Chapter 5 - Volume 1 (1/2)

Chapter 3 (Part Two)

Chapter 3 – Faceless Disease (Part 2)

Finally, today was the 7th day.

In order to see the results of my week worth of hard work, I looked straight at Lapis Lazuli and muttered in my head.

‘Status’

Soon after, the other person’s stats appeared in mid-air.

Name: Lapis Lazuli

Stamina: E rank

Power: D rank

Defense: F rank

Affection: 2

“Haa……”

A sigh came out on its own.

After defeating the party of adventurers I had lost access to all the systems.

I couldn’t see the status of the castle, I couldn’t see the map of the area, and I didn’t have the ability to withdraw and deposit my money as I pleased anymore. Except one thing, I still had access to the function to see the stats and affection of other people.

I could know if the other person truly had an interest towards me…… This was a precious skill. Especially for a person like me whose everything relied on acting and politics.

Lapis Lazuli’s affection was only 2.

If I did not have this ability, then I would have most likely assumed that ‘I’ve gotten on friendly terms with Lapis Lazuli now’. I wouldn’t have been able to figure out what emotions lurked underneath that stoic face of hers.

But I was certain now.

This person had a frozen heart.

I was nothing more than an object of business to this succubus girl. The fact that the affection had barely gone up during this entire week proved that. She was a formidable girl.

To get close to her and then use her…… that original plan of mine was disposed of. It failed magnificently.

Regardless, it didn’t mean that all my methods had vanished.

There was a method of handling people who moved with their heads instead of their hearts. I knew exactly what that was.

Except, it was one of the more drastic out of other drastic measures.

If you wanted to hunt a tiger then you had to take up the gun yourself and dive into the mountain. At worst, I had to be prepared to be torn apart by savage beasts. That mental attitude wasn’t something you could simply order at a fast food restaurant and get moments later.

My own resolution.

If I don’t kill them then I’ll be the one to be killed, this kind of thinking was vital.

“Your highness.”

Lapis Lazuli informed me calmly.

“If your highness does not repay the debt and interest or declare bankruptcy, then the Keuncuska firm will have no other choice but to take your highness’ property and body by force.”

“I am a Demon Lord. A person with one of the highest nobility amongst demons. Who could possibly forcefully capture this Demon Lord?

“There are a countless number of supporters for the Keuncuska Firm. Amongst them, there are other Demon Lords like your highness. Rank 5th Demon Lord Marbas and Rank 9th Demon Lord Paimon are included.”

The highest of Demon Lords.

They were people that a rank 71st like me couldn’t possibly face.

“Our firm is famous for being merciless to debtors who fail to make their payments. In the past, there was an incident where Rank 25th Demon Lord Glasyalabolas received a loan of 20,000 Libra and did not pay back the interest for 2 years. At that time, our firm had hired a small number of 9,000 mercenaries and left them in the command of Rank 12th Demon Lord Sitri. Your highness. Demon Lord Glasyalabolas could not even hold out for 3 weeks before surrendering.”

Lapis Lazuli let out a sigh.

“…… That is the Keuncuska Firm’s strength. It is rational violence. That is also the reason why our firm has been able to stay as the highest amongst demons for the past 500 years. Your highness Dantalian, this one is sincerely suggesting this. Please, declare bankruptcy a day sooner.”

I pushed down the sheets of my bed.

“……”

It was fine.

I could still win.

If things goes as planned, then I could rip this girl in front of me apart and make her mine.

I firmed my resolve and—

slowly, opened my mouth.

“Lazuli. I will give you a proposal that will most definitely benefit you.”

“Yes, your highness. Please tell this one anything.”

“Seeing as it has already come to this, I shall borrow more money from that firm of yours.”

Lapis Lazuli narrowed her brows.

Even if she were to hear that the world was going to be destroyed, she would probably respond to that by saying, ‘Let it be destroyed in a single moment’. For that Lapis Lazuli to narrow her brows was a huge gesture.

“This one objects.”

Her voice became a level drier.

“Your highness Dantalian already has a debt. But it is still okay. If your highness works hard for a while then your highness could more than likely pay it all off. However, if your highness receives more of a loan here……”

“Then I’ll fall further into a swamp pit.”

I smiled.

“That’s what I want.”

“Pardon?”

“Lapis Lazuli. Let us not be prudish and speak honestly.”

I held a soft smile on my lips.

“Even if you claim to be my exclusive consultant, you are still a pawn for the Keuncuska Firm. Profit for your firm will, in the end, become profit for you as well.”

According to her, Demon Lords had more than enough political uses.

To succeed in turning that figure into a puppet for the firm, Lapis Lazuli will most likely receive high praise from the executives. She will advance up faster than anyone else. To take a step, no, 20 steps, ahead of other competition.

“……”

The mixed blood succubus still had a poker face.

Was she perhaps pretending to not know what I was talking about.

“Wouldn’t myself not being able to pay the debt off be a profit to you?”

“That is a misunderstanding. This one has always, for your highness……”

“I know full well of the habits of a merchant.”

If the other person tried to make an excuse then shift the topic.

We were not fighting with weapons, but with our words. I had to attack fiercely. There was no need to listen to the other person’s useless excuses.

“Since olden times, merchants did not invest into things that wouldn’t give them profit. However, for some reason, the Keuncuska Firm had loaned me 100 Libra…”

The fact that Dantalian was incompetent was already obvious to the world.

Even if they loaned him money, there was a zero to none chance of getting anything back. It didn’t make sense. It was like a bank giving millions of won to a credit defaulter.

This meant that they didn’t plan to collect the money in the first place.

“To put a dog collar on me.”

I grinned.

“To turn me into a puppet with the debt as a pretext. From the beginning, this was your firm’s goal. Am I wrong?”

“……”

“You said it before. That if it was too difficult then that I had ‘the option’ to declare bankruptcy. But in your mind, you honestly wanted to say this.”

That bankruptcy was my only option.

A choice never existed from the get go.

The loan itself was a trap, and two months ago, the Demon Lord Dantalian got caught in it stupidly.

Now, deadpan succubus. Go on and respond.

You’re like a mountain fortress. Since it was built on top of a rugged mountain, it was a wall that was difficult to conquer. It was something annoying for invaders to even approach.

Regardless, if the fortress was sieged then it was over. I will not give you a path to escape. I’ll capture your fortress in an instant……

▯Keuncuska Merchant, Mixed Blood, Lapis Lazuli

Empire Calendar: Year 1505, Month 4, Day 18

Keuncuska Firm Office

Demon Lord Dantalian was smiling before my eyes.

…… Honestly confessing, I underestimated him.

It had been 1 year since I had become Demon Lord Dantalian’s exclusive consultant.

I had thought he was a good for nothing piece of trash, but it seems I was mistaken. Truthfully, I was surprised. The intimidating sharp look in his eyes and his gaze looking this way as if he was testing me.

His pupils were as dark as a well.

I couldn’t see the bottom…… that was the natural feeling I got. Was Dantalian always this kind of character?

Someone who got lucky and was born as a Demon Lord and thus lived a lazy and sleazy life. At most, that was all I thought he was……

‘Ah’

For the first time, I realized my mistake.

Because of the unexpected blow I had taken, I had unintentionally stopped talking.

To make such a mistake. To be silent here meant that I was admitting that he was correct. I had to change the topic.

“Let us assume that what your highness has inferred is correct.”

“I do not want to know about hypotheses. What I want to know is the simple truth.”

…… Are you not even giving me a corner to escape to.

The back of my neck felt cold.

Demon Lord Dantalian had most certainly changed.

Half a month ago, Dantalian was being threatened by a group of adventurers. Conveniently, it was a group of adventurers with a map of the Demon Lord castle. They may have been a group of adventurers on the same level as a small vigilante group in some far off mountain valley, but Demon Lord Dantalian was in a serious situation…… was that it? Does experiencing near death really change people so drastically?

Dantalian was a Demon Lord that I was in charge of. If that person was to become competent then unmistakably it was a situation that I should be welcoming with open arms. But honestly, it was hard to be happy.

I wanted a Demon Lord on the level of a fox. I did not want a Demon Lord on the level of a tiger. It would be troubling if the puppet was to become too clever. Who could have expected for this to happen.

The Demon Lord gazed at me hard.

“Lala. Go to the Keuncuska Firm and tell them.”

Lala?

I blinked.

“Lapis Lazuli shortened to Lala. It’s a suitable nickname.”

“……Is your highness giving a lowly one such as myself a nickname?”

“Do you not like it?”

“This one is only grateful.”

The demon world was strictly a hierarchical society.

Even if the race was the same, if the tribes were different then your status was different as well. If there were some orcs that were considered to be nobles, then there were also  orcs that were treated as slaves. If one were to try and figure out each and every of the ranks that existed then they’d have to go through hundreds, if not thousands of tribes and races.

I was an outcast. A half-breed of a succubus and a human. Succubus already received scorn as being a race of prostitutes. But amongst those, the person to be born between one and a vulgar human, was none other than myself…… Thus I was a crossbreed.

A leprosy of society.

I could not dare to come in contact with other people with this filthy body. By chance, if I were to even touch a person of a higher status than myself then I would have to cut off a finger, if I were to enter a temple then my toes would be severed, and if I were to even recite a scripture from one of the Gods then my tongue would be sliced.

That was why, when Demon Lord Dantalian had stepped on my foot I became nervous. Thankfully, it was shrugged off as a joke, but if someone else were to see this then my foot would have had to been cut off. Now looking back at it, that was most likely Dantalian’s way of threatening me.

As expected, I had to go along with the Demon Lord’s rhythm here.

I shall lower my head at once.

“What is the message that this one should deliver to the firm?”

“Demon Lord Dantalian has finally gone mad. Because he did not have anyone else to rely on he had depended his mind and body to you, a succubus. You, making full use of your charm, was able to successfully entice the Demon Lord.”

“……”

What were his intentions.

I couldn’t grasp what was going on in his head. However, even if I honestly spoke my mind about how foolish of an idea that was, I’d probably be pushed back in the battle of vigor. For now, I will respond as if I understood completely and as if that sounded like an interesting idea. There were times where an empty boast was a valid tactic.

“So. A mere peasant such as this one will become your highness’ concubine……? That is an interesting story.”

“Since long ago, there was nothing more romantic than the story of a prince falling in love with a peasant. It is a story that goes over big regardless of what time period it is told in. Tell your firm executives that I am so head over heels for you that it seems like I won’t be able to get out.”

“That is quite the part being given to this one. That is more than this one deserves.”

“Aah. Dantalian, doing whatever he can for money, started to spout nonsense. He claims that a disease will spread within two months, and that he knows what the cure for that disease is. That he’ll monopolize the ingredients to the cure before the plague spreads and he’ll be able to gain a fortune. Tell the firm that I wish to gain another loan with that statement.”

“……”

I see.

I was able to understand just barely.

Right now, Dantalian was setting himself up to be a clown. A Demon Lord who fell for a mere succubus. Adding to that, in order to gain another loan he made up a ridiculous lie……

“The loan amount then, huh. About 10,000 gold coins should suffice.”

“To say 10,000 gold coins……”

It was an amount that couldn’t be paid off even if he worked for 130 years.

If you included the interest, then it was an even more distant sum.

The firm executives would probably welcome it with open arms.

That was obvious.The larger the debt, then the stronger the collar on Dantalian’s neck would become. It was like a Demon Lord making a mad dash straight into a trap to self-destruct.

I’d be the very person to have lured the Demon Lord to his own destruction in this comedy, thus gaining an incredible amount of merits. No matter how low my status was, people could not ignore my contribution. At once, I’d become a candidate to become an executive for the firm.

“How about it? Does this much attract your interest?”

“Yes.”

A sweet offer.

No matter how you looked at it, it was an opportunity to gain an enormous amount of profit.

…… It was so tempting that I felt more suspicion from it.

Where would Dantalian get any benefit from this? This was a story only good for me. I didn’t expect him to give me a proper response, but I should ask him for now.

“Your highness. This one does not understand. Where does your highness plan to gain profit from this grand play?”

“You are a merchant.”

His highness Dantalian responded calmly.

“Merchants thoroughly check if there’s profit to be gained and if there is, then they’ll dash for it. If you see profit in my offer, then shouldn’t you be taking it with no questions asked?”

“Your highness is correct. However, to be cautious in front of game that appears excessively appetizing, is also a proper merchant’s attitude. If this one had woken up one morning and was told that a fox was sprawled out at the front door, then that would be hard to believe.”

Upon saying that, his highness grinned.

“Why not? The fox could have fallen for you at first sight.”

“……”

He was smooth.

His talking ability wasn’t on an average level.

Even if he had been at death’s doors before, was it possible for a person to change this much? It was strange. From a common sense point of view, this was incomprehensible.

“Lala. When a hunter is catching a fox, there are no cases where the hunter shows consideration for the fox’s feelings. That would be laughable. As a hunter, what you have to do is simple. First, take out a crossbow—”

His highness Dantalian moved his hands.

As if there really was a crossbow there.

“Go after the fox with the resolve to kill. If you fumble the shot then you will only startle it and cause it to flee. Aim exactly at the center of their forehead. And then……”

The invisible bolt on the crossbow was aimed at my forehead.

His highness Dantalian pulled the trigger.

“Bang.”

Playfully, he fired.

“Splendidly finish it off in one hit.”

“……”

“Go to the firm right away and tell them. That Dantalian has finally gone insane. That it’s the golden opportunity to forever bind that pathetic Demon Lord.”

His highness Dantalian lightly patted my shoulder.

A corner of my mind felt uneasy. On one hand, my rationality was saying that his highness was correct, but on the other hand, my heart was throwing up red flags.

This was a trap.

A cruel snare was placed before me.

If I put my foot forward thoughtlessly then it could be my end.

……Whenever my mind and heart reacted separately I would always follow the former. The problem was this situation, my heart was pounding at an unprecedented speed.

Pushing down the ominous foreboding feeling.

I moved my lips.

“Your highness. This one only fears this one situation. Namely, the game that this one had thought to be a fox had turned out to be a tiger. One arrow is not enough to catch a tiger.”

“Well. Then I guess you can only get eaten by the tiger at that point.”

His highness Dantalian put out his right hand.

Not understanding what that hand gesture meant, I stared blankly.

His highness, thinking it was helpless, smiled wryly.

“How long do you plan to leave my hand by itself like this?”

“……”

At last, I realized that his highness was requesting for a handshake.

To ask for a handshake. I did not know how to respond.

I had never held someone’s hand before up until now. The fact that our feet had touched was still excusable, but if our hands were to touch then that would be a clear crime.

“……A person of obscure birth such as this one could not dare dirty the hands of your highness.”

His highness Dantalian most likely knew this as well.

He was a person who had held a peerless amount of pride when it involved aristocratism, after all. He didn’t even consider something like myself as a person. I didn’t hold a personal grudge because of that. It would be stranger for a Demon Lord to not treat a succubus/human mixed blood like so.

I did not have a desire to sever my wrists.

“Pardon this one’s opinion, but while this one is grateful, this one would only trouble your highness’ dignity. Please withdraw your highness’ hand.”

“What a strange place to be worried about losing face while discussing such a daring topic.”

His highness Dantalian chuckled.

“If you shake my hand then would my hand suddenly become defiled, make me catch a cold, and cause my social status to drop? I merely wish to shake hands with the meaning of treating each other well from this point on.”

“Even if your highness were to now have a negative opinion of the hierarchical system, the majority of the people do not share that opinion. If a peasant such as this one were to come in contact with your highness’ body then upon this one a legal punishment will……”

“Ooh. So are those ‘majority’ here?”

With exaggerated movements, his highness Dantalian takes a look around. Naturally, there were only his highness and myself, the two of us here.

“Demon Lord Dantalian is also a trash like person anyways. I am only a Demon Lord by name. I do not have anything at all. Lala. Do you still wish not to shake my hand?”

“……”