I had dinner with Isaac and we took a walk in the small glass flower garden. Instead of talking about important and serious things, we chatted happily about trivial matters. The casual conversation was so enjoyable that I felt like I was floating through the flower garden.
But in life, we can't always talk about pleasant things. We still had external problems to address.
"The Pope was nearly dead. What exactly happened?" I asked.
"It wasn't a big deal," Isaac replied.
"Did… did you torture him severely?" I asked playfully, but Isaac avoided my gaze. His reaction confirmed my suspicion.
When I looked at him with a questioning expression, he whispered softly, as if making an excuse. "I didn't think you would wake up. I couldn't control myself."
"You did well," I said.
He stood tall in the middle of the flower garden and stared at me. "I am not a violent person."
"That's not good."
"I can't lie to you. I don't want you to hate me," he said, and the nape of his neck, which was usually calm and mischievous, gradually turned red.
I grabbed his arm tightly and asked teasingly, "Do you like me that much?"
"Yes," he answered without hesitation.
I was surprised by his unexpected sincerity and burst out laughing. "Me too. I like you too."
I truly wondered what had happened to make Isaac lose his temper, but I decided to let it go. The Pope, who would soon become a demon's slave, was not important. I just wanted to see Isaac's happy smile.
'When will that Pope bastard finally die?' I thought. From what I had heard, his death was only a matter of time. 'I hope the demons will do their best to make it a painful one.'
However, the Pope's life was quite persistent. The wait for his obituary continued for some time. In the meantime, I didn't waste any time. After aggressively expanding the stationery stores with the help of the demons, the long-awaited news finally arrived: In the place where the Pope was imprisoned, only pitch-black soot remained.
It was said that the Pope's body had rotted away and his soul was presumed to have been taken to the underworld. The wizard Isaac had planted in the temple was the first to discover the grim scene and inform him. It was a tragic death that no one mourned. And so, the Pope disappeared into the back of history.
I had no time to dwell on the villains of the past. I barely had enough time to spend with Isaac, Danny, and the children. After opening a stationery store and appointing demons as presidents, I almost died from exhaustion while doing market research.
I have so much to do. Making money is really hard. I let out a long sigh as I arrived at the second stationery store, in front of the academy, which was managed by the Winter Moon Demon. I planned to visit every store at least once before the grand opening to make sure everything was in order. It was a difficult job, even for demons.
"Let's take a closer look. What's in here?" I scanned the shelves one by one, my hands on my hips. "Did you organize it better than I thought?"
Fortunately, the demons had a surprising talent for commerce. I was proud, speculating that the demon race's unusually large number of desires meant they were good at selling things.
'Good. Everything is well-stocked with items that will sell at the commoners' academy.' I glanced between the shelves and the ledger, then turned to the Winter Moon Demon. "You know you have to keep the shelves full like this, right?"
"Uh-huh," he replied.
"And are you keeping good records in the ledger?"
"Hmm."
His answers were oddly dry. I shifted my gaze from the ledger to the demon. "What? Are you even listening?"
The Winter Moon Demon, who looked about ten years old and was wearing a fancy suit, shook his head. "Yes! Don't worry. We sold a lot while you were sick."
I squinted, looking at the small, majestic demon and then around the stationery store. Is that true? Just as I was looking around with a questioning expression, Basil, one of my Kinnoa relatives who had been standing quietly in a corner, flinched.
"Basil, why are you moving like that? You're acting suspiciously."
"Well, the owner, I mean the second store's owner…" Basil stroked his pomade-covered hair and suddenly avoided my eyes.
Something is definitely going on. I crossed my arms and gestured at the Winter Moon Demon. "Tell me in detail, from the beginning."
"Well…" The demon stammered, placing the slushy he was holding on the counter. He looked sullen, as if he had made a mistake.
I stared at him, my eyes wide. Did that demon threaten the children?
"There was a huge influx of young humans. They said the stationery store was amazing and looked at this and that! Confetti was especially popular!"
"You treated the children well, didn't you?" I asked.
"Well… yes. I played with them very well…"
"Be honest."
The Winter Moon Demon rubbed his eyes and took a step back. His attitude smelled suspicious. "That…"
As if the awkward conversation was frustrating, Basil cut in. "The children bullied the boss."
"This bastard, he was bullied… no, what?"
The Winter Moon Demon shrugged and sighed, patting his forehead. "Ugh." His sigh confirmed that he was telling the truth.
"How did they bully you?"
"They came and pinched my cheeks, called me cute, and told me I was so nice to them!" he whined.
"Aren't those compliments?"
The demon folded his arms and turned his head away as if hurt by my words. "What kind of compliment is that! Service jobs are hard! They say I'm 'nice,' 'good,' and 'kind'! Mental labor is difficult enough to kill someone!" He slurped the slushy on the counter.
"Are you smiling right now?" I asked.
A proud smile instantly appeared on the corner of the demon's mouth. He covered his lips with his hand and widened his eyes. "Don't be silly!" He didn't look threatening at all.
I was relieved to see that the store was operating normally. "I've checked the shelves and the ledger, and it seems you're doing a good job. I'll be on my way now."
The Winter Moon Demon grabbed my sleeve. "Hmm, it's not because I'm sad that you're leaving!"
I squeezed his calloused hand. "I'll be calculating your salary soon, boss."
"Oh!" The Winter Moon Demon's expression became more energetic, and he reverently folded his hands in front of him. He looked like a demon born to earn a salary. "My first paycheck! I'm really looking forward to a mini slushy pool!"
Since his salary was customized, it made sense that he was so happy. I patted his head and thought of my next destination. "Okay, I have somewhere to go. I'll come back tomorrow."
Next, I was heading to the stationery store in the Magic Kingdom, which was run by Rasmus, a wizard of the Mage Tower, and the Autumn Demon.
But then, Basil grabbed my sleeve again. "What is it, Basil?"
"Well…"
"Is it about the other relatives?"
"They all hope to meet you soon."
I shook my head. "After what happened with the Pope, the relatives are finally seeing the light of day one by one."
"Oh! That's a good thing."
"Yes, all of our relatives are eager to visit and bring you gifts soon!"
"That's good. It may be difficult to meet since I'm so busy, but tell them that gifts are always welcome." I frowned in agreement. Since they were just starting to get back on their feet, the gifts might not be much, but their intentions were what mattered.
I waved goodbye and walked outside, anticipating the gifts that the Kinnoa clan might bring at any moment.
'Then, shall I go meet the Autumn Demon soon?' I thought. The Autumn Demon was quite smart and had excellent accounting skills. 'And Rasmus was Isaac's close associate and a very clever wizard.' I predicted that things would be going well there, too.
I guess my prediction was wrong.
Stationery store number four was in front of Royal Street, a miscellaneous goods street in the Magic Kingdom. I walked at a brisk pace toward the store, and as I got closer, I saw that something was different.
"This is… strange."
Royal Street was nothing like the commercial district run by the Winter Moon Demon. Was it because this was a different country, beyond the reach of the Marquis of Kinnoa's influence? Or was the Autumn Demon just running the business poorly?
"I'm sure this general store was selling different items from our stationery store."
Royal Street was filled with general stores that seemed to be copying my stationery store. All around were children's toy stores created by eccentric wizards.
Did my stationery store become a trend? Even so, there are too many copycats.
I walked from store to store, checking out the competition. In front of a hero's toy store, there was a caricature of Dominic. When I stood in front of "Anton's Stationery Store," I was so angry I almost grabbed the back of my neck. They even had the same name!
I squinted and stormed into my own stationery store.