Chapter 36: 36

“I wonder what his last reason was.”

Ivar muttered. He was pacing back and forth in his room. This was a habit of his that would come out whenever he was contemplating something, contemplating something pleasant that is. Whenever he was in deep thought about something unpleasant, he would simply sit in his chair and stare out the window. It had been a long time since Ivar’s brain had been stimulated, so he was a little excited right now.

He recalled the words that Dantalian had said teasingly.

-It is fine for me to tell you this. You are an accomplice, after all.

Ivar chuckled.

‘How dare he threaten the Keuncuska Firm.”

He immediately knew what underlying meaning Dantalian’s ‘You are an accomplice’ had. If Ivar wasn’t pretending to be an innocent young man, he wouldn’t have given such a half-baked response. Even while he was shouting at Dantalian in a panic, Ivar’s head was quickly assessing the situation. He came to a conclusion on the spot.

This is definitely more than enough to be used as blackmail material against us.

An employee stood by and did nothing when they could have saved a Demon Lord? Adding to that, it was an employee of the Keuncuska Firm that’s renowned for their reception of Demon Lords. Although the Keuncuska Firm is the best company in the demon continent, there are plenty of companies that could replace them. If Keuncuska’s trustworthiness diminishes, then the Demon Lords will immediately switch their partnerships to another company. Who would want to trade with a firm that could potentially kill them?

To merchants, trust is more valuable than life.

As soon as Vuffoet, no, Ivar realized the other party had gotten their hands on the company’s lifeline, a cold sweat went down his back. Moreover, the other party is a Demon Lord they can’t confront in their usual way. Regardless, he casually stated that it was a joke.

‘Therefore, rather than threaten us……Demon Lord Dantalian wants to create a close mutual relationship with us.’

Ivar interpreted Dantalian’s words as so: I will overlook this mistake; however, show me your sincerity in your own way in return.

Ivar realized something else at the same time. Demon Lord Dantalian didn’t tell Vuffoet, his fake personality, to tell the firm about his threat. All he did was give a vague allusion. What could this mean?

‘He was testing our company’s ability.’

Dantalian was testing……whether the individual dispatched by the firm noticed his threat or not, to evaluate whether the employee was competent or not. He then brushed it aside with a laugh and said it was a joke.

But why? Things would have gone smoothly for him if he just got his threat across, so why did he go out of his way to make it hard for himself? Demon Lords have the power to rule demons. He could have used that power to put more leverage on his threat, and yet, he chose a more complicated path.

The vampire who had lived for over 2,000 years could tell that there was another true motive behind Dantalian’s actions.

‘If we don’t meet his expectations, then he intends to trade with another company besides Keuncuska…….’

Ivar smiled. It was a smile of the strong. Ivar had more than enough confidence to display a smile when being challenged by someone.

It’s obvious that the information about how the Keuncuska Firm watched idly as a Demon Lord died could be sold for a high price. Competing firms would probably contend in order to welcome Dantalian as their customer. Different from how he’s treated as a normal customer in the Keuncuska Firm, he’d be treated like a VIP customer in those competing firms.

‘This, is the Demon Lord’s third reason.’

It’s quite elaborate. The more interesting thing is the fact that the other party handled this elaborateness casually. As Dantalian had said, threatening the Keuncuska Firm wasn’t his first or his second reason. It was nothing more than the last reason. This meant that he was threatening us as a side thought.

He maintains his authority by getting revenge on the individual who insults him.

He obtains fame and honor by dealing with the individual who has been a general hassle to the city.

Furthermore, he gains a benefit by also threatening his partner who had made a mistake.

“Fufu.”

Ivar laughed. He couldn’t hold back his laughter. He felt a sense of sublimity as if he were looking at a great artist’s painting. With a single move, by killing Andromalius, he obtained authority, fame, and even profit. Demon Lord Dantalian had calculated all that within a brief moment of time.

Very well, then. I will more than gladly take on your threat.

Ivar grinned. The fact that a Demon Lord didn’t use a high-handed tactic but instead only relied on pure stratagem intrigued him. A Demon Lord that isn’t like a Demon Lord.

“Last time it was the worst epidemic in history, and now…….”

Ivar muttered to himself as he looked forward. The room was dark. To a vampire like him, the darkness felt incredibly comforting. For some reason, he didn’t feel only comfort from the darkness today, but a vague feeling of hope as well. Of course, it was only his imagination. A pleasant imagination.

“For what reason is he going this far to obtain our support, I wonder.”

Naturally, he received no response. And yet, Ivar nodded as if he did receive an answer while also thinking up several different methods to make Dantalian an absolute ally.

At that exact same time, in Dantalian’s quarters⎯⎯.

“Why did you kill a Demon Lord? Are you insane?”

“N-No. Lapis! Like I said, hear me out.”

“Demon Lords must be beings of sacrosanctity. It is baffling to me that you would break that inviolability yourself. Are you perhaps a pervert who enjoys intentionally receiving pain? Is it like that? It is honestly despicable. I am disappointed. You are hopeless.”

“Uu……I’m sorry…….”

If Ivar knew that Dantalian was currently being reprimanded seriously by Lapis, he would most likely be shaking his head instead of nodding.

* * *

I played as much as I wanted for a week.

Even if Niflheim is comparable to Earth’s Johannesburg where crime and violence occur almost at a semiquaver rate, a Demon Lord will never be threatened. Having the title of Demon Lord was like having a free pass to enter a bloody amusement park called Niflheim.

Furthermore, the citizens of Niflheim, from merchants to even delinquents, were all kind to me. The news about Andromalius’ death had spread like a spider web that had been laid out to even the furthest corners of the city.

That Andromalius bastard had garnered so much hatred throughout the city that random demons would approach me and thank me. In all my life, I never expected to be thanked by a thug. Adding to that, it was a thug with a wolf head.

I especially enjoyed patronizing the casino.

The demon world was also blistering under the summer heat, but the air inside the casino was always refreshing. I heard that mages hired by the casino were working on a rotation to cast ice magic, but I personally believe that there’s no bigger waste of money than that. But who cares? I’m able to avoid the summer heat thanks to it.

“Waiter.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Give me a refreshing glass of beer.”

“As you wish, Your Highness.”

A clean-looking goblin waiter bowed to me courteously. Referentially, drinks were free in the casino. You didn’t have to go out of your way to fetch something yourself either. All you had to do was call out to any of the waiters that were roaming around the casino and say ‘a glass of beer’ with a bad accent. The important part here was the gaze. The other party may be a goblin, but even they can’t help but get charmed by me if I give them a slight grin.

“Here you are, Your Highness.”

I received the mug of beer elegantly. A refreshing mouthful of hefeweizen flowed down my throat. I almost let out a refreshing sigh. Unfortunately, since I was in front of the eyes of the many people around me, I had to maintain a minimum amount of prestige.

It’s cool, I can play around, and make money.

Is this perhaps……heaven?

Why did I lead a so-called exemplary life in my original world and build a mental wall against casinos?

“Heh.”

I chuckled at my foolish past self. Even the extreme stress I experienced as a Demon Lord had disappeared a long time ago. I can say with certainty that I have never been filled with more happiness than I have now. Hello, my past self. Hello, my hellish dungeon life. And welcome, my heavenly days.

“Your Highness. It appears that you are almost out of moves.”

A lizardman seated at the opposite side of the table chuckled. He had two cards face-down on the table and was skillfully rolling a betting chip between his fingers on his right hand. The way he played with the chip was similar to my elementary school days where my friends would compete to see who could do pencil tricks better.

I gave him a casual smile as I responded.

“I wonder about that. I may be out of moves, or I may be overflowing with moves. On a similar note, it appears that two pairs is the only move you have now.”

“It’s too soon to make any calls.”

“Hm. As I thought, are you aiming for a straight?”

The lizardman’s complexion changed for a very brief moment. The edge of his left eye had twitched slightly. Someone should probably tell him about that habit.

“Am I right? I should advise you to not try and win against me in a battle of words if possible.”

“Hehe, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The lizardman smiled slyly. As I expected, I was on the mark. I then tossed my cards in the center of the table.

“I fold.”

“Fuuuuuck!”

The lizardman stood up abruptly.

“Straight! I only won 5 gold when I finally had a straight! A mere 5 gold coins! It’s been so long since I last got a straight, too!”

The lizardman made a ruckus. The other players around us snickered. As we were all regular casino patrons, we had all become close like old friends. Naturally, none of us were of the same race and the people here ranged from a grandpa to a child, but we were all similar in the sense that we were gamblers.

“Give up. You can’t trick His Highness.”

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“Yeah, if His Highness weren’t a Demon Lord, he would have probably been born as a hoodwinker.”

I was currently playing poker with these individuals. In truth, I spent the majority of my time playing poker in the casino. Rather than the games that relied purely on luck, poker was more reliant on the skills of others. Although, as it is still a type of gambling, the outcome of a poker match is also determined by luck.

I was an exception.

“Haa. Your Highness, are you sure you haven’t learned how to read other people’s minds or something? How are you able to see through people every single time?”

“Do not accuse an innocent man.”

I displayed a friendly smile as I spoke.

“There is no such thing as mind-reading. That is nothing but a superstition.”

“You’re right, but……jeez! This is seriously weird.”

The lizardman grumbled as he sat back down. It’s not like I didn’t feel sorry or anything. I actually am reading their minds, after all.

It was being displayed very blatantly before me.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Name: Riker Race: Lizardman　　 Faction: – Attribute: Neutral(-15)

Level: 31　　　　Infamy: 72 Job: Gambler(B+)

Leadership: 7　　Might: 25 　　Intelligence: 24 Politics: 11　　Charm: 10　　Technique: 47

Affection: 32 Current thought: ‘Damn it, I’m going to end up in the negatives today as well!’ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The act of getting rid of Andromalius positively impacted my basic image for the people here. Even for the gamblers. From what I was told, he had caused a mess in the casino hundreds of times. Even if he lost in a game, he would use his authority as a Demon Lord to forcefully take the money. Even if a gambling pit is a place where pieces of trash gather, that was something that went beyond trash. In other words, a mega piece of trash.

Thanks to that, I was very easily able to raise their affection points to 20. Should I call this a domino effect? Once I maintained a courteous demeanor during the poker matches, everyone’s affection towards me increased exponentially. It was equal to how much of a negative image Andromalius had garnered until now but in reverse. They most likely will never find out that it’s because of that that they’ve been losing, uhaha.

“Whatever. Next round! Let’s start the next round!”

“Trying to bluff when you have nothing. Tsk tsk. That’s why your luck is running away from you.”

“I assure you that he’s going to fold the moment he gets his cards.”

“What a coincidence. I think the same as well.”

“You rotten bastards!”

Bouts of laughter burst out again. It wasn’t just our table, but the people at the table next to ours laughed as well. The vampire dealer did his best to hold back his laughter as he gave us our cards. I continued to play while maintaining an appropriately mature and humorous demeanor.

If I were to make a comparison, my mind was like that of an infinitely pure and still lake. The very representation of relaxed. These people can never win against me. At the very least, they had to challenge me while free from all ideas and their thoughts in order if they want to stand a chance. If they still want to gamble after having reached such a state, that is.

It was at the moment the dealer was about to flip over the first card.

“Now then, the first…….”

“Your Highness! They’re here! ‘That person’ is here again!”

A goblin waiter came up to our table and spoke to me nervously. I let out a mental shriek. I had to get out of here as soon as possible. I barely managed to maintain my composure on the outside as I slowly got up.

The other players watched me with partially sad and partially happy gazes. The sad part was because they enjoyed my company, but the happy part naturally came from the fact that a formidable opponent was dropping out.

“I apologize. I will be taking my leave. Let’s say this match is my loss.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for!”

The lizardman was grinning brightly. Sheesh, his emotions were written all over his face so I didn’t even have to look at his status. It felt like I had actually learned how to read people’s minds.

“Feel free to come back whenever you want, Your Highness. I’ll be here every day except for Fridays.”

“Farewell!”

“Buy us a round of cocktails next time as well.”

I gave them a nod before quickly following the waiter.

We went through a door that was at a corner of the casino. A narrow and winding hallway stretched out before us. The waiter’s footsteps were hurried, but his tone remained confident.

“The emergency exit is this way. Only the employees know about this passageway.”

“Oho. That’s a relief.”

“Even that person shouldn’t know about this place. Now then, we’re almost there. If we turn this corner, then the exit…….”

We screeched to a halt.

Our feet stopped in the middle of the skewed path. I could feel the waiter’s shock; however, I couldn’t possibly concern myself with the waiter’s emotions right now. There was a massive storm of emotions approaching me from ahead, after all.

There in front of us stood Lapis wearing her usual black suit.

“Hello, Sir Dantalian.”

Lapis bowed her head courteously. It was more terrifying because it was courteous. Especially more so since I knew very well what the state of her mind was currently. Incomprehensible chaos occupied Lapis’ chest.

Hostility, rage, hatred, scorn, disappointment, regret, and every other negative emotion were all there.

Additionally, Lapis looked emotionless.

Completely impassive with no gaps.

An emotionlessness that reminded me of a marble statue.

It was super scary.

I couldn’t hide the trembling in my voice. The poker face I had been maintaining earlier had vanished without a trace.

“A-Ah. Lapis. Good work?”

“Yes. I am working fairly well. I am also rather curious to know who is the reason why I am working this much.”

Lapis looked this way impassively. The waiter’s shoulders shuddered the moment he met her gaze.

“Y-Your Highness, I will be on my way then…….”

“No! Are you trying to abandon me and run away!?”

Lapis spoke coldly the instant I tried to hold onto the waiter.

“Run away? What could they possibly be running away from, Sir Dantalian?”

“Eh? Ah, I-I mean…….”

“I believe that you cannot possibly be saying that they are running away from me.”

“Of course! Naturally! Is that not obvious? Haha!”

As I was being questioned by Lapis, the waiter used that opportunity to slip away. That sneaky bastard, he probably has a hill of gold from all of the tips he received from me!

In the end, only Lapis and I remained in the narrow hallway.

“Haha, uhaha.”

“…….”

“Haha…….”

“…….”

A stillness fell over us. An exceedingly painful moment of time that was akin to the anxiety you’d feel the moment your mother finds out that you had lost all of your money through gambling flowed by. Building off of that, the money you had lost was also the money that was prepared for you by your parents to pay for your university tuition. I couldn’t endure the pain in the end as I lowered my head.

“I’m sorry…….”

“Haaaa.”

An incredibly long sigh pierced through my ears. A feeling of guilt dug deep into my body at the same time. It was truly like the sigh of one’s mother.

***

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. I should have gotten this out sooner, but I had a lot of end of the year shenanigans with my friends and whatnot. I hope you guys had a good Christmas and that 2020 will treat you nicely. My trip to the US is in another 15 days, so at this point, I’m just counting the days.

I’ll see you guys in the next release.

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