Chapter 4: Gordon’s Great Magic Tools Store
the morning after her arrival in the capital.
Olivia went to Gordon’s Great Magic Tools Store after leaving the hotel.
(I thought so yesterday, but it’s a really nice place.)
It is a five-story stone structure with a magnificent gold-lettered signboard.
It is one of the largest stores on the street.
(I wonder if I’ll really be allowed in.)
Olivia tried her hardest to keep her spirits up despite her fears.
(Keep going, Olivia! You’ve come this far!)
Exhaling slightly, she opens the wooden front door to the light ringing of bells.
Olivia walks into the store and pauses for a moment.
(It’s enormous! Are these all magic tools?!)
The first floor, which is large enough to accommodate a railway carriage and its horses, is filled with magic tools.
You can find most of the magic tools you need here. That’s Olivia’s impression.
Olivia notices a woman in a blue suit standing up at the counter near the entrance and smiling at her.
“Welcome to Gordon’s Great Magic Tools Store. If you’re looking for something, I’ll be happy to show you around.”
Olivia came to her senses and took the letter from her bag that was addressed to Gordon.
“Hello, my name is Olivia Carter. Could you please pass this along to Gordon-san?”
The woman took the envelope and led Olivia to what appeared to be a business room in a store corner.
“Please wait here. Would you like something to drink?”
(They offer you a drink? That’s the capital for you.) However, she politely declines.
She takes her time looking around the store after the woman has left.
(Isn’t the one on the first floor a household magic tool?)
The numerous lamps hanging from the ceiling illuminate the store.
Lamps, hair dryers, razors, and other accessories in a variety of styles are available.
All of the products are displayed so that you can easily try them, and the staff enthusiastically explains them to you.
The store appears to be very popular, as there are more than ten customers in the store even though it is early in the morning.
Olivia has been to magic tool stores before, but this one is very different in size and number of customers.
(I had no idea it was so large from the inside…)
She began to feel uneasy.
Gordon and she had only met briefly at her father’s funeral.
Despite having a letter of recommendation from her father, she wondered if he would mind that she was from the countryside.
Then the woman from earlier appeared.
“I apologize for keeping you waiting. The manager is expecting you.”
Olivia stood up, carried her bag, and followed the woman upstairs.
“This way, please.”
When the woman opens the door, she enters what appears to be a modest drawing room.
Inside, sitting slumped on a sofa, was a well-built man.
He has a bushy beard and a gleaming bald head. He has the appearance of a craftsman and is a dynamic-looking middle-aged man.
“She’s here, sir,” the woman said. The man rose to his feet and extended his hand to Olivia.
“It’s been a long time, Olivia, since your father’s funeral?”
“Yes, um. It’s been almost a year and a half.”
Olivia grabs the outstretched hand quickly.
She feels a sense of security in his big, burly, hard-working hands, just like her father’s.
Gordon invites Olivia to join him on the sofa and starts talking.
“I heard about you from your father. Are you here because you’re in trouble?”
“…Yes.”
“Please explain what happened.”
“…Well… I don’t know what to say, I got fired.”
“What?!”
Gordon’s eyes widened.
“Fired? But wasn’t that your store to begin with?”
“I was still a minor when my father died. My uncle was appointed as my guardian and the title deeds were changed.”
“Uncle? Was there such a person?”
“Yes—He’s my father’s brother, and we’ve been estranged for a long time, and then he appears out of nowhere a month after the funeral…”
Gordon frowned, as if he knew what had happened when he noticed Olivia’s trembling expression.
“…What happened to Jack, the employee?”
Carter’s Great Magic Tools Store had an old employee.
His name was Jack, and he was a skilled craftsman whom Olivia adored like a father.
However, after her father died,
Her stepfather started sourcing a lot of work for the nobility in the form of dog collars, gate keys, and other magic tools, and the workload skyrocketed.
As a result of his efforts to protect Olivia, Jack became ill from overwork and was forced to return to the countryside.
Gordon has a solemn expression on his face as he listens to Olivia’s story.
He spoke slowly after a brief pause.
“…I understand the situation. And what do you want to do now?”
Olivia responded immediately.
“I want to work in the royal capital.”
“Hmm. I see.” Gordon brushes his beard.
“The royal capital’s a tough place, you know? Are you up for it?”
Olivia nodded with a serious expression.
She’s been thinking about it a lot the last two days.
Gordon closes his eyes, is silent for a moment, as if hesitating, and then continues speaking.
“Your father told me you mostly make jewelry out of magic stones.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I like magic stone jewelry.”
Gordon’s mouth twists into a sort of smile when Olivia responds immediately.
“Hmm. I see. That much is obvious. I’m curious to see how good you are. How about a little experiment?”
“Alright.”
Olivia vigorously nodded.
Olivia came from the countryside. She’s not sure if she’ll be able to make it. But it would be beneficial for Gordon, who will look after her, to see what Olivia is capable of.”
Gordon smiled.
“All right, that’s the spirit. Let’s get started.”
Gordon stood up and opened the back room door.
A large workroom with shelves and drawers lining the walls can be found in the back.
Several men and women who appeared to be craftsmen were working diligently on something at a large worktable in the center.
“This and part of the third floor are used as workstores,”
Gordon explains, stopping the craftsmen from getting up to greet him with his hand.
He placed Olivia in front of a large worktable in the center of the room.
“Right. Let us give it a shot.”
Gordon took out a black velvet tray with a blue bird’s feather and a fingernail-sized blue cabochon-cut magic stone.
Olivia fixed her gaze on the tray.
“Isn’t it an ice bird feather and a magic stone sapphire?”
“Yes—Both are A-quality. “When its owner is about to be harmed, a magic stone core activates.” That’s what we’re here to make. This paper describes the conditions for activation as well as what it does.
Olivia is given a piece of paper with a lot of words on it, which she reads over and over until she understands it completely, and then she looks up at Gordon.
“I understand. Is it okay if I make it here?”
“Yeah.” Gordon replies, stepping back.
Olivia walked over to the worktable and held her hand over the tray.
“＜Levitation＞.”
Softly.
Feathers and the magic stone float at eye level, wrapped in Olivia’s magic.
What she’s going to do now is create a magic stone core.
She extracts the magical power from the ice bird’s feathers, which contain ice magic, and passes it along with the activation conditions to the magic stone.
In terms of difficulty, this work is rated “somewhat high.”
The ice feathers require dexterity and put the magic tool maker’s skill to the test.
“<Grant Effect Extraction>”.
The magic power is extracted from the ice bird’s feathers and applied to the magic stone.
And then the job is finished.
The end result is a bluish-colored magic stone.
She took it in her fingers and held it up to the light.
(I think it worked very well because of the stone and the material is of high quality.)
“It’s finished.”
Gordon stared in awe as Olivia held out the magic stone to him.
“I knew you were good at this because you were his daughter, but you’re even better than I thought.”
“I see you’ve been working really hard.” Gordon murmurs.
After carefully examining the stone from several angles, Gordon turned to one of the craftsmen, who was frozen in astonishment.
“All right. Let’s take a look at it—Come with me.”
***
The trio walked out of the store and down the basement stairs that led from the back door.
The basement is surrounded by massive stone walls, some of which have burn marks.
It appears to be a testing ground for magic tools.
He tells Olivia to watch by the wall, and Gordon stands in the middle of the room.
He slid the box of magic stones he’d brought into his pocket and called out to the craftsman who’d accompanied him.
“All right, then go ahead and do it.”
A craftsman from a distance throws a ball at Gordon.
beep-beep
Just before the ball hits Gordon, it freezes and falls to the ground.
“Hmm. very nice. great activation speed. Let’s keep going.”
“Yes.”
They experiment with various sizes and types of balls.
Olivia observes nervously, occasionally assisting.
After about ten minutes.
Gordon gives a nod.
“Outstanding work. Even though some of the methods are outdated, the quality is excellent.”
The craftsman mutters “Well, that’s quite an achievement for someone so young…”
(Alright, I did it right.)
Olivia is relieved.
Gordon then holds out his hand to Olivia.
“OK, you’re hired, no doubt about it! You are now an employee of Gordon’s Great Magic Tools Store!”
“Eh?”
“Did you not notice? That is the recruitment test.”
Olivia’s eyes widened.
“Can I work here?”
“Of course! Rather, I wouldn’t want such a capable magic tool maker working in another store!”
Gordon declares solemnly, and the craftsman next to him nods in agreement.
Olivia’s vision trembles.
She is at a loss for words, her chest filled with a mixture of emotions, including gratitude and relief.
Gordon pats Olivia on the back gently.
“All right. Let’s go back upstairs. Let us discuss the future.”
Trying to hide the tears that threatened to flow, Olivia bowed her head in gratitude.
“Thank you! I’ll do my best!”
Gordon then told Olivia about her salary, treatment, and so on.
Olivia has been offered a room on the fifth floor of the store in the craftsman’s dormitory to live in and work as a magic tool maker.
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Yay!