The Owner of the Golden Goose (2)
The moment the words Golden Goose left my lips, murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“She said Golden Goose. Why the hell would anyone look for that terrifying place?”
“No idea. We should probably get out of here.”
“If she’s connected to the Golden Goose, it’s best not to get involved.”
The very people who had been eagerly trying to lure me in just moments ago now began inching backward.
In the once-bustling street, a chill quickly settled over everything.
“S-sorry! I don’t know anything either!”
I had deliberately chosen the person who seemed most likely to talk, yet the woman with the gentle appearance turned deathly pale and fled without another word.
This is troublesome.
The Golden Goose was the name of a massive merchant coalition so infamous that merely hearing it made people tremble.
It was a colossal trading company said to be capable of obtaining anything on the continent—except for things that didn’t exist.
However, very few people know the location of the Golden Goose Merchant Coalition’s headquarters.
The coalition leader was a former slave, which made her extremely cautious. As a result, only those at the executive level or higher knew where the main base was located.
I only learned of it by chance.
The reason I knew the Golden Goose’s headquarters was in Paradis was because of my complicated connection with its leader.
I was told the headquarters is surrounded by multiple layers of magical barriers, and without a guide, it’s impossible to find.
If I had known I would need to come here, I would have asked how to pass through those barriers.
At the time, I judged her too dangerous and decided to keep my distance so we wouldn’t get entangled any further.
Who would have thought that in this new life, the day would come when I would have to seek her out again?
What now? Even if I find the location of the headquarters, I don’t have the confidence to break through the magical barriers.
If there were only one barrier, it might be manageable, but with several, the chances of getting caught while trying to dismantle the magic circles were high.
I was deep in thought, still holding the reins, when a clear voice rose from below.
“Are you looking for the Golden Goose?”
A young girl I hadn’t noticed before was gazing up at me.
She looked as beautiful as a doll dressed in silk, yet something about her felt strangely unnatural.
“Are you looking for the Golden Goose?”
When I didn’t answer, the girl repeated her question.
I stared at her for a moment before giving a short reply.
“Yes.”
“How much will you pay? You have to pay to see the goose.”
I had wondered why this child had suddenly appeared and asked if I was looking for the Golden Goose.
She’s no ordinary child. Did that woman send her?
I looked directly at the girl and spoke.
“I believe I’ve already paid the price.”
The girl simply stared at me in silence.
It seemed she didn’t understand what I meant.
“With the value of the goose owner’s life, in exchange.”
For a moment, silence fell.
The girl stood completely still, as if she had turned into a wooden statue.
Her glass-bead-like eyes suddenly trembled and darted around erratically.
It was quite a bizarre sight.
She’s not human.
I had noticed the unnatural movements and the unnaturally pale, lifeless skin, but I never imagined she truly wasn’t human.
“Ah.”
Then the girl returned to her normal state and forced the corners of her stiff mouth upward into a smile.
“Please follow me.”
A faint trace of magic could be felt. It appeared she was an intricately crafted puppet controlled by sorcery.
I quietly followed behind the girl as she walked at a steady pace.
“That’s her. The woman who was asking about the Golden Goose.”
“It’s strange enough for a woman to come to a place like this alone, but what kind of woman is she?”
“Beats me. Never seen her face before.”
Surprisingly, the people on the street only paid attention to me.
They didn’t even glance at the girl walking ahead of me.
Even though she had a far more striking appearance and unusual attire than I did.
Is this also magic?
I had heard there were spells that could erase one’s presence.
She must have invested quite a lot into a mere puppet.
I knew she had peculiar tastes, but…
Perhaps it was because she had so much money—she seemed to have a habit of spending lavishly on pointless things.
“We’re here.”
After walking for some time, the girl stopped in front of an old castle gate.
The ruined structure looked as though it might collapse at any moment, and no presence could be felt from within.
“Leave the horse with me. I’ll take it to the stable.”
At the girl’s words, I silently dismounted.
I gazed at the wide-open castle gate.
Beyond it stretched a passageway with an arched ceiling.
Since no lights had been lit, the interior of the passage was pitch black.
“Then, I hope you obtain a fine egg.”
The girl bowed politely, then led my horse around the side of the gate.
This isn’t a trap, is it?
A cold wind blew from inside the passage.
The atmosphere was so bleak that it was hard to imagine anything could possibly be inside.
No. If it’s her…
She would summon me if only out of curiosity about my identity.
She was the type who could only feel satisfied after confirming the truth with her own eyes.
Besides, I can’t return empty-handed after coming all this way.
My decision was made.
Without further hesitation, I stepped through the castle gate.
“Ugh.”
In that instant, an indescribable sense of alienation swept over my body.
It felt as if I were falling through empty space, and I nearly collapsed to the floor.
But it lasted only a fleeting moment.
“Hah.”
The moment the strange sensation vanished, a sweet fragrance tickled my nose.
I slowly opened my eyes.
As expected.
The castle that had appeared to be a ruin from the outside was completely different on the inside.
The first thing that caught my eye was a garden adorned with dazzling ornaments and jewels.
Inside the garden, stunningly beautiful men and women dressed in silk garments strolled about.
Though it was not yet the season for fruit outside, the trees within the garden were heavy with ripe produce. It was truly like a slice of paradise on earth.
But I can’t sense her presence anywhere.
I scanned my surroundings with wary eyes.
At that moment, someone approached me.
“Welcome.”
She was the most beautiful woman among all the men and women in the garden.
She greeted me with perfect courtesy.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a guest who found their own way here.”
Smiling, the woman gestured with one hand toward the inner part of the garden.
“The master wishes to see you.”
It’s like a maze.
I followed the woman in silence.
We had already been walking for over ten minutes through a complex path that seemed impossible to navigate without a guide.
Still, the building is rather unusual. Did she model it after something from the Eastern Continent?
With such idle thoughts, I passed through dozens of sliding doors made of wood and paper.
Finally, the woman stopped in front of one particular door.
“Master, I am entering.”
With a respectful tone, she pulled both sides of the door open.
What appeared was a room so extravagantly decorated it hurt the eyes.
It’s a good thing I didn’t bring Edwin. That would have been a disaster.
Colorful, translucent veils hung from the high ceiling.
Beyond the veils that reached all the way to the floor, a tall dais could be seen.
And upon that dais lay a woman, practically buried in cushions and pillows.
“The guest has arrived.”
The woman wore nothing but a sheer gown, an utterly indecent outfit.
At her feet, a muscular man knelt, holding a tray laden with alcohol and snacks above his head. It seemed his only purpose was to serve as a living table.
Below the dais, beautiful women on both sides played instruments, dressed in little more than scraps of fabric.
“Up we go.”
The woman in the gown adjusted her posture and sat up.
She had dark hair and purple eyes, and she hid her face behind a fan adorned with feathers.
The leader of the Golden Goose Merchant Coalition, Somnia.
A former slave who had risen to become the owner of the empire’s greatest trading company through Eastern Continent trade and an information guild.
In many ways, she was an extraordinary person.
“I wondered who the bold fool was, shouting about looking for the Golden Goose in the middle of the street.”
Somnia looked me up and down and let out a small laugh.
“I never imagined it would be such a tiny little woman.”
She tilted her head, fluttering her fan.
“So, you’re the one who mentioned the price of my life?”
“That is correct.”
“How fascinating.”
Somnia’s face bloomed into a full smile.
“There is only one person in this world who knows about the price of my life, and that person disappeared from this world long ago.”
Good. It seems she hasn’t forgotten me.
Instead of answering, I simply stood there.
Somnia pointed her fan at my face.
“Remove your hood and show me your face.”
“Must I?”
“It’s a matter of trust.”
Her long, upward-slanting eyes curved into crescent moons.
Covering her mouth with the fan, Somnia continued.
“Besides, the price of my face is quite high. Even if you sold everything you own, you still wouldn’t be able to pay it.”
I had no choice.
I obediently pulled back my hood.
“Hmm?”
Somnia frowned as she studied my face.
“I’ve never seen this face before. Who are you? If you know that the coalition’s headquarters is in Paradis, you can’t be an ordinary woman.”
She scrutinized my features with intense focus.
“You’re not disguised, nor are you using magic.”
Her voice was firm.
“Speak. Who are you?”
There was no point in lying here.
This is different from the situation with Sage.
And if I lied, the woman before me would notice immediately.
Underestimating the eyes of a merchant who led a massive trading company would only lead to trouble.
“Kayla.”
Somnia’s eyes widened at my answer.
She stared blankly for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle.
“Ha, what did you say?”
“I said Kayla.”
I spoke with an expressionless face.
“Kayla Angel.”
When I added my full name, Somnia’s eyes and mouth flew open in shock.
Seeing her reaction gave me a strangely satisfying feeling.
“You haven’t forgotten my name, have you?”
I called the coalition leader’s name in an unusually friendly tone.
“Somnia.”