I made it back alive without incident.
The reason I’d managed to return alive far more easily than expected was—
‘As expected, it was thanks to Chief Aide Akamond’s suit.’
The moment I saw Baron Blake Gilbert, I had an intuition.
That bastard judged people by their appearance.
Anyone would, to some extent, but among the rich there were those who especially measured a person’s wealth by luxury brands.
The truly rich didn’t care about such things.
Back when I once waited on department store VIPs, even in the VIP lounge, the people commonly referred to as “black tier” surprisingly came and went through the department store as if they were stopping by the neighborhood market.
What brand a suit was, whether a watch was high-end.
The ones who sized up those things out of the corner of their eyes were, unexpectedly, often people far below that level.
‘Who would’ve thought that would help me like this now.’
A suit like that of a noble.
Since I was dressed like that from the start, I was able to pressure Baron Gilbert as “Demon Dandelion.”
And so—
“Secretary.”
“Yes, Trainer.”
“Let’s take this off at once.”
The weight of this suit was too heavy.
It was an outfit too awkward to wear carelessly, and even inside this dungeon, it was difficult to keep wearing.
‘I didn’t realize it when I put it on, but now that the first round of negotiations is settled, isn’t this incredibly burdensome?’
Chief Aide Akamond had handed me a suit from his younger days.
That alone could give rise to people jealous of the chief aide’s favor toward me.
All the more reason to take it off quickly.
“I will remove it for you immediately.”
Lilith reached her hands toward me.
Her hands went to my suit’s—
Click.
“Hm?”
“I have released the magic on the necklace. The chief aide shared authority for its release with me.”
“Ah.”
Lilith had released the explosive necklace.
The faint mana lingering in the red magic stone dissipated, and the pattern of the magic circle stretching long inside the necklace briefly shimmered before fading away.
“Never again.”
Lilith let out a deep sigh while gripping the now-released explosive necklace.
“Please never do something like this again.”
“……”
“Before this is advice I offer as your adjutant, it is also a request from one demon who supports you, Trainer. Of course, I know you wish to show something to the executives, but even if it means taking a slight detour, next time, please have the enemies enter our dungeon instead…”
Lilith poured out her worried words in a rapid-fire stream.
It felt a bit like a mother’s nagging, but I could sense genuine concern and anxiety for me in her heart.
‘Was it a bit much?’
I had the insurance of regression.
But if one didn’t know that, then from Lilith’s perspective, I must have looked like a suicidal fool who had nothing but his dick to his name, yet still walked straight into human territory.
A mad bastard gambling with his life on the line.
If you knew you had several coins, you might just sigh and say, “Good grief,” but for most people, the coin called life was the only one they had.
Therefore.
“Understood. From next time on, I’ll be as careful as possible.”
Before Lilith could nag any further, I gave her a firm nod.
“First, I’d like to change clothes.”
“Clothes?”
“Yes. This suit is a kind of ‘armor’ to me.”
For a modern salaryman, a suit is armor.
This might be a fantasy world, but since the field I intended to operate in was scheming and intrigue, a suit became both an excellent weapon and armor.
Hadn’t I confirmed that just now through Baron Gilbert?
“And… I’d like you to call Eris.”
“Ah. You’re going to have sex? Understood.”
“Yes. I’m going to have sex, but I’d like her to bring a few items.”
“Items…?”
“Yes. Once preparations are done…”
As I took off the suit jacket myself, I said to Lilith,
“Bring her to the aphrodisiac herb patch.”
* * *
Late at night.
In the lord’s office of the lord’s castle in Baron Gilbert’s domain, a very small number of people gathered in one place.
“The reason I have gathered you all at this hour close to midnight is none other than because there is a matter of truly great importance to discuss.”
The baron looked over the faces of those who had rushed over in one step after receiving the urgent letter.
“Please listen calmly.”
The baron explained what had happened in the dungeon.
The negotiation with Demon Dandelion.
Once the rather lengthy account was over, the people seated at the table began, one by one, to wear grave expressions.
“Are you saying Sir Jake is alive?”
“According to them.”
The captain of the baronial knights.
Because he had long been quietly pushing Jake as the next lord, he was delighted by the very fact that Jake Gilbert was alive.
“Ah… I see. As expected of Sir Jake. Even if one is taken by demons, if one keeps their wits, one can survive. What matters is that he is alive now, no matter how.”
“…That is true.”
Being alive mattered.
But he could soon die.
“Butler. In your view, can we pay one million gold?”
“T-that is…”
“Possible or impossible. Tell me only that.”
“……”
As the butler in charge of managing the baronial household’s finances, he had no choice but to keep his mouth tightly shut.
“The accountant has not yet arrived, so I cannot state anything definitively, but with Your Lordship’s personal funds, it would be difficult.”
“If we speak in terms of the barony’s ‘entire budget’?”
“…I would have to discuss it with the accountant, but if we gather all the remaining taxes for this year, and even all of next year’s taxes, it may somehow be possible.”
“……I see.”
When the butler glanced at the knight captain, the knight captain let out a low groan and lowered his head.
“We must spend one million gold to save one Jake.”
“Baron. That—”
“Merchant Union guildmaster.”
The guildmaster of the Merchant Union, who had been fiddling with his long drooping mustache, flinched in surprise and began watching the mood.
“Y-yes.”
“How could the guild union provide one million gold?”
“Oh dear, my lord. This is not ten thousand gold, but one million gold. If we draw out that much capital, all of us will starve to death.”
“What!”
The knight captain slammed his fist onto the table and shouted.
“Then are you saying we should let Sir Jake die like this?”
“No, is that how you should put it?”
“Is that not what you are saying right now! Do you intend to kill Sir Jake?!”
“See here, Knight Captain! Is one million gold the name of some dog from your household? Can you willingly give up all your wealth for Sir Jake?”
“I…!”
The knight captain was about to shout something, but swallowed his words.
He must have instinctively sensed that if he kept speaking, he could be dragged into some kind of pit.
“……The best method would still be to ‘rescue’ Jake.”
The baron spoke in a low voice and looked to one side of the table.
“Adventurers’ Guildmaster. What do you think?”
“…For a demon to truly take humans hostage and propose negotiations. My lord, this is no ordinary matter.”
The ashen-faced Adventurers’ Guildmaster did not look well, but under the gazes of the others, he gave a dry cough and drew their attention.
“To demand compensation equivalent to a territory’s annual budget. That is the way of the Demon King’s Army. Among the Demon King’s Army, it is a negotiation that could only be spoken of at least at the legion level.”
“You mean the other party is at least legion level.”
“Perhaps even above that… There is also the worst possibility.”
Above a legion.
“The Demon King’s Army’s main force. The Central Army.”
“……”
“We cannot be certain yet. You said the one who came forward as the negotiator was ‘Demon Dandelion’?”
“That is what he said. To be precise, he said ‘Azazel Dandelion.’”
“It is a name I have never heard before.”
The guildmaster rubbed his temple with his index finger and continued.
“No matter how I think about it, I have never heard it. If I do not know, there are only two possibilities.”
“Two?”
“One, he gave a false name. Or two, he is a new demon.”
“…Both are serious situations.”
The knight captain bit his lower lip.
“If it is a false name, then in hiding his identity and approaching us, he is someone trying to deceive us. If he is a new demon, then another demon we must be wary of has appeared.”
“Um.”
A knight seated beside the knight captain twitched.
“What is it, Sir Philip?”
“My lord. May I offer a word?”
Among those present, he was the only one who was not the head of an organization, yet still had the right to speak.
“Speak, Sir Philip.”
“That demon I saw… looked weaker than I expected.”
Knight Philip.
He was the only knight who had faced Demon Dandelion together with the baron.
“He looked weak?”
“There was not very much mana flowing through his body. I could sense that he was wearing something like an artifact or magic tool, but it did not feel particularly threatening.”
“…You mean they sent someone they would not mind seeing die?”
“I do not think so. Rather…”
The baron frowned and continued.
“It was as if he was saying, ‘Go on, kill me if you can.’ That was his attitude.”
“There is a possibility it was an avatar.”
The priest of the Goddess Church, who had been silently watching, opened his mouth.
“It is said that a demon of the highest rank can create an avatar of himself and send it outside the dungeon.”
“By a demon of the highest rank… do you not mean commander-class?”
“Yes. If not that, then he may be someone like a wild dog who does not know the value of his own life. Baron. For now, let us first go over one thing that is certain.”
The priest firmly shook his head and continued.
“Sir Jake, Sir Kite, and after them, the adventurers have all failed to return.”
“……”
“The enemy is strong. Separate from the one called Demon Dandelion, that ‘dungeon’ itself is clearly an enemy the barony cannot handle.”
“Enemy.”
The baron repeated the word and lowered his head.
“……”
“Sir Jake is…”
“To keep sending knights or adventurers like this would be little different from sending them to meaningless deaths.”
“Baron.”
“……For now, let us adjourn. Tomorrow morning, I will reach a conclusion and announce it again here.”
The baron rose from his seat.
“I have heard your opinions well. For the moment, the money issue is urgent…”
The baron’s gaze turned toward one man.
“Chairman of the Merchant Union.”
“Y-yes?! Do you mean me?”
“You will follow me.”
“W-why me…?”
The baron put his hand into his pocket.
“Because there is something I must discuss with you privately and at length.”
Inside his pocket, there was something thick.