The Special Customer

Walking on the paved road of the Fred Village together with Granny Poly, Oria glances around her. Everyone is working together with decorations, such as flags, banners, and a bonfire emplacement by the center of the village.

"Huh… everyone is working hard, don't they?"

The old lady replies, "Why, yes, dear. In just a week, winter season will be upon us."

"Oh. But there's no sign of snow falling..." Oria's eyes looked up to the sky where the sun and some scattered clouds can still clearly be seen.

"Keh-heh. Just wait."

"Huh… but Granny, why would everyone work so hard when winter's about to come?"

"Heh-heh. Of course, dear. It's a tradition here called Winter Festival. Everyone will work their butts off to celebrate the arrival of winter. Hunters go to the woods and get food stockpile for the village, carpenters renovate and repair buildings, blacksmiths refine ranger weapons, chefs prepare and donate food for everyone, and many more."

"Wow… that sounds busy."

"Indeed, it is, girl. Everyone gives their all for everyone. It is a way for us to strengthen our bonds. That is who we are, the people of Fred Village."

"What about Miss Katze and you?"

"Heh-heh. For that, we usually donate warm clothes to the church. It will then be distributed to those who're in need."

"That's great. Does Master Dux give anything to the village?"

"Bah! That good-for-nothing mage didn't give anything."

"Eh?" Oria's surprised.

"Just kidding. He's the only mage around here, you see. He usually oversees the village as the winter arrives. Kinda strange a weirdo like him protecting us, but he's a legitimate mage who has reached Arcane rank. He'll make sure all of us make it through the winter safely and comfortably. I'm certain of it."

"I've heard Master Dux talking about Arcane-class or whatever that is… just what is it exactly?" Oria got curious.

"Heh-heh. It's the rank system of the mage job. He's practically at the penultimate level right now."

"Uhm… I don't really get it."

"Bah-ha-hah. It's okay, dear. How old are you again?"

"Umm… eight years old?"

"Ah, then when you reach twelve years old, you will be given a blessing by the church, and you will have access to the job system. Only then you'll understand what I just told you."

"Hm-hm… I want to grow up quickly…" Oria muttered.

Granny Poly chuckles as she watches her adorable attitude, "Keh-heh-heh! You're quite curious about many things, eh? No need to rush it. You'll be there eventually."

As they conversed along the road, they meet other villagers passing by and greet them. Everyone in Fred Village is cooperating with each other to finish the preparation for the winter festival. Unlike before, Oria can clearly see how everyone interacts with one another. That magic of Priestess Rosine really worked fine for her.

Busy talking, they don't realize they've reached the edge of the village, where the boutique shop is. But upon reaching there, they discover something out of the ordinary.

"Huh, that's…"

Oria's eyes catch sight of a lavishly built wagon with enthralling white color. It has beveled floral decorations with an obvious star symbol by the door. The two horses that pull the wagon also dressed as grand.

The old woman clears her throat upon witnessing the luxurious wagon. In a voice almost whispering she says, "They're here."

"Who are… they?" Oria wondered.

"They are important people, Oria. Keep your manners in check. They are our special customers. Just follow what I do, okay? Come."

"A-Ah, yes."

A man dressed in a regalian outfit sits by the front of the wagon, commandeering the horses. He notices the granny and the little girl approaching. He doesn't say a word, only gaze at them for a second before batting his eyes away.

"Good day, sir. A lovely day, isn't it?" Mrs. Poly greeted him in a polite manner. "Would you like a cu—"

"Enough with the unnecessary talking, Madame. She awaits thee inside," he struck down her kind words instantly.

The old lady carrying a quintuple of goods simply bowed to him, followed by the little girl, and takes Oria's hand and walks past the wagon to the boutique shop, ignoring the man.

"(That guy is really cold…)" Oria thought in her mind. "(He reminds me of something… but what?)"

By the front door, two swordsmen equipped with a shining silver armor and a star symbol resembling the ones at the wagon stand guard. When Oria and Mrs. Poly arrives, they bow to them and declares.

"Madame Poly, please come inside. Lady Celia awaits."

The atmosphere turns incredibly heavy as the two knightly men welcomed them. Oria feels a chilling goosebump from their presence. They scare her, of course, despite their polite attitude. Oria tries her best to hide her fear by showing a brave look. She follows Mrs. Poly's gesture whenever she bows.

Finally, they get inside and meet with their 'special customer'.

"Hm? Ah. It is a pleasure to meet you. Madame Fyan Gallipoli I presume?"

A woman with such divine aura greets the old lady. By glance it is obvious that she's of a noble upbringing. She wears a red collared shirt with a blue waist coat and a yellow cravat along with an alluring white coat and a frilly long skirt. Her long flowing white hair adorned with a blue diamond tiara that without any doubt shares that divineness of her aura. For some reason, Oria feels like she's emanating tiny soft sparkles from her hair.

At her side, an old man with fancy mustache and a monocle accompanies her. He stays silent, yet his aura is also noble-like.

By the counter, Miss Katze is keeping her smile at all times. Meanwhile, Granny Poly bows to her while greeting her back. Just like that, the atmosphere thickens. Oria knows very well that she must not do anything stupid while she's around.

"Good day, Lady Celia. I'm honored that you remembered my name."

The regal woman speaks in a chill, composed voice that of an elegant noble. Yet every word she utters feels stern and intimidating.

"How can I not remember a great craftswoman like you and Miss Katze? I always adore every artwork you two created."

"Your words honor us, Lady Celia," Katze bowed. It is the first time Oria sees her so polite like that.

"Keh-heh. You're too kind."

"Now, now. Let us get to the point. Per my request, I wish to see the results of the divine clothing you've created."

"At once, milady."

Katze grabs a lavishly sealed treasure chest from a drawer. She shows the box to the woman while daring not to bat an eye to her beautiful eyes which also share the same white color as her hair and eyebrows.

"(That's… a magistone on her hand, isn't it? It has a white color…)"

Exactly as Oria saw, Katze uses a magistone to open the treasure box. The magical material disintegrates into sparkles of light that unlocks the seal of the chest. The box was magically sealed. In that chest, four white pieces of clothing, neatly folded, was presented to the lady.

"Hmm…" in a searching look, Lady Celia checks them. "…Impressive. It appears you've improved greatly since last time. I thank you for your hard work this month."

"T-Thank you."

"Keh-heh. It's an honor to help you, Lady Celia."

However, Oria notices how Miss Katze is strangely holding her hands tightly. She's profusely sweating, even her words stutter as she spoke. As the noblewoman adores the third cloth, Katze trembles. When Lady Celia inspects the final cloth, revelation comes to light.

"Fascinating. Oh, wait. This last cloth here… its magical circuit wasn't strong like the others, no?"

Her words startled the young red-haired woman. She's trembling even greater now.

"What seems to be the problem, milady?" the old man in monocle finally spoke.

"I-I'm terribly sorry!" Katze quickly bowed down almost hitting her head to the desk. She profusely apologizes to them both over and over. Her tears can be seen flowing faintly out of her eyes, scared.

"Katze… don't say you're…!" Mrs. Poly somehow caught air of what's going on.

"I, I didn't know what went wrong, but that last one has a faulty w-when I designed it. F-For some reason, the mana wasn't fully transferred to the circuit in there."

"(Eh? Mana was transferred into the cloth?)" Oria got curious.

Meanwhile, the monocled aristocrat sighs in disappointment.

"Hm. This is a problem, milady. We do not come here to obtain rejects," the old man stated cynically.

"Indeed," Lady Celia then turns at the trembling young woman. In a serious look, she tells her, "Miss Katze, might I suggest that you do not put in reject products to your customers? I understand if you wish to obtain greater income and boost your finances from selling more products, but this is not how you obtain that higher revenue. This is but a dishonesty on your side."

Lowering her head, she replies in a lowly voice, "Y-Yes… I'm… I'm so sorry."

"(Miss Katze…)"

"I believe my granddaughter did no wrong, Lady Celia," Mrs. Poly said in defense. "She works day and night for two weeks just to make sure her work is perfected in every aspect possible."

"A no-good item given to your customers is still a mistake," the old man sneered. "If she mistakenly done that, she wouldn't have offered it to Lady Celia. Do not try defending a guilty person, Madame."

Raising her hand in a stop gesture, Lady Celia says, "Enough, Mr. Morgen. It appears we'll only buy three of them."

Oria feels the urge to help, "(Isn't there anything I can do to help…?)" but she doesn't know what to do.

"Miss Katze," the noblewoman called.

"Y-Yes…?"

"Whatever mistake that you've done, keep in mind that you will not repeat it the next time we come here. If you are serving another noble, you might need to face penalty of your wrongdoings. In fact, all your families may be in jeopardy because of that."

"I… I understand. From the bottom of my heart, I regret every action that I did…"

Oria is still figuring a way to help her, "(Miss Katze said that she transferred mana into the clothes... transfer... transfer... where did I hear those words before... oh... OH! That one ability...!)"

Lady Celia accepts her apology, "Very well. Now… please remove the fourth piece and we'll be on our way."

Oria takes a deep breath from behind Mrs. Poly, "(...I must go and help Miss Katze! I don't know it will work or not, but I must give it a shot!)"

"U-Understood…" As Miss Katze nods in her teary eyes, Oria finally executed her last-minute plan. She steps out from behind Mrs. Poly, revealing herself to the monocled man and the noblewoman.

"I… I think I can help!"

Lady Celia and the monocled old man immediately glued their eyes towards the silver-haired child upon her appearance.

"Who are you, little one?" the old man asked first.

"O-Oria… what are you doing…?" Katze asked in her sniffling voice.

Putting a brave expression, Oria introduces herself.

"My name is Oria Argentora. I… I'm Granny Poly's granddaughter."

"O-Oria, what are you—"

"Lady Celia… I believe I can help you with that."

The noblewoman looks sharply into her eyes as if she's staring into her soul. She squints her eyes, seemingly disgusted by her sudden appearance.