Chapter 147 : Swindler
Chapter 147: Swindler
There was a saying that all wealth of Akan ultimately flowed toward the royal family and the Mage Tower.
That was how indispensable the Mage Tower was as one of Akan’s central pillars.
Power became wealth. And for mages, wealth was a tool that allowed them to conduct more experiments.
The Mage Tower made money through donations from affiliated nobles, training mages, state subsidies, sales of magical items, and protecting merchant companies.
And most of the money earned that way was once again spent on purchasing magical materials or grimoires.
In other words.
The Mage Tower itself was a treasure vault lined with massive quantities of materials.
Even merchant companies that specialized in magical reagents and materials were a drop in the bucket compared to what the Mage Tower possessed.
No matter how precious or rare something was, the Mage Tower had it.
However, in the case of the Mage Tower, since the purpose was for their own use rather than for sale, they did not sell things for money.
“But if it’s an item worth that much, then it’s a different story, isn’t it?”
Zetoson, seated across from the Vice Tower Master of the Mage Tower, calmly took a sip of tea.
‘How lucky. I didn’t expect to meet such a big shot right away.’
It had been a coincidence. While submitting a trade request claiming he had goods that would make one’s eyes spin, it happened to catch the eye of the Vice Tower Master as he passed by.
Enticed by Zetoson’s bold boasts, he had taken the bait, and this meeting had been arranged.
“Hmm.”
The Vice Tower Master cleared his throat.
“So then, shouldn’t I be seeing this item now?”
“Ah, of course. There’s no chance I’ll disappoint you. If I had to give a hint, I’d say it falls under byproducts.”
“Byproducts?”
“Yes. However, wouldn’t you agree that even byproducts vary in value depending on whose they are?”
Just as an orc’s hide could not be the same as an ogre’s hide.
“Of course, but now you’ve made me even more curious.”
The Vice Tower Master rubbed his chin with a bony hand.
“Just how extraordinary is it that you’re drawing things out this much with the Mage Tower. Can I trust that you won’t disappoint me?”
Under the sharp gaze, Zetoson nodded.
“Of course.”
“The Golden Moon Merchant Company, and Zetoson, a merchant affiliated with that company. I’ll remember it.”
The Vice Tower Master looked over the registry where Zetoson’s name had been written when he entered the Mage Tower.
“I hope this memory remains a good one until the very end.”
Zetoson swallowed dryly.
He had blurted things out recklessly, but in truth, he was not certain of anything.
The horn sent from the main branch certainly looked impressive. But he lacked the magical knowledge to accurately assess its value.
To begin with, his line of work was not discovering truly valuable things or excavating what was hidden, but dressing up something worthless to look convincing and selling it at a high price.
‘I have no choice but to trust Vice-Head.’
Please let it be the item mentioned in the letter.
Please let the gloomy-looking mage before him recognize its value and shed tears.
“Haha, of course. I suppose I’ve kept you waiting too long. I’ll show you right away.”
Click-
The wooden box opened.
Dense demonic energy began to seep out slowly.
“This is...?”
The Vice Tower Master’s expression changed subtly.
“I believe you’re aware that even byproducts have ranks. Above monsters are demonic beasts, above demonic beasts are demonkin, and above demonkin is the Demon King. Of course, even within those categories there are grades, and since there are monsters stronger than most demonic beasts or demonkin, and demonic beasts stronger than demonkin, it can’t be evaluated that simply.”
“....”
“But generally speaking, something no one can deny is that demonic beasts are stronger than monsters, demonkin are stronger than demonic beasts, and naturally their byproducts are also superior.”
“So what exactly is it?”
“Demonkin in particular, each and every one of them being powerful individuals—”
“What is it! Do you want me to carry it into the lab right now and start researching it myself!?”
The shout that made the air tremble caused Zetoson to blink. He was slightly flustered, but inwardly he smiled.
The Vice Tower Master’s shaking pupils and ragged breathing were telling him that this was genuine.
“Among the demonkin, the most outstanding upper-ranked demonkin....”
“A byproduct of an upper-ranked demonkin?”
“No.”
“What?”
“It belongs to a demonkin that stands above even upper-ranked demonkin.”
“Above upper-ranked demonkin...? Don’t tell me...?”
“Yes.”
Zetoson nodded.
“It’s the Demon King’s horn.”
“...!”
Click-
Zetoson closed the wooden box once more. The dense demonic energy vanished in an instant.
“Ah...!”
The Vice Tower Master, who had practically shoved his face into it, let out a cry of regret.
“Once, just once more, show it to me again!”
“Ah, that won’t do....”
“What do you mean it won’t! I’m asking you.”
“All right. Since it’s you, Vice Tower Master, I’ll show it to you specially.”
The wooden box opened again. Dense demonic energy throbbed.
The Vice Tower Master drank it in greedily. Just as he was about to use magic to examine it more closely, the box snapped shut.
“Now, now, it’s a precious item. What if it gets damaged....”
“I’ll buy it no matter what, so open it again!”
“Do you want it that badly?”
“Is that even a question right now?”
“But as you know, it’s extremely precious, so....”
“That’s exactly why I’m saying I’ll buy it!”
“Ah, but the unit price is....”
“Are you mocking the Mage Tower’s financial power! We have so much money it’s practically rotting away!”
As a rule, the one with money held the upper hand, but in the Mage Tower, the one who possessed rare items held the advantage.
At this very moment, the positions of superior and subordinate were reversed.
“Then please tell me the price you think is possible.”
Zetoson crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair.
“How much did you come prepared to pay?”
* * *
While Berje was extorting Vivian’s horn, a grand welcoming ceremony was being held in Hilderan.
Ernan Hilderan and Hillen Cargill.
The Crown Princess of the Kingdom of Hilderan, who had returned after being abducted, and the great hero who had rescued her.
All the gates of the capital were opened. From the outer city to the royal palace. Soldiers lined up on both sides, forming a path for the Crown Princess and the hero. Behind them, citizens swarmed like a hive of bees, cheering.
Long live Her Highness the Crown Princess!
Long live the great hero, Hillen Cargill!
Thank goodness you returned safely!
Long live!
Fireworks visible even in broad daylight exploded, and the music of the military band shook the capital.
The entire capital was no different from a festival, and that was only natural.
There was a saying that the abduction of royalty was unavoidable, but even so, most people believed that if their country’s royalty was abducted, it meant the kingdom had been disrespected.
The kingdom was weak, so its royalty had been taken. The royalty was easy prey, so the Demon King had appeared.
What was more, Hilderan had lost two princesses, and one of them was abducted again immediately after being rescued.
It was an incident that left a deep wound on the people of Hilderan. That was why the return of Ernan Hilderan after her rescue could not help but be special.
“Greetings, everyone. Thanks to all of you, I was able to escape the lawless Demon King’s tower and return here once again. Thank you.”
Riding a spirit and rising into the sky, Ernan’s voice echoed across the entire city, and the cheers of the people grew even louder.
“You’re doing something interesting.”
“I needed to make my return more firmly etched.”
“Etched for whom?”
“Well. For a rather shameless elder brother who’s aiming for her younger sibling’s vacant seat?”
“Isn’t it usually the other way around?”
“Hilderan is strictly merit-first.”
“I like that.”
They soon entered the royal palace.
* * *
The grand welcoming ceremony continued into the royal palace.
The resplendent grand hall of the palace, filled with countless nobles, and the king upon the throne.
Ernan slowly stepped along the carpet.
She felt everyone’s gaze.
‘Baron Ancus, Viscount Berian, Count Corin....’
She felt the eyes of numerous nobles. Those who met her gaze shrank back.
She then swept her eyes over the royal family.
‘Olrec, Polina, Titania, Olga....’
And Obest Hilderan.
Her gaze met that of a blood relative seated closest to the throne.
The corner of her lips rose. It was the complete opposite of her counterpart, who had stiffened rigidly.
Passing even that, she finally stood before the supreme ruler of the kingdom.
Slowly, yet with dignity, she bowed her head.
“Crown Princess of the Kingdom of Hilderan, Ernan Hilderan. I have returned safely, Your Majesty.”
“You’ve returned well. Come, let me hold you just once, my daughter.”
The king spread his arms. Ernan carefully stepped forward and embraced him.
“How was it? For a small deviation, wasn’t the price far too great?”
At the king’s whisper, Ernan formed a strange smile.
“You knew?”
“You are my daughter. No matter that he was a Demon King, there’s no way you would have been abducted by one who had just descended without leaving even a trace.”
Unless she had deliberately offered no resistance at all.
“...I can’t get anything past you, Father.”
“So then, how was it? You left of your own will, but the Demon King wasn’t the sort of existence you imagined, was he?”
“Yes.”
Ernan nodded slightly.
He was certainly not the figure generally known, nor the one she had imagined.
“Among Demon Kings, the most dangerous are those of deceit. And after that, those who have not been summoned for long.”
“Because they’re ignorant and you never know what they might do?”
“Exactly. This time, fortune was on your side, but there’s no guarantee it will be so next time. I will not permit any further deviation. It was the first, and the last.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Good. I believe you will do well. You always have.”
“Aren’t you going to ask about Ellena?”
“It’s enough that you returned.”
“I see.”
She stepped away from the king.
“Today is a most joyous day! We shall hold a banquet to celebrate the princess’s return!”
With Ernan Hilderan’s safe return, a week-long festival unfolded in the royal capital of Hilderan.
* * *
“Demon King! About what you promised....”
As soon as he came down after finishing his communication with Vivian, the dwarf clung to him as if he had been waiting.
“The materials are only a very small portion. Not only the quantity, but many rare items are needed, so I haven’t gathered them all yet.”
“I expected they wouldn’t be easy to obtain. What I’m referring to is something else....”
“The craftsmen, right.”
“Yes!”
Roger nodded vigorously.
Berje opened subspace. Inside the first floor, which had been remodeled to be empty once more, enormous quantities of materials were piled up.
Then, cold air began to spill out.
Thud, thud-
Pure white ice statues emerged one after another. Recognizing the dwarves’ faces, Roger tilted his head in confusion.
“Demon King, surely not....”
“That ‘surely’ is exactly what you think.”
“You’re saying you kidnapped every single craftsman from the royal workshop?”
Good heavens!
Roger, who had wanted dwarf craftsmen but had at most expected dwarves from a frontier city, was horrified.
The craftsmen of the royal workshop were among the finest experts even within the Kingdom of Berft. Naturally, it was more reassuring than anything else, yet the fact that they had to become minions of the Demon King because of him was endlessly regrettable.
‘No, if you really think about it, this isn’t my fault.’
Right. He, too, had merely been kidnapped by the Demon King. He was cooperating to survive, but so what? There was nothing more precious than one’s life.
‘They might even like it.’
Dwarf craftsmen all shared similar temperaments.
They loved making things and were passionate about handling new materials. New inventions were always welcome.
If told they would be building a colossal golem capable of moving a tower dozens of meters tall, they would surely raise both hands in enthusiastic approval.
‘Yes, I’ll persuade them like that, use the Demon King’s authority, and take command as their leader.’
Outside, there were those who had wielded hammers far longer than he had, but this was a tower, and within a tower, one had to follow the tower’s own rules.
‘Then first, I’ll start by producing a prototype and revise the blueprints according to any errors—’
Roger’s movements, as he contemplated the plan ahead, came to a halt.
His head creaked as if it were a broken golem.
“...Um, Demon King?”
“What is it?”
“I, um....”
No way.
It couldn’t be.
Knowing full well how she would react upon seeing him, there was no way the Demon King would have kidnapped her.
Yes, that was right. It had to be.
“I think my eyes might be mistaken, but....”
Even the fingertips pointing toward the ice statue were trembling violently.
“...Right?”
“If what your eyes are seeing is the princess of the Dwarf Kingdom, then I can tell you she’s performing her role very faithfully.”
Thud—his heart sank.
“...Huh.”
Cognitive dissonance. Roger could not understand Berje’s words. No, he did not want to understand them. But his brain worked far too diligently.
His mind turned stark white. Fighting back the moisture welling up, he checked the ice statue again, once, twice.
“H-how could this possibly be...! You know how Louise Berft views me!”
“It’s your karma.”
“Yes?”
How is that my karma!
The last shred of sanity he was clinging to stopped him from hurling curses at the Demon King. But it could not stop the tears bursting forth from his sense of injustice.
“The exit of the secret passage you told me about was connected to the detached palace where Louise Berft was confined. It was impressive. Even if one tried deliberately, it would be hard to make such a perfect encounter.”
“...Ugh.”
“So clean it up on your own.”
“Ughhh...!”
“Well, at least I’ll make sure she doesn’t die.”
“Ughhhhhhh!”
“You’re noisy.”
“Demon King! Demon King, you liar! A swindler who would even scam the First Demon Emperor and the unorthodox path!”
“You’re noisy.”
“Mmph mmph mmph...!”
The sanity Roger had barely been holding onto—
Thump-
—snapped cleanly.