CH 20

Chapter20 - Spotted

Two girls; one with blue eyes and blonde short hair, and the other with chocolate eyes and light brown hair in a ponytail.

The girls exchanged a look and nodded, then began to carefully follow Lou and Fran.

However, they were merelyn amateur tails, so Lou had noticed it from the beginning.

From their magic wave aura, they were both students of the Magical Girls Academy…

Lou surmised that it was probably due to curiosity about Fran and him.

It seemed that they meant no harm…so Lou let them swim for a while.

Lou strolled around the central square with Fran, pretending to have not noticed them at all.

In the wake of the earlier commotion, some men turned their curiosity to Lou and Fran, but they all averted their gazes in a panic when Lou directed his magic wave aura with a drop of murderous intent.

There were two girls behind them who seemed to be students at the academy, so he also glared at them to make sure they wouldn’t get tangled up with them.

Shortly after, Lou and Fran arrived at their destination, a company.

Lou read the words on the sign.

“Kingsley Company.”

“Yeah, this is it. This is the store that the Count of Dumer has been using for generations. Normally, it is customary for the head office to be located in the royal capital, but this business has its head office in Bardland.”

“So is this a branch?”

“Yes, the manager of this branch is shrewd, but also honest. He’s rare, isn’t he?”

“Yes, I’d like to meet him, too.”

Meanwhile, the two girls who had followed them were having a discussion as they watched Lou and Fran arrive at the Kingsley Company.

“Hey, it looks like they’re doing some shopping.”

“[Iron Mask] brought a servant to go shopping…”

The two girls seemed torn about what to do. 

“Now that we’re here, why don’t we take the plunge and go in?”

“I know, right?! Shall we go?”

While the two girls were hesitating, Lou and Fran had already entered the shop and were being welcomed by the man who called himself the manager.

“Welcome! Francesca-sama, what can I do for you so early this morning?”

“Good morning, Marco-san”

This man in his mid-thirties, whom Fran called Marco, was the branch manager of the Kingsley Company in the royal capital.

He has short chestnut hair and a smile on his face. He had been in charge of the branch at a young age, and was said to be the top candidate for the next head of the company.

Fran asked Marco to take care of Lou’s shopping.

“It’s not me today. It’s my servant, Lou, who’s doing the shopping.”

“Oh, Lou-sama, is it? It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Marco Fonti. Welcome to Kingsley Company.”

Marco turned to Lou again and bowed deeply.

Lou introduced himself while also observing Marco.

Impressive, he’s…

Lou replaced Fran as the customer, but Marco’s attitude didn’t change at all.

Lou could sense that there was no discrimination against his status or evil in him, not only from his attitude, but also from his magic wave aura.

“What are you looking for today, Lou-sama?”

“I’m going to be Francesca-sama’s servant and an academy staff this spring, so I need some clothes for those duties first…”

“I see. Lou-sama isn’t fond of dressing like an aristocrat, eh?”

As expected, he had a good attention span and the ability to sense others’ emotions.

“Leather armor, vestments, and plain clothes for everyday use.”

Lou couldn’t help but grin when Marco listed what was on his mind.　

Marco continued to talk regardless of what was going on in Lou’s mind.

“We mainly sell custom-made items like other stores, but since our main store is in Bardland, we also deal with a much larger number of items brought in by adventurers than other stores.”

“Are you saying that you…you have interesting equipment and magical tools?”

“This branch is in the royal city, so it’s not as big as the main store in Bardland. Nevertheless, we still have some interesting items in stock.”

Then Marco snapped his fingers, signaling to the store employees.

He instructed them to prepare the products in a special conference room in the back.

They probably measured the sizes for orders there.

“Then, please go to the back with Francesca-sama.”

“All right, but a few things before that…”

Marco was suspicious when Lou stopped him and beckoned him over.

But when Lou whispered something in his ear, his expression changed into mischief. He looked at Lou and nodded broadly.

Fran marvelled at the sight of them together.

They’ve never met before, but somehow they seem to be getting along.

What are they talking about?

“Let’s get going, then.”

With Marco on the lead, Lou and Fran entered the special conference room of the Kingsley Company.

As soon as Lou and Fran disappeared from the reception counter on the first floor of the store, the two girls entered. 

A young sales assistant immediately stepped forward to greet them.

Huh? The two girls stuttered in response and retreated.

“Welcome! I have heard about you from Francesca-sama. We have been instructed to serve you tea while they finish shopping.

The two were even more surprised to hear the sales assistant’s words.

“Now then, this way please!”

The sales assistant took them to the reception room of the store with an attitude that could be described as coercive.

****

“I’ve taken care of it as you instructed.”

“Thanks for your help.”

Fran stared blankly as Marco convened with the sales assistant, who returned, and then Lou nodded.　

Someone passed between Marco and Lou a while ago…

She felt a bit sad for being left out of it.

“Hey, what exactly is going on here?”

Marco answered Fran’s question with a mischievous smile.

“It’s nothing. Lou-sama has instructed me to entertain the two ladies who arrived later.”

“Two ladies?”

Lou supplemented Marco’s words.

“Two girls in their mid-teens. It seems they saw us in the square and followed us.”

Two girls in their mid-teens?

Oh, could it be…?!

“It’s just as you thought, Francesca-sama. They’re probably students at the school.”

What?

We’ve been followed.

I didn’t notice it at all.

“Lou, teach me later, okay?”

Fran whispered to Lou so that Marco would not hear.

If he used magical power to infer this, she would love to hear more about it.

Basically, Scout Magic was literally an imperfect magic that was not accurate enough to identify a harmless opponent nearby unless he radiated a strong hostile magical aura.

“Let us take your measurements before I bring you the product.”

Marco said, and ordered the female tailor to start taking Lou’s measurements.

Lou had never taken measurements before and was very confused.

Seeing this, Fran found it a novelty for some reason and giggled.