Weapon seller in the world of magic

The next morning arrived quietly. Opening the store, Kiara behaved as though nothing had happened yesterday.

Or rather, she forced herself to.

Her movements were calm, her tone steady, her expression indifferent, but beneath that calm surface, her thoughts were moving restlessly like snakes beneath dry grass, because no matter how much she tried to push yesterday aside, the image of Callista Frost calling her by that birth name continued to return again and again.

”Kyra...”

That voice had not sounded like suspicion.

It had sounded like certainty. Kiara was fully confident that Callista knew who she was.

But then again, it isn’t that difficult when she thought about it. Kiara resembles Callista, and then she displayed the power of Frost Dragon. The only mistake she made was not taking into account that Callista, a plainfolk, would be immune to her Absolute Freezing.

Back to the present, Kiara clenched the cloth in her hand slightly as she wiped the counter, cleaning the imaginary dust, then slowly loosened her grip before anyone noticed.

”No matter what she thinks,” she told herself inwardly, ”it changes nothing. As long as I deny it, the truth remains false.”

Yet even after saying those words inside her mind, her chest did not become lighter.

At the side of the hall, Noah had already returned from the Desmont Mountains during the night and was now carrying weapons out one by one from the inventory space, carefully placing them into the display cabinets.

The metal clicked softly against polished shelves.

Rifles.

Pistols.

Magazines.

Grenades.

Everything returned to its place.

Meanwhile, Zion had already gone outside early in the morning for his usual spar with Lucian Storm, and the young Welpire, Alucard, had arrived before sunrise as always, energetic and hardworking. His footsteps echoed faintly through the quiet store while he cleaned the glass cases of the imaginary fingerprints and checked ammunition counts.

Because it was Monday morning, the usual crowd had not arrived.

The nobles were attending court.

The officials had gone to work.

The merchants were busy opening their businesses across the Business District.

As a result, the store felt strangely spacious today.

Only one customer stood inside.

A teenage girl.

Kiara glanced toward her briefly before looking away again without interest.

She knew this girl well enough by now.

Every two days, she would arrive at the store with sparkling curiosity in her eyes, ask endless questions about every weapon as if she planned to purchase an army, and then, after consuming nearly half of Alucard’s working hours, she would quietly buy twenty or thirty bullets and leave.

Kiara was not blind.

Even a stone lying beside the road could understand the truth after watching them long enough.

The girl is interested in Alucard.

Unfortunately, Alucard himself was denser than fortress walls.

At that moment, the girl stood beside a weapon cabinet while Alucard patiently explained another firearm to her for perhaps the tenth time.

”I see...” she murmured thoughtfully while holding her chin. ”So this one also has requirements before someone can buy it...”

Her eyes lingered on the weapon longer than necessary before she slowly turned toward him again.

”Then... do you think maybe you could...”

”Hello, Miss Kiara”

A sweet voice interrupted her midway.

Not soft.

Not shy.

Bright. And Crisp.

Almost cheerful, one could say.

The girl froze.

Alucard blinked.

Both of them turned together toward the entrance.

Even Noah slightly lowered his book.

Standing beneath the morning light near the doorway was Serestia Phoenix, the Fifth Princess.

Her long robes were lighter than usual today, decorated with flowing silver patterns that shimmered faintly whenever sunlight touched them, and unlike the cold expression she normally carried like armor, there was now a visible smile resting upon her face.

Not fake.

Not mocking.

There was a genuine smile on her face, which somehow made everyone even more confused.

Kiara herself was caught slightly off guard.

Not because Serestia arrived.

That much she had expected.

But because of that expression.

The previous times they met, Serestia’s face had been sharp with pride, irritation, or tension, like a sword permanently half-drawn from its sheath.

But now...

She looked different.

And that difference made Kiara even more cautious.

”Welcome to Nexus Weapon Store, Your Highness,” Kiara greeted formally from behind the counter, her voice carrying the same professional politeness she used for every customer.

Serestia walked toward her slowly while remembering her mother’s words from last night.

”Do not push her.”

”Do not anger her.”

”And above all else... do not reveal anything before she herself is ready.”

The memory tightened around her thoughts like invisible chains.

When she finally stopped before the counter, she reached into her storage card and pulled out two scrolls.

”One is from the Imperial Palace,” she said. ”The other is from my father.”

Kiara accepted both without expression.

The parchment crackled softly as she opened the first one.

The order from the Imperial Palace was direct and firm, exactly like the bureaucrats who wrote such things.

Princess Serestia Phoenix would work at Nexus Weapon Store for four weeks without a salary.

Working hours.

Schedule.

Basic instructions.

Nothing else.

No mention of training.

No mention of punishment.

No mention of yesterday.

Kiara then opened the second scroll.

This one carried Emperor Alexander Phoenix’s personal seal.

The tone inside was entirely different.

It explained Serestia’s punishment.

Requested firearms training.

Requested patience.

Requested guidance.

And then...

Kiara’s eyes narrowed slightly at the final line.

”Please protect her like an Elder sister.”

For a brief second, the atmosphere around her turned colder.

Not visibly.

But enough for Serestia’s smile to stiffen faintly.

Kiara folded the letter slowly.

Elder Sister.

What a strange thing for the Emperor to write.

Did the Queen Consort also tell the Emperor the truth?

No...

Kiara didn’t believe the Queen Consort would tell him. Based on the Emperor’s personality, Kiara knew this biological father of hers would come straight to her door and talk to her.

So, it could just be a metaphor and nothing else.

Still, Kiara hated it. She didn’t want to be Serestia’s elder sister.

Their blood connection cannot erase her hatred for the Imperial family. Of course, if the princess were someone like the second prince, righteous and good at heart, Kiara would be fine, but so far, Serestia has only appeared as an arrogant, spoiled princess who got everything she wanted.

It is something Kiara hated. The only thing that is stopping Kiara from lashing out at Serestia and showing her displeasure is the fact that Serestia herself has never done evil acts, and she was also a teenager, not an adult.

Inside her chest, as irritation spread quietly, Kiara had already decided one thing clearly.

She would never allow herself to grow attached to this teenage princess.

Never.

Meanwhile, Serestia looked at her carefully before asking, ”So... what should I do now?”

”Alucard,” Kiara then called calmly.

The boy immediately left the customer and hurried over, stopping respectfully near the counter before bowing.

”Yes, Boss?”

She pointed at the princess, ”Her Royal Highness.”

Then he bowed even deeper toward Serestia. ”Greetings, Your Highness.”

Serestia merely glanced at him.

No greeting returned.

No acknowledgment.

Only a faint look of disdain passed through her eyes before disappearing.

To her, this was natural.

A commoner.

Weak.

Without status.

Without family backing.

Someone beneath notice.

But unfortunately for her... Kiara, who already had a bad impression of her, noticed it immediately.

The warmth vanished from her expression.

”Princess,” she said firmly.

Serestia looked back at her.

Kiara then said, staring directly into her eyes, ”The moment you begin working here, you are no longer considered a princess inside this store.”

The air grew quieter.

Even that other girl stopped pretending to inspect weapons.

Kiara continued slowly, each word steady and heavy. ”For me, for Noah, and for everyone else here, you are simply Serestia. Not Serestia Phoenix...”

She then gestured toward Alucard.

”He is my first employee. Which means he is your senior here and your superior.”

Alucard’s eyes widened slightly in panic.

Serestia’s expression hardened at the word superior.

Kiara did not stop.

”You may choose not to respect him in your heart. I cannot control that.” Her voice sharpened faintly. ”But disrespect toward my staff will not be tolerated in my store. If you don’t like it, then you may please return to your palace.”

Even the fake smile that Kiara usually kept was gone now entirely.

For a moment, Serestia’s pride surged violently inside her chest.

Usually, hearing such words from a commoner would have been enough for her to explode in rage.

But then she remembered her mother’s trembling expression on the lake.

She remembered that voice.

”I don’t want to lose her because of you. So, don’t cause trouble for your sister...”

Serestia inhaled slowly.

Her fingers clenched once and then released.

Then clenched again beneath her sleeves while she forced her emotions downward.

Finally, after several silent breaths, she nodded.

”Alright,” she said quietly.

Then, with visible effort, she turned toward Alucard and gave a small bow. ”I am in your care, Senior.”

Alucard nearly panicked from shock.

”N-No, Your Highness, please...”

”Enough,” Kiara interrupted calmly. ”Alucard, explain the weapons, feeding routines for the beasts, and everything else you learned here.”

Then she looked toward Noah, who still stood leaning against the wall while reading Journey to the West.

”Noah. Handle the customer.”

Noah closed the book with a soft thump and nodded once.