NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 31
Chapter 31
According to Nahun’s conquest plan for the 69th floor, a massive blacksmith shop was established on the 70th floor. The purpose was to analyze human weapons and create weapons of equal quality by the hands of demon world blacksmiths. That was the very meaning and goal of this blacksmith shop.
And this morning, after quite some time since the planning and research began, Nahun received a report from Cain.
“The prototype sword has been completed.”
As soon as he heard that, Nahun took Seere with him to the 70th floor. After having gone alone without a word last time, which led to Seere crying, Nahun made it a point to take Seere with him whenever possible.
“Teacher, Teacher.”
“Hmm?”
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to the blacksmith shop. It’s hot and fiery there, but it’s also a place full of passion.”
“Passion?”
Seeing Seere tilt their head in confusion, Nahun smiled lightly. When they arrived at the blacksmith shop, Doomgrik came out before he could even announce his presence. Unlike before, there was a hint of confidence in his eyes.
“Welcome, Your Highness Seere.”
“Hello….”
Seere unconsciously bowed their head before stopping, pulling out the training journal that Nahun had given them. They received Doomgrik’s greeting once again.
“Y-yes! You’ve worked hard!”
Doomgrik blinked, trying to make sense of the adorable gestures and tone of Seere. Nahun spoke to the bewildered Doomgrik.
“His Highness wants to see the prototype.”
“Ah…yes, understood. I had just instructed them to bring it.”
Doomgrik had prepared well before speaking. Nahun nodded in satisfaction and stood by one side of the blacksmith shop. Then Doomgrik said.
“There is a room inside. It would be better to wait there…”
“That’s fine. I need to swing it anyway.”
“Ah, yes.”
Doomgrik pondered briefly over what Nahun meant by swinging it, recalling what Nahun had previously told the blacksmiths.
‘…You plan to clash the swords.’
With that thought, Doomgrik felt a slight tension. What if the prototype were to break so easily?
Of course, they had conducted strength tests, but they had never actually clashed it against a weapon made by humans. Human weapons were precious research material and couldn’t be damaged.
Seeing Doomgrik waiting with a slightly tense expression for another blacksmith to bring the prototype, Nahun added a comment.
“It’s okay to fail.”
“Pardon?”
“Of course, it would be great to achieve a good result, but failure isn’t bad either. There are experiences and emotions you can only gain through failure. If that can drive you, then next time, you should be able to achieve something better.”
Nahun spoke, glancing at Seere. This was a message for Doomgrik, but also something he wanted to convey to this child. Since Seere was still growing, there would be many hardships and adversities ahead.
Even if they experience such things, he hoped they wouldn’t be broken, and that they would accept failure and take it as nourishment. Seeing someone who was crushed by failure was…
‘…I’m tired of that.’
Nahun snapped back to reality and spoke to Doomgrik.
“So, you don’t have to be too tense.”
“…Yes, I’m very grateful just from your words.”
At that moment, a blacksmith walked out through the entrance of the blacksmith shop that Nahun and Doomgrik were waiting by. It was a female Amuth blacksmith who resembled a crocodile.
“Doomgrik, I brought… Oh dear, Your Highness and Nahun are also here. How have you both been?”
“Ah, hello!”
At Seere’s awkward greeting, the Amuth blacksmith, Kroos, tilted his head.
“What about the prototype?”
“I have it here.”
Kroos presented a long object wrapped in cloth in front of Nahun. Nahun briefly set Seere down and received it, unwrapping the cloth.
“Hooh.”
“The sword is shiny!”
He exclaimed in admiration upon seeing it. Seere seemed pleased as well.
The prototype produced this time was a sword, and the quality appeared to be not much different from human-made ones. It might look more fresh because it was new, so Nahun said to Kroos.
“Kroos, bring me one of the human weapons I provided as reference. Something of good quality.”
“Yes.”
Kroos quickly retrieved a sword captured from the human realm. Nahun took the sword and drove it into the ground.
“I’ll be testing it, so step back. Seere, you should keep your distance for safety.”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
Doomgrik, Kroos, and Seere stepped back a little, and Nahun held up the sword made by the blacksmiths, raising it diagonally in a proper stance.
If the sword created by the demon blacksmiths had significantly lower strength than the human-made sword, it would be Nahun’s sword that breaks.
No matter how strong Nahun was, he was controlling his strength so that the handle wouldn’t break. There was no way that just from the mere force, the sword plunged into the ground would break.
Whoosh!!
Nahun swung the sword. And….
Clang!!
“…Doomgrik.”
“…Yes.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
Nahun set down the sword. A satisfied smile emerged on his face. Moreover, Kroos was sincerely smiling brightly, overwhelmed with joy.
“We, we succeeded, Doomgrik!”
The sword didn’t break. While it didn’t break the human sword, the fact that the sword made by the demon blacksmiths didn’t break either meant their strengths had become comparable.
“With just a bit of sharpening, it can be presented as a finished product.”
Nahun approached Seere and lifted them up. He then lightly patted Doomgrik on the shoulder with one hand.
“I’ll ask you to do this for other weapons too. I have high expectations for you.”
Doomgrik immediately bowed his head. Kroos also followed suit and bowed.
“Yes, I’ll do my best!”
Nahun nodded and turned away from the blacksmith shop. On his way to the portal to return to the 72nd floor, Seere asked.
“Are you going to do ‘that’ now?”
“Hmm? Yes, I think I can.”
Seere frequently accompanied Nahun in his tasks, learning along the way. During that time, they also watched as Nahun laid out the conquest plan for the 69th floor.
Nahun smiled and said.
“Now we can start business in earnest.”
#
The 69th floor of the demon realm.
This place was referred to as the “Generous Layer.”
It didn’t mean generosity toward everyone, but due to Dantalion’s commercial preference policies, it was a nickname given to signify generosity toward merchants.
As such, the 69th floor was a gathering place for many merchants in the demon realm. However, recently, strange rumors had been circulating among the merchants here.
“Hey, Count Bernet.”
“What is it?”
“Have you heard the news? Apparently, there’s a rumor that a very rare weapon is being sold on the 70th floor.”
“A weapon?”
Information was life for merchants. So normally, they wouldn’t readily share exclusive information with others, but this rumor was of a kind that made exceptions.
It was clearly a rumor that someone had deliberately spread in the market. Merchants rarely believed such rumors because the information lacked “credibility.”
Bernet was one of those merchants who ignored such rumors.
“I’ve heard they’re human-made weapons.”
However, rumors can vary in nature. Leaving aside whether the information was reliable, if it sparked curiosity and greed among merchants, they would react to any sort of rumor.
“What? Human-made weapons are being sold? Is that true!?”
“Specifically, they not only sell those they’ve captured, but they also sell ones they’ve produced themselves.”
“…Isn’t a weapon made in the demon realm more or less the same?”
Bernet showed a hint of disappointment, and the merchant who brought him this story, Wayne, replied.
“That’s because it’s rumored the weapons made on the 70th floor are on par with those from the human realm.”
“…What?”
“I don’t know if the rumor is true, but it’s already becoming a well-known story among the merchants. So I’m planning to go check it out.”
“I want to go too!”
“So you’re going as well, right?”
“Is that even a question!”
There was enough value in verifying whether that rumor was true or not.
“If it’s true, the market for weapon trading in the demon realm will completely change!”
“Right, let’s go check it out.”
#
The plaza area of the 70th floor. In the past, this was the place where Andromalius had displayed the heads of those who opposed him as a warning, but with Citrina’s rule, it had developed into a central area of the layer.
Merchants who had visited the 70th floor while Andromalius was alive were openly expressing their admiration.
“No way… this was where heads used to hang.”
“It’s definitely changed a lot. I can’t believe so many people are walking around.”
Amid countless merchants, Bernet expressed his honest impressions.
“I can now understand why Count Raiders abandoned Andromalius and aligned with Citrina.”
“I agree. This looks much better now.”
“Excuse me.”
At that moment, a man approached the merchants gathered in the plaza. Bernet and Wayne looked at him curiously.
“Are you merchants who have come upon hearing the rumors?”
“That’s correct, but how did you know?”
“Oh, I apologize for the late introduction.”
The man bowed his head and said.
“I am a herald for His Highness Citrina. I have been tasked with bringing merchants who have come upon hearing the stories to the Demon King Castle.”
“You’re inviting us to the Demon King Castle?”
Bernet and Wayne exchanged glances and nodded. It seemed like Citrina had deliberately leaked the rumor to gather merchants.
‘So this business is being run by the Demon King.’
They had worried that if it was a private venture, someone might get a head start, but that didn’t seem likely.
Following the man, the merchants who had gathered in the plaza moved busily.
“You can enter now.”
The merchants were guided into what had once been Andromalius’s throne room. As they crossed the threshold, they couldn’t believe their eyes.
“…Huh?”
Within the throne room stood countless military officers. It was hardly a setting for discussing business. The intimidating atmosphere left the merchants quite intimidated.
And there were not only Citrina’s trusty subordinates but also others present. While some merchants couldn’t recognize them, those like Bernet and Wayne, who were a bit larger, easily recognized them.
‘Why is the force from the 72nd floor here?’
The reason they could recognize them was simple. Lin El Lazine, known for her dagger as the emblem of Seir, was visibly present in the throne room. Most of the forces were from Citrina, but it was evident that some were from the 72nd floor as well.
“Why is the 72nd floor…?”
“The rumor about the two Demon Kings forming a partnership has indeed become quite famous.”
Just as Bernet and Wayne murmured that, the doors of the throne room closed with a bang.
“Everyone, please come in.”
A woman sat on the throne. A stunning beauty with dazzling blonde hair and a voluptuous figure, she was the Demon King Citrina.
Beside her, on another throne, sat a cute little child. The child had a somewhat blank expression but wore a crown that looked a bit oversized for her cute face.
‘Seere von Debata…?’
Even the Demon King Seere from the 72nd floor was present. The perceptive merchants could infer one thing from this situation.
‘This business isn’t solely run by Citrina.’
Citrina raised her hand slightly and said.
“You must all be those who have come upon hearing the stories?”
The merchants nodded their heads in agreement. It was as she said; they were merchants who had come upon hearing rumors. One of them stepped forward to ask.
“Your Highness, is it true that you are dealing in human-made weapons?”
“Technically, they are weapons made in the demon realm.”
“Then…?”
“Of course, the quality is on par with those made by humans.”
Citrina’s red eyes sparkled as she spoke.
“I guarantee it in the name of the Demon King.”
“!”
The merchants stiffened for a moment. They understood the significance of the Demon King’s guarantee all too well.
To guarantee in the name of the Demon King meant that if her claims were proven false, she would not conduct business with herself or any other merchants ever again. It was a declaration of placing all her credibility on the line.
“Your Highness Citrina, are you serious?”
“Yes. While someone else will explain the details, I assure you it’s true.”
At Citrina’s words, a merchant raised his hand.
“What is it?”
“I would like to hear the explanation.”
“Unfortunately, that can’t happen. I only intend to share information with those merchants willing to make solid transactions in this venture.”
“…I can’t just trust such a rumor to do business, Your Highness.”
“Then you may leave through that door now.”
Citrina kindly gestured towards the door of the throne room.
“Let me make it clear here. Anyone who doesn’t wish to engage in this transaction can leave through that door now. Those who remain will be considered as agreeing to conduct business with us.”
“Such a….”
“If you stay here to listen to all the information and later declare you won’t do business, then…”
In that moment, the atmosphere among the soldiers positioned in honor and Seere’s subordinates changed drastically.
“You won’t make it out unharmed.”
“A-are you threatening us, Your Highness?”
“Threatening? I’m giving you an opportunity. Merchants who don’t want to trade may leave through that door. No harm will come to you. What I just said was just a warning for those who plan to deceive me and stay here.”
As Citrina spoke, the merchants began to murmur among themselves. There were discussions about whether to stay or leave.
Wayne turned to Bernet and asked.
“Count Bernet, what will you do?”
“Haa, this… is probably true, isn’t it? The Demon King has said she will guarantee her name.”
“That may be, but if the information is true, we still haven’t heard the trade conditions. For them to say only those who want to trade should stay is a rather unreasonable demand, don’t you think? It sounds like they expect us to accept any trade conditions they propose.”
“That is true, but….”
Bernet swallowed hard. He instinctively felt it. The choice he made here would undoubtedly have a significant impact on the life he led as a merchant from now on. Something would definitely change. Whether positively or negatively.
“…I think I will stay.”
“…I see. That’s unfortunate, but I think I’ll leave, Count Bernet.”
“Sure, that’s not an unreasonable choice. In fact, it could be considered a wise decision.”
Bernet chuckled to himself, almost as if he was mocking himself.
“Honestly, I’m the crazy one in this situation.”
And so, one by one, merchants, including Wayne, began to leave. The number of merchants that had been substantial when they entered the throne room now dwindled to just about twenty.
Citrina looked at those remaining merchants and smirked.
“Who would have thought it would go exactly as I predicted?”
Citrina gestured toward the back, as if signaling someone to come forward. Then, a man who had been standing back stepped forward.
“I will assure you that you will be trading with us now. If I’m wrong, I’ll give you one last chance. You may leave through that door now.”
“…….”
However, only those merchants who had already made their decision remained. No one went out through the door. The man nodded and spoke.
“I am Nahun, the mentor of Seere von Debata and the planner of this venture.”
“…Wasn’t this the business of the Demon King?”
“That’s true, but I lead the planning and execution of it. So, I will be the one to explain the business to you.”
Upon hearing Nahun’s words, Bernet and the other merchants were astonished. This meant interpreting what this man had just said.
‘…He’s made the Demon King a figurehead!?’