The cheers of the audience fall into the backdrop. Still, the streets are filled with talk and laughter from cheerful travelers and townsfolk. Strangely enough, the trio, who is supposed to remain discrete, is causing the loudest uproar.

“Did you see the way she tenderized the meat!? Her hands! I couldn’t even see them! And did you see how high she jumped!? It was just as high as yours, Leor! Oh, and that Phoenix, it cooked the pork in an instant!” exclaims Ceri.

Leor strokes his chin. “Yeah, it’s strange. For just a chef, she moved like a fighter.” He turns to Alden. “Is that normal?”

Alden mimics Leor’s signature chin rubbing motion. “Hmmm… This is the first time I’ve seen a performance like that at that stand. But, I’d say it’s rare for a chef to pull stunts like that just to sell food. She must be new. Nonetheless, it would make sense for her to be well-versed in something since she had a Gift from Lady Azura.”

“Azura? Another one of your Gods?”

Ceri jumps in front of Leor, blocking his path. He looks down at her with wide eyes. “You don’t know!? She’s known as The Flame Tamer, The Fiery Beauty, The Flame Goddess, Azura! You’ve never heard of her!?”

Leor slides Ceri to the side and continues walking. “I pay no attention to your self-proclaimed ‘Gods’. I don’t bother learning about things I don’t care about.”

The seriousness in his tone leaves Ceri biting her tongue from prying any further.

Alden rests his hand on Ceri’s head, rubs it to soothe her. A warm smile blooms onto his face. “Everyone has their reasons. It’s up to people how they wish to live their lives, and it's up to us to accept who they are. That is what we must do to uphold Lord Ludwig’s teachings”.

Leor quietly clenches his fist at that name and continues walking off. He notices a wooden sign with a picture of two swords crossed into an ‘x’ covering a shield.

He points to the sign. “Look, there’s a shop up ahead. Maybe they sell clothes there. Let’s check it out.”

The inside of the store is lined with clean-cut stone walls, and is illuminated by a bright ball of light hidden behind a foggy glass dome. The laminated white marble floor adds to the brightness by reflecting the light around the room. The shop’s ambiance is on an entirely different level compared to the inn back in Thálassa.

On the wall, a wide range of clothing hangs within reach to allow customers to examine the quality of the products.

A stern, yet friendly voice calls out from behind the counter at the back of the store.

“Welcome to The Armored Light, the go-to shop for travelers such as yourselves. What can I do for ya?”

A tall, gentle-looking man with short blonde hair and blue eyes, dressed in light armor, stands behind the counter. His welcoming smile matches the bright light emitting from the glass dome. Behind him rests a generous selection of weapons and armor displayed on the wall.

Leor steps forward, blocking Alden.

“Hey, we’re just browsing for hooded cloaks. Do you have any?”

“Ahhhh, yes! We have a wide selection for you. What color are you looking for?”

Leor turns to Ceri, eyeing her to step forward to speak up.

“Oh! Umm… Do you have a white one?”

Leor places his hand on Ceri’s shoulder and whispers into her ear. “No, you can’t get a white one. You’re already wearing one underneath my black one. We’re trying to hide your cloak, not make you stand out more.”

“Right… why can’t I just wear yours?”

“...”

“I’ll take that as a yes! Here, I’ll help you choose a new coat!”

Ceri crosses her arms and taps her lips with her finger as she immerses into thought.

“Do you have any hooded coats with magical properties?”

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As soon as he hears those words, Leor glares at Ceri, but she’s too focused to pay him any attention.

“Why, yes we do!” The shop owner scavenges through a box behind the counter, pulls out two different styles of hooded coats, and lays them on the countertop.

“Both of these coats have Licht or ‘Light’ properties.” He points to the white coat that rests on the right. “This one here reflects up to a certain amount of Light Magic. The amount it reflects depends entirely on the Blacksmith Grade, BSG for short. This one here is a C-grade.”

“How will we know how much it can take?” asks Leor.

“Ah, sir, you must have never seen any of these in action before. The coat and equipment like this will slowly lose their color. Once it's out of the original color, it will lose its magical properties. You would need to go to a blacksmith or a church that handles the respective element to recharge the item.”

“Sounds like a hassle.” scoffs Leor.

“I assure you, sir, these items can take heavy loads. Unless, you were hit by one of the Gods or something!” The shop owner lets out an obnoxiously loud chuckle. He clears his throat and guides the trio’s attention to the other coat.

“And, this black one does the opposite. It absorbs Light Magic. The BSG for this one is a ‘C’ as well, and just like the white one, it can only absorb up to a certain amount. So, what’ll it be?”

Leor lifts his hand to choose, but Alden drags it back down, shaking his head with an unusually serious look in his eyes.

Ceri takes her slender finger off her lips and points to the black one. “We’ll take this one.”

Alden slowly nods in satisfaction. “Why’d you pick that one?”

“Hmmm… well, I personally like the white one, but Leor only wears black. Since it’s a gift, I have to go with what he’d like. Plus, I think this one will look good on him!”

“Why do I feel insulted by that comment?”

The shop owner interjects. “The young lady has an eye for fashion, I see. Very well. Can I see your Family Insignia?”

Ceri reaches into her cloak.

“Not yours, miss. His.” The Shop Owner points at Leor. “This coat is for him, yes? Only members of a Family can buy magical items. Please show me your verification so we can complete the trade.”

“I don’t have one...”

The Shop Owner tilts his head. “Do you mean you don’t have your verification on you?”

“No. I don’t belong to a Family.”

The Shop Owner’s jolly demeanor disappears. His voice is noticeably more hostile.

“Oh… you’re one of those people. I’m sorry. I can’t sell blessed products to the unfaithful. Please leave at once.”

Leor rolls his eyes and turns around to walk out, but Ceri yanks him back.

“What’s that supposed to mean!? How dare you talk to a customer like that!”

“Look, miss, rules are rules. I can’t sell it to him even if I wanted to. And believe me, I don’t want to. He, who does not belong to a Family, is undeserving of any gifts from any of the Gods! Even items blessed by the darkness of Lady Nyx are too good for him.”

Ceri slams her Family Insignia onto the counter, revealing a golden curve that sharply zig-zags into a lightning bolt.

“Just sell the coat to me! There shouldn’t be a problem with that, right!?”

“Hmph. I would’ve if he belonged to a Family. Even your Ouranós Insignia won’t change my mind. How could someone of your background be siding with someone like him!?”

Leor rubs his eyes and sighs heavily. “Ceri, drop it. It’s fine. I’m used to this kind of treatment. No point in wasting your breath. His type never listens.”

The air suddenly gets a lot more tense. Chills run down the Shop Owner’s and Ceri’s spine. An ominous aura oozes out of Alden as he approaches the counter with an obviously forced smile, causing them to swallow the words that linger on their tongue.

Alden rests his hand on Ceri’s shoulder, gripping it tightly. She shuts her eyes in fear. “Ceri, I already told you that we should accept everyone’s differences, even if they are as twisted as this gentleman’s here.”

“What was that, you bast-”

Alden’s paralyzing leer prevents the owner from finishing that word. “And you, have you not been taught properly? Lord Ludwig would not approve of this kind of behavior. He did not lead humanity to freedom from the Old Ones for you to treat your fellow brethren like this. It is the Ouranós Family’s duty to uphold Lord Ludwig’s teachings, and you will give the respect Miss Ceri deserves.” He removes his hood to reveal his face. “I trust you understand what I’m trying to tell you.”

The owner quickly drops his forehead to the countertop, bowing before Alden. “Lord Alden! I’m sorry for disrespecting you! If I had known, I would not have caused you and your friends so much trouble!”

“It is alright. You must understand what it is that I wish to teach you, and that I must remain discrete as I pass through Logtown. Do you understand me?”

The owner bows his head three more times into the counter. “Yes, yes, of course, Lord Alden. It is as you wish. Please here take the coat as a token of my sincerest apologies!”

“Now, now. There’s no need for that. You are running a business, so let us do business. Ceri, please pay the man. How much will it be?”

The shop owner chuckles nervously as he continues to bow his head to Alden. “The coat is fifty gold coins, but for someone of your status, it’ll be only twenty-five gold coins!

“Much appreciated!”, laughs Alden as he slaps the owner’s back. “Rest easy, friend! There is no ill will between us. Ceri, please kindly give the man twenty-five gold coins.”

Ceri’s eyes shift around the room and shoot a confused expression at Alden. “I don’t have any money, Lord Alden. I never carry the money. You do.”

Alden shuffles through his clothes in a panic. He lets out a sigh and grasps his heart in relief. “I gave all the gold I had to Leor. I knew I didn’t lose it! Leor, would you be so kind as to pay the gentleman?”

“How did it end up like this..?” complains Leor as he shakes his head. He shuffles towards Ceri and sticks his hand into her cloak, digging around.

Blood rushes to Ceri’s cheeks and her body curves back as a natural reaction. “W-what are you doing!?”

“What do you mean? I’m looking for my pouch of gold. It’s in my cloak.”

“Y-yeah, but you don’t just dig into a woman’s clothes without telling them!”

“Okay, okay. Stop making a fuss before I accidentally graze something… Ah, there it is!” Leor pulls out his pouch of gold and shakes the gold coins onto the countertop. Ceri clamps down on her cloak to cover herself.

The shop owner doesn’t even count the coins. He slides them into his pocket. “Thank you for your patronage, Lord Alden. Feel free to stop by anytime!” He hands Leor his gift that he bought himself and ushers them out of the store by holding the door wide open.

“Of course! Thanks for having us! Don’t worry, Leor. We’ll pay you back when we get to the church!”

“Who said we were going!?”

“Oh! Oh! I want to meet Lord Alden’s friend!”

The owner clicks his tongue in anger and slams the door with all his might as he watches the trio fade into the sea of travelers. The door doesn’t close all the way. In fact, it bounces back open. The owner turns around to find a man standing at his doorway. A malicious smile looms on his face.

“Good day, sir. Would you mind telling me about those three customers just now?”