novelburst-info
Chapter 225
Chapter 225
1.
If the purpose of the verbal confrontation was to win the argument or convince the Silent Swordsman, the high-ranking official had lost.
He had firmly rejected the marriage alliance with the great demon king.
However, from the perspective of stalling for time, he had fulfilled his role in the confrontation.
“I’ve brought him, High-ranking Official!”
“Well done. You’ve arrived just in time.”
The high-ranking official, despite his smooth, egg-like face, seemed different this time. There was a noticeable sense of joy emanating from him.
“Silent Swordsman. I’ve accepted the breakdown of the marriage alliance. I cannot sacrifice myself for peace; I suppose it’s not a shame to be called selfish for that, is it?”
“...”
“Please, don’t draw your sword just yet. I wish to show you something first. Bring him in, men!”
Guided by the militia, a monster entered the magistrate’s office.
Ha Eung Eung’s eyes flashed with surprise.
“Human, hello!”
A young monster girl, with hands smaller than her body, stuffed a large sack with various items.
She had two adorable horns on her blue skin.
It was the wandering merchant NPC.
The wandering merchant was here.
- “Wow! The wandering merchant!”
- “Give me the mirror, you brat!”
- “Tired of waiting, so I came to find you myself.”
- “But why are the high-ranking official’s men bringing her here?”
- “Dunno.”
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“I get the feeling…”
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“Try messing with the wandering merchant again, and I’ll end it all!”
- “Haha!”
- “Is this threat even meaningful?”
- "(Inner thoughts) Please save me, damn it."
The wandering merchant was smiling brightly.
But something was missing from her smile.
“Wow, this is one cute goblin!”
A shout rang out from Tuttak, who was watching from outside the magistrate’s office.
As she said, the wandering merchant was indeed cute.
Her beautifully dressed clothes, neatly arranged hair, and adorable horns were all charming.
But the wandering merchant's eyes didn’t match that cuteness.
There was suspicion and resentment in her eyes as she gazed at Ha Eung Eung.
2.
[Story mode]
The wandering merchant waited.
She waited and waited.
[She dug through the trash alone, searching for the demon king’s artifacts.]
[She believed the day would come when she would get her mirror back.]
[She believed that humans would keep their promises.]
[She had faith.]
She had promised.
She was supposed to get the mirror back.
[But now the great demon king’s influence was growing, and she was marching forward. What was going on?]
[Where was the mirror being taken? Why did she hear all of this from the great demon king’s subordinates instead of from the human?]
But she had grown distant.
The Silent Swordsman had been marching northward toward the great demon king’s capital, and with the distance between them, the distance in her heart also grew.
The wandering merchant had become desolate.
[The Silent Swordsman is dreaming of defeating the great demon king.]
[In order to fulfill that extravagant dream, she needs insurance. The mirror of the perfect reflection is just a means to protect her blood.]
[If you’ve seen what she’s done so far, you must understand, wandering merchant.]
Someone had planted doubts in her heart.
Someone had fed the darkness in her mind.
It was the high-ranking official.
He whispered as he patted the wandering merchant’s shoulder.
[You’ve been betrayed.]
Ha Eung Eung understood.
She understood the high-ranking official’s trick.
The malicious intent hidden behind the faceless mask.
‘So this was it. The reason for the delayed strategy in the maze. The reason for the verbal confrontation—delaying while discussing meaningless marriage matters with me.’
He had brought the wandering merchant here.
He was trying to drive a wedge between them.
Interaction Options
[The wandering merchant is swayed by the high-ranking official’s deceptive whispers. You...]
- Give it to her now. (Return the mirror.)
- Give it to her now. Wait, come over here. (Lie.)
- Can you wait a little longer?
- The high-ranking official is deceiving you!
- I have the mirror. Let’s trade the mirror for the demon king’s artifact.
- Now you understand? Fool. You think I’ll give back such a precious mirror?
- (Take action before the high-ranking official gets the demon king’s artifact.)
- (Signal the Boogeyman to ambush the wandering merchant.)
So many choices.
Traps dressed as freedom.
‘I was planning to keep the mirror as insurance for sure.’
If the high-ranking official hadn’t brought in the wandering merchant or planted doubts in her, Ha Eung Eung would have kept the mirror for a long time.
But now, with trust being threatened, there was no point in holding on to it stubbornly.
[? 1. Give it to her now. (Return the mirror.)]
Ha Eung Eung decisively made her decision.
She would return the mirror.
The wandering merchant’s eyes flashed with confusion.
[Don’t be deceived.]
The high-ranking official intervened urgently.
[If you were really going to give her the mirror, why have you dragged it out until now?]
[You should have let your sister use it first, then use it yourself.]
[Actually, she’s already thinking the same thing.]
[If there’s a limit to how many times the mirror can be used.]
[If you can’t use it as much as you want.]
[Your sister shouldn’t use it first. You should use it first.]
[But didn’t the human say she would give it now?]
The high-ranking official’s face contorted with fury.
Ha Eung Eung quietly admired the fact that his anger could be shown despite his faceless mask.
But the high-ranking official’s anger only grew.
‘If you were going to give it to her so easily, why didn’t you just hand it over and stop being greedy?’
He was vile.
Malicious.
But he couldn’t show his anger openly.
He wasn’t ready to give up yet.
[You are truly unpredictable.]
[Silent Swordsman. Your murderous legend surely stems from the slaughter of countless monsters.]
[To continue on that path, the perfect reflection’s mirror is the best insurance.]
[As I said before, no one knows how many times the mirror can be used.]
[You are wasting a chance to protect your life by giving the mirror to a stranger’s sister.]
Now, Ha Eung Eung couldn’t help but laugh.
A sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth.
‘How hard it is to listen to. Does he even know what he’s saying? The high-ranking official.’
The mirror, which he had tried to manipulate the wandering merchant into giving, now he was trying to convince her not to give it.
It was a blatant contradiction.
It was a pathetic act of desperation.
A contradiction between what he had said just moments ago.
Interaction Options
[The high-ranking official tries to persuade the wandering merchant with flattering words. You...]
- The mirror isn’t important.
- The mirror is important. I can’t let it go.
- The mirror is important. But the promise with the wandering merchant was more important.
[? 3. The mirror is important. But the promise with the wandering merchant was more important.]
The high-ranking official’s body trembled.
Uncontrollable agitation made him shudder.
He had prided himself on his insight.
He saw the Silent Swordsman’s weakness.
The blood that shouldn’t be tainted.
She had insisted on remaining human.
Her pure human blood must be protected.
The mirror was a measure to protect that purity.
- "If the Silent Swordsman refuses or delays returning the mirror, I’ll take it by force."
- "Instead, I’ll trade it for the demon king’s relic you’ve uncovered. How about it? It’s not a bad deal for both of us."
The trash heap.
The enormous artifact the White Spirit had gained.
The wandering merchant had unearthed it.
The high-ranking official would now use the relic to substitute for the lack of ‘strength.’
He had made up his mind to use the wandering merchant.
He was confident.
If the Silent Swordsman’s murderous legend was anything to go by,
The wandering merchant would try to kill her.
And the wandering merchant, seeking revenge, would hand over the demon king’s relic.
- "Fine... If the human keeps her promise, then we’ll forget all this."
The wandering merchant had been persuaded.
She wanted to verify the Silent Swordsman’s true intentions.
The plan had almost succeeded.
In fact, it was almost a success.
If only the Silent Swordsman hadn’t given up the precious artifact she treasured more than her own life.
With the mirror now in the wandering merchant’s hands, she felt a sense of relief.
It was that moment that made the high-ranking official furious.
His patience wavered.
[If this artifact can be discarded so lightly, why did you insist on keeping it all this time!]
[It’s contradictory.]
[There’s no logic.]
[I can’t understand this!]
[Or... were you planning to forgo the demon king’s relic to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands? Have you realized our hidden trade and made your move?]
The high-ranking official clenched his fists.
[That’s it.]
[If it’s not that reason, I can’t accept it!]
He was on the edge.
Almost falling into a crisis.
But despite being so close to his downfall,
He renewed his determination and continued trying to persuade her.
[Wandering merchant, the Silent Swordsman promised to keep her word, but she has only shifted her stance to avoid the situation.]
[If so, you have no obligation to keep your word either, right? Hand over the relic. I’ll give you a fair exchange!]
[The special products of a hundred thousand common monsters will be sold through you. As a merchant, you wouldn’t miss such an opportunity, right?]
A question mark appeared over the wandering merchant’s head.
‘He’s really persistent. His tenacity is impressive.’
Interaction Options
[The high-ranking official tries to seduce the wandering merchant with sweet words. You...]
- (Trust the wandering merchant.)
- (Cut down the high-ranking official.)
- (Give the monopoly trading rights to the Silent Swordsman’s forces.)
- (Give the right to freely farm loot.)
Her resolve had been tested.
If she had given in to greed, her relationship with the wandering merchant would have shattered.
The demon king’s relic would have been in the high-ranking official’s hands, and a formidable adversary with both intellect and strength would have emerged.
But she didn’t lose herself.
She succeeded in controlling her desire.
Therefore, she remembered what the wandering merchant liked and was able to turn the tables in the final counterattack.
[? 4. (Give the right to freely farm loot.)]
The wandering merchant liked picking up junk more than selling precious artifacts.
[“Special products? That’s just a sack of grain, I don’t want that! Junk I can freely pick up is much better!”]
With this, Ha Eung Eung gained the upper hand.
All of the high-ranking official’s efforts had come to nothing.