The housewives of the Chand family went about their regular daily routine of their household chores while also looking after children from the different wives of the same husband. Emilia and Ondine focused on cleaning the dishes and checked their supplies, Sumara would sweep the kitchen floor off the small bits and pieces of the vegetables that fell during cooking. Meanwhile, Tetra and Silvera kept themselves upstairs in their room and played with the nine kids to keep them company and to look after them.

The kids played around happily with the numerous toys present in the room, allowing them to pick some and play with it. Sometimes, however, they would become entangled with each other and begin crying while attempting to take the other baby’s toy, causing that baby to cry and start a fight.

“Woah there!” Silvera said, looking surprised as she and Tetra pulled the two babies away from each other.

They continued to wail loudly while waving their small hands towards the other kid as if wanting to hit them more. As a chain reaction, the rest of the babies began to cry earnestly, making the room become chaotic. The only male baby of the family was the only one that appeared to be calm and seemed to keep his distance to the rest of his family members.

“Dear me!” Tetra exclaimed, looking amazed. “This is quite the rukus!” Then, in a soothing voice, she spoke to them all by saying, “Alright! Calm down, everyone. Calming Aura.”

She said the last two words while aiming her right hand in front of her, causing the spell to immediately take effect. A large magic circle appeared above them all and a sense of calm started to present itself in the room. This quickly made the wailing children to go quiet and look around in confusion, clearly wondering what was happening out of curiosity.

“That was quick thinking of you, Tetra,” complemented Silvera, smiling at her as she allowed the children she was holding to the floor.

Tetra shrugged her shoulders and said, “It’s convenient we have magic to simplify matters like this, but I do have to wonder how we would’ve managed it in the past.”

“Well… For one thing, we didn’t live long enough to find out,” replied Silvera and laughed heartily. Then she looked warmly at the children and said, “but I am glad I got the chance this time around. It’s a… wonderous feeling.”

“Yes. It certainly is,” agreed Tetra, possessing an equally warm expression on her face as she watched the children get back to playing with the toys.

In the meantime, downstairs in the kitchen, Emilia and Ondine were checking through their supplies while Sumara was off in another room sweeping the floor to clear away the dust. Even when Ondine offered her help, Sumara refused it firmly while stating that she wanted to feel the satisfaction of doing that much at least.

“Looks like we’re down to the last count again,” said Ondine finally, sighing deeply after they finished checking their rations.

“Yes. They sure are depleting rapidly every week,” admitted Emilia with a smile. “One week’s worth of supplies is only lasting for five days.”

“That’s too short,” commented Ondine, breathing heavily. “Are we not stocking up on enough supplies, or is our food being—?”

“Nope. Nope. It’s not what you think,” said Emilia quickly, ruling over Ondine’s sentence in a firm voice. “There’s no way burglars would break into our household, and there’s no one in this house that greedily eat more than their share.”

“True,” admitted Ondine with a nod of her head. “Then it boils down to us not stocking up on enough food that lasts for a week.”

“It’s only to be expected since our family members increased,” said Emilia cheerfully, rising to her feet and going out of the kitchen. “Well, it’s probably a good idea to go out today and restock.”

“Want me to come along?” Ondine asked, but Emilia shook her head.

“No. Help the others around the house. You could still make some sweets with the remainder of our rations for us to eat later,” said Emilia with a smile. When Ondine was about to protest, Emilia placed a hand on her shoulder and said, “Each of us have different responsibilities in this household, so let’s not overburden ourselves, okay? You help here, and I’ll take care of this.”

Ondine looked unconvinced, but after seeing Emilia continue to smile sweetly at her, she dropped all resistance and said, “Alright.”

***

A while later, Emilia changed into her travelling clothes and bid her goodbye to the rest before heading out of the house. As she came out, the wind bellowed in her direction, and she smiled at the pleasant smell that drifted along with the wind.

Towards the right, she saw the massive figure of the Spirit Turtle lying down and resting peacefully. As if sensing that it was being stared at, the entity slowly opened its huge eyes and peered down at the tiny form of the girl standing there.

“Good morning!” Emilia said loudly and waved cheerfully at it.

In response, the Spirit Turtle opened its gigantic mouth and roared, “GGGRRAAAAAAAAA!!!”

“Hello, Emilia,” said a voice inside of her mind.

Feeling a little surprised, she instantly recognized the owner of the voice just as the speaker flew from the sky and landed gently in front of her. The person was none other than Amaranda Lefrity, the Magic Titan. She had her eyes closed and wore a smile on her face as she faced Emilia while holding a staff with her right hand.

“How are you, Ama?” Emilia asked, using the nickname over the long name as preferred by the Magic Titan.

“Good. Are you going somewhere?” Amaranda asked telepathically out of curiosity.

“Yes. Got to resupply our food stock since we’re running low.”

“Already? It’s only been four or five days since you last restocked!” The Magic Titan asked, looking surprised.

“Yeah, well, there are a lot of stomachs to feed,” said Emilia, thinking about the children playing with Tetra and Silvera.

Amaranda, on the other hand, took it as something else and asked, “Um, I’m sorry if our stay is causing you inconvenience. I think it’s better we leave and—!”

“Hey!” Emilia said in a sharp voice, cutting across the Magic Titan’s words and surprising her. “It’s fine, and I wasn’t referring to you. We have children, and we had been having guests visit us from time to time, so it’s only natural for our supply to be depleted so quickly.” When Amaranda continued to appear bothered by it, Emilia decided to change the subject by asking, “By the way, Ama, where’s Lagron? I haven’t seen him recently.”

“He’s visiting the Dragon Continent. Surely to lecture them on their weakened state and preparing to have them undergo training to become stronger,” replied Amaranda telepathically, forming a wry smile on her face.

“That’s going to be tough handling his training,” stated Emilia, to which Amaranda nodded in agreement. “Well, I’ll see you later.”

As she turned around to activate her flying magic, Amaranda telepathically asked from behind, “Would you mind if I tagged along?” As Emilia turned to face her, the Magic Titan continued to ask, “I was just thinking that it’s been a while since I visited the capital, or met outsiders, and I also thought that I might be able to help you carry your stuff.”

Emilia found her words to be funny and laughed, confusing Amaranda in the process.

“I’m not carrying a shopping bag around, you know? I have my husband’s Item Box, where I’ll be storing all the food as I travel,” she explained, and Amaranda nodded in understanding.

“I see. I was going to offer you some assistance with my Magic Storage ability,” she said a little wistfully.

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Emilia smiled at her and said, “It’s okay, but you are welcome to join me, although, a change of clothes is probably a good thing for you.”

“Why? Do I look bad?” Amaranda asked, turning around in a circle on the spot in confusion despite not being able to see. Sensing the doubt from Emilia, she conceded and said telepathically, “Very well. Wait just a second please.”

She instantly activated her magic and tapped the ground once with her staff while thinking, “Apparels Shift.”

Her entire body got covered in a bright glowing light and it lasted for a few seconds before it dimmed and disappeared. Emilia had to cover her eyes at the sudden brightness, and when the light dimmed, she uncovered her eyes to look amazed. The Magic Titan had switched out her armored clothing to wear a shirt and jeans, which were acceptable in the human community.

“Is this acceptable?” She asked, and Emilia replied with, “Yes! You look good.”

“Thank you,” replied Amaranda with a smile. “Now, allow me to teleport us to the capital.”

“Oh. There’s no need for you to trouble yourself over this,” said Emilia courteously, but the Magic Titan shook her head.

 “No. It’s the fastest way to travel, and won’t waste our energies. If you’re worried about me, then I would like to remind you of the group I belong to,” stated Amaranda in a firm voice.

She has indirectly indicated her partnership in the world renown group known as the Nine Pillars of Power that consists of nine strongest warriors from around the world. Emilia smiled and accepted her proposal, feeling a slight relief within at the fact that she did not need to go shopping alone despite refusing Ondine’s proposal earlier.

Amaranda waved her staff and they were surrounded by a ball of light before they vanished from the spot. In the next moment, they reappeared standing outside the entrance leading into the capital of Floria Kingdom. Together, they approached the guards at the gates and greeted them, who greeted in returned and allowed them to enter the capital.

The roads were bustling with people going about their daily business, chatting happily and making smart remarks to one another. It was nothing like the time when everyone was shrouded with despair with a sense of hopelessness due to the Phoenix Calamity War. Even the reconstruction towards the destroyed buildings were finished thanks to the combined efforts of the Phoenix Clan and the citizens of the Floria Kingdom, creating a peaceful environment to live in once again.

Emilia liked this cheerful and happy atmosphere in comparison to the sadness that surrounded it not too long ago, making her feel a sense of satisfaction with the amount that they gained and lost from the war. It made her feel proud of the brave warriors that laid down their lives for this peace, and felt a loving warmth for her husband that was unfortunately not there with them to witness this splendid sight.

“Everyone appears to be happy, and everything seems to be peaceful,” commented Amaranda, speaking only into Emilia’s mind as she suspected everyone will become startled by suddenly hearing a voice in their heads.

“Yeah. I like it,” agreed Emilia with a smile on her face.

They stood there for a few seconds in silence before Emilia shifted her attention to the things she must buy to sustain the household. As such, she first headed off towards the market where all the vegetables and the necessary food items are sold, closely followed behind by Amaranda. Together, they passed by the happily chatting crowds and entered into the market, where people were haggling the money over the counters.

To Emilia, who was once a slave and had to run errands around for the people that were previously her owners, she knew her way around the market. For Amaranda, however, it was an entirely alien place to be in and felt crowded with so many people going back and forth, either carrying food along or using their Item Boxes to store them inside. The Magic Titan also found it strange of how the people haggle the price of something like the fruits and vegetables.

“Isn’t it counterproductive for them to haggle like this?” Amarand asked Emilia telepathically in a curious voice.

“Maybe, but people still do it anyway,” replied Emilia as she passed between the people while glancing at the various fruits and vegetables she needed. “They haggle because the people know the seller is selling their goods at a higher price than which they received from the supplier and that’s why they haggle to lower its cost to a reasonable rate.”

“Wow. I don’t have confidence in my ability to do the same,” admitted the Magic Titan, causing Emilia to chuckle with laughter.

“Though that’s surprising to hear, it’s hard to expect you to be good at everything,” stated Emilia in an understanding voice.

Amaranda nodded silently in agreement, feeling thankful for the understanding nature of Lakshman’s wife. She watched silently from behind as Emilia passed between crowds and approached different counters selling either fruits, or vegetables, or both. The people readily recognized Emilia, smiled and asked her how she was, and how the rest of her family were doing. Amaranda was amazed by the recognition that she held in the community as it appeared that everyone there knew who she was and were treating her with great respect.

She watched Emilia in silence as the younger girl bought the ingredients in large quantities, becoming surprised each time that Emilia did not haggle the selling price. The Magic Titan suspected that the salespeople were selling at a higher price rate than normal considering the people that came after them bought at a lower cost.

Amaranda did not say anything, watching silently as Emilia went on her way buying food, storing it in the Item Box, and paying the necessary amount for it. Once Emilia bought everything she needed, they headed out of the market and that was when the Magic Titan finally brought up the topic.

“I didn’t see you haggle even once in the market. Why?” She asked her telepathically in a curious voice. “Is it because you didn’t know how to haggle or you didn’t mind the price?”

“I didn’t mind it,” began Emilia with a small smile on her face, “because I’m wealthy and these people need to live at least. That’s the downside of haggling, because you’re taking away their chance at survival by lowering the price and slimming down their chances of saving money.”

“But, they were clearly making you pay a far greater amount than what the others were paying,” stated Amaranda telepathically, exhibiting a hint of anger in her voice.

Emilia stopped and turned to look at her before saying, “And what’s wrong with that?”

“Sorry?”

“I’m asking what’s wrong with them putting a higher price than normal only for me?” Emilia asked in a serious voice that startled the Magic Titan. Seeing her reaction, Emilia sighed to relax and smiled again as she continued to say, “I’m wealthier than them, Ama. Compared to their meager income as adventurers, farmers, and soldiers, our family is quite wealthy considering Venezuela is the queen and my husband being the king.

It’s wrong to expect us to pay the same price as the others because our statures are completely different. Lucky also told me to not worry about the price and, except when its ridiculously high, pay the amount they state because we have income that is greater than everyone else’s.”

Amaranda appeared as though she was struggling for a few seconds before she lowered her shoulders and telepathically said, “I don’t understand. Isn’t it only fair that you pay the same price as the rest? That’s what I expected.”

“It’s narrow minded, and that’s why the rich will become richer, and the poor will become poorer,” replied Emilia, wearing a look of sadness on her face. “The current system is inefficient, built by the strong to get richer while not thinking about their customers. It’s all an act, nothing more than a façade that hides their hidden agenda, and people are dumb to follow it blindly because they are narrow minded.”

She turned around and faced the Amaranda before saying, “Life as a slave taught me that much at least, Ama, but it’s unacceptable. Things need to change for the better, but… I don’t know how… I just don’t know how to improve it.”

The Magic Titan could not see her face, but could sense the pain in her voice and said telepathically, “While I don’t fully understand the problem with the current system, if you believe things need to change, I believe you are right. You have my vote of confidence, Emilia. I believe in your ability to discern the truth and respect your honestly. I’m sure Lakshman will understand your feelings and, maybe, have an idea on how to improve it.”

She felt unrelated to this situation, but she did not like seeing a member of the Lakshman’s family feeling so frustrated. So, even though she was unsure of how much weight her words carried, she still spoke in order to reassure her. It was the best that the Magic Titan could do at that time for Emilia, whom she considered as a friend.

 “Thank you, Ama,” replied Emilia, turning around again and smiling contentedly at her. “I hope you’re right because things are desperate and must improve for the better.”

“Time will tell,” replied Amaranda, to which Emilia nodded in agreement while letting out a light chuckle.

Thus, the two of them continued to walk along the road, with Emilia heading towards the shops to buy the necessary supplies while Amaranda tailed behind with interest.

***

Somewhere in the center of the Floria Kingdom’s castle, there was a large building that was the lockdown for all the criminals captured or convicted for wrong doing. On that day, a large group of people had gathered outside the entrance and were silently waiting for a certain someone to walk out. This person was someone that had been held inside these bars for over fourteen years and was going to be released on that day.

“Hey, is the boss coming or not?” One of the men from the crowd asked in general.

“He will. Just you wait!” Another replied firmly, focusing all of his attention on the doors that they expected the man to walk out from.

Several seconds passed by in silence and the regular citizens were quickly leaving the site. The guards, on the other hand, were relaxed and appeared to be casual as they manned their posts without a single worry. This behavior of arrogance angered the people, but they knew showing it would only cause trouble towards their leader and this made them fear the retribution they would face for their misconduct at his hands.

A few minutes later, a distinct sound of footsteps was heard and it kept getting louder and louder until it stopped right on the other side of the door. A moment later, the door swung opened to show a guard that had opened it before he stepped aside to allow the man behind him to walk out.

The gathered people were straining to get a better look at him, but the man was hidden by the shadows cast from the guards that surrounded him. He appeared to speak to each of them briefly before slowly step out of the door and straighten up to face his men, who all had a collective intake of breath in amazement.

The stranger was tall, appearing to be quite strong, but slender at the same time. He had grown a long mustache and beard that hid half of his face, but his eyes were narrow and sharp, taking in everything from his surroundings to the people that were there.

“I’m back,” Jagav Magrad said in a slow deep icy voice that could cause anyone that looked at him to flinch with fright.