“Thank you very much,” an employee said to them as they left the store.
Yui was wearing the magic item she had just purchased. It really did look like just an ordinary accessory.
“It looks really good on you, Yui,” Cecil said, and Yui smiled bashfully.
“Now, should we head to where we’re going next?” Layce said.
“It’s for Yui’s present, right?” Carlo asked.
“Yes, at a store owned by an acquaintance of mine,” Layce answered.
Yui’s birthday was a week away, but it took place during the joint training camp that students from the three schools went to, which meant that they couldn’t celebrate it on the actual day. So today, they would buy Yui her present, then in the evening, Sherina would join them at a restaurant where Layce had made reservations, and they would all celebrate together over dinner.
“Hey, papa, I already asked for something else, so I don’t think I really need this present...”
“That is that, and this is this,” Layce said firmly.
“But...” Yui said. What she had asked for had been quite expensive, and she felt awkward receiving anything more. She felt guilty, but it didn’t seem like Layce would change his mind anytime soon.
“Give it up, Yui,” Carlo said. “If dad says he will, then he won’t go home until he buys it.”
Yui finally gave in, and a look of resignation crept onto her face.
“Actually, what did you ask for from dad?” Cecil asked her.
“It’s a secret. You’ll find out during camp.”
“Oh? I’m looking forward to it.”
“Yeah, me too,” Yui said cheerfully.
Despite Yui’s bright mood, Layce secretly frowned, and his mood slightly worsened. He couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied with what Yui had requested. But since she rarely asked for anything, he had decided to grant her wish without complaint.
✦ ✦ ✦
Next, they visited another upscale shop. This one was owned by a friend of Layce’s, and it dealt in clothing, jewelry, and accessories.
“Whoa, so this is the Langert Company?” Carlo exclaimed in surprise.
Cecil looked up at the sign. “They’re purveyors to the royal household, and they even have branches in other countries,” he said, also impressed. “This is your friend’s shop, dad?”
“She’s the only daughter of the owner, and we’ve been friends since we were students. For now, let’s just go inside,” Layce said.
The store had a gorgeous interior, and there were beautiful clothes and sparkling jewelry on display everywhere they looked. As one would expect from a company that provided goods to the royal family, there were many other customers already in the store—they were instantly recognizable by their high-quality attire as either members of the nobility or very wealthy. Here and there, customers were taking suggestions and recommendations from employees as they tried on various clothes and compared them in the mirror. When Yui and her family came into the store, a short, somewhat elderly man walked up to Layce.
“Why, if it isn’t Lord Curtis,” the man said. “Welcome, and thank you for coming.”
“Is Lydia here?” Layce asked.
“Yes, I’ll go call her right now.” The man bowed, then immediately disappeared into the back of the store.
Carlo followed the man with his eyes. He noticed that, for some reason, there was a crowd of people gathered in a corner. “What’s over there?”
“I wish I could tell, but that area is surrounded. I don’t think I’ll be able to see,” Cecil said.
“We can go look at it later,” Layce said. In contrast to the curious twins, he seemed completely disinterested, and he was looking around the store.
Yui also wondered why the crowd was there, but she was completely captivated by something else entirely: a lighter, engraved with an elaborate floral pattern. After a single look, she was mesmerized. “So pretty...”
As she stared at the lighter, unable to take her eyes off of it, Cecil and Carlo peeked in from the side. “That flower is an Elphie,” Cecil remarked. “The magic item you bought earlier had the same flower motif.”
The Elphie flower was the national flower of Garlant and part of the royal family’s coat of arms. Everyone in the kingdom could recognize it. A long time ago, it had been beloved by the first king of Garlant, Elphin, which was where it had gotten its name from. It was also known by another name: the king’s flower. When the anniversary of the founding of Garlant drew near, this white flower was in full bloom across the country. Yui had always loved Elphies, and she had bought her magic communicator because it’d featured one as part of the design.
“That’s not all. Look, it’s a Laroque,” Cecil pointed out. “That’s why it’s so incredible.”
Yui had never heard that name before, and she tilted her head. “Laroque?” she asked.
“Laroque makes these kinds of ornamental objects all by himself, from the overall design to the fine details by hand,” Cecil explained. “His works are so beautiful and refined that he’s said to be better than anyone else out there, and he’s famous among the nobility. But he doesn’t produce very many items, and the Langert Company is the only place that deals with them. He’s skilled, but apparently, he’s quite an eccentric. Seeing as he made this lighter, the rumors might not be that inaccurate.”
Nearly everyone could use fire magic, and that was especially true among the nobility, many of whom possessed more powerful magic. It would be one thing if the lighter had been cheap enough for an ordinary household to afford, but at a store that sold products targeted toward nobles and the rich, it was highly unlikely that anyone would buy it. That being said, the lighter was a Laroque original, which meant that some collectors might want it, even if it had no practical use.
“Do you like it, Yui?” Cecil asked.
“No, I was just looking,” she replied. Actually, she really, really wanted it, but when she saw what was written on the price tag, she gave up hope that she would ever get it. It was shockingly expensive, which made sense for an artist popular among the nobility. With the money she had left over after buying the communicator, she wouldn’t have been able to put even a dent in the price. Yui walked away, reluctantly parting ways with the lighter.
Cecil, who had many years of experience with Yui, didn’t fail to notice that. He exchanged looks with Carlo, who seemed like he had been thinking much the same thing as his twin. Carlo instantly took out his communicator and contacted someone, making sure Yui didn’t notice.
“Do you have a moment? There’s something...”