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“This won’t do. I should go in.”
“Wait, Peony.”
Ayla raised her hand, quickly blocking her path.
“Of course, if you step in, things will be resolved quickly, but it will damage your dignity as a Princess. I’ll play the intermediary role.”
“…Do you have any good ideas?”
“Just stand behind me quietly, both of you. Read the situation and react accordingly.”
At Ayla’s confident words, Yuria and Princess Peony hesitated before nodding.
“Okay, I understand for now.”
“I’ll do my best too.”
Soon, the three of them opened the door of the shop and went inside.
As expected, the inside of the store was a mess. Customers who had come to buy things were afraid of getting caught up in the trouble and were hurrying out.
And the man who appeared to be the shop owner was busy yelling at Lujin, acting unfairly.
“Hey, do you have any proof that the wastewater from my shop is causing your plants to wither?”
“W-Well, that’s…”
“Why are you blaming others when you can’t manage your own things properly? Why should I pay for the drainage construction!”
At his brazenness, Lujin couldn’t continue speaking, looking embarrassed. As a commoner, there was nothing Lujin could do.
A Mage from the Magic Tower was respected by most nobles.
It was understandable that he was being so careful, not knowing what might happen if he offended him.
But showing weakness in front of such a troublemaker would only make him look down on you.
Ayla approached them silently to create as much intimidation as possible.
Surprised by the familiar presence, Lujin turned to look at her.
“Ah, Miss…!”
“Step back, Lujin.”
Ayla gave the order smoothly.
The subtle pressure in her short words made the shop owner look at her uncomfortably.
“And who are you?”
Instead of answering, Ayla quietly scanned the Magic items displayed in front of her.
As expected of a Mage from the Magic Tower, the items sold in the store were all of decent quality.
But compared to her Magic abilities, they were all insignificant.
“I’m asking who you are, why aren’t you answering?”
Annoyed by her blatant disregard, the shop owner huffed.
Then Ayla slowly raised her head as if she had just noticed someone was there.
“Did you make all the items here?”
At her question, the shop owner let out a hollow laugh.
“Hah, yes. Believe it or not, I’m a Mage from the Magic Tower. My name is Donovan.”
Donovan puffed out his chest and glared at Lujin behind him.
“I see… But.”
Ayla picked up a potion bottle filled with green liquid from the display. Soon, a blatant sneer appeared on her lips.
“For someone from the Magic Tower, your skills are quite poor.”
“W-What?!”
Donovan’s face flushed red.
“What do you know to be evaluating my Magic? You’re just a commoner who doesn’t know anything about Magic!”
“A commoner? I’m also a Mage from the Magic Tower.”
Ayla continued to lie shamelessly without batting an eye.
“And this Magical potion, the ratio is wrong. You put too little Sasara fruit in it, so it won’t be able to exert even half of its original effect. Did you do that on purpose to save on ingredient costs?”
“H-How did you…?”
Donovan was startled by Ayla’s cold criticism.
Soon, his gaze swept over Ayla’s attire. But her clothes didn’t have any symbols indicating that she was from the Magic Tower.
“D-Do you think I’ll believe you? Show me your identification badge or something…!”
“And the Reinforcement Magic engraved on this rake is only at level 2. The material also looks quite cheap, so what’s the point of casting Reinforcement Magic on it?”
“….”
“It should be at least level 4 to be of any use.”
As soon as she finished speaking, clear Mana of energy emanated from Ayla’s fingertips.
A faint blue light swirled around the rake and disappeared, and the item looked shinier and glossier than before.
It was quite surprising for a result that came out without even chanting a proper spell.
‘I, I can barely imbue tools with abilities by drawing a Magic Circle…’
Donovan’s eyes shook greatly.
‘Could she really be from the Magic Tower? To cast level 4 Reinforcement Magic without even drawing a Magic Circle?’
Donovan’s complexion turned pale at Ayla’s next words.
“You know how sensitive the Magic Tower is to impersonation, right?”
“……”
Donovan’s lips moved, but he soon fell silent.
It was true that he had stayed in the Magic Tower a long time ago, but he had been kicked out after only a few months due to a lack of skill.
But even though he wasn’t recognized by the Magic Tower, he was skilled enough to be recognized in this rural village.
But to think he would run into someone this skilled in this backwater place.
Ayla gestured behind her as if driving a wedge and continued slowly.
“For your information, my master is right here. It’s Princess Peony.”
“P-Princess?”
Donovan raised his head and looked at the person behind her. Then the woman quietly pulled back her robe, revealing her face.
Her appearance clearly showed the characteristics of the royal family, with her splendid platinum blonde hair and blue eyes.
Donovan’s mind went blank at the sight that exactly matched what he had seen in the newspaper a long time ago.
‘It’s really Princess Peony!’
The man, finally realizing his situation, lowered his head deeply, sweating profusely.
The arrogant attitude he had shown until just now was nowhere to be found. He was a typical opportunist who was weak to the strong and pretended to be strong to the weak.
Ayla rebuked the man with a firm voice.
“So, what are you going to do about the drainage construction?”
“O-Of course, I have to do it! I think I was out of my mind for a moment. Of course, I’ll bear all the construction costs.”
“……”
“If that’s not enough, I’ll also provide separate compensation for damages. Could you please forgive me just once?”
Ayla didn’t reply any further and turned around, leaving only one word behind.
“I’ll decide after seeing what you do.”
“Yes, yes! Thank you so much!”
Donovan bowed repeatedly, stiffly.
He still couldn’t get the image of Ayla casting level 4 Magic without even chanting a spell out of his head.
‘If I ever offend that person… one attack Magic could blow away me and this entire store.’
Donovan wiped away his cold sweat and bowed his head as much as possible until they left the store.
The sweltering summer passed, and a cool breeze had already arrived at Riod Academy.
At the same time, the bustling campus was swept up in a quiet busyness. The end-of-semester exams were just around the corner.
Perhaps that was why the library was more crowded than usual with students. Ayla and Felix were among them.
‘Haa, I could use two bodies.’
Ayla and Felix had recently submitted their applications for early graduation.
To graduate early, they had to meet two conditions: achieve special results in their major and pass the graduation exam with excellent grades.
In other words, the two of them had to take the end-of-semester exams and the graduation exams at the same time.
Thanks to that, Felix seemed restless these days, spending all day looking at books instead of sword training.
“I’m really confident in the practical exam… but the written exam is the problem. It never ends.”
“Are you having a hard time?”
Ayla looked at Felix, who was rubbing his neck with his eyes closed, with pitiful eyes.
“But the exam is coming up soon. Hang in there a little longer.”
“Yes, I have to… By the way, would you like to go somewhere after the exam?”
“Huh? Go somewhere?”
“I feel like I need some kind of reward to keep me going.”
Felix looked at her with expectant eyes.
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