Under Lucien's repeated urging, Vinda ultimately suppressed the urge to duel Aberforth for one reason only—
She was worried Lucien might get caught in the crossfire.
The two of them quickly returned to the manor previously purchased from the Malfoy family.
The moment they entered, Vinda immediately began examining Lucien from head to toe.
"How has Hogwarts been lately?"
Her emerald eyes narrowed slightly.
"Dumbledore hasn't caused you trouble, has he?"
Knowing Lucien would be returning tonight, Vinda had already prepared several of his favourite dishes beforehand.
"No."
Lucien shook his head honestly.
"The professors there are… quite capable."
Vinda gave him a cold look.
"I should think so."
Then her tone became increasingly dangerous.
"After all, when you lived in Austria, you certainly weren't capable of defeating seven or eight adult wizards by yourself."
Lucien instantly sensed trouble.
"Aunt Vinda," he said quickly, "that really wasn't my fault."
He immediately began explaining.
"I didn't know where you were waiting in Hogsmeade, so I had to search shop by shop."
"Who knew the moment I entered one place, they'd immediately target me?"
"Oh?"
Vinda's eyes became colder.
"So now it's my fault?"
Lucien instantly understood something important.
Never argue with angry women.
Especially not terrifying women like Vinda Rosier.
The best strategy was immediate surrender.
"I was wrong."
Lucien admitted decisively.
"I promise I won't do anything that dangerous again."
Only then did Vinda's expression soften slightly.
"I'm not blaming you."
She sighed quietly.
"You're simply too young and lack real combat experience."
Then her eyes became unusually serious.
"The future of the Saints rests entirely on your shoulders."
"What are we supposed to do if something happens to you?"
Lucien obediently nodded.
"I understand, Aunt Vinda."
"Understanding alone isn't enough."
Vinda reached over and adjusted his collar gently.
"You must actually remember it."
The meal finally continued amidst endless maternal lecturing.
After dinner, Abernathy arrived at the manor as well, and the three of them finally shifted toward proper business discussions.
"Lucien," Abernathy began hesitantly, "regarding your previous proposal…"
He frowned deeply.
"You suggested giving a portion of our Diagon Alley profits directly to the Ministry of Magic in exchange for protection."
His expression clearly revealed confusion.
"I still don't fully understand why."
Lucien didn't mind explaining.
"When the Saints first entered Britain, our foundations here were extremely weak."
"Our influence and local connections cannot compare with old pure-blood families."
Then he leaned back calmly.
"Opening shops in Diagon Alley right now is equivalent to stealing food directly from wolves."
"At times like this, having protection becomes essential."
Abernathy still looked unconvinced.
"But with the Saints' current strength," he argued, "protecting several shops shouldn't be difficult."
Lucien smiled faintly.
"There's an old Eastern saying."
"You can be a thief for a thousand days…"
"…but you cannot guard against thieves for a thousand days."
"We cannot permanently station large numbers of people around every shop."
"That's where the Ministry becomes useful."
Lucien's eyes sharpened slightly.
"If the Ministry profits from us directly, then even pure-blood families must consider whether they can afford offending the Ministry before causing trouble."
Vinda immediately noticed the flaw.
"The Ministry can suppress open attacks."
"But what if those families act secretly instead?"
Her tone remained calm.
"The British Ministry isn't controlled by the Saints."
Lucien hesitated slightly internally.
Because his true backup plan involved Dumbledore himself.
And Vinda absolutely despised Dumbledore.
For now, however, Lucien could only continue hiding it temporarily.
"Don't worry."
Lucien smiled calmly.
"I already made preparations for that possibility."
Then he suddenly pulled out a large enchanted storage case and placed it proudly onto the table.
"Aunt Vinda."
His eyes sparkled slightly.
"I prepared a special surprise for you tonight."
Vinda barely glanced at it.
"The biggest surprise would simply be you avoiding trouble for once."
Then she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"And don't try using those sweet-talking tricks on me."
"I'm not some teenage girl."
"You'll understand once you open it."
Lucien's unusual confidence finally drew both Vinda and Abernathy's curiosity.
Vinda opened the case casually.
Then she froze.
Inside lay mountains of rare magical creature materials.
Perfect unicorn tail hairs.
Pristine horns.
Rare beast fangs.
Countless premium-grade resources.
Many of these materials were nearly impossible to purchase regardless of money.
Even Abernathy gasped sharply.
"These…"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Where did you get all this?"
"Completely legitimate sources."
Lucien smiled calmly.
"Straight from Hogwarts."
Abernathy instantly became ecstatic.
These materials solved one of the Saints' greatest current problems immediately.
Stable supply chains.
"Excellent!"
He almost slammed the table excitedly.
"With these resources, we can stockpile enormous inventory before opening."
"Once business begins, we can directly crush the British pure-blood shops through pricing."
Even Vinda looked visibly shocked by the quantity.
When she first met Lucien years ago, he had merely been a tiny child protected by everyone around him.
Now—
He had already become one of the true pillars supporting the Saints.
Unfortunately for them, Lucien wasn't finished yet.
"What you're seeing now is only the first batch."
"There'll be more later."
"Though probably not in quantities this large."
"The first batch?"
Abernathy looked completely dumbfounded.
"Does Hogwarts secretly contain a magical creature mine or something?"
Lucien casually explained.
"I became quite friendly with Hogwarts' Keeper of Keys and Grounds."
"Magical creature materials naturally accumulate constantly within the Forbidden Forest."
"Previously, pure-blood merchants severely underpaid him."
Lucien smiled faintly.
"So I offered to buy everything at normal market value instead."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Even Vinda stared blankly at him now.
"You bought all these…"
"…at market price?"
As someone from the Rosier family, Vinda possessed decades of experience evaluating magical materials.
She could tell instantly that nearly every item here was premium quality.
Many could easily sell for double normal prices.
And Lucien had secured long-term monopoly access at standard rates.
"Will future shipments maintain similar quality?" Vinda asked carefully.
"No."
Both Vinda and Abernathy subconsciously relaxed slightly.
Thank Merlin.
If every future batch remained this absurd, the rest of the British magical market might as well give up entirely.
Then Lucien calmly added—
"These were older materials stored carelessly for years."
"The future batches should actually be better."
Silence returned once more.
Vinda and Abernathy slowly exchanged complicated looks.
Then both turned toward Lucien simultaneously.
Lucien blinked innocently.
"What?"
"I'm only telling the truth."