MLMAS 10

Chapter – 10

“One thousand five hundred and one. One of them is for my son, haha.”

Letus added cheerfully.

“Ah, and could you personally repair about six hundred of the broken toys? The rest will have to be newly made, so I’ll be quite busy myself…”

Marie’s mouth fell open.

She had never counted a number that large in her life.

Just as her mind began to blur from the scale of it, Croft asked in a low voice,

“What’s the name of your toy shop?”

“You like children, so you may have heard of it—have you heard of ‘Bald Uncle Rudicher’? I’m that Letus Rudicher.”

With that, Letus flashed a smile as shiny as his bald head.

Bald Uncle Rudicher. Rudicher’s Magic Toys.

Five years ago, he had burst onto the toy industry scene like a comet. Rumor had it that his toys could make crying children, angry children—even sleeping children—smile, saving exhausted parents everywhere.

And this was the owner himself…!

After quickly calculating in his head, Croft tapped his pipe and summoned a contract at once.

“Fine. We’ll sign. With that quantity, I can have them delivered to the shop by the eve of the Children’s Hymn Festival.”

“Oh, praise the heavens. And the price?”

“If we calculate at ten gold per day…”

Croft and Letus floated the contract in midair and began discussing terms.

Marie tried to listen, but sleep crept up on her. Reclining comfortably on the sofa, she watched Shasha playing with a wooden doll. Her eyes blinked once… twice… and the late-night drowsiness overwhelmed her.

Eventually, Shasha—bored with playing—snuggled beside Marie, sharing warmth. The two children drifted into soft sleep.

In the middle of his animated discussion, Letus widened his eyes and lowered his voice.

Croft glanced over. Just then, Marie mumbled in her sleep.

For a brief moment, a small smile passed over Croft’s face.

“It is rather late. Shall we move elsewhere?” Letus asked.

“No. We’ll move the children.”

With a flick of his pipe, Croft gently lifted Marie and Shasha into the air and sent them to their room—light and smooth, like lifting feathers.

Letus stared in admiration.

“Incredible. How can you cast levitation magic so steadily without the slightest shake…?”

“It’s nothing. Back to the contract.”

His face turned stern again as he examined the half-filled contract.

“Anything else to add? This seems sufficient.”

Croft handed it over. Letus’s friendly smile sharpened into a calculating gaze as he scanned the document—then returned to a grin.

“Excellent! To repair toys at this price—coming here was the right choice.”

“Then let’s seal it.”

Croft summoned a silver seal from the air. Letus pulled out a deep brown seal from his pocket.

As the two magicians raised their seals, the contract glowed on both sides and began spinning.

The seals flew to the signature lines as if drawn by magnets.

Though no ink pad was used, thick red pigment spilled onto the paper the moment the seals touched it.

Letus retrieved his seal with satisfaction. The once white-and-blue contract fluttered down.

I’ll be able to repair the toys at an extremely low cost. What a relief!

Wiping his sweat, Letus looked up—

“C-C-Croft Lynn?!”

The blocked gears in his mind suddenly turned.

Exceptional magical skill. A long pipe adorned with gold patterns. Arrogant regardless of age.

There was no mistake.

The man before him was the only Archmage of Primus Magia!

Letus clutched his head and shouted,

“A man expelled from Magia—why are you here?! W-Wait! Then who have I just signed a contract with—?!”

“With whom, indeed.”

Croft curled his lips upward. With a gesture, a new contract appeared behind the sealed one.

“Well then. Shall we try another contract?”

Letus’s pupils trembled in fear.

He grabbed his red hat and looked around—but the space was already warped by an unknown spell.

He stared at the new contract with a pale face.

* * *

“Mm…”

Warm sunlight streamed in through the window. The soft scent of Shasha beside her made Marie smile.

She hugged her sister as usual—then opened her eyes at a faint noise.

Creak… thud! Creak… thud!

The rusty hinges of a thick wooden door. Something heavy falling.

Once might have been nothing. But it repeated several times.

“Croft?”

After checking that Shasha was still asleep, Marie carefully left the room.

She passed the cluttered study, then the relatively clean drawing room, and stopped before the door of what Croft insisted was his “laboratory”—though Marie considered it a storage room full of incomprehensible devices and useless antiques.

It was also one of the rooms Croft had warned her not to enter.

“…Damn it.”

Hearing his irritated voice inside, Marie hesitated—but worried, she gently opened the door.

“Wizard, what’s—”

That was when it happened.

The moment the door opened, baby dolls poured out.

Marie shrieked and stumbled back.

“Don’t open it!” Croft shouted.

Too late.

Letting go of the handle, the door swung fully open under the weight of countless dolls spilling out.

Endless dolls. Dolls and more dolls!

“Th-this is my fault—sorry!”

The hallway was instantly chaotic.

Croft kicked aside dolls at his feet and stepped out, looking exasperated.

“Why are you up already? You didn’t sleep much.”

“I heard… noises…”

Yes. The noises.

Too tired to scold her, Croft waved his pipe. Broken dolls floated back inside.

“Croft, what is all this?”

“A request from the toy shop owner who came last night.”

“You have to fix all of them?”

“Yes.”

And after fixing them, he would also have to create an enormous number of magic circles.

Regret washed over him.

Marie peeked inside.

Dolls floated midair. Arms and legs lay scattered across the floor. Shelves and bookcases were crammed with baby dolls. She genuinely worried about Croft’s sanity.

And the room feels bigger…

Was this the space-expansion magic she had read about in novels?

Without realizing it, she stepped inside—and stepped on a doll.

“Ah!”

She shifted her foot—another doll.

Gasp.

She staggered awkwardly as if dancing across a minefield of dolls.

Meanwhile, Croft finished tidying the hallway and shut the door.

“Mariposa. I believe I told you not to enter this room.”

“Did you use space-expansion magic?”

“Yes. Where did you learn that? More importantly, were you listening to me?”

“Ah, sorry. I was just worried…”

Her drooping brows silenced him.

“And your sister?”

“She’s asleep.”

“Then go back. She can’t sleep without you.”

Shasha wandered freely during the day, but at night she clung to Marie like a duckling.

“She’s sleeping deeply. I’ll go soon. But when did all these dolls arrive?”

“Through a Foramen. The shop owner just sent them.”

Creak, thud!

As if on cue, the familiar sound echoed again from the far end of the room.

Croft sighed and trudged over.

Behind tangled antiques and dusty curtains, a large wardrobe was rattling—spitting out dolls.

About thirty dolls tumbled out before the wardrobe slammed itself shut.

“That was the noise…”

Marie stared in awe.

“You have to fix all of these too?”

Dozens hung from the ceiling. Hundreds lay on the floor. Thirty more just arrived.

Croft’s face darkened.

“But Croft, is that the Foramen? How can a wardrobe be a Foramen?”

At that, he covered his face with one hand.