Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Negotiation (1)
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Preparations for the negotiations with the Gilbert Baron's household were more or less complete.
All that remained was for the Gilbert Baron's side to send some kind of signal.
That should have been it.
"More adventurers got captured?"
"Yes. Three of them."
The report from my secretary, Lilith.
Three adventurers who didn't seem to be from the Gilbert Baron's household had been taken prisoner.
"All three still alive?"
"Yes."
"Women?"
"No women. All three are men."
"......"
I wondered if there was a reason for sending him alive, but Akkamond, the Chief Adjutant, had no particular reason to keep men alive and ship him here.
"Maybe to provide daily rations for the succubi or something?"
"No. he're probably meant to be hostages for negotiating with the Gilbert Baron's household."
"Even if they are, they're just adventurers.... Wait, did they happen to bring any letters or anything?"
Such thoughts crossed my mind.
"Did they resist when they were captured?"
"No. They say the prisoners surrendered their weapons suspiciously easily."
"......No other statements?"
"None."
"Do we know who captured them?"
"The skeletons did. On orders from Chief Adjutant Akkamond, prioritizing 'survival and capture' for those who obey."
"I see."
So, not sent 'directly' by Chief Adjutant Akkamond.
He simply gave the order, and the skeletons followed it to the letter.
"It'll be faster if we investigate first and report. Check the prisoners' belongings right away. Confiscated, right?"
"Yes. The succubi are analyzing them now...."
Knock knock knock.
"Who is it."
Natalie announced herself from beyond the door with a knock.
There are monsters that mimic voices sometimes, but—
"Tell them to come in."
"Enter."
Lilith was by my side.
Fortunately, the succubus who opened the door and entered was Natalie, the one I'd raped (though she insists she wasn't a virgin).
"What’s the report?"
"While stripping the men and changing them into prisoner garb, we found something odd."
"Something odd?"
"Yes. There was writing on their backs."
"...Hah, figures it was the Gilbert Baron."
I couldn't help but laugh.
"Can we check it here?"
"I'll show you with a magic projection."
Lilith immediately conjured a magic screen linked to the prison.
Mana swirled like mist, and soon the three adventurers in the cell came into view.
"Huh?"
"What's wrong?"
"No, those bastards—I know them."
I knew them well, alright.
All three were faces I was very familiar with.
And how did I know them, you ask—
"Back when I was a porter, those guys cost me three days' pay. More precisely... the colleague I owed that money to got killed by them."
"...Shall I kill them?"
"No, hold on. Not time to kill yet. Listen first."
I calmed Lilith, who was already sharpening her claws.
"Brown Wolf Mercenary Corps. Scum who call themselves a mercenary band despite being just three guys. They follow guild rules, but they prey on weak adventurers."
Once upon a time.
"I sensed something off in their eyes and kept my distance, but a fellow porter took their offer and headed into the dungeon."
Porters stick together, and even I had some I was on decent terms with.
"But after going in with those guys, he came out dead."
"That's...."
"From a human perspective, it looks natural for the weakest to die. But one day, I saw his belongings—the ones from the guy I owed money to—at the local pawnshop."
We weren't that close.
Life at the bottom means you never know when someone might vanish, so everyone just builds mutually beneficial relationships for when they need help.
"Didn't ask who bought them. Getting involved would be bad luck. Instead, I watched from afar for a few days. And I figured it out. They were selling the stolen goods to that fence."
Not close enough to call colleagues or friends.
Death was always a close word for the underclass.
"Never thought I'd run into scum like them here. And of all ways...."
I pointed at their backs.
"Never imagined the Gilbert Baron would use 'human mail' just like we did, delivering letters via he's backs."
Writing on their backs.
Time. Location. Personnel.
Each of the three had different details, which drew a hollow laugh from me.
"Trainer."
Lilith turned to me, her voice thick with irritation.
"It's dangerous."
"Yeah, probably."
Time: right away, in 8 hours.
"They're desperate for their lives, so if they really want negotiations, they're hoping we'll send someone."
Location: beyond the child dungeon.
In other words, Gilbert Baron's territory.
"And just one person, no less. This is...."
"As good as saying they'll kill if we don't comply."
Personnel: exactly one.
"No choice. I'll have to go myself."
"Trainer...?"
"Lilith. I have a favor to ask.... Actually, a few."
"You're not thinking of going yourself, are you?"
"Yeah."
"Absolutely not!!"
Lilith shrieked and blocked my path.
"You're important, Trainer. Chief Adjutant Akkamond called you a treasure himself. If you step out in front of humans...!"
"First: something to hide that I'm human."
I gestured to my whole body.
"Don't need much. Just a hooded black robe. And something to cover the face... yeah."
An image popped into my head.
"A mask. One that covers the whole face."
"The mask shouldn't be a problem...."
Mask and robe.
Suspicious as hell, no doubt.
Looked human enough, but the key was appearing like a 'demon' hiding their identity.
"Second: might need Chief Adjutant Akkamond's permission for this, but something proving I'm from the Vampire Legion."
They don't know we're the Vampire Legion yet.
They can guess, but no 'certainty.'
'he might think we're the main Demon King army since we proposed prisoner exchange, or some other legion.'
Unclear if Vampire Legion or another with vampires.
"Third. And this is the most important."
I pointed to myself.
"Full authority."
"......"
"For these negotiations, I'd like to step forward with full authority. Ah, not representing the whole Vampire Legion or anything. Just as the 'chief negotiator from the mysterious group holding hostages and demanding prisoner release.'"
Whether Gilbert Baron himself or his proxy shows, I need to appear as the responsible party.
"Nobles, you see, tend to look down on fellow humans if they sense a difference in status."
"......"
"Demons are similar... no, not really. Demon ranks are mostly determined by 'power.'"
Humans and demons sense hierarchy differently.
"Secretary. If a much weaker succubus dared to talk down to you and ignore orders, how would you feel?"
"'Has this bitch lost her mind?' First thought."
"Right. That's the usual initial reaction. But rationally, you'd think—"
"'What does this bitch have backing her to act this way?'"
"Exactly."
Elegantly put: backing.
"Origin, status, or the force to back it up. I'll wrap myself in 'fakes' of those and act like a high-ranking demon."
"......"
"That's my protection."
For example.
"First impressions matter. If I step out trembling in the mask, what would they think?"
"They'd kill you on the spot."
"But if I act confident, like Chief Adjutant Akkamond?"
If I mimicked a powerhouse like him?
"...They'd tense up, thinking I have something seriously big backing me."
"Yeah. Especially humans, nobles more so. Someone with an ambiguous title like baron, even more."
I had nothing but my dick, but even with just that, options exist.
"Men can do anything with confidence. I survived that hellish sewer."
"......"
"I want you to trust me, but I know you're worried. 'What if this guy's sneaking off to defect to the humans?'"
I'm gambling, and so is the Vampire Legion.
"So, I'll put shackles on myself."
"Pardon?"
Show will, and the Vampire Legion can rest easy.
"Put a magic necklace on my neck. One that explodes if not removed within the time limit."
I'll wear the bomb necklace myself.
"Deactivate it when I return safely from negotiations. Fail and get captured? Boom in the heart of enemy territory."
"......"
"I'll ask to pray at the goddess statue before time's up. Or lead them to it. That'll wreck the statue too."
"To go that far...."
Lilith asked through gritted teeth.
"Why go that far?"
"Obviously."
To fuck the Vampire Princess once.
"Loyalty and results come with rewards."
Lilith submitted the report, and a few hours later—after about three hours—an item arrived.
"...The items you requested."
Lilith brought a box.
"Here they are."
Three items inside the box.
"......Mask and necklace make sense, but that's not a robe—it's a suit?"
A mask that covered the whole face, with black cloth attached to go over the head, tied at the back of the neck.
A necklace embedded with a magic stone, screaming 'bomb collar.'
And... a rather ornate suit.
"Chief Adjutant Akkamond said human nobles judge status by fine suits."
"......"
Akkamond, the Chief Adjutant, as expected.
"And this is the suit he wore in his youth."
The suit was heavier than expected.