Magic Shop System

"Ah, yes," the manager said and gestured towards his servant who was standing behind him as if he didn't even exist until now. Everyone looked at the servant and their eyes went on his hand — he held a wooden box. The servant passed the box to Elora. The manager spoke again. "This is a small gift for curing me."

"But I have already taken…"

"Please, don't refuse," the manager insisted. "You don't know what kind of torment I have gone through due to my insomnia. I wanted to sleep but I couldn't. I wanted to feel that refreshing feeling after waking up in the morning, but I couldn't. You don't know what it means to me. I realised that one needs to love the small things in life and care about them. You only know their values, when you have lost them."

Elora hesitated when she saw his earnest and sincere face. She looked at Kadyn for help. But the manager spoke once more. "However, there is a problem with a thing inside the box."

"Oh, would you care to elaborate?" Kadyn asked, a curious look appeared on his face.

The manager looked at Kady and hesitated but then told them what was inside. "Ah, actually, inside this wooden box is Mermaid Pearl."

"Mermaid Pearl," Kadyn's eyes started to shine, " you mean the actual Mermaid Pearl that every mermaid could produce only a single one in their entire life and would protect it with their lives?"

"Yes, the same one," the manager nodded.

Cecilia saw Kadyn's excited look and patted him on his shoulder to calm him down. She looked at the manager and asked. "You said there was a problem with it?"

"Yes," the man nodded with a grave look on his face. "Actually, it was my father who found this pearl. He also found a skeleton with it, so that the pearl must have belonged to him," he paused and then went on. "My father was a 10-star elementary mage. He thought that he would be able to break through to the Spell Caster Rank with its help, but failed ultimately. 

"I know because he told me this after coming home in excitement, and after that, he went into the mediation room. However, not long after he entered a shout came from inside — when I rushed inside I saw a pearl floating in front of him, releasing a black fog, and then it fell on the ground and with that my father also fell, when I rushed to him I realised that he was already dead."

"I have never told anyone about it, but you are my benefactor, so I want to repay your kindness."

Elora narrowed her eyes as soon as she heard the explanation, and a cold light appeared inside her eyes. She was kind, but not naive. However, before she could say anything, someone else took the lead. "Alright, we will take it with us."

Manager's eyes glowed in excitement, but he hid it immediately, but who were these people standing in front of them? Almost everyone saw that look, but no one spoke about it; though they found things suspicious, they were also curious why Cecilia would accept the gift from this man who was acting all sceptical. "Alright, let's go," she said and entered a carriage with a wooden box in her hand.

Kadyn exchanged glances with everyone and also went inside the carriage. Though they had only two carriages they were wide enough for seven to eight people to sit inside, maybe not too comfortably, but enough for them, nonetheless. Eight people sat in one carriage and seven in another.

When they were inside the carriage Kadyn looked at Cecilia and asked. "Why did you take that thing, even I can tell that something is wrong with it, terribly wrong. That manager was nervous when he offered the pearl. 

"When he said that his father got the pearl from somewhere else, I smelled a lie from him. That means it was he, or his father who got the pearl," he paused, "I doubt that you didn't notice it, so I would presume that you have a solution to resolve the problem."

"Yes, but I can easily solve the problem, so it's nothing," the vampire lady replied languidly.

"And you are letting him go just like this?" Kadyn said, "I would rather believe in the flying of a pig."

"Hehe," she chuckled but didn't say anymore. However, it was evident to see that she would not let the manager go so easily. No one like to be conspired against them, after all.

——

The manager looked at the disappearing carriages in the distance and a glint flashed inside his eyes. 

 He hurried into the inn, and directly went into the area where he lived. Then he entered a room. He looked at the picture on the wall with a face full of hatred. "Due to your greed you died a horrifying death, but why should I pay for what you have done in the past." Then he turned towards another picture on a different wall and a gentle expression appeared on his face. "I am sorry, I couldn't save you. I really am."

  He gently touched the picture of a woman on the wall and tears fell from his eyes. "You know there was a group of powerful mages, I have given them that cursed thing in the disguise of a gift. I hope they would be able to handle it, or… anyways, even if they die, it won't be anything new." 

 "Oh, it seems it isn't the first time you have done something like this."

 "Who?!"

 The manager was horrified when he heard the voice from behind him. He clearly remembered that no one was inside the room when he entered… Someone had followed him and he failed to notice it, a chill ran down his spine. 

 He looked at the speaker and his face turned paler. "Yo-you are the girl from before. What are you doing here," he was afraid but tried to control the urge to run away and said with a forced smile. 

 Cecilia smiled and then two teeth began to grow out of her mouth and then she said. "I came here to send you to your beloved."

 "Vam-vampire!" he shouted and stumbled back in horror. "Stay away from me."

 "Hehe, you are cute," Cecilia said, then she shook her head. "But not cute enough. Do you think I will drink your disgusting blood myself?"

Before he could understand what she meant, Cecilia waved her hand and a bat appeared out of nowhere, "I had given up on this spell once, as it is too evil. However, in recent days, I realised that it won't be a bad thing if I use people like you to practice it, with that I will have more strength to protect myself and…" she paused for a moment, and a gentle smile appeared on her face," ...and my friends."

"No, no, please," the manager paled. "Listen to me, this is a misunderstanding, a big misunderstanding."

The vampire lady shook her head when she saw a frantic look on his face and commanded the bat that was flapping its black wings in the air as it stared fixedly at its prey. "Go!"

And then the miserable cries began.

After a minute, only a husk of skin and bones remained on the floor, eyes had shrunken and the hairs had fallen, similar to a mummy. The bat's eyes had turned redder after drinking the blood and then it vanished into Cecilia's body. 

"What a weakling, his blood is like a drop in the ocean for me, couldn't even produce a single wave. If I want to make my clones stronger I need to suck the blood of many other humans, but I don't want to hurt any innocent people. Nefia and others won't like it." She said and scattered into hundreds of bats before vanishing.. Only a mummy looking corpse remained in the chamber.