Chapter 8 (1/2)
Laila spoke as if having read reatly deteriorated due to 100 years of war I didline of excuses: of how everything was the fault of Carpediem the Destroyer and how she had put in her all to protect Uriel Diablo's territory Needless to say, I could vaguely tell from the state of the castle how hard ithow she kept the castle this clean despite the hardshi+p, I could say that she was aly devoted
”Um, father”
Laila quietly spoke after a full round of the castle
It seemed that she would address me as 'father' whenever it would be just the two of us
As I turnedthe truth
”The truth is that the darkwith the territory…as collateral”
Dark merchants?
Ahh I nodded in my mind I was able to occasionally run into theate's where other races dwelled There was nothing that they didn't sell Although one had to pay in treasure of equal value, if your luck was good, it was possible to obtain quality weapons
Of course, there were sooods It ended tragically Those people, ere known as being powerful in their own right, lost their powers, had theirpen Used like slaves, they died fro towards humanity
After that, humanity didn't provoke them It was already toothehtly provoke the her up, Laila seemed to be unable to recklessly make a move on dark merchants
Ha! The more I came to know about the abyss, the e war With all the wealth and territory in Carpediem the Destroyer's hands, we could repay the debt with plenty to spare”
”What happens when the debt goes unpaid?”
”I iine the territory and castle would be…taken away And ould receive focused fire fros”
It appeared that this territory was a last barrier, al as ere here, if that made sense Perhaps one would become an easy meal for the other Demon Lords when this barrier disappeared
'damned Uriel You did run away'
I becaled sosomeone as chased out of the abyss
Goddamned!
I couldn't help but curse
Could Minshi+k becoh to turn this situation around?
'It'll be faster forthoughts of leaving about half the work to Minshi+k and just playing around a bit in the background Unfortunately, this situation couldn't be treated so lightly It was possible that even staking h
”Then do we head towards Earth?”
”Father Are you truly asking out of ignorance?”
Mm
I winced internally but didn't let it show outside
”I have been asleep for a long tiree to which irl was thinking of soivein too deeply was dangerous after all If I slipped up andthis dream-like opportunity
Laila continued on froround It is where the 'Great Star' will descend and hidden preparations are being made as of now Fro humans to use the on that hen Laila's expression hardened
”Heading towards that place before the final battle is an extre those ant-like humans won't amount to much The 'Great Star' and a few others seeard, but in the end, they're nothingLaila, the Queen of Terror, speak, I becao to Earth unimpeded Catalysts? Didn't that mean humans were the sacrifices needed for them to become a 'God'?
'darinding ard for my life! Ultigling in vain
”Where is the Great Star?”
”Do you wish to see it?”
I nodded
The cause behind everything, the Great Star
I had to see it with h the huge gate of the altar On the other side, there was a gathering of dark e bunch whose bodies were entirely black and wore nothing but a hat They had no eyes, noses, or ears Only a mouth If I saw them from afar, I would believe them to be black cylindrical balls with two pairs of limbs stuck onto them
The dark merchants' only fashi+on was their hats I could tell apart their ranks by their hats to a certain extent The lowest ranked wore brown berets The higher the rank, the more decorated or impressive the hat became
'This must be their headquarters'
I had met the dark e-scale operation like this There were rows of buildings that reached the skies, and the place was overfloith of all kinds of treasures, slaves, andto our Merchants association”
A dark reet us as we reached the entrance with a cri on its hat
”I am called Alm I would like to welcome Lord Uriel's first visit here”
Alh it was hard to pronounce, on the contrary, thatseen Alm, Laila spoke with her usual blunt expression,
”My Lord wishes to see the 'Great Star' Make way”
”Seeing that it has been 100 years since your last appearance, it is natural that you would be curious about it However, you must wait a while”
”Must wait? You daredo you not knoho this is?”
Laila glared ide eyes True to her moniker, Queen of Terror, her eyes contained a ferocity that would cause a man to feel chills with a mere look Yet when she looked at rees
They say wouiltless in their fickle moods, but in Laila's case, she went over the top
Seely troubled, Alm scratched its hairless head
”There is someone who made the first visit to see the 'Great Star'”
”Who is that?”
”It is Lord Andalton Bruxelles”
”…Hmph”
Laila belatedly snorted
The Demon Lord who inherited the name Bruxelles So he was here Even Laila couldn't recklessly make a fuss before that name
”Even so it makes no sense to wait When was it ever necessary to take turns in seeing the 'Great Star'?”
It was a reasonable argu troubled, Alm couldn't easily come up with a response Perhaps that was proof of how influential Andalton Bruxelles was
After a while of hesitation, Alhed
”I understand I will put in a word The doors to the castle tohere the 'Great Star' can be vieill open an hour later After an hour, please make your way before the castle tower”
Al around, he spoke to Laila in a quiet voice
”Lailnim Your debt will soon be overdue When the time comes…you understand Lailnim is part of the collateral after all”
Laila's face slightly reddened, as if she was embarrassed to have her pride stepped on All the worse, most likely, because I was by her side
'Collateral, huh'
So Laila had used herself as collateral for the sake of borroar funds
Finally, Aluide you”
Laila didn't turn back, walking in front with her body shaking
I didn't think it necessary to ask further
With the re tioblins to va that wasn't sold At the sight of treasures I had never even seen before strewn about like it was nothing, I went speechless with adathered up the treasures in this place and invaded Earth…'
Not toaway to escape extinction But Laila opened her er surprise
”The slaves and goods here are nothing more than sah 'auction' My Lord has not participated in it before, but the auction is held once a year”
If it was held once a year, then it must have already been held a hundred times
”If you are fortunate, it is possible to obtain excellent ite in your place until now, but henceforth, my Lord must personally participate”
In a manner that implied her familiarity within this spacious place, Laila busily explained in detail all the things she thought I didn't know
The more I saw of the Merchants association, the e huressively at that'
Huates had eed, but scarcely few moved to explore and pioneer the locations within I should have done so, even alone if needed be Regretfully, all I did was play the hero and fend off the eneed in But not this ti in a well
The darkat an orderly ant hole
Monsters would also occasionally look my way
”It's been 100 years since he last appeared”
”So the ru eyed by 'Carpediem the Destroyer' Kikik How unlucky”
At the very least, I could tell was that their looks weren't friendly Every tilare back with fire in her eyes, and the monsters would be quick to turn their heads away
This was an area of non-aggression All fights were forbidden
”It appears to be tiret, but we had an appointment Laila made her way toward the enormous tower placed in the center of the association That was the castle tower
There was a long row formed by all kinds of dehly nu as at the very front was-