Leo was dragged by Daphne into the market. They were going to a nice fancy restaurant to eat since they hadn’t eaten outside in a long while. She didn’t know yet that he was going to take her to such a nice place. She only knew that they were finally going to go outside to eat.
As they walked through the market, they saw the various tables selling ornaments and trinkets that appealed to children. There were a lot of parents buying them for their kids. Leo looked at her and saw that she was staring at the trinkets too. He shook his head and walked to one of the stalls.
He saw a few trinkets that were shaped in the form of an egg that was decorated nicely. He started looking for something nice to give to her. Meanwhile, she was confused about why they had stopped.
“Why did you stop?” She asked him.
He looked at her and turned back to the stall.
“Do you have any earrings for my friend here? I don’t know if she will like trinkets.” He said to the person managing the stall. It was a middle-aged man with a huge pot belly.
“Of course. For this beautiful young woman, I would recommend buying her silver earrings. It will shine brightly in her hair.” He said. He bent down and pulled up a box. He opened the box and it was filled with a variety of earrings.
“I don’t need earrings. Especially silver ones? Those are incredibly expensive,” Daphne protested. He just ignored her and looked at the selection. After looking at them for two minutes, he finally picked out one pair.
The earrings were exquisite and elegant. A small emerald adorned them, showcasing a deep green color that sparkled in the light. The emerald was cut in a classic round shape. The earrings themselves were sleek and had a sophisticated design that accentuated the gemstone without overwhelming it.
“Excellent choice sir. These are 4000 Star coins. But looking at your young age, I can knock that down by 500 Star coins.” The man said.
Leo didn’t even bother haggling with him. He took out the money from his pouch and handed it to the man. He took the earrings and looked at Daphne.
“I said I didn’t want them,” she said. She looked slightly angry, but he could see beneath the facial expressions.
“Do you need help putting them on?” He asked. She nodded. He looked at the owner.
“Do you have an ear piercer?” He asked. The owner nodded and quickly handed a sharp needle.
“I advise you to be careful with that. If you need me, I can pierce the ears for-” Before the owner could even say anything, Leo had already pierced one of the ears. He was very fast with it that she could barely feel anything. He did the same to the other ear and gave the needle back to the man.
He then put the earrings on her ears. He took a step back to judge them.
“They look nice. Do you want to eat now?” He asked. She nodded. She was very silent for the rest of the walk, but she had a small smile throughout.
When they got to the restaurant, she was even more shocked. It was a very nice place, and she knew the meal would cost almost 1000 Star coins just by looking at the decor of the place.
Leo ignored her expression and lead them inside. While they were walking into the entrance, a young girl the same age as him and an old man were walking out. The girl was complaining about the food.
“Grandpa, this place is so bad! Why did we have to come here?” She was very frustrated.
The old man was very calm. “Calm down, Aurora. You must not display such vivid emotions in public. You were the one that asked to come with me to work.”
The girl whined and looked away. She saw Leo and Daphne walking into the restaurant.
“Why can’t I just go alone like them? They don’t have any adults with them.” She said.
Leo heard this loud and clear and smiled at the comment. He led Daphne into the restaurant quickly to avoid getting into trouble. He knew that the old man was more than just strong. He was incredibly strong.
Normally, he could tell if a person had aura or magic after forming his 2nd Star. He knew that Daphne was a Middle-Stage 1st Circle Aura Knight just by looking at her. He saw a couple of 2nd Circle Aura Knights in the market.
Unlike them, the old man had magic. And he had an immense amount of it. When he first noticed it, he realized that the old man was at least a 3rd Circle Mage. This meant that they were nobles. He didn’t want to get into trouble with the nobles. However, his smile did not go unnoticed.
The old man called out to him. “Young man, could I speak with you.”
Leo stopped in his tracks. He turned around and saw that the old man was speaking to him. He cursed in his mind and walked toward the old man. He stopped Daphne from walking with him.
The old man scanned him and then Daphne with his eyes and then said, “You have a lot of potential. The lady is already a 1st Circle Aura Knight, while you are innately so perceptive. You don’t have any aura, but I have a feeling that you are powerful too. Are you from a family I know?” He asked.
Leo was starting to sweat. “I’m sorry, sir. Do I know you?” He asked.
The man laughed. “A commoner then. Not even a noble and the lass is a 1st Circe Aura Knight. Aurora, you should learn from them. I’m sorry to hold you, boy. As compensation, take this meal as a gift from me.” He pointed to a person standing outside to come and whispered a few words to him. Then he turned and walked away with the girl.
Leo sighed a breath of relief and went back into the restaurant. He was hoping that Daphne did not hear what the man said. He had completely read through Leo, except for the magic. Since his magic was in his mind, it hid from a normal sense.
The person guided him and Daphne to a table and gave them their menus. Daphne asked him about what it was but Leo just said that he mistook him for someone else. After the meal, he got ready to pay. He took the chance when Daphne went to the bathroom to do it, but the man who attended to them declined the payment.
“No need to pay, sir. The lord already paid for you.” He said.
Leo had to clarify now. “The lord?” He asked.
“Yes. The Lord Magistrate,” the man answered.
Suddenly everything made sense. That was why he had so much magic. It was because he was a 4th Circle Mage. Leo realized that he had lucked out immensely by not having a longer interaction with that person. The last person he would want to be around would be a noble. He just couldn’t handle the stress.
Daphne came back and he got up. “Let’s go back.”
“What about the money?” She asked him.
“I already paid for it,” he said. He needed to get away from the public as quickly as possible. He could not handle the stress.