Free Web NovelChapter 41: 41: Humiliation (3)
The third floor of the Marovain shop became completely silent.
Celia Marovain stood near the staircase with the spell circle page in her hand. Her eyes moved across the room slowly. She saw Galen kneeling on the floor with one hand between his legs and the other hand covering his swollen face. She saw the staff woman standing beside him with anger and panic on her face. She saw the two guards holding their swords against Lucard’s throat. She saw Jenny standing behind him with worry in her eyes, Jake hiding beside her, and Peter ready to draw his sword even though more guards were watching him closely.
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
Celia looked at the magic circle in her hand again.
Then she looked at Lucard.
"Someone will explain what happened here," she said calmly. "And it better be a useful explanation."
Her voice was not loud, but the guards immediately became more careful. That was the difference between Galen and Celia. Galen shouted like a man who wanted others to believe he had power. Celia spoke like someone who already knew she had it.
The two guards still had their swords at Lucard’s throat. freewebnσvel.cѳm
Celia glanced at them.
"Lower your weapons."
The guards hesitated for only a moment before pulling their swords away from Lucard’s neck. They stepped back, but they did not fully relax. Their eyes stayed on him. That was fair. Lucard had just kicked their manager in the most painful place a man could be kicked and then slapped his face in front of everyone. Even the guards had looked uncomfortable after that kick. A sword wound was one thing. That kick had made every man nearby remember he had something to protect.
Celia then looked at Lucard.
"Let Manager Galen go."
Lucard looked at her for a moment.
He was still holding Galen by the collar. Galen’s face was red and swollen, and his eyes were full of anger and pain. Lucard could break his neck easily from this position. But he had not come here to kill a shop manager. He had come to sell the spell and use House Marovain’s greed. Killing Galen now would create useless trouble.
Lucard released him.
Galen fell back on the floor and gasped. The staff woman immediately helped him sit up, but he pushed her hand away because he was too humiliated to look weak in front of Celia. Sadly for him, kneeling on the floor after being kicked and slapped had already done enough damage to his dignity. If dignity were cloth, his would have been torn, stepped on, and used to clean muddy boots.
Celia looked at Jenny.
"You seem to be the most willing to speak properly. Explain."
Jenny took a deep breath and stepped forward. She still looked pale, but she tried to remain calm. After everything that happened in House Ravencroft, she did not want to appear weak again. She bowed slightly, not too low, because she was still the daughter of House Vardros.
"My lady, we came here to sell something to House Marovain," Jenny said. "My brother brought a spell. He asked to meet the manager, but the staff member spoke rudely. There was some argument. When Manager Galen came, Lucard showed him the pages. He said it was a Fifth Rank forbidden trap spell. But Manager Galen looked only briefly and threw the pages on the ground. Then he accused us of selling fakes and ordered the guards to capture Lucard."
Celia listened without interrupting.
Jenny continued, "After that, Lucard became angry. He attacked the manager because the spell was thrown on the ground."
Galen immediately shouted, "My lady, she is twisting the truth. They came here with some fake old papers and insulted your staff. Then this bastard attacked me inside House Marovain’s own shop. This cannot be forgiven."
The staff woman added quickly, "Yes, my lady. I was only doing my duty. He said I was not able to understand what he brought. He insulted me first. Then the manager came, and they tried to fool him with a fake spell."
Celia did not look at them yet.
Her eyes stayed on the paper.
She lifted it slightly and asked Jenny, "Is this the spell?"
Jenny looked at the page in Celia’s hand.
"Yes," she said. "That is the spell circle page."
Celia looked at the circle again.
The room waited.
Lucard stood with a calm face. Peter stood tense, ready for everything to go wrong. Jake gripped Jenny’s dress and looked at Celia with wide eyes. Jenny’s heart was beating quickly. She had chosen to trust Lucard, but now everything depended on whether Celia believed the spell was real.
Galen still tried to speak.
"My lady, there is no need to waste your time. These people are from a fallen baron family. They are desperate. They must have found some old paper and tried to trick us. A Fifth Rank forbidden spell is not something people like them can own. I have served this branch for years. I know the kind of treasure that comes through this floor."
Celia finally looked at him.
That look made Galen stop speaking.
"Do you?" she asked.
Galen froze. "My lady?"
Celia’s voice stayed calm, but it became colder. "You know the kind of treasure that comes through this floor?"
Galen’s face changed. "I mean, I have experience." frёewebnoѵēl.com
"Experience enough to recognize a Fifth Rank spell circle?"
Galen opened his mouth, then closed it.
The staff woman’s face turned pale.
Celia held up the paper. "This is not a fake."
The words struck the room like a hammer.
Jenny’s shoulders loosened in relief.
Peter’s eyes widened slightly.
Jake looked at Lucard with even more admiration than before. To him, Lucard had said he would write a forbidden spell, and now the important lady from House Marovain said it was not fake. That meant his brother really could do impossible things. Jake was too young to understand all the danger, but he understood enough to know that Lucard had been right again.
