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THE DEMON KING IS A MERCHANT
CHAPTER 08: WHO IS THE MYSTERIOUS MEN JUST NOW?

CHAPTER 08: WHO IS THE MYSTERIOUS MEN JUST NOW?

The new day began in Quinn village, with Yory at the small market, selling his products and announcing his prices. An hour later, Aldwin arrived, parking his cart beside Yory's before setting up his stall. Once he settled into a chair, Yory asked, "How's the injury, Aldwin?"

Aldwin, clutching his side, replied, "Better than yesterday. I must look like an old witch, but I’m grateful. Without your help, young blood, we’d have been in serious trouble. Thanks to you, I can see my family again."

Yory grinned. "No need for that, but you owe me some of your wife's cakes. You talked so much about her, the nun couldn’t heal you without a laugh! You were really crying, my friend."

Aldwin chuckled at the memory and said, "I'll have to share this story with my wife when I return to Undvik city."

Yory wondered why anyone would share such a harrowing tale with their loved ones. "Are you sure? Some memories are better kept to yourself," he remarked.

Aldwin sighed, "I know, but I can't keep anything from my wife. I love her, and honesty is our code, a good lesson for my big boy who's going to follow in my merchant footsteps."

Yory mused that regardless of race, there were always honest and principled folks like Aldwin. With a teasing grin, Yory began, "So, Aldwin, I heard about this village where the people are bad, but..."

Aldwin cut him off, saying, "Youngblood, no more!! Are you trying to kill me? Have mercy on these old bones!" They both laughed as Akibrus, Estel, and Avilyn joined them to start their day.

A little later, Yory quoted a price to a woman admiring the high-quality fur. "Four gold coins, my lady," he said.

The shy customer hesitated but finally said, "I don't have much, and I apologize for interrupting your business. I just admired the fur because it's beautiful."

Yory asked, "How much do you have in your hand?"

In a low voice, the customer replied, "Just three silver coins for my family's food."

Yory smiled and offered, "For two silver coins, I'll give you some vegetables along with the fur. What do you think?"

Surprised, the woman asked, "But what about your business? What do you gain from this?"

Yory smiled again. "If we don’t help each other, who will? I believe there are still good people in the world, whether others see it or not. Now, let me get your order ready."

The customer was touched, almost tearing up but quickly wiping her eyes. After receiving her order and making the payment, she bowed to Yory and left happily. Estel remarked with a smile, "We have a true gentleman here. Someone give this man a wife soon."

Akibrus and Joe laughed, and Aldwin playfully poked Yory, who joined in the laughter. It was always good to have comrades.

As night fell, Yory watched the village bustle on, with children playing and people chatting outside their homes. It felt like a safe place. But then, he noticed an owl perched on his cart. "What now?" he muttered.

After the merchants returned to their inn, Yory walked outside the village towards the forest, with the owl following him. Yory entered the forest and waited until the owl found him. The owl faced Yory and bowed, saying, "Long live Yoranios Gyovani, the former demon king and the wise, powerful warrior of the demon kingdom."

Yory asked, "What’s your message?"

The owl held a small scroll and said: "For you, my king."

Yory held the scroll and read: "Dear demon lord Yoranios Gyovani, I Presphine Boonesborough from the Boonesborough noble family, as a part of the demon kingdom, would like to have a good relationship with every friend this world has to offer, and what is better than the former demon king Yoranios Gyovani who helped our lands in the time of need? We appreciate you for thinking even for a while to visit our region in the demon kingdom and have some fruitful discussions with you, and even help us being recognized as a noble demon family that will support you to the end of time. All respect and gratitude to our dear king, YORANIOS GYOVANI, the great king."

Yory was thinking about the small noble families trying to contact him for some kind of advantage for their race for the position of the top noble family and all the influence and power they get with it.

Yory’s expression hardened as he addressed the owl. "Go back to your master and tell him I’m no longer the king. There’s no need for well-written letters. If he wants a good relationship with the kingdom, he should ask Queen Jane Gray Gyovani, not me. And tell him—NEVER BOTHER ME AGAIN. Understood?"

The owl was silent for a moment before bowing and saying, "A message to my master, a message to my master. Good day, my king." Then it flew off to deliver the message.

The next morning, Yory and the other merchants left Quinn Village, heading toward Sludgeville, the last village before Undvik City, where they would part ways for their own businesses and journeys.

Yory was silently thinking about the owls that noble families had sent to gain his favour, and that had begun to annoy him. Even the noble elves' families were sending him letters with poems hoping to win him over.

After hours of travelling, the merchants set up a small camp, lighting a fire to cook their meal. Avilyn, the designated chef, was preparing a soup famous in her hometown of Undvik City. Meanwhile, Akibrus entertained Yory with a tale of how he survived a savage dragon attack and lived to tell the tale.

Akibrus raised his hand dramatically and said, "I threw a magical potion that creates illusions, and he was too stupid to tell what was real and what wasn’t. I ran for my life... and my cart."

Yory said: "Akibrus, you are officially the luckiest lad I have ever known. Did your mom give you a rabbit's leg when you were a child, or did a witch fall in love with you, my dear comrade?"

Akibrus laughed, gave Yory a playful punch on the back, and said, "No, my friend, it's just that God loves me, or maybe it’s a witch’s doing because I’m quite the catch with the ladies."

Estel smiled as usual and teased, "I think the first one is more believable, though the second could work too—if the witch were blind and maybe a bit of a fool." Everyone started laughing, even Akibrus himself when he heard it.

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After some time, the merchants were in their carts sleeping while Yory was walking toward the nearby lake. He used the magical crystal and started glowing. After a moment, Jane's face was revealed, and Yory smiled at his sister and said: "Dear sister, I just contacted you to make sure everything is good on your side."

Jane smiled and said: "Yes, we are good here, just a lot of work and meetings with people."

Yory said: "What about our brothers and sisters? No one wants to help you?"

Jane said with an annoyed face: "You know those useless people. Did they ever help you? except Monroe, he is a great assistant."

Yory smiled and said, "Yes, Monroe is a reliable person, but he doesn't have enough knowledge about certain aspects of commerce and the economy. He lacks expertise in helping new businesses establish themselves, reducing tax rates for new merchants, and providing information about the best places to buy and sell products and goods. He has a lot to learn in this field."

Yory recalled the first time Monroe saw the reports and how earnestly he tried to assist with Yory's duties. "He was basically mimicking my work—self-study, you might say. But no worries, I’ll find someone who can give you the help you need."

Jane expressed her gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Yoranios. You are a great help indeed."

Yory smiled, and the glowing of the magical crystal ceased. He then instructed, "Magical crystal, məni əkiz bacılarımın yanına apar."

The crystal started glowing again, revealing one of Yory's twin sisters, Kunvy, who asked, "Yory, it's been a while, brother. Where are you now?"

Yory’s tone remained serious and cold. "Where are you now?" he repeated.

Kunvy replied nervously, "We are....... in the dwarf kingdom......... just visiting."

Yory chastised them, saying, "Good... good... perhaps you've forgotten or simply didn't care, but our sister Jane is the queen now, and she needs help. Meanwhile, you two are off enjoying yourselves in the dwarf kingdom!"

Kunvy moved the crystal away from her face due to the loud sound and nervously explained, "Sorry, we were on vacation after our hard work..."

Yory interrupted firmly, "Kunvy and Jasmine Gyovani, you have one day to return to the kingdom and assist your sister. Start moving NOW!" With that, Yory ended the magic communication and went to his cart to sleep, clearly upset after the stern conversation with his negligent sister.

Kunvy's face displayed shock and fear upon hearing this, and she hurried to wake her twin sister who was sleeping innocently. She exclaimed, "Jas... Jas, we have a problem! Wake up now!"

Jasmine, still half-asleep, wiped her face and responded, "Sister, good night. How are you?"

Kunvy urgently said, "Our brother Yoranios has ordered us to help our sister Jane with her work."

Jasmine, in her drowsy state, yawned and replied, "No problem, next week. Good night."

Kunvy shouted, "Don't fall asleep, you lazy! He called us by our full names, not just 'Kuv' and 'Jas.' That means he's serious, sister!"

Jasmine was trying to sleep when she suddenly said, "Alright, alright, next moon."

Kunvy replied, "I don't have time for this. Teleportation magic: Teleportasiya!" Kunvy and Jasmine disappeared from the room with their belongings.

Meanwhile, in the western castle of the demon kingdom, Jane was reading reports. The door to the throne chamber opened, and her twin sisters entered. Kunvy, the energetic sister, pulled Jasmine, the very lazy one, into the room. Jane smiled and asked, "What do my dear sisters want today? How was your journey to the dwarf kingdom?"

Kunvy smiled and replied, "It was a good journey. The dwarfs love to fight, and their culture is rich in magic, architecture, and science."

Jane nodded and said, "Good. I'm sure you gathered the information you were looking for. But what brings you here?"

Jasmine stood but was already half asleep. Kunvy laughed nervously and said, "We're your sisters. I can't accept you working so hard without any help. I'll assist because I'm the best sister you've ever had... and Jas too."

Jane grinned mockingly and said, "So Yory didn't tell you, or let me correct myself, he didn't force you to help me?" Jane raised an eyebrow, expecting a funny response.

Kunvy nervously smiled and said, "He didn't tell me because I'm the best sister, right, Jasmine?"

When Kunvy let go of Jasmine's hand, Jasmine fell to the ground, fast asleep. Jane smiled at the sight and said, "Start working, you two. These reports won't organize themselves."

Jane handed a stack of papers to Kunvy, who sighed in displeasure. As she looked at her sister sleeping on the ground, she got angry and playfully slapped her with half of the papers to wake her up and start working.

In the Renolva kingdom, Yory and the merchants arrived at Sludgeville village. Joe noticed the royal guards' carts outside the village and asked, "Yory, do you see that? Is there a war or something happening?"

Yory nodded. "I noticed, but it’s none of our business. Besides, I’ve got work to do."

Joe agreed, saying, "You speak the truth, my lad."

After an hour, Aldwin gripped his stomach, still feeling some pain from the injury despite the nun's use of healing magic on him. He was selling fur, while Estel was enthusiastically advertising her medical herbs for stomach pain and headaches. Avilyn offered books of various genres and some magical recipes she had collected from her journey. Yory tried to grab people's attention, shouting, "There's excellent fur over there with those bearded men!" Aldwin smiled upon hearing this.

Yory continued, "If your stomach is causing you nightmares, we have a lovely lady who can make it disappear and let you continue your happy dreams." Estel waved her hand with her usual cheerful demeanour.

Yory took a deep breath and shouted, "And if you're a scholar, pardon me, because that lady over there knows ten times your fancy head's level, just saying, lads." Avilyn smiled at Yory.

Yory shouted again, "And if you want vegetables, some meat, or even information, this lad right here and I are happy to do some business."

Akibrus laughed, threw his arm around Yory’s neck, and hugged him. "Now that’s good promoting, lad. That’s the way to do it."

In the evening, the merchants in the market were having fun until one person took an apple without the merchant's permission. The merchant tried to speak but fell silent upon realizing that the culprit was a royal guard.

The royal guard sneered and asked, "What? Got a problem with that?"

The rest of the merchants in the market remained silent as the royal guard continued walking. Joe said to Yory, "Those are the royal forces, and they can be a real pain in the arse, my friend."

The royal guard stopped in front of Estel's cart and said to her, "You have a good amount of herbs here."

Estel looked at him with her usual smile but remained silent. The guard continued, "A couple of days ago, we fought a great battle with the thugs of Cryptid Village and saved a lot of people. But we got injured and need some medical herbs for recovery. You have some fancy ones here, lady." The royal guard extended his hand and walked towards Estel's cart to grab some herbs while continuing to talk, "So, for the kingdom and her brave knights, I will take some of these herbs as a generous charity to help my brothers. HAHAHAHAHA!"

Suddenly, someone grabbed the royal guard's arm. When the guard turned to see who dared, it turned out to be Aldwin, with a serious expression. Aldwin said, "You touch it, so you buy it. If you don't have money, get your golden armour and shiny attitude and leave!"

Meanwhile, the Ghouls Kingdom was a small country north of the Demon Kingdom and south of the Renolva Kingdom, with borders adjacent to the country of Sand.

In the castle of Ghouls, the king was in conversation with a mysterious man. This tall, handsome figure had long white hair and a strong body build. He concealed his face with some kind of head veil, with clean, unscarred hands and chin, suggesting he might be a wizard or a talented warrior. He held a large golden sword and wore fancy clothes without any symbols, indicating he had no ties to a noble family.

The king, with a serious and unwavering gaze, said, "You've given me many reasons, proofs, and information, but you haven't provided two things. First, where are your allies that you were bragging about? And second, what are your motives in this whole situation?"

The mysterious man smiled at the king of Ghouls and replied, "About my allies..." The door to the throne chamber swung open, revealing more mysterious figures entering. The king of Ghouls was taken aback by what he saw, and the mysterious man continued, "They are our allies now, my king. As for your other question, I simply desire the downfall, destruction, and complete eradication of the DEMON KINGDOM."