Chapter 256: The Town of Senf (4)

​The magic tool shop in Senf was, as Liliana had predicted, overflowing with unusual things. Riley, Clyde, and even Austin were surprised. Among the Royal Guards, those who were somewhat knowledgeable about magic were stunned when they saw the inside of the shop.

​Riley looked around the shop and let out a voice of admiration. The interior had an open-air design, but shelves of various sizes were attached to the walls, and a wide variety of magic tools were displayed in every corner. Every single one of them was a product that could almost never be seen in the Kingdom of Slibegrad.

​"This is... incredible."

​"Most of them are magic tools related to Eastern magic, aren't they?"

​Liliana murmured, unable to suppress her excitement. Liliana’s green eyes, which usually were tranquil, were shining brilliantly.

​That was only natural. Magic tools of Eastern magic were hardly distributed in the Kingdom of Slibegrad. Therefore, the only Eastern magic tools Liliana had seen were Ben Draco’s personal belongings at his manor. She had also seen them in the research laboratory hidden near the manor she lived in, but most of them were magic tools for sorcery called cursed tools, and there weren't many magic tools for magic.

​In other words, the Eastern magic tools in the shop they were in now were all things Liliana was seeing for the first time. Some of them she remembered reading about in books, but most were items whose use she didn't even know. However, the magic tools on display were all as beautiful as works of art, and it was fun just to look at them.

​"Sasha."

​Riley called out to Liliana, who was looking at various things. When Liliana looked up at Riley, he was gazing at a box about the size of a palm. It was a glossy brown with a floral pattern carved on it and gold craftsmanship applied. Riley was looking at the box with great curiosity.

​"Is this a magic tool too?"

​"It looks like an ordinary box."

​Liliana leaned in beside Riley and looked at the box in the same way. Even if it looked like a box with no distinguishing features, if it was a magic tool, there was a possibility that some kind of spell would trigger just by touching it. Not touching it with even a single finger was the correct response when faced with a magic tool for the first time.

​"It looks that way to me too. I believe... it was called lacquerware."

​After thinking for a bit, it seemed Riley had pulled some information he had read in a book from the back of his mind. Liliana nodded.

​Riley, on the other hand, seemed to have been drawn to the beauty of the box itself and was intently observing the fine patterns. "It’s a magic tool, I think, but it’s beautiful enough to be a work of art as well."

​"Yes, I think so too." Liliana agreed with Riley’s words.

​The lacquerware boxes weren't just the one Riley had found. All of them were elaborate and pleasing to the eye. Still, both Liliana and Riley liked the first box Riley had found.

​"I like this delicate feel."

​"The gold leaf is elegant."

​Liliana echoed Riley’s words. However, since it was in a magic tool shop, this box was almost certainly a magic tool. While she was wondering how it was used, a woman who seemed to be the shopkeeper, standing quietly in a corner of the shop and watching Riley and the others, approached soundlessly. The guards reacted sensitively, but Riley, who had grasped the shopkeeper's movements, raised a hand and restrained them.

​The shopkeeper was dressed in dark blue clothes and had her black hair tied in a single knot at the back. She looked young, but she also had a strangely mature aura, making her age ambiguous. Without moving a single muscle on her face, the woman stared intently at Riley and Liliana’s faces.

​"That ain't no magic tool. Though it seems like folks who don't know any better think it is."

​As she spoke, the woman reached out with a rough movement and picked up the box that Riley and Liliana were staring at from in front of them. And while attracting everyone's attention, she first opened the box normally. Looking at just that, it was an ordinary, plain container. But the shopkeeper didn't stop there. Leaving the lid half-open, she skillfully rotated various parts of the box.

​Riley’s eyes widened. Liliana had a memory of a similar mechanism. "Here."

​After fiddling with the box for a while, the woman held it up. Its appearance had completely changed from its original shape. Above all, what caught everyone's eye was the space for storing things that had appeared in the place they had thought was a decoration at first glance.

​"It's called a secret box."

​"This is wonderful."

​Riley, who had been watching the shopkeeper's hands with great curiosity, let out a voice of deep impression. Liliana was also impressed by the superb craftsmanship, to the extent that she couldn't even put on an exasperated face at Riley’s reaction.

​"Which country is it from?"

​It was Riley who asked. The shopkeeper answered while putting the box back in its original place. "It's a product of the Eastern Empire."

​"Heh, so they were making things like this in the Eastern Empire too."

​Riley blinked. That country, known as the Eastern Empire in the Kingdom of Slibegrad, is a country even further east than the Yunatian Empire. Its formal name is the Anatore Empire, but only high-ranking nobles—especially those knowledgeable about diplomacy—know the correct name. Naturally, Riley knows it, and Liliana, Clyde, and Austin, who were present, also knew it.

​"I have seen folk crafts and handicrafts of the Eastern Empire, but none of them were as exquisite as this."

​"Yes, I didn't know about this either."

​Being turned to by Riley for agreement, Liliana also quietly nodded. The Anatore Empire was said to be beyond the vast Yunatian Empire and the scattered small countries even further beyond. Therefore, the only things that could be carried from the Eastern Empire to the Kingdom of Slibegrad were folk crafts and handicrafts that were easy to carry and did not rot.

​Furthermore, high-priced works of art had their prices jacked up even higher within the Yunatian Empire, and by the time they reached the Kingdom of Slibegrad, the prices were so high that only royalty or some high-ranking nobles could afford them. Therefore, the products of the Anatore Empire circulating in the market were all things that must have been cheap originally. Of course, even the cheap things were at a considerable price, so they were objects of longing that ordinary commoners could not afford.

​That’s why the shopkeeper's words that the secret box in this shop was from the Anatore Empire were hard to believe at first.

​After a moment of silence, Riley asked the shopkeeper nonchalantly, "Are there other things from the Eastern Empire?"

​"What kind of things do you want?"

​The shopkeeper turned a searching gaze toward Riley. Riley answered cheerfully. At first glance, his attitude was approachable, but Liliana felt a sense of unease in his profile. She narrowed her eyes so it wouldn't be noticed. Riley noticed Liliana's state, turned to her, and gave a smile to reassure her. Then he faced the shopkeeper again.

​"I’ve always been interested in the Eastern countries. Since things from the Eastern Empire are rare, if you have any in this shop, I’d love for you to introduce them."

​"Hmph." The shopkeeper muttered and stared intently at Riley’s face.

​She could sense the Royal Guard sharpening their nerves, but Riley didn't mind. Rather, he was smiling back at the shopkeeper's face cheerfully.

​For a while, the shopkeeper watched Riley in silence, but eventually, her lips quirked up. When she did, her unsociable aura was wiped away, and she had a gentle countenance.

​"Fine, come this way. It's narrow, so only about three people can fit."

​With a testing way of speaking, the shopkeeper looked around at Riley and the others. She must have understood that Riley was of high birth by the fact that there were guards. Despite that, the shopkeeper had never shown any sign of respect for Riley from the beginning. It wouldn't have been strange if it were taken as disrespect, but whether she didn't understand or she was the type who deliberately showed a rebellious spirit, she didn't show any sign of being daunted and was dignified.

​"I would very much like to. Austin, come with me."

​"As you wish." Austin nodded.

​Riley looked down at Liliana. He fell silent for a moment as if wanting to say something, but that disappeared in an instant. As usual, he smiled gently and asked, "Sasha, do you want to come too?" Liliana tilted her head for a moment but immediately nodded. Liliana was also interested in the craftsmanship of Anatore. Even more so if it was a magic tool.

​Riley smiled gently and started walking beside Liliana. At that time, Riley glanced at Olga, who was following Liliana, but Liliana, who was distracted by the magic tools on the shelves, didn't notice.

​＊＊＊＊＊

​To Clyde Benito Clark, his younger sister, Liliana Alexandra Clark, was "someone he wanted to avoid being involved with if possible."

​When he was young, he certainly wanted to protect her as an older brother. But after his father died, that feeling gradually changed, and before he knew it, just facing Liliana made him be dominated by complex emotions.

​After his father died and he sent his mother, who had become mentally ill, to the corner of the territory under the guise of recuperation, Clyde frequently visited the manor where his estranged sister lived, wanting to close the distance between them. He hoped to at least get along and deepen their relationship as siblings, something that had never been possible no matter how much he wished for it, but that hope was easily shattered.

​No matter how much he tried to approach Liliana, there was an invisible wall between them. His sister would not open her heart to Clyde, and before long, Clyde didn't know what his sister was thinking and became suspicious. And since he hated the idea of being seriously disappointed, Clyde stopped involving himself with his sister more than the minimum, using the busyness of taking over the family business as an excuse.

​Meeting Liliana only happened when she came to see the Crown Prince, her fiancé, and they happened to run into each other. The words they exchanged then were just greetings, which Austin laughed at for being unnatural and which Riley gave a wry smile to.

​But Liliana didn't seem to care, and Clyde was slightly irritated by that attitude and, at the same time, had given up. He thought that, after all, he couldn't understand his sister—that it was futile to break his heart trying to approach his sister, whose true thoughts he couldn't even read.

​"—Sasha, huh."

​Clyde murmured to no one in particular, looking at the door of the next room where his sister had disappeared with Riley. The guard standing nearby glanced at Clyde, but he feigned not to notice. For Clyde, who had inherited the title of Duke at a young age, it was only natural that there were people around him.

​"I too... used to call her Lily."

​This time he murmured internally. Riley, who called Liliana by his own nickname, and his sister, who accepted it as a matter of course. He must have seen that scene several times, but after seeing his sister's eyes light up at the magic tools, looking at the two of them made a different feeling well up.

​As usual, Clyde couldn't read what his sister was thinking, but it seemed to him that Riley was closer to Liliana than he was, even though he was her brother.

​With a bitter look, he let out a soft sigh.

​When his father died, Clyde was fifteen years old. Although he had made his debut in society, he was certainly too young to inherit the title of Duke. Three years have passed since then, and looking back, he can finally understand that he was still a child. And his sister, whom he had hoped would open her heart to him, was only ten years old at the time. Although she was mature, considering what she did at the time of their father's death, Clyde’s wish for her to approach him was too self-centered.

​He was only pushing his own feelings and was not trying to unravel her feelings. Even if he asked about her hobbies or things she disliked, it must have been just pushy for Liliana.

​In fact, Clyde learned for the first time that Liliana was interested in magic and magic tools. When he thought that Riley already knew, a sense of regret and inadequacy as a brother welled up in his heart.

​"Even without me, His Highness was by her side."

​Thinking about it again, that was originally something that he, Clyde, should have done.

​Having woken up from the nightmare that his father had been denying Clyde all along, he was afraid of being rejected by his sister again.

​That’s just an excuse. For Liliana, only the fact that Clyde did not stay close to her like a brother exists.

​After a while, Liliana came out of the next room with Riley. Apparently, she had found something she liked, and Riley had a package. He handed it to Olga. Guards having their hands full should be avoided, but Olga didn't seem to care, took the package, and hung a bag from her waist.

​"Shall we go?"

​Prompted by Riley, Clyde started walking.

​While his heart was aching with tension, Clyde watched for an opportunity and spoke to his sister, whose cheeks were somewhat flushed. "What did you buy?"

​Surprised at being spoken to by Clyde, Liliana blinked her eyes ever so slightly. Then she smiled gently and answered quietly. "I bought a secret box, although it is a bit small."

​"Ah, that was indeed a wonderful piece."

​"I think so too."

​After exchanging just that much conversation, Liliana lined up beside Riley. It was natural considering the guards, but Clyde, who saw her back, could only lower his eyes bitterly. However, eventually, Clyde looked up with a wry smile.

​"No—it is the role of an older brother to wish for his younger sister's happiness."

​Why couldn't he fulfill his role as an older brother, something he had wished for since he was young—he can regret as much as he wants. But Liliana already seemed to have built a good relationship with Riley as the Crown Prince's fiancée. If so, as her brother, he should strive for his sister to be happy.

​Thinking that that was the only atonement he could make, Clyde took a step forward in silence.

—-

Toc