Chapter 20: Winter Preparations(3)

“So how much is it after the commission?”

“120 gold.”

Lucy’s mouth dropped open at the enormous amount.

The low-grade magic stones she used for her research usually cost 1-2 gold.

So she thought they would be around 30-40 gold at most.

“Thanks to you, Lucy, I made a huge deal. I think it helped me grow as a merchant.”

“… That’s fortunate.”

“I’ll settle the account right away.”

Lucy nodded, half-asleepless.

The glittering gold coins began to enter Lucy’s subspace pockets.

“Can I ask you one question, Elif?”

“Of course. I’ll answer everything I can.”

“Can you tell me who the buyer is?”

Elif shook her head with a troubled expression at Lucy’s question.

“I’m not allowed to answer that question.”

“Maybe it was the magic of the contract?”

“Yes. I hope you understand.”

The magic stone Lucy brought had been a hot potato among the city’s magicians and tycoons for the past few weeks.

Where on earth did she get it, who would take it, how much it would be sold for, etc…

Since it was such an item, if the successful bidder was identified, there would be many people who would bother her unnecessarily.

“… You must have received a lot of money for the hush money?”

“That’s why my commission was cheap.”

Lucy thought to herself as she watched Elif answer slyly.

‘It was cheap, somehow.’

No merchant would lose money.

If they were greedy and tried to receive an unnecessarily high commission, there was a chance that Lucy would go to another merchant and miss the opportunity that had arisen.

So rather than fighting with poor Lucy, they came up with a strategy to get a little more from the buyer of the magic stone, who would have been overflowing with money.

The high-level magicians who were reluctant to have their research revealed to the world must have accepted Elif’s offer and used the magic of the contract.

“How much did you receive for the hush money?”

“That’s not an answer I’m allowed to give either.”

“That too? I don’t think so.”

The magic of the contract is certainly a powerful restriction, but…

It was also used as an excuse when someone wanted to hide something.

Whether someone really couldn’t speak or was just lying could only be found out by using quite complicated and difficult magic.

That’s why they seem to use a simpler and more efficient method in the back alleys.

‘They said they’d torture them until they died.’

Of course, it’s a somewhat exaggerated rumor, but if the person you’re trying to get information from isn’t that important, it seems like a pretty efficient method.

If they’re lying, they’ll quickly tell the truth, and if they’re really unable to speak due to the magic of the contract, you can just kill them.

“Okay. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Of course, Lucy had no intention of torturing her regular merchant, Elif, so she said that and got up from her seat.

“Thank you for your understanding.”

“I’m asking just in case, but you didn’t say that I was the one who provided the magic stone, right?”

“Of course. If it comes down to it, Lucy, you can also use the magic of the contract—”

“I’ll decline. It’s not omnipotent, you know.”

Lucy shook her head, recalling Bern, the demon hunter from Asha Village who provided the magic stone.

Even though it was a contract magic that was unilaterally advantageous to Lucy, she was having a hard time because of the unexpected situation.

Lucy had only recently begun to understand why there were so many jokes that treated contract almights like fools.

“And it’s expensive to do it properly.”

“You made that much money?”

“It’s not all my money. Anyway, I’ll go. See you next time, Mrs. Elif. May the goddess’s grace remain with you.”

“I hope you become richer next time I see you, Lady Lucy.”

While praying for the goddess’s blessings was usually used as a greeting when parting, many merchants used such a vulgar greeting.

This was because sincere and conscientious merchants could not handle large sums of money.

“… This doesn’t feel real.”

Lucy muttered to herself with a blank expression as she left the trading post.

120 gold.

If you didn’t indulge yourself in extravagance, you could spend it for three years researching as much as you wanted.

It’s a huge sum of money that still doesn’t feel real.

Of course, not all of this 120 gold goes to Lucy.

‘… All I can take is 24 gold.’

If she were to sell the magic stone instead, Lucy’s commission was set at 20%.

The remaining 80% would have to go to Bern, who provided the magic stone.

‘It’s practically free money, so I have no complaints…’

It was horrible to have to visit Asha Village again.

Of course, the children would cling to her.

Actually, that was okay.

Lucy was always nagging, but she was kind and played well with the children.

The problem was the alien mixed in among the children.

She didn’t want to stick her head into the monster’s mouth, but if something happened while leaving it to someone else, Lucy would have to take responsibility.

There was nothing she could do.

Lucy sighed and started walking down the street.

In the center of the city, there was a tower that towered high into the sky.

500 years ago, when the war had ended and reconstruction was in full swing, the magicians had built the magic tower high in competition.

At that time, there seemed to be some magical reason, but in Lucy’s eyes, it was just a result of a fight for pride.

In particular, some fools in the southern magic tower always laughed at the magicians in the eastern magic tower, saying that their tower was five floors higher.

“No matter how high it is, your legs just hurt.”

Lucy sighed as she entered the entrance and climbed the stairs.

Seeing how young Lucy had such a hard time going up to the fourth floor, it was understandable why the older magic tower owners rarely left the tower.

If the old men with pure white hair went back and forth in a tower that was over twenty floors, their joints would go out.

‘Besides, most magicians, including me, don’t exercise enough.’

Lucy arrived at the fourth floor, sweating profusely.

Some of the young magicians who were chatting in the central hall noticed Lucy’s presence, but no one pretended to notice.

No, it was fortunate that they just ignored her.

Some of the gossiping crowd even made blatant mocking noises.

It was a familiar experience.

Unlike the young masters of the wizarding family who have been around for hundreds of years, Lucy is still a toddler who has just started taking her first steps.

It is only natural that no one wants to have a relationship with Lucy, who is obviously unable to climb to the top of the tower.

Lucy’s mood, which had been excited until just a moment ago, suddenly sank.

After storing the subspace pouch in the lab safe, let’s go buy the materials needed for the next experiment.

She will definitely feel better after eating a delicious dinner on the way back.

Thinking that, she opened the lab door and went in—

“Hey, Lucy.”

A blond handsome man with a bright expression was waiting for Lucy.

The man greeted Lucy with a bright smile that would make any girl’s heart flutter.

“What are you doing out today? You must have been to that rural area last time. Are you leaving me behind and going on a date with another man?”

“I have no reason or obligation to tell you about my every move, Gish.”

Lucy rudely pushed Gish away, who had quickly closed the distance between them.

“Ah, of all the 4th floor wizards, you’re probably the only one who’s that cold to me, Lucy.”

“Well, you’re all a few batches younger than me. You’re in the same batch as me.”

Lucy’s fellow wizards occupy at least 6th floor or higher.

Among them, the outstanding Gish is rumored to be moving up to 10th floor soon.

The two were quite close when they were apprentice wizards taking classes together, but now Lucy was intentionally keeping her distance.

“Why, are you here to tease the dropout again?”

“Lucy, you tend to put yourself down too much. You never know what’s going to happen in life, right? The world is wide and there are still endless possibilities!”

Gish comforted Lucy with a bright smile.

Lucy had usually found that yes-man so detestable.

Lately, she’d been suspecting that he was just being friendly to her on purpose to harass her.

“… I guess so.”

However, Lucy, who had come into contact with a being beyond common sense two weeks ago, couldn’t just outright deny Gish’s words.

“Oh! You’re unusually positive today. Did something happen?”

“Not much. It was just a change of heart.”

Lucy said, sitting down on the old single bed in a corner of the lab.

“So what’s going on? If you’re going to talk nonsense today, get out of here.”

“Oh, that’s not it. I have something to tell you.”

Despite Lucy’s sharp attitude, Gish continued with a friendly smile and spoke.

“Professor Clear Fell is looking for help. The period is short and the pay is good. It might be a little dangerous, but everyone knows Professor Fell’s skills, right? Dungeon exploration is a piece of cake.”

“… That’s okay.”

“Isn’t your wallet starting to get a little tight?”

It seems that this nice blond colleague has come to find some suitable work for Lucy.

If it were Lucy, she would have snapped and told him not to pity her.

“I’ve been doing something else recently, so I’ll be fine for a while.”

“Really? That’s good.”

Although it was a waste of time, Gish smiled brightly and continued.

“I’ll leave the notice just in case. The more friends and money, the better.”

“… Leave it or not.”

Despite Lucy’s blunt answer, Gish still smiled.

“Then let’s go. Eat well and go.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Gish opened the door to the lab and stepped out.

Several junior girls were waiting for Gish with blushing faces.

They could hear things like she had baked cookies and wanted to return the favor last time.

Some of them looked at Lucy with jealousy through the crack in the door while Gish was talking to another girl.

“… That’s not it.”

Lucy clicked her tongue and got up from her seat, pushing Gish’s back as he stopped at the threshold.

She then immediately closed the door and locked it.

She heard the girls’ screams outside, but Lucy ignored them and returned, putting the subspace pouch in the safe and lying down on the bed again.

“… Shall we leave tomorrow?”

She had missed this place so much when she was outside the Magic Tower, but now that she had actually arrived, she felt lonely.

She felt more—

“No.”

The moment Avalli’s face came to mind, Lucy shook her head and denied her thoughts.

“… I still don’t want to go.”

But she had to go.

That’s how things are in this world.