Interlude: The Incarnation of War
"Agh!~ Those damn old fogey异種族!-"
"Boss. Calm down. More importantly, what are we gonna do now?"
"Sigh~ No clue. How many slaves did we end up with exactly?"
"Uh? Hang on... Let me check. 386, right? Kids included?"
...
We'd sealed the deal with the dwarves, but negotiations with the elves and beastkin fell through. In the end, we were stuck with their slaves.
Unlike other outfits, we didn't have any major operations. There was Tucker's restaurant and Malcolm's general store on the upper floors of the same building. The Romaani tribe's Bron and his crew wandered as peddlers. The rest of our income came from taking Big Daddy's contracts to eliminate targets or hunting magical beasts and monsters for their byproducts.
The North Face Family was under a hundred strong—honestly, we weren't exactly rolling in cash compared to bigger groups. I'd never managed a large workforce before, so that was part of the hassle, but the real issue was the upkeep costs. Scaling up manpower was a nightmare financially.
"Allen. If we sort out the dwarves, elves, and beastkin, what's the total?"
"One sec... Hmm... Vanessa says 68 dwarves. 37 elves. Beastkin of all types: 92. The rest are human slaves."
"That's nearly 200... Minus the dwarves... Elves and beastkin make 129, plus the rest totals 318 new mouths to feed."
"Yeah, but what about the regular slaves? Some are from noble houses. We could ransom them back home for a hefty sum."
"Nobles... Nah. We're already swamped. No bandwidth for shipping them off and collecting rewards. First things first, hit up Big Daddy for some land. Expand the farm, turn 'em into serfs. What else can we do?"
"So, you're expanding Vanessa's vineyard?"
"Yep. We'll brew our own elf wine. Got fresh elf slaves to work 'em now. If they're pissed, tell 'em to blame their kin who didn't save 'em!"
"Uh... won't Vanessa get mad?"
"I was worried about that, but yesterday? They were ignoring each other."
"What? For real?"
...
The slaves we'd rescued after wiping out the pirate alliance. The elves among them? Their reunion with Vanessa was nothing like I'd expected.
From what I remembered in books,异種族 treasured their own kind. But the beastkin followed survival of the fittest—they scorned enslaved kin as weaklings. Elves didn't care unless they were from the same clan.
And when the elves laid eyes on Vanessa? Fear. Indifference. Shock flickered in their gazes. They trembled visibly, overwhelmed by something absolute, like facing pure terror...
When I assigned her to oversee them as a fellow elf? Her eyes showed nothing.
I asked her that day. She just said she couldn't answer.
The haughty, arrogant woman who lobbed straight balls at me like no one else? Dodging with "I can't say." Invoking silence like a right.
Part of me wanted to pry out of spite... but I dropped it. No desire to invade her privacy if she didn't want to share, especially after all her help. Didn't want to doubt her now.
Vanessa just said, "Thanks, Boss."
The day after settling in, I asked Big Daddy about her. He clammed up too. Some oath with her. Forbidden to speak of Vanessa.
Why's Vanessa so dead set against telling me about herself? She could've lied smoothly like always.
I hoped she'd open up someday. For now, focus on the slave problem.
** ... ... **
Woooong—
"Ugh... Hah! Where...?"
It's been a while, Contractor. Quite the racket you've been making again!
"Dantalian?! You bastard! Where the hell have you been...?"
No time, straight to business! Past decade, I've been holding Halphas in check with Glashalabolras, Amdusias, Balac. That war maniac tore hell and the mortal realms apart hunting you.
"What the fuck?! That demon's a stalker?! Ten years searching for me?!"
Affirmative. But while I was away, you beat Bepahr's contractor. Never thought you'd pull that off. Pissed off that fish bastard enough to tip Halphas your location.
"Fuck! What petty demons! They start shit, I finish it, so they sic another on me?!"
Worse: Crushing Bepahr's contractor shattered the fragile balance here. Even low-rank demons outside the hierarchy are eyeing you. Nameless trash are warring in hell for ranks. Thrilling chaos for me... but it freed Halphas to hunt you.
...
Dantalian after ten years in my dream. His bombshell? Mind-blowing.
Never guessed his absence was him teaming with great demons to block Halphas stalking me. But smashing the pirate king ironically exposed me.
"Now... what do I do?"
...
"Hey! Dantalian?! No way out?! You said demons outside top 10 are all mid! With your knowledge, you guys could block her together?!"
Normally, yes. But the mortal realm's a maelstrom of war now. Her power peaks in such times.
"Huh?"
War is her essence! Bigger the war, stronger she grows! She's the incarnation of war—lives for it, fights for it, destroys all for it! The chaos you sowed ten years ago plunged the realms into turmoil. Continents burn, greedy humans and demons fan the flames. She's never been stronger!
That day's butterfly effect choking my neck? And Halphas empowered by it? Speechless.
He said they checked her with help, but now even that fails. No escape from her grasp.
"Fuck! So what, just welcome that psycho bitch?! Die?!"
Not happening! Thought of dragging you to my hell palace by force... but seems my worry was unfounded!
"I ain't going to hell! I've been hitting quotas! Sudden contract change is a scam! Wait—what? Unfounded? You got a plan?"
...
"Hey! Spit it out!"
No time. I'm out.
"Hey!- Dantalian!- Answer me!-"
Don't step one foot outside that mansion! Ever!
Woooong—
"Huh? W-wait! You're leaving like this?! Hold up! More details..."
Shwoooong!!—
Dantalian booted me from the dream mid-sentence. Demons: selfish, petty pricks one and all!
** ... ... **
Fwoooosh!
"Fire! Fiiiire!-"
"Gaaahhh!"
"Burn themmm~!"
Under a blazing sky, humans scatter like bugs. In the inferno of war, they turn guns and blades on each other—killing, rampaging, dancing in frenzy.
From a crumbling bell tower, a black-winged woman watches with a mad grin. Her blood-red eyes drink in the ecstasy.
Fwoooosh! Splat!
"Gaaahhh!-"
"Kill!"
"Wipe out the enemy!"
...
...
...
"Haaaah~♥ Yes! This is it!~♥ Such sweet resonance. Clashing convictions! Only war reveals life's essence! Pure malice, no pretense! War's the gorgeous garden blooming that radiant flower~♥"
...
"Ooooh!~ My goddess! Goddess of war! How fares this war I offer?!"
"Splendid! Magnificent~♥ Life blazes hottest in its dying flicker, blooming gorgeous petals! War is true aesthetics!- Well done, my contractor."
"Ooooh!~ Eternal Goddess of War! Eternity to you! Eternity to war!-"
"Heheheut!~♥ Reward: a hot night for you. Now... to new fields. To greet the [New Apostle of War]~♥"
"Ooooh!~ A new apostle?! This lowly worm dares ask: who stirs your desire?!"
"Hehehe... A stylish one to whirl greater warstorms. Like you. We need bigger wars! Then bigger! Ever grander!~♥ Heaven! Mortal realms! Spirit world! Hell! All realms engulfed in cataclysmic war!~♥ No petty skirmishes!- No strong or weak!- All united in abyssal frenzy! Pure, pretense-free slaughter, endless destruction—that's ultimate beauty!!--"
"Ooooh!!-- War eternal!-"
"Go! My apostle! March north with your faithful!- Greet the new apostle!- Paint this world... in more beautiful aesthetics! Redden the globe with war's brush!!--"
The Incarnation of War turns north, to the distant continent beyond the sea.
World's end. Worst exile ground. Land of the forsaken.
Ancient tales: where a contractor of the Demon of Justice annihilated humanity and civilization.
Somewhere there: him. Actor. To claim as her new contractor.
Once War Goddess, fallen to demonhood. Halphas and her contractor's horde march north.