Chapter 124
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 124
Scobina continued her explanation.
The merchant guilds were no fools; they didn’t just take the abuse lying down. They threatened the orcs for violating their rules and even resorted to armed suppression.
But they couldn’t win by force.
Even the Wyvern Merchant Guild, one of the three major merchant guilds with enough military power to crush most dungeons, was utterly devastated.
The culprits were…
“It was the work of an orc horde.”
For a moment, Rene’s breath hitched. Swallow’s brow furrowed.
“Nilkumbal.”
When Rene whispered the name, Scobina nodded. Ordinary orcs would have been crushed before they could even lay a finger on the Wyvern Merchant Guild. The only orcs capable of overwhelming them with sheer force belonged to Nilkumbal.
“At first, they demanded food and weapons on loan. Since they had no proper collateral, we naturally refused. But after crushing the Wyvern Merchant Guild, the orc army returned, using force to demand supplies.”
“……”
Normally, things would never have escalated this far.
Behind the merchant guilds stood the powerful dungeons they traded with. A prime example was Azi Dahaka, who maintained close ties with the Wyvern Merchant Guild.
…But as fate would have it, all the Great Evil Caves were currently gathered at the Primordial Core. This meant there were no others around to keep Nilkumbal’s tyranny in check.
A faint look of displeasure crossed Swallow’s face. As always, being dragged into someone else’s mess put him in a foul mood.
“Our guild master offered to loan them a portion of the supplies, but the orc army insisted on taking everything. North desperately tried to stop them, arguing that ‘Lord Swallow’s delivery is imminent, so it’s impossible to take the entire stock,’ but…”
How could a single leprechaun stand against a massive orc army from a Great Evil Cave?
Above all, since the supplies weren’t the exact goods currently being traded with Swallow, they lacked a solid justification to stop the plunder.
Having provoked the orcs, North was dragged away by the horde in front of everyone. His body was never returned.
Only the metallic stench of blood wafted from the orcs’ camp.
All they could recover were his half-burnt remains near a campfire.
“Hah. Running wild, are we?”
Swallow let out a dry laugh as he listened to the story.
He threw his head back and laughed, but Scobina bowed her head even deeper.
His laughter couldn’t have sounded more grim, and it made Scobina feel as if she were the criminal.
No, she was the criminal.
A cold voice cut through the laughter.
“So, what you’re saying is, you failed.”
“…That is correct.”
The tragic details of her story were none of Swallow’s concern.
All that mattered was that the Leprechaun Merchant Guild had failed to fulfill their contract. There was no reason for him to show mercy.
“I am sorry.”
Once again, Scobina merely bowed her head, her voice flat. There wasn’t a single crack in her expression, but her actions spoke more of resignation than composure.
As her head neared the floor, she squeezed her eyes shut.
A memory from yesterday surfaced.
“You might die.”
The guild master had said as much when he’d called her in to take over North’s duties for this trade.
Scobina had replied that she was prepared for that.
As she gave her final farewell to the guild master and turned to leave the room…
He had leaped from his seat, grabbed her wrist, and spoken again.
“You will be facing his wrath—the wrath of a great being.”
“You will surely die.”
It wasn’t a possibility. It was a certainty. The guild master had made that perfectly clear.
‘…Yes.’
It was just as he had said.
As the guild’s representative, she would meet her end here and now.
She heard the slow footsteps of the absolute being before her—the ancient monster.
She wanted to cover her ears, but it was too late for that. It would only look pathetic. In the end, she merely pressed her forehead harder against the floor.
“……”
As time ticked by, the footsteps drew closer. Her senses became painfully sharp. Her body trembled. She bit her lip hard, fighting to conceal her terror.
Soon, the footsteps stopped. Swallow stood right in front of her.
“I am sorry,” Scobina muttered again. She couldn’t muster the courage to add the words she truly wanted to say: Please, at least spare my comrades in the guild.
“……”
Now, she would die.
It was time to pay the price for angering the master of a Great Evil Cave.
“……?”
And yet, at that very moment…
…nothing happened.
“Yaaawn.”
Only the sound of a long, drawn-out yawn reached her ears.
Scobina cautiously lifted her head.
The chilling aura that had been coiled around her neck was gone.
“Are you sure it was Nilkumbal?”
“I figured they’d cause trouble, but this is much faster than I expected. No matter how unreasonable they are, I never thought they’d extort war supplies from a merchant guild that serves other monsters.”
“They can mess with anything else, but they shouldn’t have touched the food.”
Swallow’s expression was still dark. However, his eyes held not a shred of interest in Scobina. His anger was directed entirely at Nilkumbal.
“You… Sco-something, was it?”
Snapping out of her daze at the sound of his voice, Scobina stiffly raised her head. Swallow crouched down, placed a hand on her head, and said:
“Lead the way.”
*
The Leprechaun Merchant Guild.
Among the three major monster merchant guilds, the leprechauns were renowned for being the most cold-headed and calculating.
They never showed emotion in front of their clients. Before any transaction, they severed any feelings that might get in the way.
Unshaken by emotion, they were not easily swayed by eloquence or threats. Possessing incredible foresight, they pursued long-term benefits over immediate gains.
The value they placed on goods was almost always reasonable. From the perspective of dungeon bosses, there was nothing to lose by trading based on the data compiled by the Leprechaun Merchant Guild. Having earned such trust, the guild’s influence soared.
Though they were leprechauns, their presence was larger than anyone’s.
Valer, the Guild Master of the Leprechaun Merchant Guild, was so diminutive he was barely half the size of a human, but his sheer presence alone was enough to make other monsters bow their heads. He was the greatest of the leprechauns, having built a formidable reputation through decades of flawless service.
“I’m begging you.”
And now, that formidable presence was crumbling.
“I am sorry.”
Morakin, the Guild Master of the Minotaur Merchant Guild sitting across from him, flatly rejected the request.
His tone was cold. It was the same tone the leprechauns of Valer’s own guild often used.
That was how Valer knew Morakin’s resolve was unshakable.
No amount of pleading or persuasion would change his mind.
Even so, Valer bowed his small head.
“Doesn’t your guild have some supplies left? Just lend them to me this once. I swear on the honor the Leprechaun Merchant Guild has built. I will repay you somehow.”
“Come now, we lost a great deal as well. And you of all people, Guild Master Valer, should know that having stock on hand isn’t the same as being able to lend it out.”
“Our guild’s very survival is at stake. Haven’t we worked together for years to balance the market? I am asking you, for the first and last time.”
In the end, Valer bowed his head. Morakin snorted.
…The great Valer, a giant among leprechauns who seemed as though he’d die before he bowed, had lowered his head.
It was a historic moment, yet Morakin felt no superiority, only bitterness.
The Valer he remembered was nothing like this. He was a monster, brimming with confidence and grit.
To the Guild Master of the Minotaur Merchant Guild, who had competed with him for years as a fellow member of the three major guilds, the Valer before him now looked pathetic.
“No means no.”
The more desperate Valer became, the more Morakin’s heart hardened.
“You’re the smartest one in this business, so how can you act like this? Valer, do what you do best. Calculate the profit and loss. You should be doing that right now.”
At Morakin’s words, Valer lowered his head. “We only trade when the profit and loss align,” was a saying Valer himself always spouted.
And as Valer himself had always preached, there was no profit in Morakin helping him.
The only reason to help would be the bitter affection forged through years of rivalry, and that wasn’t enough.
“…I hope you don’t take this too hard. Even if I wanted to help, orc scouts are swarming around our guild. If we try to move supplies, we’ll be caught.”
It was pure luck that the Minotaur Merchant Guild had managed to hide its own supplies when Nilkumbal came through. If the orcs discovered that fact, they wouldn’t be safe either. He couldn’t stake the fate of the Minotaur Merchant Guild on the Leprechaun Merchant Guild.
“Besides, the supplies we have are far less than what you need anyway.”
With a pitying snort, Morakin looked at Valer.
Valer knew the situation better than anyone, yet he couldn't let go of that last shred of hope, his face a mask of anxiety and desperation.
Well, it’s only natural.
To a merchant guild, a Great Evil Cave was a precious client, but also one that had to be handled with the utmost caution.
The usual checks and balances of dungeon society—unity, financial power, rules—were useless against a Great Evil Cave.
Among them, the most dangerous was undoubtedly the Primordial Core, known as the worst of the demon realms.
And they had violated their trade agreement with that very Primordial Core. To make matters worse, wasn’t Swallow the one who had been wreaking havoc lately? The fate of the Leprechaun Merchant Guild was… as clear as day.
“I am truly sorry I cannot help.”
With one last glance at Valer, Morakin stood and left.
The sound of his retreating hooves was faster than usual. Valer stared blankly at the minotaur’s back, only letting out a long sigh after the door clicked shut.
Ah.
It was over.
His last hope had vanished.
The Leprechaun Merchant Guild, which had enjoyed endless growth, was about to vanish into the annals of history in such a futile way.
Staring blankly at the closed door, Valer picked up the guild’s report and scanned the first page.
—Three days since Swallow demanded food.
Scobina should have arrived at the Primordial Core yesterday to deliver her report.
“……”
She was probably dead.
She had bought them time at the cost of her own life, but the guild had still failed to obtain the necessary supplies.
Now, an envoy from the Primordial Core would come to investigate, and everyone in the Leprechaun Merchant Guild would pay for their failure with their lives.
Just as despair made it hard to breathe, a knock sounded on the door.
Valer’s head snapped up.
For a brief moment, his eyes swelled with the hope that Morakin had returned, only for disappointment to wash over him when he recognized the knock of his secretary. A moment later, remembering there was no good news to receive, his eyes clouded with despair.
“Scobina has returned.”
“…I see,” Valer replied in a lifeless voice. Overwhelmed by a storm of emotions, he couldn’t say more.
Her return could only mean one thing: her corpse had been sent back.
He’d hoped for a miracle, but it seemed she was dead after all. At least her body had been returned.
He muttered a quiet word of thanks for the sliver of mercy Swallow had shown.
Returning the body was a final courtesy, a sign of respect for a long-standing trade partner, allowing them to bury her in a sunny plot of land.
“Yes, how bad is it? Is the body intact enough for the others to see, or was it just a piece of her? And is there any other news?”
“Uh, well… Guild Master, she didn’t return as a corpse.”
“…What?”
Unable to process the words for a moment, Valer asked again.
But before the guild member could say another word, the door swung open.
Instantly, Valer’s expression froze. He was in no state to feel simple emotions like joy or relief. His brain was struggling just to comprehend the situation.
“Scobina… you returned safely…!”
“Guild Master.”
Scobina, who had opened the door and entered the office, was completely unharmed.
However, Valer’s expression stiffened again. He had noticed something off about Scobina’s rigid, expressionless face. The question of why was answered in an instant.
She was merely controlling her expression, and the reason she had to was standing right behind her…
Two figures emerged from the shadows of the doorway.
“Ah……”
Although it was his first time seeing them in person, he knew who they were instantly from the ominous aura they deliberately radiated.
A silver-haired maid with a cold expression, and the black entity beside her.
“L-Lord Swallow.”
Overwhelmed, Valer started to prostrate himself, but thinking better of it, he settled for a deep bow instead—one that bent his body past ninety degrees.