Suspicious shop

On the way home, Trell continued to listen to Failer's story. His nephew and his buddies all had gleaming eyes when they talked about these things called cards and how they could summon monsters on a special table and battle with them. He was really confused with terms like draw, main phase, tribute summoning, and suspicious characters called duelists, especially the one with starfish-like hair who has a loyal servant called Dark Magician. This made him more worried about the shop his nephew went into. No proud mage would call themselves a dark mage unless they were part of an infamous cult known as the Pitch Black Gathering.

Back at home, he contemplated and recalled a bunch of rumors about an exiled noble from some faraway kingdom, at least far away from the Pacific kingdom. There were various reasons a noble might be exiled; they could have lost their title due to an inheritance war, supported the losing royal candidate, or been involved with a heinous cult such as the aforementioned Pitch Black Gathering.

Nobles rarely faced punishment for criminal activity in the first place. In the rare instances where a noble is punished, it's because the crime affected the overall standing, benefits, and power of the aristocracy, which can lead to their being exiled. Other reasons, such as a noble scion's lack of talent, were rare instances, as this was only done by the most traditional, competitive, and prestigious families, who often kept occasions like this in secret.

The rumors originated from a merchant caravan Trell encountered during his quest. The caravan was traveling from the kingdom of Elum, situated on the western border of the Pacific kingdom. In this kingdom, a baron had faced exile for orchestrating human sacrifices in a ritual guided by the dark mages of the Pitch Black Gathering. Initially marked for burning at the stake, the Ducal family supporting him intervened, ultimately reducing the punishment to banishment. The merchants speculated that the Ducal family's intervention was driven by their ability to secure the baron's heir, seemingly under the guise of safeguarding his bloodline. As for the Ducal family's intentions, it remained anyone's guess.

Deciding to investigate first, Trell planned to accompany his nephew the next day and see what kind of game this shop owner was selling. As for the short sword he had intended to study, he stored it in his hidden room for later. Due to the loss of Failer's parents, his sister, and his brother-in-law, Trell was quite protective of his nephew.

A few years ago, Failer was always quiet due to this incident; he rarely spoke, was always in a daze, and his muffled sobs could be heard every night when Trell checked on him. If not for that little blonde girl always pestering him to come out and play, his nephew might have become a recluse. Trell tried to be there as much as possible, but he really wasn't good at comforting his nephew, as he was mourning the loss as well. At least now, both of them have moved on quite a bit and found joy in their lives again.

With the sun rising, daylight slowly envelops Kalamar, and its gentle rays pierce through the windows of Trell's room. He awakens to the crowing of roosters and the lively footsteps echoing outside his room, casting away his drowsiness and leaving a faint smile on his face. After getting ready for the day, he steps out of his room and is taken aback to find his nephew, also neatly attired, attempting to tie his shoes. It's been awhile since he's seen his nephew this lively and excited. Though he also looks forward to spending time with Failer, it's of utmost importance that he confirm if the shop selling things called cards is not what he thinks it is.

When Failer told him to bring money, he only thought of bringing a few silver coins, but when his nephew mentioned that they would need 12 gold coins for a pack that contained 12 cards, his suspicions only worsened. He almost spat his tea, and had a shocked expression, to which his nephew was baffled, asking him, "Don't you have lots of gold and magicoins?"

While he had accumulated lots of money and treasure from his adventuring and from the inheritance his sister and brother-in-law left for him and their son, it's still a large sum of money that no novelty shop would normally charge, at least in Kalamar. He reminded himself to teach his nephew the value of money and how to not get fooled by suspicious stores.

A game requiring you to purchase the things required to play it with more than a magic coin—surely there must be something foul at play here, right? He thought, though he did not show anything with his expression, calmly smiling and nodding to whatever his nephew was saying, deep down Trell was already formulating a plan for exposing this store.

He went back to his room and grabbed a few magic scrolls enchanted with eavesdropping, tracking, and a few other useful spells. Furthermore, he had his nephew wear a necklace similar to what he is wearing. It was enchanted with a magic shield and safe return spell, which were connected to a magic circle in their house. It cost him a lot of resources and money to buy the spells and engrave them into these two necklaces, but he wasn't taking any chances with his nephew's safety considering the possible involvement of a cult.

"Okay, Little Fai, let's go. I brought enough for 10 of these card packs you've been yammering about, hahaha." He chuckled and jingled his coin pouch, holding Failer's hand as they went out of the house and headed onto the outskirts where the shop was located.

~

On the outskirts of the city, Trell and Failer strolled toward the street where the shop was located. Trell observed the streets as they walked by. The outskirts weren't entirely devoid of life, but being far from the port, markets, and city center, few people chose to live there. While those who did were often crooks, refugees from other places, or failed merchants, there were some who settled here for a few upsides. It was quiet, and there were a few beaches within walking distance. Though no one with a rational mind will set up a legitimate shop here, thought Trell.

Along the way, he saw some armored soldiers hiding in several spots. They nodded at him and went back to observing the streets. He had an inkling that a familiar face might be at the shop already.

In the distance, he spotted what appeared to be a storefront. Finding it strange because there were no walls or partitions, only a number of shelves and tables, he wondered how the owner kept thieves at bay with such an open setup, especially on the outskirts. As they drew closer, he noticed other people waiting outside the perimeter of the store. Among them was someone he expected due to seeing the guards, James, the captain of the city guards. Alongside him was James Jr., a friend of his nephew.

Trell was acquainted with the captain, as his group often handled quests that the city guards couldn't do when they lacked the time or manpower to respond. Despite James' stern demeanor, Trell couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't stepped inside and approached the owner already.

"Hey, Uncle, my friends are over there. Can I go join them now?" Failer asked Trell, who nodded. Failer released his uncle's hand and sprinted toward the group of kids, who had a few adults behind them. Trell followed, exchanging greetings with the children and then chatting with the adults.

"Hey, guys! I brought my uncle, and he said we're going to get 10 card packs!" Failer announced with excitement.

"Awesome! My sister is getting 4 card packs, so we'll get a free pack!" Nina replied.

"My mom agreed to buy me 4 packs too, but I have promised to eat more veggies... Well, at least I can open some packs now, hehehe!" Annie giggled.

Jiji slouched, sighing, "Well… my dad's only here because he thinks Sir's shop is shady and not up to standards."

As their group began their conversation, Trell and the other adults spoke about the shop and their suspicions about it.

"Why aren't you entering the shop, James? Is there anyone that we're still waiting for?" He asked a man with a tall stature, he had a square jaw and a fierce resting face, though his face would actually be more similar to his son's if he decided to smile more.

James, who was wearing regular clothing instead of his usual armor, snorted, "Tsk, we tried earlier, go closer and see for yourself." 

As he got closer, he suddenly bumped onto an invisible wall, "My, there is a wall! There's no trace of mana on it, so it can only be a physical one! I've never seen glass as clear, uniform, and big as this, all the walls are actually crystal glass!" He exclaimed.

A short yet well-endowed woman interjected and introduced herself as Elaine, Annie's mother. She had a round face and a bubbly air to her. "This owner is quite the eccentric one, my daughter has been telling me non-stop about these things called cards. Summoning monsters, using spells, and duels is all she could talk about hohoho. It's a pleasure to meet you, Quickcast Trell, and this young lady is?" After introducing herself, Elaine gestured towards a young teenager who was with Nina yet had not spoken a word to anyone aside from Nina.

"Mhmm… Neon, Nina's sister." She quickly replied as she bowed her head slightly. She had the same blonde hair and blue eyes as her sister. Her gaze reflected a calm lake opposite to her sister's energetic bearing, she had a demure bearing. She wore a navy-blue robe with a clamshell insignia, signifying her affiliation with Kalamar's local mage guild, Ocean Heart. The Ocean Heart guild members were mostly mages with an inclination towards the aquatic arts, a lot of them also researched the surrounding marine life. A clamshell insignia would mean that one is a senior apprentice of the guild.

James beckoned the adults to get closer, as the kids were busy with their discussions. He glanced at Trell, who nodded and quickly chanted a spell, isolating the sound of their conversation.

"Hmm, well, now that we've all acquainted, I want to remind you to stay on your guard. This shop just popped up here in the outskirts, claiming to sell 'luxury goods' out of all things! I'm sure your children all told you stories about what happened yesterday, this shop might just be at the front of the operation, and the real business happens when no one watches. Though we only met today, I believe we are all in agreement that things might go wrong." 

"My my, to be honest, I think I went overboard with preparation, I've already gotten my husband stationed at a nearby high point in case things go down." Elaine sighed and did a hand signal in a certain direction, to which a tall figure suddenly flickered and raised his thumbs before disappearing again.

"Haha, that's Stalwart Elaine and Shadowstrike Robin for you." Trell chuckled lightly at the overbearing couple's way of doing things, but he still approved of it since they do not know what they're going to face, only that Neon had a clueless expression.

"?" she scratched her head.

"Are you not aware of the possible nature of this shop, Miss Neon? Don't worry, just follow our lead. I have some men ready nearby in case a fight breaks out so you can focus on retreating with your sister." James assured her, and he also did not ask her to evacuate as a senior apprentice mage from Ocean Heart is quite formidable, especially with defensive spells.

"Are you not buying cards?" Neon was confused. When her sister told her about things called cards that can use spells and summon monsters and play games, she became excited as well, as it sounded like a novelty a mage like her would definitely enjoy.

Pffft... she is still a young lady after all... Trell thought, "I hope that our suspicions are entirely in the wrong here, Miss Neon, Since you didn't prepare any safety measures, here's a barrier scroll for you and your sister. I'm sure Little Fai would want both of you to be safe." 

Though her expression was somewhat blank, she still accepted the scroll.

Suddenly, they heard the children shouting and banging on the glass walls. Trell dispelled the isolation magic, and all of them went near the children.

"Hey sir! Siiiir! Over here! Open the store!"

"Sir! Open already! I can't wait to play!"

"Sir, we have lots of magicoins! We promise to buy packs before we play!"

A window from the second floor opened up, and an annoyed voice shouted out, "Okay! Okay! Goddamnit! I can't even f*cking sleep in this damned neighborhood!"