Chapter 23
“What are you?”
The man was big—too big.
Because he had pulled his hat down so low, I had to tilt my head far back just to see his face.
After looking me over carefully, he snorted.
“Kid, this area is restricted. Looks like you lost your guardian. Go somewhere else and find them.”
He sounded especially indifferent, as if he thought I had simply wandered in by mistake.
Instead of answering, I glanced past his side.
Most shops in the Moonlight Market were wagon-style stalls with only roofs, but at the end of this alley there was a single purple door, different from the rest.
That’s it.
“No. I came to the right place.”
I answered calmly.
“I’m here to meet the owner of the market.”
The man’s expression twisted.
“…You? To see the master?”
“Yes. I don’t have much time, so could you guide me quickly? I already know about the price.”
The reason I was in a hurry was simple.
What if Damian came looking for me while I was gone?
It would be chaos.
Something I truly didn’t even want to imagine.
“I have to finish quickly and go back.”
But the man still didn’t seem willing to move.
Rather than his earlier indifference, he now crossed his arms and looked down at me with clear suspicion.
…Ah.
I realized it again.
Without the title of princess, I just looked like a worthless little child.
…Well, it didn’t matter.
Even without a grand identity, I had to say what needed to be said.
After living more than ten years as a princess, the one skill I had learned was how to act shamelessly calm and stubborn in a disadvantageous situation.
“Surely you’re not going to send me away with something like, children aren’t qualified, right?”
I narrowed my eyes and looked up at him.
“I don’t have a guardian. I came alone.
The fact that I found this market by myself should already prove my basic qualifications.”
“Ha…”
His expression grew even stranger.
He looked dumbfounded—probably shocked that some unknown girl was speaking so arrogantly and clearly.
So what? It’s the truth.
The Moonlight Market wasn’t a place just anyone could find.
Discovering the entrance itself was a kind of qualification.
The man was about to say something—
But before he could speak, he suddenly touched his ear and froze.
Magic communication.
Soon, confusion spread across his face.
“…Pardon? You’re telling me to let her in?”
I shrugged deliberately.
After rolling his eyes uneasily, he reluctantly stepped aside.
“…Go in for now.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Kids these days and their manners…”
As I lifted my chin proudly and passed him, he muttered in dissatisfaction.
He used informal speech too.
I snorted and stopped in front of the door.
Unlike the warm, brilliant lights of the market, the space before the purple wooden door felt quiet and sunken—
like stepping into another world.
This place really resembles its owner.
The master of the Moonlight Market.
I had met her several times before my regression—
of course, back when I came here under the emperor’s orders to crack down on the place.
She was never someone to underestimate.
…I have to do well.
I felt nervous.
But nothing would change just because I was nervous.
I had to do this anyway.
I took a small breath and reached out—
But before my hand even touched the handle,
the door opened softly, as if inviting me inside.
Whoa.
My heart pounded.
Beyond the door was a dark room where candlelight glowed bluish like stars in the night sky.
It was beautiful.
And frightening.
At the center of the room stood a captivating woman with long purple hair, holding a smoking pipe.
“Hello.”
Her languid voice echoed through the room.
Her long, elegant eyes curved gently, the whites inside shining like a crescent moon.
…Wow, she’s beautiful.
The thought slipped out without me realizing.
But that beauty also felt dangerous—
like a poisonous flower.
I could never relax in front of this woman.
In fact, when I had tried to shut down this market before my regression,
she had been the one who troubled me the most.
If he ruled the Land of Mages,
then across the entire empire—except the West—
this woman stood above the heads of the mages.
Hella, the market master.
She had built a secret network for wandering mages who had no place in the Land of Mages, protecting them from demonic energy.
From the moment demonic energy began devouring the continent until now, countless mages had followed her and settled in this Moonlight Market.
At the same time, through mage informants spread across the continent,
she acted like a guild leader who provided rare items and information.
I hadn’t originally planned to come see her now.
But since I was nearby,
it was better to obtain what I could—
and give her a small hint as well.
Her soft, laughing voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
“So, what business does this little guest have,
that she must come all the way to the market master to solve it?”
Tilting her head, she brought the pipe to her lips.
“I hope it’s something interesting.”
Her pale gaze slid downward.
She didn’t seem surprised at all that I had reached the Moonlight Market alone.
I slowly looked toward the chair placed in the center of the room.
A guest chair.
Normally, I should wait until invited to sit—
But my legs hurt too much.
The market was enormous.
By the time I walked here, my legs felt like they would fall off.
I resented this younger body.
So I simply dropped into the chair.
“You haven’t invited me yet, but I’ll take the liberty.”
“Hmm?”
Her eyebrow lifted slightly.
“It’s a guest chair anyway.
…Isn’t it?”
I said calmly.
“I walked a long way, so my legs hurt.”
She stared blankly at me for a moment—
then burst into laughter.
“Oh my, you’re more than I expected.”
A soft, giggling laugh.
“Well, this isn’t bad either.
I like bold children.”
Her dark long skirt, slit up to the thigh, fluttered as she walked over and sat across the table from me.
Up close, she was even more beautiful.
But her eyes were sharp.
She was observing me—
what kind of child I was, why I came, whether I had value.
…She’s not someone to take lightly.
I stayed alert.
“So, little guest.
What is your business?”
She placed the pipe on the table.
I stopped tapping my legs and straightened my back.
I took a deep breath.
From here on was what mattered most.
Whether this deal succeeded or failed
would change the timing of Damian’s awakening.
Looking straight into her eyes, I spoke.
“I know you’re busy, so I’ll get to the point.”
There was no time to hesitate.
I had to return before Damian woke up.
“I need the Holy Sword of Prakachia.”
Her eyebrow twitched.
For a moment,
it felt like the air in the room had changed.
“…The Holy Sword?”
