Chapter – 22
Ever since Mari and Shasha had begun staying at the antique shop, Croffort had not missed a single day of magic lessons for the past two months.
Spell analysis.
Basic magical theory.
Croffort used everything he knew to try and teach the mischievous Shasha.
But Shasha was a rascal that even Croffort—a once-in-a-generation genius and archmage—could hardly handle.
Whenever she got the chance, she would fool around instead of paying attention. Even when he explained things carefully, she barely listened. And if Mari wasn’t beside her, she would throw a tantrum and refuse to attend the lesson.
Croffort had already been worried about the painfully slow progress of the lessons. Then he discovered that the girl had known how to use magic all along.
His eyes nearly flipped with rage.
“Answer me, you four-year-old. You used magic, didn’t you?”
“I-I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? If the magic tool exploded, it means you’ve used mana before. But you’ve never used magic in front of me!”
Croffort strode toward Shasha.
Startled, Shasha stepped backward until she bumped into Mari. She clutched Mari’s arm and trembled.
“Are you throwing a fit because you don’t want to study? What exactly is bothering you?”
Croffort’s face hardened.
Shasha sucked in a deep breath, and soon tears like falling raindrops streamed down her cheeks as she tugged on Mari’s clothes.
“I don’t know! I don’t know! I’ve never used magic!”
“Shasha…”
“I said I don’t know, Mari!”
Mari tried to look at Shasha’s face. But Shasha hid behind Mari’s back and shouted.
“Crofforto is stupid! I don’t know! Go away!”
“Shasha, you can’t say that!”
Mari’s heart dropped.
They had already broken one of his belongings, and she had been feeling guilty about it. Now Shasha was acting like this too.
Frantically comforting Shasha, Mari glanced nervously at Croffort’s cold expression.
“I’m sorry, Croffort. I’ll calm her down. There must be some reason.”
“A reason?”
Croffort narrowed his eyes.
A faint anger flickered across his cold face.
“Croffort…”
“I told you before,” he said, running a hand through his hair as he put his pipe between his lips. “I don’t like wasting my time.”
“I understand you don’t want to take lessons. But I’m not your babysitter. There’s a limit to how much patience I have.”
“……”
“I have no reason to waste my precious time teaching you. Tell me the reason.”
Why had she done it?
Even when Croffort asked, Shasha still didn’t answer. She only stared at him with trembling eyes like a restless sea.
Seeing the stubbornness on the child’s face, Croffort spoke coldly.
“If you don’t want lessons, then I have nothing to teach you. And if there are no lessons, I have no reason to protect you here. Do you want to leave this house?”
“Croffort!”
Mari shouted in shock.
For a brief moment, regret flickered across his face. But he stayed silent, watching Shasha like a statue.
Shasha’s eyes shook wildly like stormy waves. Then she buried her face in Mari’s back, sobbing.
“I don’t want to leave.”
“Then why did you do that?”
“I don’t want to leave!”
“Tell me what the problem is. Otherwise how am I supposed to fix it?”
“If I learn magic, I have to leave!”
Silence fell like cold water.
Croffort’s blue eyes stiffened.
Shasha cried out again through her tears.
“I don’t want to leave, Mari!”
“S-Shasha…”
Mari stared at her in shock.
“If you use magic you have to leave. I don’t want to!”
As the child sobbed, a heavy silence filled the room.
Mari’s hand wandered helplessly before she finally pulled Shasha into a hug.
“Shasha, you can’t do that. We can’t stay here forever.”
“Why?”
“Well… this is Croffort’s house. It’s not our house.”
“Then can’t it become our house? We’re friends with Croffort now.”
“Uh…”
Mari’s green eyes moved between Shasha and Croffort uncertainly.
She glanced at Croffort, silently asking for help, but when he didn’t respond she patted Shasha again.
“Croffort isn’t our family, so we can’t live with him. Usually people live with their family.”
“Then I’ll be family with Crofforto.”
“No, Shasha. That would trouble him.”
“I’m a bother?”
Mari froze.
She bit her lip, took a deep breath, and opened her eyes again.
She understood Shasha.
It was only natural that she didn’t want to leave this antique shop—where they had warm soup three times a day, expensive cotton blankets to sleep under, and Croffort who took care of them warmly even if they sometimes argued.
But they still couldn’t stay here forever.
Looking calmly at Shasha, Mari said,
“I don’t mean that. Let’s just live on our own again. We can do it.”
“No! I don’t want to!”
Shasha shook her body in protest.
Mari stiffened in shock.
“Why?”
“Our house is too cold.”
“I’ll hug you and keep you warm.”
“No. Even when you hugged me it was cold. It makes me think of Mom.”
Mari couldn’t say anything.
Her green eyes filled with tears as she thought of their mother, Molly.
Unlike Shasha, Mari cried silently. Her breathing was steady—if you didn’t see her face, you wouldn’t even know she was crying.
Only quiet sorrow fell from her eyes.
Only then did Croffort come to his senses.
“Mariposa.”
Mari’s face looked thin and worn.
The magical tool had broken earlier, and Shasha had just cried her heart out. In that state, he had pressed them harshly with questions.
It was only natural they couldn’t handle it.
Croffort clenched his fist and sighed.
“That’s enough. Let’s talk about it later.”
“…Croffort, I’m sorry. I didn’t think Shasha would feel this way…”
“No. Don’t apologize.”
He repeated quietly,
“Don’t apologize.”
Mari lowered her head and wiped her tears.
After hesitating a moment, Croffort rubbed his forehead tiredly.
“I was wrong. I won’t ask anymore. Go get some rest.”
At his apology, Shasha lifted her head.
She looked at his dark expression, then buried her face in Mari’s arms again.
“But…”
“That’s enough. Stop crying.”
Mari looked at Croffort.
Having grown up on the streets, she could easily read adults’ emotions.
Right now, she felt deep guilt coming from him.
“Mariposa. When your sister calms down, come see me. I’ll be in the study.”
“…Yes. Okay.”
“Good.”
Under the dim light, Croffort looked once more at Shasha peeking at him from Mari’s arms and Mari’s shadowed, sorrowful face—then left the children’s room.
* * *
Pale blue lights floated through the air.
Outside, a gentle wind rustled the old curtains.
Croffort irritably shut the window and dropped into the chair at his desk, drawing deeply on his pipe.
Soon the room filled with thick smoke.
Then suddenly, the communication device resting at the edge of his desk vibrated and floated into the air.
He glanced at it sideways.
“Damn. What timing.”
Running a rough hand through his messy hair, Croffort grabbed the cylindrical handle.
A green light flashed, and a familiar voice sounded.
“—Haha. Good day, Lord Croffort.”
“The toy shop owner?”
“Yes, it’s been a while.”
It was Retus Rudicher, the owner of the toy shop.
Croffort rubbed his forehead irritably.
“You’re late.”
“Well, I’ve been very busy lately…”
“Enough excuses. The doll?”
Leaning back in his chair, Croffort smoked continuously.
Sensing his bad mood, Retus answered nervously.
“Well, the thing is…”
“Answer quickly. Don’t tell me you didn’t find it.”
“N-No, we found it.”
“Then send it to Foramen.”
Retus groaned awkwardly.
“Well… we did find it, but the situation became a little complicated.”
“Complicated?”
“Yes… we can’t give it to you right away.”
“Speak clearly. Are you planning to break our contract?”
“N-No! Not at all!”
Retus shouted in panic.
“One of our employees secretly made a deal with a customer.”
“A secret deal?”
“Yes. The customer paid a large sum to buy the doll, and…”
“Our children’s doll?”
Croffort scoffed.
“Illegal sale, then. Why can’t you just bring it? What’s the problem?”
Retus hesitated.
After a short silence, the communication device’s light turned red.
Taking a deep breath like a man preparing for execution, he finally spoke in a small voice.
“The customer who bought it… is Duke Sol.”
Croffort’s breathing stopped.
The device glowed red again as silence stretched on.
Carefully, Retus called out.
“L-Lord Croffort?”
Only then did Croffort regain his senses.
“Then don’t retrieve it.”
“…What?”
“I said I don’t need it.”
“B-But it contains an eavesdropping magic stone—”
“I don’t care. That’s enough. End the call.”
“Wait, please! Just a moment! Cro—”
Ignoring Retus’s panicked voice, Croffort cut off the communication.
He tossed the device onto the desk and leaned back in his chair, covering his face with one arm.
Slowly, his eyes closed.
His face looked as cold and rigid as a piece of ice, as if nothing had happened—but the long breath escaping his lips trembled.
A few minutes later, someone knocked softly on the door.
