Chapter 2: Gordon’s Magic Appliances
THE morning after arriving in the capital, when the wave of people heading to work subsided, Olivia left her hotel for Gordon’s Magic Appliances.
It really is an incredible shop.
She looked up at the five-story stone building with its elegant shop sign glittering in the morning sun. This was likely the largest or second-largest building, even among the other stores along this road.
Was it all right for someone like her to go in?
Despite the anxiety washing over her, she gripped the straps of her bag and gave herself a pep talk.
Keep at it! You’ve come this far. You can’t turn back now!
She huffed out a breath before opening the wooden door to the delicate sound of a bell, only to freeze in place with wide eyes the moment she set foot inside.
It’s massive! Are these all magic items?!
The first floor was large enough to easily fit one of the horsecars and the horses and was filled with large shelves displaying magic items. Upon first inspection, Olivia believed you could get any magic item here.
She hesitated, feeling overwhelmed, when a beautiful, demure woman in an A-line skirt smiled at her from beside the entrance. “Welcome to Gordon’s Magic Appliances. If there’s anything specific you’re looking for, I can show you where it is.”
Olivia snapped back to herself and took the envelope addressed to Gordon from the letter her father left. “My name is Olivia Carter. Could I ask you to give this to Mr. Gordon?”
“Of course.” The woman took the envelope and led Olivia to a round table with chairs, supposedly used for talking with customers. “Please wait here. Can I get you anything to drink?”
Of course, they’d even serve beverages in the capital.
“No, thank you,” Olivia declined politely. After the woman left, she let her eyes wander around the shop.
The first floor seems to be for daily magic appliances.
It was well-lit in the store thanks to the large windows and lamps hanging from the ceiling. Along with the lights, Olivia noticed hair dryers, fridges, stoves, and various magic items in multiple designs. Everything was laid out so customers could easily test out the assortment of products; an energetic, well-dressed worker was available to explain the details of each one.
The shop seemed fairly popular as well. Despite it being morning, there were quite a few customers. Both the scale of the shop and the number of customers were far beyond what Olivia knew of for a magic item shop.
It’s even more amazing than I could tell from the outside. I knew Gordon had a shop in the capital, but I never imagined it was this big.
Until she’d seen the shop, she had been thinking of asking Gordon if he had an opening to bring her on as an artificer. Getting a job there would have been reassuring since she trusted him and was anxious about working elsewhere in the capital, where she barely knew up from down.
But…I’m not experienced enough as an artificer to work in a shop like this…
The shop’s scale was one thing, but the products on display were also top-class. A mere glance told her how high quality they were. They must have a staff filled with skilled artificers.
I’d like to try working in such an astounding shop, but I need to polish my skills more first.
Just as she decided to ask Gordon if he could introduce her to a trustworthy workplace, the woman from earlier returned.
“I apologize for the wait,” she said. “Gordon is waiting for you.”
Feeling nervous, Olivia hugged her bag close, stood, and followed the woman up the stairs to a room on the second floor that was slightly smaller but also filled with display cases.
“This is part of the shop as well?” asked Olivia.
“It is. This is where we display our magic jewelry and the like.”
Olivia was struck by the urge to look but then shook her head.
First, I need to see Gordon.
They cut through the room and approached a door at the end of a hallway. The woman knocked and announced, “Miss Olivia is here.”
“Come in.”
The woman opened the door to reveal what looked like a reception room with two three-seater sofas in the center facing each other. Sitting on one of the sofas was a well-built man in a casually worn white button-up shirt and slacks. He seemed like a genial middle-aged man, the epitome of a craftsman with his beard and receding hairline.
He stood and smiled at Olivia as he offered his hand. “It’s been too long, Olivia. The last time I saw you must have been at your father’s funeral.”
“Yes. I’m sorry for not keeping in touch.” The door softly clicked behind Olivia as she hurried over to accept the handshake. There was something reassuring about his large, rough worker’s hands—just like her father’s.
Gordon gestured to the other sofa for her to sit before setting her father’s letter on the table between them. He looked at her soberly. “I’ve already read the letter. If you’re here, it means something’s happened, hasn’t it?”
Olivia’s lips pulled tight as she cast her eyes down. She felt pathetic because she’d have to tell Gordon she was unable to protect her father’s shop—she was ashamed.
I have no choice but to tell him exactly what happened…
She lifted her head with determination and looked into Gordon’s somewhat concerned eyes. “I, um. I was fired from the shop yesterday.”
“Uh, what?” His eyes grew wide. “Fired? But it’s your shop.”
“My uncle altered the deed.”
“Your uncle? You have an uncle?”
“Yes. He’s my father’s younger brother. They were estranged for a very long time. After the funeral, he appeared out of nowhere and made himself my legal guardian. He and his family even moved into the house…”
Olivia bit her lip as she replayed the events.
I was too naïve. I knew I shouldn’t trust him just because he’s my uncle, but I was so scared after Mother and Father died…
Gordon seemed to gather what had happened. With an intense scowl, he asked, “What about that worker you had in the shop? Uh, Jack?”
Jack had been a long-time employee of Carter’s Magic Items. Olivia admired him because he was as good an artificer as her father was. When her uncle stole the shop from Olivia, Jack went to the government office to inquire about the abnormal situation.