Chapter 110
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: A Guest
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Goblins.
Even in the City of Deformities, where demi-humans were the majority, they were a species that boasted a particularly large population.
The greatest strength of goblins was their outstanding adaptability.
Blade Goblins.
Shaman Goblins.
Hobgoblins.
Redcaps, and more.
With short lifespans came rapid generational turnover, and goblins had a truly diverse range of variants, from superior species to nobles.
Moreover, when different variants mixed their blood, new ones were easily born.
It was only natural that goblins held a strong position in the City of Deformities.
But even if they were treated well…
That was a story for the superior species.
Ordinary goblins, or those of insignificant variants, had no choice but to scrape by at the bottom of the city.
From their small frames and weak muscles to their simple, greedy nature—though they possessed a certain cunning.
Aside from their excellent reproductive capabilities and decent dexterity, the goblin species had far more weaknesses than strengths.
In that sense…
Ketlik was a rather successful goblin.
Born the 17th child in an ordinary, low-ranking goblin family, he had luckily Awakened.
After realizing his family was scheming to sell him as a high-priced slave, he sought out a slave trader himself, sold himself as a high-class slave to raise capital, and then…
He toiled under the slave trader.
He stole and learned the know-how.
He slowly grew his capital.
Eventually, he earned his own ransom and won his freedom.
After traveling the slave markets, buying and selling cheap slaves, he finally managed to open his own shabby shop.
It was no exaggeration to say that his turbulent life was the very success story of rags-to-riches that many goblins dreamed of.
“…That is to say, it was, before I got on the Dogwilyeon’s bad side.”
“Did you get caught selling my spy slave for money twice?”
“If that were the case, I’d already be dead, sir!”
“Then why?”
“Why else, you ask? Obviously, I’ve been marked because I’m the slave trader who did business with you, Young Master!”
As they say, stand next to a crooked tree and you’ll be struck by lightning.
His situation was exactly that.
Having taken on all the criminal slaves of bandit origin, his reputation as Dion’s business partner had already become well-known.
Back then, he had managed to walk a fine line by selling the criminal slaves cheaply to the bandit groups under the Dogwilyeon…
But that was before the war started.
The lord of the Dogwilyeon, Lar Arga, who had suffered greatly due to Dion’s schemes, was utterly enraged.
And the sparks of that fury had flown to Ketlik.
To make matters worse, he was now under the unjust (?) suspicion that selling the criminal slaves to the Dogwilyeon had been a ploy to extract information from the very beginning.
“Now, any customer with eyes and ears won’t even come near my firm! My business is ruined, I tell you!”
Ketlik swallowed back his tears.
The Dogwilyeon was one of the largest noble factions in the City of Deformities.
The moment he fell out of their favor, it was no exaggeration to say his business in the city was finished.
He could even go missing on the street one day, and no one would find it strange.
So it was only natural that Ketlik was begging and pleading like this, but…
As if he didn't understand.
Dion tilted his head.
“That’s strange.”
“What’s strange about it, sir?”
“Didn’t you prepare for this much when you sold my slave twice?”
“That’s…”
“I thought you would have run away long ago. Why are you still here?”
“…Fleeing in the middle of the night isn’t so easy, you know.”
“Hmm?”
*Flicker, flicker.*
Ketlik’s eyes darted around as he spoke.
Watching him, just as Dion tilted his head to the other side…
A whisper flowed into the boy’s ear.
“Fleeing in the night is not difficult. It is merely difficult to abandon one’s greed.”
“Meaning, when it came time to run, he felt it was a waste to abandon his shop?”
“Or perhaps he thought that if you were dealt with by the Dogwilyeon, his problems would disappear.”
“Th-That can’t be true!”
Startled, Ketlik vehemently denied it.
With tears welling in his eyes, he truly looked like a victim who had been falsely accused…
“Well, I think my cute consort’s words sound more plausible than a conman’s.”
*Chu.*
“Ooh… Th-Thank you.”
“…!”
*Chu.*
The masked boy pulled the elegant dark elf who had been whispering beside him onto his lap.
He even kissed her long ear.
Watching Arsha, who surrendered to his touch and shivered as her long ears trembled…
Ketlik was at a loss for words.
No, of course, it was natural to side with a beautiful mistress over a shabby goblin slave trader.
And seeing that elegant elf, far from getting angry at a kiss on the ear, blush instead—it would melt the heart of a golem!
Seeing her act like such a siren, one would be confused whether she was an elf or a succubus!!!
‘…*Kiiik!* This filthy world, discriminating against me based on my species and looks!’
Ketlik seethed with indignation.
He had been fretting over how to save his firm.
He had agonized over whether it would be better to sell information on the White-Masked Young Master to the Dogwilyeon.
But he knew he’d probably die anyway… or rather, to uphold his merchant’s integrity, he had simply waited patiently for the White-Masked Young Master to die!
But instead of dying, the White-Masked Young Master had caused a huge incident, making him miss his chance to escape and ending up in this mess.
And now, a good-hearted merchant like himself was being suspected without any evidence, just because he was a goblin.
This unjust species-based discrimination was so sorrowful it brought tears to his eyes.
But what could he do?
This was Odobaekryeong.
A place where only the law of the jungle prevailed.
Lacking the power or influence of someone like the White-Masked Young Master, Ketlik could only bow his head and beg for mercy.
However…
“So, what should I do with this conman?”
“Naturally, should you not deliver a fitting punishment?”
“…?! What do you mean by that, ma’am?”
Quietly.
A voice whispered in the boy’s ear.
Startled by the unexpected words, Ketlik turned to the dark elf chief sitting on Dion’s lap, who met his gaze.
“A mere slave trader comes to hold a noble accountable, and you do not understand why you should be punished?”
“H-Hold you accountable! As if I would ever dare!”
“Then for what reason have you come to see my husband?”
“To ask for help, of course!”
“And what reason does my husband have to help you?”
“That is…”
Was this really the same elf who, just a moment ago, had been shyly blushing like a delicate flower?
The blush had vanished completely from her face.
Her eyes were so deep and calm.
As Ketlik broke into a cold sweat under Arsha’s steady gaze…
Dion suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace.
“Don’t be angry, Arsha. They say even a cornered goblin will leap into a Labyrinth, right?”
“Th-That’s right! Why else would I have come all the way to you, Young Master!”
“…I apologize for overstepping.”
“Hey, no need to apologize for that. It’s true the conman did something that could get his head chopped off.”
“Young Master?!”
“Isn’t it?”
“…”
It was like he was toying with him.
Even as he placed another kiss on the tip of Arsha’s slightly drooping ear…
Behind the mask, his eyes, colder than ever, looked down at the frozen goblin.
Then, Dion smiled brightly again.
“But don’t be too nervous. We’re not so heartless as to chop off your head over something like this.”
“Th-Thank you for your mercy.”
Ketlik prostrated himself on the floor.
In the survival-of-the-fittest world of Odobaekryeong, the authority of a noble was absolute.
A mere goblin merchant or two…
A noble was a being who could execute them and confiscate their entire fortune simply for being an eyesore.
This was especially true for Ketlik now, who, having been marked by the Dogwilyeon, could hardly expect protection from the lord even if he paid taxes or bribes.
“Hmm, but this is a problem. I don’t really have a way to help you either, conman.”
“…Is it really impossible?”
“It is. I’m not part of the Geogwiyeokga clan, so I can’t force people to use your firm, can I?”
“*Nnngh…*”
“Well, on the other hand, I could receive help.”
“…?”
“In that sense, conman, I have a few things to ask you.”
All that was left for him was ruin.
What could he possibly want to ask him now?
The goblin slave trader’s shoulders slumped, but he blinked at the incomprehensible question.
Dion asked with a meaningful expression.
“How many slaves are left at your firm?”
“Slaves… you ask?”
“Yeah. Even if you can’t do business because of the Dogwilyeon, the slaves you bought wouldn’t have just disappeared.”
“Well, I don’t have any high-class slaves, but if you include all the cheap ones, there are roughly around 300 of them.”
“300, huh? That’s quite a lot.”
“Our firm’s motto is quantity over quality, after all.”
Ketlik said with a slightly proud expression.
300 was just a number.
But it was enough to fill a decent-sized manor with people to spare.
Even in the overpopulated City of Deformities, it was a scale that only a few slave traders could handle.
…Of course, unlike other firms, the catch was that the Ketlik Slave Firm was filled mostly with useless individuals who couldn’t even pull their own weight.
There was a reason why his firm’s business had come to a screeching halt just by being on the Dogwilyeon’s bad side.
“Hmm, just feeding and housing that many slaves must be costing you a fortune, right?”
“I’m feeding them because I can’t just let them die…”
Ketlik’s face instantly fell.
The cheap slaves he sold were mostly dregs who had given up even their basic right to live.
If he couldn’t sell them, starving them all to death was an option.
But what then?
The Ketlik Firm would be finished.
No matter how rock-bottom their lives were, no fool would sell themselves to a slave trader who disposed of the slaves he bought.
Besides, even if he abandoned the slaves and ran, it was obvious he’d be caught by the Dogwilyeon’s pursuers and executed.
For Ketlik, it was a situation where he was trapped with no way out.
He had come to Dion because he truly could not find any other way to survive.
“—Conman, want to make a deal with me?”
“A deal, you say…?”
It was because he had grasped the entire situation.
That was why Dion spoke with a bright smile.
“You and your slaves, I’ll feed you all so at least you don’t starve to death.”
“Is that really true, sir?!”
“Yeah. In exchange, you move.”
“…Come again?”
“I’ll set up a shop for you in my territory. Bring all your slaves and move over.”
He blinked blankly for a moment.
What did that mean?
His eyes rolling, Ketlik studied Dion’s expression and asked cautiously.
“Uh… so you’re saying you’ll buy my entire firm?”
“No. I’m giving you the opportunity to become my territory’s exclusive merchant.”
“…Just in case, I have to ask. What would the taxes and other things be in that case?”
“Well, I’m not a demon, so… I’ll be generous and take about 90% of your net profits.”
“Hey now?! That’s not an exclusive merchant, that’s practically a slave contract!”
Even demons wouldn’t make such a rip-off deal.
To Ketlik’s protest, which sounded like he was coughing up blood, Dion’s reply was simple.
“If you don’t like it, you can just die.”
“…”
“Arsha. This despicable conman is refusing such a generous offer. What should we do with him?”
“There is no need for you to trouble yourself, my husband. Simply have my daughter take care of it.”
“Hmm, true. Parsha does have a knack for torture.”
“…”
Would he wither away and die here?
Would he be caught and killed by the Dogwilyeon?
Would he be stripped of everything he owned by this boy and then die?
Or would he just pay the taxes and become a slave-slash-exclusive-merchant?
Looking at the boy who presented the options with a cheerful smile, Ketlik was forced to realize something once again.
This was Odobaekryeong.
A world of absolute survival of the fittest.
And the moment he had revealed his weakness, that he had nowhere else to turn…
No, from the moment he had come seeking this boy, he had willingly stuck his own head into a monster’s maw.
And now that things had come to this, there was only one choice he could make.
“W-Well, if I’m to be an exclusive merchant, are there any exclusive benefits or incentives…?”
And that was the moment Dion gained an exclusive slave merchant.
And as a bonus, slaves-slash-territory-residents came rolling in to populate the empty Soryujang.
***
“…My apologies, Master. It seems I’ve been tailed.”
“What is there for you to be sorry for, Brother? It was bound to happen eventually.”
“However, if this junior had moved a little more cautiously…”
“It is fine, so just be careful, Brother. Though it has faded, the mark of the Three Disasters still remains on you.”
“I am all the more sorry that you may be caught up in my fate, Master.”
“How can fanning a flame start a typhoon? Rather, I lament that the Three Disasters have befallen you for getting entangled with this old man.”
“If I can repay the grace I have received from you, Master, I would gladly face not just the Three Disasters, but the Seven Calamities.”
“How can you walk the harsh path of cultivation with such a mindset?”
“Hahaha, that is not something you should be saying, Master.”
“…”
“In any case, according to this junior’s divination, a path to life will appear amidst the chaos, so I intend to seek out the most crowded place possible.”
“The Warring City, you mean?”
“That place is not bad, but there is a more suitable one.”
The giant with the head of a large lizard rolled three dice in one hand and continued in a low voice.
“—I speak of that bizarre city, more full of common folk than anywhere else.”