Chapter 4

I glanced at my parents.

They didn’t say anything, but they must be angry that I had ruined their party.

I remembered how I was always told not to cause trouble and was hit for it, and I became so scared that I opened my mouth.

“S-Sorry, Father, Mother... I’m fine, so please go back to the party and enjoy yourselves...”

“Really?”

I didn’t miss the slight happiness in my mother’s voice.

“Yes... I caused you trouble. I’m really, really sorry today...”

“...Be careful when you go home.”

My sister is scary, but my parents are scary too.

When they left, I felt a huge relief and almost cried.

“Come, Miss, let me assist you.”

I tried hard not to cry as I was escorted by the guard to a different room.

***

I had been told that a doctor would examine me, but the person who came was a man wearing a magician’s robe.

You can tell a great magician by their aura; the air around them shimmers with magic.

This man emitted a strong aura that even dyed his hair purple.

However, as soon as he saw my face, his expression turned stern.

Oh, he’s glaring so intensely.

Is he a scary person? I don’t like it.

He sat down by my bedside and took my arm.

He pulled down my long glove without permission, exposing my wrist.

Then, he asked as if interrogating a suspect.

“...What is this magic burn?”

Shaken by his terrifying expression, I timidly asked back.

“Magic... burn...?”

“Don’t you know? There’s a magic burn on the base of your palm. This kind of burn only happens from prolonged contact with magic tool-making tools, similar to calluses from a sword or a pen.”

Indeed, my wrist is a bit discolored. I thought it was just a sunburn.

“If you keep doing this, you’ll die someday.”

What!?

I flinched and tried moving my hand, opening and closing it.

There was no particular pain, and my hand moved freely.

“But I’ve had this since I was little...”

“What!?”

The magician, looking exasperated, crushed his hair in his hand.

“...You’re still alive, huh?”

“Is... is it that bad to have a magic burn?”

The magician, with a displeased frown, nodded heavily.

“I’m warning you. Stop making magic tools immediately and rest for a month.”

His authoritative tone made my heart race.

I was too scared to argue. But if I take so much time off, the shop will be in trouble, and my parents will severely punish me.

I hesitated to say this to a magician I had just met, so I stammered.

“I heard you’re the daughter of the Rivière Magic Tool Shop.”

“Yes. I’m Rize.”

“Rize.”

He murmured my name as if to remember it, then glared at me fiercely.

I felt like a wanted criminal.

“Rize. Your shop does great work. If you take your time and continue for a long time, you’ll surely become a great craftsman in the future. Don’t waste your talent on trivial things. Take care of your life.”

“Yes.”

Pressed by his expressionless pressure, I reflexively answered. I’ve always been weak against people who give orders. Maybe because my parents and sister often hit me, I brace myself, not knowing what will happen if I disobey.

What is this person... He’s scary. I want him to go away quickly. Is the doctor still not here?

The magician showed me something like a pendant.

It had a large, flat magic stone at the end.

“This is my treasure. Eight years ago, when I was just learning magic, I had it made at your shop.”

From the feel of it, it seemed to be a pure magic stone, created from 100% pure magic.

Magicians use magic through visualization.

The clearer the vision, the more successful the magic.

Touching a high-purity magic stone significantly improves the ease of using magic, which is why wands and accessories containing magic stones are used as focal points for concentration.

But this... I’ve seen it somewhere before...?

“A craftsman who can make something of this quality is apparently only your shop in our country. It’s really wonderful—”

“Oh... This is something I made...”

I found a small signature hidden in the decoration of the magic stone’s ring and showed it to the magician.

“There’s a signature here... At the end of my father’s signature, I added my initial. My signature is only this initial because I made it to resemble my father’s magic pattern and signature.”

Excited, I explained quickly. After all, it’s rare to be praised for a magic tool face-to-face. Moreover, no craftsman would be unpleased to hear that their work is a treasure.

The magic stone seemed to have been used a lot, and its surface was becoming cloudy.

“Next time, bring it to the shop. I’ll clean it up and return it to you like new.”

I added a bit of sales talk. The customer is always right.

The magician looked surprised.

“Do you have proof that you made it?”

“I can make the same one right away.”

“Make something of this quality right away? Don’t joke around.”

A pure magic stone is formed by drawing and solidifying magic from the surroundings, so no special tools or equipment are needed.

I could extract it with a single spell.

[Crystallization]

In the next moment, a magic stone about the size of a grain of wheat appeared in my palm.

It turned purple due to the influence of the magician in front of me, but it was still a genuine pure magic stone.

The man’s eyes were wide open.

“I make about ten thousand of these a year, so it’s not that amazing...”

“What!? Ten thousand!?”

“I also export to other countries.”

“So many...”

Magic stones are very popular as gifts for those about to learn magic. They come in various options, from high-purity stones to stylish ones mixed with other materials, in different colors, shapes, and as accessories.

The magician looked me up and down again, rudely.

“You don’t look like a skilled magic tool maker.”

“I’m not that skilled. But I learned directly from my grandmother, so I can use some rare techniques. You might not know, but my grandmother was a very famous magic tool maker.”

“No... I know. She’s a legendary figure.”

Mentioning my grandmother’s name finally convinced him that I was the maker.

“I can’t express how much this stone has helped me.”

Before I knew it, the magician’s face wasn’t scary anymore.

When he smiled, his natural good looks became apparent, and I realized he was actually quite handsome.

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