He continued knocking on my shop door without stopping, pleading and begging me to go home with him. At first, I ignored him. But eventually, the sound of his knocking began to ring loudly in my ears, wearing down my patience. And then—

*SLAM!*

“Get out of my sight! And leave 200 drell at the door for touching my green tea!”

He flinched at my shout. I saw him lower his head, his voice subdued as he spoke, “V-very well, Young Lady.

The old man then placed 200 drell at the door as I had ordered. Slowly, he turned and walked away, leaving the shop in dejection.

From inside the shop, I watched his back as it gradually disappeared into the crowd.

Yes, I was angry. But I didn’t hate him. I was grateful for everything he had done in the past, truly. That old man was the one who had always watched over me and taken care of me since I was little. Not once had he ever failed to carry out Father’s orders.

When I cried, when I was hurt, when I felt alone—he was always there. He always helped me, anytime and anywhere. I know just how much he cares about me. But for this one thing… I’m sorry, I simply can’t agree. Even if it gets him into trouble.

Lowering my head, I held my temple. “Haaah… how exhausting…”

I let myself fall back into the chair, allowing my body to go limp. Today… was truly irritating. I didn’t feel like meeting anyone right now.

“I… need some peace,” I murmured softly.

“Teddy-B!” I called out. My voice was weak, traces of anger and frustration still lingering within me.

Six spheres of light appeared in the air, then slowly took shape into bears about the size of five-year-old children, colored in black and white. Each of them held a staff infused with mana. The colors of their staffs were the reverse of their bodies—those with black fur held white staffs, and vice versa.

These six are my creations, the result of my own experiments. It took me about two weeks to perfect them. They are the ones who have been helping me keep this shop clean and orderly—and on top of that, they save me expenses since I don’t need to hire employees.

“Please take care of the shop today. I want to spend some time in the back.” I continued, “Oh, one more thing. Don’t let anyone come see me.”

They immediately saluted in unison, as if saying, "Understood, Master!"

I returned it with a small smile. “Thank you.”

I stood up, not forgetting to bring my teacup, now holding only a faint warmth, and began walking toward the corridor on my right. Not even five steps in, I suddenly remembered something important. I had forgotten to take the money I asked from the old man earlier. I stepped back and asked Teddy-B to retrieve it.

“One more thing, please take the money outside, okay?”

Hearing their master’s request, they saluted again as a sign the order had been understood. Seeing that, I smiled and raised my thumb in return.

Then, with sluggish steps, I continued walking toward the corridor. At the end, it looked like a dead end—there was nothing there, only a staircase on the left leading up to my house on the upper floor.

But in reality… it wasn’t that simple.

The wall at the end of the corridor was the entrance to my secret. A hidden space where my magitech devices and various experimental potions are kept—and of course, none of them will ever be for sale.

Without hesitation, I continued walking toward the wall until my body touched that solid surface—and… passed through it. Yes, passed through it, as though the wall had never existed.

That wall is indeed real concrete. There is no deception there. However, I embedded a magical filter within it—a mechanism that locks spatial functions based on the energy that comes into contact with it.

For anyone who possesses the same magical energy as mine, the wall transforms into a dimensional gateway, directly connecting to the room I intend to reach—even though visually, it still appears to be solid concrete.

But for anyone with foreign energy… There is no door. Only a concrete wall is waiting to be struck as hard as possible.

A small note: since we are talking about magical energy, it can be said that I am the only one who can pass through that magical filter.

Why is that?

Relax! I will explain it as simply as possible.

Alright, if I were to put it into an analogy, it would be like this: Think of magical energy as a way to identify a person—whether they are truly who they are, or merely someone in disguise. In other words, it is a second fingerprint.

In various studies, scholars from the academy have come to a conclusion: "…no two fingerprints are ever truly identical, not even among twins." And just like that, magical energy operates on a similar principle.

From that alone, you should already grasp the general idea, right?

And yes, I know what you’re thinking right now. “In that case, we’ll just break the wall.”

Unfortunately, that would be pointless as well. Because behind that wall, there is no secret room, no hidden passage—only a playground. My shop just happens to be right next to a children’s park.

"Then where is this secret room you’re talking about?"

Of course, for that question, I will never tell. It is a secret, after all. No way I’m giving away the location of my treasure room for free. I’d be at a loss, wouldn’t I?

And of course, you’re probably going to say—

Alright. That’s enough!
We’ve spent far too long talking about this!
Let’s return to the main story.

Ehem, okay.

The moment my feet touched the floor of the room beyond the wall, a magic circle immediately activated behind me. A security spell with two layers. One isolates sound—not a single sound from within this room can leak outside, no matter how sharp the eavesdropper’s ears may be. The other creates a mirror-like reflection. Anyone who tries to peek inside will see only their own reflection, as though staring into a mirror.

If you’re wondering why I’m being this cautious... the answer is actually quite simple. Of course, it’s to protect the secrecy of my ideas and inventions. After all, I’m someone who is extremely calculating and very careful in everything I do. I will not do anything that could drag me into regret because of carelessness and foolishness.

I walked toward my worktable at the far end of the room. The length of the table matched the width of this room. And on top of it, scattered everywhere, were experimental reports, magic circle diagrams, and high-level rune formulas.

This is where I always spend my time whenever I grow tired of waiting in the shop. A place so quiet and peaceful, far from noise, far from problems, and far from all the irritating things I have to face out there.

The moment I sat down, I leaned back, letting my exhaustion flow out along with the long breath I released. Silence, stillness—only the faint sound of small gears turning, maintaining the flow of magic within the room to keep the air circulating.

I placed my teacup on the table. And for a moment, I emptied my mind, sinking into the tranquility of this place I loved so much.

Then, a thought crossed my mind—the same thought that always appears whenever I’m here.

In the eyes of others… I must seem strange for liking things like this, don’t I? A sweet, gentle girl, a tea shop owner—yet in truth, a mad alchemist who delights in conducting dangerous experiments.

Ironic, isn’t it?

Out there, my demeanor is graceful and polite. But in here… I am immersed in a world of magical formulas, chemicals, magitech, working with laughter that borders on madness. People would surely avoid me—or worse, approach me with ill intent.

But you know what… who cares?

This is my path. This is my life. I’m just not ready to reveal all of this to the public yet.

Perhaps… because I’m afraid that the image I’ve worked so hard to build… would collapse just like that.