"Eeeekk!"
"Who is this ugly man?!"
"D-Demon! A demon has come!"
"Look at that hideous scar!"
"Somebody help us!"
The moment Adam entered Madam Mira's clothing store, he was greeted by the genuine shrieks of the elven girls working there.
Adam involuntarily touched the scar on his face, thinking to himself, It can't be that bad…
Right?
"Huhu, come now, girls." A soothing, melodic voice was suddenly heard from inside the store. "That is not a demon, but a dear customer~"
A beautiful elf with blonde, wavy hair walked out of the store. She was wearing white robes and looked extremely pleasing to the eyes.
Even Adam was sent to a momentary daze, seeing her holy, angel-like appearance. The next moment, he hurriedly lowered his head and bowed respectfully, afraid that the elf might get offended by his prolonged gaze.
"Greetings, Madam Mira."
"No need to be so formal, Magus Adam." Mira smiled charmingly. "Come, let us speak inside."
The beautiful elf guided the youth to the seating area inside the store. After the two sat down, they were served tea and snacks by one of the elven girls working there.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})She continued to secretly glance at Adam from time to time, seemingly appalled by the scar on his face. Although the youth was annoyed by it, he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he just displayed a cordial smile.
"You've grown," Mira spoke with a gentle tone.
"Yeah, I keep hearing that." Adam chuckled. He then spoke sincerely, "Madam Mira, thank you for escorting Lisa's family to Moon City. I really appreciate it."
Mira waved her hand nonchalantly. "Fret not. It was a simple transaction. I held my end of the deal, now I hope you'll do the same."
"Of course." Adam nodded. He paused for a brief moment before asking, "If you don't mind, can you tell me how the negotiations went with the Gracie Family Patriarch?"
Mira took a sip from her teacup before explaining, "That man, I think his name was Oswald? Yes, he was very adamant about giving up the little boy without receiving anything in return. He was making ridiculous demands as well. But the moment I used Lord Berger's name, he instantly caved in."
"That's it?" Adam was quite surprised that things turned out to be so smooth.
"What else did you expect?" Mira chuckled. "No one in their right mind would try to offend a Rank 3 Magus. Even if Oswald thought that I was lying, he still wouldn't take that risk."
Looks like the old man was right after all. More often than not, what Magi feel about other Magi of higher ranks is not respect, but fear!
He then looked at Madam Mira and smiled. "Regardless, I really do have to thank you for this. You even went so far as to help Lisa's family settle down."
"Huhu, what can I say?" Mira smiled warmly. "That child Lisa is a regular customer of mine. This is the least I should do for her."
Adam then spoke to her about the deal he had made with her about supplying her magic potions for a year. After negotiating back and forth, they finally settled down on the weekly quota of potions that Adam had to make for her.
"Pleasure doing business with you~" Mira was very gratified with the agreement with Adam. Suddenly she thought of something and giggled.
"By the way, Magus Adam, I'm curious to know why you haven't yet treated that scar on your face?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Adam raised his chin at a forty-five-degree angle and replied with a smug expression, "A battle scar is a medal of honor."
Mira rolled her eyes. "That's something mortals say to justify not being able to treat their scars. It's different for us Magi."
"No, it's not!" Adam looked away. "I think it's pretty cool."
"Huhu, alright, alright, I will give you the contact information of one of my friends in the city who does this sort of work."
"Huh?" Adam was confused. "What sort of work?"
"Applying the magic principles from the School of Alteration and using it to perform facial surgery. The results are permanent and it is quite popular amongst aristocratic women in the city," Mira replied frankly.
"What?!" Adam shot to his feet, shock etched all over his face. "Such a thing is also possible?!"
Mira nodded with an amused smile.
"A-Ahem." The youth awkwardly cleared his throat. "Give me their contact details, please. Uh, I need to consult them for research purposes. As you know, I'm a Herbalist myself…"
"Yes, yes, Magus Adam." Mira found the youth's actions to be very adorable. "You don't have to explain yourself. I completely understand."
After taking that person's contact details, Adam suddenly asked, "By the way, Madam Mira, I've been meaning to ask, do you still have those pointy hats for sale?"
"Oh?" Mira smiled and then asked teasingly, "I thought you didn't like them? Didn't you say such hats were only for oldies?"
"Huh, really?" Adam shamelessly feigned ignorance. "I don't remember saying something like that."
"Sure, whatever you say." Mira rolled her eyes yet again. She then asked with a smirk, "Why do you need them? Could it be that you've come to like them?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Adam grinned from ear to ear. "You see, every Magus needs a trademark of sorts. Mine's going to be that hat. So when my enemies see a black, pointy hat, they will be reminded of me and tremble in fear. Kyahahaha!"
Mira couldn't help but heave a helpless sigh as she pressed her temples. "Here I thought you had grown up. You're still the same as ever. How many do you need?"
Adam's face turned solemn. "Before we talk about that, I need to know something important."
"What is it?" Seeing the youth's serious expression, even Mira turned solemn.
Adam took a deep breath and then said with a straight face, "Will you give me a discount on the hats?"
…
On his way back home, the youth continued to grumble endlessly, "Hmph, how can someone be so cheap? After all the potions I'm making, you're giving me such a measly discount?"
Although he said so, there wasn't any displeasure in his eyes. He was trying his luck anyway. He raised his hands and adjusted the black, pointy hat on his head.
"Hehe, now that's more like it."
He entered his villa in a cheerful mood, but the moment he entered, he was greeted by his butler who seemed to be on the verge of losing his sanity.
"My lord! My lord! You're finally here!"
"Barry, what happened? Is everything alright?" Adam's expression turned grim. He rarely saw his butler lose control of his emotions.
"Yes, I think so, my lord," Barry hurriedly spat out. "A package has arrived today."
"A package?" Adam was puzzled. "From who?"
Barry nervously gulped before replying, "The Nightingale Royal Family!"
