Chapter 62

Chapter 62

I Became a Prisoner Trainer in the Dungeon.

Episode 62: The Dantalion Mine (2)

I returned alive without incident.

The reason I was able to return alive more easily than expected was—

“It’s all thanks to Chief Steward Akamondu’s suit.”

The moment I saw Baron Blake Gilberte, I knew instinctively.

That bastard judged people by their appearance.

Everyone did to some extent, but some wealthy people, in particular, analyzed a person’s financial status based on their brand-name goods.

The truly rich didn’t care about such things.

When I used to handle VIP customers at a department store, those who could be considered ‘black tier’ in the VIP lounge often frequented the department store as if it were their neighborhood supermarket.

Whether their suit was from a certain brand or their watch was high-end.

Those who nitpicked such things were often those who were much less well-off.

“Who would have thought it would be this helpful?”

A suit befitting a noble.

Since I was wearing such a suit, I was able to pressure Baron Gilberte by calling myself ‘Azazel Dandelion.’

So—

“Secretary.”

“Yes, Trainer.”

“Let’s take this off immediately.”

This suit was too heavy.

It was too cumbersome to wear casually, and it was difficult to wear even inside this dungeon.

“I didn’t realize it when I put it on, but now that the initial negotiations are settled, isn’t this a huge burden?”

Chief Steward Akamondu gave me his suit from his younger days.

Just that alone could make those who envy Chief Steward Akamondu’s favor arise.

Therefore, I needed to take it off quickly.

“I’ll take it off right away.”

Lilith reached out to me.

Her hand went to my suit—

Click.

“Huh?”

“I’ve deactivated the magic on the necklace. The Chief Steward shared the authority for this deactivation with me.”

“Ah.”

Lilith deactivated the explosive necklace.

The subtle magic lingering in the red magic stone was released, and the pattern of the magic circle running through the necklace briefly flashed before fading.

“Never again.”

Lilith gripped the deactivated explosive necklace and sighed deeply.

“Please, never do such a thing again.”

“……..”

“This is not just an admonition from a subordinate, but also a request from a demon who supports you, Trainer. Of course, I know you want to show something to the executives, but even if it takes a longer route, please let the enemies come into our dungeon next time….”

Lilith rattled off a barrage of worried words.

It felt like a mother’s nagging, but I could feel her sincere concern and worry for me.

“Was I a bit much?”

I had the safety net of regression.

But without knowing that, from Lilith’s perspective, I must have looked like a suicidal maniac who stepped into human territory with nothing but my dick.

A crazy bastard gambling with his life.

If you knew you had multiple coins, you might just shrug it off, but for most people, the coin of life was the only one they had.

Therefore.

“Alright. I’ll be more careful next time.”

I nodded vigorously to Lilith before she could nag any further.

“First, I want to change clothes.”

“Clothes?”

“Yes. This suit is like a kind of ‘armor’ to me.”

For a modern salaryman, a suit was armor.

Even in a fantasy world, since the area I wanted to operate in was chicanery, a suit was an excellent weapon and armor.

Didn’t I just confirm that with Baron Gilberte?

“And…I’d like to call Eris.”

“Ah, are you going to have sex? Understood.”

“Yes, I’m going to have sex, but I need her to bring a few things.”

“Things…?”

“Yes, when you’re ready….”

I said to Lilith as I took off my suit jacket.

“Bring her with aphrodisiac herbs.”

Late at night.

In the lord’s castle office of the Gilberte Barony, only a select few people gathered.

“The reason I have gathered you at this late hour, close to midnight, is because there is a truly important matter for discussion.”

The baron scanned the faces of those who had rushed to him upon receiving his urgent message.

“Please listen calmly.”

The baron explained what had happened in the dungeon.

The negotiation with the Azazel Dandelion.

After finishing his rather long story, those seated at the table began to wear serious expressions one by one.

“Are you saying Sir Jake is alive?”

“According to their words.”

The commander of the baronial knights.

He had long subtly supported Jake as the next lord, so he was pleased with Jake Gilberte’s survival itself.

“Ah…. I see. As expected of Sir Jake. Even if he were captured by demons, he could survive as long as he kept his wits about him. The important thing is that he is alive now.”

“…That’s right.”

Being alive was important.

But he could die soon.

“Steward. In your opinion, can we come up with one million gold?”

“That, well….”

“Is it possible or impossible? Just tell me that.”

“……..”

As the steward in charge of the baronial finances, he could only keep his mouth shut.

“The accountant has not yet arrived, so I cannot give a clear answer, but it is difficult with the baron’s personal fortune.”

“What about the ‘total budget’ of the barony?”

“…I would have to discuss it with the accountant, but if we gather all the remaining taxes for this year and even the taxes for next year, it might be possible.”

“……I see.”

The steward glanced at the commander of the knights, who lowered his head with a groan.

“We have to spend one million gold to save Jake?”

“Baron, that…”

“Chairman of the Merchant Union.”

The Chairman of the Merchant Union, who had been fidgeting with his long mustache, started to look around nervously.

“Yes, yes.”

“How can the guild union provide one million gold?”

“My lord, it’s not ten thousand gold, it’s one million gold. If we take out that much money, we’ll all starve to death.”

“What!”

The commander of the knights slammed his fist on the table and shouted.

“So are you saying we should just let Sir Jake die like this!”

“No, is that how you should be talking?”

“That’s exactly what you’re saying! Are you planning to kill Sir Jake?!”

“Hey, knight commander! Do you think one million gold is just pocket change! Can you willingly give up all your assets for Sir Jake!”

“I…!”

The commander of the knights tried to shout something but swallowed his words.

He must have sensed that if he continued to speak, he would be sucked into some kind of abyss.

“……The best way is probably to ‘rescue’ Jake.”

The baron said in a low voice, looking at one side of the table.

“Guild leader of the Adventurer Guild. What do you think?”

“…For a demon to appear and propose negotiations while holding a human hostage. My lord, this is no ordinary matter.”

The guild leader of the Adventurer Guild, who had turned pale, did not look very good, but he cleared his throat to attract attention.

“Demanding compensation equivalent to the annual budget of the territory. That is the way of the Demon King’s army. It’s a negotiation that can only be discussed by at least a legion-level commander in the Demon King’s army.”

“Are you saying the opponent is at least legion-level?”

“Perhaps even higher…there’s a worst-case scenario.”

Higher than a legion.

“The main force of the Demon King’s army. The central army.”

“……..”

“We can’t be sure yet. You said the negotiator was ‘Dandelion’?”

“That’s what he said. To be precise, he said ‘Azazel Dandelion’.”

“I’ve never heard of that name.”

The guild leader rubbed his temple with his index finger and continued.

“No matter how much I think about it, I’ve never heard of it. There are only two cases where I wouldn’t know.”

“Two cases?”

“One is that he gave a false name, and the other is that he’s a new demon.”

“…Neither is a good situation.”

The commander of the knights bit his lower lip.

“If it’s a false name, it means he’s trying to deceive us by hiding his identity, and if it’s a new demon, it means another demon we need to be wary of has appeared.”

“That…”

A knight sitting next to the commander flinched.

“What’s wrong, Sir Philip?”

“Well, my lord. May I say something?”

The only one among those present who was not the head of an organization but had the right to speak.

“Speak, Sir Philip.”

“Well, the demon I saw…looked weaker than I thought.”

Knight Philip.

He was the only knight who had faced Dandelion with the baron.

“Looked weak?”

“His mana flow wasn’t very strong. I could feel he was wearing some kind of artifact or magical tool, but it didn’t feel very threatening.”

“…Are you saying they sent someone who could be killed without consequence?”

“That’s not it. Rather….”

The baron frowned and continued.

“It was more like, ‘Try killing me if you dare.’ That kind of attitude.”

“It’s possible it’s a clone.”

A priest from the Goddess Order, who had been watching quietly, opened his mouth.

“High-ranking demons can create clones of themselves and send them to the opposite side of the dungeon.”

“High-ranking demons…you mean legion commanders?”

“Yes. If not, he could be a wolf who doesn’t value his own life. Baron, let’s start by clarifying one thing.”

The priest shook his head firmly and continued.

“Sir Jake, Sir Kite, and all the adventurers after them have not returned.”

“……..”

“The enemy is strong. Apart from the demon named Dandelion, that ‘dungeon’ itself is clearly an enemy that the barony cannot handle.”

“Enemy.”

The baron pondered the word and lowered his head.

“……..”

“Sir Jake…”

“Continuing to send knights or adventurers is close to a dog’s death.”

“Baron.”

“……Let’s adjourn for now. And tomorrow morning, we’ll make a decision and announce it again here.”

The baron rose to his feet.

“I’ve listened to your opinions. For now, the urgent issue is money…”

The baron’s gaze turned to a certain man.

“Chairman of the Merchant Union.”

“Yes, yes?! Are you talking about me?”

“Follow me. I have something to discuss with you privately.”

“Why, why me…?”

The baron put his hand in his pocket.

“We have something to discuss in private.”

Inside his pocket, there was something thick.