Duke, who first discovered this, started the magic item business using the stored mana stones and as a result, amassed an enormous amount of wealth.

 

‘I heard that 80% of the magic items people use are made by Everglow.’

 

Thanks to generous investments in research and development, Everglow possessed unparalleled technological prowess compared to anything else.

 

From simple communication devices to protective enchanted jewelry, and even speed-boosting gadgets for carriages, the variety of magical items being sold was truly diverse.

 

“I’ll wait here, so feel free to look around at your leisure.”

 

As soon as Carl entered the headquarters, he found a spot where he had a good view and stood there.

 

I nodded in acknowledgment and then quietly surveyed my surroundings.

 

I had told Carl it was because of the new arrivals, but in reality, I had a different reason for visiting Everglow.

 

My main purpose was to meet an employee named “Shael Ludin.”

 

In the original work, Shael Ludin was a fairly significant supporting character. He pretended to be an ordinary employee but, in reality, was a spy dispatched by the Tower Master.

 

Of course, my reason for seeking him out wasn’t because of his role as a spy.

 

According to the original work, Shael was a wizard with remarkable magical abilities, to the extent that he was mentioned as a potential future Tower Master.

 

Not only that, but he also played a crucial role in dismantling the antagonist in the latter part of the original work.

 

‘In other words, he’s someone we must make an ally.’

 

Moreover, Shael didn’t become a spy by choice.

 

‘According to the original work, he said he accepted the role of a spy out of necessity.’

 

I slowly looked around inside the headquarters.

 

I had visited the headquarters a few times before, attempting to become friends with Shael. However, for some reason, he was generally guarded around people and didn’t readily open up to me.

 

‘Well, there are still plenty of opportunities.’

 

In the original work, the main antagonist didn’t start moving in earnest until about a year from now. In other words, I just needed to get close to Shael within that time frame.

 

‘Did you not come to work today?’

 

At that moment, while I was exploring the store, looking for Shael.

 

At that moment, a female employee noticed me and approached.

 

“Welcome, Your Ladyship. It’s been a while since you visited.”

 

She greeted me with a warm smile.

 

Her face seemed unfamiliar, suggesting that she might have recently started working here.

 

I nodded politely in response to her greeting and then went straight to the point.

 

“Did Shael not come to work today?”

 

“Hmm? Shael, you mean…”

 

The employee had a moment of confusion and then suddenly clapped her hands.

 

“Oh! Are you talking about Mr. Ludin?”

 

“Yes, that’s right.”

 

I nodded, and the employee spoke with a sympathetic expression.

 

“Mr. Ludin… well, he’s a bit unpredictable. He comes and goes as he pleases.”

 

“Mr. Ludin is on vacation this week. From what I’ve heard from other employees, he went to his family’s estate.”

 

“…Is that so?”

 

I had considered getting a face-to-face meeting while I was here, but if he was on vacation, there was nothing to be done.

 

‘Well, if he’s on vacation, there’s nothing to be done.’

 

I swallowed my disappointment and moved toward the display shelf where the new products were showcased.

 

Since I was already here, I planned to at least take a look at the new arrivals.

 

“Here are the products from our latest lineup. We like to call it ‘I Protect Myself!'”

 

The employee who had naturally stuck by my side began explaining the new products in an enthusiastic manner.

 

“‘I Protect Myself!’… I wondered who comes up with these cheesy names, but I didn’t express my thoughts aloud. Fortunately, it seemed that the employee didn’t catch onto my inner monologue, and she continued cheerfully.

 

“Yes, as the name suggests, it’s a line of magical items designed for personal protection. Most of them are items you can carry with you every day, so they’re quite popular even among the younger generation.”

 

As the employee explained, the products displayed on the shelf generally had an unassuming appearance, likely designed to be inconspicuous since they were for personal protection.

 

“What’s the purpose of this one?”

 

I picked up a black bead bracelet from the display shelf and asked, prompting the employee to start her explanation with a sparkle in her eye.

 

 

“This product has a powerful detoxification spell on it. It automatically detects and detoxifies any poison in the wearer’s body.”

 

“…So, if you wear this, you can detoxify any poison?”

 

“Yes, for the most part, it can detoxify almost any poison. However, for highly toxic substances, the detoxification effect may vary depending on the wearer’s health.”

 

The employee continued with her enthusiastic explanation.

 

‘While it may have a slightly weaker durability as a drawback, we can definitely guarantee its performance. And…’

 

I let the employee’s voice wash over me, inspecting the bracelet in my hand.

 

“Having something like this could come in handy.”

 

The design was reasonably unobtrusive as well.

 

It didn’t seem like it would be a significant burden to wear casually.

 

‘While I’m at it, should I get one for Michael…’

 

Considering that lycanthropes are vulnerable to poison, it seemed like a good idea to have one on hand.

 

‘The problem is how to fit this tiny bracelet onto Michael…’

 

It was clearly a human-made item, and it was way too small for a wolf as a gift.

‘”But sending a gift to Duke Stärten out of the blue wouldn’t work either…’

 

I pondered this dilemma for a moment.

 

However, a solution presented itself in the following explanation from the employee.

 

“Oh, right! For this product, if you’d like to adjust the size, we can offer customization through our special order system.”

 

‘…Oh. That’s right. Everglow does have a customization service.’

 

Unlike other magic item stores that only sold ready-made items, Everglow had a customization service.

 

Customers could pay an additional fee to add the specific features they wanted to their magical items.

 

Of course, the added cost for customization was quite high, which meant that very few customers actually used the service.

 

‘Well, I have plenty of money, so it’s not a problem.’

 

I shrugged lightly and looked at the employee.

 

 

As the small talk seemed to wind down, the employee concluded her explanation with a slight cough.

 

“Well, take your time to look around, and if you need anything…”

 

“I’ll take the one you just explained.”

 

“…Really?”

 

I gestured towards the bracelet, and the employee had a surprised expression for a moment.

 

“Are you really going to buy it?”

 

“Yeah. Prepare two of the same item.”

 

“…!”

 

As soon as she heard the request for two, a bright smile lit up the employee’s face.

 

She seemed quite pleased with the increase in sales.

 

“Yes! I’ll prepare them right away…”

 

“Oh, wait a moment.”

 

I hurriedly stopped the eager employee.

 

I almost forgot the most important thing.

 

“One of them is for a gift, and I’d like to add a size adjustment feature. Can that be done today?”

 

“Of course! It will take a little time to add it, so please feel free to browse in the meantime!”

 

With that, the employee held the bracelet and disappeared towards the staircase.