In front of the Mercurius is a queue line so long it gone out to the next street. The normal part of the shop which sell other MAM is still open but it’s clear that everyone’s goal today is to buy this special edition necklace.

The security guard trying to maintain a queue order as best as they could but they’re just simply too many people to handle. One of the goats accidentally push an ant in front of her out but won’t let him get back in so they argue and about to start a fight.

"Take care of this" Sagax responded quickly by throwing a bag of paper and coin at Eirian and went over to the ant and goat.

Surprised, Eirian almost flop but Calamity catch both Eirian and bag by the neck

“Thank” Eirian feels a little embarrassed before trying to stand up when a thud sound was heard.

Sagax just threw a goat that was refused to listen to reason out and everyone in the queue immediately started to behave. The goat turn back want to argue but when Sagax showed his teeth she just walks away.

“I’m guess I better go get in line now before the necklace sold out for real this time.” Biscuit shakes a little.

“Why do we have to get in line when we have an employee of Mercurius right here” Amy looks at Eirian.

“Err” Eirian look at the rows and rows of people “I don’t think it’s a good thing to snatch through queue like this. It’s not honest.”

“Come on, just this once for a friend” Amy pulls Biscuit closer.

“Principle and not principle if you pick and choose when to apply.” Eirian refuse to break the rule even for this “Please go wait for me in queue first. I'll check if we have enough necklace left.”

Amy makes a displease sound but go to the back of line with everyone while Eirian follow Sagax inside the store. The main counter in fill with people buying the necklace so they both walk around and went in the back.

At first Eirian can’t even see Bill since he is surround by a pile of paper and necklace that yet to be sealed with glyph and core. Two more staff sit nearby making more necklaces part.

“Oh thank god, Mr.Bernays sent you here to help me right Eirian?” said Bill in sweat.

“Sorry Bill, Bernays said he already made more than enough core and I don’t know how to assemble a MAM.”

“Oh...” Bill’s hand still moving to make a necklaces but his eyes already go blank.

“I’m actually want you to help me check something through” Eirian looks at Bill empty eyes.

“course of.”

“...Biscuit want to buy a necklace but she is waiting in line. How much necklace do you think we have left before run out.”

“let’s see 40+55=32 wait...” Bill tries to recover before realize “We can just made one for Biscuit right now”

“Yeah but that wouldn’t be fair to other customer.”

“It’s just one necklace. Wouldn’t take long at all, this thing is very simple and cheap. One time use for today's festival. Here just take this one” Bill picks a necklace on another table and throws at Eirian.

“No no we can’t do this Bill.” Eirian catches the necklace but place it back on table.

Bill is too dizzy to answer when Sagax speak up “You want this necklace?”

Sagax hold a necklace in his hand “Bernays gave this one to me so I can demonstrate how it would look at our booth. Core magic already runout though.”

“That great I can refill its magic later. Can you please sell it to me Mr. Sagax?”

“I was going to just throw it down a garbage right there” Sagax point at the nearby bin and smiles, something he rarely does “but now if you want this then you’re going to give something for me in exchange.”

Sagax smile quickly fade when he realizes he’s picking up Bernays habit. If it were him before meeting Bernays, he would have never thought of an exploit for trinket like this.

Eirian step back a little “What do you want sir?”

“It’s been so dull since I came to this city. Stand around doing nothing all day.” He spins necklace around “Go get that friend of your—Calamity to come fight me in the next alley. You and other friends can join too. I’ll give this necklace for free if any of you can land one good hit on me.”

“Don’t you have to guard the store?”

“Bernays is busy with paper work up stair he won’t noticed and he is safe here with other guard so I don’t have to worry about breaking contact.”

Eirian trying to think of what to do but since he has no other option he told his friend outside what happen.

“Can you go fight him with me Calamity?”

“Is that an order?” Calamity looks indifferent but at least he doesn’t seem to be irritate.

“Well no, it’s a request.”

“Then I don’t want to fight him.”

Eirian looks at Biscuit and a row of people. There is no telling if she will get a necklace even if she waits in line. The amount of material left is about the same as number of queues “...if I order, you will go?”

Guilt creeps into Eirian as he utters the last word.

“You or Amy will soon be our team leader. I will follow your order. If Amy agrees as well.”

“Then go beat him and get that necklace that an order” Amy speaks without hesitation and Calamity immediately steps out of the line to be with Eirian.

“Alright then, Biscuit you stay in the queue in case we lose. Who else want to help us go take a chance at Mr. Sagax.” Eirian hoping that with more people they would be more likely to land a hit.

“I’ll go. I guess Bill is busy?” Josh step out of the line. He wasn’t interested in the necklace from the start but Eirian could use his help.

“He is occupied at the moment.”

“I am going to wait in line alone?” Biscuit gets anxious at the idea of being alone in such a dense crowd.

“Don’t worry I’ll be here. I want to buy that necklace now too.” with Amy word Biscuit seem more composed.

“Wish us luck.”

“Give that old wolf a good punch for me” Amy shouted.

Some confused wolves look her way but she ignores them.

The alley Sagax pick is not far and big enough for the three of them to walk in at the same time. It’s used for garbage dump so there aren’t any people walking by. Sagax shows off the necklace before put it in his pocket and walked to face three children, his eye look down at Calamity examine everything. Eirian wonder if Sagax trying to read Calamity thought.

‘It’s simply impossible to guess what Calamity is thinking.’

Calamity on the other hand doesn’t seem to be worry at the bigger wolf at all.

‘So fearless. How can I be fearless like that? Is he analysis Sagax right now? Plan an attack?’

“The rule for our fight is simple. You just have to give a good hit on my head or body, in the front or back is fine. If I am satisfy I’ll give you the necklace. You have ten minutes. Oh and you are not allow to use magic since this is a martial fight.”

“O..”

“Hold on” Josh interrupt “How much force is a good hit? Who going to be the judge of that.”

“I am of course.”

“Well that doesn’t seem very fair though since you can just say we didn’t hit you hard enough even if one of us get a solid hit on your face” Josh emphasizes on the word face.

"Oh, we got quite a bold one here huh.” Sagax want to laugh at Josh attempt to provoke him. Pretty standard before a fight for him really but he surprises this young crow know such tactic. Still, he doesn’t like his integrity being question so he’ll let the crow win on this one “Very well, I’ll let you guy win even if one of your fingers just barely tap me on my body how about that”

“Deal” Josh gives a nod to Eirian and Calamity.

‘Nice one Josh’

“Let me go alone first” Calamity steps up and do a fighting stand in front of Sagax.

With time limit it is best they all go at once but Eirian still feel a little guilty for forcing Calamity to fight so he lets him do as he wish.

Sagax doesn’t react and stands carefree. Calamity give a right punch first but Sagax just move his head out out the way. Calamity move his hand to follow but Sagax block and hit Calamity arm and chest so he dodge back.

“Are you alright”

“I’m fine. Can barely see his movement. We need to attack together.”

All three of them move up, Eirian tell Josh to attack him from the back so he fly up over Sagax. Calamity use the moment Sagax glance up to punch but Sagax just catch it with one hand. Eirian punchs as hard as he can but Sagax grab his wrist and pull him forward, made him fall to the ground and turn spin kick Josh that just land.

Calamity doesn’t stop attack but all his punch and kick are either miss or block by Sagax. Eirian and Josh get up to try again but Sagax kick both of them in the leg and so they fall again.

“This is getting boring kid” Sagax direct at Calamity “That friend of your is going to be so disappoint at her puny friend.”

Calamity get a claw out but Sagax grab his wrist and twist it “No claw for you.”

Calamity jolted and collected his claw so Sagax let him go. With three of them stand together once more Eirian shout to make all three attack simultaneously.

Josh spans his wing as big as he can to distract Sagax but he is too experienced to be intimidate by a row of feathers.

Sagax darted back from his spot for the first time and grabbed both Josh talon that was aiming for his chest and lifted him up like a meat sack.

“Wait wait” Josh cried but Sagax doesn’t stop as he slam both Eirian and Calamity, using Josh as a club.

Both boy hesitated to block as they fear would hurt Josh so Eirian took one in the face. Calamity barely blocks with his arm.

“Ahh Everything hurt~” Josh lies on the ground and can’t move anymore.

Calamity standing alone glances down at his friend hoping they will get up.

“Don’t bother both of them are out. Time running out now young wolf. If you don’t use everything you have you are going to lose here”

Sagax focus his eyes on Calamity but still doesn’t feel any ki.

“So be it”

Sagax focus his ki and give a triple jab follow by a kick thinking it would be enough to take Calamity down but to his surprise Calamity took all his attack and still standing.

Just as he about to attack again a clock in his pocket shriek so he stops. “Time up. You lose.”

Eirian and Josh try to pick themselves up as Calamity lower his guard. Three of them is quite shocked that they can’t even tap any part of Sagax main body.

In desperation Eirian think of Miss Hellen lesson earlier today “Please have some empathy for us Mr. Sagax. We just simply want to help our friend Biscuit. I know you don’t even know her but can you do it for the sake of me and Bill?”

“Empathy?” Sagax held a necklace up in his hand “Is that what your school teaches nowadays? Such a weak mindset. In battle of life thinking about other people feeling just going to make you hesitate or get manipulated.”

Seeing their confused face just annoys Sagax more “Look at all those people standing in line next street. They are here because other people want the same thing, they see others excited about a toy, so they suddenly want that same toy. If they see a cause to be angry, they all get angry and follow wherever the crowd goes. With a little of Bernays trick even a wolf is here waiting in line to buy necklace! such idiocy! Empathy is not a virtue for man, it’s a trap to keep men weak so other can easily manipulate your emotion.”

“So let this be my lesson to you” Sagax drop a necklace on the ground and stomps it.

“Nooo”

“You choose this outcome” Sagax direct his eyes to Eirian and Calamity before walk out.

Eirian kneel down to collect any pieces of a necklace he can find but Sagax stomp it so hard even some screw broke in half. It is not possible to fix. The only part that survives is a core size of droplet which already spent.

“How are we going to tell Biscuit?”

Calamity and Josh look at each other but no one speaks.