132 – Red Merchant (3)
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It had been about a month since the absolute ruler revealed herself in the Kalan Kingdom and met Kim Hyun-woo.
The kingdom was ecstatic about the master who had trained the five swords of Kalan, and her strength greatly alleviated the anxiety among the kingdom’s citizens.
But was that all?
The pact formed between the absolute ruler of darkness and Shasha with the Larutania territory had received praise even among the territories belonging to the Kalan Kingdom.
Although the pact between Shasha and the absolute ruler of darkness was merely superficial, it was enough to reduce the anxiety of the people in the territories.
Generally, when the anxiety of the territory’s people increased, even minor disturbances would significantly disrupt productivity. Therefore, the lords belonging to the Kalan Kingdom, despite being mere replicas in appearance, reluctantly accepted the proposal.
Of course, although the anxiety of the lords was alleviated by resolving the people’s anxiety, the fundamental unease was not completely dispelled. Yet, most lords did not have any complaints about this.
The majority of their anxiety stemmed from the demons rooted in the Norba Kingdom. However, as the demons from the Norba Kingdom were currently engaged in battles with the Holy Kingdom, most lords in the outlying areas of the Kalan Kingdom believed the Holy Kingdom would push back the demons, hence the atmosphere in the kingdom was relatively good.
Moreover, Kalan’s five swords, known as the absolute ruler of darkness, effortlessly dealt with hundreds of monsters and demons near the Kalan Kingdom, further lowering the anxiety caused by her presence.
And Lin.
“Ugh…”
She sighed anxiously as she looked at the stone clenched in her hand.
The stone that measured Lin’s notoriety was now significantly lighter in color than crimson, displaying a delicate shade of pink rather than blood-red.
In other words, Lin’s notoriety was gradually diminishing.
Slowly but surely.
However, despite seeing her notoriety decline, Lin felt anxious because she knew she was running out of time.
“Only about 4 months left now…”
Four months… No, in order to return at least a month before and develop her relationship with Kim Hyun-woo to the minimum level, the absolute ruler of darkness knew she had to leave soon.
“But it’s still difficult.”
No matter how much the absolute ruler of darkness saves people and kills demons to erase the infamous reputation, the tightly packed infamy never seemed to decrease at all.
At that moment of contemplation,
“Master.”
“Have you come?”
“Yes, Master.”
Lorel entered.
Seeing the artifact in Lin’s hand that measured infamy emitting a clear, pink light, she spoke,
“…Indeed, you’ve turned into a clear, pink light. Congratulations.”
“It’s a good thing that the infamy has decreased, but… it’s still too slow.”
The ruler of darkness sighed.
Watching her silently, Lorel continued,
“I also feel that the progress is a bit slow in that aspect.”
“Is that so?”
“…To execute the plan you’re thinking of, it certainly seems that way.”
As Lorel spoke, Lin let out a sigh.
Watching her, Lorel said,
“So, how about trying this approach, would you be willing to listen to my plan?”
“…A plan, you say?”
“Yes, as you know, the reason I came here today is for the regular report on the Lartania territory.”
Without saying a word, Lin looked at Lorel, who continued,
“Through observing the Lartania territory for the past month, it’s clear that the heroes within the territory are making moves to challenge the Lord of Lartania.”
“…That was expected.”
The ruler of darkness furrowed her brows slightly.
However, Lorel didn’t stop speaking.
“An Elena, who is currently affiliated with Lartania, occasionally holds the Lord’s hand under the pretext of many people being around during her tours of the territory.”
“What…?”
“Similarly, a blacksmith developing new divine weapons in the Lartania territory tempts the Lord with very revealing clothes, which are highly unlikely for a blacksmith to wear in the underground forge.”
“Uh…!”
“The Blue Tower Priestess boldly approaches Kim Hyunwoo, spending hours in private conversation before subtly resting her chest on his back.”
“…!”
Furious, confused, and feeling unjust, Lin looked at Lorel.
However,
“But the important thing here is that the Lord of Lartania remains unfazed by any hero’s advances, showing no signs of wavering.”
At Lorel’s following words, Lin’s face relaxed.
No, beyond relaxation, she seemed genuinely happy.
“Hmm…”
For a moment, the ruler of darkness hastily tried to compose herself, as if she considered that a flaw, yet a playful smile lingered on her lips like a faint echo.
…
And as Lorel continued to gaze at her intently, she proceeded with her story.
“Anyway, getting to the point, based on my observations, the Lord of Lartania seems excessively aloof in matters of interpersonal relationships.”
“…Excessively blunt?”
“Yes. To be more precise, it would be more accurate to say that he isn’t just blunt, but rather lacks any interest. In fact, he responded with indifference to any hero who tried to impress him.”
“Hmm… I see.”
“Thus, in my opinion, the Lord of Lartania lacks a significant interest in interpersonal relationships. Whether this is intentional or something innate, I can’t say for sure, but that’s the feeling.”
“…And so?”
In response to the Dark Sovereign’s question, Lorelle answered.
“I believe that if our master were to approach that lord, it would be best to break through in a somewhat forceful manner.”
“If by forceful you mean…?”
After a moment of contemplation prompted by Lin’s words, Lorelle spoke.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Approaching the Dark Sovereign, Lorelle began whispering something in her ear.
Soon, upon hearing those words, Lin, who had a dazed expression, blushed involuntarily and exclaimed, “W-What?! A-Are you really suggesting such a thing!?”
Observing the Dark Sovereign’s greatly surprised expression, Lorelle calmly responded, “The approach may seem a bit unusual, but it’s something our master should do, not me.”
“Still, this is…”
“Master, please listen. Continuing in this state will undoubtedly not benefit you in any way.”
“Ugh…”
Lin couldn’t bring herself to respond to those words.
It was understandable since Lin herself was somewhat aware of this fact.
After a moment of silence, Lin asked, “…Do you think there will be a change if we follow your advice?”
“I believe there will be a significant improvement compared to the current situation.”
Nodding silently upon hearing Lorelle’s words.
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[A red merchant has arrived at the fief!]
An alert popped up, and not long after that, Kim Hyunwoo could see the red merchant entering his study after opening the door.
“Welcome, my Lord.”
Different from the blue merchant, the red merchant, who bowed slightly more politely, had a similar attire overall, with the only difference being the color.
Even the hat above her head was the same, along with the comfortable clothing visible under the red robe.
“I feel the same way. I’ve been wanting to meet you.”
Confirming that, Kim Hyunwoo nodded briefly and the red merchant, with a faint smile, sat down in front of him and began speaking.
“Is that so? Well, I suppose you wanted to meet me since the blue merchant probably mentioned me as the next person you’d meet.”
“That’s one reason, but there’s another.”
“Another reason?”
“Yes. Actually-“
Without hesitation, Kim Hyunwoo talked about the incident that happened last time.
He discussed the contradiction he felt within himself and the strange doubts that arose when the alert to meet the red merchant appeared before him.
“-That’s roughly how it happened.”
＜p class=”a”＞From Noble mtl dot comLet’s talk about it all. She seemed a bit intrigued at first, but soon seemed to understand something and nodded her head.
“Hmm… I’m not sure why the notification popped up, but the instructions in the notification seem quite clear in their own way.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, especially since the story I’m about to tell you includes a part related to that. There are other aspects as well, to some extent.”
With a murmur, she smiled subtly.