Chapter 211: The Wandering Merchant (4)

Ketal had heard rumors before—whispers that the Wandering Merchants would sometimes issue quests. However, such events were extraordinarily rare, said to occur maybe once or twice a year at most, and only ever for the strongest of the strong across the continent. That made it all the more astonishing to witness it firsthand. Right before his eyes, it was happening now.

Milayna’s face was full of disbelief. She looked at Ketal, then at the Merchant, and back again, as if struggling to process the reality unfolding before her.

The Wandering Merchant’s voice echoed, the familiar resonance of their peculiar speech hanging in the air.

“Will you accept...?”

Ketal responded without a moment’s hesitation. “Of course I will!”

He nodded with enthusiasm, not a hint of doubt or reluctance. For Ketal, this was more enticing than simply purchasing a prize. A quest, offered by such an enigmatic figure, was the kind of story that belonged in legends. It was the sort of opportunity no one in their right mind would turn down. Ketal readily accepted the quest.

“Then wait here... I’ll be doing business in this area for about two days. I’ll give you the quest afterward...,” the Merchant said.

“Understood,” Ketal said, grinning as he took a step back to give them space.

The Wandering Merchant turned away, already beginning to interact with others in the growing crowd.

Milayna approached Ketal, her expression apologetic. “I’m sorry, Ketal. I wish I could have done more to help you.”

He shook his head. “There’s no need to apologize. Your support is enough.”

Milayna hesitated, glancing down at her feet before asking, “Do you really need the Dragon Heart to control Myst?”

“That’s what I’ve been told,” Ketal answered. “Only something on that level can handle it.”

Watching the exchange, Maximus let out a deep sigh and shook his head in disbelief.

“What kind of body do you have, anyway?” he muttered. “I already knew you were different when you beat me and that demon without any Myst, but honestly, this goes beyond what I’d call normal.”

With their trades concluded, Maximus and Milayna soon departed to handle their respective affairs, leaving Ketal behind.

However, Ketal didn’t go anywhere. Instead, he lingered near the Wandering Merchant, watching their transactions with open curiosity and a smile on his face.

It wasn’t long before the Merchant noticed his presence and gave him a sidelong glance.

“Go away... you’re distracting me...”

Ketal just laughed. “Just observing. I promise not to interfere.”

The Merchant let out a sound somewhere between a sigh and a groan. Despite their annoyance, they didn’t actually force him to leave. Ketal’s presence seemed to be more of a nuisance than a real obstacle.

The people coming to trade eyed Ketal with apprehension. It was rare enough to see a barbarian, even more so one who was allowed to stand next to the fabled Merchant without being thrown out.

Two days passed in this manner. The crowd thinned, then vanished as the Merchant saw to the last of their customers.

“You’re the last one,” the Merchant announced as they completed their final deal.

Ketal couldn’t help but be impressed. “That must have been around a thousand trades. I’m genuinely curious, where do you keep all your goods?”

“You were counting...? Anyway, follow me,” the Merchant replied, not bothering to hide their exasperation.

Suddenly, a desperate cry arose from the back of the crowd. “Wandering Merchant, please! Please! I haven’t had my chance yet!”

The line of people, faces drawn and desperate, tried to cling to the last hope, reaching for the Merchant with outstretched hands. However, the Merchant, unfazed, activated one of their strange devices.

With a shimmer and a rush of air, their body disappeared without a trace.

Despair swept through the crowd. No one even saw which way the Merchant went. In all the commotion, they failed to notice that Ketal, too, had vanished—not a soul realized that, after glancing in a certain direction, he’d quietly disappeared from sight.

***

Ketal found the Merchant again in a forest just outside the capital.

“So, you were here,” Ketal said, stepping out from behind a tree.

The Merchant turned, a little surprised. “You really managed to follow me, huh...”

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Ketal grinned. “It’s not like you were trying to hide. But you move quietly, almost no sound at all. Is that the power of one of your gadgets?”

The Wandering Merchant’s method of travel was fast. In fact, most assumed it was some kind of teleportation. Even Maximus would have struggled to keep up, but Ketal had tracked them easily, homing in on the Merchant’s new location.

The Merchant just shrugged, not particularly bothered by Ketal’s persistence. “As I said, I’ll give you a quest. If you complete it, you’ll get what you want, which is the ability to wield Myst.”

“What kind of quest is it?” Ketal asked them, eyes narrowing in anticipation.

“It’s simple...” The Merchant didn’t elaborate further right away. Ketal waited, watching them. “Dragon hunt.”

Ketal’s eyes went wide. “A dragon?”

***

“There’s a dragon,” the Merchant explained, their tone flat. “It hasn’t been an adult for long, just reached maturity. Hunt it down, and I’ll make sure you can control Myst.”

Ketal felt his heart thud in his chest.

If someone were asked to name the ultimate symbol of fantasy, they might say swords or magic, monsters or dungeons. However, for anyone who truly loved such stories, there was always one creature at the pinnacle—dragons. Massive, intelligent, ancient beasts of legend, dragons were the final word in mythical creatures. And now, the Wandering Merchant wanted Ketal to hunt one.

His excitement was so great that he could barely contain himself. It was just like that feeling, the very first time he’d read a fantasy novel as a child. However, Ketal quickly forced himself to calm down.

“So, dragon hunting... hmm,” Ketal mused.

“Is there a problem?” the Merchant asked him, tilting their head.

“No, not for me. But it might be a problem for someone else.”

Karin, the High Elf Queen, had told him she knew several dragons personally. The last thing Ketal wanted was to accidentally slay a friend of hers. However, the Merchant dismissed his concerns.

“You don’t need to worry about that... This one’s a bad dragon, at least from a mortal’s perspective.”

“A bad dragon?”

“They’re fascinated by demons, so much so that they’re trying to open a gate to Hell. For the people of this world, that’s a grave sin.”

Ketal nodded, relieved. “If that’s the case, then there’s no problem.”

No dragon friendly with Karin would be up to such mischief. He could accept the quest with a clear conscience.

“So this is about stopping a demon-related threat. Are you enemies with demons?” he asked the Merchant.

“I don’t care about demons... but if someone’s careless, it’s a hassle for me. In this case, I can act without interference. Same goes for you, right?”

“Pretty much.” Ketal agreed. He only considered demons his enemies because they had labeled him as theirs. If they hadn’t, he’d have viewed them as just another species of this world, just like the Merchant did.

The Merchant, catching Ketal’s train of thought, added, “You want to wield Myst, and you need the Dragon Heart for that. But one heart isn’t enough. That’s why I’m making this deal: kill the dragon, and I’ll help you control Myst.”

“Will I have to track down the dragon myself?” Ketal asked them.

“No. I’ll teleport you near the dragon’s lair.”

“I see,” Ketal replied, understanding the arrangement.

The Merchant would give him the necessary information. Ketal would use it to hunt the dragon. In exchange, the Merchant would grant him the ability to handle Myst. It was straightforward enough.

“Will you accept...?” the Merchant repeated.

“Of course,” Ketal answered at once. The chance to visit a dragon’s lair, face a dragon in battle, and come away with the power he needed was nothing but gain.

“Good. I’ll handle the teleportation now...” The Merchant began fiddling with their devices, and with a subtle shift in the air, vanished from sight.

“Hmm?”

Ketal was still standing in the same spot. He glanced around, then waited for the Merchant to return.

They appeared again, a little flustered. “What happened? Why didn’t you come through?”

Ketal scratched his cheek. “My body’s unusual. Normal teleportation doesn’t work for me. You’ll have to fold space itself if you want to move me.”

The Merchant sighed, looking distinctly annoyed, but started setting up a different device. As they worked, Ketal seized the opportunity to pepper them with questions.

“How did you find the dragon’s lair? Is there a special process for choosing who gets to trade with you? Where do you usually stay?”

The Merchant finally snapped, “Enough already! You’re so talkative...”

Ketal smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. I’m in a good mood, that’s all.”

In truth, Ketal had seen much of the world already, experiencing wonders he’d once only read about in books or seen in paintings. However, the Merchant was unique; something no book or artwork on Earth had ever depicted. They weren’t alien or monstrous like the beings from the Demon Realm, yet they fascinated Ketal all the same. The Merchant seemed bewildered by his curiosity.

“I never thought someone like you would be interested in us...,” the Merchant said.

“Oh? What do you mean? Do you know something about me?”

Instead of answering, the Merchant finished preparing their device. The world blurred for an instant, and Ketal felt himself move.

***

He found himself standing near the foot of a mountain, not far from the dragon’s lair.

“This is the place, right?” Ketal asked them.

The Merchant gestured to a nearby peak, which was neither particularly tall nor small, just an unremarkable mountain.

“That’s where the dragon’s lair is,” they explained. “I didn’t put you right at the entrance. If you get too close, the dragon will notice. That mountain is your target.”

Ketal stared up at the mountain, eyes sparkling with anticipation.

The Merchant added, “By the way, you’re not going alone...”

“What?” Ketal turned, confused.

The Merchant continued, “I’d rather get this all done at once, even if it’s a hassle for you. Wait here and I’ll bring the others.”

With that, the Merchant disappeared once again.

“Wait—”

Not alone?

The words echoed in Ketal’s mind as he tried to puzzle out their meaning. Suddenly, the Merchant reappeared, and with them, a young boy fell to the ground, looking thoroughly disoriented.

“Wh-where am I...?” the boy muttered.

“Wait here... I have more to bring,” the Merchant told them before vanishing again.

One by one, new arrivals appeared, each deposited at the edge of the woods.

A man with the look of a mercenary stood nearby, rugged and sharp-eyed. Beside him was a middle-aged man dressed in a mage’s robes, holding a staff. A middle-aged woman, clad in the garb of a priestess, stood quietly at his side. The young boy remained still, his eyes still dazed. And, of course, Ketal was among them.

Five in total, all strangers to each other, now found themselves staring awkwardly at one another.

The Merchant explained, “You all came to me with requests about dragons. But there aren’t many dragons you can safely hunt, so I’m combining your requests into a single job. Work together.”

Ketal realized what was happening. These people were just like him; each of them had sought out the Wandering Merchant in hopes of something related to dragons.

***

“Hold on a second,” the mercenary said, frowning. “Why are there five of us?”

The Merchant answered, “You each asked me for something to do with dragons.”

The mercenary scowled. “You told me it wasn’t possible before. Why now?”

“Circumstances have changed,” the Merchant replied. “Now I can make it work, so we’re continuing where we left off. Handling dragons one by one is too much trouble, so I’m solving it all at once. Cooperate and hunt the dragon together.”

The mage stroked his long beard thoughtfully. “So, you’re saying we’re supposed to form a party with these people?”

“That’s right. If you don’t like it, you can leave. I’ll refund your payment and cancel the deal.”

The mercenary’s jaw clenched. Being forced into a group like this was hardly what he’d expected. Still, he said nothing. He couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity—there was no telling when another chance to hunt a dragon would come.

The Merchant turned to Ketal. “Doesn’t forming a party seem like a hassle for you? It’s not like you really need to work with anyone else.”

It almost sounded like the Merchant was trying to discourage him, as if they’d prefer not to involve Ketal at all. However, Ketal’s answer was instant and emphatic.

“Not a hassle at all!” he replied, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

The idea of hunting a dragon as a party delighted Ketal. There was always more fun in working together, and besides, Ketal could sense that the others present were powerful, each one on par with the strongest he had encountered. The chance to form a team with people like that, and at no cost, was a rare and precious gift. He had no reason to refuse.

Ketal’s enthusiasm seemed to baffle the Merchant.

“You really want to party up with humans? Strange guy...,” the Merchant replied.

“I accept the quest,” Ketal declared, his grin widening.

The Merchant nodded. “Just don’t go killing your teammates for fun.”

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

“Good. Work it out among yourselves. I’ll be back when you’re close to finishing,” the Merchant said, and with that, they left the party to their own devices.

The five of them stood alone in the forest, uncertainty and tension hanging in the air.

After a long silence, the mercenary finally spoke up.