Ugly Merchant

As the three of them rode their carriage toward the royal capital, Serenith, a bandit suddenly emerged from the bushes ahead. Then came a second, then a third—until twenty one bandits had encircled them.

Jasper's heart pounded. Even his fearsome appearance wouldn't intimidate them—not this time. These bandits had been desperate, unable to ambush any caravans or travelers lately with the roads crawling with mercenaries, soldiers, and knights. And as much as his instincts screamed at him to flee, he couldn't abandon Breeze and Ivar to face them alone.

Breeze sighed. "Well, this is an annoying situation," he admitted, scanning the encircling bandits. "I don't think we're walking away unscathed."

Ivar shifted nervously. "Funny—you say that, but you look way too relaxed. Do you really think we can walk away from this?"

A faint smirk tugged at Breeze's lips. "I've stumbled into life-or-death situations plenty of times before. Doesn't mean I'm not rattled. But if I show hesitation? We're dead. They'll smell weakness like blood in the water." He exhaled sharply. "As for walking away… I was being optimistic. I might win if they came at me two or three at a time. But the whole group? I don't see a way out."

"Hahahahaha!" The bandits' laughter was a jagged, mocking sound, sharp as the swords in their hands. The leader stepped forward, his blade glinting. "Bad luck for you lot. We're in a foul mood these days. Normally, we'd let you live—but we can't risk you running into some knights and blabbing about us. That'd be the end of our little operation." He tilted his sword toward them. "So, sorry. No survivors."

Jasper's mind raced like never before, drowning in despair as he faced what seemed like an inescapable situation. Then, grasping at the thinnest thread of hope, he whispered to his ArmBrace, "Hey there, my lovely and dear ArmBrace... any chance you've got a way out of this?"

An instant response crackled from the device, its tone uncharacteristically serious:

This is a serious situation, dear user, so, I'll spare you the jokes. Put on the earpiece—and while you're listening, try to buy us some time.

A slender earpiece slid silently from a hidden compartment. Jasper snatched it up, the design so intuitive he knew exactly how to position it as he pressed it into his ear.

Jasper stepped down from the carriage, motioning for Ivar and Breeze to remain still. His relaxed demeanor only deepened the bandit leader's scowl.

"Hey, you!" the leader barked. "What do you think you're doing?"

With calm posture, Jasper pushed back his hood, revealing his monstrous features. "Ahem. Allow me to introduce myself. Jasper, monster kin—as you can see." He dried his leaking saliva, then chuckled. "Apologies. Still can't control my manners. These days, I'd rather not waste time on pointless fights. I started liking being a merchant, so let me propose something… mutually beneficial." He paused, "And believe me, I'm doing this for your sake. I'd hate to see your precious blood go to waste."

"Shut your lying mouth!" the leader snapped, though his men shuffled uneasily. Jasper's presence alone was unsettling.

"Hmm… How about this?" Jasper's tongue flicked over his teeth. "Hear my offer first. If you refuse, well… the winner dines on the loser." Another voluntary drool. "—Excuse me. Heh heh heh, My appetite stirs around… morally flexible humans." drying his mouth while releasing an eerie laugh.

Good work dear user, keep it up, I'm almost ready.

The bandits hesitated, their weapons wavering uncertainly. They couldn't tell whether the figure before them was human or some exotic monster.

Leaning in, Jasper's voice turned conspiratorial. "Work for me as informants - no more groveling in the dirt. Simply monitor who travels these roads, inspect their cargo when possible, and report to me." His grin widened. "You'll earn double what you risk your necks for now. And let's be honest... this is far safer than bleeding out in some pointless ambush."

Another two minutes, just hold your ground.

'Easy for you to say!' Jasper thought, maintaining his confident smirk while sweat trickled down his back. Ivar and Breeze watched in silent admiration - their companion had the silver tongue of a seasoned conman.

"And consider this," Jasper added, raising a finger. "I'll even train you to surpass those knights you fear so much."

A bandit, unable to contain himself, snapped at Jasper's words. "Enough of your damn lies! We are here to shed blood!" He charged blindly, sword raised for a killing stroke. Jasper turned - and found his body locked in primal terror, his muscles refusing to obey.

In a blur of motion, Breeze launched forward like a coiled spring released, with a flying side kick connecting to the bandit's head; a sickening crunch could be heard. The bandit's neck twisted at an impossible angle, facial bones collapsing as his corpse crumpled to the earth.

"Sorry, but only your blood will be shed here." Breeze said with cold eyes.

The clearing fell deathly silent. The bandits stood frozen, struggling to comprehend what had just transpired. One moment their comrade had been charging forward, brimming with life - the next, he lay motionless, his body leaking dark blood onto the earth.

For more than ten heartbeats, everyone—including Jasper and Ivar—stared at the bloody corpse in stunned silence.

Everything is ready now, dear user.

Jasper smirked. "Now do you understand why I'm a peace lover? Once blood leaves the veins, it doesn't flow back!"

Breeze clenched his fist, visibly itching to smack Jasper for pouring oil on the fire.

The bandits snapped out of their shock, fury overtaking them. Without hesitation, their leader bellowed, "Chaaaarge!"

Breeze and Ivar dropped into fighting stances.

Raise your hand and say, 'Phoenix, come forth.

Jasper didn't hesitate. "Phoenix, come forth!" he shouted.

Every head jerked upward as a colossal phoenix materialized above them. Its haunting wail sent hidden forest creatures fleeing in terror. The bandits—along with Breeze, Ivar, and even Jasper—felt their hearts stutter, as if the cry alone might stop them dead.

...

Miles away, caravans, knight squads, mercenaries, and travelers froze at the sight of the monstrous apparition. Horses reared, screaming and thrashing against their reins in mindless panic.

A scholar traveling with one caravan shot to his feet, his face a mix of terror and exhilaration.

"That's the Poisoned Phoenix Queen!" he gasped, his smile trembling.

The crowd turned to him with pale faces, then back to the sky. This was no fairy tale—this was the living nightmare from imperial-era legends. A creature said to have razed cities under the old emperor's rule, its wings dripping venom instead of flame.

…

Dear user, compose yourself immediately! If you reveal even a sliver of fear now, everything we've orchestrated will collapse into nothing!

Jasper's whisper was strained. "How can I not be scared? You summoned a nightmare and expect me to smile?"

What stands before you is a hologram—though explaining its mechanics would waste what little time we have. Simply wield this spectacle to break their spirits.

"So it's a hologram like that horned rabbit and the knights, Phew. Fortunately I relieved myself before this madness began, or I'd be standing in a puddle of my own terror right now."

The air itself seemed to curdle as Jasper let the silence linger—just long enough for ancient warnings about Phoenix venom to surface in their minds. Tales spoke of victims whose final hours were spent drowning in their own dissolving flesh.

Jasper turned his smoldering gaze upon the bandits. "Now do your feeble minds comprehend the folly of threatening one who carries monster blood?"

Every bandit recoiled as if struck. Their weapons clattered to earth, faces draining of color as their legs betrayed them, sending them sprawling backward in the dirt. "Mercy! spare us please!" their leader wailed, clawing at the ground. "We were blind, wretched fools to raise arms against you!"

"This is exactly what I tried to avoid, my warning was futile" Jasper sighed dramatically. "You left me no choice."

"We will do whatever you ask for. You can work us as oxen or horses just please spare us."

With exaggerated contemplation, Jasper tapped his chin before turning to Ivar. "What say you, dear Ivar? What punishment fits such monumental stupidity?"

Ivar's initial shock melted into wicked comprehension when Jasper's eyelid fluttered in secret signal( without drama, Jasper just winked). "The answer presents itself plainly, does it not?"

"Yeah, It's shameful to explain the obvious. Very well - we'll poison precisely half, so the survivors may properly appreciate our... generosity in letting them breathe another day."

The bandits felt their intestines twisted, they started turning against each other. Everyone wanted to be in the spared group.

Jasper observed their terror with dark amusement, clapping his hands together as the phoenix's lethal gazes tamed the cowering bandits. "Ahem,sparing your lives isn't totally impossible," he mused, "under these conditions: You'll labor for me at half the original arrangement. Proving your worth isn't completely worthless…" His smile sharpened. "...perhaps you'll eventually earn what I suggested earlier. Though right now, you barely deserve the air you're wasting."

"Thank you for sparing our lives, we will work for free."

"I can't let you work for free, even though I'm a monster—I'm not that cruel."

If you wish to dismiss the hologram, dear user, simply raise your hand… and snap.

Jasper obliged. With a flick of his fingers, the monstrous phoenix dissolved into nothingness. A collective gasp rippled through the crowd—bandits, Ivar, even Breeze—as if they'd been holding their breaths the entire time.

"Now," Jasper clasped his hands together, feigning sudden recollection, "be so kind as to lead us to your stronghold. Ah, but wait—" His grin turned sharp. "You won't hold a grudge over your… departed companion, will you?"

The bandits' eyes darted between Jasper and the corpse. Then, like rats abandoning a sinking ship:

"Companion? We've never seen him before!"

"The fool earned his fate!"

"His own stupidity killed him!"

"Let his death be a lesson to the rickless!"

Their voices piled atop one another, each denial more fervent than the last.

Ivar turned to Breeze saying in confusion, "Who Are the Real Bandits—Us or Them?"

The bewildered Breeze answered with a shrug.

Inside the carriage, Breeze and Ivar exchanged uneasy glances before turning to Jasper. "Master," Ivar began cautiously, "how did you do that, master?"

Jasper waved a dismissive hand. "A secret for another day."

For the first time, a chill ran down their spines—not from Jasper's monstrous face, but from the unsettling aura he now carried.

Upon reaching the bandits' stronghold, Jasper combed through every shadowed corner. "Hmm… not a bad hideout for vermin," he mused—until his eyes landed on the captive women. Fury ignited in his chest, memories of Lysandra's stories flashing like wildfire.

"Line up. Now," he commanded, his voice deathly calm.

The bandits scrambled to obey as Jasper pointed at the women. "Explain. Now."

All eyes turned to their leader, who stammered under Jasper's glare. "Boss, we—we haven't laid a finger on them yet! We robbed a slaver yesterday, killed him, and took these ten. My neck is on the line. I can't lie to you, Boss."

"Yet?" Jasper hissed.

"N-No! I misspoke! We'd never lay a finger on them"

Jasper turned to the women. "Is this true?"

Trembling nods.

"Release them," he ordered. The bandits fumbled with the locks like startled mice.

"Do you have homes to return to?" Jasper asked the women. Some whispered "no"; others shook their heads, eyes downcast.

"Then you'll stay here, living with them," he declared.

The women recoiled in terror.

"Living with me would frighten you more," Jasper said, showing them his face. One woman promptly fainted.

He pivoted to the bandits. "You're not bandits anymore—you're my informants, my soldiers and my subordinates. And I can't spare my subordinates if they are undisciplined or rebellious" His gaze sharpened as he studied their dull-witted faces. "If any of you desires a woman, you'll court her properly. Force so much as a hair out of place…" He drew a finger across his throat. "And forget fleeing. The phoenix knows your scent. It'll hunt you to the ends of the earth."

A chorus of gulps answered him.

"What I want," Jasper declared, his voice cutting through the tense air, "is for you to build a proper community here—families, not just a hideout. Work for me, and I'll ensure you're fed and paid. Understood?!"

With that, Jasper and his companions departed for the guild. News of the phoenix's return spread like wildfire, sending ripples of unease through the nobility. Kings and lords hesitated in their monster hunts—not that they'd been successful to begin with. The creatures were formidable, and now, with the specter of the legendary beast looming, their campaigns slowed to a crawl.

Seizing the opportunity, Jasper set his plans into motion:

Breeze was tasked with teaching Franco and other guild members to read and write.

Lysandra, Mina, and Lina, ramped up production of the beauty ointment.

Ivar continued his training, with some other tasks once in a while

Jasper himself poured his dwindling wealth into revitalizing the slums surrounding the guild—clearing debris, widening streets, and ensuring his new informants received steady supplies.

But progress came at a cost. Within weeks, Jasper's coffers shrank to less than 5,000 gold, with no immediate returns from his ventures. The stress gnawed at him as he watched his reserves evaporate.

Then, two and a half months later, two pieces of good news came to the surface. First, Noblewomen began whispering about the beauty ointment, their intrigue sparking a frenzy with Marchioness Isablessa being the center of it. Jasper, who had stockpiled crates of the product in anticipation, finally exhaled in relief. He flooded the market, reaping astronomical profits.

Second, Mina was pregnant—a joyous event that sparked celebration. Jasper and the others prepared a grand feast, inviting the entire slums. As they celebrate, Jasper vowed to continue transforming the slums into a better place, just as he'd done with certain areas already. "But remember," he added, "my help comes with one condition: your loyalty."

All the slums cheered in excitement that day, forgetting any thought about Jasper being a monster.

With Franco and the others now literate, Jasper issued his next command: "Head to the informants' hideout. Teach them to read and write and remind them not to slack off, their primary duty remains gathering information. Assist them in both."

"Do I get a reward, Boss?" Franco asked, with greed leaking from every part of his body.

Jasper smirked, baring his fangs. "I commend your bravery. Now go—before I 'reward' you with a bite."

"At your command, Boss!" Franco bolted so fast he might as well have vanished into thin air.