“What happened? Why are you in such a mess?”
“I’ll explain later, let’s go, quickly.”
For some reason, that woman who called herself “Demon God” hadn’t followed them.
She seemed really interested in her; it was only thanks to this that she’d managed to find a chance to escape.
But it was still far too soon to call it safe. Su Yao needed to get back to the Dungeon as soon as possible.
No matter how strong that creature called Bu’er was, it couldn’t possibly tear apart her Dungeon, could it?
If she made it back to her “home turf,” even if she couldn’t win, she could use the teleportation point to play hide and seek without end.
In short, at least in her own Dungeon, she wouldn’t have to worry about being caught and turned into some kind of “untouchable.”
……
By the time the group reached the Dungeon, dusk was already falling. Fortunately, they had two Griffins—flying really was faster than running in this world.
Because Hilvi still had a magical device around her neck, something like an anti-magic collar, they had no choice but to return by walking through the Central Hall into the Trap Passage to reach the rooms.
“Hilvi, hang in there for another day or two. Tomorrow, I’ll find someone to see if we can get that thing off your neck.”
The once icy girl had become much more docile now, nodding obediently.
Su Yao had Doro and Doli take her to tour the Dungeon’s Living Quarters first, have a bath, get something to eat.
The room had been prepared long ago, back when they first planned the Rescue Plan.
At Eveleel’s request, she’d specially prepared for them a soft, spacious bed, not inferior to a luxury suite in a city center hotel.
Why did two people need only one bed? Who could possibly guess?
From now on, Hilvi probably couldn’t show her true face in public anymore.
Based on Su Yao and Eveleel’s predictions, the Ashley Chamber of Commerce would likely be taken over by the Vichy Royal Family under some pretense.
Fortunately, most of the Chamber of Commerce’s assets had already been moved ahead of time to her “Labyrinth Employee Bank.”
Aside from the original hundred thousand gold coins, the bank’s funds had increased by another five hundred thousand—and this five hundred thousand didn’t even need to accrue interest.
All that was left for the Vichy Royal Family was an empty shell of a Chamber of Commerce; aside from some goods en route to other cities and a small amount of funds, they would gain nothing.
This windfall may have fallen on her head for now, but future income would surely decrease a lot.
Her transactions with Hilvi, especially after adding so many new products, had reached terrifying numbers.
Refined flour, white sugar, coffee, white spirits, wine, spices, ordinary silk…
These goods took up half the luxury goods market in the Green Empire and the Vichy Kingdom—no wonder their Royal Family was jealous.
But since there was less here, she’d just make it up elsewhere. With Sylvie’s Trading Company finished, Su Yao would just fund Hilvi to open a new Chamber of Commerce.
To play it safe, she couldn’t touch the Vichy Kingdom or the Green Empire’s markets for now, so she’d set her sights on the Rhine Empire, northeast of Moravia.
She’d already thought of a name for the new Chamber of Commerce—“Maze Chamber of Commerce”—with Hilvi as the Guild President, while she herself would be responsible for supplying goods and opening up a luxury market in the neighboring country.
What could she do? When it came to money, the more the better.
The construction of “Labyrinth Town” was only just beginning; for now, Su Yao still couldn’t free herself from dependence on the Foreign Trade Economy.
Of course, she still needed to discuss all this with Hilvi, but she doubted Hilvi would refuse.
Putting aside the issue of the girl’s future placement for now, Su Yao had another problem to deal with.
Since Chlorel, Sofia, and Lilith were all present, she wanted to ask them about the “Demon King” and the “Demon God.”
It was still the old problem—she knew too little about the secrets of this world, and a Lord-level Boss appearing in a rural starter village was just too strange!
What exactly was that creature called “Bu’er” here to do?
She wouldn’t be able to answer these questions herself, so she could only get everyone together for a bit of “brainstorming.”
“When covering Hilvi’s retreat, I fought a woman who called herself ‘Demon God.’ She’s the pharmacist who used to follow that idiot prince around. To be honest…”
Not wanting them to worry, Su Yao left out the part where she’d nearly triggered a defeat CG.
The being named Bu’er hadn’t shown any abilities beyond “Steel Tentacle” and “Healing Wounds” in combat.
Even so, “Demon God” definitely wasn’t someone they could provoke right now.
Thankfully, she was currently neutral; as long as Chlorel and Sofia didn’t go provoke her, she probably wouldn’t make a move against them.
“I’ve heard of the ‘Demon King’ before. My father once told me a bedtime story about a hero slaying the Demon King, but I think that was just a fairy tale.”
“To be honest, I also thought that woman seemed off during the investigation, but I never imagined she was so strong. ‘Demon God’…”
Chlorel and Sofia, who both lived in human society, still couldn’t provide any useful information.
Oh well, at least Su Yao had warned them to stay away from that red-haired woman.
The reason wasn’t clear, but it seemed “Demon God” and “True Ancestor” never directly intervened in human wars, preferring to stir things up from the shadows.
What was the real purpose of these legendary beings?
It couldn’t really be like in stories, where they were born just to destroy humanity, right? Or were they just bored?
“If Master promises me one condition, I can tell you everything I know about the ‘Demon God.’”
Su Yao’s thoughts were interrupted by Lilith.
Today, the succubus’ knowledge reserves were as deep as ever, and Su Yao couldn’t shake the feeling that Lilith was not an ordinary, scheming succubus.
Could she actually be the “Queen of the Succubi”?
What a joke. Her paranoia was acting up again; as if a Succubus Queen could be only level twenty-something…
“What condition?”
It was rare to have a clue delivered to her door; whatever it was, she had to get Lilith to spill it… of course, nothing lewd was allowed.
“Please allow me to place a Tracking Mark on you, Master. I swear, it’s not a harmful Mark. With it, you’ll have an extra way to save your life in a crisis, and we’ll always know your location.”
Did the sun rise in the west? This “pink and black” succubus didn’t try to trick her today? She even thoughtfully gave her a “life-saving charm”?
She couldn’t quite believe it…
“Alright, it’s just a ‘Tracking Mark,’ right? No big deal. But you’d better keep your word.”
……
As it turned out, not a single word from this succubus could be trusted.
“Lilith, are all your succubus clan’s ‘Tracking Marks’ like this?”
“Yes, Master. ‘It’ lets me know your location and physical condition. Apart from a slight increase in ‘sensitivity,’ there are absolutely no other side effects. It even has special effects in dangerous situations—you can look forward to it.”
Su Yao regretted it. The pale pink, intricate pattern on her lower abdomen was heart-shaped, and combined with its placement and Lilith’s “effect”…
Wasn’t this just an O-mark!