Chapter 137
But before Eila could move, Piony stepped forward.
“This won’t do. I’ll have to go in myself.”
“Wait, Piony.”
Eila quickly raised her hand, stopping her.
“Of course, if you step in, the problem will be solved quickly. But your dignity as a princess would be damaged. Let me act as the middle ground.”
“…Do you actually have a good plan?”
“Just stand behind me, both of you. Go along with the situation as needed.”
At Eila’s confident words, Yuria and Piony hesitated, then nodded.
“Alright, I’ll trust you.”
“I’ll do my best too.”
With that, the three of them opened the shop door and went inside.
As expected, the place was chaos. Customers who had come to buy goods rushed out in fear of getting caught up in trouble.
The shop owner—a man—was shouting at Lujen, scolding him arrogantly.
“Hey, do you have proof your plants withered because of my shop’s waste water?”
“Th-that’s…”
“You can’t even manage your own fields properly, and you’re blaming others? Why should I pay for drainage construction?”
At his shamelessness, Lujen faltered, unable to respond. As a commoner, he couldn’t help it.
A mage from the Magic Tower was treated with respect even by nobles.
If he angered the man, who knew what might happen? His caution was understandable.
But showing weakness before someone like this would only invite contempt.
Eila stepped forward silently, creating an oppressive atmosphere.
Sensing her, Lujen turned quickly, startled.
“Ah, my lady…!”
“Step back, Lujen.”
Her smooth command carried quiet force.
At that subtle pressure, the shop owner frowned and looked at her with discomfort.
“And who are you?”
Instead of answering, Eila let her gaze drift over the magical goods displayed on the shelves.
As expected from a Tower-trained mage, the quality wasn’t bad.
But compared to her own abilities, they were worthless trinkets.
“I asked who you are. Why aren’t you answering?”
Annoyed at her ignoring him, the shop owner raised his voice.
At last, Eila lifted her head slowly, as if only now noticing his presence.
“Are all these items made by you?”
The man gave a mocking laugh.
“Ha! Yes. I used to be a mage of the Magic Tower. The name’s Donovan.”
He smirked, shooting a glare at Lujen behind her.
“I see… but.”
Eila picked up a vial of green liquid from the counter, smirking coldly.
“For someone who claims to be from the Tower, your skill is truly pathetic.”
“What—what did you just say?!”
Donovan’s face flushed red.
“What do you know to judge my magic? You’re just a commoner who doesn’t understand anything!”
“Commoner? I am also a mage of the Magic Tower.”
Eila lied smoothly without flinching.
“And this potion—you got the ratio wrong. You used far too little Sasara fruit, so it has less than half its proper effect. Did you cut corners to save on ingredients?”
“H-how do you know that…?”
Donovan paled at her sharp words.
He scanned her clothes quickly, but found no symbol of the Tower.
“You expect me to believe you? Show me your identification if you’re really—”
“And this rake here—it only has second-level enchantment. The material is cheap as well. Hardly worth casting reinforcement on at all.”
“…”
“At the very least, it should be level four.”
The moment her words ended, mana glowed brightly at Eila’s fingertips.
A soft blue light shimmered over the rake, then vanished, leaving the tool glossier and sharper than before.
She hadn’t even drawn a magic circle or recited a spell.
‘I—I need a magic circle just to barely enchant an item…’
Donovan’s eyes shook violently.
‘Could she really be from the Tower? Casting a level four reinforcement without even a circle?’
Eila pressed further, her voice cool.
“You do know how strict the Tower is about impersonation, don’t you?”
“…”
Donovan fell silent, lips trembling.
It was true he had once been with the Tower—but only for a few months before being expelled for lack of ability.
Here in the countryside, that was enough to impress people.
But to meet someone this skilled, in a remote village like this…
Eila tilted her chin slightly and gestured behind her.
“And for reference, my master is standing right here—Her Highness, Princess Piony.”
“P—Princess…?”
Donovan looked up.
The woman behind Eila pulled back her hood.
Platinum-blonde hair and clear blue eyes—the undeniable traits of the imperial family.
The exact same face he remembered from the newspapers years ago.
‘It’s really Princess Piony!’
Realizing his position, Donovan broke into a sweat, bowing his head quickly.
His arrogance was gone in an instant. He was the type to bully the weak and grovel before the strong.
Eila’s voice rang sharp.
“So—what will you do about the drainage construction?”
“O-of course, I’ll fix it! I must have lost my senses for a moment. I’ll cover all the costs myself!”
“…”
“And if that’s not enough, I’ll also pay compensation. Please, forgive me just this once!”
Eila gave no reply. She simply turned away, saying one final line.
“I’ll decide after I see your actions.”
“Y-yes! Thank you, truly!”
Donovan bowed repeatedly, beads of sweat rolling down his face.
The image of Eila enchanting a tool without effort haunted him still.
‘If I anger her… one attack spell and not just me, but this entire shop could vanish.’
He wiped his cold sweat, bowing deeply until they left the store.
The hot summer passed, and cool winds began to sweep over Riod Academy.
The once-bustling campus now carried a quiet urgency—final exams were approaching.
The library was packed with more students than usual. Among them sat Eila and Felix.
‘Haah, even two bodies wouldn’t be enough.’
Recently, Eila and Felix had both submitted applications for early graduation.
To graduate early, two conditions were required: producing special achievements in one’s major field and passing the graduation exam with excellent results.
Which meant they now had to take both the semester’s final exams and the graduation exam at the same time.
As a result, Felix hadn’t touched his sword for days, buried in books all day long. He looked restless.
“I’m confident about practical tests… but the written part is endless.”
“Tired, aren’t you?”
Eila looked at him with sympathy as he massaged his stiff neck, eyes shut.
“Still, the exam is soon. Just hang on a little longer.”
“Yeah, I’ll endure… But, after the exams, would you like to go somewhere together? For fun?”
“Huh? You mean… go out?”
“Yeah. Having a reward like that will give me the motivation to survive this.”
Felix looked at her with hopeful, shining eyes.
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