Chapter 74
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 74
There were even Holy Gold Coins mixed in—currency from Astupena, a fallen nation. Since they were rare treasures worth more than four times a standard gold coin, the total sum likely exceeded five hundred ounces.
This dungeon handed out several months of the Demon King Castle's operating expenses as mere pocket money. When the sheer scale of wealth was this different, how could a low-ranking Demon King like Melju dare to be greedy?
Without expectation, there is no disappointment.
'I am still lacking.'
For now, she would set aside her dream of becoming a member of the Primordial Core. Solidifying her decision, Melju looked ahead.
A mountain range was barely visible on the horizon. With the sun setting, she would have to cross it tomorrow.
The carriage came to a halt, and the coachman began to pitch a tent. She had wondered if he was strong, driving such an expensive carriage without any escort knights. Seeing him lift heavy objects single-handedly with perfect efficiency, Melju felt her guess was more or less correct.
While the campsite took shape and a fire was lit, Melju leaned back against the carriage seat, lost in thought.
She could no longer live as a freeloader. It was time to return to being a 'Demon King.'
Even if she found a place and built a castle, it would fall in an instant without troops to defend it. Her absolute priority was to gather a Demon King's army.
'I can summon mediocre monsters with my Authority, but…'
What Melju needed was a proper Demon King's army, one stronger than the one her father, the previous Demon King, had built.
Only then could she avoid being wiped out by humans, just like the Demon King Castle she had inherited.
Good generals gather under a good monarch, and good soldiers gather under good generals. By that logic, what Melju needed right now were high-ranking monsters to serve as officers in her army.
Of course, high-ranking monsters were rare. Finding and recruiting them one by one would require immense time and effort. In some cases, she would likely have to subjugate them by force. While subordinates won that way would be absolutely loyal, gathering them one by one was far from efficient.
Raising a Demon King's army wasn't a slow-paced adventure. She had no intention of taking her time.
This was why Melju was heading to Judeca.
'After all, I attended the banquets with Father since I was a child.'
Though still young, Melju had attended every single banquet since she was old enough to walk. She could proudly say her father had been a powerful Demon King. The strong gathered around the strong, and with her father's help, she had built quite a few connections with powerful figures, both politically and militarily.
'To be honest, not everyone will welcome me.'
But if the connections she had built weren't in vain, and if she gritted her teeth and put in the effort, she was certain to gain something.
First, she had to go to Judeca and find Demon Kings who would help her.
Just as she finalized her plan, her surroundings brightened. A piece of paper crackled in the campfire, flaring up as if a scroll imbued with simple ignition magic had been torn.
The coachman retrieved some meat from a high-grade preservation pouch and handed a bowl to Melju.
"I will prepare the meal right away."
Nodding slightly, Melju looked back.
Not even a trace of Graphenia's forest could be seen.
She had already come too far to turn back.
*
"...and with those words, Miss Melju departed, Boss."
"Ah, I see."
"Is that it?"
"What else is there to say?" Swallow replied, having received the report from Patrick. As if refusing to hear another word, Swallow covered his eyes and ears with his front paws.
Curled up into a round, black, chubby ball, he looked more like a giant puppy than an ancient monster.
'He looks like a dog… a puppy.'
Patrick stared blankly at him before glancing around.
Hadn't Rene said she was going to prepare some food to energize the curled-up Swallow? Only after confirming Rene was away did Patrick poke Swallow's front paw.
"Boss? This is what happens when you manage the dungeon like this! Because you run it with such indifference, first Miss Rene and now Miss Melju have run away!"
"Hey, stop it! Stop poking me! Don't poke between my claws! You said she went to Judeca. What's the problem with that?"
"The problem is that it feels like she won't come back!"
"You didn't say she wasn't coming back!"
Only after the ancient monster shrieked did Patrick politely clear his throat and lower his voice.
"Now that you mention it, you're right. Why didn't you say so earlier, Boss?"
It was intentional. Absolutely intentional. Seeing him clear his throat without a moment's hesitation, he was clearly doing it on purpose to vent his annoyance.
The weak-willed boss, unable to even talk back to his subordinate's blatant malice, finally lowered his paws. Only then did Patrick offer a further explanation.
"When she said she was going to Judeca, Miss Melju was acting strange."
One's true feelings are often revealed in unconscious remarks. Melju hadn't said she would 'be back' from Judeca; she said she 'had to go.'
"Of course, judging solely by that would be mere speculation," Patrick continued. "But there was more than just one suspicious thing about her. Even Rene, who was right there, noticed."
She had stammered like a monster caught doing something wrong and overreacted to casual questions from both him and Rene.
"Honestly, it was highly suspicious."
She was hiding something.
Having reached that conclusion, Rene and Patrick had discussed it, and their conclusion was the same.
"It's not certain, but I suspect Miss Melju is planning to rebuild her Demon King's army."
After all, Judeca was a banquet for Demon Kings. Unless she was going just to see a dear friend, her departure could only be interpreted as business.
"If that's what Melju wants, there's nothing we can do," Swallow replied nonchalantly. He smacked his lips with a hint of regret, but that was it.
Melju was a guest. Since she wasn't a member of the dungeon, the Primordial Core had neither the reason nor the authority to stop her.
"Still, she didn't have to disappear so suddenly," he added, just as footsteps echoed from afar. It was Rene, who had run off to her room after seeing the curled-up Swallow.
Swallow's gaze locked onto the large pot she carried in both hands. His eyes were filled with anxiety rather than anticipation.
"...What is this?" Swallow asked in a terrified voice, looking at what was placed before him.
Inside was a hideous monstrosity masquerading as food.
"You seemed to lack energy earlier, Lord Swallow, so Rene prepared some porridge for you."
"Porridge? Or perish?"
"You misheard, but the outcome will be the same, so you might as well," Patrick answered on her behalf.
A sharp screech, like denting armor, echoed from beneath the table. Pretending not to hear it, Swallow quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, I get that Melju left, but did you two really need to come all this way? Do you have something else to say?"
"Ah, of course we do."
Though the question had been directed at Rene, Patrick immediately intercepted it. The cheerful tone in his voice was deeply unsettling.
"We came to kill two birds with one stone. We were debating whether to count Miss Melju as part of our active forces. But since she suddenly left, we came to make a decision right here and now."
"...Huh?"
There was an ominous scent in his words. Swallow knew this scent well.
It was the scent of work.
He immediately tried to raise his paws to cover his eyes and ears again, but it was too late. Patrick and Rene had already climbed onto his massive paws and were smiling brightly.
Their voices were playful, yet at the same time, they were the most terrifying voices he could imagine.
"Ta-da! Time to replenish our monster forces! We've been putting it off for two months, and we can't delay it any longer, Boss."
"That's how it is, Lord Swallow."
"Why do you keep dumping work on me?"
"Boss, who do you think is dumping work on whom?"
"Patrick, didn't you say last time that we could recruit them in the winter?"
"Ah, of course we have to recruit in the winter too. But shouldn't we get the monsters we can't recruit during winter right now?"
"Are you seriously saying that?" Dumbfounded, Swallow let out a squeaky, cracking voice.
Not much time had passed since the incident in Hastin. He had finally hoped to get some rest and loathed the idea of being dragged around to work again.
"I'm not moving a single step from here," Swallow declared stubbornly. Come to think of it, it was unfair. That damn bag of bones seemed to push everything onto him, always saying, 'This is something the Boss must do,' and it was only getting worse.
"Wait, this is weird. Patrick, aren't you the gatekeeper? Isn't this kind of stuff supposed to be your job, not the boss's?"
At his aggrieved voice, which held not a shred of dignity, Rene and Patrick exchanged glances.
A brief silence ensued.
"...Come to think of it, you're right, Boss."
It was a surprisingly straightforward admission.
"Indeed, I was being short-sighted. I failed to consider how hard you've been working lately, Boss. Miss Rene and I will handle the monster recruitment ourselves, so you can rest easy."
"Oh. Really?"
"Of course," Patrick replied brightly. Judging by the rattling of his jaw, he didn't seem to be lying.
Only after Rene added, "Rene thinks so too," did Swallow's face light up. Putting aside the pathetic reality that he needed his subordinates' permission just to rest, Swallow wore a blissful expression and let out a wide yawn.
Just as his yawn ended, Patrick casually chimed in.
"But I don't think I can go."
"Huh?"
"Is that really a surprise? The restoration of Hastin is in full swing. Since you're the one who trashed it, Boss, surely you can estimate how much attention it requires."
"...If you're not going, then who is?"
"Why, Miss Rene, of course."
At his words, Swallow's gaze shifted to Rene. The maid's innocent smile greeted him.
"...Patrick?"
"If you won't go, Boss, and I can't, then who else? Should we send Mr. Tentacle? He'll leave a trail of utter devastation wherever he goes. Would you be fine with that?"
"No, but still..."
"Is there any reason we shouldn't send Miss Rene alone?"
"Well… there's the issue with Rene's eyes. Won't the humans get suspicious if they see them…?"
"I've already devised a countermeasure for that. Ta-da! I have a magic tool right here."
"Hey, isn't that a bit of a convenient plot device? You can't just solve everything by pulling out a magic tool! It's getting a little too blatant, don't you think?"
"Lord Swallow, don't worry and leave it to Rene!"
How could I not worry when that incident happened the last time she was sent alone?
His four pupils trembled. Rene beamed, looking incredibly pleased about something. Every time he saw that smile, it reminded him of the incident from two months ago.
What was the reason he had to tirelessly scour human villages for weeks? Ah, yes. It all started with: 'Rene went to the village alone.'
"Leave everything to us and rest easy, Boss," the bloodless, tearless demon whispered to Swallow.
His voice sounded as though he had never intended to let him rest from the very beginning.
* * *
On a straight street in northwestern Riaze, there was a commercial district that wafted a thick, sweet aroma from its very entrance.
Due to the large 'Ramelda Confectionery' sign visible as soon as one entered, the alley was called 'Ramelda Alley.' Besides the confectionery, most of the shops in the alley dealt in high-end pastries and exotic snacks.
Young noble ladies in flowing dresses bustled in every direction. The street was packed, silver coins passing from the pockets of sweet-toothed nobles into the hands of merchants.
"Excuse me," a girl said to a child stomping their feet anxiously in front of a candy shop. "I was just wondering."
"Are you waiting here because you want that candy?"
"No. I don't need to eat candy."
"Then why are you standing here?"
"I don't need to eat it, but I need the candy."
The child, who couldn't have been more than ten, turned to look at the girl.
She was a vision in sky-blue, from her hair to her dress. It gave the impression that even the smile on her lips might be the color of the sky.
"Then who needs the candy?"
"...My younger sibling."
"Does your sibling like candy?"
"They say if you eat candy when you're sick, it doesn't hurt as much."
"Is your sibling sick?"
Instead of answering, the child opened their tightly clenched fist. Clutched inside, as if to protect them from thieves, were four ounces of copper coins.