The Puppet Villainess’s Splendid Rebellion - Chapter 23

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 23

“What are you?”

The man’s build was excessively large.

He had his hat pulled down so low that unless I craned my neck up stiffly, I couldn’t even see his face.

Then, after examining me closely, he snorted.

“Kid, this is a restricted area. Looks like you’ve lost your guardian, so go look somewhere else.”

Perhaps thinking I had taken the wrong path, his tone was particularly indifferent.

Instead of responding to his words, I glanced past his side.

Most of the shops at the Moonlight Trading Post consisted of cart-style stalls with only roofs, but at the end of this alley, there was a purple door that differed from those shops.

That’s the place.

“No, I came to the right place.”

I answered calmly.

“I came to meet the owner of the trading post.”

The man’s expression became displeased.

“…You want to see the Merchant Lord?”

“Yes, I don’t have time, so could you guide me quickly? I know about the price.”

The reason for my haste was simple.

What if, by any chance, Demian came looking for my room while I was away?

There would be chaos.

It was truly something I didn’t want to think about.

‘I need to finish quickly and return.’

However, the man still didn’t seem inclined to let me pass.

Instead, unlike his initially indifferent face, he crossed his arms and looked down at me intimidatingly with wary eyes.

‘…Ah.’

I suddenly realized.

Without my status as a princess, I just looked like an insignificant child.

‘…Well, it doesn’t matter.’

Even without a proper status, I had to say what needed to be said. What I had learned from living as a princess for over ten years was the skill of being shamelessly and calmly unreasonable in disadvantageous situations.

“I hope you’re not planning to send me away with some excuse like children aren’t qualified.”

I narrowed my eyes and looked up at him.

“I don’t have a guardian or anything. I came alone. The fact that I found this market all by myself should serve as basic qualification proof.”

“Huh…”

The man’s expression became even more subtle.

It was a face that said he was dumbfounded.

He seemed bewildered by some girl of unknown origin speaking so arrogantly and clearly.

‘So what. It’s the truth.’

The Moonlight Trading Post wasn’t a place just anyone could find. Discovering the entrance itself was a kind of qualification proof.

The man was about to say something.

But before his mouth could even open, he paused, touching his ear.

Magical communication, perhaps.

Soon, puzzlement appeared on his face.

“…What? Let her in?”

I shrugged my shoulders as if to say ‘I told you so.’

Then the man, rolling his eyes with a troubled look, reluctantly stepped aside.

“…Go in for now.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

“Kids these days with their manners…”

When I held my head high and nodded, he muttered in a displeased tone.

‘He was speaking informally too.’

Snorting and passing by him, I finally stopped in front of the door.

Unlike the warm and brilliant lights of the market, the area in front of the purple wooden door had a quietly subdued atmosphere.

It felt like entering another world.

‘At least this place resembles its owner.’

The Merchant Lord of the Moonlight Trading Post.

I had encountered her a few times before my regression.

Of course, back then I had come to crack down on this place under the Emperor’s orders.

She was someone who should never be taken lightly.

‘…I need to do well.’

I was nervous.

But being nervous wouldn’t change anything.

It was something I had to do anyway.

I took a slight breath and reached out my hand.

However, before I could even place my hand on the doorknob, the door opened smoothly as if inviting me inside.

‘Whoa.’

My heart skipped a beat.

What I saw beyond the door was the view of a dark room where candles glowed bluishly like stars in the night sky.

It was beautiful.

And frightening too.

In the center of the room, a bewitching woman with long purple hair cascading down stood holding a pipe.

“Hello.”

A languid voice echoed through the room.

Her long, graceful eyes curved gently. The whites of her eyes, folded in an arch shape, sparkled like a crescent moon.

‘…Wow, she’s beautiful.’

That thought came to me without realizing it.

But it was also true that her beauty seemed somehow dangerous. Like a poisonous flower, perhaps.

I couldn’t let my guard down for even a moment in front of this woman.

After all, she was the very person who had given me the most trouble when I was cracking down on this Moonlight Trading Post.

If ‘he’ existed in the Mage’s Land, then this woman stood at the very top of all the mages throughout the Empire, excluding the West.

Hella, the Merchant Lord.

She was responsible for creating a secret network for vagrant mages who couldn’t establish enemies in the Mage’s Land and protecting them from magical energy.

So from the time magical energy began to encroach upon the continent until the present, many mages followed her and established themselves at this Moonlight Trading Post.

At the same time, she also served as a guild leader who provided information about hard-to-obtain items or intelligence through her network of mage informants spread across the continent.

‘I hadn’t originally planned to visit now.’

But since I’m passing by the area anyway, it would be good to obtain what I can.

And give a little hint while I’m at it.

What pulled me out of my contemplation was the woman’s sultry voice as she smiled softly.

“What business could a little customer have that requires seeking out the Merchant Lord herself.”

The woman brought her pipe to her lips and tilted her head slightly to the side.

“I hope it’s something interesting.”

Her pale gaze slid downward smoothly.

She didn’t seem surprised at all by my appearance at the Moonlight Trading Post all alone.

I slowly moved my gaze around and looked at the chair placed in the center of the room.

It was a chair for customers.

Normally I should wait until she invited me to sit, but.

‘My legs hurt too much.’

The scale of the Moonlight Trading Post was enormous. Walking all the way here, I thought my legs would kill me from the pain.

I resented my younger body.

I just plopped down in the chair.

“You haven’t invited me yet, but I’ll excuse myself first.”

“Hmm?”

The woman’s eyebrow raised slightly.

“It’s a chair for customers anyway, isn’t it?”

I looked at her and spoke calmly.

“My legs hurt a bit from walking for so long.”

When I spoke casually, the woman who had been staring at me blankly burst into laughter.

“My, this exceeds expectations.”

It was a giggling laugh.

“Well, this isn’t bad either. I like cheeky children.”

The woman walked over, her dark long skirt slit up to her thighs fluttering, and sat across from me with the table between us.

She was even prettier up close.

But her gaze was unusual. She was observing me. What kind of child I was, what purpose I came for, whether I had any value to exploit.

‘…She’s not someone to underestimate.’

I didn’t let my guard down.

“So, what’s your business, little customer?”

The woman asked as she set her pipe down on the table.

I stopped tapping my legs and straightened my back.

I took a deep breath.

This was the important part.

Depending on whether this deal went through or not, the timing of Demian’s awakening would change.

And I looked straight at her and said.

“You must be busy, so I’ll get straight to the point.”

I didn’t have time to beat around the bush.

I had to return before Demian woke up.

“I need the Holy Sword of Prakacia.”

The Merchant Lord’s eyebrow twitched.

For a moment, the air in the room seemed to change.

“…The Holy Sword?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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