After several more minutes of silently selecting items, Draven finally stopped.
The growing pile in his arms had already become slightly unreasonable.
Tiny coats.
Winter wraps.
Blankets.
Shoes.
Gloves.
Several plush toys.
And somehow even more clothing than anyone actually remembered him picking up.
Aldric stared at the towering pile with visible disbelief.
"…You're shopping like the children are preparing for a military campaign."
Draven ignored him completely.
He simply turned and walked toward the counter.
The black cat remained perched near his shoulder beneath the hood, still visibly offended by the existence of the bat plushies now buried somewhere inside the pile.
Nia quietly followed beside him, carrying the remaining bread in one hand and the tiny black gloves in the other.
The cultist walked calmly behind them.
Meanwhile—
the fox-eared shopkeeper had already instinctively straightened the moment Draven approached the counter.
Professional instincts screaming at full power now.
Draven dropped the entire pile onto the polished wooden surface.
THUMP.
The counter creaked slightly beneath the weight.
Silence followed briefly.
Then Draven spoke calmly.
"I want all of these."
The shopkeeper blinked once.
Then twice.
Her eyes slowly traveled across the mountain of infant clothing now occupying nearly half the counter.
"…All of them?"
"Yes."
A brief pause.
"…Including the toys?"
"Yes."
The black cat immediately narrowed its eyes afterward.
Still personally against that decision.
The shopkeeper recovered quickly.
Blackwater merchants adapted to strange situations purely for survival.
"Of course."
Her smile became flawlessly professional once more as she immediately began organizing the items with careful efficiency.
"Excellent choices."
Aldric leaned lazily against the side of the counter.
"You say that like you didn't just watch him buy half the store."
The shopkeeper continued folding clothing calmly.
"In my profession, that is what qualifies as excellent."
Honestly fair.
The cultist quietly looked over several of the folded coats again.
"…The white one will fit Elenya well."
Aldric immediately pointed toward the black bat-themed coat.
"And the tiny menace gets this one."
"The young master has a name."
"Yeah."
Aldric smirked faintly.
"Tiny menace."
Nia quietly stood near the counter while staring at the plush toys.
After several seconds—
she slowly picked up the black one.
The cat immediately stared at her.
Then at the toy.
Then back at her again.
Judgment intensified.
The shopkeeper finished calculating the total shortly afterward.
A glowing projection appeared above the counter.
Total:
**18 Gold, 40 Silver**
Aldric nearly choked.
"…WHAT are these coats made from?!"
The shopkeeper answered smoothly without missing a beat.
"High-quality northern fabrics, mana-insulated stitching, reinforced winter layering, custom enchantment threading—"
Aldric immediately raised a hand.
"Alright, alright."
A pause followed.
"…Still robbery."
Just like before—
Draven calmly held the black card over the payment device.
Crimson mana gathered faintly at his fingertips.
Symbols formed slowly across the surface of the card.
18 Gold.
40 Silver.
Then—
Tap.
The projection flashed softly.
**Payment Confirmed.**
Simple.
Effortless.
Honestly concerning how quickly everyone around him had started accepting impossible financial behavior as normal.
Draven gathered the purchased items immediately afterward.
One by one—
the coats, blankets, gloves, shoes, and toys vanished into his storage ring beneath faint pulses of crimson mana.
The fox-eared shopkeeper watched the disappearing pile with perfectly controlled professionalism.
Though one ear twitched slightly when the final item vanished.
"…Thank you for your purchase."
She bowed politely afterward.
"We hope your children enjoy them."
The black cat somehow looked personally offended hearing that word again.
Aldric lazily waved one hand while walking toward the exit.
"Yeah, yeah."
Then the group stepped back outside into Blackwater's crowded commercial streets once more.
The noise returned immediately.
Steam vents hissed overhead.
Voices echoed through the crowded district.
Metal ground loudly somewhere above them while distant machinery thundered through the layered city.
Aldric shoved his hands into his pockets while walking beside the others.
"…Still don't understand this place."
The cultist glanced sideways toward him.
"That describes many things."
Aldric ignored her.
"I mean seriously."
He gestured vaguely backward toward the store they had just left.
"Who wakes up one day and decides—"
His voice shifted into mock seriousness.
'Yes. I shall dedicate my life to selling tiny coats for babies in a terrible city like this.'
The cultist blinked once.
"…Parents buy clothes for their children."
"I understand the concept."
Aldric frowned slightly.
"I just don't understand why the coats are so expensive when the people wearing them are barely larger than bread."
Honestly difficult to argue against mathematically.
Nia quietly ate another piece of bread while walking beside Draven.
The black cat remained half-hidden inside the hood once more, purple eyes calmly scanning the passing crowds.
The cultist eventually looked toward Draven again.
"…What now, my lord?"
Draven continued walking through the crowded street without slowing down.
The dark cloak shifted softly around him while the black cat remained partially hidden beneath the hood, silently watching the city pass by with narrowed purple eyes.
Ahead—
another clothing store came into view.
Larger than the previous one.
This one was not a children's shop.
Tall glass windows displayed long coats, reinforced travel wear, noble attire, and combat garments stitched with faint mana-thread patterns.
Aldric glanced toward the storefront.
Then toward Draven.
"…Oh?"
A faint grin slowly appeared on his face.
"Buying for yourself now?"
No answer came.
Aldric kept walking anyway.
"Good."
Draven continued toward the larger clothing store without reacting to the conversation behind him.
The black cat remained perched beneath the hood, purple eyes half-lidded while the noisy streets of Blackwater reflected faintly across the glass windows ahead.
Aldric shoved one hand deeper into the pockets of his worn coat and clicked his tongue.
"Yeah, I'm getting something too."
He tugged lightly at the rough dark coat he had taken from the damaged ship earlier.
"With this thing on, I look like some exhausted factory worker."
A brief pause followed.
"That's insulting."
The cultist glanced sideways at him.
"…You are covered in blood half the time."
"Fashionably."
Aldric continued as though she had never spoken.
"I don't mind normal clothes."
He pointed at himself dramatically.
"But I refuse to walk around looking like a broke dockworker while guarding nobility."
His crimson eyes shifted toward Draven afterward.
"You should buy your noble guard a proper coat."
The cultist hummed faintly.
"…It is still difficult to believe you are my lord's guard."
Aldric slowly turned toward her.
"What's so difficult to believe about it?"
The cultist answered immediately.
"You do not behave the way a guard should."
Silence followed.
Then—
Aldric stared at her flatly.
"You bastard."
The cultist blinked once.
"You insult people constantly."
"And?"
"You drink continuously."
"And?"
"You threaten strangers for entertainment."
Aldric pointed sharply at her.
"Wrong."
A brief pause.
"I threaten strangers professionally."
Nia quietly continued eating bread while walking beside Draven, completely uninterested in the argument unfolding beside her.
The cultist continued calmly.
"A proper guard should be disciplined. Reliable. Controlled."
Aldric barked out a short laugh.
"Yeah?"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Since you're apparently such a brilliant servant—"
He pointed directly at her.
"Why didn't *you* go fight the giant sea serpent?"
The cultist answered without hesitation.
"Because I know my limits."
A brief pause followed.
"And because I am still useful to my lord alive."
Her voice remained completely calm.
"It would be wasteful to throw my life away recklessly."
Aldric stared at her for several long seconds.
Then slowly nodded.
"…Wow."
He lifted the bottle slightly.
"Give yourself a round of applause."
The cultist's eye twitched faintly.
"That was not sarcasm."
"It sounded like sarcasm."
"It was criticism."
"Same thing with extra words."
Ahead—
Draven finally reached the entrance of the larger clothing store.
Warm golden light spilled outward through the massive glass windows while neatly dressed attendants inside immediately noticed the approaching group.
And judging from Aldric's suddenly interested expression—
Blackwater was about to lose even more money.