Episode 14
Lindsay had her own errands to run, but Nero had his too.
Sometimes the black cat went back to his “hometown” in the Demon Realm to meet his friends.
She already knew today was one of those days.
“Listen while you eat. Probably no customers will come, but if they do, just say: ‘Welcome. This is Monahan’s Magic Potion Shop.’”
“What a shame. If I’d come as a customer, I could’ve heard that greeting myself.”
“You can break the contract and come as a customer if you want.”
“That’s not possible.”
Lionel’s firm answer was followed by a forced smile.
The joke had touched on emotions he normally kept buried, but he didn’t let the smile slip.
When Lindsay finished her sandwich, she crumpled the wrapper, tossed it into the trash, and kept explaining.
It really felt like a boss training her very first part-time worker.
Well, that was exactly what this was.
“Potions are all 1 gold. Powdered medicines are 2 gold. No need to worry about change.”
“You’re selling way cheaper than market price.”
“They’re not selling, that’s why. Oh, and if shabby kids come in, don’t chase them out. Just take whatever they give and give them the medicine.”
“Not only a failing business, but you’re running a charity too?”
Lionel’s eyes sparkled as he looked at her, and Lindsay quickly turned away, flustered by his gaze.
To her, it wasn’t some grand charity.
It was just giving away unsold medicine to street kids who desperately needed it.
She remembered the ragged children who had once come to her shop not long after she opened.
They were from the slums in the capital—kids abandoned by family, kids who ran away, kids who had no choice but to wander the streets.
Lindsay had no obligation to raise them or take them in.
But she also had no reason to turn away a child offering their most precious belonging just to get medicine for a sick friend.
On the counter sat one of those precious belongings: a worn wooden figurine.
It was a little angel statue, looking lovingly down at a baby in its arms.
“Mom said she’s going to earn money… and told me to hold on to this no matter what.”
“Our leader’s sick, big sis…”
Someday she would return it to them.
For now, Lindsay looked away from the figurine and pointed under the counter, where a black jar sat empty.
“Put the money in there. It’ll transfer straight to the safe upstairs.”
“Understood.”
“If you’ve got more questions, just use the comms orb you gave me. I’ll be back before six.”
“…What?”
Lionel had assumed she’d stay with him in the shop, so when Lindsay suddenly announced she was leaving, he grabbed her sleeve in shock.
But she easily slipped out of his grip and pointed up at the ceiling.
“I already made lunch in the upstairs kitchen. Eat that. If you want something else, just lock up the shop for a bit and go grab food.”
“What are you saying, Lindsay? You’re leaving me here alone?”
She tilted her head innocently.
“Huh? Didn’t I tell you? You’ll be watching the shop while I’m out.”
“You did not! You only explained the shop rules.”
Lionel’s eyes drooped in something like wounded puppy disappointment.
Seeing that beautiful face pull a sad expression made Lindsay’s chest sting a little.
Was it guilt about working him like a slave?
Or just her heart reacting to his unfairly good looks?
Trying to steady her racing heart, she mentioned her farm plans—only for Lionel to immediately declare he’d come with her.
Naturally, she frowned and refused.
“What about the shop?”
“So if we solve that, I can go too?”
“I guess… but you’d have to work there as well, you know?”
Lindsay pointed out that farm work was way harder than minding the shop, but Lionel just grinned ear to ear.
Then he pulled out his comms orb, contacted someone, and a few moments later, a middle-aged man in a green cloak walked into the shop and bowed.
“Greetings. I am Rudolf Allman, aide to the Tower Master. It is an honor to meet you.”
“He manages the Tower’s financial ledgers, so running a register here will be child’s play. Now, shall we go?”
Lindsay glared at Lionel’s cheerful face.
“……”
Seriously, how could he assign someone that important to babysit a failing little shop?
She watched speechlessly as the man stepped behind the counter.
With his neat manner, monocle, and fine cloak, he looked more like the real shop owner than she did.
“Please, let’s go. I’m eager to see the farm Lindsay has cultivated.”
“Go safely, miss. I’ll manage the shop thoroughly.”
“…Thank you.”
With Lionel urging her forward and Rudolf speaking so firmly, Lindsay had no choice but to agree and head out.
Lionel stayed at her side, chatting brightly about the farm.
She replied half-heartedly, her voice lacking energy.
Once they disappeared past the counter, Rudolf pulled a thick book from his cloak.
The last few years, he’d been endlessly busy tending to the Tower Master’s illness, with no time for his hobbies.
Now, with a rare chance for leisure, he settled in happily to read.
The mountain peak rose so high it looked like you could reach out and touch the clouds.
Even in early summer, the air was whipped by freezing winds sharp as knives.
Yet atop the rocky peak was a strangely smooth, flat area, as if carved out by hand.
And on it stood a single, small log cabin.
Two figures appeared out of thin air in front of it—a man and a woman, with contrasting hair colors.
The violent winds didn’t touch them.
Their hair and clothes didn’t flutter at all, nor did the sand or stones on the ground shift.
Looking closely, you could see a dome-shaped, faintly green barrier wrapped around the mountaintop.
The silver-haired man looked around in wonder, then tucked his hair behind his ear and smiled, his eyes crinkling.
The woman, clearly used to his behavior, turned her face away. He didn’t mind and kept chattering happily.
“Beautiful view.”
“That’s why I settled here.”
There wasn’t much else worth seeing.
She smiled softly under the open sky.
Unlike other witches, who lived in canyons, forests, or under the sea, she preferred a wide, open place.
“That must be the entrance to the farm.”
The man pointed at the little log cabin made of thick brown logs tied together with rope, roofed with the same wood.
It looked like nothing more than a hunter’s rest hut.
But the dense flow of magic gave it away.
He quickly guessed there was space-expansion magic or separation magic hidden inside.
If she’d heard his guess, she would’ve clapped like a seal in delight—because he was half right, half wrong.
Stretching out her arms with a mischievous grin, she said:
“Welcome to the witch’s home. You’re the first guest.”
“It’s an honor, Witch.”
The man smiled back, offering his hand like a nobleman asking a lady to dance.
She shuddered, ignored his hand, and walked inside the cabin.
He simply withdrew his hand and followed after, unbothered.
Once the two disappeared into the cabin, the highest peak of the Molton Mountains fell silent again, just as always.
