Chapter 84
Yoo Sehui looked at the Black Lion with an expression of disbelief.
“So you’re saying Goran is dead?”
“That appears to be the case, judging by the circumstances.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“……”
“You’re saying it’s real?”
Yoo Sehui’s eyes trembled.
Even the Black Lion reporting this wore a hard-to-believe expression.
Goran had disappeared, and Zeon—who fought him—had returned home.
The meaning was clear.
Zeon had won.
“Then is Zeon ruling Sinchon now?”
“That doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“What do you mean?”
“He met Eaton. Right after that, Eaton began going around Goran’s businesses, taking control.”
“So he won the war, but won’t rule?”
“That seems to be it.”
“Haah… what a troublesome man.”
Yoo Sehui let out a sigh.
Someone like Goran would have been easier to deal with.
He was full of desire and never bothered to hide it.
That made everything straightforward.
As long as you didn’t interfere with his goals, there would be no problems.
But Zeon was different.
Everything about him was unclear.
From past to present, nothing about him had been properly uncovered.
He was like someone who had simply fallen from the sky.
She had met countless people since taking charge of the Goblin Market, but someone like Zeon was a first.
After thinking for a moment, Yoo Sehui stood up.
“Are you heading out?”
“I need to meet Grandfather.”
“I’ll escort you.”
Under the Black Lion’s protection, Yoo Sehui left the Goblin Market.
She headed toward an area crowded with shops.
Among them, she walked into one.
“What brings you here?”
An old man preparing his stall looked at her with curiosity.
Yoo Sehui gave a slightly pouty expression.
“Is it strange for a granddaughter to visit her grandfather?”
“It is. It’s suspicious.”
“Grandfather!”
At his response, Yoo Sehui snapped.
“You’ll burst my ears. How is it that your temper hasn’t changed even as you’ve grown older? Sit down.”
The old man offering her a seat was none other than old man Clexi.
After sitting down, Yoo Sehui spoke.
“You handed your troublesome position to your granddaughter and are enjoying life, I see.”
“Does this look like I’m enjoying life to you?”
“Yes!”
“Well… I can’t exactly deny that. It is true I’m living more comfortably than ever.”
“Tch!”
Yoo Sehui pouted.
Old man Clexi and Yoo Sehui were grandfather and granddaughter.
The Goblin Market she ruled had originally been created by him.
Of course, expanding it to its current scale was entirely Yoo Sehui’s achievement, but he had started it.
For some reason, Clexi had entrusted the Goblin Market to her and was now living as a street vendor.
“So! What’s troubling my granddaughter so much?”
“Can you tell?”
“How many times have I told you? Never reveal what’s on your mind.”
“I’m doing that.”
“Then why can I read you so easily?”
“That’s because you’re—”
“It’s because of Zeon, isn’t it?”
“……”
Yoo Sehui pressed her lips tightly at Clexi’s pinpoint remark.
She prided herself on having grown a lot, but in front of him, everything was laid bare.
“No need to be so discouraged. Even I haven’t fully figured him out yet.”
“I need to know more about him. Tell me everything you know.”
“Truth is, I barely know anything. It’s been eight years since I last saw him here.”
“What was he like the first time you met him?”
“He was a bit naïve back then. He probably thought he was being cunning, but that only made him easier to take advantage of.”
“You took advantage of him?”
“Heh heh! Of course.”
“You’re really awful.”
Despite his granddaughter’s scolding, Clexi didn’t bat an eye.
“Back then, it was easy to read what he was thinking. But now… he’s become like a sly serpent.”
“Even you can’t read him now?”
“I hate to admit it, but no. I don’t know what he went through in those eight years, but he’s learned to hide his true intentions perfectly. Be careful. If you’re not, even you might get devoured by him.”
“Are you serious?”
“I am. The Zeon I met eight years ago and the Zeon now are completely different people. That’s why I’m analyzing him again from scratch.”
“Hmm…”
“It’s certain Goran fell to him. Even after mobilizing all of Argos’s Eyes, we couldn’t find any trace of Goran.”
Argos’s Eyes was one of the organizations Clexi had created alongside the Goblin Market.
It was an intelligence network built to protect the market, with eyes spread throughout the entire slum.
Clexi had not yet passed Argos’s Eyes on to Yoo Sehui.
He believed she wasn’t yet capable of managing both it and the Goblin Market.
He planned to hand it over once she matured further.
Yoo Sehui sighed.
“Haah… just what exactly is he?”
“Who knows? I’d like to know myself.”
＊＊＊
Zeon looked down at the sofa with a dumbfounded expression.
Brielle was sprawled out on the sofa.
Her pointed hat had fallen to the floor, leaving her sharp ears fully exposed.
With unfocused eyes, Brielle stared blankly at Zeon.
Zeon let out a sigh.
“…A High Elf intoxicated on drugs.”
Just an hour ago, Brielle’s condition had rapidly worsened.
In the end, she had no choice but to take a stimulant.
This was the result.
Honestly, watching a small elf dazed from drugs didn’t feel good.
No matter her race, she was still just a child.
It was pitiful that a child had no choice but to depend on drugs to survive.
If Deioden had been alive to see this, he would have laughed and said it served her right.
But Zeon was different.
Their values and the way they viewed the world were completely opposite.
For a moment, Zeon found himself thinking of Deioden.
He had burned out like a flame, leaving no trace behind.
It was a fitting end for him.
As Zeon lingered in those thoughts, Brielle slowly regained her senses.
“Haah! Damn it!”
She sprang up from the sofa, cursing immediately.
The first thing she did was pick up her pointed hat from the floor.
Pulling it low over her head, she looked at Zeon.
“It’s made with cheap ingredients, so the side effects are bad. Even if it’s unpleasant to watch, you should get used to it.”
“Then if the ingredients are better, will your condition improve?”
“Probably.”
“Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“Just follow me.”
Zeon threw on his robe and headed outside.
After staring at his back for a moment, Brielle hurriedly followed him.
Once outside the building, the two walked through the streets.
The place Zeon took Brielle to was the Goblin Market.
“Waaah!”
At the sight of the market—something she had never seen before—Brielle gasped in awe.
Having spent all her time in the damp underground, the Goblin Market felt like an entirely new world.
The people moving through the streets, the goods laid out on stalls, and the lively atmosphere unique to a marketplace—all of it captivated her.
“I can’t believe a place like this exists…”
Brielle wore a look of pure wonder.
Zeon said to her,
“If you find decent materials, buy them.”
“Can I really buy whatever I want?”
“Yeah.”
“Thank you!”
Excited, Brielle ran toward the shops.
Zeon silently followed behind her—
“Cute kid. Who is she?”
A familiar voice came from behind him.
Without even turning, Zeon recognized who it was.
“What brings the master of the Goblin Market here?”
“As you can see, I’m on patrol.”
It was Yoo Sehui, speaking in a calm voice.
She had appeared alongside the Black Lion.
She asked again,
“So, that girl?”
“She was kidnapped and held in an alligator den.”
“Hmm.”
“She had nowhere to go, so I’m keeping her with me.”
“You’re kinder than you look.”
“I can be.”
“Let’s talk.”
“Aren’t we already?”
“In a quieter place.”
“As you can see, I need to watch that kid.”
“He’ll watch her.”
Yoo Sehui pointed at the Black Lion.
There was no one in the Goblin Market who didn’t know him. No merchant would dare cheat a child under his watch.
Zeon nodded.
“Fine.”
“Follow me.”
After telling Brielle to shop as much as she wanted, Zeon went with Yoo Sehui to her office.
“What would you like to drink?”
“Just a glass of water is enough.”
At his answer, Yoo Sehui poured water into a cup and handed it to him.
“Here.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re quite an interesting man.”
“Am I?”
“I’ll get straight to the point. What happened to Goran?”
“What do you think happened?”
“You killed him?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Just like that.”
At Zeon’s short reply, Yoo Sehui frowned.
She stared at him intensely.
An ordinary person wouldn’t have been able to meet her gaze, but it didn’t affect Zeon at all.
“So it’s a secret?”
“Even men have things they’d rather keep hidden.”
“Fine. I’ll accept that. Then I have a proposal.”
“What is it?”
“Join the Goblin Market.”
“I refuse.”
“Hey!”
Yoo Sehui snapped at his immediate rejection.
But Zeon continued without changing his expression.
“If I intended to join the Goblin Market, there would’ve been no need to go through the trouble of dealing with Goran. Just being part of the market would’ve been enough to keep him from touching me.”
“Ugh…”
Her face twisted.
She knew he was right.
If he had intended to rely on the Goblin Market, there would have been no need for such complications.
Yoo Sehui wanted him.
If she could bring Zeon into the Goblin Market, it would become far more secure than it already was.
But since he had made his refusal so clear, she couldn’t force him.
Pushing too hard would only provoke resistance.
“Okay, fine. I respect your decision. But…”
“But?”
“I’ll raise your access level in the Goblin Market. In return, when we have requests, consider them positively.”
“What’s the benefit of a higher level?”
“You’ll gain access to the market’s secret auction house.”
“An auction house?”
“Yes. Items that are hard to sell even in Neo Seoul occasionally show up there.”
“I see.”
“So, what do you say?”
“Alright. Deal.”
The two clasped hands.