The village was burning. Through the acrid smoke and raging flames, a massive silhouette loomed. Whatever it was, one thing was certain — it was not human. And it was mercilessly slaughtering the villagers.
"Dad! Mom! Daisy!"
"No!"
With that single word — "No" — the boy understood everything. He must not run toward them. He had to turn around and flee immediately. That one word carried the weight of having no choice but to abandon his father, mother, and little sister; the fact that if he didn't run now, he too would die without a shred of resistance.
Even within that short, two-syllable word, someone's death and someone's life could intersect. The boy did not yet understand why that was so terrifying. He only felt fear. For the first time since being born, he had come face to face with death. The monster's massive silhouette seemed to be glaring straight at him. The boy turned and began running through the woods. Only the word he had just heard echoed over and over in his mind.
'No! No! No!…….'
He ran for what felt like forever. His stomach ached terribly. Running wildly had twisted his insides. He was thinking, I can't run anymore, when it all grew hazy — and then a man appeared in his line of sight. That could be one of the ones who attacked the village! The boy instantly dove into a nearby thicket. But the moment the man shouted, the boy relaxed.
"I'm on patrol! Any survivors!? I'm on patrol! Dammit. Survivors, any survivors!?"
There were soldiers who sometimes came around on patrol duty to levy taxes on the frontier villages. From the perspective of the settlers who had fled their homeland to escape those taxes, they were men worth killing. But to the boy's eyes, that soldier looked like an angel right now. The boy burst out from the undergrowth.
"Me! Me, sir! Soldier! I'm over here!"
"Oh, my goodness! God, you really are here!"
The man broke into a wide smile. His face was radiant with pure joy. Seeing that expression, the boy felt completely reassured. He could tell the man was genuinely glad to find him.
But there was no time to relax. The boy had a family.
"Monsters, monsters attacked……the village burned down! Mom, Dad are still—"
"Good. You're a brave kid. Calm down. Calm down."
The man bent down and stroked the child's cheek. "The extermination squad has already entered the village. I was ordered to search the area for any survivors who might have made it out."
"The extermination squad? Really?"
The child jumped to his feet.
"Does that mean Mom and Dad can really be saved? My little sister too? And all the villagers?"
"Of course. I promise you. Soon enough, you'll be together with all the villagers again."
The boy thought it was a lie. He instinctively sensed that the adult was making up outlandish words just to calm him down. But the boy also wanted to believe the man's words. There was something in the man's voice that made him want to lean on it.
"Really!……*sniff*, *sob*……"
"Oh my. Looks like you've finally relaxed. There, there, come here."
The man hugged the boy.
"Your little sister's name is Daisy, right?"
"*Sniff*……mister, you know Daisy?"
"Of course I do. And your name is Luke."
The boy nodded. The back of the man's neck was becoming soaked with tears.
"That's right."
"I know everything about your village inside and out. I've heard all about it! Including the girl next door you confessed to when you were seven years old――"
"Huh?! Whoa! Whoaaa! How do you know about that, mister?!"
Embarrassment flooded in where fear and sorrow had passed. No way! Dad must have told this patrolman all about him. Dad would blab about anything related to him. The man chuckled.
"Good. Your face is starting to look a bit better now, brave boy!"
"Geez……Dad is really something."
"Come on, let's head to the village. You should go see your father now."
*Like I even need to be told that*, the boy thought as he pulled away from the man's embrace. He walked toward the village with a much lighter feeling. He knew every forest path around the village by heart, so there was no hesitation in his steps.
And then——.
*Thwack!*
The arrow struck the target. Right on the edge. I was satisfied just having hit the target.
"You've gotten a lot better."
Lapis said from my side.
"If you can't even hit with this, you might as well just die."
I retorted while loading the next arrow. I'd been practicing with the fortress crossbow. I wanted to have at least one means of protecting myself. A bow took too long to master, and spears and swords were close-combat weapons — I had no interest in learning them. Having to cross blades with adventurers face-to-face? Terrifying.
'I'm a coward, so what?'
I knew my own limits. Someone with no fighting skill who puff themselves up would only get themselves killed faster. And honestly, compared to hiding inside the Demon Lord's chamber and just watching from the sidelines, firing off a crossbow bolt was a far braver thing to do.
"I've brought the goods you ordered yesterday."
Lapis said. I'd been wondering why he'd shown up during my crossbow practice, but sure enough — a merchant was always a merchant. He'd come to make a sale. And then the bastard suddenly tried to haggle with me.
"I'll be charging five hundred and fifty gold per scroll."
"What, five hundred and fifty?"
I forgot all about loading the arrow, my head snapping around. Lapis maintained a perfectly composed, expressionless face. Ha! This guy would boil a flea for its last drop!
"Hey, are you kidding me? Three hundred gold per scroll."
"Five hundred gold per scroll. Not a single coin less."
"Still too expensive. Three hundred and fifty gold per scroll."
Then Lapis spoke firmly.
"Four hundred and fifty gold. Even if Satan himself descended upon this earth, I would not sell for a single coin less than four hundred and fifty gold."
The tone was as though declaring that a merchant's pride was on the line. Tsk. I clicked my tongue and turned back, loading a bolt into the crossbow as I spoke.
"I'll buy two for seven hundred gold."
"...Three for twelve hundred gold."
Hmm. Three for twelve hundred gold.
I pulled the bolt back with the winch. Then I raised the crossbow. Nimbly. Without rushing. I aimed at the target. Held my breath for a moment, then pulled the trigger. The string snapped, and the arrow split the wind.
Thwack!
The bolt struck the target. I nodded with satisfaction. It was only two shots per minute, but with this much power, it should be enough to put at least one adventurer in the grave. I carefully set the crossbow down at my feet and extended my right hand to Lapis.
"Deal."
"Very well."
Lapis clasped my hand.
"Lord Dantalion, even had you become a merchant, you would have achieved greatness."
"Mm. I'll take that as a compliment."
"Of course it's a compliment."
Lapis said it as though the answer should have been obvious. Then again, just as being told you're a proper soldier is high praise for a soldier, being told you're a proper merchant must be the highest praise for a merchant.
—Keurk! Keureureuk!
—Kyaurururu!
Around us, goblins and fairies cheered in celebration. The atmosphere felt like two great powers had finally hammered out a grand compromise after three days and nights of deliberation. Right on cue, a goblin handed something over. It had been waiting in advance and offered a towel, saying to wipe off my sweat.
—Keureureu.
Heh. Had I been spoiling the fairies too much lately? Bling seemed to feel threatened. Seeing it go this far as to provide service like this. Oh you silly thing. There was really no need for this. I smiled warmly, like a parent seeing their child run an errand for the very first time.
"Thanks, little guy."
Bling kissed me on the forehead with a smack.
—Keur! Keureureu!
Oh, it was over the moon with joy. I'd have to give it even more physical affection from now on.
I sat down casually on a nearby rock. I'd only exercised for a short while, but I was out of breath. Whether in my original world or here, my stamina was trash — and it never seemed to change. As I was diligently wiping my forehead and the back of my neck with the towel, oh? This time it was the fairies struggling to carry something over.
"Wow."
The fairies had fetched water in a large bowl. It must have been quite heavy — four of them were supporting the bowl together. It was probably fresh spring water created through some sort of water-attribute magic. How thoughtful.
I gulped the water down in one go. Cold water, like underground spring water from bedrock, slid down my throat.
"Ahh."
Good service deserves a proper tip.
I showered each of the four fairies with affection in turn. I stroked their cheeks with my fingertips and tickled their bellies. The fairies squealed with laughter.
Ah, bliss. If only time could stop right here and now.
"…Lord Dantalion."
"Hmm?"
"You're awfully kind to monsters."
"Well, how could I not — look how cute they are."
I rubbed the tip of my finger back and forth across a fairy's head. Kyururur! The fairy grabbed onto my finger and swung its whole body like it was hanging from a monkey bar. To those little guys, my hand was probably like a tiny playground. Cheeky things — I'm an expensive man, but I'll allow it.
"Lord Dantalion."
I turned my head at the sound of my name.
Lapis was holding out a glass vial filled with some kind of red liquid.
"Oh? What's this now?"
"It's a potion. It heals wounds."
"You're giving this to me?"
"Yes. It's on the house."
I never turned down a freebie. I hurriedly took the potion. It was a high-end product worth over ten gold per bottle — I'd been debating whether to buy one, so having it fall into my lap like this at just the right moment put me in an excellent mood. As expected of the Kunkuska Trading Company! They sure knew how to impress a customer.
"Thanks, Lapis."
"It's my pleasure."
"Whoa. What on earth is the principle behind this? Is it infused with magic, or..."
"......"
"They might have ground up Mana Stones and combined them. They say most materials can hold mana, so with the right technique..."
"......"
Hm?
Lapis kept staring at me.
"What's wrong? Something on my face?"
"Potion."
She pointed at the potion in my hand.
"That's... pretty expensive."
"Yeah. I know. That's why I'm thanking you."
"......"
"......?"
Her blue eyes continued to bore into me.
What the heck was going on? Wait, no way...
"Don't tell me you want it back just because it's expensive!?"
"......Never mind."
She let out a soft sigh.
"Oh, really? This is mine, right?"
"Yes."
Was it just my imagination? Lapis's blank expression seemed a bit colder than usual. She was providing the service, but perhaps she resented parting with it… Tsk, tsk, you had to be generous when it was time to be generous in order to succeed. Lapis still wasn't ready to become a major merchant.
As if trying to shift her mood, she changed the subject.
"But why did you purchase a medium-sized Teleport Scroll? I'm grateful, of course, since the more expensive items I sell, the better my performance metrics look."
"Hmm."
A medium-sized Teleport Scroll.
A magical tool that could transport up to twenty people at once. It was often used when assaulting a fortress lacking anti-magic defenses, or when a high-ranking demon needed to rush somewhere with only their guard detail. But it was expensive. A high-ranking demon would typically have at least one wizard among their subordinates who could teleport, and for a demon without such a wizard, the scroll's price was a burden. In many ways, it was a lukewarm item — neither here nor there.
'Right now, it's more useful to me than anything.'
I simply gave a faint smile.
"The matter I commissioned last time?"
"…You have no intention of answering, do you."
Lapis nodded weakly.
"Ah, don't misunderstand. You'll naturally find out soon enough."
"Understood. Then I'll report on your request. In the northern region of the Kingdom of Sardinia, there are a total of thirty-five slave markets."
She handed me a document. On it were listed the names, locations, and sizes of each slave auction house in a concise format.
"Only three of them are large enough to deal in high-grade concubine slaves. I focused my investigation on those. As a result, I was able to identify the identity of the slave Your Highness Dantalion requested."
"Great!"
I clenched my right fist tight. I jumped to my feet and hopped up and down three or four times.
"Well done! Lapis, you really are the greatest talent out there. The executives over at the Kunkuska Trading Company must all have eyes the size of buttonholes. Here you are, a mere Grade 5 clerk!"
Did my reaction satisfy her? She gave a faint smile. Ever since we had that major heart-to-heart last time, Lapis had occasionally shown smiles like this. Compared to a normal person, it was practically expressionless, but I could tell.
But the cuteness had its limits.
She said with a perfectly straight face.
"You'll find that security is tight and surveillance is thorough."
Oh? So you're going to test the waters before handing over the information, are you?
My dancing feet came to a dead stop. I snorted.
"I'll throw in a 10 gold bonus."
"Bribing the guards and insiders cost quite a bit."
"…Fine, another 10 gold on top of that."
"Thank you once again for using the Kunkuska Trading Company."
"I'm sick of this."
I was thoroughly exasperated.
"Man, you really are a merchant through and through."
"That is the highest praise I could receive."
Lapis gave a little bow of her head. How should I put it? I felt a strange sense of satisfaction—was I being too petty? She was radiating this aura of having gotten the upper hand, plain as day.
"Ugh, ugh, ugh."
One piece of information had cost me more than expected. With this, we were even—one for one. As expected of a member of the ruthless, bloodless Kunkuska Trading Company, she never just took a hit lying down.
"Now, for the information on Lady Farnese."
Lapis produced the remaining documents she had hidden inside her coat. I clicked my tongue inwardly at her thoroughness, but I was still pleased to have obtained the information I wanted as I took the papers. The documents contained detailed personal information on a single girl. The girl was bound to a small slave trading company. There was even a note attached that the company was scheduled to move to another city with a large auction house in a few days.
'Laura de Farnese.'
Known by the epithet "The Iron-Blooded Female Chancellor."
She was the woman who tormented me relentlessly in my previous life. No, to be more precise, she was one of the main culprits who made life miserable for me — a player — in the Dungeon Attack game of my past life.
If the Demon Lords stood as humanity's ultimate adversaries, opposing players head-on, then Laura was another power within the Human Realm that clashed with players over every last thing. That's just how it was — gamers died to the Demon Lords just about as often as they died to Laura's forces. On the Dungeon Attack fan sites, posts cursing Laura showed up practically every other day.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, or so they say.
'I will bring her over to my side no matter what.'
I know how the world is going to unfold. And if that's the case, I realized — why not use that information to do more than just make money? Couldn't I be more proactive and turn her into an ally?
In Dungeon Attack, there were just as many factions opposing the Hero as there were ones cooperating with him. While the vast majority of the former eventually ended up falling for the Hero's human charm, there were also those like Laura who remained enemies to the very end. If I could gather and unite such people, they would surely be enough to hold the dungeon.
Laura was the number-one candidate for recruitment. No one hated the Hero as much as she did. Her final scene was even considered one of the game's most iconic moments — after she casually told off the Hero, who was screaming at her to surrender,
"Shallow adventurer. I have lived by hatred, and hatred alone."
She threw herself from the city wall to her death.
A clean, perfectly clean ending. She stood apart from other antagonists who would ramble on about their various grievances in their dying words, only killing themselves at the very last moment. In other words, she was competent, she despised the Hero's side, and she wouldn't even balk at cooperating with demonfolk. As a Demon Lord, it would be strange if I didn't desire such a remarkable woman.
As I carefully examined the documents, Lapis spoke to me.
"I'm curious — why are you interested in a mere human?"
"A mere human, she says."
The corners of my mouth curled upward on their own.
"Well. That's something we'll have to wait and see."