"That's alright. I have my pen here."

Yuder produced a pen from his pocket. At that moment, the official's eyes twitched nervously.

'What's that?'

Simultaneously, the mage who sneakily glanced at the yellow magic stone brooch, which had subtly revealed itself from the flipped edge of Yuder's coat, widened his eyes slightly in recognition.

'That brooch, adorned with a magic stone and inscriptions... Could it be?'

The merchant, too, was not merely a passive observer. He scrutinized the gloves on Yuder's pen-holding hand with a suspicious gaze, blinking rapidly.

'I didn't notice before... but those gloves, now that I see them...?'

Silence fell.

'It's as if I can hear their thoughts rolling in their eyes.'

Yuder pretended not to notice the three onlookers who had begun to scrutinize their surroundings with renewed interest, focusing instead on documenting their statements on paper.

Writing was merely a tool for him. The true spectacle lay in the attention these three rascals directed towards other aspects of the scene. If they were causing a stir here, they must be quite greedy. Yet, this also implied their insignificance within their respective groups.

Why would those with power, skill, and connections bother coming here? It's the ones without prospects of success who resort to such measures.

Such individuals often fail to see the bigger picture, getting buried in short-term gains and obsessively clinging to connections, all the while forsaking any semblance of loyalty or honor.

Initially, when they followed him here, they were almost out of their minds. But sitting quietly in this space, anyone would regain their composure.

And so, they began to notice things previously overlooked.

Yuder had brought two items with him, deliberately selected before leaving the capital: a magic pen exclusively used by High Minister Hebreyina Reiflang, and a magic stone brooch sent from the Western Mage Union.

The High Minister's magic pen, which could turn water into ink, was custom-made, with the High Minister's name and family crest prominently engraved. Though the High Minister's position wasn't remarkably powerful, Hebreyina Reiflang herself hailed from a prestigious noble family.

Her lack of immense power was only relative to the four great dukedoms; to a lowly 7th-rank official from the south, she was an unreachable figure of authority.

The 7th-rank official, upon seeing Yuder Aile effortlessly using a pen signifying deep personal ties with the High Minister, must have thought:

'I've never heard of the High Minister having a personal connection with a Cavalry member... Was the cooperation directive more than just a routine recommendation? Could it be...'

'If I make a bad impression here, will my name reach the High Minister directly?'

Such thoughts were inevitable.

'The 3rd-rank official he mentioned earlier must be his direct backers, probably from the noble faction. But here, we have the High Minister.'

To the officials, the high minister was the highest authority. Desiring to impress a 3rd-rank official and inadvertently inciting the high minister's wrath, leading to a sudden loss of livelihood, was not an experience they would welcome.

'Even if he does, there's no belief that his backer will take responsibility for the aftermath.'

In the silence, a bead of sweat formed on the forehead of the 7th-rank official.

At the same moment, the mage harbored a thought similar yet distinct from the official's.

'I'm not mistaken. That's undoubtedly the insignia of the Western Mage Union, the talk of recent times. And that embedded yellow magic stone, an unseen top-quality product... Could it possibly be from the highly-valued Great Sarain Forest Mine? And if they've even engraved magic onto it...!'

The Southern Sapphire Mage Union, where he hailed from, differed greatly from the research-focused Western Mage Union. To put it kindly, it was a place of ancient tradition; alternatively, it had long been engrossed in serving nobility with magic tools rather than pursuing magic research.

The majority of its mages had long given up on advancing in the Pearl Tower, returning to their roots due to their lack of magic talents. Even though they could have dedicated themselves to research despite lacking magic aptitude, the Sapphire Mage Union did not take much pleasure in that either.

Effectively, they were more akin to merchants who enjoyed crafting magic tools for profit than true mages. Hence, they were quick to recognize the latest and finest magic tools, always envying other mages who gained honor through proper research.

The Sapphire Mage Union might have had influence locally, but among mages, they had little to boast about. In contrast, the Western Mage Union had recently made a name across the continent by successfully developing a grand magic spell, a feat not attempted for centuries. Their years of arduous research in the Great Sarain Forest, leading to the discovery of the continent's largest magic stone mine, was another testament to their accomplishments.

To the mages of that time, they were adventurers who had struck a hidden gold mine.

The mage recalled the brooch adorned with the bold emblem of the Western Mage Union.

Typically, a mage wouldn't bestow such a precious and painstakingly crafted item on an Awakener. However, if that man was indeed 'Yuder Aile', then it made sense that the Western Mage Union would gift it to him.

'If he's the Yuder Aile of the great 'Yuder No. 1' magic spell announced by the Western Mage Union, then it's only natural they'd spare no expense...!'

It was a monumental magic spell that he couldn't dream of creating even in a lifetime. If the person who knew all about that magic, which every mage wondered about, was truly here, it was an astounding revelation.

For the first time in a long while, the mage felt the blood of a mage boiling within him. He was irresistibly eager to ask Yuder about the brooch, the magic stone, and anything regarding the 'Yuder No. 1' of the Western Mage Union.

Yet, Yuder, unmoved by the mage's eager gaze, continued to silently jot down his earlier words on paper. It was then that the mage realized anew the demands he had made as a representative of the Sapphire Mage Union were likely unwelcome from Yuder Aile and the Cavalry's standpoint.

'Ah, that's right. Damn! If I had known someone like him would be here, I wouldn't have spoken so harshly earlier... Now, our union's image must be tarnished. How do I handle this?'

While the mage jittered his knee nervously, the third and last protester from the trading house was peeling the skin off his dry lips for a slightly different reason than the previous two.

'Those guys... what are they? How can they nonchalantly wear such incredible items, covered in dirt as if they're nothing!'

It all began with the gloves Yuder was wearing. The merchant was initially astonished by the sophisticated magic pen that required no ink, but upon closer inspection, he realized that the black gloves adorning Yuder's pen-holding hand were an even more luxurious product.

Curious, they peered under the table, only to find that the neatly placed shoes under Yuder's chair were crafted from a more expensive and inconspicuous leather than the gloves. However, what truly shocked the merchant was something else.

At first barely noticeable due to their unassuming appearance, the shoes of the man seated next to Yuder were even more luxurious than Yuder's own. The merchant thought he was mistaken, but he wasn't. Raising his head to scrutinize the man's clothing, he started noticing incredible items.

Leather treated with hard-to-find special drugs and liquids. An old-looking but remarkably clean and unraveled special fabric. Small decorations clearly crafted from numerous painstakingly cut and polished precious materials and magic stones.

To the untrained eye, these items might appear as mere ordinary garb that any mercenary or traveler could wear. However, the merchant, who had spent his life in Charloin, a place where rare items from across the continent passed through, could not overlook their true worth.

As the merchant assessed the value of each item the man wore, he soon realized that attempting to calculate their collective worth was futile, a realization that brought with it a dizzying sense of awe.

'How can one person possibly wear all these items? And why am I only realizing this now?'