Chapter 66

As Ardis questioned her, Marida responded with a cheerful smile.

"Do you want to know? Do you really want to know about me?"

To an outside observer, it was just the smile of a young girl.

Some might even let their imaginations run wild.

But Marida's attitude was frivolous, and her flippant tone irritated Ardis.

Ardis' expression grew even more severe.

"Oh, don't make such a scary face. I already said, I'm not your enemy. I'd rather be your ally."

Marida hurriedly said this.

"If you want to know about me, it means you want to buy information from me, right? But I'm a merchant, you know. A merchant can't just give away goods for free, can they?"

"…Are you asking for payment for the information?"

"How about an equal exchange instead?"

"Exchange?"

"Yes, information for information. I'll give you the information you want, and you'll provide me with the information I want to know about you. It's a fair trade."

Ardis remained silent in response to this proposal.

Since he couldn't tell if the woman in front of him was an enemy or an ally, he didn't want to carelessly provide his own information.

Information about the twins, Nere, and Ardis' own past.

There were many things he didn't want others to know or didn't want to talk about.

He didn't know how much this woman knew or what she was thinking. He couldn't easily agree to a deal.

"I refuse."

He could pretend to agree and lie, but the other party could do the same.

Since they couldn't trust each other, the premise of the deal wouldn't hold.

"It's sad that you don't trust me."

Marida seemed to understand this.

She put her arm in front of her face and made a fake crying gesture.

"Then, how about this?"

The next moment, she smiled again and spoke.

"I have something else I want. If you bring it to me, I'll tell you everything you want to know. How about that?"

Ardis realized this was her real intention.

Indeed, he didn't want to provide information about himself, or rather, he wanted to avoid it as much as possible.

But on the other hand, he had many questions. Why did Marida know those words? Why did she speak as if she knew about Ardis and Kiril's meeting?

"It depends on what you want."

So Ardis made a small concession.

"That's more like it! Come over here!"

Marida snapped her fingers, as if the deal was sealed, and got up from the sofa, heading towards the entrance.

"Hey, I haven't agreed yet."

"I know. It'll be faster if you just come and see."

With that, Marida quickly left the room.

"Tch."

Ardis followed her immediately, muttering that he disliked people who didn't listen.

They arrived at a room in the basement of the building, guided by Marida.

The room, which was originally a storage area, had two people waiting inside.

One was the servant who had been in the parlor earlier. He was a middle-aged man with gray hair and noticeable wrinkles on his face.

The other was a young man dressed in exotic clothing. He was slightly short and had a healthy, wheat-colored complexion.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! Is everything ready?"

"Yes, Miss. Everything is in order."

The servant immediately responded to Marida's question.

Following their gaze, Ardis saw a magical array drawn on the floor. On it were various minerals, herbs, a tusk, and a parchment with what looked like a curse written on it.

In the center was the sword that Ardis and Kiril had found in the Kosas Forest.

"What is this?"

When Ardis asked, Marida turned around and answered.

"We're going to keep that sword quiet for a while. This is how we do it."

"What do you mean?"

"Ah, you know very well."

With a teasing tone, Marida winked at Ardis.

"To subdue that sword, we need a bit more preparation. This is just to buy us some time."

"Subdue? Buy time?"

"Well, actions speak louder than words. We're about to put a temporary seal on the sword, but we're missing one material."

Saying this, Marida extended her hands to Ardis.

"If you have a 'Hetero Saint' sucker, could you give it to me? I'll give you a gold coin."

"Wha…!"

Taken aback by this unexpected request, even Ardis was speechless.

Only he, Kiril, and the villagers knew that Ardis had the Hetero Saint's sucker.

The Hetero Saint's sucker was something most mercenaries ignored and discarded, essentially trash.

Finding someone who carried it in the capital would be a long shot.

Yet, the woman in front of him was asking Ardis to give it to her.

Though she used a conditional phrase, "if you have it," it was clear she was confident that Ardis had the sucker.

"Do you have it? You do, right?"

Tilting her head, Marida asked again.

"…Why do you think I have it?"

"That's a secret. If you want to know, bring me what I want."

"Is the thing you want the Hetero Saint's sucker?"

"No. That's why I said I'll buy it with a gold coin."

Shaking her head, Marida said.

"…Will one be enough?"

"One is enough."

Ardis had collected twenty-four suckers, intending to take them to a sorcerer in the capital.

There was no strict requirement for the number, and it wasn't an official request.

Even if he sold one, he would still have twenty-three left.

After a brief hesitation, Ardis decided it wouldn't be a problem and handed one sucker to Marida.

"This should do it."

The servant took the sucker and placed it on the magical array. Marida then addressed the short man.

"Please, go ahead."

"Understood."

The short man nodded and began chanting something unfamiliar to Ardis.

It wasn't a spell, but it resembled the prayers the monks in the church recited to the goddess.

However, it felt different. Unlike the prayers, it didn't give an unpleasant feeling.

As the chanting ended, the entire magical array began to glow faintly. The light extended like threads, covering the sword from all directions.

"It's a success."

When the short man said this, the sword was bound in the center of the magical array by the threads of light.

"This should hold for about seven days. But after that…"

"I know. We'll handle it from there. I'm sorry for keeping you so long."

"It's no trouble at all. I didn't expect to repay your kindness with such a small task."

"That's enough. Thank you for your hard work today."

"Thank you. I'll take my leave now. I'll visit again soon."

The short man left the room after a brief conversation with Marida.

Ardis had assumed he was from the Ritt Chamber of Commerce, but it seemed he was an outsider.

"Well, Ardis."

"What?"

"This will keep the sword quiet for about seven days, but it's not a permanent solution."

"I figured as much."

"The thing I mentioned earlier, the one I want, is necessary to subdue the sword. I'm asking you to bring it to me."

Ardis inwardly sighed, realizing this was the direction the conversation was heading.

"So, what is it you want?"

"Hair."

"Huh?"

Ardis responded with a surprised voice to Marida's unexpected answer.

"I want a lock of hair. The color should be Alice Blue. It must be from a woman with high magical power. If her eyes are sky blue, that would be perfect."

Ardis' eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Alice Blue hair, a woman with high magical power, and sky blue eyes.

These conditions seemed to pinpoint Nere.

How much did she know about Nere? Did she have information about the twins? Who was Marida, really?

As he pondered these unanswered questions, Marida spoke before he could ask.

"Why? If you want to know, bring the payment first. Within seven days."