Ch.138Delivery NPC. (1)

“…Wretched bastard.”

Avalitia, the Mayor of Aigram who possessed the power of Avaritia (Greed) among the Seven Deadly Sins, clicked her tongue as she watched the back of the man walking away from the beautiful white tiger beastkin outside the window.

Getting entangled with that bastard and losing hundreds of millions of cans each time was now something akin to fate, destiny, or some kind of curse.

Because without thinking of it that way, she couldn’t accept or understand the current situation.

Gateway repair costs: 30 million cans. Window frame repair in my room: 8 million cans.

Hospital detention ward repairs: 10 million cans. Add in additional personnel mobilization costs and various other expenses, and easily over 50 million cans had flown away.

She’d lost about the same amount the last time they met, meaning she’d blown through 100 million cans in just one year of knowing that man.

For someone who was the demon of greed, this was truly an unthinkable expenditure.

“…I can’t even use my power. This is really annoying.”

The memory of that day when the golem slit its own throat to return her power and threatened her was still vividly imprinted in her mind.

When she thought about that day, her body would tremble involuntarily.

Clicking her tongue once more, I moved my feet. My destination was close—the secretary’s office where the recently resigned secretary had worked.

Upon quickly arriving there, the place was neatly organized with no apparent problems or questions.

Except for one thing. The only issue was that I had let that secretary bitch who had stabbed me in the back escape.

There, Avalitia took out a goat’s eyeballs, wings, and horns, then snapped her fingers.

-Guuuu…

As her magical energy swept through the surroundings, all traces left behind—from the woman’s scent to footprints, handprints, and every other mark—were revealed.

“What is she exactly? She seems like a normal human?”

Just because she was the demon of greed didn’t mean she underpaid humans or stabbed them in the back.

On the contrary, she gave high salaries to all humans appointed as her secretaries, and only reclaimed what was hers after they grew old and died.

In the hundreds of years she had been the Mayor of Aigram, there had never been any issues with this approach.

She simply reclaimed what had fallen back to the earth after being given to them.

During that time, they had been able to enjoy things they could never have experienced in their lifetime of effort, so if anything, they should have been grateful to her.

That’s why the previous incident of Envy’s follower hiding as her secretary was an exceptional case, and this time she had been much more careful in her selection. So why had this happened again?

Avalitia decided to trace the woman’s footsteps to find out.

“…What’s this? Something feels off.”

Though she intended to kill the person once found, Avalitia wasn’t foolish enough not to understand why her secretaries kept doing this, as it would only lead to a vicious cycle.

So she read all the secretary’s movements left in the space. And then.

“…The red-light district?”

Aigram had a red-light district too.

People who sold their bodies existed in every era and country because there was always demand. Above all, even human beasts needed somewhere to satisfy their sexual urges.

However, Avalitia didn’t particularly like it.

As the Seven Deadly Sin of Greed (Avaritia), she instinctively felt repulsed by the act of selling one’s “body”—which was essentially hers from the moment of birth—to earn money.

The same went for human trafficking and slavery. That’s why she hadn’t even allowed those two markets, which weren’t particularly necessary or large, into Aigram in the first place.

To begin with, several countries on the Eight Continent had designated such markets as illegal, and as someone who earned substantial money by maintaining the title of [Neutral Trading City], she thought it would be foolish to deliberately cultivate markets she instinctively disliked just to earn a few extra coins, thereby increasing political conflicts with other countries.

“…What is this? How many times did she go there?”

The secretary she was tracking now—it wouldn’t matter if she frequently visited the red-light district, as she was a human who had received a large sum from me.

The problem was that this person was a “woman.”

Because of those Envy bastards last time, the already small size of the male prostitution section of the red-light district had been almost completely erased.

The [Sexual Intercourse Country] was already making noise about same-sex intercourse, and thinking it was perfect timing, she had completely erased it.

This woman… the more she followed her traces, the more perplexing it became. Working here every day, and then heading not home but to the red-light district after work… huh?

“…Shit. Is it you?”

Avalitia let out a heavy sigh and crossed her arms, lifting her voluptuous chest. She unconsciously glanced at her own body.

Her current physical form had looks that no human or intelligent male species could help but turn to look at.

That Jack guy earlier just smiled slightly and brushed it off even though I was only wearing a gown, but he’s the unusual one. Normally, that wouldn’t be possible.

However, if a human with the same appearance always served as mayor, outsiders would naturally question whether I was truly human. So she had changed her appearance each time she changed her position as mayor.

Yes, this appearance…

“Luxuria (Lust). Ha! Could it be that bitch with poor compatibility with me dared to plant a spy on me? No wonder I felt strangely attracted despite the target being female.”

The secretary who frequented the red-light district like her own home wasn’t going to the alley with male prostitutes, but to the red-light district filled with women.

…As for the casino, she went once and turned back. It seems that elf, [Green Doll], had noticed.

Indeed, the females at the casino were better quality than those at the red-light district, so the only reason to go to the red-light district instead would be that.

“…Hmm? Wait, but what was she trying to accomplish by planting a spy on me? She’s not someone who would confront me directly like Wrath or Envy?”

In terms of pure power difference, Lust is no match for Greed.

If Lust were trying to fight with powers against Wrath or Envy, I would understand, but the difference between my power, which governs material things, and Lust’s power, which moves the desires of surrounding creatures, is too clear.

Moreover, Lust is far from physical destructive powers like Wrath (Ira). So…

“…Ah? You’re looking for the being that killed Wrath?”

After thinking a bit, the answer came immediately. The content that the lustful bitch wanted to find out by planting even her apostle as my spy.

Since Wrath, the only one among the opposite sex who had confessed to her, was dead, she must be looking for the one responsible.

“…Pfft! Yes, then. This time that bitch’s apostle will report about that man? I wonder where she’s trying to manifest?”

Though not confirmed, my somewhat inferior appearance to that man. Plus the man’s tremendous skill, which was impressive even to me, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, was displayed without reservation again this time.

Gold-rank adventurer Jack.

The secretary roughly knew all of that before she left. In other words, it’s certain that man, not me, will be mentioned as possibly having killed Wrath.

Of course, the elf Green Doll could also be mentioned, but…

“No, no. She wouldn’t prioritize the elf when she used elves to cause this incident in the first place.”

That secretary was good at her job, so she would at least think that much. And.

“Haha, ahahaha!!! Stupid bitch! Why not just come ask me after manifesting? What? Now that you’ve positioned yourself as my enemy, I have no intention of telling you anything!!”

Unable to contain her laughter, Avalitia turned around and walked away, letting it rise high.

The red-light district that the secretary frequented—the apostle’s bodily fluids must be on various women there.

If left alone, it would only create more incidents.

“Ahahaha! Adventurer Jack, judging by the force he showed against Wrath, he definitely won’t lose even if she’s his opponent, and even if he does lose to her power. I’d kind of like to see him kneeling at that bitch’s feet?”

After muttering to herself, Avalitia paused momentarily as she saw her reflection in the large mirror at the entrance of the mansion.

Hmm.

“…No, that won’t work. He wasn’t swayed by ‘this appearance’ to begin with, so how could that Lust do anything?”

Sensual breasts, a slender waist. And healthy thighs. Despite having a face and body that would make any male turn to look, that man just smiled slightly without even blushing.

‘…Luxuria. You’re going to choose the wrong opponent.’

Somehow she felt a bit of pity, but that feeling soon disappeared.

That Jack guy who only brings me financial losses, and that bitch who planted a spy and left me with this much work.

She wished they would both just die.

‘But, 100 million cans for two Seven Deadly Sins interfering with me. In a way, this seems kind of cheap…?’

With the sudden money calculation that came to mind, Avalitia headed to the red-light district with a slightly smiling expression.

Tonight, she thought she could probably sleep well without having to work overtime.

*

“…So, there’s talk of a demon appearing in the city, beastkin abductions, and even rumors of humans killing elves?”

“Sigh. I wonder what’s happening to Siltra.”

Two handsome men with blonde hair and pointed ears leaned against the wall in a wooden outpost, talking.

“And because of that incident, there’s talk in the Council of Elders about invading humans.”

“Don’t those old folks realize it’s us young elves who will be sacrificed in the wars they start?”

“Still, our comrades were killed. This is clearly the humans’ fault…”

“You idiot. Where in the world do elves get killed by humans? Especially an elder? Are you saying Elder Er Jim was murdered by humans?”

One elf frowned at his colleague, who was steeped in the elders’ baseless hatred.

“No, what do you mean baseless? The elders always talk about 8,000 years ago…”

“Hey. How old are you?”

“Huh? I’m 900 this year…”

“Right. You’re just 900 and starting external outpost duty, and I’m 1,100, having been here for 200 years. Do you know what’s happened in the 200 years I’ve been on duty?”

“Huh? What happened?”

“Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Not only do humans not come near Siltra, but outside, they look at elves as if we’re serving high-ranking elemental lords or elemental masters!!”

In truth, he had only heard this from a friend 600 years his senior, but in the 800 years his friend had served here, the number of humans who had come this far could be counted on both hands.

And all of them either fled in surprise upon seeing elves or briefly conversed, thinking they had encountered legendary beings.

Moreover, from what those humans said, unlike the elder patriarchs of our country, even their kings are replaced once every 50 years.

In a world where leaders don’t even live 100 years before being replaced, what good would it do to talk about history from 8,000 years ago?

He thinks the elders seem more insane, spouting tales of history they never experienced themselves and trying to push them, who had no connection whatsoever, into a battlefield of bloodshed.

“…Still, the elders wouldn’t lie…”

“That’s not reliable either. You must have heard the recent rumors?”

“…You mean about the Elemental Master?”

“Yes. The old folks aren’t properly serving the Elemental Master while promoting human hatred. This has been talked about for hundreds of years already. I suspect this incident might also be the old folks’ scheme to divert attention outward…”

“Huh? Look at that.”

“Hmm?”

His colleague interrupted his passionate speech. Looking in the direction his colleague pointed, they saw a person who looked like a human with black hair and a silver-white beastkin approaching.

And behind them, a human with bound hands was being dragged along.

“…Could that be.”

“Humans? What’s going on? They seem to be heading straight for us?”

Elven magic was spread throughout this area, preventing humans from targeting this place.

The occasional humans who appeared only drifted in through gaps in magic that hadn’t been maintained for hundreds of years; they never appeared normally at the entrance to [Siltra].

In fact, they hadn’t seen any human figures in the hundreds of years they had been on duty.

“…You stay here.”

“Huh? Are you going?”

“Yes.”

Rather than siding with a compatriot who endorsed the elders’ baseless hatred, he thought it better to go talk to the outsider humans he was curious about.

Without saying that much, he grabbed the spear and shield he had been carrying on his back and approached them.

“Halt!! Are you humans?!!”

“…Hmm, a young elf who can’t see through my magic.”

“You’re not the guard I met when I came out?”

The two people stopped at his command, and he could see them muttering something to the bound human behind them, though he couldn’t hear what they were saying.

He shouted loudly at them, as befitting a guard.

“This is the land of elves, the Elemental Magic Country Siltra! Explain your purpose here and how you entered, right where you stand!!”

“What can we do? Your opponent is behaving differently from what you expected.”

“Jack?”

“……”

The strange sight of the two people continuously addressing the person who looked like a criminal among their group. The elven guard wondered if humans actually bound their important people like that.

However.

“Hmm… Isn’t it the rule that Ganpf comes out for the first encounter?”

-Zzzzt. Snap!!

The gray human broke the bindings on his hands with sheer strength.

In an instant, he kicked off the ground and appeared before me.

“Gasp?!! Wh-what?!!”

“Criminal rocket delivery service?”

And he smiled awkwardly while saying something incomprehensible.