Only children choose

"That driver was completely out of line. He actually called me fat and said I had to pay extra. Tell me, am I really that fat? Would pulling a few dozen extra pounds kill his horse?

Once I advance, I'm definitely learning flight or teleportation spells first. I'm never riding in his lousy carriage again."

Even after getting out of the carriage, Skord was still fuming, grumbling to Roland and the others.

But no one paid him any attention. They were all looking ahead.

The Hilt Consortium's headquarters stood in a bustling part of Rune City's shopping district. Over a dozen stories tall—with normal ceiling heights, while one floor of a Mage Tower equaled three ordinary floors—it looked grand and imposing in this world of Sword and Magic.

Its overall shape resembled stacks of gold coins, but rather than a dull, single cylinder, it took the unusual form of three overlapping stacks. These supposedly symbolized the three major shareholders who had founded the Hilt Consortium. Its outer walls were built from smooth marble, which looked gilded in the sunset glow, while the enormous emblem of three intersecting gold coins on its front wall added to its radiant splendor.

In front of the building lay a moderately sized plaza. An exquisite fountain stood at its center, topped by a statue of the Goddess of Fortune.

Dressed in magnificent robes and wearing a crown, the goddess held an earthenware jar, looking elegant and dignified. She smiled as she tipped the jar, pouring out a gentle stream of water that symbolized an endless flow of wealth.

The water flowed into a basin shaped like a treasure bowl below. Its rim was inlaid with colorful glass that resembled gemstones, likewise taking on a splendid gilded hue in the sunset glow.

Polina wore white, her clothes tinted by the evening light, which made her figure look even more noble and elegant. Standing near the statue of the Goddess of Fortune, she could almost have been another goddess of art sculpted from gold.

Passersby stopped of their own accord and turned to look.

They gazed at Polina as though captivated by her beauty. The confident radiance she exuded, complementing the golden evening light, seemed to blend into her surroundings.

Beside her, what appeared to be the professional team accompanying her was busily unloading things from the carriage.

Among the bags and bundles, many were pieces of luggage, though some seemed to contain Alchemy Items and magical equipment.

"Are they moving house?" Skord quipped. "My family doesn't bring this much stuff even when we go hunting."

"Polina is a star. Isn't it perfectly normal for her to travel with a makeup team, a filming crew, and so on? I'm guessing those wrapped-up things are Magic Cameras, while the maids and servants are carrying the rest of her luggage."

"You certainly know a lot, Roland."

"Of course."

Just then, Sophia stepped down as well and immediately spotted Froya, Roland, and the others.

She looked mildly surprised. "What are they doing here?"

"They probably came to look around the Hilt Building. Didn't we do the same at first?" Polina said mildly.

As they spoke, Froya, Roland, and the others approached.

"Froya, have you finally come to your senses? Well, that's a good thing. Broaden your horizons a little, and you'll find the motivation to accumulate wealth and climb higher." Sophia smiled at them, a hint of mockery in her voice.

"What do you mean?" Froya asked with a frown.

"Aren't you here to look around? Surely you weren't invited here as honored guests and to shoot a commercial, like we were?" Sophia said.

"This is a commercial contract worth over ten thousand gold coins. Back at the Mage Tower, we saw plenty of funding too, but all of it went toward experiments. The bonuses that actually ended up in our pockets were just a pitiful few dozen or hundred silver coins each time."

"Sophia, is money all you care about now? That's truly disappointing," Froya said sadly.

"Of course money isn't all I care about. There's also status, standing, honor, fame, health, beauty, longevity... even friendship!" Sophia said calmly.

"Only children choose. Adults want it all," Roland summed up for her.

"This young junior of yours has some insight. That's more or less it. We only live once. If we don't pursue these wonderful things, what meaning does life have?"

"Quite an ambitious wish list." Roland couldn't help sighing.

Froya frowned at Sophia, her expression conflicted.

Sophia looked calmly back at Froya, her face utterly unruffled.

"If you don't mind, you can come inside with us. Though Lord Ovesto's name carries a great deal of weight, an important ceremony is being held here today, and security has been tightened because of our arrival. I'm afraid they won't readily admit outsiders."

Polina broke the deadlock with a charming smile.

"There's no need to pretend to be nice. We have an appointment here too. We can go in ourselves."

Froya refused without hesitation.

"Who is your appointment with? Why not tell us, so we can see who you know?"

A faintly mocking look appeared on Sophia's face.

"We can just have Rick come over when the time comes," Roland said helplessly.

In truth, they had no appointment with anyone. They had come on a whim. Thinking about it now, they had indeed been a little rash. They might not even get through the front door.

"Hehehe..." Sophia covered her mouth and laughed as though she had heard a joke. "We have real business to attend to, so we won't keep you company. Froya, take good care of your little friends and have fun."

"We'll go on ahead."

The smile on Polina's face had not changed once from beginning to end. Holding the edge of her skirt, she bent her knees slightly in an elegant curtsy, then turned and walked toward the building.

Someone inside had seen what was happening outside and had already notified the senior staff on duty.

A senior manager from the Hilt Company came out to welcome them.

That woman! Watching Sophia hurry after Polina and chat merrily with the Hilt Company's senior manager and the others, Froya seethed inwardly.

Just then, on the street behind them, Rick arrived at the company to discuss a business partnership. He had just stepped out of his carriage when he spotted Roland.

Delighted, he handed his walking stick to an attendant and approached with an agility and speed rarely seen in a man of his size. "Mr. Roland, what brings you here?"

"We decided to drop by for a look around. I hope we're welcome, Mr. Rick?" Roland said with a smile.

"How could you not be? I couldn't ask for anything better!" Rick laughed heartily, clasped Roland's right hand in both of his own, and shook it up and down.

Meanwhile, Sophia and Polina were about to enter when the senior manager suddenly stopped them and quietly said, "Mr. Rick is here."

Sophia and Polina turned to look, only to see Rick walking toward them deferentially at the side of Roland and his companions. Shock spread across their faces, impossible to hide.