Chapter 17: Peddler got a pet, Part 1

What were the limits of my trading abilities?

What could I obtain through transactions?

Back when I was just a peddler, I didn’t have the capital or time to experiment.

But after expanding my network through “friendly” conversations with heads of major trading companies, I’d gained considerable knowledge.

Although I still wasn’t sure if everything was attainable.

Firstly, I’d assumed the notebook, money, and item retrieval were essential to the trading process, but that wasn’t the case.

Simply touching the bag without opening the notebook initiated a transaction and deducted the appropriate amount.

With enough money, I could pull out anything just by reaching into the bag.

For example, I could pull out a long rod and pretend to cast magic.

Secondly, I could trade anything that was available for sale in the game.

Not just regular shop items, but even limited-time event items.

I’d discovered that just as event currency could be converted to money, money could also be converted to event currency.

This led me to the in-game pet system.

In the game, pets were mostly cosmetic, with limited functionality like picking up dropped items. But I suspected they might be different now that the game was reality.

Just as Kayleen’s bag, which I’d initially thought was just a bag, turned out to be an artifact capable of producing items in exchange for money, perhaps these pets had hidden backstories as well.

Most pets required paid currency, Divine Stones, to purchase, so I focused on the ones obtainable through event exchanges.

Well, Divine Stones could be exchanged for money, but the exchange rate was exorbitant.

Leviathan, a mid-boss appearing in Part 5 of the game’s story.

One of the Seven Deadly Sins, appearing when high-ranking demons started emerging from the demon realm.

Its status as one of the Seven Deadly Sins, its massive size, and its impressive design captivated many players, while its brutal difficulty earned it both praise and criticism, boosting its popularity.

The fact that its humanoid form was a beautiful young girl further fueled the community’s excitement, and many were disappointed when it was ultimately defeated by the protagonist.

The developers, recognizing its popularity (or perhaps reluctant to let their hard work go to waste), implemented a special measure.

A short event following the completion of Part 5.

The event featured Leviathan, weakened but not entirely destroyed after its defeat, as befitting one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Through a series of events, Leviathan repented for its sins, shed its demonic nature, and joined the human side.

Players could obtain Leviathan as a pet by collecting event currency. Its pet form was a small, floating whale.

It occasionally spoke when opening treasure chests or entering dungeons, demonstrating the effort put into its design.

Since Part 5, where Leviathan was originally defeated, hadn’t arrived yet, I tried trading for it on a whim. My full purse suddenly felt lighter, and a small piece of paper appeared in my hand.

It looked exactly like the “Contract with Leviathan” from the game.

Following the instructions, I called out Leviathan’s true name and tore the paper. Leviathan, not yet defeated or even summoned to the human world, appeared before me.

The result, well… you saw it.

“Gurk…”

“Hmm… She fainted again.”

It’s only natural. She gazed upon something beyond human comprehension.

“Is that so?”

I poked the foaming, unconscious girl and looked at Leviathan, which had manifested beside me.

A small, black whale floated in the air.

Not the cute white whale from its pet form, but a miniature version of the majestic, imposing creature from the game’s trailer.

Thick, dark mana dripped from its black form like blood.

“I’m fine, though?”

You’re… Hmph. Just don’t.

Ignoring Leviathan’s curt response, I looked back at the Moonshadow agent.

I’d used this tactic on several merchants before. Most fainted or suffered panic attacks.

I hadn’t wanted to resort to this, but what choice did I have when they had bodyguards using advanced techniques like Aura?

I’d be killed otherwise.

I reached out and removed the agent’s mask, wanting to confirm if she was Iris, the character from the Moonshadow.

And behind the mask was Iris, looking even younger than when she appeared in the original story.

Despite her tightly screwed-up face, her cuteness was undeniable.

Hmm… It felt a bit cruel to traumatize such a young girl…

But I’d almost been killed, so I considered it self-defense.

As I placed the mask back on Iris’s face, Leviathan spoke, its voice laced with displeasure.

So, is this another one of your pathetic excuses to protect yourself?

“Oh my. Do you have a complaint?”

You’re always so selfish, Kay—

“Didn’t I ask you not to say my name?”

Slap.

I lightly slapped the naughty demon on the head for trying to reveal my identity.

But… the texture… what was this?

Despite its rough appearance, the spot I’d slapped felt strangely soft. A light thwap echoed.

It felt like touching a baby’s cheek… incredibly, incredibly soft.

S-stop that…!

Leviathan, which had maintained a dignified tone, suddenly spoke in a girlish voice and flew away from me. Not too far, though, due to the contract.

Too bad. I wanted to touch it more.

As I wiggled my fingers longingly, Leviathan flinched.

Even without seeing its expression, I could sense its emotions.

“Heehee. Well, never mind.”

I-is that so… Ahem… Is that so…

Clearing its throat, Leviathan returned, its voice regaining its usual gravitas.

Though it stayed a bit further away than its usual floating position in the game.

“Then, would you mind going back into the bag?”

I asked Leviathan as I picked up the torn pieces of paper from the floor.

The Contract with Leviathan was a valuable item. Even in the event, it required dedicated participation and sacrificing other rewards.

Fortunately, placing the torn contract and Leviathan back into the bag cancelled the contract and refunded a portion of the cost.

Like any shop, the refund was less than the purchase price. About half, perhaps.

And items like the Leviathan contract or a sword that lost its edge after a single use were refunded at an even lower price.

Normally, with my savings safely stored, I wouldn’t hesitate to use such items. But with the kingdom’s warrant out for me, retrieving that money would be nearly impossible.

It was time to return to my peddler roots.

So, in this situation where every penny counted, I had to cancel the contract with Leviathan.

Leviathan had always complied with my requests to cancel the contract, despite some grumbling.

I expected the same this time.

But the response I received was…

I refuse.

…cold and unexpected.

“Why?”

What do you take a contract for?

Leviathan sighed, looking at me.

Have you offered me anything in return for my services?

“I paid for you, didn’t I? To acquire this paper that summons you.”

I waved the bloodstained paper in front of Leviathan.

Did you, now? That ‘bag’ of yours paid for it. I have no idea how it even acquired my contract in the first place.

“Is that so?”

So, Leviathan had been working for free for the protagonist in the original story.

I finally understood why it had been so curt with the protagonist, the supposed savior of humanity.

It was overworked and underpaid, forced into menial labor like item retrieval, leading to its jaded personality. I mentally sympathized with this minimum-wage worker. Not that I understood minimum wage, but still.

“So, what do you want?”

I had paid, after all.

Even though I felt sympathetic, I would only fulfill reasonable requests.

If it asked for too much, I could always force it back into the bag.

Show me this world.

Leviathan’s request, spoken in a girlish voice that had replaced its usual stern tone, was surprisingly simple. Or rather, cliché.

It was a typical request, ranking in the top 3 of requests made by those imprisoned or isolated in another world.

“I’ll grant you your request.”

It was a reasonable request, so I smiled at Leviathan and agreed.

It flinched slightly. Was it that happy?

“Now, there are a few condi—”

“Ahh…!”

I couldn’t just parade around with Leviathan in its current demonic form, especially since it hadn’t been defeated yet. I started listing the restrictions—

—but a sudden scream interrupted me.

I turned to Iris.

She was still unconscious.

Then who was it? Had I missed someone?

Then I remembered. The “kidnapped” Princess Lena was beyond the bars.

I slowly turned to her. The princess, clutching the bars, stared at me and Leviathan with wide eyes.

Her expression reflected not the terror of witnessing something incomprehensible—

“Oh my god…!”

—but awe and delight.

And underlying it all, fanaticism.

Why…?