I slowly withdrew my finger. Blood and the girl's saliva were mixed together. I wiped my finger on my sleeve, casual as could be, as though the wound were nothing at all.
Whether she was flustered by the word "demonkin," Laura simply stared blankly at my movements. I could feel her gaze on me perfectly well, but I kept my eyes fixed on my finger as though I hadn't noticed a thing — letting her continue looking this way without any pressure.
"Was my voice too quiet? Let me rephrase. Do you have any personal grudges or ill feelings toward the demonkin? I'm not joking, Laura. Please answer me seriously."
"None... whatsoever."
"Excellent."
I turned my head to look at her. She flinched.
"I can see your pride. The pride of the strong. Can't you smell the rot coming off it? Surprisingly, it smells a lot like a fart. You must have had so much leisure that you went ahead and established your own philosophy, then used it to judge everyone around you. I can feel it... to you, the world is like a stage play, and people just walk on and off according to the roles you've assigned them. In short, you think of yourself as the screenwriter. I'm jealous!"
Even I could tell. My voice was overflowing with hostility. In my original world, I had never even gotten a chance to live before dying at the whim of some transcendental being. In this world, too, I'd been saddled with the role of Demon Lord — a part I never asked for. To survive, I had no choice but to become someone who kills humans. No matter when this world meets its end, I would have to keep living as the Demon Lord right up until the finale. Both my entrance and my exit were nothing more than someone's entertainment.
Laura had declared that death, at least, was her own. Had this young lady ever even imagined that there were people who couldn't even enjoy that luxury?
"I was never once able to think of myself as the screenwriter. I wasn't prepared for it. Maybe there was a chance, but I blew it like a fool. And this is the price."
I unwound the turban tied around my head. The cloth spilled onto the carriage floor. When I tilted my head slightly to the side, I heard Laura draw a sharp breath. She must have caught sight of the small horn growing from the back of my skull.
"The... the proof that you're the Demon Lord..."
"Someone outside might hear."
I playfully pressed my index finger to her lips.
My mood lifted. My head and heart went numb, as if I'd chain-smoked cigarettes after a long time without them. I became aware that I was more excited than necessary, that I was taking my frustration out on Laura for no good reason. And yet, strangely, I didn't want to shut her up. I felt an inexplicable conviction that I had to crush her spirit right now. It was as if I had another self, whispering advice in a low voice.
"Let me tell you what kind of life awaits you. You'll be sold to House Wittelsbach — the Court Count of the Kingdom of Bretagne. The head of that household has a hobby of collecting fallen noble girls like yourself and throwing depraved gang-rape parties. You're beautiful and young. On top of that, you were the heir to a great house. A truly mouth-watering catch, wouldn't you say? Congratulations in advance! You'll certainly fetch a high price."
"Ugh..."
"The Court Count's mansion has several cellars. You'll be locked in one of them. For three years, you won't set foot outside even once. Day after day, you'll be passed around between the Court Count and his men. Hold on. Laura, why are you turning your head away? What's wrong?"
She kept trying to twist her chin away. I grabbed her jaw and held it in place.
"Y-your gaze is..."
"What about my gaze? Answer me."
"Your gaze is... too..."
She seemed extremely sensitive to people's gazes. She tried to say something but never finished the sentence. Even after I turned her chin back toward me, she wouldn't look my way. I suddenly wondered if I'd overdone the acting a bit. There was an element of deliberately steeping my emotions in malice to make it more thrilling, but—this was too effective.
I was starting to think that the Acting skill wasn't such a useless ability after all. Perhaps the fact that I could pour out words like a waterfall was also thanks to the Acting skill.
"Don't avert your gaze. You'd be disappointed if I were to mistake you for a weakling, wouldn't you?"
"..."
Laura forced herself to meet my eyes with her narrow gaze. Fear lurked there. Sadistic pleasure welled up inside me. Was this the kind of person I was? Perhaps it was the Demon Lord's nature—the thrill I derived from the emotion of fear. Either way, there was no need to judge right now.
"Good eyes. Now—did anything I've said so far sound like a lie?"
"...No."
"Then let me ask. Would you rather be sold to a pedophilic pervert noble whose hobby is torture? Or would you rather be sold to someone whose species may be a bit unusual but whose way of thinking is perfectly sane, and who might even treat you not as a slave but as a subordinate?"
"I don't understand. Why does a... a Demon Lord need me?"
The girl's voice trembled. For her age, she was remarkably capable and intelligent, but at the end of the day she was still a teenage girl. When would she ever have had contact with a Demon Lord, or even a mid-rank demon for that matter?
"I... I have only two things to offer—my claim to the Parnese family inheritance and my appearance... Are you planning to seize even my soul?"
"I have no interest in your ruined family, your beauty, or your soul. I am deeply interested in your strategic mind."
"Strategic mind...?"
She murmured weakly.
"Don't you want to take revenge on those who destroyed your family? Don't you want to retaliate against the relatives who handed you over to slavery so easily? Don't you have any desire for revenge against everyone in this world who ruined your life like this?"
"..."
"I know that you can accomplish anything. Oh, we will achieve something great. Let's show them all. This is what happens when you abandon us!"
I extended my right hand. Laura looked at me with vacant, mesmerized eyes. She raised her hand as if drawn by a magnet. But that was as far as it went. Her hand hovered in midair, as if she still hadn't made up her mind. It wasn't hard to understand. I smiled gently, as though I completely understood her situation.
"I'll be watching over you from now on. Whenever you need help, just call out. My name is Dantalion."
I tied the turban back around my head. Then I stepped out of the carriage. I was certain the girl would need me. If she had taken my hand, I'd planned to immediately summon the monster horde and raze the surrounding area—but there was no need to rush. The trap I'd set to win Laura over wasn't the only one.
From the distant undergrowth came the cry of an owl. Jack was sprawled out on the ground. The mercenaries shuffled cards among themselves with bored expressions. When they saw me emerge, their faces lit up. I wondered what was going on, and then they headed into the carriage in turns, as if swapping places with me. Shortly after, the carriage began creaking again. The mercenaries' crude voices drifted out little by little.
'Slave training, huh.'
Now I understood why they hadn't been thrilled about Jack's errand. But still—what an incredible girl. She'd probably been raped every night under the pretext of "education." For a nobleman's daughter, no—for any woman, it was an unbearable humiliation and abuse. Yet even amid those days, the girl hadn't lost her dignity. And she was only about sixteen years old.
I scratched the back of my head as I headed back to the tent. The creaking of the carriage echoed behind me. The farther I walked, the fainter the sound became until it eventually stopped. What filled the empty air was the cry of an owl.
A merchant's day starts early.
A bluish haze of dawn spread across the plain. The merchants had already finished their preparations to depart. People chattered happily, saying they'd reach the city by today. Sleeping outdoors was exhausting for traveling merchants too. The caravan moved swiftly. The thought that they'd soon be inside the city, lying on fresh straw beds, seemed to give strength to legs that had none.
"Sorry about yesterday, Lolita!"
Jack said cheerfully. The two of us were walking side by side. Jack guided his mount at a slow pace, and I climbed onto the carriage. He must have taken a real liking to me, because he asked if we could be friends starting this morning. There was no reason for me to refuse.
"I'm not usually much of a drinker, but somehow last night got away from me."
"You walked all day, so of course you were tired. Don't worry about it."
I chatted idly with Jack while glancing back over my shoulder. The black carriage was following behind our procession.
We arrived at the city half a day later. Guards swarmed out and searched us. There were so many guards that I tensed up for a moment. But then Jack's explanation put me at ease.
"They're only doing that because they want a bribe. The soldiers who normally lounge around on the walls come down and pretend to be guards whenever merchants show up. It's their way of saying, 'Pay up if you want to get through the gate quickly'... Tsk, tsk."
Jack furrowed his brow. A man of lofty ideals like him could hardly look kindly upon the guards' behavior. The merchants engaged in a brief game of nerves with the guard squad before reaching a compromise. It was a rigged game from the start. The guards even waved their hands to see us off.
"A fine caravan!"
"Your company made for a comfortable journey."
"May the blessings of Hermes be with you all!"
We passed through the city gates, and the merchants exchanged their farewells before scattering in every direction. The mercenaries, having received a generous bonus for successfully completing their commission, disbanded as well. Jack and I stayed together until relatively late. But once we reached the central square, we had no choice but to part ways. Jack and I embraced each other.
"Lolita, I'm embarrassed to ask, but... if you have the time, would you come to the market where I'll be setting up?"
"Of course. I have no doubt you'll become a fine merchant. They might treat us like flies clinging to gold, but as long as we can look up at the sky without shame, what's the problem?"
Jack's expression was deeply moved.
"Low-Ranking Merchant Jack's Affinity has increased by 11! The other party now "trusts" you."
"Affinity has reached 50. You can recruit the other party as an ally by persuading them."
He looked up at me with glistening eyes.
"That's really... you're right! My father's opinion wasn't what mattered. It was about how honest I could be with myself. Why did I forget something so simple!"
We shared one more embrace. Jack squeezed my shoulder tight with his slender arms. It was the fullest measure of affection that someone awkward but pure-hearted could offer to another person. I hadn't thought particularly well of Jack, but this time I couldn't help being moved. No matter how dense a person might be, there were always a few moments when they showed their true heart, and for Jack, this was one of them. It was the kind of thing you rarely encounter in life — something truly wonderful. We parted with reluctance, each going our separate ways.
Wrapped in the lingering warmth of an unexpected emotion stirred by a human, I headed for the northern gate. By the north gate, next to the stables, a figure stood waiting as promised, hood pulled up over their head. Upon spotting me, the figure approached.
"It's been a pleasure, Lord Dantalion."
A clear, even-toned voice. It was Lapis.
"It seems you've chosen the second plan, then."
"That's how it worked out. Well, it doesn't much matter which plan it is."
"There are a total of two locations in this city equipped with anti-summoning magic defenses. One is the lord's residence, and the other is the temple. The auction house where the slave market will be held is located on the outskirts of the city, so if anything were to happen, the guards would have difficulty responding in time."
That was Lapis for you. She fed me exactly the information I wanted to know, piece by piece. I was satisfied.
"A perfect stage for putting on a fireworks display. I'll add ten gold to the commission."
"Thank you for choosing the Kunkuska Trading Company again today."
I smiled.
"And there's one small additional request I'd like to make."