Capitalism Never Lies
The baron, who had ridden back in his carriage, returned the very next day dragging no fewer than ten cargo wagons behind him. Just in case the greedy bastard took the down payment and ran, I had sent Gerard along to keep an eye on him. Gerard wasn’t the type to issue open threats, but his sheer presence was intimidating enough on its own. That was why I’d judged him the most suitable escort among all my disciples.
According to Gerard, however, the baron’s cooperation had gone far beyond mere compliance. The man’s eyes had practically rolled back in his head as he hauled every decent wagon he could find. It seemed the old saying was true: with enough money, you could even make your worst enemy dance to your tune.
“Hey. You mind if my people stay in your territory for a while?”
“Oh goodness, of course! Absolutely! You are welcome in my lands anytime, honored sir!”
This was the same noble who, only days ago, had looked at me and my master like we were monsters. The poor wretch whose eyes had been swollen black and blue after getting thrashed by my master. Yet the moment I handed over a few platinum coins, he suddenly treated me like some exalted VIP. Strangely enough, he seemed even more reverent now than when I’d introduced myself as the master of the Heroes. The instant that pouch of gold left my hand, his attitude shifted into outright awe.
“Iris. Load your people into the wagons, quickly.”
“Do we have to? They could all just walk.”
“I understand your desire to train them hard, Iris. But didn’t I tell you to be careful?”
“…Not to push them too roughly?”
“That’s part of it. There’s one more thing. Gerard, you remember, right?”
“You instructed us to avoid non-combat losses as much as possible.”
Even if Demon God Worshippers had spies hidden among the followers, and even though those spies caused constant headaches, I never ordered my disciples to purge them. For now they might seem like nothing more than baggage, but later they would prove useful. In battle or out of it, they would eventually fulfill their roles. I didn’t mind pushing them a little harder so they could grow stronger. After all, my own master had trained me the same way, so I considered it a good thing. Still, there was no need to toss them straight into the flames.
“These people wandered underground for nearly a month. They may look fine on the surface, but they’re not like you, Iris. You need to take that into account.”
“But…”
“Even if they have no direct connection to you, they still came because of your name and your strength. At the very least, show them that you’ll take care of them.”
“They rushed over here because they wanted to. I don’t see why I have to—”
“You keep talking back to me. Has our disciple grown bold now that she’s a bit older?”
The easiest way to handle Iris had always been exactly what she herself loved to shout: the weak must bow their heads before the strong. And I was still stronger than Iris. Subduing her wasn’t difficult yet.
“No, Master. I’ll do as you say. But in return…”
“Once we reach the territory, I’ll spar with you. Fair enough?”
She must have been waiting for those exact words. Iris broke into a wide grin and nodded vigorously. Then she began loading her followers onto the wagons—one in each hand. To be precise, she was essentially picking them up and hurling them inside.
“…The fifth disciple really hasn’t changed at all,” Gerard muttered.
“If she did change, that would be the strange part. The whole reason she became my disciple in the first place was to fight.”
“Still, I thought she might have changed a little with time.”
“Why? Because Iris was also born with the fate of a Hero?”
“That too, but she received your teachings, Master. I expected her to become a bit more like me and the other senior disciples. A little more serious. A little more mindful of those behind her.”
Gerard sidled closer as he spoke in a low voice. He seemed to be trying not to let Iris overhear, but from my perspective, having a hulking mass like him approach only made me instinctively lean away.
“Gerard.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Don’t come any closer.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s gross.”
“Ah… If I have made you uncomfortable, I apologize—”
“That’s not what I mean. You’re just too big. Weren’t you smaller when I first met you?”
When the original character designs were first revealed, Gerard had been a female character. But after the professional complainers and the “Girls Can’t Do Anything” crowd threw endless tantrums, the design was reworked into the current Gerard. Perhaps that was why the Gerard from the game hadn’t been this massive. He had been a tall, handsome man with a reasonably muscular build. Nothing like the giant meat shield standing before me now.
“Ah… To be honest, after descending the mountain I worked hard to bulk up.”
“Why on earth would you bulk up?”
“Didn’t you say so yourself, Master? The one who stands at the front must be reliable.”
I had indeed said something like that. His original frame had been too slender to look imposing while holding a shield. It wasn’t that Gerard lacked strength or stamina. Still, the impression one’s appearance gave could never be ignored. To make the Guardian Hero stand out more, I had thought a solid, dependable physique would be better than a lean one. I simply hadn’t expected him to become quite this dependable.
“Being dependable is good. But you’ve become so dependable it’s almost burdensome.”
“Then… should I shrink back down here?”
“…No, that’s not necessary. How would you even shrink? Forget it.”
It wasn’t fat he had gained, so how was he supposed to lose it? Looking closer, it wasn’t showy muscle either. Every ounce was pure combat muscle. For a tank—the team’s shield—that appearance was actually perfect. I told him it looked just right as it was.
“But there’s no need to get any bigger from here, Gerard.”
If he packed on any more muscle, he would stop being a Hero and start being a monster. There probably wouldn’t even be any armor left that could fit him. Gerard nodded with a perfectly serious expression and declared that he would keep it in mind. Come to think of it, unlike the other disciples who had at least some sense of humor, Gerard was so earnest about everything that it could become a little exhausting.
“Master! Everything’s ready for departure!”
“Then let’s go. There’s nothing left for us here, and I’d like to lie down in a proper bed for once.”
“In that case, you can rest your head on my lap and—”
“Our idiot disciple must be asking for another beating because she hasn’t had one lately, huh?”
Just because she was a regressor, just because she was an important figure, that didn’t mean I would seal away the Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s signature knuckle rap. Regression was regression, but a beating was still a beating. Spare the rod and spoil the child, as they said. If I didn’t want to ruin my Heroes, I had to be even stricter with them.
“Everyone, I shall now guide you to my territory!”
It seemed the baron saw our group less as ‘the Hero party’ and more as a walking wallet. I briefly wondered if handing over so much money right from the start had been a mistake, but then decided it was better than giving too little and making him plot something stupid. At least this way his greed was out in the open.
A day after we set off in the cargo wagons, we finally arrived at the baron’s domain.
“Hey, Baron. My kids need to wash up. Got any space?”
“Of course, Hero! My steward will guide you. Please follow him.”
“Baron. My subordinates need an open area to set up camp.”
“We have plenty of empty buildings and rooms, Guardian Hero!”
“There’s no benefit in living too comfortably. The body and mind must always be rigorously trained.”
“Hmm… Then perhaps you could use the empty plot on the outskirts.”
Just let the knights rest comfortably for once, damn it. A commander who was too much of a stickler for regulations was nothing but exhausting for his soldiers. The only reason they followed without complaint was because Gerard was both competent and a Hero.
“Um, and what about you, honored sir? I can prepare the best accommodations possible.”
The baron sidled up to me and whispered. The way his eyes glittered, it was clear his mind had been completely consumed by gold. Well, this was probably the first real chance he’d had to get his hands on serious money. They did say that seizing an opportunity when it arrived was the mark of true skill. The baron was doing his best to squeeze every drop out of the chance that had rolled up to his doorstep.
“Give that person over there the best room you have.”
I pointed at my master, who was quietly observing the territory. The baron nodded immediately.
“Of course, naturally! I would even offer my own room!”
“…That won’t do. The best room excluding yours.”
The thought of my master sleeping in a bed where another man had rolled around was disgusting. Just imagining it made me want to slap the baron across the face.
“For me, any ordinary room is fine. It doesn’t need to be fancy or large.”
Being known as the master of the Heroes, luxurious quarters would only be a negative. True heroes were said to have slept in the same humble conditions as the lowest of their followers. Managing public sentiment by following that example was extremely important.
The baron immediately answered that he would prepare everything. Then he rubbed his hands together with a sleazy grin, looking exactly like a fly rubbing its legs. Knowing exactly what that gesture meant, I handed over a bit more of the advance payment.
“I’ll give you the rest once everyone has finished resting.”
“Oh my, thank you! As expected of the master of the Heroes. How can you be so benevolent!”
“Enough. Just prepare a meal for our people. And don’t squeeze the territory’s residents too hard.”
If the arrival of the Hero party led to the locals being oppressed, that would also be a negative. They had to genuinely welcome us. The opposite—making people avoid the Heroes—was absolutely unacceptable.
“Of course not. I am quite excellent in that regard, if I do say so myself.”
Watching the baron boast, I simply nodded. I wasn’t sure whether he was truly excellent or not, but I could tell he loved money. And that made him very easy to move.
“Huuu…”
I slowly exhaled the deep breath I had taken. Spreading the flames circulating around my abdomen throughout my entire body, I began the final inspection.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art I had inherited from my master had settled perfectly within me. I could not reach any higher than this. This moment was the absolute peak. At this level, I could fight my master with everything I had. I couldn’t guarantee victory, but I had long since moved past the stage where defeat was certain.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was not some miraculous technique that could shatter mountains or dry up oceans. Instead, it was something that enabled its user to accomplish such feats. It paved the way and taught the method. That was the correct way to see it.
I can rise no further.
My disciples were still barely holding on against Demonic Humans, yet I had overwhelmed even them with an overwhelming difference. There was nowhere left for me to climb. Any more would be mere greed, and climbing higher would bring no benefit.
Considering I had only been able to reach this point thanks to the user perk that should have made it impossible, pushing any further might lead to the unpleasant situation of “too much is as bad as too little.” Rather than focusing on becoming stronger myself, it would be better to concentrate on making my disciples stronger. And beyond that, on how to deal with the Fragments of the Demon God.
…Though there was still one more step left on the staircase.
That final step still feels too daunting to climb right now.
“…Master.”
I had just finished organizing my thoughts and was about to fall asleep early when Iris’s voice came from beyond the door.
“I’m coming in.”