RD | Chapter 20

There was no helping it. Ian went back to the merchant. He released the merchant who was pinned down with his arm twisted by Louise and said in a gentle voice,

“Sorry. There was a misunderstanding for a moment.”

“Do you enjoy stepping on people or something?” The merchant asked in a choked voice.

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‘Who would have such a hobby?’ But since Ian was the one at fault, he maintained a soft demeanor.

“No, I’ll help you up. Shall I dust you off too?”

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“You are kind.” The merchant was moved.

‘Isn’t this too easy?’ Ian felt a bit uneasy.

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More importantly, there was the issue of the World Tree Branch. If he had arrived after the guy had thrown it away, he could have gotten it for free. But now, it looked like he might have to pay for it. However, Ian didn’t have a single coin in his pocket.

Although he had accepted the people of the traitor village as his subjects, he hadn’t been able to collect taxes from that impoverished place.

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‘Should I have collected taxes?’

While thinking like a tyrant, Ian first tried to persuade the merchant.

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“Yeah, your baggage looks heavy. What were you going to throw away?”

The merchant answered naively, “First, the Elf Wood Branch. It’s the heaviest load.”

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‘As expected?’

“Only two kinds of people would intrude here, right? Thieves like you or kin like me. The latter is far more likely to come this far, so I thought about leaving it as a gift for my descendants.

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I have no talent for growing plants—I’m better at killing them. But most elves are good at nurturing plants, so they would take good care of the Elf Wood, right?”

Ian ignored the second reference to being a thief.

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“So, you want someone to take good care of the Elf Wood.”

“Eh? Is that so? No, I just hoped my descendants would take care of it…”

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“How long do you plan to wait for your descendants? Do you want to watch the Elf Wood Branch rot in this lightless place for twenty years?”

“No way, I can’t bear to see that.”

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The merchant became serious. It was an attitude befitting an elf who cherished plants.

“I have an excellent farmer under me. He could grow this Elf Wood into a mighty tree. I’ll even share some branches for your descendants once it’s well grown. Since you’re going to throw it away, why not give it to me?”

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“Huh?” The elf merchant was surprised.

‘Is he falling for it?’

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Ian was tense, wondering if this merchant had at least some cognitive ability.

“You’re a good person. I’ve never seen a human as good as you.”

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The merchant fell for it!

Ian was now certain that this guy had no merchant qualities whatsoever.

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‘Isn’t he going to starve to death?’

Though the likelihood of an elf starving was almost none… they could live off the dew of the forest, couldn’t they?

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“You promised to grow it and give it back. That means I can get the Elf Wood Branch for free, right? This is how you make a regular customer. I’ve never had a regular before.

Where should I go to find you? When would be a good time to visit? Oh, give me something as a token so I can find you.” The merchant said, very pleased.

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Ian dropped the thought of advising him to give up on being a merchant because he clearly lacked the talent. If he thinks it’s good, what can you do?

However, Ian had nothing to give as a token.

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‘Portrait of Beauties of the Kingdom?’

No, that’s not right…

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Ian briefly pondered, running his hand through his hair. But the hair caught on his fingers bothered him.

‘Ah, there it is.’

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He cut a small lock of his hair and handed it to the merchant. In this game, there was a custom where lovers would cut each other’s hair as a token during marriage events.

This would serve as a token.

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‘Having a traveling merchant could be beneficial.’

Especially one this naive about the ways of the world; the discount rate would be huge, right?

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Ian said kindly, “I live in a cave further south in the Southern Forest, and there’s a village nearby. Show this token to my subordinate, and they’ll guide you.”

“You know, I don’t mind the idea of dating a human, but I’m older than I look. From my perspective, you’re young enough to be called a greenhorn.”

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The elf merchant blushed, twitching his ears.

“What are you talking about?” Ian accidentally spoke what he was only thinking.

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“I’ll take your feelings into consideration. Once you grow for about a hundred years, you’ll forget about elves like me and love someone else.”

The elf merchant spoke nonsense.

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‘In a hundred years, I’ll be a skeleton… Are you coming back for the branch in a hundred years?’

Ian thought but didn’t voice it this time.

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Good thing he didn’t.

“I was going to throw this away too. Will you grow it for me?”

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Ding!

[You received ‘Apple Seed’ (Edible) as a gift from the merchant.]
[You received ‘Strawberry Seed’ (Edible) as a gift from the merchant.]

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…

‘Good thing I kept quiet.’

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Ian answered with a smile, “Of course.”

They parted ways with the merchant. Ian’s heart felt as full as his pocket as he left the temple. However, it didn’t seem to be the case for Louise. As soon as he stepped into the light, he grumbled.

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“Why did you give your hair to that merchant? What’s so special about him!”

‘Why is he complaining when the values are completely different?’ Ian furrowed his brows and looked at Louise.

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Then Sema pulled Louise back and whispered something to him.

“……!”

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Louise’s eyes widened like saucers as he looked at Ian. When their eyes met, he averted his gaze.

“……?”

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What nonsense did Sema say now?

Ian didn’t have to wonder for long.

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Ding!

[People think you are an aesthete!]
[People think you are a womanizer!]

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“……”

Keith knelt in the depths of the Vatican, within a white structure, his gaze lowered, never meeting the other’s eyes. The hem of the other’s garment was long, trailing across the floor.

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Keith usually despised such attire—clothing that presumed he would never tread on dirt roads—but not for this person. He kissed the hem and bowed deeply.

“I see Your Holiness. Keith, your servant, has returned.”

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“Oh, welcome back, Sir Keith. How was the Elf Temple? Was it cursed as rumored?”

“Yes. The area was thick with dark energy, and as soon as I entered, a horde of undead attacked me. It was pitiful to see the dead not finding rest but craving the flesh and blood of the living.”

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“Oh dear…” The old pope placed a wrinkled hand on Keith’s forehead.

“Do not take it to heart. You have only given rest to the unfortunate.”

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“Yes, Your Holiness.”

Only then did Keith’s stern face relax. He felt no emotion about returning the undead to death, but he felt a heavy responsibility for letting the traitor priest go.

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The pope seemed to understand his heart and comforted him.

‘Kind man.’

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Though Keith knew the pope wasn’t really like that, he wanted to think so.

The Vatican was Keith’s home. A place that saved and protected him, where the people he saved and protected lived.

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The only place in this world stained with evil that hadn’t lost its light.

An island floating like a lonely lighthouse.

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The pope was the head of the light.

Protecting this place was Keith’s mission. He believed he had to spread God’s light further across the world.

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God’s agent.

A knight blessed by God.

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The expectations placed on Keith were that heavy.

However, sometimes, Keith had doubts. No, there was always this question lingering in his heart, tormenting him.

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‘If God exists, why is the world like this?’

Every time he looked at the world that seemed to contain only suffering, his doubts only piled up without being resolved.

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He couldn’t get a clear answer from the pope either. Or rather, he couldn’t even ask. It was too sinful of a question.

He mustn’t doubt God’s existence. God had saved him. God had forgiven his sins for losing his parents, friends, and neighbors.

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Keith believed in God.

He wouldn’t doubt Him.

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Yet, it seemed absurd that someone with such doubts in his heart was called ‘God’s agent.’

Therefore, Keith focused even more on following the pope’s, God’s commands, abandoning his own judgment.

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Because those judgments were right.

“I’ve kept you too long after your long journey. Go and rest.”

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“I only did what I should as God’s servant.”

Keith kissed the hem of the pope’s garment once more and bowed low. He had indeed done a lot. And he knew that the pope, who spoke like this, would assign him a new mission the next day.

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He opened the heavy door and left the pope’s chambers. At that moment, he thought he heard a voice.

You’ve returned alive again.

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It was a cunning voice. One that shouldn’t be heard in this Vatican…

A demon’s voice.

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“……?”

Keith looked back, but the door was closed. It must have been an illusion.

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This Vatican is protected by the pope’s blessing…

Keith left that place.

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