Merchant

"Have a nice daaaaaaay!"

The Merchant (アイテム屋) is a character that Seto meets at various places in the game. He introduces himself to and befriends our hero in the Azabudai Underground Station, but it seems there is something more beneath that strange chicken mask.

Character Info
The Merchant is a robotic servant, built to work for an unknown family. Following the disaster that devastated humanity, he continued to serve the little Princess, despite her early death.

Personality
The Merchant acts very gentlemanly most of the time, especially in regards to Seto's patronage. The only exception occurs when Seto and Sai are in the presence of the Princess, whom the Merchant dedicates his life to. He becomes rather angry and almost violent when he fears for his Princess's safety. However, realizing his rashness, he later apologizes to Seto for his behavior and makes amends.

Appearance
The merchant wears a big chicken mask, reminiscent of a mascot head, with one punched-out eye and a hole in the mouth for him to see through. He wears a dirtied purple tuxedo with animal faces on the knees and pushes around a baby carriage in which he keeps his belongings. Beneath the chicken mask is his robotic head with glowing red eyes.

Story
Seto initially meets the Merchant in the Azabudai Underground Station. The Merchant gives him a piece of healing candy to commemorate their meeting and says that if he needs his services, he can find him anywhere. From then on the Merchant can show up randomly at Bonfires to sell Seto weapons, recovery items, as well as buy items from Seto's inventory.

Much later, Seto and Sai happen across the Merchant in a room inside the Oikawadani Dam. Inside, the Merchant (without his chicken mask on) is talking to someone in a baby carriage. Sai realizes that the baby inside the carriage, who the Merchant refers to as "the Princess", is already dead. The Merchant throws a fit upon noticing Seto, and kicks him out in anger.

Deeper into the dam, the Merchant apologizes to Seto, and admits that he was talking to his Princess. He explains that he seeks to show her shiny objects in hopes of rousing her, as he had done so in the past. He gives Seto a few gifts, the Large Bag and the Chick Plushie, to make amends, and asks Seto to continue selling shiny baubles he comes across so that the Princess may wake. Seto realizes that this is futile, but before he can tell the Merchant, Sai stops him. She explains that not knowing would be better for the Merchant, and that death is something only a human can understand.

Quotes

 * For all quotes by the Merchant see Merchant/Quotes

"As you have undoubtedly witnessed, I’ve been in the service of the princess for many years now. One day, she suddenly failed to wake up. Since then, I’ve collected rarities from across the land in hopes of rousing her. When she wakes from her slumber, she can smile at me again like she always used to."

Trivia

 * Despite being one the only three characters to survive passed the ending of game (the others being Seto and Ren), the Merchant makes no appearance in the story of the sequel manga.