The mysterious merchant

With the help of the guards, I made my way into the building where the leader was.

Upon stepping inside, I saw a long table with three individuals seated, seemingly deep in discussion before my arrival.

A man with a short beard sat across from me. His green eyes and red hair stood out, but the four horns on his head were even more striking. The two men sitting beside him had only three.

The moment they saw me, their eyes widened with a mix of fear and confusion, as if they had just witnessed something impossible. The green-eyed man spoke first, his voice dripping with anger.

"Lia! Step away from that monster now!" he commanded.

Lia, the amusing blue-eyed girl from earlier, dropped to one knee and bowed before responding.

"Commander, I have brought this girl as she wished to speak with you."

Their eyes widened even further at her words. The look they gave me screamed suspicion. What does a Dragonborn want with us?

The bulky man with black hair, green eyes, and three horns leaned forward, his expression dark.

"Commander, we shouldn’t trust the words of a Dragonborn. You know what happened the last time you did, right?"

(Oh? Now that sounds interesting.) I thought, a smile curling on my lips.

The third man, who had long brown hair and glasses, had remained silent up until now. But then, he finally spoke, his voice calm and measured.

"Wait, Gust. I think we should hear what this child has to say."

Gust slammed his fist against the table.

"Weiz, don’t you remember what happened when we left that bitch alive? She returned with her servants and attacked this place!"

The moment Gust said that, the commander’s face paled. His fists clenched at his sides as if he wanted to say something, but he held back.

Meanwhile, I was thoroughly enjoying this spectacle. At the same time, I could feel Lia’s gaze boring into me from where she remained bowed on the floor. Was she trying to figure me out?

That wouldn’t be possible. Even my own father never realized my true nature.

Then Weiz, the man with glasses, spoke again. His tone was steady, exuding confidence. He had the air of a strategist—someone these people trusted more than their so-called commander.

"I know why you're all uneasy, but I have a feeling we should hear this child out. We can bind her with sealing ornaments and go from there."

The others exchanged uncertain glances before reluctantly agreeing. Weiz instructed Lia to fetch the sealing ornaments, and soon she returned with two black bracelets embedded with red gems.

As she fastened them onto my wrists, I watched her with a smirk. She truly was a beautiful woman, so much so that I wanted to make her mine. Her personality only made her more fascinating. But it was a shame—she hated me now.

Once the restraints were in place, the meeting began. It seemed Lia held the title of Vice-Commander, which explained her presence. The first to question me was, unsurprisingly, Weiz.

"So? Why have you come here?"

I met his gaze and answered calmly.

"At first, I just wanted to see what happened to this ruined village... I mean, how does a place end up in such a sorry state?"

Gust shot up from his seat, his face burning with rage.

"Keep our village out of your damn mouth!"

Weiz glared at him.

"Gust! Either sit down or leave."

"Like hell I'm sitting with their kind!"

With that, he stormed out, casting one last hateful glare at my ever-smiling face before disappearing.

Weiz sighed.

"Apologies for that. Please continue."

(Weiz... I expected him to be calm, but not this calm.)

I decided to press forward.

"The reason I wanted to meet the leader of this place..."

I glanced at the commander, who sat silently, his sharp gaze locked onto me. It was unnerving, to say the least.

"...is because of that girl."

I looked toward Lia, who furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Since I was a bit out of line earlier, I’ll offer you a piece of information." I smiled.

"Someone has been siphoning all the mana from the atmosphere. You know what happens when every last bit is gone, don’t you?"

Weiz sighed in understanding, but Lia and the commander looked as if they were hearing this for the first time.

The commander suddenly turned to Weiz, his voice rising.

"Weiz! Why didn’t you say anything?! If we had known, we could have—"

"You could have what?" Weiz cut in. "This isn’t a problem you can fix just by knowing it exists."

"But..." The commander faltered.

Lia turned back to me, her eyes sharp.

"You know something, don’t you?"

I responded with a gentle smile.

Then, the commander’s voice rang through the room.

"Tell us! That’s why you came looking for me, isn’t it?"

I tilted my head, grinning.

"And why should I?"

The commander’s face twisted in disbelief.

"What? Didn’t you come here to tell us?!"

I couldn’t help but chuckle. His reaction fit him perfectly—how did someone like him even get elected as a commander?

From the start, Weiz had been the one leading the discussion, while the so-called leader simply watched and chimed in when it suited him. No wonder this village was in ruins.

Then, to my surprise, Weiz lowered his head in a bow. His voice was respectful.

"Please. Help our village. We may not have much left, but we still have our people."

Lia followed his example. And after a moment of hesitation, so did the commander.

The sight was so utterly ridiculous that I burst into laughter. Yet they remained bowed, completely serious.

All the rulers of this ruined village, who had hated me mere moments ago, were now groveling for my help. Truly, human emotions were fascinating, just like a puzzle.

After laughing to my heart’s content, I finally responded.

"Alright, you can stop bowing now. It’s becoming unpleasant."

They thanked me and straightened up, hanging onto my every word.

"Since you asked so nicely, I’ll help—just this once. The reason the mana in this village is vanishing is because it’s being drawn somewhere..."

I closed my eyes and activated

[>Master of Observation<].

With this skill, I could see mana, just as I could in my past life. Golden orbs drifted through the air, all being pulled toward a totem south of the village, where they mixed with something... something growing powerful by the minute.

I opened my eyes.

"Do you know what’s south of here?"

Weiz nodded.

"A protection totem. A merchant sold it to us, claiming it could activate a barrier with a bit of mana. We tried using it, but it never worked, so we left it alone."

(A mysterious merchant... He must have known exactly what that thing was capable of.)

"That totem is what's stealing all the mana."

Lia immediately sprang to her feet.

"Weiz, I’ll take a team and destroy it right now!"

Weiz held up a hand.

"Wait! First, we need to figure out how to stop it."

They all turned to me.

I simply shrugged—until I noticed the orb still in my grasp, overflowing with mana. It absorbed energy. Perhaps it could take in more.

I smirked.

"Lia, gather the soldiers. I’ll be coming with you." Weiz said.

She nodded and rushed out.

Weiz turned to me.

"And Lady...?"

"Alice." I smiled.

"Lady Alice, will you be joining us?"

"Of course. Your commander, however—he’s staying behind, right?"

Weiz nodded.

"He must protect the village."

Then, he reached for my sealing ornaments.

"Allow me to remove these."

I shook my head.

"No. I’ll keep them on."

They were useful. With my power halved, my body felt easier to control.

Just then, Lia stormed back in.

"Weiz, the soldiers are ready!"

And with that, we set out for the totem.

***

South of the village, a hooded figure stood before a towering totem, his black cloak billowing as tendrils of dark aura flowed from the artifact into his body. His laughter echoed through the waves of winds, unhinged and triumphant.

"Ha… hahaha! At last! My evolution is within reach! Hahahaha!"