I'm never coming back...
Counting the few coins left in his wallet, Chuan Wenwu walked out of the outrageously expensive Magic Shop, his heart aching.
"Hero... are we... out of money?" Raphtalia asked softly, worried.
Chuan Wenwu's expression stiffened, but he immediately returned to his usual cheerful self. He smiled and patted Raphtalia's head, shaking his head as he said, "Yep, we're broke. At most, we could only buy a few more poor kids like you, Talia."
"Urk!"
Raphtalia froze at Chuan Wenwu's choice of example, but she quickly caught on. Her cheeks puffed out, and she stared at him with wide, round eyes. The Hero was so mean! She'd glare at him!
"Haha, when I say we don't have much money, that's only compared to when we were rolling in it. We still have more than enough for food and lodging. I thought the money we made from a whole week of hunting monsters and brewing potions would last us a good while, though. Who knew it would disappear so fast? Just one day, and we're scraping the bottom again... We've still got a long way to go before we're financially free!"
Chuan Wenwu ruffled Raphtalia's hair and stretched. "Talia, can you read?"
"Um... yes, Mom taught me a little before, but I don't know many words..." Raphtalia said, lowering her head.
"So you're illiterate too?" Chuan Wenwu laughed heartily and gently patted Talia's hunched back. "Stand up straight! What's with that defeated look? Not knowing how to read isn't anything to be ashamed of. Bruce and I can't read either, can we? Bruce even still struggles to get his words out. Since we're all beginners, let's work hard and learn together. We'll learn to read, learn magic spell runes, and then learn magic."
"Talia, you're going to be