Novel Lived
Chapter 211: Wandering Merchant (4)
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 211: Wandering Merchant (4)
‘I knew that wandering merchants could sometimes give quests.’
It was extremely rare.
It was known to happen only once or twice a year.
And the targets were only the top warriors on the continent.
That was happening right now, right in front of her.
Milena wore a surprised expression.
The wandering merchant asked,
[Will you accept it...?]
“Of course!”
Ketal nodded eagerly.
From his perspective, this was better than simply paying a price.
A quest given by a mysterious being?
What a fascinating story.
Ketal accepted the quest.
[Then wait... I will trade here for about two days... I’ll give you the quest afterward...]
“Understood.”
Ketal stepped back with a cheerful smile.
The wandering merchant began trading with other people.
Milena spoke apologetically.
“I’m sorry, Ketal. I couldn’t be of much help.”
“Don’t worry about it. Your concern alone is appreciated.”
“…Do you really need a dragon heart to handle the mysticism?”
“From what I’ve heard, that seems to be the case.”
“What on earth?”
Maximus shook his head.
He knew from the beginning, when Ketal defeated him and the demon without any mystical powers, that Ketal was beyond common sense.
Having finished their trades, Maximus and Milena left to attend to their own matters.
Ketal, however, stayed near the wandering merchant, watching the ongoing trades with a contented face.
The wandering merchant spoke in an annoyed tone.
[Move along... you’re in the way...]
“Just observing. I won’t interfere.”
[Sigh...]
Though annoyed, the wandering merchant didn’t forcibly drive him away.
The people trading with the wandering merchant glanced uneasily at the barbarian standing nearby.
Two days passed.
[You’re the last one...]
The wandering merchant finished his trades.
Ketal admired him.
“You traded with around a thousand people. I’m curious where you store all those goods.”
[You counted that too... Creepy guy... Follow me...]
“Aah!”
“O wandering merchant! Please! I haven’t traded yet!”
The desperate people who hadn’t traded yet tried to cling to the wandering merchant.
Annoyed, the merchant activated a device.
Shwoosh.
His body disappeared.
The people despaired, unable to discern where he had gone.
Thus, they didn’t notice Ketal briefly looking in one direction before disappearing as well.
“You’re here.”
In a forest a little ways from the capital.
The wandering merchant was there.
[You followed well...]
“You moved openly, hard to miss. You can move without a sound too. Is that also the power of your device?”
The wandering merchant’s movement was incredibly fast.
People believed he had teleported.
Even if Maximus were there, it wouldn’t have been much different.
But Ketal pinpointed the location and followed immediately.
The wandering merchant spoke nonchalantly, as if he expected it.
[As I said before, I’ll give you a quest... If you complete it, you will be able to handle the mystical...]
“What’s the quest?”
[Simple...]
The wandering merchant spoke. Ketal’s eyes widened.
[It’s dragon hunting...]
* * *
[There’s a dragon... It’s only recently matured... Hunt it... Then you will be able to handle the mystical...]
“A dragon.”
Ketal’s voice trembled.
What’s the quintessential symbol of fantasy?
There are many: swords, magic, monsters, etc., but when it comes to creatures, it all comes down to one.
That’s the dragon.
A giant, magic-using lizard.
An ancient and magnificent creature living for thousands of years.
The wandering merchant was now requesting the hunt of such a dragon.
His heart pounded with excitement.
It felt similar to when he first read a fantasy novel.
But Ketal forced himself to calm down.
“Hunting a dragon... Hmm.”
[Is there a problem...?]
“I don’t have any, but there is someone who might.”
The High Elf Queen, Karin, had mentioned knowing quite a few dragons.
Suddenly hunting a dragon she knew wouldn’t be right.
The wandering merchant assured him.
[Don’t worry about that... This dragon is evil from the perspective of the earthly beings...]
“Evil?”
[This dragon is very interested in demons... It’s trying to open a gateway to Hell... From an earthly perspective, it’s a great sin...]
“Ah, then it doesn’t matter.”
Such a dragon wouldn’t be friends with Karin.
He could accept the quest without worry.
“Stopping the demons, huh. Are you enemies with demons?”
[I’m not interested in that... But dealing with them recklessly is troublesome... This situation is convenient as it won’t attract unnecessary attention... You’re the same, right...?]
“Well, yes.”
He considered demons enemies because they called him an enemy.
Otherwise, he would have treated them as just another fantasy being.
The wandering merchant was the same.
He continued, as if he knew Ketal’s thoughts.
[You want to handle the mystery... And for that, you need a dragon heart... But one heart isn’t enough... So this is a deal... Hunt the dragon, and I’ll let you handle the mystical...]
“Do I have to go myself?”
[No. I’ll teleport you near the dragon’s lair...]
“I get the gist.”
The wandering merchant would provide information about the dragon.
Ketal would use that information to hunt the dragon.
In return, Ketal would gain the ability to handle the mystical.
It seemed to be that kind of quest.
[Will you accept it...?]
“Of course.”
Ketal nodded immediately.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Going to a dragon’s lair, meeting a dragon, hunting it, and gaining mystical powers.
It was a quest with only benefits.
[Good... Then I’ll teleport you...]
The wandering merchant fiddled with his device.
He teleported Ketal.
"What's this?"
But Ketal was still there, standing in the same spot.
As he stood there bewildered for a moment, the wandering merchant returned, looking perplexed.
[What... Why isn’t this working...?]
“Oh, due to the uniqueness of my body, simple teleportation isn't possible. You'll need to fold space itself for me to move.”
[What a bother...]
Grumbling, the wandering merchant started preparing another device.
In the meantime, Ketal asked various questions.
“How did you discover the dragon's lair?”
“Is there a special criterion for trading?”
“Where do you usually stay?”
Unable to bear it any longer, the wandering merchant replied in an exasperated voice.
[Stop asking so many questions, you talkative fool...]
“Oh, am I being a nuisance? Sorry about that. I’m just in a good mood.”
Ketal laughed.
He had traveled the world, and in that process, he had seen many of the fantastical things he had only seen in books or paintings on Earth.
But the wandering merchant was different.
He was a fantastical being that didn’t exist in any of the books Ketal had read on Earth.
He wasn’t as alien as the beings of the Forbidden Lands, which piqued Ketal’s curiosity.
The wandering merchant muttered as if he couldn’t understand.
[I didn’t expect someone like you to take an interest in us...]
“Oh? What do you mean? Do you know something about me?”
The wandering merchant didn't answer and instead activated the device.
Soon, the space distorted, and Ketal's body was transported.
“Oh, this is the place.”
[You’re near the dragon's lair... Moving directly ahead would alert the dragon... That mountain over there is where the dragon's lair is located...]
The wandering merchant pointed to a mountain.
It wasn’t particularly large or small, just an ordinary mountain you could find anywhere.
There was a dragon there.
Ketal looked at the mountain with shining eyes.
The wandering merchant spoke.
[Let me tell you in advance... You won’t be doing this alone...]
“What?”
[It might be a bother for you, but I want to handle it all at once... Wait here for a moment... I'll bring them over...]
With that, the wandering merchant left.
“Wait a minute.”
Not alone?
As Ketal pondered the meaning of those words, the wandering merchant reappeared.
“Whoa!”
But he wasn't alone.
A young boy was dropped to the ground.
The boy looked around in bewilderment.
“W-where is this...?”
[Wait here for a moment... I'll bring the others...]
The wandering merchant teleported several more times.
Each time, he brought new people.
“Hmm.”
“So this is the dragon’s lair.”
“There are quite a few of us.”
One man who looked like a mercenary.
A middle-aged man in robes with a staff, seemingly a magician.
A middle-aged woman in a priest’s garb.
And an ordinary-looking young boy.
Lastly, there was Ketal.
Five people in total.
They looked at each other with puzzled expressions.
The wandering merchant spoke calmly.
[You all have talked to me about dragons... But there aren't many dragons that can be hunted without issues... So I’ll handle it all at once...]
Ketal realized.
These were people who, like him, wanted something related to dragons from the wandering merchant.
* * *
“Wait a minute.”
The man who seemed like a mercenary frowned.
“What’s this? Why are there five of us?”
[You all asked me for something related to dragons...]
The five people present had all requested something about dragons from the wandering merchant.
“Didn’t you say it was impossible before? But now you suddenly can?”
[The situation has changed now... It’s possible... So I’m resuming the halted trades...]
The wandering merchant spoke indifferently.
[Handling dragon-related matters multiple times is tough... So I’m taking care of it all at once... Work together to hunt the dragon...]
“So, you mean to say.”
The middle-aged man, who seemed to be a magician, stroked his long beard.
“We should form a party with these people?”
[Yes... If you don’t like it, you can leave... I’ll cancel the deal and return your payment...]
“This is absurd.”
The mercenary was flustered.
Forcing other people into their deal was outrageous.
But they couldn’t refuse.
As the wandering merchant said, if they missed this opportunity, there was no telling when they could hunt a dragon again.
[The same goes for you...]
The wandering merchant glanced at Ketal.
[Isn’t forming a party bothersome...? It’s not something you need...]
It was a subtle suggestion that Ketal should give up, as if the merchant didn’t want to deal with him any longer.
But Ketal had no such intention.
“It’s not a bother at all!”
Ketal’s eyes sparkled.
A party hunt for a dragon.
He was thrilled.
Hunting with a group was more fun than going alone.
Moreover, he could tell instinctively.
The people here were among the strongest he had seen outside.
He was given a free opportunity to form a party with such people.
There was no way he’d refuse.
Seeing Ketal’s welcoming attitude, the wandering merchant muttered as if he couldn’t understand.
[You actually want to form a party with humans... Strange guy...]
“I accept the quest.”
[Just try not to kill each other...]
“I have no intention of doing that.”
Ketal grinned.
[Then work things out among yourselves... I’ll come when it looks like you're about done...]
The wandering merchant got the consent of the others and left.
The five people were left standing in the middle of the forest.
After a moment of silence, the man who seemed to be a mercenary spoke up.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]