Chapter 25
‘Maybe… the group Astaire is investigating has something to do with my possession.’
Of course, it was Letty’s will that caused the possession, but Elses had a hunch that somehow, those people were connected to how she ended up in this body.
“Before you died, were there any humans who followed you? Think carefully.”
Letty answered in a sulky voice, as if she didn’t even want to think about it.
“No. Humans always hated me. They always hurt me, bullied me…”
“Even before you did bad things?”
“Humans were like that from the start. That’s why I hate them. I would’ve liked them if they gave me cookies and candies like you do.”
Elses gazed quietly at Letty, who was speaking in an uncharacteristically somber tone.
It was surprising that the demon she’d always thought of as pure “evil” actually wanted to get along with humans.
Come to think of it, the way the game had designed that relationship—without giving him a choice—was rather pitiful.
‘What even is the standard for “evil” anyway?’
Maybe “evil” was just something humans created, based on their own perspective.
Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, Letty asked,
“By the way, when are you giving me the hundred candies?”
“Just wait a bit. I’m on my way to earn the money for that right now.”
The moment Elses said that, the carriage came to a stop—they had arrived at their destination.
Before she could open the door herself, it opened from the outside.
“Welcome, my lady.”
A dignified butler bowed politely to greet her.
Thanks to the letter she had sent in advance, they seemed fully prepared to receive a guest.
“Thank you.”
Elses replied briefly and looked up at the grand mansion before her.
‘Wow… it’s become even fancier since I last saw it.’
The estate had grown considerably since three years ago, and Elses blinked in mild surprise.
“The Viscount is expecting you.”
The butler led Elses into the mansion.
The Lobi Viscount’s Fren Merchant Guild.
There was someone there she had known well three years ago—back when she was Ruell.
‘I wonder if they’ve been doing well.’
Even if the other person didn’t recognize her, she felt a little excited at the thought of meeting an old friend.
But the person waiting in the reception room wasn’t who she expected.
Waiting for her was a young woman around her age.
“Welcome, Miss Elses.”
Elses froze in her tracks.
She knew that face.
‘Treisha…?’
Treisha Lobi.
The only granddaughter—and only family—of Martin Lobi, the Viscount she had come to see.
When Ruell had first arrived in this world, she had once saved Martin from being killed by a monster in the forest.
Ruell had been only fourteen at the time.
She had just been thrown into the game world, barely a beginner, but she couldn’t just ignore a man in danger.
It had been a battle she should have lost in terms of strength, but she barely managed to win by using her knowledge of the game’s mechanics.
Martin had been truly grateful to the young girl who had risked her life to save him.
“Even if I should die, as long as the Fren Merchant Guild exists, we will forever support you and your companions.”
He had called Ruell Hero with deep respect, treating her as both a friend and benefactor.
And true to his word, he supported her journey in countless ways.
He also devoted himself to helping the poor and the weak.
Ruell had stayed in touch with Martin until the very last battle.
But now, three years later, she had come to see the Viscount… and Treisha was here instead.
A sad possibility flickered through her mind—though “Elses” would have no way of knowing it.
She steadied her emotions and spoke.
“Hello, Viscount.”
“Please, have a seat.”
Treisha smiled politely, her tone purely businesslike.
Elses blinked, a bit taken aback.
They weren’t strangers—they had crossed paths occasionally when Elses visited the Lobi estate before.
Treisha had a prim, aloof personality, and she had always been curt toward Ruell.
‘I don’t really like this, so eat it or throw it away, I don’t care.’
Elses suppressed a dry laugh.
‘So she was just cold to me, huh.’
A maid brought out tea, placed it in front of them, and quietly left.
After taking a small sip, Treisha asked,
“So, what brings you here?”
“I came because I’d like to do business with the Fren Merchant Guild.”
At that, Treisha’s green eyes narrowed slightly.
Elses knew what that look meant.
Last night, she had sent a letter introducing herself and requesting a meeting with the guild’s master.
When she worked with the guild, she usually hid her noble status—it was more of a hindrance than a help—but in this case, it might make things easier.
Treisha had likely agreed to the meeting only because Elses was a noble—specifically, the fiancée of Duke Ritenhaus.
‘The Tezet family must be using me as a shield to avoid marrying the princess. Fine by me—I’ll use that position to my advantage when I can.’
However, her father’s reputation was not great. He’d borrowed money left and right to fund business ventures, leaving behind nothing but bad rumors.
Treisha probably suspected Elses of following in her father’s footsteps.
“What kind of deal are you proposing?”
Elses opened her inventory and placed several items on the table—mamalung slime, a core from the wooden beast she’d fought yesterday, and some stems and roots.
“I want to sell monster by-products to the Fren Guild on a regular basis.”
Many quests at the guild required such materials.
Those clients usually needed them urgently for personal reasons, not for bulk trade, so they were willing to pay between 1.5 to 10 times the market price—though tenfold was rare.
But since the requested quantities were small, the remaining materials had to be sold to merchants before they spoiled.
So, if she wanted quick cash flow, it was best to set up a standing deal with a merchant guild.
Treisha’s eyes widened as she examined the materials—all of them were from beast-class monsters.
“Did you… hunt all of these yourself, my lady?”
“Yes.”
“I hadn’t heard that you were so skilled.”
“I didn’t know either, but apparently I have a knack for it.”
Elses answered smoothly, raising her teacup with an effortless lie.
The first lie had been hard—but the second came naturally, as if it were the truth.
Treisha looked over the materials again, then hesitated.
“But we already have a lot of suppliers. It might be hard to increase our purchase volume any further.”
She had been raised from birth as the guild’s heir—a merchant through and through.
Deals were psychological. The more desperate side always paid the higher price.
So even with good goods right before her eyes, Treisha instinctively tried to appear indifferent—to maintain the upper hand.
But that only worked if the other party didn’t understand the market.
“Beast-class materials are difficult to obtain. Supply rarely meets demand.”
As Treisha said, there were surely many guild members she traded with.
But very few had the combat ability to hunt beasts alone.
‘Most of the skilled ones have already left for areas where stronger monsters roam—it’s more profitable there, and the materials are of higher quality.’
The remaining adventurers were mostly beginners, working in groups through quests—meaning they hardly had any leftovers to sell.
“Especially the lower-grade beasts that live near the capital.”
In other words, Elses was one of the few high-level fighters still in the capital.
“So basically…”
She set her teacup down and met Treisha’s gaze squarely.
“I’m choosing the Fren Guild as my business partner and ally.”
Her amber eyes gleamed confidently as she smiled.
Treisha blinked in surprise.
‘She’s not just some clueless noble lady… she actually understands how the market works?’
Knowing which materials were used in potions meant she had at least basic knowledge of alchemy and magic.
And if she could hunt beasts, she was a skilled combatant.
If she could provide beast-grade materials regularly, it would be a major gain for the guild.
Treisha felt a twinge of guilt for underestimating Elses based on the late Lord Rohain’s reputation.
But she also felt an odd irritation.
‘For some reason, the way she keeps out-talking me with those calm, perfect answers… she really reminds me of that annoying girl.’
The same girl who had always acted so cool—
and who, in the end, saved the world… and disappeared.
