Magic Wand Shop

Two days passed as quickly as a writer skipping ahead. My eyelids fluttered open to meet emptiness. Looking around, I didn't see Anya, my beloved master, and a profound loneliness Arshaed over me. The realization that she had been taken by her 'father,' the Demon Emperor, only deepened my despair. The loudest silence imaginable Arshaed into my ears, and even pressing my short, stubby legs against them couldn't block it out. I blinked repeatedly, wishing to wake up and find that the previous events were just a nightmare. Then, I would nuzzle Anya to my heart's content, letting her comfort my fragile puppy heart.

No... that was the dream.

Here... now was reality.

A cruel reality. I didn't understand why this world and my previous one were so similar.

Whether I was an ordinary human or a corgi who could wield a wand, my situation regarding

women weren't all that different. When I get close to one, they'd likely be snatched away.

Why??? I could only think to myself.

"Nappo! Food!" Sola's voice echoed from downstairs. Hearing the meaning of those words, I reluctantly rolled myself off the bed. The thud as my body hit the floor allowed me to reboot and stand again.

Right now, I couldn't use magic because my wand had been shattered to pieces, accidentally destroyed by the Demon Emperor, who didn't even realize it was his old one. The only exception was transforming into a human. Both my strength and magical skills were amplified, allowing me to cast spells with my bare hands, but only for a limited three minutes. It was an ability that drained my life force considerably.

Sola is frying eggs in the kitchen, having ignited the fire with her wand, which was then stuck upright in a clamp designed to hold it. She once said, a middle-class housewife like her couldn't afford a perpetual flame stone heater like the rich folks.

Of course... she was still getting money from Headmaster Conner. I figured he must have some kind of money-making system that made financial woes disappear in the blink of an eye. As for the money Sola had been getting for the past thirteen years, it could very well be the tuition fees of the students... Oh well, no one truly understood the financial management techniques of 'the Creator' that well. No wonder Phila agreed to marry him.

In the end... women liked rich guys... except maybe Sola and Anya...?

Today's meal was prepared in a dog bowl, consisting of kibble... kibble... and more kibble... with an empty bowl of plain water beside it. Another bland breakfast. For the months I lived with Anya, I ate big, juicy sausages almost every meal. The Kibble was a once-a-week thing, maybe.

But here... it was kibble day two. She's getting free money while she lazed around at home.

So stingy.

"Hurry up and eat. We're going to the 'Gigolo Market' together today," she said, carrying a pan as she crouched down and poured a massive sausage, the size of a tendon in those Thai Boy Love novels I used to read on the app, making my eyes widen when the sausage was thumping onto the kibble.

.

.

Okay... I take back everything I said.

The big-bite, giant-sized sausage smelled heavenly, making my mouth water like crazy, Oh God. Believe me, for that brief moment, I forgot all about Anya.

"Gigolo Market?" I asked, already opening my mouth wide to devour the giant, flavorful sausage, rich in protein and fat. This lady housewife had my full respect. It was just a shame she was married to the Demon Emperor.

"It's the only wizard market town in the world of Caronia. It's where I bought you," she said, ladling clear soup from a tin pot that had been simmering overnight into a bowl. She then touched her full, pink lips to the rim, and watching her throat move up and down, along with her slender, white neck, made me confident in the Demon Emperor's excellent taste. Those genes had been passed down to Anya, whose youthful beauty was no different from Sola's.

When my mischievous eyes followed the curves of hers from behind, sliding down with gravity to her hips, I finally snapped out of it, shaking my head wildly, my whole body feeling hot.

"Were you even listening? If not, I'll just take you back to the pet shop," she scolded gently, turning around. "And don't transform, or people will think I have a new husband I haven't told anyone about."

"Y-yes, ma'am..."

......

The journey to the Gigolo Market, almost ten kilometers from home, was to a small community filled with numerous shops. Of course, these markets were scattered across the globe, monopolized by a single wizard government, specifically by 'Chucker Mansum,' an influential politician and marketer in the parliament.

I had once seen the face of this short, bald man with a messy beard, his eyes gleaming with a bright golden light. He wore a modern black suit, always with a cigar in his mouth, constantly puffing out smoke. Believe me, it reminded me of my old boss from my previous life, who did nothing but drink and chase women all day long.

We flew on a coconut broomstick coated with soft rubber to prevent butt pain during the ride. The reason for not using levitation spells was to conserve magical energy. Besides, teleportation spells were too powerful for a little dog like me. But in reality, I could transform into a human in 'Guardian Mage' mode and use every spell in the world as if I were a god, but Sola forbade it for now, as she wanted to show me this world as long as she had the chance.

Looking down from the sky, the world below felt strangely eerie, yet it wasn't much different from my rural hometown in my previous life. Golden rice fields shimmered under the late morning sun, untouched by chemicals, swaying gently in the breeze, their fragrant scent wafting up to my nose. Every strand of my orange and white fur and my long ears fluttered in the wind against my face, relieving some of my stress. My heart still ached with longing for my master.

"Don't be sad. I feel just as anxious as you do," Sola said, gently stroking my head before scratching my chin, making me feel a little ticklish. "But Anya will be fine. I've raised my daughter well. Her heart will never follow someone like the current Demon Emperor."

"What do you mean?" I turned my head sharply to ask. "Perhaps it's just good luck that Anya was born a girl with a strong spirit from the very beginning," the woman in her mid-thirties said with a small smile, the corner of her pink lips tilting upward. Her jet-black hair with pink highlights, just like her daughter's, fluttered in the wind, revealing her slender, white neck, melting the heart of the little dog-bodied man. "Anya will be alright, dear. But now, we need to prepare to raid the demons' base."

"Prepare?" Sola pointed to the empty leather holster where her wand used to be. I understood immediately.

........

We stood in front of 'Wonder Wood,' one of the best wand-making and selling shops in the world of Caronia. Since it was the only shop in the world, orders from all over arrived via paper airplanes, flying straight into a receiving box before unfolding back into their original paper form.

Sola said that the sole wizard with knowledge and understanding of wand lore was over ten thousand years old. The mystery of her immortality was something no one could solve.

"So, she doesn't have any successors then? I wonder how incredibly old she is," I remarked, looking up at the maroon-colored wooden building. A shop sign hung above the dark brown entrance door, with the large golden letters 'Wonder Wood' and smaller letters in the same color that read, 'The one and only best in Caronia, because it's the only damn shop anyway!!'

It left me confused and unsure how to feel.

The interior of the shop wasn't particularly decorated, except for numerous parcels stacked haphazardly, making it feel like stepping into another world. Western cities, Eastern cities, Northern cities, Southern cities were written on those boxes, so many that it was impossible to calculate how many wands the owner had to make in a day and how much money she earned.

Believe me, just counting these boxes would take more than a day.

"Sola," a woman's voice echoed from above without warning, making me jump. I instinctively looked up and saw the owner standing on a mezzanine before floating down gracefully. Her figure was so slender you could almost encircle her waist with one hand. Her wide hips and ample chest were captivating to men worldwide. She had short, shoulder-length pink hair that suited her youthful face, not unlike a university student, and round glasses. She stood with her hands on her slender hips, wearing work gloves, with a confident air before looking at Sola with rainbow-colored sparkling eyes. "That wand you bought just twenty years ago broke already? Looks like you're not good at taking care of things. Because my Wonder Wood brand wands never break unless the owner doesn't take good care of them."

"It's not like that, Auntie Milanya," Sola protested, waving her hands before unexpectedly lifting me off the ground, bringing my face close to the ten-thousand-year-old woman. "I just brought this one to choose a new wand."

Milanya leaned in, staring intently before bursting into laughter.

"Hahaha! Hahaha! This dog can use magic!?" She fell backward, rolling around on the

floor, laughing maniacally. "Oh! That's hilarious! Some magical beasts can't even use magic, and this isn't even a magical beast! If you want a stick to chew on, go to a wood shop!"

I sighed before turning back to Sola. She met my gaze and nodded, as if giving a signal.

"Okay," I said, jumping down from the woman's hands before transforming into a human in a brown cloak, white shirt, and cream-colored pants. My short, Korean-style black hair had smoky gray highlights, and my dark eyes sparkled like jewels. The ten-thousand-year-old woman's eyes widened, and her face flushed.

"Oh my god, a dog transforming into a human isn't something you see every day! Once in a blue moon! Come to think of it, this is the first time I've ever seen it! Please don't hold it against me. I'm old, what's wrong with seeing something beautiful before I die?" Milanya rattled off quickly before latching onto my arm, which was much taller than her. Her head barely reached my shoulder. "Come on, how many wands do you want? I'll give you all of them! This special promotion is only for you, you know?"

As Milanya dragged me towards the back of the shop, Sola watched with a rather displeased expression.

"That old snake-in-the-grass with dried-up periods..."

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To Be Continue Ep.30