Chapter 886

“…Didn’t you say this was a department store?”

Ian looked up at the small, dilapidated building. It was so rundown that he wondered if it was even safe to go inside. On closer inspection, it seemed a bit crooked, too. The sign that read “Joy Department Store” was rusted and half of the letters had fallen off.

Hana quietly wrapped her arm around Ian and glanced at Romandro.

“It looks like it might collapse the moment we step inside.”

“Oh, it’s fine. Really, it’s fine.”

Romandro waved off their concerns and led them toward the department store’s management office. Next to the window, a large sign read: “MANDATORY! Please present your ID!”

Knock, knock.

“Is anyone there?”

At Romandro’s knock, a small window slid open, revealing the face of an elderly man. What was strange was that nothing could be seen behind him—just pitch-black darkness. The interior of the office was completely obscured.

“ID, please.”

The old man glanced over their IDs briefly and then nodded as if to say they could enter. The whole process was so simple that Ian looked puzzled.

“Why do you even check IDs? You just glance at them.”

“This Joy Department Store is full of unimaginable, bizarre things. Some items can be extremely dangerous if misused, so criminals or certain government-controlled individuals are banned from entering. That old man may look harmless, but I hear he never forgets a face once he’s seen it.”

So, just by a quick look, he can tell who’s allowed in and who isn’t. At that moment, Romandro opened the door.

Creeeak.

“…!”

The narrow hallway was lined on both sides with tiny shops—some barely the size of a single room, others sprawling department stores that left Ian speechless.

Ian unfolded a map of the department store. It was poorly maintained, with scribbled lines and barely legible notes, making it almost useless.

“No need to look at the map here. There are many hidden shops and plenty that aren’t officially registered. The only way is to ask around quietly.”

“By the way, are you sure this place has ten floors? The inside looks very different from what I saw outside.”

From the outside, it looked like a cramped five-story building.

Romandro smirked, wrinkling his nose.

“It’s a department store that sells magic. Officially, it’s registered as a five-story building, but wizards and sorcerers have illegally expanded it. So the size you see from outside is completely different.”

“Illegal expansions… but they still screen out criminals? That’s odd.”

“Hahaha! Now that you mention it, it is.”

Romandro chuckled in agreement.

But this place, Joy Department Store, was the premier hub for cutting-edge technology and magical goods in Gaia. Wizards and sorcerers from all over gathered here to share information and make money. The government turned a blind eye to illegal expansions.

“Why not just move to a bigger building?”

“We tried, but as I said, there are too many hidden shops. It’s hard to keep track of them all, and the ‘Joy Merchants’ Association’ works hard to manage things, so it’s better to leave it as is.”

“Has it been around long?”

“Not that long. It was built after the Great Magic War by wizards from Burgos, Clifford, Luswena, and others. This way. The shops that Enerjes students frequent are mostly on the third floor.”

Hana and Ian held hands tightly and stuck close behind Romandro.

Compared to the strange people they’d seen earlier, this place was full of even more astonishing beings. Beast-like creatures walking upright like humans, and even people riding cows down the narrow hallways.

“Some shops are even run by the Ministry of Magic.”

“Some?”

“Haha.”

Still impossible to grasp. How is this allowed?

On the third floor, Ian looked around at the rows of shops. As promised, there were plenty of students in uniform.

“You buy uniforms here, then bags at the next shop, then school supplies and sundries. The flow is perfectly planned.”

Ding.

As they entered the uniform shop, the owner, who was mid-bite into a sandwich, looked up in surprise. Who could be here at this hour?

“What can I do for you?”

“I’m here to buy uniforms. If it’s your lunch break, I can come back later.”

“Oh! No, no. Just tell me the size. I’ll get it right away.”

Enerjes was a place where incidents happened often. The students were spirited and had abilities beyond ordinary people, so torn and damaged uniforms were common. The shop owner kept many sizes ready in advance.

“It’s for a child.”

“…Oh?”

When Romandro stepped forward to show Ian, the owner smiled awkwardly, clearly at a loss. This was the first time in the shop’s history they’d faced this kind of challenge.

“Is the child from the little people tribe?”

“No, human. Five years old.”

“Five years old…”

What was the smallest size? The owner asked them to wait a moment and fetched a uniform from the back of the storage room. …It was a bit big.

“Do you have anything smaller?”

The sleeves covered the fingertips, and the pant legs draped over the shoes. It was roomy and comfortable, but still too large.

“When does school start?”

“Next week.”

“This fabric isn’t ordinary. The manufacturing process is quite complicated. You’ll probably have to wait at least one to two months…”

What should they do? Ian looked up at Romandro in confusion, but the owner waved it off.

“It’s fine. Kids grow fast, don’t they? After a few months, it’ll fit perfectly. Usually, kids wear uniforms a bit big.”

“Father?”

“The uniform isn’t cheap, and while I’d love to sell more, if your child is entering Enerjes, that’s basically the empire’s future. I can’t let you waste money. I won’t allow it. Here, take this one.”

The owner straightened the child’s collar and smiled, wrinkling his nose. The uniform looked neat and respectable, even if a bit roomy.

Ian and Romandro both looked at Hana. Her opinion mattered most in this.

“Hmm.”

Hana rested her chin on her hand, eyes sharp, then nodded slightly. She agreed with the owner—the size was reasonable and didn’t compromise dignity.

“Well, this isn’t bad.”

“Great! I’ll take it.”

“Thank you! I’ll wrap it up right away.”

What a strange family. Father and son, right? The owner packed the uniform and asked,

“By the way, what kind of abilities does your child have to be entering Enerjes?”

“A wizard.”

The owner’s hand paused mid-ribbon.

“W-what did you say?”

“…A wizard.”

“The first noble-born one, by any chance?”

Ian nodded, and the owner pulled out a brass bowl from under the counter, tapping it rapidly with a spoon. Startled by the sudden noise, Romandro and Hana stepped back, shielding Ian.

“Ian Hadel! The first noble-born wizard has arrived!”

Bang, bang, bang! The commotion drew the attention of other shop owners, who peeked out one by one. Then, without exception, they all rushed over to the uniform shop to greet Ian.

“Oh my, so small.”

“Welcome, Lord Hadel. I’ve heard the rumors. I run the sundries shop over there. Please come by often.”

“May I have a handshake?”

“Wipe your hands before you offer them.”

“Lord Hadel, if you visit my shop, I’ll offer you the finest quality at reasonable prices. What do you need?”

As the shop owners swarmed around, Ian awkwardly shook hands and exchanged greetings, slowly stepping back. The uniform shop owner bowed deeply to the others.

“Sorry if we startled you. We’d heard rumors about the first noble-born wizard, but didn’t know you’d be entering Enerjes. Well, you’re still young, so it makes sense. The Ministry of Magic is surprisingly normal in situations like this.”

“…But why is everyone acting like this?”

Isn’t this a bit much? It was almost overwhelming.

At Ian’s question, the shop owners all widened their eyes.

“Don’t you know? Ian is the first wizard to enter Enerjes. Wizards are the top talents in this world. Not just the Ministry, but Enerjes itself expects great things from you. We’re all here because of Enerjes, you see. Hohoho!”

Ian didn’t know what to make of it. The shop owners dragged him around their stores in a whirlwind, while Hana and Romandro’s hands grew heavy with shopping bags.

“Ethan, look at that.”

Naturally, they stood out. Lower-grade Enerjes students spotted Ian and whispered among themselves.

“That must be Ian Hadel. They say he’s entering Enerjes this year.”

“Doesn’t look like a wizard to me.”

“Better if he can at least talk properly. Born a noble, discovered talent at five. Life’s easy for him.”

“Yeah, pretty annoying. Heh heh.”

Enerjes was a place for the most gifted geniuses. A famous child like Ian was bound to attract jealousy, especially from younger kids.

“How impressive could he be?”

“Do you think he’s going to take classes with us?”

“That’d be fun. Right, Ethan?”

The boy called Ethan stared at Ian for a long moment, then suddenly strode over and greeted him.

“Hey.”

Who was this? Romandro and Hana looked up, but both were buried under so much luggage they couldn’t see ahead. Ian had no choice but to cautiously take Ethan’s outstretched hand.

“I’m Ethan. Fourth year at Enerjes Academy.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ian Hadel.”

“…?”

Ethan flinched.

Why’s his tone so weird?

“Uh, yeah, nice to meet you.”

“So, what brings you here?”

“I came out to get some stuff with the others, but it got noisy, so I came to check—and it was you? I’ve heard the rumors. If we see each other at school, let’s acknowledge each other.”

There was a hint of smugness in his words, but Ian didn’t care. He just tilted his head, puzzled.

Anything else? Ian stared at him, but Ethan couldn’t continue and gave an awkward smile.

“Well, then. See you.”

As Ethan turned and disappeared, Romandro peeked out from behind the pile of luggage. He had overheard the whole conversation.

“So he’s already trying to assert dominance, huh.”

Typical of an Enerjes cadet.

From what they heard, this upperclassman was pretty pushy. Speaking informally to Ian, a noble’s son he’d just met, and saying “let’s acknowledge each other” before even starting school… Already pushing for ‘equal footing,’ huh?

“Ugh! What a hopeless brat. Ian’s going to attract all kinds of trouble at school.”

But unlike Romandro’s worries, Ian was just quietly looking down at his hand. It tingled—the hand that had shaken Ethan’s.

“Why did he grip so tightly?”

Was that his way of saying he was glad to meet him?

Just then, someone suddenly spoke to the confused Ian.

“Ethan’s in the same class. Aspiring alchemist, mid-to-upper grades. Likes to meddle everywhere, so he knows a lot of people. And he talks a lot.”

“…?”

“It’s uncomfortable to get too close, but he’s useful enough to keep around.”

She had pink, bun-like hair, orange eyes, and freckles—a striking appearance.

“Was that too blunt?”

“…Who are you?”

“Oh, I run the mineral shop over in that corner. I deal in mana stones used by Enerjes students for experiments and research. I heard Ian Hadel was here, so I came out to meet you. Would you like to stop by the shop sometime?”

There was no immediate need, but Ian had questions and felt curious, so he nodded.

“You’d better come back soon, young master!” Romandro and Hana, buried in luggage, called after him as he followed the woman.

Squeak.

Despite the cramped exterior, the inside was packed with all kinds of mana stones. Ian looked around in wonder, and the shopkeeper winked, warning him.

“Don’t use magic recklessly here. There are all sorts of things that could cause a disaster.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“What would you like to see first?”

“Well, I have a recording mana stone. Can you enhance the sound quality?”

“Of course. It depends on the type of stone, but most can be adjusted. Do you have it with you now?”

“No, later.”

Actually, he did have it, but he was cautious about handing it over to a stranger. Since it contained recordings of Crony and the others, it was better to wait until trust was established.

Then Ian’s gaze caught a honey-colored gem tucked in a corner.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, that’s called Idgal—”

The shopkeeper carefully picked up the gem with her fingers and whispered.

“It’s a bit dangerous for mages… ♡ Would you like to see it?”