"This is a small gift from the next one."
The moment Maid Miss Eleanor heard the shopkeeper say this, her expression changed slightly. Clearly, she knew exactly what he meant by "the next one."
It meant that even the owner of the omnipotent shop would eventually be replaced—and that this replacement had already appeared in the future! Now, the future shopkeeper had used some method to send the entire message into the hands of the current one!
"The future shopkeeper!"
This perfectly explained why Nero, who was also a Black Soul Envoy, had not been registered, and why her life lamp had not been stored in the Ark... Because Nero was a Black Soul Envoy from the future as well!
"I know someone who's a lot like you. She's a Maid Miss too!"
Suddenly, Nero's former words surfaced in Eleanor's mind, sending her into deep thought. In the future, perhaps a new Maid would appear... and this Maid would take her place, managing the shop's Black Souls.
Now, when she looked at Nero again, there was something else in her eyes. That gaze made Nero frown instinctively, though she hid it well... At least, she thought she hadn't been noticed.
"I wonder what this gift from the future shopkeeper actually is," Eleanor suddenly asked in a low voice.
The current shopkeeper fell silent in thought. After a while, he said calmly, "It's actually nothing much. He was simply greeting me and telling me that I'll definitely leave the shop in the future."
"Definitely?"
Eleanor froze slightly... Perhaps the shopkeeper already had the idea of leaving the shop? But when had this idea first appeared?
Eleanor did not know much about this. Although she had been the shop's Maid for some time, the shopkeeper had been in the shop even longer