Dungeon Defense (WN): Chapter 021 – Human Hunting

Chapter 021 – Human Hunting(2)

I devised a thorough plan in order to recruit Laura. For starters, I disguised myself and infiltrated the
city. Lapis was the one who got me an identification card.

I hired a carter and 3 mercenaries while disguised as a peddler.

“We’ll be in your care, Mr. Merchant.”

“I should be the one to say that. My safety is in your hands, after all. If I remain unharmed throughout
the entire trip, then I’ll double your pay.”

This was all for the sake of naturally approaching a slave merchant.

The slave merchant was traveling together with a large company of merchants. Merchants traveled in
large groups like this in fear of being assaulted by bandits. As expected of the scale of a group which the
slave merchant was traveling with, they had 40 mercenaries along with 5 large and small dogs. From
afar, this group could possibly be mistaken for as an army. Average bandit groups wouldn’t even dare to
mess with a group of this size.

I pretended as if I had the same destination as them which allowed me to naturally fit into the large
merchant company. Once I told them I had 3 mercenaries, the smaller merchant groups welcomed me
without any complaints. An increase in security was always welcomed, after all.

“What product do you deal in, Merchant Lolita?”

“I mostly deal in medicinal herbs.”

“Medicinal herbs, is it? That doesn’t sound particularly profitable…….”

The man who called himself the president of a small merchant firm furrowed his brows slightly. He was
looking down on me since I had pretty much told him that I went around selling grass. Was he trying to
compare our merchant’s pride? I gave him a bold-faced response.

“Haha. Certainly, if I were to sell and buy medicinal herbs in the city, then it wouldn’t be profitable.
However! There are many times when herbs commonly found in one city are priceless in another
region.”

“Oh? How is that possible?”

“In each town, there are two or three herbalists who only deal in the herbs which they have always
handled. Even if you were to catch the same cold, the medicinal herbs prescribed in this town are
different from the medicinal herbs prescribed in another town. Therefore, even if they have similar
effects, it’s only natural for people to be amazed as if they had found a miracle herb when they see a
herb with a different shape.”

‘Is that so?’ the other party replied. It was around this point that the other merchants started to turn
their ears towards our conversation as well. Merchants were the type of people to have an interest in
something at least once if it seemed profitable. I most likely attracted their interest because it was
probably their first time hearing about a medicinal herb peddler. I spoke in my head.

‘<Acting> skill, activate.’

A now familiar sound effect rang in my head.

「Acting has been activated.」

「A bonus effect will be granted to your skill according to your intelligence and charm stats.」
「The die of luck has slipped from your hand! The chance that the other party doubts your statement
has been ‘slightly’ lowered.」

I continued in a tone that sounded as if I were disclosing very precious information.

“It’s normally a decent business to earn a living off of, but, hah, circumstances have changed. It’s
become really profitable.”

“Circumstances? There has never been a time where the economy was as bad as it is now.”

“Is the reason the economy has gone bad not because of the ‘Black Death’?”

The other party agreed. Being a merchant meant that you had to deal with other people in order to buy
or sell products. Merchants can’t really do much when their suppliers and customers are dying to the
plague.

“Merchants may all be groaning about the current state of the economy, but I’m the only exception.
Wouldn’t people’s interest in medicinal herbs grow higher as hundreds of people die off to an unknown
disease? For example, if there is a medicinal herb the effects of which have been confirmed in another
city, then it would only be natural for beggars and aristocrats to come in swarms.”

“……!”

The merchant’s face was filled with shock.

“Don’t tell me, Merchant Lolita! Are you telling me that you possess an herb that can cure the Black
Death!?”
“I might be the only person throughout the entire continent to have registered to both the Herbalist
Guild and the Merchant Guild. In other words, I’m the only one who has encountered the medicinal
herbs in every region of the continent.”

I smiled slyly.

“The Black Death isn’t that rare of a disease in that country of plains over yonder. Haha!”

“O Dear Lord! Is that true?”

“I swear on the guild’s name.”

The merchants around us became noisy. It was a given that they would be surprised and delighted after
having just learned that there is a cure for the contagious disease that has been taking people’s lives
mercilessly. There were even a couple of envious gazes directed towards me as they realized I was going
to have an incredibly good haul. I confirmed that among those gazes, the slave merchant I had been
targeting was one of them. I intentionally made eye contact with him and grinned.

That night, we set up for the night on the side of a highway. It was in the middle of the summer, so
staying up all night wasn’t a difficult task. The coachmen released the horses from the carriages and
allowed them to graze freely. The hired soldiers massaged their tired legs and drank a gulp of heavily
diluted beer.

I awarded the 3 men I had hired with more concentrated beer. They were extremely grateful. Under the
pretext of friendship, I decided to share a barrel of beer to each of the other merchant groups while I
was at it. Each merchant group sent an errand boy to thank me. As I was becoming friends with
strangers like this, someone came to visit my tent. It was the slave merchant.

“I apologize for visiting you this late at night.”

A young man. He was so kind and polite that it was hard to believe that he traded in humans.

‘Good. He took the bait.’

I told him to not worry about it and welcomed him as I had just prepared a table of drinks and snacks.
The young man seemed relieved by my welcome as he soon melded into the mood and drank with me.
As expected of a merchant, he had solid interpersonal skills and a sound way of talking despite his young
age.

“I’m really relieved to have met you, Merchant Lolita! In truth, it’s my first time meeting another
peddler who’s around the same age as me.”

The young man spoke in a slightly intoxicated tone. His name was Jack.

“I thought that peddlers would all be nothing but old foxes. You’re really amazing for your young age.”

“Are you not younger than me, Jack? Hah, that sounds more like self-praise.”

“Fufufu……I’m just a rookie. All I did was receive the small firm that my father, who’s a big merchant,
prepared for me since I’m his second son.”

Jack gulped down his beer.

“Why does it matter if you received it? The beginning is not important. To us merchants, are the results
not what ultimately matter the most?”

“……I thought so as well. I started off ambitious! I wanted to succeed even if it meant using our family’s
connections, but.”
Jack let out a big sigh.

“My father wouldn’t even let me do my own business! He ordered me to handle a portion of the
business he had already created. In the end, I’m no different from a slightly trustworthy employee.”

Jack looked depressed. Sheesh, was he 20 years old at most? As expected of someone in the stormy
period of their adolescence, his concerns weren’t very surprising. The easiest trap to get caught in at
that age is being under the impression that his concerns are incredibly unique compared to others. If
anything, if he realized his concerns weren’t unique and were actually universal, then he would be able
to have unique concerns. Albeit, the people who just give up completely are innumerable.

I didn’t come here to become a counselor. I deliberately chose pleasant to hear and comforting words.
Things like telling him that his father did all that for his sake, in other words, completely pointless
chitchat.

Honestly, there aren’t a lot of things that are as useful as useless chitchat. Even now, a hologram was
giving me a live display of Jack’s affection points going up. It seems that when alcohol is involved, the
rate at which affection points increase is raised.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Name: Jack Aland

Race: Human　　 Faction: Medoranm Firm(Lombards Firm-affiliated)

Attribute: Good(+45)

Level: 5　　　　Fame: 57

Job: Merchant(E)

Leadership: 10　　Might: 5 　　Intelligence: 23

Politics: 20　　Charm: 9　　Technique: 6

Affection: 46

Current thought: ‘Merchant Lolita is almost like an idol to me!’

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

His affection points had exceeded 40. If you only look at the numbers, then he was close to Lapis. Oh
dear, at this rate, I’m worried that raising people’s affection might become my greatest talent.

It wasn’t until he became completely drunk did Jack start to genuinely talk about himself.

“Honestly……I wanted to do business like you, Merchant Lolita.”

He was trying to show off how unusual his life was by saying this, but to me, it sounded as if he were
confessing to me about how boring his life was. According to him, he came to visit me because he felt
like his subordinates were disregarding him. Dear me! He was like the physical manifestation of an
inferiority complex due to having such a distinguished father.

Nevertheless, his real intention was pure and beautiful.

“They say that commerce is often carried out through greed, but, despite that, I want to do business for
the world……a business that can benefit the world. This is what I think. People who deal in commerce for
their own sake are small merchants, those that do it for their family and their firm are average
merchants, and those that do it for the nation are great merchants. But what about merchants that do
business for the sake of the world? Isn’t this what merchants should truly strive to do……?”

He’s young, has a severe inferiority complex, and is innocent. In other words,

“Most certainly. You’re right about that, Jack.”

“As expected of Merchant Lolita, you think so as well!”

he’s the easiest type of greenhorn to take advantage of.

“A medicinal herb that can save all nations! To deal in such a product! Amazing. You are truly amazing.”

“I was simply lucky. There have been numerous times when I pursued my own benefit as well.”

“But you aren’t now, right? Merchants only look at the end result, weren’t you the one who said this? In
the end, Mr. Lolita is pursuing the benefit of the entire world.”

“I don’t deserve such praise.”

I smiled bashfully. Tsk, even as someone who always gets haggled by Lapis, it was as clear as day to even
me. This guy is a pushover. An incredibly big pushover, at that. Even though his intelligence and politics
stats are over 20, I understood why his merchant rank only reached E. The reason why his father left him
with a stable job was probably partially because he didn’t find his son to be trustworthy.

A benefit for the entire world? That sentence in itself was already a contradiction. A benefit is a benefit
for someone. Merchants are people who put their names into that ‘someone’ spot. People who cry out
such contradictions sincerely are either revolutionists or idiots, and Jack was currently the latter.

“What merchandise do you deal in, Jack? Come to think of it, I haven’t heard about your business.”

“……It’s not something I can honorably talk about in front of others. No, it’s a question as to whether it
should even be considered as merchandise.”
Jack chuckled dejectedly.

“How could I hide anything from you, Mr. Lolita? This may seem hypocritical. Yes, I deal in slaves. I’m a
slave merchant that transports slaves and sells them in cities.”

I pretended to be relatively surprised.

“A slave merchant? I would have never guessed.”

“Mr. Lolita……do you perhaps also consider slaves as merchandise?”

“If slaves are merchandise, then everything in the world should be merchandise as well. Jack, I’m not
trying to accost you. I’m simply surprised that a man like yourself is in the slave-trading business. I now
understand why you dislike your father.”

Mhm, that’s right, Jack muttered. Our candid conversation continued after that. I mean that it was
candid for Jack.

I waited for the most opportune moment to ask him if I could personally confirm the way he manages
his slaves. At first, Jack didn’t seem to like the idea, however, once I alluded that I could perhaps give
him advice as a more experienced merchant, he gladly accepted. We walked passed the hired soldiers
who were dozing off as we headed towards Jack’s quarters.

“This is where I’m staying. Welcome to the Medoranm Firm!”

Jack’s quarters were a lot more impressive than mine. 4 bonfires were lit up and there were over 10
hired soldiers present. There were also roughly 20 slaves. They were all sitting around a bonfire with
chains around their ankles. A group of around 6 slaves shared a single chain.
Once we approached, a couple of the mercenaries glared at us, but once they realized it was Jack, they
went back to their card game. They were being rather discourteous to their employer, but it seems that
neither party really cared.

“It’s normal to put a chain around their ankles when traveling as well, but I only put chains on them at
night. It’s very likely for their feet to get messed up after traveling all day with chains on their legs. Even
if they’re slaves, that’s too cruel.”

Jack spoke in a low voice. It seems he wanted me to praise him. I met his expectations and
complimented him for being an incredibly merciful and human gentleman. I believe that the term ‘ass-
kissing’ was created for situations like this.

Contrary to how I appeared on the outside, I was completely unsatisfied on the inside. What I wanted
wasn’t here. At that moment, it was almost as if Jack had read my mind as he scratched my itch.

“There’s a slave that I want to especially show Mr. Lolita. One of my most prized possession! I believe
that even Mr. Lolita will be surprised.”

My heart raced.

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. I’m back to translating DD again. I do feel bad for those who’ve
been really looking forward to Handholding, but I already promised to do this method, so I’ll be sticking
with it for as long as I can. This does prevent me from getting burnt out on a single series, so that’s
good.Dungeon Defense (WN): Chapter 022 – Human Hunting

Chapter 022 – Human Hunting(3)

“Ooh, I’m looking forward to it.”

I found myself licking my lips. I reacted to Jack’s words appropriately while being cautious to not let my
emotions show. He was completely drunk now. He kept repeating the same words, so playing along
wasn’t difficult.

“We’re here! The place where a fairy lies asleep. It doesn’t feel appropriate to call her a slave. Hey! You
guys have been protecting the jewel well, right?”

Jack had taken me to a place where a considerably massive carriage was parked. Two hired soldiers
were playing card games in front of it. They only gave Jack a curt nod. They seemed annoyed by his
presence since they were already staying up all night to keep watch. They didn’t even raise their gazes
from their cards.

“Yes, we have. Damn it. One pair.”

“Two pairs. You lost, retard. Pay up.”

I almost snickered out loud. Damn it and pay up, these were terms they were saying indirectly towards
Jack. As expected of a drunkard, Jack didn’t realize he was being sworn at.

“She might be asleep. Haha. I’ll open it slowly.”

He opened the door to the carriage.

There was a girl sitting in the corner of the carriage. It was dark, so I couldn’t see her face. Darn it, Jack
muttered as he quickly brought out a torch. The torch illuminated the inside of the carriage with an
amber glow. The girl must have woken up by the sound of the door opening as she stared straight at us.

She had a slender jawline. Was she around seventeen years old now? She examined Jack for a moment
before looking past him and staring at me. The term ‘stare at’ was very accurate.
There is usually an intent behind a person’s gaze. Earlier today, when that merchant looked at me, it was
for the sake of mocking me. When Jack made eye contact with me, it was with the intent to garner
affection. All things considered, the number of times I’ve looked at something to know what has
happened or to see what has entered my line of sight was unexpectedly small. I wonder if the gazes of
wildcats were like that.

It is only natural for people’s gazes to hold the desire to laugh at someone, to garner affection, and
other similar desires. There are only 2 occasions where you would purely stare at someone. You’re
either similar to a beast who has no desire to ridicule or garner affection, or you’re so perfect that you
have no need to show your desires to others. This girl’s gaze alone left a large impression on me.

“She is of noble lineage. Laura De Farnese! The esteemed daughter of a duke. To be exact, she used to
be the esteemed daughter. Do you know anything about the National Flower War? She’s the 2nd heir of
the Farnese Duchery which led the Hydrangea Faction. Haha. An individual of truly high standing. No, an
individual who was once of high standing…….”

Jack continued to blabber on next to me. The girl and I were looking at each other as he kept talking. I
strangely felt as if I’d lose if I averted my gaze here. That’s right. This girl, although I have no idea why
she was doing this, was testing me.

‘How impudent.’

I had no reason to refuse her test. I’m not sure how high your standards are, but go ahead and evaluate
me. I will also determine whether you’re a hero or not by my standards.

‘Status.’

Ding, a simple hologram appeared. Her affection was low, so only the bare minimum information was
displayed.
Name Stamina Attack Defense

Laura 6 15 7

Mm…….

It was honestly disappointing. She was much stronger than an F rank adventurer, but that was it. If I
were to rank her, then she was probably between E and D rank adventurers. Although it’s impressive for
a girl in her teens to have such combat prowess, she’s a person of talent who was going to become an
anti-hero in the future. Would it be greedy to expect all of her combat-related stats to at least be in the
double digits?

‘Was she perhaps an individual who grows after going through difficulties and trials and not someone
who starts off superior……?’

Laura was an NPC famous for her unfortunate backstory. Despite being born as the esteemed daughter
of a high noble, she had fallen and become a sex slave. After becoming stained by a decade of being
raped, she managed to turn her life around through her demonic stratagems and backstabbing. If she
isn’t a genius and is the type of person to grow from experience, then the need to scout her will diminish
greatly. I felt the hope that had been flowing through my chest up to this point fade away quickly.

It was then that the girl opened her mouth.

“What is the meaning behind your gaze?”

I was still in deep thought, so I couldn’t answer her immediately. It wasn’t until a couple of seconds had
passed since she asked me that question did I realize she was staring at me quietly, waiting for my
response.

“Pardon?”

“I’m asking you about your gaze. It’s the first time I’ve received such a look.”
The girl twisted her bang with her right hand. Ah, that was a habit which Laura would always do
whenever she was thinking deeply about something. She did this in the game as well. As I was in awe of
the degree of attention to detail of this world, I answered her. It might have been because of how
naturally she used informal speech, as I wound up using formal speech in return.

“Is there something wrong with my gaze?”

“You first looked at me with a gaze full of hope. That isn’t particularly significant. There have been plenty
of people who had placed their hopes in me, after all. However, your expression changed immediately
after. As if your expectations were betrayed, as if I didn’t meet your expectations.”

“Oh?”

A faint bit of hope bloomed within my voice. It was as if the ember that I had thought to have died had
somehow survived. I asked Jack for permission to speak with her alone.

“As expected of Sir Jack, she is a prize worth boasting about.”

“Right? Haha. Isn’t she really beautiful? Even I have never met a girl as pretty as her.”

“I agree. May I ask to speak to your slave alone? Only for a brief moment. I sincerely wish to evaluate
how much value Sir Jack’s most prized possession has. Would that be all right?”

Jack gladly accepted my request. I entered the carriage and closed the door. During this entire exchange,
the girl kept staring straight at me.

I sat opposite from her.

“Your Ladyship Farnese, it seems that your master only grades you by your appearance.”

“Refer to me by my name. My house has already fallen.”

Oh, she also doesn’t obsess over her own family name. Even though she should have lived her entire life
as a proud, high-ranking noble. Instead of dwelling upon the glory of the past, she looks at the present,
huh? My hopes are gradually rising.

‘That’s right. Even if she’s the growing type, they say that genius displays itself even in childhood.’

In the first place, if her mental attitude weren’t exceptional, then she would never have gained the title
Iron Chancellor.

The girl continued.

“Additionally, the title ‘master’ is not appropriate for that man.”

“Why is that? You are a slave and he is a slave merchant.”

“His duty is to simply transport me somewhere. I will most likely be sold to someone else.”

“That logic is odd. Regardless of what happens in the future, you are Jack’s slave right now. Even if you
are sold to someone else, who knows whether you will be sold off again.”

“You’re right. In the end, how long one possesses me for does not determine whether they are my
master or not.”
I asked in a pleasant mood.

“Then what can one do to become your master?”

“You cannot.”

The girl spoke in a tone that sounded as if she were talking about how cold the weather was today.

“I was the esteemed daughter of the Farnese House for 15 years. Does this mean my life is defined by
the word Farnese? No. I’ve been Jack’s slave for the past 6 months. Does this mean my life is defined by
the term Jack’s slave? No. I will be someone else’s slave for many years to come. This doesn’t mean that
that person will become the master of my life. Ultimately, no matter where I am affiliated with and
whomever I become the slave of, these things are nothing more than coincidences.”

The corners of my mouth went up.

“……Then what is not a coincidence?”

“Death!”

The girl smiled as well.

“To me, the fact that I will one day die is the only inevitable and absolute proposition. Even if my life is
determined by someone else, death, death alone is mine. Is there someone that will die in my stead?
Can I die for the sake of someone else? No. Everyone will die. Everyone will die on their own accord.”

“…….”
Laura De Farnese. I recalled this girl’s death. She snorted at the hero’s request to surrender and threw
herself off of a rampart without any hesitation. Was this principle going through her head at that time as
well? That she could yield everything except for death.

I was silently moved. This was an emotion that was felt when meeting a person who has actually proved
their creed. This girl most likely thinks that I came here to purchase her. Even if you purchase me
circuitously, I will not submit, she had just declared this to me.

As someone who has never lived according to his own principle, she was blinding to look at.

「Acting has been activated.」

「The die of luck has slipped from your hand! The chance that the other party doubts your statement
has been ‘slightly’ lowered.」

Nonetheless, I ‘acted’.

“Laura, that is quite an impressive philosophy. If you put it like that, then that means you are not the
only one who does not have a master. No one does. All things considered, be it aristocrats, monarchs, or
saints, they are all no different from peasants when it comes to being destined to perish, correct?”

“Correct.”

The girl nodded a matter-of-factly. Agreeing to this was an incredibly dangerous thing to do.
Defamation, treason, and blasphemy, she had committed all three of these crimes at once when
committing only one of them would already lead to having your limbs hacked off. I understood how she
could have fallen to the bottom despite having been the 2nd heir of a duchy. She was probably an heir in
name only and was actually outcasted in her household. She held excessively dangerous ideas for this
day and age.
“Nevertheless, you said that no one can become the master of their own life. Whether it be a life where
you strenuously overcome difficulties or impulsively commit suicide for no reason, you are saying that
these things are ultimately no different. Hm.”

I put on a genuinely curious face.

“I wonder, though. I have a single question……. Why have you not committed suicide right this
moment?”

The girl’s face froze.

“…….”

“…….”

Time flowed by quietly. A dark carriage. The two of us were relying on the moonlight leaking through the
window to stare at one another. I could hear Jack bothering the hired soldiers outside because of his
drunkenness. At that moment, Laura opened her mouth wide and inhaled deeply.

Oh dear, I can’t let her do that.

I hastily shoved my finger in the girl’s mouth.

“Ub! ……Uub!”

A sharp pain traveled up my finger. Laura bit my finger with her teeth. She had bitten down with the
genuine intention to bite her tongue. She had bitten down so hard that she drew blood from my finger.
If I hadn’t predicted this situation beforehand and protected her tongue with my index finger, this would
have turned out badly.
“You pondered before biting down, did you not? You contemplated for several minutes.”

“…….”

The girl looked up at me with a wicked gaze. The blood flowing out from my finger trickled down her lip
and down her jaw before dripping down to the floor.

“Several minutes of contemplation, this is something that cannot be explained by your philosophy. I
personally call that one’s will towards life. It’s a wretched thing that prevents me from quickly dying in
this damned world and forces me to continue living.”

“…….”

“Laura. I have taken a liking to you. I request that you be sold to me.”

I grinned.

“Let me confirm one thing just in case. Interviews are important, after all. Mm, do you harbor any
personal hatred towards demonkind?”

The viciousness behind Laura’s eyes became murkier and was replaced by confusion.

Ο
TL note: Thanks for reading the chapter. I’ve been able to translate somewhat freely between my classes
recently because most of my midterm exams are over except for one. If I feel like I’m going fast enough,
I might just translate the next section after Human Hunting before going to Handholding again. We’ll
see.

See you guys in the next release.

Dungeon Defense (WN): Chapter 023 – Human Hunting

Chapter 023 – Human Hunting(4)

I slowly pulled out my finger. My blood and the girl’s saliva were mixed together on it. I wiped my finger
on my sleeve. I did so casually as if this injury didn’t bother me one bit.

It seems that hearing the word demonkind had made her perplexed as Laura stared at me blankly.
Despite clearly feeling her gaze on me, I pretended as if I didn’t notice as I calmly glanced down at my
finger. I did this in order to allow the other party to look at me without reserve.

“Was I too quiet? I asked whether you have any personal grudge or hatred against demonkind. I am not
asking this for laughs, Laura. Please answer me seriously.”

“I…… don’t.”

“Fantastic.”

I raised my gaze and looked at her. She flinched.

“I can see your pride. The pride of the strong. Do you not smell a rotten odor coming from somewhere?
It is surprisingly similar to flatulence. After you had arbitrarily established your philosophy, you most
likely had so much spare time that you could judge others using that philosophy of yours. I can feel it…….
To you, the world itself is like a play, so all who appear before you are actors and actresses that go on
stage according to the roles you had given them before they eventually walk off stage. In other words,
you consider yourself as the playwright. How envious!”

Even I could tell that my voice was drenched in hostility. I couldn’t live properly in my original world, but
I suddenly died because of some transcendent being’s whim. Even in this world, the role of Demon Lord
which I never wanted was forced upon me. I became an existence that has no other choice but to kill
humans in order to survive. Although I don’t know when this world will reach its ending, at the very
least, I have to live as a Demon Lord until then. My appearance and departure are nothing more than
someone’s amusement.

Laura declared that at least her death belongs to her. I wonder if this little lady has ever imagined the
possibility that there could be someone who couldn’t even bask in that such luxury.

“I have never once been able to think of myself as the playwright. I didn’t have the resolve. I may have
had the opportunity to do so, but I had foolishly missed it. This is the price I had paid.”

I undid the turban that was wrapped around my head. The cloth fell to the floor. Once I turned my head
slightly, I heard Laura let out a gasp. She most likely witnessed the small horn sticking out of the back of
my head.

“T-The proof of a Demon Lord…….”

“Someone might hear you.”

I playfully pressed my forefinger on her lips.

I felt pleased. My head and heart became clear as if I had just smoked a cigarette after having quit for
several years. I realized that I had gotten excessively worked up and I was letting out my anger on Laura.
Regardless, I didn’t want to gag myself. I had to break her spirit right now. I had this feeling for some
reason. It was as if another version of myself was whispering this advice to me.
“I will tell you how you will live your life from now on. You will be sold to the House of Wittelsbach, to a
Count Palatine of the Kingdom of Britanny. The head of that family has a hobby of holding sluggish gang
rape parties after gathering fallen noble ladies like yourself. You are beautiful and young. Moreover, you
were also the heir of a high-ranking noble family. Truly, are you not a prey worth salivating over? Let me
congratulate you beforehand! You will surely be sold at a high price.”

“Uu…….”

“The Count Palatine’s estate has several rooms in the basement. You will be imprisoned in one of them.
You will not be able to go outside for 3 years. A daily life where you are rotated around by the Count
Palatine and his subordinates will continue. Wait a moment. Laura, why are you turning away? What’s
the matter?”

She kept trying to turn her head. I held the girl’s jaw.

“Y-Your gaze…….”

“Is there a problem with my gaze? Tell me.”

“Your gaze is…… too…….”

It seems that she’s extremely sensitive to the gazes of other people. She was about to say something,
but she couldn’t finish her sentence. Even though I was holding her chin, she refused to look at me. I
suddenly felt as if I may have acted a little drastically. I did intentionally make my emotions vicious in
order to increase the liveliness of my performance, but it seems the effect was too strong.

I gradually began to believe that my <Acting> skill wasn’t completely useless. It might be thanks to this
skill that I’m able to even talk this much.
“Please do not avert your gaze. Would it not be sad if I were to mistake you for such a weak individual?”

“……”

Laura struggled to turn her gracile eyes towards me. There was fear hidden there. I felt my sadistic side
get stronger. Did I always have this sort of personality? This might be the essence of a Demon Lord to
welcome the fear of others. In any case, this wasn’t something I had to figure out now.

“What good eyes. Now then, did my words sound like a lie?”

“……No.”

“Then allow me to ask. Do you want to be sold to a perverted, pedophilic aristocrat who has the hobby
of torture? Or do you want to be sold to someone who may be of a different race, but is mentally sound
and wishes to treat you as their subordinate and not a slave?”

“I don’t understand. W-Why does a Demon Lord need me?”

The girl’s voice trembled. Although she excels considerably compared to her peers, she’s still a teenage
girl. It’s highly unlikely that she has ever encountered a Demon Lord or even a mid-rank demon before.

“T-The succession rights…… of the House of Farnese and my appearance……these two things are all that
I possess. Do you intend to steal my soul?”

“I have no interest in an already fallen family, your appearance, or your soul. I have immense interest in
your resourcefulness.”

“My resourcefulness……?”
The girl muttered weakly.

“Do you not wish to get revenge on those who had caused your household to fall? Do you not wish to
get revenge on your relatives who had sold you off as a slave with such ease? Or perhaps, do you not
want to get revenge on the entire world for having ruined your life in the first place?”

“……”

“I know that you can achieve all this. Oh, we will accomplish great things. Let us show the world that this
is the result of throwing us away!”

I stuck my right hand out. Laura looked at me with a gaze that appeared as if she were entranced. She
raised her hand as if it were being pulled by a magnet. However, that was it. It seems she was still
irresolute as her hand stopped in mid-air. It’s not like I couldn’t understand her feeling. I smiled gently
as if I completely understood her circumstances.

“I will be watching over you from now on. If you require my assistance, then feel free to call out to me.
My name is Dantalian.”

I retied the turban around my head before exiting the carriage. I was certain that the girl needed me.
Although I intended to summon my unit of monsters and wipe out everything around us if she took my
hand……there’s no reason to rush. I hadn’t set up only one or two traps in order to obtain Laura.

I could hear an owl in the distance. Jack was lying on the ground. The hired soldiers were playing cards
indifferently. Once they saw me come out, the color in their faces returned. I was wondering what was
the matter, but they entered the carriage as if they were rotating with me. Shortly after, the carriage
started to shake. The crude voices of the hired mercenaries leaked out from the carriage.

‘Sex slave education, huh.’

It was easy to guess why they didn’t seem happy about Jack’s visit. More importantly, is she not
amazing? She has most likely been raped under the pretext of education every night. This ridicule and
tyranny should be unbearable as a noble lady, no, as a girl. Despite this daily occurrence, she still has not
lost her arrogance. Even though she is only a 16-year-old girl.

I scratched the back of my head as I returned to my quarters. I could hear the carriage shake behind me.
The more I walked, the less I could hear from the carriage before I could eventually hear nothing. Only
the sound of an owl hooting filled the empty air.

A merchant’s day starts early.

The light of dawn covered the plains. The merchants had already finished their preparations to depart.
People chatted happily about being able to arrive in the city today. Even peddlers found sleeping outside
arduous. The company of merchants moved quickly. It seems that the thought of being able to lie
comfortably on a straw bed once they’ve reached the city had restored the strength in their legs.

“I’m sorry about yesterday, Lolita!”

Jack spoke pleasantly. We were moving side by side. While Jack was riding a horse slowly, I was on my
cart. It appears that he really took a liking to me as he asked if I could be his friend this morning. I had no
reason to refuse.

“I’m not always weak to alcohol, but I became like that last night.”

“You were walking all day, so it’s natural that you would be exhausted. Don’t worry about it.”

As I was having trivial conversations with Jack, I glanced behind us. A black carriage was following right
behind us.
We reached the city after half a day. Guards began to pour out in order to search us. I became nervous
because of the excessive number of guards, but I became relieved once Jack spoke up.

“They’re doing this to receive a little more bribe money. Guards that usually slack off all day on the
rampart only come down and act like they’re guards when a merchant arrives. They basically want us to
pay up if we want to get through the gate faster…… tsk tsk.”

Jack furrowed his brow. There’s no way that a high-minded person like him would be pleased seeing the
guards behave like this. The merchants had a war of nerves against the guards for a moment before they
came to a compromise. Everything was already predetermined anyway. The guards waved their hands
as they let us in.

“It was a good trip!”

“I was able to travel comfortably thanks to you.”

“May the blessings of Hermes be upon you!”

After getting through the rampart, the merchants gave their farewells before splitting apart. The hired
soldiers received their hefty pay for successfully accomplishing their jobs before disbanding. Compared
to them, Jack and I stuck together for a while longer. However, once we reached the center of the city,
we also had to go our separate paths. Jack and I hugged.

“Lolita, it’s a bit embarrassing, but…… if you perhaps have the time, then can you come to the market
that I’m participating in?”

“Of course. I don’t doubt that you will become an excellent merchant. Although we may be treated like
flies attached to gold, what does it matter if we can face the sky bearing no shame?”

Jack looked incredibly moved.

「Lower class Merchant Jack’s affection has risen by 11! The other party now ‘trusts’ you.」

「The other party’s affection has reached 50. You can now persuade them to become your ally.」

He looked at me with wet eyes.

“Truly……. You’re right! My father’s intentions aren’t important. What’s important is how honorable I
am to myself. How could I have lived my life forgetting such a simple fact?!”

We hugged once more. Jack held my shoulders tight with his delicate arms. He’s naive, but this was the
greatest affection he could show to another person as a pure individual. I didn’t exactly have a favorable
opinion of Jack, but I couldn’t help but be moved. Even the slowest of people have moments in their
lives where they show their sincerity, and this was that moment for Jack. This was something amazing
that can’t be encountered often in life. The two of us reluctantly went our separate ways.

As the lingering feeling of awe towards humans which I hadn’t felt in a while filled my head, I went
towards the northern city gate. The northern gate, at the side of a stable, a hooded figure stood there as
promised. The figure approached me once they noticed my arrival.

“Thank you for the hard work, Your Highness Dantalian.”

A clear, cool, and level voice. It was Lapis.

“It seems you’ve chosen the second plan.”

“It became like that. Well, it doesn’t really matter which plan we use.”
There are a total of 2 places in this city with a barrier against Greater Summoning magic. One is at the
official residence of the city lord and the other is at the temple. The auction where the slave market will
be held is positioned in the outskirts of the city, so even if a state of crisis were to occur, the guards will
not be able to respond immediately.”

As expected of Lapis. She gave me the exact information that I wanted. I was satisfied.

“An exceptionally fine place to play with fire. I’ll add an additional 10 gold for the commission fee.”

“Thank you for using the Keuncuska Firm’s services once again.”

I grinned.

“There’s also one more thing I want to add to the commission.”

TL note: Thanks for reading the chapter. It’s rather hard to translate bad things that happen to certain
characters, but Laura being assaulted has always been an established fact even in the early phases of the
LN. I just have to hope Dant does a good job raising her in the WN as well since things really have
changed vastly.

Don’t expect a release over the weekend since I’m going to be rather busy with a semi-full schedule. It’s
sort of why I translated these last two chapters quickly.