Shadow Market (2)
Three days later, the day the Shadow Market opened arrived.
"Then shall we go, Alan?"
"Yes, Montblanc-nim."
I followed behind Montblanc.
Near Montblanc stood the silent fairy Zoldik, and beside me were my party members.
Everyone spoke cautiously in front of Montblanc, but they could not hide their excitement. My fairies, of course, and even Canisia had only heard rumors about the Shadow Market and had never actually used it themselves.
Following Montblanc out of Littleberry, we arrived at a shabby hut located not far away.
She entered the hut through the door Zoldik opened, smiled at me, and said:
"It might be a bit dizzying, Alan."
"What? What... ugh!"
She was using magic by spreading her hand. A sparkling light burst from her hand and soon filled the entire hut.
I reflexively closed my eyes and covered them with the back of my hand to avoid the bursting light. Otherwise, I felt like I would go blind.
Damn! It's not just a little dizzy, it's fucking dizzy! U, ugh!
My body swayed as if standing on shaking ground. I couldn't steady myself, and I couldn't tell if I was standing or lying down now.
My stomach was churning so much that I felt like I would vomit if I didn't hold the reins tight.
After a while, feeling the light disappear, I cautiously opened my eyes.
"... Uhm."
When I opened my eyes again, I was in a different place, not the shabby hut.
This place was decorated like a luxurious hotel room, with beds and sofas for comfortable rest, and on one side, a wine bar made using the entire wall.
"Ugh... This magic is really shitty."
"Are you... okay, Master?"
"Uuu... Master, I'm going to puke..."
The party members were also struggling because they were experiencing teleport magic for the first time, their stomachs churning. The only one who was fine was Montblanc and her fairy Zoldik.
"Would you like a drink, Alan?"
Instead, she naturally went to the wine bar and prepared wine and glasses.
"... Sorry. I don't think I can keep anything down right now."
"Then I'll have it myself."
My stomach was still churning, so I refused the wine glass Montblanc was offering. It wasn't just words; I really felt like vomiting.
"Then I'll have it myself."
Montblanc shrugged and filled two wine glasses with wine. She poured the wine, handed one glass to Zoldik. Fairies don't refuse what their master gives, so she received the wine with both hands respectfully.
Glug—gulp!
What wine do you drink like soju? No, how wide is the throat that all that fits?
And Zoldik gulped down the entire glass in one go. He drank the full glass in one swallow. Zoldik wasn't a normal fairy either.
"Huu~"
Unlike Zoldik who gulped like soju, Montblanc leisurely sipped the wine. She savored the aroma, closed her eyes, and let the wine in her mouth.
"....."
I stared at her in a trance.
She's really pretty, insanely pretty.
Montblanc was so beautiful it was hard to believe it was the same person. It was a bit embarrassing to say to my fairies, but objectively and subjectively, Montblanc was much prettier.
No, just overall, among all the women I've met in my previous life, Montblanc was the prettiest.
"... I want to have her."
A sudden surge of desire to possess her erupted.
It wasn't just because she was pretty. She was talented as well as beautiful.
Although her age was more than the sum of my previous life, that didn't matter. She had surpassed human limits with her immense power, making her closer to a fairy or transcendent than human.
"Huh? What did you say, Alan?"
"... Huh?"
"You just said something, didn't you?"
"Me? Uh... I don't know."
"Huu~?"
Montblanc tilted her head, then resumed savoring the wine as if it was nothing.
Whoa, that was close. What was I thinking?
Right now, she had something to exploit from me and was clinging like a parasite, but in the future, if I became as strong as her, she would be my enemy.
Wanting to possess Montblanc. It was a very dangerous thought.
They say even beautiful roses have thorns, right?
Montblanc was a beautiful rose.
Montblanc was a flower that was too beautiful and dangerous to possess by anyone. With thorns on her stem, and poison in her fragrance—such a dangerous woman.
To have Montblanc, I would have to take on that much sacrifice. By taking her, I could lose my fairies and Canisia.
Even if I had Montblanc, I couldn't be completely at ease. Since Montblanc was a woman whose inner thoughts were unknown, even if she became mine, she would surely plot to stab me in the back.
I was always uneasy that she might betray me, so rather than dealing with her cleanly even if it was a waste, it would be better.
Yes, I knew that fact well.
But knowing it...
"....."
I want her.
The desire that once raised its head wouldn't lower. In my mind, I kept imagining possessing Montblanc.
"Alan?"
"... Yes, Montblanc-nim."
"Are you feeling better now?"
"... Ah."
She was the one who left the last sip and asked me. Only then did I suddenly understand why she was drinking wine.
Montblanc had been waiting for our stomachs to settle.
... Exactly, not 'us', but 'me'.
Montblanc had waited for me, not my party members. Only me.
Up until now, Montblanc hadn't given my party members a single glance. She hadn't shown interest at all and treated them as if they didn't exist.
The one she was addressing was only me, and her gaze was directed at me as well.
"I'm fine."
"Then shall we go?"
I checked the condition of the party members and nodded. Even though Montblanc had one sip left, she set the wine glass on the table.
A sweet scent passed by Montblanc.
I want her.
Instinctively smelling Montblanc's scent, I felt the thirst for her deepen.
I want Montblanc.
The possessiveness that kept my head raised the whole way to the Shadow Market didn't disappear.
*****
What the hell is this?
Like a bumpkin who just arrived in Seoul, I looked around curiously.
Since it was called a Shadow Market, I imagined dark streets without lights, garbage piled on sidewalks, bad smells, and people in masks and cloaks hiding their identities.
But the Shadow Market I actually saw didn't match my imagination at all.
The streets were clean, and not only was there no bad smell, I couldn't find even a piece of garbage. The streets were neat, and there were no hawkers, making it quiet.
The shadow merchants were guarding their shops quietly at the entrance with signs. The signs listed what they were selling and the prices. When customers came, they sold the goods; if no customers came, they waited until customers arrived.
It was a very peculiar way.
Ah, but there was one thing that matched my imagination and reality.
Namely, the people hiding their identities.
Even the shadow merchants selling goods were wearing different masks, and the customers using the Shadow Market were the same. Some were wearing cloaks to completely hide their identities.
Excluding that, it was completely different from what I imagined.
"How is it, Alan? Your first impression of the Shadow Market?"
"It's clean and quiet."
The owner of this Shadow Market is Montblanc. I thought the scenery of the Shadow Market suited her well.
"Huu~ Is that all your impression?"
"Since I only saw the streets so far..."
"Hu-hut. Is that so?"
"But there is one thing I'm curious about."
"What is it?"
"Since we don't need to hide our identities, is that okay?"
Whether shadow merchants or customers, everyone hid their identities with masks and cloaks. But we weren't wearing anything.
"Hu-hut~"
Then Montblanc smiled and answered.
"We are already wearing them."
"What? You mean we're already wearing them?"
At that, I looked back at my party members. No one was wearing masks or cloaks.
"When we came out to the streets, we had already cast magic. Since no one can see our true identities, don't worry."
"Ah."
I finally understood her meaning belatedly.
So, currently, we had Montblanc's magic on us. She was a 9-star Illusion Sorceress who had cast illusion magic to hide our identities.
... She's insane.
At the same time, a chill ran down my spine.
When exactly had she used the magic? I hadn't seen her cast it. I hadn't even felt the mana moving.
If Montblanc had used not illusion magic but lethal magic that could kill us, we would have been killed without even realizing it and become cold corpses.
Even if I become 9-star, can I catch her?
There was no data on illusion magic. Because the Illusion Sorceress class had never appeared in Fairy Masters.
Without data, I couldn't be confident that I could catch her.
"Um... Alan, you said you had something to sell, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Then go look around. Since it's been a while since I've been here, I'll check if the Shadow Market is running well and come back. See you in an hour."
"Okay. But where should I go?"
"Don't worry about that. When the time comes, you'll naturally be in front of me. See you later, Alan."
Puff~
Montblanc kissed the palm of my hand and blew on it. Then, with a leisurely step, she and Zoldik went ahead first.
Watching Montblanc's retreating back, I frowned.
Damn, I thought she was going to give me something for free.
It seemed difficult to expect a freebie from her today.
"First, let's go check out the skill stones."
"Yeah."
"Yes, Master."
Together with the party members quietly looking at me, we started the Shadow Market tour.