Is this stuff in your store made of gold or something?

The burly men outside the door snatched up their weapons and launched into a wild frenzy of smashing Leia's store. Even the magic potions displayed at the entrance were not spared the onslaught. Every single one was shattered into pieces, the vivid azure - blue liquid flowing freely onto the ground, as if the very air itself was saturated with the scent of wasted wealth.

Leia regarded their wanton destruction with an air of indifference, remaining astonishingly composed.

"Sister Leia, shouldn't we stop them already...?" The voice from behind carried a palpable sense of urgency. The speaker was well - aware of the immense value of those potions; the loss of even a single bottle was a significant blow.

Leia settled back leisurely in her chair, observing the thugs' continued rampage with unhurried calm. "It's fine. Let them break things. The more they smash, the more they'll have to pay up."

Of course, Leia knew full well that these men were merely a gang of scoundrels dispatched by someone else. There was no chance they'd actually cough up the money for the damages.

Sensing that the moment was right, she lightly touched the "Mage's Hand" on her right hand and rose to her feet, on the verge of stepping outside.

"What on earth do you think you're doing!" A sharp voice of reprimand rang out from beyond the door.

Leia was slightly startled. Was someone coming to the rescue? She stood inside the store and peered out.

A blonde woman of noble bearing stood beside a carriage, berating the tattooed burly men with fierce anger.

Who could that be? Leia looked up and scrutinized the familiar features of the blonde woman with care. The answer quickly dawned on her.

The duke's daughter? What was she doing here? Was it just a coincidence, or... was it intentional?

Erica, the duke's daughter, had been blessed with extraordinary talent from a young age and remained highly renowned to this day. Some believed that her future accomplishments would undoubtedly outshine those of the once - talented Victor.

Take the previous incident, for example. If it had been a girl from another family that Victor had dallied with, it wouldn't have merited a spot on the news headlines. But Erica's influence in the public eye was simply too substantial.

Leia mused to herself, "I'm afraid this act of kindness of hers is going to stir up another flurry of news coverage."

...

In reality, Erica hadn't given it much thought. Although it was a rest day, after Victor left, she found herself with little enthusiasm for studying at the academy. Apart from Victor, the other teachers' abilities were truly abysmal, even inferior to her own.

Taking advantage of the day off, she decided to treat herself to a break, going shopping in an attempt to unwind. It was a much - needed respite.

As it happened, she overheard the servants in her household chatting in hushed tones, mentioning that the Clevener family had opened an item shop in the eastern district of the royal capital.

Clevener. That was Victor's surname, and she remembered it well. However, the eastern district... Erica was intrigued, but the store was located far from her residence in the central district, where nobles like her lived. The royal capital was so vast that she couldn't even explore the central district thoroughly in a single day.

Nonetheless, she resolved to go and take a look. What sort of items would Professor Victor's store be selling?

It took her over half an hour to reach the place by carriage, only to be greeted by the sight of a mob causing chaos in front of the item shop. The Clevener family crest hung prominently on the storefront, confirming that this was indeed Victor's establishment. The store wasn't large in scale; compared to the bustling, prosperous stores around it, this alone was enough to detract significantly.

But she wasn't there to judge the store's size. Witnessing the store being vandalized, Erica's temper flared instinctively. "What are you doing?" she exclaimed, her voice filled with indignation. She alighted from the carriage, exuding an air of authority, like a star - surrounded elder sister.

Many passers - by caught sight of her and couldn't help but gasp in recognition. "It's Erica du Croye!"

In short, everyone knew this kind - hearted and beautiful young woman. She was renowned for regularly providing food and gold coins to the poor, helping them weather difficult times, and she never showed mercy when dealing with villains.

"It's the duke's eldest daughter! Run!" The leader of the burly men spotted Erica and shouted to his companions. Feigning "fear," they hastily fled the scene.

Leia cast a glance at the clerk behind her. In an instant, she felt a gust of wind rush past. When she turned to look, the clerk was already gone.

Having done this, she put on a warm smile and stepped outside to greet Erica. "Sister Erica, thank you so much for your timely help! I'm just a defenseless woman. I was absolutely terrified when this happened. If it hadn't been for you, I truly wouldn't have known what to do."

As Erica listened to Leia's plaintive account, she sized up the woman before her. Leia was breathtakingly beautiful, tall and slender, with features so exquisitely perfect that they bordered on ethereal. The mature allure that radiated from her made Erica, still a minor, feel a twinge of self - consciousness.

Initially, Erica thought there wasn't much to be thanked for. But as her gaze dropped, her eyes suddenly fixed on Leia's hand. Was that Victor's glove? She vividly remembered seeing it when Victor first arrived. Adorned with numerous magic stones, it was the first time she'd ever seen a glove like that, and she'd paid particular attention to it. After that, she'd never seen it again. And now, here it was on this woman's hand?

Erica couldn't be certain if it was the exact same glove; after all, their hand shapes were completely different. "Could she be Professor Victor's family member?" she wondered.

Thinking along these lines, Erica felt a pang of sympathy for the woman in front of her. Those men must have come to seek retribution because of Victor's notorious reputation, yet this innocent girl had to bear the brunt of it.

Gazing at the shattered fragments littering the ground and the spilled potion, Erica deliberated for a moment before deciding to compensate the woman to ease her distress. "I'm deeply sorry that such a thing occurred in the royal capital. I'll compensate you for all the losses incurred today in the name of the du Croye family. Please calculate the damages to these items, and if there are any remaining, I'll purchase them all."

"Oh?" When Leia heard Erica's magnanimous offer, she placed one hand on her chest and gently touched her face with the other, a smile playing on her lips. The du Croye family's innate ability to win people over was truly remarkable. Erica was indeed the duke's daughter, despite being only seventeen.

"Sister Erica, let me double - check. You're really willing to cover my losses? You should know, the price isn't going to be cheap."

Before Leia could say anything further, Erica had already summoned the accompanying maid and was ready to pay. Leia regarded her with a smile and announced the price: "One thousand gold coins."

Were these losses really worth a thousand gold coins? In the eyes of the average person, this was an exorbitant sum. But Erica considered it reasonable and motioned for the maid to proceed with the payment.

Then, Leia added, "One thousand gold coins per bottle."

"What?" The maid's hand froze mid - reach for the money. Erica felt as if she'd misheard. Not only Erica, but even the passers - by were aghast. What a preposterous price! A bottle of potion for a thousand gold coins? Was the liquid in the bottle made of gold?

The maid calculated the total and was visibly stunned. Erica, too, wore a hesitant expression. This amount was roughly equivalent to a month's worth of her pocket money. But she couldn't just squander money like this.

Now she began to understand why Victor was so detested. He was nothing short of a greedy profiteer! Before she could respond, Leia said, feigning hesitation, "Although I'd love for you to compensate, the master of the house has a rule that each person can only buy two bottles a day, no more."

Was there really such a rule? Erica had never heard of a limit on quantity when it came to purchasing items, especially when she was trying to make amends. The fact that the seller didn't seem eager to take more money piqued her curiosity.

She pondered for a moment. The master of the house was clearly Victor. The restriction of only two bottles per person made Erica all the more intrigued. Could this potion truly possess some magical properties?

So, she picked up an undamaged bottle of the potion and asked Leia, "What does this do?"

Leia looked at her, smiling, and explained, "It's used to restore magic power."

Erica could scarcely believe her ears. She'd never heard of a item capable of restoring magic power. She was tempted to buy a few and take them back for study, but the mess of broken pieces on the ground gave her pause.

However, Erica soon steeled her resolve. A promise was a promise, and besides, Victor had taught her so much. Even if she spent this money on compensation today, it was a way to square things with him.

So, she declared, "I'm a student of Professor Victor Clevener. Having witnessed his store being damaged, I can't stand idly by. I'll compensate based on the potion's cost and the labor involved in production, but I have one condition."

Leia raised an eyebrow upon hearing Erica's words. "I want to buy all the remaining potions." Erica was more passionate about magic - related items than anyone, and she intended to take them back for in - depth research.

Leia listened and glanced back at the remaining items on the shelf. Only ten bottles were left intact. Seeing this, she decided to overlook Victor's rules and nodded. Victor had said he wasn't worried about anyone deciphering the potion's composition because no one else could replicate it.

Leia assumed it was crafted using some special magic. Moreover, since Erica had been so insistent, she wasn't overly concerned about business secrets being leaked. "Since Sister Erica is being so generous, I won't refuse. Then, including labor and cost, each broken bottle will be three hundred gold coins, and the remaining ones will stay at the original price."

Hearing this, Erica readily agreed. "Deal."

Leia handed the ten bottles of potions to Erica's maid and reached out to accept the compensation money and the payment for the potions. Looking at Erica, Leia was astounded. Spending a small fortune just because she was Victor's student? She wondered what kind of enchanting words that cold - hearted man had whispered to this young woman.

After Erica left, Leia retrieved another fifty bottles of potions from the store, still priced at a thousand gold coins each, and resumed selling them. The mages passing by nearly fainted when they saw her bring out another fifty bottles. So, she had more stock after all.

...

In the alley, the thuggish men who had earlier vandalized the store lay in a disheveled heap in the corner, half - conscious and in a sorry state. Their bodies were marked with various wounds, creating a scene of utter tragedy.

"Who sent you?" The masked figure, swathed in a cloak, revealed only the upper half of her face and her strikingly green pupils. She brandished a wooden sword, holding it menacingly above the head of the tattooed burly man who was their leader.

The man lay on the ground, all his limbs broken. The searing pain made him long to slip into unconsciousness. But the wooden sword hovering above his head kept him from succumbing, forcing him to shout in a panicked frenzy, "It's... it's Duke Rivet! It was Duke Rivet who ordered us!"

Desperate for a glimmer of hope, he blurted out the mastermind behind the scheme, hoping to spare his life in front of the masked figure.

With a resounding thud, the wooden sword came down, and the tattooed burly man finally passed out as he'd wished. Then, the masked figure grabbed the man by his feet and dragged him out of the alley, step by arduous step.