Chapter 31: 31

“You lowly being, I told you to strip.”

Her deliberation didn’t last long. Lapis slowly undid the buttons on her top before her skirt slipped down her legs and landed on the floor.

“…….”

The magic lamp shined a fine light on her. Her delicate curves were lit up faintly in the darkness.

Ivar stood up. He circled around Lapis and used the cane in his right hand to prod her body. The end of his cane poked her chest, neck, and bottom. It was almost as if he were evaluating a product.

“Are you a virgin?”

“Yes.”

“Despite being a lowly half-succubus, you managed to preserve your chastity well, I see.”

“I possess the ability to protect my own body. Furthermore…….”

“Furthermore?”

“I did not wish to thoughtlessly waste my value as a virgin.”

Ivar grinned.

“A merchant’s way of thinking. Then do you believe that offering your virginity to me here would have value?”

“Yes.”

“Your ability to judge the situation is also quick, I see.”

He showed a satisfied smile.

Lapis knew that Ivar didn’t desire her in the first place. As a person who has succubus blood flowing through her, she could sense the other party’s carnal desire. All she had done was act obediently after she realized that this was nothing more than a test.

Ivar gripped his cane before walking around Lapis in a circle.

“I am one of the 5 remaining Vampire Lords in the world. A descendant of a noble bloodline that has been maintained for tens of thousands of years. The reason why I value bloodlines in the demon world is not for some trivial reason like authority. It is proof that we have overcome those ancient times. It is simple for a single generation to achieve success. There are numerous people that are succeeding even now. How about succeeding for 2 generations? The immediate previous generation had achieved success, so it should not be that difficult. But what about 3 generations? 4 generations? How about 50, 100, or 200 generations?”

Ivar’s tone dropped.

“This is close to impossible. You must not become conceited because of the achievements your bloodline had accomplished in the past. You must treat every generation as if it is your first and refine yourself without end. Pain and patience will continue endlessly for hundreds of years. That is the greatness of bloodlines. It is not something that can be accomplished through only a single generation’s success.”

At one point in time, vampires used to all be pure-blooded; however, as time passed, only 5 pure-blooded vampires now remain. Demons revered them and referred to them as Vampire Lords, the true bloodline.

“Even if they are called Demon Lords, they cannot leave behind any descendants and are nothing more than a single moment of glory. The true pride of us demonkind does not rely on such fleeting grace. Only those that can look towards the future will become true demons. Lazuli. Use the Demon Lord. Do not become a moth that is sacrificed after being lured to a Demon Lord’s light.”

“I will bear this in mind.”

“Good……Demon Lords are nothing more than illusions.”

Ivar fell into deep thought as he stared at nothing for a moment. He then shook his head and sat back down. He turned away from Lapis.

“I am promoting you from rank 4 personnel to rank 2.”

“……!”

This was genuinely shocking. It took a hundred years for Lapis to go from being a probationer to a rank 5 personnel. She had predicted that even if she gained any achievements through Dantalian, then it would still take at least 50 years before she would get promoted to rank 4. However, due to the Black Death, she had been promoted to a rank 4 personnel and had now been promoted again by another two ranks. Even the Keuncuska Firm, that boasted one of the greatest eras of prosperity, only had, at most, 200 rank 1 personnel. They were elite among elites.

‘Finally⎯⎯⎯.’

Lapis shuddered silently.

‘Finally, I managed to seize an opportunity.’

The memories of all the persecution she had received until now brushed past her head in a single moment. She wasn’t able to mingle with succubi groups because she was a half-succubus. If anything, the other succubi would actively distance themselves from her and outcast her. In the demon world where only the strong survive, not being able to rely on your own race was almost like a death sentence in itself.

She dug through the trash. She dressed up like a harlot and murdered vagrants in the back alleys. She begged and pleaded. She learned swordsmanship and magic in order to survive. Once she finally managed to obtain the minimum ability to protect herself, she devoted herself entirely to the Keuncuska Firm. She handled all sorts of trivial work for a hundred years. Despite that, she was never able to obtain a proper opportunity.

200 years.

Before she knew it, she had lost her expression and the pitch in her voice. After spending her days going through a series of defeats, she had finally obtained an opportunity.

This was both a chance and a test. Chief Ivar had just now ordered her to use Demon Lord Dantalian. In other words, he wanted her to thoroughly bring him to the company’s side. By any means possible, even if it meant using her body.

‘I can do it.’

Not only did she have a favorable opinion of Dantalian, but the other party also had a favorable opinion of her as well. She just has to use that interest. Come to think of it, there was a time a couple of days ago where Dantalian was engulfed by carnal desire as he stared at Farnese. He must most likely be troubled since he has desires, but has no place to release it.

Lapis quickly contemplated. She tried to think of a method that could let her succeed in the firm while not bringing any harm to Dantalian.

Although she suddenly wondered whether this was truly what Dantalian wanted or not, she disregarded it. Wouldn’t it be good for Dantalian if the person that managed him occupied a key post in the Keuncuska Firm?

“Thank you very much.”

“A word of thanks is not what I want.”

“Pardon me. Dantalian will become an eternal ally of our firm.”

Ivar laughed.

“How smart. I do not dislike smart subordinates.”

“I will not disappoint you.”

Ivar slammed the end of his cane down on the floor. He was dismissing her. Lapis bowed deeply to his back. After she left the room, Ivar continued to stare out the window. The most prosperous city in the demon world, Niflheim, was reflected in his eyes.

He unwittingly muttered to himself.

“That’s right. Demon Lords are all frauds.”

The mumbling didn’t manage to reach anywhere as it melted into the air. Situated next to the luxurious chair he was sitting on, there were several vampire-exclusive coffins lined up.

* * *

The day of my vacation approached. I entrusted the duty of protecting the dungeon to Laura before tearing the teleportation scroll that I had received from Lapis.

Woosh!

A cyan glow filled my vision. I closed my eyes tightly. I was deafened for a brief moment. Once I opened my eyes, I confirmed that I had arrived at a new place.

There was a large street stretched out before me. It was a stone road paved with white stones. I turned my head left and right and saw numerous people were also teleporting in endlessly. No, should I call them people? Monsters like minotaurs and fishmen were being teleported here with their respective luggage.

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“You there! Hurry up and move!”

A female goblin shouted sharply. I looked around to see who she was talking to before I realized it was me. She had an armband around her left arm, so she was probably like an attendant for this large-scale teleportation place.

“The people behind you aren’t able to move because of you!”

“Ah.”

I moved out of the way. Once I did, a green light filled the area I had just been standing in. A short dwarf carrying luggage that was four times his size appeared. He glanced at me and snorted before walking ahead. I could clearly tell that he was swearing profusely at me in his head.

“What are you standing around for!? Are you trying to create traffic!?”

I awkwardly moved away. Even now, green light continued to burst out without stop. There were roughly 20 footpads on the wide road. They were teleportation devices. Monsters that came from there would then go through the checkpoint. The monsters would pay an admittance fee to one of the several goblins that were in the checkpoint. This sight reminded me of the toll gates on highways.

“Sheesh. This is why I don’t like country bumpkins.”

The female goblin approached me with big strides.

“This is your first time in Niflheim, right?”

“Huh? Ah. Yeah.”

“Read this first before you enter the city.”

She handed me something that looked like a pamphlet. On the cover, the words 『Everything about Niflheim! Let’s become pros of Niflheim in only 10 pages!』 were written in an over-the-top font style.

“This is a place where you’ll get your nose cut even if you fall backward. I guarantee you that if an ignorant bumpkin like you enters the city, then you’ll be stripped dry in less than 3 seconds!”

“Uh huh.”

My mind felt blank after hearing this goblin call me a bumpkin. Hearing her drag some of her vowels while swinging around that long nose of hers was off-putting. Don’t tell me she thinks that way of speech is cute. Even if this may be considered cute among goblins, I wanted to tell her that in my vastly subjective and objective perspective, the way she spoke stimulated my stomach in a very bad way.

“That’s a pamphlet that tells you which inns and streets are safe. As long as you keep this with you, one of your limbs shouldn’t randomly go missing. This is normally 2 gold, but since this is your first time visiting our city, I’ll give you a discount. Just a single gold coin. Hand it over.”

“Eh? Yeah. Sure, thanks.”

“No problem. Think of this as a training practice expense.”

Training practice expense? The goblin ran off in a hurry just as I was about to tilt my head.

“All right, I made a gold! It wouldn’t be worth being a teleporter attendant if I couldn’t rip off pushovers like this!”

The goblin stretched her arms out as she cheered. Her back soon disappeared in the distance. I could only watch with vacant eyes as she left. It felt like my already blank head had left home entirely. I couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

“Tsk tsk. You got scammed.”

An old wolfman commented as he walked by.

“S-Scammed?”

“By the oldest trick in the book. Selling some cheesy information pamphlet for an exorbitant price to a half-wit traveler under the pretext of teaching them about the city.”

I felt like a 5-ton boulder had landed on my head.

“But she’s an official attendant here! How could an attendant scam a traveler!?”

“It’s as clear as day that you aren’t a Niflheim citizen. What’s wrong with scamming someone who isn’t also a citizen here? The laws of Niflheim only applies to the people of Niflheim. Tsk.”

In other words, the demon world had no national laws and only city laws.

I recalled the words the goblin from earlier had said.

‘This is a place where you’ll get your nose cut even if you fall backward. I guarantee you that if an ignorant bumpkin like you enters the city, then you’ll be stripped dry in less than 3 seconds!’

It was just as she had said. Except, if I had to point out a difference, then it was the fact that it took 30 seconds and not 3. I realized why the goblin had called it a ‘training practice expense’. She had scammed me in order to personally let me know what sort of place this city is. If that’s how you attend to people, then that’s quite the kind attendance. Damn it! I hope you fall when it rains!

“I cannot help but feel uneasy seeing such a simpleminded youngster like you. How about going around the city with me for a bit? I’ll teach you some stuff so you won’t get your organs stolen.”

“Ah, thank you…….”

Wait.

This person was suspicious as well. There was no reason for this wolfman to not scam me when I had just been scammed by that attendant. I waved my hand.

“No. It’s all right. I don’t want to inconvenience someone I don’t know.”

“Oh? Look at this greenhorn. Are you doubting your elder?”

The wolfman scowled.

“I’m offering this because you remind me of my grandson. He came to this city last year and had all his money stolen. Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but everyone here is a thief, a thief I say. Outsiders like us have to help each other out, so we…….”

“Ooh. Would you look at that? If it isn’t William!”

Another beastman spoke up from behind.

“How was the business trip to the neighboring city? A Niflheim without you is lonely, you know? Your lovers have been waiting desperately for you. As I thought, there’s nowhere like home, is there?”

A lizardman approached the wolfman and gave him a friendly bump on the arm.

“Let’s meet at the usual bar tonight. I’ll kill you if you’re late!”

The lizardman grinned happily as he left. After he disappeared, I gave the beastman called William a cold gaze.

“…….”

“…….”

“What was that about outsiders?”

A nervous drop of sweat flowed down the wolfman’s forehead.

***

TL note: Thanks for reading the chapter. Welp, nothing really much to say about this chapter. The only thing that I can think about mentioning is my finals approaching next week and the week after.

See you guys in the next release.

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