Isaac POV
Professor Catherine let out a soft hum and finally slid her sword back into its sheath.
Still, her gaze lingered on the door.
Isaac noticed it.
He frowned slightly. "Is something wrong?"
Professor Catherine didn't answer immediately. Then, with a tilt of her head, she said, "No. Hmm, actually, I'm leaving. It will take me a bit of time to return."
"You're leaving?" Isaac asked.
"Yes," she replied, already adjusting her clothes. "If something happens before I get back, use the alarm and protection treasure Leora gave you during the assassin hideout operation."
Isaac nodded slowly.
He remembered those items well. Leora had handed them to him with serious eyes before he infiltrated the hideout to rescue Selene.
"Got it," Isaac said.
With that, Professor Catherine vanished. One moment she was there. The next, she was gone as if she had never been in the room at all.
Isaac let out a small breath, his brows furrowed.
He wasn't sure what Professor Catherine had sensed, but it clearly hadn't been something minor.
Her words had sounded casual, but he could tell she'd left in a hurry for a reason.
The silence of the room returned.
It was broken by a soft knock on the door.
"Isaac?" Selene's voice came from the other side. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah," he replied, standing up and brushing himself off.
The door opened, and Selene walked in with a calm smile. She looked collected as always.
Right behind her was Marien, looking like she had just swallowed a particularly sour fruit.
Selene moved to the chair in front of him and sat gracefully.
"Everything is going smoothly," she said. "The sales, the queues, and the customer response. It's all more than we anticipated."
"That's great." Isaac gave her a nod. Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you."
She shook her head. "It's no problem. You are the one who is bringing the products. We're just helping the pieces move."
There was a brief pause.
Then she leaned forward slightly and said, "But I do think you need to consider increasing your production. With two shops now active, your current output won't meet the growing demand for long."
Isaac nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. I figured that'd be an issue eventually."
"I understand buying land needs a lot of money and you need to spend time and mana on them," she continued, "but, right now, you need to use the momentum you have found and make a big name for yourself."
"Mhm."
Selene smiled again, then lowered her voice slightly. "Also… you should be prepared for pushback."
Isaac looked at her.
"The Awakened Factions," she clarified. "The Tier 2 grains will hit them hard, whether you wanted or not. They will lose a lot of influence in the market because of this. They're going to retaliate."
"I figured they'd be annoyed," Isaac said. "But thanks for the warning."
They talked a bit more, mostly about logistics.
Selene gave him a few practical suggestions. Some on how to streamline grain distribution, others about dealing with territorial disputes between merchant guilds. She was sharp and composed, as expected.
Eventually, her tone changed.
"Are you free tomorrow?" she asked.
Isaac blinked. The question caught him off guard.
He thought about it. Technically, he was free. The university had granted him a few days off under the pretext of "internship" with Chairman Lucius. There weren't any major appointments.
"Why?" he asked.
Selene lowered her head slightly, her face quickly turning red.
"T-the thing you promised," she said, fidgeting slightly. "You said you'd go shopping with me."
Marien, who had been silent and stiff the whole time, turned her head slowly toward Selene. Her eyes narrowed. The chill in her glare could've frozen magma.
Isaac maintained his faint smile, unsure of how to respond.
For a moment, Selene didn't look like the competent businesswoman who ran entire operations.
She just looked like a shy girl, struggling to ask someone out.
"I have a big monster hunt scheduled for the day after tomorrow," Isaac said gently. "I'll need to spend tomorrow preparing for it."
"Oh…" Selene's voice dipped, and her shoulders slumped just a bit. "Okay."
Isaac looked at her for a moment. Calling her disappointed would be an understatement.
"Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you too," he said.
Her head perked up immediately, eyes hopeful.
"You're learning to cook, right?" he asked. "Could you teach me too?"
"Yes!" Selene said, almost too quickly. Then she caught herself and nodded more calmly. "Yes, of course."
Isaac smiled at her enthusiasm. "Then let's start on the day we go shopping. The day after the hunt, maybe?"
"O-of course!" she said, nodding rapidly.
Marien was still standing behind her with a calm expression, on the surface at least. But internally, she was screaming.
Why him of all people!? Don't you hate him! You're supposed to hate him!
She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Every time Selene blushed, smiled at Isaac, or acted like a shy girl in front of him, Marien felt like she wanted to pull her hair out.
And it terrified Marien.
Not because she didn't want Selene to be happy.
But because she had seen Alice.
She had seen what Alice could do.
Only Marien knew how unhinged that girl really was. The others thought Alice was just eccentric.
But Marien had once seen her carve a man's tongue out just for implying Isaac was weak. That memory, coupled with the beating she had received, still gave her nightmares.
Now Selene—her Selene, who never looked at men twice—was planning to go shopping with Isaac like it was some sweet little date.
Marien stared at her, wondering if it was too late to drag her away by force.
She didn't speak though. Her professional mask didn't waver. But inside?
Selene, you're going to die. Alice is going to murder you with a smile. Please realize it before it's too late.
Isaac, unaware of the inner war Marien was fighting, stood and stretched.
"Well," he said, "I'll finish up a few things here, then head back. Let me know if anything urgent comes up."
"Got it," Selene said with a bright smile. "I'll send the updated reports to your device."
She stood as well, smoothing her clothes. Her professional demeanor returned but not completely. Her ears were still red. Her eyes still flicked toward him now and then.
Marien gave Isaac a brief nod before turning to follow Selene out.
But as she walked behind her friend, she looked up at the ceiling with a dead-eyed stare.
I need to get anti-Alice insurance. Immediately.
Isaac packed a few things once they were gone and left the office. He made his way downstairs to the ground floor.
He was about to head to the back when someone standing near the entrance caught his eye.
Oran Fennel.
Owner of Fennel Potions. One of the most successful alchemy-related businesses in Fortified City 50. More importantly, he was also the leader of the Awakener Faction within the Fortified City 89's Economic Council.
He was dressed neatly in a dark green suit, had a polite smile on his face and a bag from another shop in his hand.
Emrin, one of the counter staff gifted with a social skill, caught Isaac's eye and subtly shook his head. That was their code. It meant Oran wasn't here to stir trouble.
Isaac approached with a casual expression. "Didn't expect to see you here, Mr. Fennel."
Oran turned to him with a friendly smile. "Ah, Isaac. I apologize for being late. I wanted to come to the opening ceremony, but work kept me busy."
The two talked like old friends. Both were planning to deal with the other party, but they didn't show it.
Selene returned to the floor just then, her usual professional aura back in full swing. Marien was a step behind, holding a tablet, likely reviewing schedules and requests as always.
"Miss Selene," Oran said, greeting her with a nod. "It's good to see you again."
"Likewise," Selene replied with a calm smile, though her tone was noticeably neutral.
"I was wondering if I could have a bit of your time tomorrow," Oran said smoothly. "There's something important I'd like to discuss."
Selene tilted her head slightly. "You could've called for an appointment."
"I could have," Oran said, chuckling, "but I wanted to visit the shop too. It's different seeing it in person."
Isaac watched the exchange without saying anything. Selene remained polite, but it was obvious she didn't particularly enjoy this conversation.
After a pause, Selene glanced toward Marien.
Marien tapped the tablet a few times, then pushed up her glasses. "Miss Selene's schedule for tomorrow is fully booked. I'm afraid she won't be able to make time for you, Mr. Fennel."
The air shifted slightly.
Oran's smile didn't disappear, but it stiffened just a bit. "Is that so?"
Even if the schedule was full Selene should've made time for someone of his stature.
Marien nodded without a shred of hesitation.
Oran let out a short chuckle. "Well then, I hope you'll contact me when some time opens up."
He gave a brief nod to Isaac, then to Selene, and with that, he turned and exited the store, masking his frustration behind a businesslike smile.
Isaac let out a small breath and turned to Selene. "He always like that?"
Selene's expression relaxed a little now that Oran was gone. "He's... persistent. I don't like dealing with him, but we can't ignore him either. He holds a lot of influence on the Economic Council."
"What about in this city?" Isaac asked.
Economic Council had influence in Sanctum Stronghold in Fortified City 89. While they had strong influence in Fortified City 50 too, the politics here wasn't as simple.