Episode 13
If you asked Lindsay what the busiest time of day for a shopkeeper was, she would’ve said morning.
At least, that’s what she would’ve answered before she met Lionel.
After meeting Lionel, she got her hands on a big mana charger, and everything changed.
All the chores she used to do by hand to save mana—she now blasted through with magic.
The results were amazing.
Cleaning the shop, which usually took ages, now took just one minute.
Checking all the stock on the shelves? Done in a quarter of the time.
With her workload cut down so much, Lindsay was in a great mood.
She hummed a little tune while taking down the shop’s signboard.
She plopped it onto the counter, grabbed a dry cloth from the drawer, and began wiping away the dust.
From his basket, the black cat yawned and stretched, then spoke.
[That’s clean enough. Hang it back up, meow.]
“You carved this yourself. I’m going to polish it until it shines.”
Unlike what Lionel probably thought, the shop’s sign wasn’t bought—it was carefully hand-carved by the cat himself.
[Mrrrow—.]
“…?”
Her green eyes blinked at him.
[What? Why are you staring at me?]
“Nothing.”
If she said he had just meowed like a real cat, he’d be mortified.
Nero was way too proud for that.
So Lindsay zipped her lips and carried the polished sign outside.
But the moment she stepped out, she scowled.
Across the street, at Ohara’s Potion Shop, a huge crowd of customers had gathered.
Sure, her shop didn’t have customers right now—but it wasn’t just because of her annoying neighbor.
Yes, Yurie Ohara had no business sense and was the kind of person who’d shamelessly open the exact same type of store right next door.
But the real reason Lindsay’s business suffered was because Ohara’s potions were officially certified by the Magic Tower, and hers weren’t.
So Lindsay had no reason to actually hate her.
…But then again, why did it feel so irritating to watch?
“Form a line, people! A line!”
“No cutting in front!”
Yurie Ohara was outside, flustered, trying to wrangle three times the usual number of customers.
That’s when her eyes met Lindsay’s.
She immediately strutted over.
“Oh wow, you’re still in business?”
Lindsay’s fingers dug into the wooden signboard without her realizing it.
So that’s why she felt so bitter.
Humans can’t help but feel jealous when their neighbor strikes it rich—and it’s worse when that neighbor rubs it in your face.
Lindsay calmly pulled her fingers out of the signboard and took a deep breath.
Three breaths for patience save a life, as the saying goes…
But then Yurie smirked and added:
“What money do you even have to keep this place open? Don’t tell me… you’re luring men into your house with that pretty face?”
Okay. That’s it.
Her fresh green eyes blazed with fury.
Until now, no matter how annoying Yurie was, Lindsay had brushed off her insults for the sake of being neighbors.
But this time, Yurie had crossed way over the line.
No, Lindsay wasn’t going to kill her or curse her with something fatal.
She wasn’t even going to beat her up.
But she would make her life miserable.
“Ohara. You should pick up a night hobby.”
Because from now on, you’re not going to be sleeping well.
As soon as Lindsay said that, she turned away and lifted the signboard to hang it back.
Strangely, Yurie suddenly went silent.
Weird… that’s not like her.
Before Lindsay could figure it out, another shadow fell over hers.
She froze at the sound of cloth brushing and an artificial gust of wind.
Then she felt warmth at her back and caught the faint woody scent of sun-dried paper.
Strong but gentle fingers covered hers on the signboard.
While the sign settled back into its place, Lindsay found herself staring blankly at the hem of a green cloak brushing her cheek.
Then came the cool voice from above:
“Lindsay doesn’t have any other men. Don’t say nonsense.”
Her heart thumped hard. Slowly, she turned her head—and met Lionel’s lavender eyes, looking like he’d been waiting for her to look up.
“Right, Lindsay?”
She couldn’t answer.
She was too busy trying to calm the irregular pounding in her chest.
Lionel draped his cloak to cover her and shifted his gaze.
His eyes went cold as they locked on Yurie Ohara.
When he arrived, he’d seen her throwing vile insults at Lindsay.
And he recognized her.
She was the shopkeeper of the last store he’d visited during his search for the Witch.
“Ta– Tower Mast—mff!”
“Be quiet. You’re hurting my ears.”
“Mmff!”
Yurie’s mouth sealed shut, her eyes filling with tears as she clawed at her lips.
Lionel ignored her completely, focusing only on Lindsay.
“You okay?”
“What do you mean?”
Her calm, steady reply made him relax. Good.
She wasn’t shaken. But still, he was already planning his revenge.
His motto was simple: repay kindness twice over, repay insults tenfold.
So he’d strip Yurie of everything she owned and make sure her own words came true.
His lavender eyes gleamed dangerously as he looked down at the trembling woman.
She dropped to her knees and clasped her hands like she was praying.
Customers in line outside the shop were whispering now, watching the scene.
That only fueled Lionel’s determination.
How dare she humiliate Lindsay in front of all these people?
“Don’t bother with the trash she said. I’ll—”
“It’s fine. I already handled it.”
“…You did? What did you do?”
Lionel blinked, glancing at Yurie.
Now that he looked closely, he could sense faint traces of a curse lingering on her.
“Let’s talk inside.”
“Alright. But hey, I came early—don’t I get breakfast?”
“Did you eat before coming?”
Lindsay grinned.
She always asked if he’d eaten—it was like her version of ‘hello.’
“Nope. Do you ask that every day?”
“That’s just how we say hi where I’m from.”
“Oh? In your world?”
“No, in another one.”
What the heck was that supposed to mean? Lionel just chuckled as he released the silence spell on Yurie before heading in.
Before closing the door, he mouthed words at her:
This is just the beginning.
Even in her panic, Yurie read his lips.
Her face went pale with despair.
Satisfied, Lionel’s gaze drifted past her—catching sight of a black cat slipping out the door, tail standing tall with fury.
Lionel had a sudden uneasy thought: maybe he’d never get his turn.
“So what did you do to her? A killing curse?”
“What? Do you think I’m some kind of murderer?”
Lindsay shot Lionel a look, offended.
Honestly, this guy always assumed she went for the most extreme option.
Who kills someone just for being rude?
“…But the residue feels like curse-type magic.”
“Well, yeah. I did curse her.”
The way he’d correctly identified the magic type just from lingering mana made Lindsay sigh.
Still, she explained:
“It’s just a mid-level nightmare curse. From now on, every night, she’ll dream of the things she hates most. She’ll wake up, fall asleep again, and get chased all over again. Over and over. Eventually, she’ll go to a real mage or a temple for help.”
Lionel frowned.
“That’s it? Too soft. If you didn’t want to cause a scene, I could’ve handled her in secret.”
“Yeah, sure. Here—handle this.”
Lindsay shoved a sandwich into his mouth before he could say more.
Then she took a big bite of her own.
Breakfast today: a simple but hearty ham-and-cheese sandwich.
Perfect fuel for a busy shopkeeper—and thankfully, she’d made extra for Lionel.
As she chewed, Lindsay noticed something.
The shop looked the same as always… except for one thing.
The cat’s usual spot was empty.
“…Where’d that furball run off to?”
Probably chasing some bird, she thought. Shrugging, she went back to her sandwich.
