ALL NOVEL Chapter 28
– 1 –
“Xue, Xue?!”
Scarlett’s voice echoed in panic. Surely, she couldn’t have anticipated this situation.
I could’ve sworn I heard something like, ‘How envious!’ but that must have been my imagination.
“I-I’m sorry, Lady! Xue! That’s rude…! Come down! Quickly!”
“No. Smell. Good. It’s a smell I haven’t smelled in a long time.”
As far as I knew, my body barely had any scent, but it seemed she could pick up on something.
By the way…
“Long?”
Doesn’t that sound like she’s referring to a smell she’s encountered before?
As my thoughts wandered, a provocative sensation tickled my neck, pulling me out of my reverie.
“Wait…”
“Hmm…”
With her entire body leaning on me, Xue burrowed her nose into my neck and took a deep breath.
It was the same reaction as a cat smelling honeysuckle. Although she didn’t roll around excessively like it, her inability to regain her composure was on the same level.
Since the body of the Dungeon Lord is strong, it wasn’t particularly difficult, but it was still quite the burden.
“Could you back off a little? We were talking.”
“… Okay.”
“So good. Miss Rin.”
“Call me Xue.”
“Alright. Xue.”
“Mm.”
Looking a little disappointed, the silver wolf lady slumped down after I called her name.
Still, she didn’t move far, and was still sitting on my thigh.
It was a bit bothersome having someone much taller and bigger than me blocking my view, but the way her eyes shimmered with unshed tears made me reluctant to push her away further.
Ever since I first saw her, she seemed to be on the verge of tears, and now it seemed like she could burst into them at any moment.
“She wouldn’t normally be like this, right?”
I had no desire to hit a crying child, so I focused my attention on Scarlett instead, hoping to avoid agitating her even more.
She too looked at Xue as if to say she found the whole situation unbelievable.
“… Yes. It seems she struggles with self-control. I’ve heard that she usually doesn’t try to get close to her employers and that her contracts are quite short… At least here, it seems that’s not a concern.”
“Guess she wasn’t originally under your supervision.”
Seeing her make a face as if to say, ‘Can I talk about that in front of you?’ she replied with an expression that indicated, ‘We’ve never had conflicts,’ and began answering my questions.
… Why does it feel like I’m oddly getting along with her?
“Oh, yes. That’s right. She’s directly under Miss Mari, my junior. Her father assigned her, and she’s quite capable, so I’m sure she won’t be a hindrance in the Dungeon.”
“That certainly seems to be the case.”
“Do you recognize that? Truly, you are a Lady!”
“…”
『Attributes – Stamina 38, Skill 16, Defense 30, Magic 27, Resistance 32』
Ignoring Scarlett’s nonsensical chatter, I checked her attributes again, which I’d already seen once.
Her current stats averaged nearly 30.
That’s quite a proficient stat for someone of an upper tier, even higher than Eve or myself.
Given the unusual color of her characteristics, it seems she would display even greater capabilities during battle.
Sure, her skill was very low and her stamina excessively high, but her defense and magic, along with that resistance, were considerable, which meant she could be expected to excel in a tanking role against enemies.
Or it wouldn’t matter if she managed to kill the enemies outright.
Since my dungeon currently relied on the soldiers’ mass and formation for ‘tanking,’ it wouldn’t be a bad idea to use a genuine powerhouse for combat.
Moreover, the advance payment was erased by her desire, and we had even agreed to split the upkeep costs with the trading company.
This was a condition that should be accepted without a doubt.
Of course.
“Shall we revisit the topic of the advance payment?”
Regardless of whether I’d look foolish or not, this was a condition that shouldn’t be accepted.
For reputation’s sake, or to avoid misunderstandings.
“Excuse me? It’s already free?”
“I’m talking about wanting to pay you.”
“Ah…”
Scarlett made a face that seemed to ask, ‘Is that really necessary?’
That expression reminded me of someone who, while saying ‘Free is great,’ ended up getting dragged into a business failure because of it.
‘Was that when it all began? No, maybe even before that…’
Let’s not dwell on those thoughts.
Back to the subject; it seemed there was no concept of ‘treatment’ for mercenaries in the Demon World.
It might just be that ‘if it’s cheap, it’s good’ was their mindset.
After all, being a tethered kite on the continent is essentially how they’re treated. If rumors spread of them being ‘cowards’ or ‘scoundrels’ in the Demon World, what would happen?
They’d lose their place and slowly die off.
If they weren’t exceptionally skilled or well-connected, it wouldn’t be surprising for humans turned mercenaries in the Demon World to be seen as ‘cheap labor.’
“I don’t need it.”
“You should feel the need. Xue. Evaluating your ability is something you create for yourself.”
“I’m happy as long as the Lady is around…”
“That’s a nice thing to say. But hearing that makes me want you to take care of yourself even more.”
“… Fine. …”
She seemed to mumble something softly this time.
I couldn’t catch it. If it were important, I figured she’d address it later.
I redirected my gaze back to Scarlett.
“If you possess Xue’s level of ability, you should be sufficiently skilled among the upper tiers. The industry average is…”
“Half price.”
But her gaze soon returned to Xue, having just interrupted me.
“Xue?”
“Half price. Just need to record it…”
“But…”
“No more… absolutely won’t accept.”
I shot a puzzled glance at Scarlett, and she responded with a shrug that expressed her own helplessness.
She seemed quite stubborn.
And it would appear she had impressive abilities to show in combat. If not, there’s no way she could be this adamant in a contract.
“Still, right now, Xue is being incredibly well-behaved. Truly an appreciation of Lady Libertus’ nobility…”
“Just a lot of flattery.”
“I’m serious…?”
Moreover, it seemed she had experienced plenty of conflicts with her previous clients or Dungeon Lords.
Seeing Scarlett showing trust in her abilities suggests she likely hadn’t engaged in any malicious actions even if she was stubborn…
“Contract completed! Renewal is on a six-month cycle. If you wish to arrange a permanent contract or a termination, please contact us separately!”
“You said it could be three years…”
“I told you that isn’t possible, didn’t I?”
Why on earth this girl was so insistent on a positive direction towards me was becoming more and more curious.
[- Master.]
This girl surely said that when she rushed at me.
– 2 –
After personally ejecting Xue, who insisted, ‘Now I’m part of the Dungeon, so I only listen to the Lady,’ following Scarlett’s statement that it would be nice if we could speak without her being present.
“So. What important matters could there be?”
Scarlett, remaining in her seat, wore a smile.
It was a far cry from the alluring smile she usually wore, an awkward look that seemed almost distressing. It looked like she smiled out of habit, showing that she truly didn’t feel like smiling at all.
“Um… it’s somewhat embarrassing to ask you, Lady.”
“What is this request that makes you so uneasy?”
“Do you, by chance, possess your own information network in the vicinity?”
A sharp question.
I felt a jolt internally, but I showed no reaction outwardly. With the ‘legendary’ attribute, it was impossible to hide my feelings.
Still, I didn’t need to speak everything.
Creating an ‘information network using humans’ is something that a young Dungeon Lord couldn’t realistically think of.
What more for execution?
“An information network… I do feel a need for one, but I lack the resources. Why do you ask?”
However, Scarlett would likely find me clever, so it’d be foolish to completely act oblivious here.
“Ah, I was just wondering if it would be okay to bring humans into the dungeon. We need information about this area.”
“Information? Why is that? … No, do you really not have any information?”
But the answer I received was unexpectedly shocking.
While the other six Grand Dukes continued their struggles for power and political might in the Demon World, only Mammon retained neutrality out of loyalty toward the Demon Lord.
Scarlett’s trading company is operated directly by him, one of the seven Grand Dukes in the Demon World.
Because of that, it’s also the only organization that could affect all dungeon lords on the surface among the Grand Dukes, and yet, for them to express a lack of information in a place where they could easily scrape it from dungeon lords?
Thinking a bit, the reason was clear.
“Surely you aren’t saying that I’m the only one?”
“…”
At my question, Scarlett held her silence, unable to provide a further response.
Seeing her like that made my head throb, so I quickly pressed my forehead.
There was only one reason why Mammon Trading Company, the hub of information and goods, would be unable to obtain information from the surface.
It suggested one other, less favorable truth for me—I would be blamed for everything that happened in this vicinity when my existence is exposed to people.
“Why are you telling me this now?”
“It wasn’t intentional. The truth is, a Dungeon Lord, who had been active in this region, has recently been unable to fulfill their role…”
“Really?”
‘Could it be…’
Scarlett’s words brought up a thought.
The target that had been set to deploy from ‘Solemio’ recently. The existence dubbed ‘The Massive Dungeon Lord of the South.’
“You failed in risk management, huh?”
“Due to our presence in the Demon World, by the time we responded, the ‘core’ had already been stolen by humans.”
Just by probing a little, that subject came up. Could it be that among my neighbors, the only communicable one truly was that established Dungeon Lord?
It was like pulling one unknown danger out, yet in exchange, I acquired a known risk.
In theory, it could be viewed as a gain, albeit a painfully convoluted one.
“The Lord must be furious.”
“Indeed. So we are trying to find a way to form a core for him while simultaneously seeking a Dungeon Lord to temporarily set up an information network.”
“And that’s why you’re looking at me?”
“Yes. It’s not that there are no other Lords, but…”
She paused for a moment before sporting a bitter smile.
I could guess the reason behind that bitterness.
Dungeon Lords awaken knowing they are ‘the Demon Lord’s heir’ from birth and learn to be tyrannical in nature.
Hence, most young Lords are not communicated with in the traditional sense.
“Seems like there isn’t anyone else who can converse at this level.”
“Or they might already be under ‘training.’”
“… I see.”
Another possibility.
Some Dungeon Lords in this world may be farmed for ‘experience’ or ‘hunting’ by humans. Just from what I picked up, there are at least two such Dungeon Lords in this vicinity.
Those Dungeon Lords are restricted down to the extent they can barely survive, reduced to little more than a punching bag for beginner adventurers led by senior ones.
If the situation remains unchanged, they would eventually either fall under my command or choose to end it themselves… or they may become my prey instead.
“So what you wish from me is to establish an information network and… if possible, ascertain the safety of that senior Lord?”
“You’re truly insightful, Lady.”
Hearing Scarlett’s words, I momentarily drifted into thought.
This represented both the acknowledgment of a new threat along with…
“Alright.”
This was an opportunity.
If luck were on my side, it could be a chance to accelerate my growth significantly.