As soon as the children had left, the lively atmosphere vanished in an instant, leaving behind a feeling of loneliness.
“It’s said that you might not notice when someone is present, but you certainly feel their absence.”
I shook my head lightly and began to envision a future blueprint.
“First of all, let’s continue the business and secure regular customers.”
The plan was to secure a base of regular customers and gradually spread the word, meeting people’s needs along the way.
“After aligning my ideas with the children’s thoughts, I’ll produce merchandise accordingly.”
They had mentioned liking cotton blankets, swords, and ice cake earlier.
So, I boldly sketched my ideas on the Kent paper and murmured softly,
“Good.”
“Do you remember what the kids said earlier? The fluffy cotton blankets, ice cake, swords.”
I turned to Dominic with a smile.
“Are you thinking of making those?”
Dominic asked with a puzzled look, tilting his head.
It was clear he didn’t fully understand what I meant.
“Yes! I’m going to reach for the clouds in the sky.”
“……?”
Dominic looked at me as if to say, ‘Poor Mel, has the pressure finally gotten to her?’
But I was serious.
“……How?”
His gaze seemed to reluctantly say, ‘I’m not thrilled, but you’re my counterpart, so I’ll listen.’
I nodded seriously and opened my mouth.
“It’s probably simple. All you need is sugar.”
Fluffy as a blanket, creating a wonderful sugar cloud that holes when you blow on it is not too difficult.
“Let’s call it cotton candy!”
I thought of the cotton candy I had eaten in a past life.
I wanted to gift that melting sweetness in the mouth to the children as well.
‘But the problem is, what kind of magic do I calculate to put in the cotton candy?’
It was always the next step that was problematic. How indeed could one create something that could overwhelm everyone?
Dominic was terrible at everyday magic, and I couldn’t afford a high-level mage, and my alchemy was still lacking.
To make matters worse, Dominic brought bad news.
“The spies have increased. Now I even feel threatened. They might even kill you if it comes to it.”
I put my hands on my cheeks and laughed merrily. They were thinking of ruining the shop, even going as far as trying to kill me, powerless as I am.
“Ah, do I seem a bit threatening now?”
Dominic, a hero who specialized in might, smiled sinisterly and nodded.
“But those spies are now just our prey. I have played well with them.”
“…?”
What did he do to play with them?
‘Is it my imagination that the spies seemed to have suffered?’
I felt slightly awkward at Dominic’s utterly malicious laugh.
‘…Maybe I taught him wrong.’
I heard that ego swords can take on the traits of their owners.
‘Could it be that I’ve turned Dominic into a villain?’
No. Surely not.
I shook my head hard, trying to dispel anxious thoughts, and nodded to Dominic.
“Right. Let’s quickly crack the spies and extract the information.”
“Understood.”
Dominic immediately took on a serious expression.
A moment later, as we opened the door to the stationery store, spies dressed in black slowly crawled in from outside.
“Kneel.”
“Yes, yes!”
The spies, brainwashed by Dominic, kneeled in front of me in a line, like dried herrings.
Watching those who were merely looking around cautiously, I tasted the bitterness of their situation.
‘Ah, even in these circumstances, they are somewhat tripping.’
These were the people who had always been oppressively dominant towards Meldenique.
“Be aware of your place. Your Ladyship.”
“Aren’t you just cursed blood?”
Well, they had insulted me like that numerous times before…
But now, they were defeated by the logic of power, merely kneeling in front of me.
I addressed the spies with a commanding attitude.
“Tell me everything you know.”
Then, the spies standing in front of me started sincerely spilling the information they knew.
“This operation is being directed by Duchess Hildegard Babeloa.”
“The one who is moving directly is Count Teln, the representative of the trading company operated by Lady Hildegard.”
“Count Teln?”
As I tilted my head at the familiar name, one of the spies quickly continued the conversation.
“Yes, yes, that’s Count Teln, famous for being a close confidant of the great magician, Lady Hildegard.”
“I’m not sure about the details, but he is preparing something.”
Why are they so eager to torment someone who is just drifting away from the original work and willing to be quietly disgraced?
“Got it.”
I sighed miserably.
“Why do they have to bully someone as kind as me?”
Dominic, standing next to me, avoided my gaze by rubbing his cheek with the back of his hand.
“To be honest, it’s not that you’re kind…”
“The world is too harsh on someone as kind as me!”
Ignoring Dominic’s words, I continued my thoughts.
Renox’s pride must have been severely hurt by the last incident. Moreover, Lady Hildegard has always wanted to get rid of me, considering her daughter too precious.
‘So, that leaves only destruction.’
I gestured to the spies kneeling before me.
“You may leave.”
“Yes!”
The spies left in a row like trailing candies.
Dominic didn’t forget to reapply the brainwashing magic on the departing spies.
“You said it was Count Teln?”
“Yeah, that’s what they said. What does Count Teln do?”
Dominic, still quite unfamiliar with the nobles, asked with a curious expression.
“Hmm, should I call him a mad wizard? If that person starts supplying goods to the academy… you’ll soon find out what kind of items he’ll supply in a special issue. He really likes showing off.”
I recited the information I knew, searching through Meldenik’s memories.
At the same time, I remembered the assault and verbal abuse that person had inflicted on Meldenik.
“To not kill someone like you on the spot is…”
He said to me, with his eyes turned madly bloodshot.
“You are so trivial, just like playing with an ant without killing it.”
The wizard who dirtied his own hands on behalf of Hildegard and Sheria, acting as their limbs, had a filthy way of speaking.
‘Meldenik, despite being a noble lady, always used informal language with her.’
And that, too, only when there was no one else around.
He was a despicable person. That dangerous individual, lacking empathy and caring only about himself, was entering into business dealings with children.
In this situation, I couldn’t afford to lose this fight.
“Dominic, I’ll definitely clean up the trash.”
I spoke with determination.
Fortunately, I remember his patterns and methods.
“That person is crazy about magic.”
“Really?”
“Yes. He is so obsessed with magic that he even amputated one of his arms to conduct magic experiments with it.”
Such a lunatic had a simple reason for doing everything Hildegard asked of him.
‘Hildegard saved the Count of Teln in his childhood.’
Hildegard’s coming to hold the reins of the Count of Teln originated from a coincidental event.
While conducting a magic experiment, the Count of Teln one day accidentally consumed the pistil of the Hinea flower, widely known for its poison.
There was only one way to neutralize the poison.
It was to bask in the light emanating from the branch of Pinad, a healing magic artifact.
At that time, Hildegard was the only one in the empire who possessed the branch of Pinad, and, excited by the thought of utilizing her genius, she promised to save the Count of Teln.
In the original work, “Lovers Enchanted by Magic,” the genius of the Count of Teln and his relationship with Hildegard were also importantly discussed in a side story, so it was well remembered.
Both Hildegard and the Count of Teln were brutal and strange in temperament.
However, paradoxically, this allowed them to act as a control mechanism for each other.
‘It’s like a crocodile and a plover, I guess.’
To properly deal with Hildegard, he was also someone who needed to be eliminated.
‘For the sake of humanity, he’s someone who needs to disappear.’
That trash always brought bizarre magical tools that caused side effects in the world.
It probably hasn’t changed much even now.
‘The magic stone that makes one experience hell, and the slime that makes a person delirious, forcing them to work 24 hours a day, are also his creations.’
I stared out the window intently.
“Surely he’ll bring a magic item with severe side effects.”
“Hmm……”
“So, what should we do, Mel? Are we just supposed to take it?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“First, we need to find out what they’re planning.”
And then I’ll use that to change the game.
