Displaying Wealth

Thinking of this, Klaus deliberately straightened his back.

He regained the high-spirited look he had when he first walked in. Leaning one hand on the counter, he looked determined to get what he wanted.

“Then that makes things easy.”

He tapped the edge of the counter, mimicking his father's flair at past auctions, and snapped his fingers.

“How about this: when that buyer comes back to pick up the goods, refund her double her deposit. I'll buy this instead.”

“The extra will be her compensation.”

Hearing this, Erich let out a whistle from the side, and Leander also leaned in. “Young Master Heller is so generous! Young Master Heller is so magnificent!”

The female clerk said, “Is that really appropriate?”

“Is it too little?” Klaus raised three fingers. “Then how about triple the price? Whatever those glowstone powders she ordered are worth, I'll buy them at triple the price. You refund her triple her deposit. She gets twice the amount for free—it's an incredible deal.”

“I lack many things, but money isn't one of them.”

As he spoke, he pulled a handful of gold coins from his inner pocket and lined them up on the counter. They gleamed brightly in the sunlight, making Felix's eyes widen.

However, the female clerk didn't reach for the gold coins.

She simply folded her hands in front of her, bowed slightly, and said, “Young Master Heller, this is truly against our rules. Mephisto's principle is first-come, first-served. Unless the customer cancels the reservation of her own accord, we have no right to unilaterally cancel it.”

“Besides, it will be very difficult for me to explain when that customer returns and finds her items gone.”

The atmosphere in front of the counter suddenly became delicate.

Erich, who had been smiling, silently withdrew his smile. Leander and Felix also didn't dare to speak, their eyes shifting back and forth between Klaus and the female clerk.

Klaus felt his face heating up with embarrassment.

He had bragged to his classmates all the way here about how great this shop was and how complete their inventory was, only to end up unable to buy even a single jar of powder. It was incredibly embarrassing.

He had no choice but to lower his voice slightly, trying to make himself sound more authoritative:

“I'm not trying to steal her things. I'm offering triple the price. Triple! That way, she can use the extra money to buy them elsewhere, and she still makes a profit!”

“I understand your kindness perfectly, but rules are rules,” the female clerk said, her expression unchanging.

Just then, someone behind them let out a soft chuckle.

It was a man in a formal suit. He was likely watching the four little brats crowding the front desk, guessing they wanted to buy something but couldn't afford it, since they couldn't possibly have lingered this long otherwise. Although the Royal Capital was full of hidden talents, children were still just children in the eyes of adults, and they didn't even have any attendants with them.

Klaus wasn't sure if the man was laughing at him, but his ears were already burning.

He gritted his teeth, thinking that if he didn't pull this off today, he would never be able to hold his head up in front of his classmates again.

“Where is your manager? Get your manager out here, I'll speak to him.”

Klaus's voice regained its previous confidence.

The clerk was still hesitating, but he added, “My name is Klaus Heller. Please pass that along.”

The name Heller might not carry much weight in the Royal Capital's noble circles, but in the business world, especially in the mining industry, it was heavy enough to bend many backs.

This female clerk probably didn't recognize him at all; otherwise, she wouldn't have maintained such an attitude even after he introduced himself.

One had to know that the most sought-after rare ores in the magic market over the past decade all came from the Heller family's mines, and the Mephisto Magic Materials Shop happened to be one of the Heller family's regular customers.

This was also why Klaus had highly recommended this shop in the first place.

Hearing this, the female clerk thought it over, bowed, and left.

Before long, the shop's manager arrived quickly.

He was a middle-aged man in his fifties, wearing a dark green silk robe. Pinned to his collar was a gold star-and-moon badge that was a full size larger than the clerk's. A smile was plastered on his face—not overly enthusiastic, but warm enough.

As he walked quickly down the spiral staircase, he was still wiping ink stains from his hands with a handkerchief, looking as though he had just been called out from the accounting room.

“Oh, it's the young master of the Heller family! A rare guest, a rare guest indeed! Why didn't you give us a heads-up before coming?”

He welcomed him with a smile, even though he didn't actually recognize him.

The Heller family had four or five brothers, and he didn't know which one this was.

The frustration Klaus had been holding back for so long finally found an outlet. He straightened his back, first casually revealing his family crest to confirm his identity.

Then, he briefly explained what had just happened.

He wanted to buy glowstone powder, but the clerk said it was reserved. He was willing to pay triple the price, but the female clerk refused.

“A major establishment like Mephisto shouldn't be so inflexible, right?” Klaus didn't forget to bolster his imposing manner at the end.

As the manager listened, the smile on his face didn't waver in the slightest.

Once he finished listening, he gestured to the female clerk and listened to her whisper a few details—three young women, a sun hat, no family crest, no names. Then he turned back, his smile deepening even further.

“So that's how it is. My subordinate doesn't know the rules and doesn't know how to adapt. I apologize for the embarrassment, Young Master.”

He bowed slightly to Klaus and said:

“It's a rare occasion for Young Master Heller to visit in person. How could we let you leave empty-handed? That batch of glowstone powder is yours.”

“As for the customer who reserved it, we will refund her triple her deposit and throw in a gift voucher from our shop... I doubt she will have anything to say about that.”

“Right, make sure to give her my share too—six times!”

Klaus said calmly, stealing a glance at his friends behind him out of the corner of his eye.

“Whoa, cool!”

“As expected of Young Master Heller!”

At this, Klaus's lips finally curled into a smile again, and Erich and Leander returned to their giggling selves.

Klaus tapped the counter. “Then please wrap the items nicely for me.”

The female clerk opened her mouth, but in the end, she said nothing.

She simply lowered her eyes, quietly walked behind the counter, and took out the jars of glowstone powder and the silver-engraved array base plates labeled with the order number. She wrapped them neatly and carefully in deep blue velvet cloth, then tied a beautiful bow with silver ribbon.

The manager personally handed the wrapped glowstone powder and array base plates to Klaus, even adding an extra pair of sterling silver spoons specifically designed for sealing glowstone powder.

Holding the ribbon of the gift box with one hand, Klaus prepared to leave:

“Let's go. I'll take you guys to see a jewelry shop next.”

He spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for everyone in the shop to hear clearly.

Erich, Leander, and Felix quickly followed, pouring out all kinds of compliments as if they were free.

“Young Master Heller is so dominant!” “Honestly, that clerk should have just done this in the first place.” “Young Master Heller, shall we grab a bite next door after this?”

Klaus felt incredibly pleased and lightheaded from the praise.

However, before he even reached the shop door...

...the person coming to collect the items returned.

This time, the person pushing the door open wasn't wearing a sun hat.

Her light blonde hair, worn straight for the first time today, was bathed in a thin golden halo under the afternoon sun. She carried a small handbag, followed by a brown-haired young girl holding a paper bag and a silver-haired guardian with her hair tied in a low ponytail.

Her gaze swept across the counter.

Behind the counter, the female clerk was looking down and organizing the velvet cloth, her expression somewhat unnatural.

The four boys all froze in place—Klaus's daze was born of a fear deeply engraved in his memory.

The other three were simply stunned by her appearance.

Not everyone knew what Loris actually looked like. In school, it was easy enough to figure out who people were gossiping about by reading the room.

But outside, when she dressed low-key and wasn't surrounded by a crowd, it was hard to tell—especially considering there were eight classes in the first-year Magic Department alone, not to mention the Swordsmanship Department and the Comprehensive Department.

In short, the three boys hanging out with Klaus clearly didn't recognize Loris's face; they only knew of Lady Aldheim's formidable reputation.

...

—Afternoon. Magic Materials Shop—

I was a little surprised to run into Klaus here.

I had just returned with Misha and Shirune after finishing lunch. Unfortunately, we didn't have the grilled skewers I had been craving.

Still, it wasn't bad. We had lunch at a place akin to a three-star Michelin restaurant. Misha was so touched she almost shed little pearls of tears. As she added salt to her rice (since tears are salty), she declared that this was the happiest day of her life.

Her tears practically soaked the Michelin-star meal, and she vowed to work hard alongside me.

Honestly, it wasn't that serious.

But that butter-mushroom roasted pheasant was indeed delicious.

Returning to the main topic, after finishing lunch, I planned to collect my magic materials since I had already reserved them.

And now, we just happened to cross paths.

What a coincidence. It seems the Royal Capital isn't that big after all, and most students from the Royal Academy come out when they have time off.

I didn't say hello, simply passing straight by him and walking toward the counter inside the shop.

After all, this was the “normal attitude of a villainess daughter toward her classmates.”

But Klaus swallowed hard. If he remembered correctly, the female clerk had said that the buyers were a trio, and the one paying was a girl with long blonde hair.

And she was very low-key.

In Klaus's eyes, the way Loris was dressed today was indeed very low-key. Unlike him with his flashy accessories, her clothes almost blended in with the common folk.

“I have a reservation.” I unfolded a receipt, placed it on the counter, and gently pushed it forward with my fingertip.

The female clerk, however, showed a helpless expression.

Her manager had already gone back to the office, and the boy who had just taken the items was standing right there. How was she supposed to explain this?

She could only bow first. “Sumimasen.”

“I am incredibly sorry, Lady Aldheim,” the female clerk whispered, her speaking speed slowing down significantly. “The batch of glowstone powder and silver-engraved array base plates you reserved... just now, a customer bought them for a high price.”

“?” What? Someone bought them even though I already paid a deposit?

—The sky of the Royal Capital had darkened.

“What is the meaning of this?” I frowned, looking rather displeased.

“No... that customer was extremely determined to buy them, and this matter was handled personally by our manager. He said he would compensate you with six times the full amount, and then compensate you with a fifty-percent-off coupon for any materials of your choice...”

“Would that be acceptable to you?” She straightened up from her bow.

“Just like that? Paying some compensation overrides a deposit?” I tapped my finger lightly on the counter.

“There was nothing I could do. The manager handled it personally.”

The female clerk closed her eyes, looking as though she had made a grand resolution to speak, and added in an even lower whisper, “He said that customer is the young master of the Heller family, someone we cannot afford to offend. Your deposit will definitely be refunded sixfold, along with a gift voucher...”

Hearing this, my finger stopped.

Heller?

That sounds a bit familiar.

The afternoon sun streamed diagonally through the glass door of the shop, casting long shadows across the floor.

Behind me, near the exit, a few people were standing.

Klaus had already taken seven or eight steps toward the door.

His back looked exceptionally stiff in the sunlight. His strides were large but highly unnatural, his left leg and right arm swinging in unison like a wound-up puppet.

The gift box in his hand, tied with a silver ribbon, gleamed in the afternoon light, making it impossible to miss.

He wanted to just walk out like this.

But should he keep walking forward, or turn back? If he kept going, there might be no turning back—he already realized he was in deep trouble. But if he turned around, he would have to face the one face he least wanted to see.

In the end, Klaus turned around anyway.

Because his friends were trying to back him up.

“That woman actually dares to glare at us,” Leander muttered in a low voice.

“She isn't glaring at you at all,” Felix grumbled. “She's glaring at Young Master Heller.”

“Where did this little sprout come from? How dare she look down on my newly made best friend! Young Master Heller, I'll help you teach her a lesson!”

“Let's go confront her!” The three of them were filled with passionate, shared indignation and prepared to step forward.

Oh no, no, no, no, no! A massive alarm went off in Klaus's heart! The moment the word “little sprout” came out, the four of them would be utterly doomed, croak!

He hurriedly held the three of them back.

“Stop! Stop talking!” Klaus barked, waving his hand frantically.

The other three still felt a strong dislike for the blonde girl who was radiating villainous displeasure, and they couldn't comprehend Klaus's agitated, panicked behavior.

The three of them could only exchange looks, as if to say, “What's the meaning of this?”

At the same time, I also remembered why the name sounded so familiar.

Klaus's last name was indeed Heller.

At this moment, Klaus turned around awkwardly and stiffly. For some reason, he lacked all the dominance he had displayed yesterday on the training field. Facing me, he was extremely restless—probably due to a guilty conscience.

Perhaps he had learned something, or perhaps he realized the gap between us since his magic couldn't compare to mine.

All in all, his attitude was somewhat friendly.

“Lady Loris, what a coincidence...” He shifted the gift box tied with the silver ribbon behind his back and squeezed out an indescribable smile.

Alright, let me correct myself: it wasn't friendly at all.

I looked at his friends and decided to be kind enough to save him some face. After all, I was the one who paid the deposit first. Even if they refunded me six times the amount, it was just a number to me.

All he could show off was money. But for me, the one thing the Aldheim family had absolutely no need to show off was money.

“Yes, what a coincidence,” I said, walking up to him and looking down at him. “You came to buy glowstone powder too?”

The hint was obvious enough.

Klaus's Adam's apple bobbed. He opened his mouth, but before he could concoct a decent reply, Erich behind him blabbed on his behalf.

“You're the one who paid the deposit? Let me tell you, it doesn't matter how much money you offer. Young Master Heller has already bought it!” Erich declared passionately.

Klaus wanted to cry. Please, I beg you, just shut up.