Merchant Noble is out (1/2 chapters for today)

 

 

Third Town (1)

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“Ah, finally, I can see it.” (Arc)

“Hang in there. We’re almost there.” (Yanna)

After several days of Yanna encouraging the tired group, they finally saw the third town of the Mikanda region in the distance. The region was vast. It took about a week to travel from the second town. They kept riding horse, and when the butt started to hurt, they started walking again. Finally, they had arrived.

“This place has an eerie atmosphere. It’s dark and gives ominous feeling.” (Arc)

“It’s probably the color of the soil.” (Tadont)

As Tadont pointed out, the ground and surrounding mountains were indeed pitch black. The town seemed enveloped in a gloomy air, but it was likely due to the dark soil.

“… You finally arrived.” (Yuna)

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Yuna.” (Arc)

At the entrance of the town stood Yuna, who had left the second town slightly earlier than Arc’s group. Given Yuna’s exceptional speed, she had likely arrived days ahead and seemed quite irritated from the wait. Kneeling beside Yuna was a young woman.

“Milord, I have been waiting you. I am Ragonne, the mayor of this town.” (Ragonne)

“I am Arc Warden, the new ruler of the Mikanda region.” (Arc)

After dismounting his horse and introducing himself, there was a moment of silence.

She’s young. Very young.

Arc took a moment to process this. Ragonne was only slightly older than Arc, likely around the same age as Yanna. The previous mayor of the second city, Guselb, was quite elderly, so the young female mayor took him by surprise.

“You look so young. I didn’t think you were the mayor at first.” (Arc)

“My father recently retired, and I just took over.” (Ragonne)

The mayor, who introduced herself as Ragonne, led Arc’s group to the town hall. It seemed to have a rather large room for welcoming guests. Judging by the building’s construction and exterior, this town didn’t appear as impoverished as the second town. However, it was strange considering they were governed by the same lord.

“Since the sun is setting, why not start the inspection tomorrow? We have prepared a modest welcome banquet for tonight.” (Ragonne)

“Alright, let’s do that.” (Arc)

After a week on horseback, they were understandably exhausted. Grateful for Ragonne’s suggestion, they postponed the inspection until the next day. Soon, the meal was served. Though the portions were generous, each dish looked somewhat meager.

“This is…” (Arc)

“Is something wrong?” (Ragonne)

“It’s very tasty.” (Arc)

To be honest, it wasn’t very good. Compared to the second town, the quality of the produce seemed lower. The second town had nutritious soil that produced delicious crops, but here, the soil seemed poor.

Fortunately, the wine had been purchased from outside, and the alcohol seeped pleasantly into their tired bodies. The ability to buy outside alcohol was another difference from the second town. The wine quickly had its effect, making everyone incredibly drowsy. Arc decided he would ask Ragonne about the oddities the next day.

“We have prepared private rooms for everyone. Please, go and rest in your respective rooms.” (Ragonne)

“Ah, that’s a relief.” (Tadont)

Tadont, who had been drinking heavily, was the first to stand up and stagger after the guide. Arc and the others followed. Although Yanna and Yuna had not been drinking, they were clearly exhausted. Like Arc, they rubbed their almost-closed eyes as they followed the guide to their rooms.

“I’ve escorted everyone to their rooms.” (Ragonne)

“Thank you. You should also rest for the night.” (Arc)

“Understood. I’ll take my leave now.” (Ragonne)

After receiving the report that everyone from the new lord’s party had settled into their rooms, Ragonne dismissed her subordinates. She cleaned up the dishes alone and waited for some time. Then she prepared herself to make her move. She needed to find a way to get into the new lord’s good graces.

“I am the mayor of this town. I will succeed no matter what.” (Ragonne)

Arriving at the door to the lord’s room, Ragonne placed her hand on her chest, feeling a bit nervous. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself and then carefully opened the door, making sure not to make any noise. The room was silent and pitch dark. Although she couldn’t see anything, she knew where the bed was and cautiously made her way there by feeling her way.

The lord should be right in front of her now. Ragonne’s heart pounded loudly, so much so that she worried the noise might wake him up. She took a deep breath, steeled herself, and leaped onto the bed.

*Puff*

The bed’s soft resilience bounced Ragonne back. This shouldn’t have happened. The lord was supposed to be lying there. Why was there no sensation at all?

“Oh, sorry. If it’s my brother, he’s sleeping in my room.” (Yanna)

A voice resonated from the darkness, causing Ragonne’s heart to nearly leap out of her chest. She saw the shadow of a woman leaning against the closet.

“This bed was bigger, so I had them switch rooms.” (Yanna)

As the woman approached, her profile was illuminated by the moonlight coming through the window. Her beautiful face became visible—she was Yanna, the lord’s sister.

“So, what’s this about?” (Yanna)

“… What do you mean?” (Ragonne)

“Why did you jump into the bed naked?” (Yanna)

Ragonne had completely forgotten that she was naked until Yanna mentioned it. In the darkness and believing that showing embarrassment would be unseemly, she answered boldly.

“It’s a classic method to allure a man. Using seduction.” (Ragonne)

“Hehe.” (Yanna)

Yanna laughed as if it was the most amusing thing in the world.

“To come naked or with a dagger… between those two, I was 50-50 on what you’d choose.” (Ragonne)

“Well, I suppose you have confidence in your body despite it being rather muscular and not the most comfortable to embrace.” (Yanna)

“Your beautiful body surpasses mine, Yanna-sama.” (Ragonne)

“Well, I suppose I can give you some credit for not coming to kill me.”  (Yanna)

The advantage of seduction over assassination was clear, with fewer risks and more benefits. Ragonne had intended to seduce the lord from the start. However, Yanna had seen through the plan, and it had failed. Ragonne, feeling that her resolve had been in vain, responded a bit brusquely.

“I was prepared to leap in, but given that there’s no demand or supply for me showing up naked to Yanna-sama, I’ll take my leave.” (Ragonne)

As Ragonne tried to leave, Yanna smoothly slipped in front of her.

“Oh, there is supply. I’m ambidextrous, you know.” (Yanna)

With Yanna’s sultry gaze, ragged breath, and moist warmth, Ragonne finally understood why Yanna was in this room instead of Arc. Yanna had been waiting for her. She had not only anticipated Ragonne’s attempt to seduce Arc but intended to hunt the predator herself.

“No! Stop!” (Ragonne)

As Ragonne tried to escape, Yanna grabbed her wrist and pushed her onto the bed. The flushed face of Yanna, clearly visible even in the dark, loomed close.

“I’ve been out of practice lately. You’re the one who came to seduce me.” (Yanna)

 

“I have no recollection of inviting Lady Yanna. Nooo!” (Ragonne)

Despite Ragonne’s desperate resistance, Yanna easily restrained her and made a guttural sound as she bit into Ragonne’s lips.

 

—

 

The next morning, Arc and Yanna were having breakfast. The Tadont couple, likely due to their age, had risen early, already finished their meal, and gone out to explore the town. Yuna and Yulia had also finished their breakfast and were sipping water. However, Ragonne had not yet appeared. Arc, despite being the new lord, was not pleased with her sleeping in on the first day of the inspection.

“Where is Ragonne?” (Arc)

Arc casually asked, and Yanna answered as if it was nothing unusual.

“She’s still sleeping in my bed.” (Ragonne)

*Pffft*

Yuna and Yulia simultaneously spat out their water. Arc tried to force a smile but ended up sighing instead.

This sister of mine, really…

Yanna’s main flaw was her lack of discipline regarding sexual matters. Despite undergoing training at various facilities across the kingdom due to their father’s teachings, she had caused trouble at almost every place and was often expelled. Particularly, she had many incidents involving noble or merchant’s sheltered daughters, who became infatuated and caused chaos. If Yanna had been a man, she might have been killed by the fathers of those she pursued.

“Nee-san. Maybe you shouldn’t have done that.” (Arc)

“Oh? Should I not have changed rooms yesterday?” (Yanna)

“No, that’s not what I meant. Why would you go along with the seduction attempt of someone who was trying to lure you in?” (Arc)

“If that’s your concern, don’t worry. I gave her plenty of attention last night.” (Yanna)

The conversation between them seemed a bit disjointed.

Upon closer inspection, it was noticeable that Yanna’s skin had a slight sheen to it. She wore a mischievous smile that, for Ragonne, was undoubtedly demonic. While Yanna’s intention was to seduce, Ragonne probably didn’t expect to be met with a woman waiting for her. One could sympathize with Ragonne, who was likely exhausted from the entire night.

“…That’s why Yanna-sama is so troublesome.” (Yuna)

Yuna muttered this as she glanced distastefully at Yanna, who seemed to be basking in the afterglow of her actions. Yulia, noticing Yuna’s discomfort, refilled her empty glass with water.

 

“It’s definitely a new side of her we’ve learned about.” (Yulia)

“…Sometimes, she looked at me in a rather inappropriate way.” (Yuna)

“Eh?” (Yulia)

Yulia was taken aback by Yuna’s use of the term ‘inappropriate’. She had grown close to Yuna and heard her talk about many things, but never anything quite so explicit. It was true that Yuna had often seemed wary of Yanna, particularly when Yanna would be overly affectionate with Yuna. It was also noticeable that Yuna’s discomfort around Yanna was evident.

“…Be careful too, Yulia.” (Yuna)

“I-I will. Understood.” (Yulia)

Yulia was surprised to hear such a warning and was hesitant, but Yuna’s serious tone convinced her to be more cautious. Even after Arc and Yanna had finished their meal, Ragonne had not yet shown up. Arc, waiting for a while, realized that Ragonne seemed unlikely to wake up on her own, so he asked Yanna to go and wake her.

“Nee-san, I’d like to start the inspection soon. Could you go wake Ragonne?” (Arc)

“Sure, I’ll go and wake her up.” (Yanna)

The curtains were drawn open, and sunlight hit Ragonne, who had been sleeping deeply. As she shielded her eyes from the light and slowly opened them, she noticed someone sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Ragonne, wake up. We need to head out for the inspection.” (Yanna)

“…Huh?” (Ragonne)

Ragonne’s half-asleep mind snapped awake in an instant. As she hurriedly sat up, she noticed something unusual. With a growing sense of dread, she looked down and realized she was completely naked.

Naked?! Why?!

In a panic, Ragonne pulled the sheets to cover herself while desperately trying to recall what had happened the previous night. Yanna, who was still sitting on the bed, moved closer with a warm, inviting smile.

“Last night was quite enjoyable.” (Yanna)

Yanna’s warm breath against Ragonne’s skin made her involuntarily gulp. As memories of the previous night in this very bed rushed back, the wrinkles in the bed’s sheets seemed to take on a lascivious quality.

“Y-yes, thank you…” (Ragonne)

Ragonne found herself unable to meet Yanna’s eyes, her gaze firmly fixed on the floor. However, her view was forcibly lifted when Yanna gently but firmly tilted her chin upward. They were now face-to-face, with Yanna’s eyes locked onto hers.

When their eyes met, Yanna gave a sweet, disarming smile. Even though they were both women, the beauty of Yanna was such that it made Ragonne’s heart race. Perhaps it was merely the residual effect of the previous night that made Ragonne overly sensitive.

“Oh, your voice is so hoarse. I’m sorry. You cried out so wonderfully. I may have overdone it a bit.” (Yanna)

Yanna’s right hand, which had been lifting Ragonne’s chin, then moved down to trace her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

“Mmm.” (Ragonne)

Ragonne, despite her discomfort, didn’t resist much as Yanna’s touch grew closer.

“Don’t look like you want something like that. I’ll pet you again tonight.” (Yanna)

The proximity of Yanna’s face made her realize how close her lips were, causing Ragonne to quickly turn away.

“I’m not making any such face!” (Ragonne)

In a panic, she leaped out of bed, wrapping the sheets around her naked body as she hurriedly left the room. The abruptness of her departure was perhaps too overwhelming for her, and her heart raced with frantic beats.

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