"Charlotte! Chaaaarlotte!"
The item shop was unusually noisy that afternoon.
Lolan yawned behind the counter and rubbed his eyes.
"Little Lora, you're here this early again? …Finished your homework yet?"
"Bleeh! You old geezer!"
Lora stuck out her tongue. "Who brings up homework the moment they see a kid? You seriously don't understand girls at all. No wonder you can't find a wife!"
"Hey, you brat!"
Lolan shot upright, veins practically popping. "Just you wait! I'll go buy a mountain of practice papers and mail them to your house!"
"Hmph! If you dare, I'll tell Charlotte you bullied me!"
"Like I'm scared of her!"
Just as the argument escalated—
"What are you two doing this early in the day?!"
Charlotte's voice rang out like a gavel striking down judgment.
Lolan and Lora instantly froze.
Miss Charlotte stood there with imposing dignity, brows slightly raised.
"Can you two not start fighting the second you see each other?"
"It's not my fault!" Lolan protested immediately. "Look at this brat—no respect for adults whatsoever! I'm teaching her proper manners. If she doesn't learn now, society's going to beat it into her later!"
Lora's eyes widened. "What are you even saying?! Charlotte, look at him! A grown man arguing with a child—no wonder he can't get married!"
"Hey! Say what you want, but don't make it personal!"
"Bleeeeh—"
Lora darted behind Charlotte and made another face at him. Lolan lunged forward in retaliation—only for Lora to drag Charlotte directly between them like a human shield.
And thus began a ridiculous chase, the two circling around Charlotte like generals circling a pillar in some absurd palace drama—completely oblivious to the fact that Miss Charlotte was silently charging up.
"Bam!"
"Bam!"
"You two!"
After two clean, merciless smacks to the head, Lora and Lolan clutched their skulls and stood obediently still.
"Honestly," Charlotte sighed, launching into full lecture mode. "Lolan! You're a grown adult. Stop bickering with a child. And you, Lora—I wasn't done talking to him, was I? Why are you laughing?"
As Charlotte's sermon droned on, Lolan and Lora exchanged a glance.
A faint, identical wry smile tugged at both their lips.
…Then they realized they had smiled at the same time.
Instantly, they turned away from each other with matching looks of disgust.
All in all, the item shop was as peaceful as ever.
---
Lora was Charlotte's classmate at school. Although Lolan had yet to begin teaching Charlotte magic, he had never neglected her academic studies. Charlotte was sensible and diligent; she ranked first in her class every time.
As her unofficial old father, Lolan felt immensely gratified.
Lora, however, wasn't doing quite as well.
Her parents had died when she was very young, and she now lived with her grandparents. The elderly couple were ordinary people, advanced in age and lacking the energy to oversee her schooling.
They worried about her constantly.
So when Lora became friends with Charlotte—an exemplary student—the grandparents were naturally overjoyed.
Today, Lora had come to invite Charlotte over to her house.
They had known each other for months, yet Charlotte had never formally met Lora's grandparents. She took the visit seriously—so seriously that she even wore the sea-blue necklace Lolan had given her, the one she rarely had the heart to take out.
After seeing the two girls off, Lolan yawned again and slumped behind the counter, lazily flipping through a book.
---
Meanwhile, at the Inspection Bureau, the atmosphere was anything but relaxed.
His Majesty the King had issued a direct order: the culprit must be captured within one week.
Four days had already passed.
No progress.
Rumor had it that Captain Mocha had sought assistance from Lady Elissa—and had obtained valuable intelligence.
The seven captains of the Bureau sat in the conference room, waiting.
At precisely two in the afternoon, Mocha finally arrived.
Though he was merely one of several candidates for Chief of the Bureau, this particular case had been personally designated by the King. Solve it successfully—and the position would all but be secured.
The other candidates were visibly displeased.
Who would've thought he'd play dirty and go straight to Lady Elissa for information? And Lady Elissa too—how could such a discreet intelligence broker just hand over secrets like that?
Now that Mocha possessed key evidence, he carried himself with thinly veiled arrogance. After all, everyone had already gathered for this crucial meeting—yet he strolled in late.
A deliberate show of dominance.
The veteran officers simmered with resentment, but circumstances left them no choice. The King himself had assigned this case. Failure would not be forgiven.
Mocha stood at the head of the long table, clasped his hands, and cleared his throat.
"There's no need to emphasize the importance of this case, I presume. His Majesty has given us a strict deadline: one week."
He leaned forward, palms pressing against the table.
"The order was issued last Sunday—during the Festival of Light. Today is Thursday. The Church's Magic Festival is already underway."
His gaze swept across the room.
"That means… our time is running out."
A middle-aged man snorted coldly.
"As if we didn't know that. If you have intelligence, spit it out so we can deploy our men."
"Senior Des seems to have some objections toward me," Mocha replied calmly. "But please don't misunderstand. Everything I've done has been for the Bureau—to solve this case and spare us from His Majesty's punishment."
"Hmph."
The man called Des crossed his arms.
The other candidates were equally unimpressed.
By the Night Goddess who governs deceit, one of them thought bitterly, we are all your faithful believers—yet this brat treats us like fools.
May he run into a disciple of the War God one day. Let those brutes teach this smug bastard a lesson.
"All right, enough," another officer interjected, attempting to mediate. "Mocha, just share the information."
Mocha had merely wanted to put his rival in his place; he had no intention of delaying the matter further.
With that, he revealed everything he had learned from Lolan—leaving nothing out.