Ch. 6: Cloaked Figure
--<3rd PoV>--
Lilia pulled back from Ray's chest, crimson eyes flashing as she puffed her cheeks, silver hair swaying. Her maid uniform hugged her curvy frame, and she crossed her arms, feigning anger.
"Ray-sama, that ear-teasing was mean!" she huffed, stamping a foot, her voice a mix of embarrassment and indignation. "Teasing my ears like that… hmph!"
Ray blinked, his eyes narrowing. What's this? Lilia being pouty?
"Mean? You're the one melting in public, kitten," he teased, voice a low, velvet taunt. But his gaze softened, catching her fascination with the glittering trinkets around—glowing orbs, broken rune stones, enchanted mana stones which act like lamps.
She still got stars in her eyes for this junk?
His platinum blond hair caught the shop's glow, jade-green eyes glinting with mockery as he leaned back.
Well, everyone's got something which makes them less than perfect. She should be no exception.
"Go on," Ray said, jerking his chin toward the shelves. "Explore. Buy what you want. I'll get it for you."
Lilia's pout flattened, crimson eyes widening. "Eh?!" She shook her head, silver hair bouncing like a river of light. "No way, Ray-sama! My first job is protecting you!" Her voice was firm, but her flush betrayed reluctance, her fingers clutching her skirt.
Ray gave her a flat look. "Even when you're angry?"
"Yes!" she snapped back without missing a beat, stomping lightly. "Especially when I'm angry!"
He chuckled at that. "You're not very good at being mad, Lilia."
Her ears turned red. "That's irrelevant!"
"I'm fine, Lilia. No babysitter needed."
"It's not babysitting!" she protested. "It's unsafe! What if you collapse again? Or if someone suspicious attacks you again?" Her eyes darted, remembering the shadowy figure she had spotted once before sneaking around at the mansion.
"I'm completely fine," Ray replied, waving off her concerns. "You think I'd get jumped in broad daylight in a place like this? It's inside a merchant's shop, not a soundless alley."
More like a mall, but those probably don't exist in this world, so let's go with shop.
"Fine, compromise." He tossed her a jingling gold pouch without waiting for a reply.
"I'm going," Ray said, already turning around. "Let your summon follow me if you want to make sure I don't trip over my own feet."
"But, Ray-sama—!"
"Later," he said with a light wave of his hand, not even bothering to look back.
Lilia stared at his retreating back, lips pressed tightly together, the bag of coins still heavy in her hands. Her expression shifted several times—between indignation, worry, and a reluctant smile.
"…You're impossible," she muttered.
But she remembered she was supposed to be angry and...
He's impossible, but… I trust him. Just not enough to let him wander alone.
"Hmph!" Lilia clutched the pouch, mock-anger flaring. Smug jerk! But trust softened her gaze. Fine. My way.
She traced a glowing sigil, which was followed by a familiar-looking magic circle. "Fizzel, come!" A chibi wind spirit—fist-sized, wings shimmering—erupted, chirping. "Ka!"
"Follow Ray-sama," she whispered, pointing. "Look out for any suspicious individuals and inform me the earliest you find them."
The wind spirit nodded and quickly zipped after him, a green spark weaving through aisles as it disappeared in the arc of blowing wind.
Lilia turned, crimson eyes drawn to the shop's dazzling treasures—crystal roses pulsing, sapphire orbs floating.
So pretty…
She thought, her earlier fascination reigniting. Her maid skirt swayed as she wandered, silver hair catching every glint of light, her steps light but cautious, as if her eyes were pulling her where they pleased.
Outside, the merchant quarter buzzed, horse carts clattering, kids chasing enchanted balls, and shadowed stalls hinting at darker deals.
Lilia's gaze flickered to Ray's silhouette, Fizzel's green glow trailing him like a loyal spark. He's safe, she told herself, her heart easing.
Now… maybe just one look at that lotus lamp…
...
Ray prowled the Sephia Merchant Association's aisles, his jade-green eyes—glittering like polished gems flecked with cunning—scanning shelves for anything worth a damn. His platinum blond hair caught the shop's dim glow, spilling over his cloak like molten silver.
Lushthorn City was done for him; work here was wrapped, and he wasn't sticking around to play tourist.
"The work here is done," he murmured under his breath. "No point lingering."
Lushthorn, the city of gates—famed for its peculiar rifts that opened not to dungeons or pure monster nests, but to strange microclimates.
It was one of the few cities that were famous for their unique specialty—gates. Dimensional spaces which appear randomly over any place and, if not cleared in due time, cause monster breaks.
Though the city was famous, it was not for the gates it spawned. Rather, the rate of gates spawning here was as low as it could get. So what is it famous for? The cleared gates which never disappeared. The particularity of the town allowed it to become a settlement hub with yearlong export of exotic herbs and medicinal plants never seen before.
Within their folds bloomed rare flora, unique to this region. Some were plants that devoured mana, others that exhaled it like mist. It was the dreamland of apothecaries, alchemists, and opportunistic scavengers. And sometimes, when the stars were just wrong enough, a magic herb would bloom—one touched by the laws of another world entirely.
Ray frowned as he walked past a stand displaying crushed crystal roots. They were already drying out.
Magic herbs... right. That was part of the reason I came here, wasn't it?
In hopes of finding a magic herb that could allow him to make an elixir.
He knew the reality, though. When a true magic herb hit the open market, it never stayed there long.
Even those worthless nobles who had nothing but loitering around, money like monkeys throwing rocks, knew their value.
Not to mention even the Six Kings faction valued magic herbs, no matter how insignificant one may appear.
Worse still were the Five Demons—who might cause nothing short of a disaster if they knew about a high-level magic herb appearing anywhere nearby.
A ruined noble like me has no business dreaming about things like that.
His lips curved in a half-smirk, more bitter than amused. He pushed the thought away and turned his attention to something more realistic: magical item crafting materials. Not fancy artifacts—no, that was out of reach—but he could still collect parts.
Coiled filaments of mana-conductive thread, soft silver alloy slates, shattered elemental cores. These, he could work with.
It's ironic, he thought, fingers brushing across a cracked wind-inscribed ring, that I started with this. Crafting, auxiliary enchantments, small tools. But mana-item crafters don't become saints. They don't get their names etched into history. Alchemists do. Combat mages do. Knights do.
He thought as the image of both his parents appeared alternately in his mind, followed by his grandfather—a knight who was said to have the potential to reach the highest bar within the next decade at the earliest.
Didn't it all start with his death?
He thought, falling silent for a moment before continuing with his task. If I have the chance, I might just become a knight. After all, it would be the best revenge for those sword-crazed weirdos to die by a sword.
But that's one of the many "ifs" he had—but reality was present.
He sighed and made a mental list. A few materials here were decent. Maybe enough to place an order with the front desk—if not for rare materials, at least the components were genuine. He made his way toward the deeper shelves, boots clicking softly on the marble.
Then he paused.
The air changed. Ever so slightly, the sound dulled. The low murmur of other shoppers, the clinking of mana stones, even the hum of floating lanterns dimmed into a distant hum, like cotton stuffed into his ears.
A subtle chill moved through the shop, and Ray's steps slowed.
His instincts tensed.
Something's off.
Then came the whisper of movement—faint, precise, and wrong. His skill, Super Intuition, pulsed behind his eyes like a sixth sense flicking on.
He twisted his body, just barely—a sidestep born of reflex rather than thought.
A blur tore through the air where he'd been standing not a second ago, streaking crimson like blood smeared across moonlight. Wind surged in its wake, knocking a few loose talismans from the shelf beside him.
Ray landed with one foot braced against a low wooden case, eyes locked ahead.
Silence.
The figure—whatever it had been—was already gone.
He straightened slowly, breath steady, head turning in measured arcs. No footsteps, no further movement. No alarm in the shop. In fact... no one else seemed to have noticed. His eyes narrowed, scanning every shadow, every corner. Nothing moved.
So... what's going on...?
He took a single step forward, hand drifting near his coat where his emergency items were hidden.
No rash movements. No panic. Whoever—or whatever—that was, they moved with a speed most professionals couldn't match. The one just now was just a simple testing attack—not to mention Ray did not detect any killing intent.
Though he couldn't tell much without seeing them face to face, whoever it was should be greater than an intermediate-rank knight—definitely not a master class.
Still, this is dangerous. Even if there's no killing intent, I can't be sure this person doesn't have other thoughts in mind. Better play it safe, he thought, looking out while expanding his senses outward.
Even though he was unprepared, he could not afford to show any weakness. As for informing Lilia? Don't even joke about it. The opponent is clearly an advanced Aura Expert. She has no way out of it. Rather, she might even do something foolish which will put us at a disadvantage.
Ray thought very clearly about how emotional women like Lilia could be in certain situations.
So, it's time to fight!
...
While Ray was being ambushed by an unknown figure, Lilia was busy browsing the aisles of a shop arranged in a mall-like structure.
"This one looks good... but this one's also good. Urgh! What do I do? What do I do?! I can't choose!! Sigh Maybe if I look for another one, I'll be able to tell which one seems better!" she said, glancing around for something else that might catch her interest, finally dropping the few items she'd been comparing for the past half hour.
Suddenly, she felt a wave of mana wash over her—light and fleeting, like the wind. She froze the moment she sensed it.
Wait! Wasn't that Fizzel's mana signature? she thought, her heart skipping a beat as she realized what that could mean.
"Ray-sama is in danger!" she cried out, quickly sprinting toward the direction where she felt the presence of her contracted spirit.
"Don't worry, Ray-sama! I'll protect you at all costs!" she shouted, then began chanting, "Haste! Wind Support! Lesser Endurance! Magic Perception!"
She crossed into the next section, casting multiple buffs on herself as she ran.
But just as she arrived, she came to a screeching halt—stunned by the sight before her.
There, right in front of her eyes, was a woman in red, straddling Ray and kissing him obsessively—like she was trying to suck out his very soul.
'?????'
Wasn't he supposed to be in danger?! Why the hell is he being kissed by someone?!
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To Be Continued:
[Word Count: 1890]