Ch.31Aftermath (4)

Demons are a race difficult to define in a single way.

Even though they’re collectively called demons, they include various races such as succubi, vampires, minotaurs, and many others.

Nevertheless, if there’s one common characteristic shared by most demons, it would be their reverence for strength.

While they don’t spend all day fighting, compared to other races, they have a stronger tendency to establish hierarchy based on power.

In fact, the method of selecting the Demon King, the ruler of demons, is simply determining who is the strongest demon. The nobles beneath the king are also ranked by their strength.

Additionally, non-nobles can challenge nobles and take their positions if they win.

It’s no coincidence that the largest arena in this world exists there. It wasn’t built for profit—it had to be massive because fighting was ingrained in their culture.

Of course, not all demons were like this. Succubi, for instance, chose to parasitize others rather than participate in power struggles.

‘Thanks to that, succubi aren’t exactly viewed favorably even within demon territory.’

But what the lord saw in me wasn’t a succubus but a demon—a demon who embodied the reverence for strength.

“It seems you want to promote to demons as well.”

This city had a unique characteristic not found in other cities—it was the closest to demon territory.

Of course, that alone wasn’t an advantage. But if demons came directly to this city to participate in the arena, that would change everything.

“That’s right. If that happens, this city would have something unique that can only be seen here. And for that, I need your help.”

I recalled the demons I had seen when returning the day before yesterday.

Why had they come to this city, passing by the numerous arenas in demon territory?

It was because of me.

More precisely, it was because the arena here was believed to have been created by a demon.

“Demons seeking honor will come.”

For demons who pursue strength, honor was just as important as power. Besides strength, they needed at least some honor befitting their position.

It was the work of a certain Demon King from the distant past who believed that if they only focused on power, the entire race would eventually self-destruct.

And for demons, one way to increase honor was to win in an arena created by another demon.

“At first, those seeking to gain honor relatively easily will probably come.”

“That’s right. After all, the arena is still quite small in scale.”

It was still lacking what was needed to attract true powerhouses.

It didn’t have worldwide recognition, and I, who was considered its creator, hadn’t really made a name for myself yet.

Only now were stories beginning to circulate within the city about me defeating the Apostles.

In other words, the demons who had come here now were those hoping to win in a small venue and then wait for the arena to grow or for my reputation to rise.

‘I suppose we need such individuals at first.’

It wasn’t necessarily good if someone too powerful visited from the start. When things move too quickly, something usually goes wrong.

“So the point is you want me to publicly claim to be the owner and promote the event match?”

“That’s about right.”

“Then what compensation can I receive?”

Now that I understood the intention, it was time to negotiate. While I didn’t think the other party would cheat me, the bigger the reward, the better, so I had no intention of taking this lightly.

‘It would be perfect to also request sharing the cave’s location as part of the compensation.’

* * *

“It was a good negotiation. I’ll collect the reward after the event match ends.”

“Heh, young people these days are so greedy…”

I smiled as I spoke to the lord, who laughed dejectedly, looking 10 years older than before.

When I first met him, he had seemed purely benevolent, but now there was a faint trace of hostility in his gaze.

‘Well, I suppose that’s understandable…’

In our recent negotiation, I had arranged to receive several items he had acquired in his youth.

Apart from their intrinsic value, these items held memories for him, making them difficult to part with.

Of course, I had no intention of accepting less just because of “memories,” which is why the lord was in such a state.

‘It’s not like I overcharged or anything…’

It was a bit upsetting to receive such a look when I hadn’t done anything wrong.

At the beginning of our negotiation, he had seemed fine—sad but prepared to let go. But when the compensation was roughly decided and I brought up Melun’s Cave and its rewards, he ended up in this state.

“Huff… huff…”

Fearing his gaze might actually pierce through me if I continued to endure it, I stood up and bowed.

“Well then, please let me know when the exact date and opponent are decided.”

“I don’t want to see your face! Get out now!”

The lord, apparently not wanting to see me any longer either, quickly had his servant show me out.

“Then, goodbye.”

Thud!

With a brief farewell, the mansion door closed, leaving me alone outside.

“Really now~ That’s too much.”

I felt sad that my consideration—bringing up Melun’s Cave slowly so as not to overwhelm him with too many rewards at once—had been ignored.

“Oh my, you natural-born succubus.”

Even Lilly, who had been watching from within me, didn’t understand, which made me even sadder.

* * *

“Hmm, with the event match coming up, I need a temporary sword.”

I was currently facing a serious dilemma: where to get a temporary sword.

Buying a new one seemed awkward.

A cheap one would likely break quickly, but buying a proper sword seemed wasteful since I’d probably get a better one soon.

What should I do?

“Why are you talking about this in front of me…?”

Pulled from my deep thoughts, I looked up to see Kaiden handling guild business in front of me.

If he interrupted my thoughts, perhaps he had a good solution.

“I need a decent sword.”

“Again, why are you telling me…”

“Your disciple needs a sword.”

“No, why are you…”

“I need a sword.”

“Can you even hear me…?”

“Sword.”

After hearing his disciple’s earnest request, Kaiden sighed and handed over a decent sword.

It was a sword focused purely on durability rather than special abilities. Thanks to its similar weight and length to my previous one, it felt comfortable in my hand.

When I went to the nearby forest to test it against wild beasts, the cutting sensation wasn’t bad either.

“Fortunately, I was able to get a usable sword.”

“…”

However, Lilly seemed displeased about something, staring intently at me.

No, it felt more like she was examining the soul within me rather than me.

“Is there a problem?”

“It’s just that… I didn’t notice because we’ve been in constant battle, but your behavior has become more thuggish.”

“Thuggish? That’s hurtful. So, how was the state of my soul?”

Lilly was silent for a moment before finally speaking.

“No particular problems.”

Her behavior and tone suggested there was definitely a problem.

Still, I didn’t press further. I was already aware of it myself.

“Don’t worry too much. I am who I am.”

People change, after all. It’s just that my changes were more noticeable.

And most importantly, I was still faithfully maintaining my instinct as a man who likes women. Perhaps this was easier to maintain because this body itself was a virgin.

“I’ve just become more comfortable with doing slightly underhanded things.”

“That’s a problem.”

Lilly stirred up a breeze and messed up my hair.

Of course, thanks to my characteristic of always maintaining my charm in optimal condition, my hair quickly returned to its proper state.

* * *

My event match was set for a week later.

Given my situation, I couldn’t afford to waste time, so I pushed for it to happen quickly, even if it was a bit rushed.

The lord had originally wanted to spread rumors for about a month to attract people, but when I offered to accept one less item as part of our deal, he agreed to my timeline.

‘It must be really precious to him.’

In truth, thanks to the value of Melun’s Cave, I had some breathing room even without the arena.

For a mage, it was equivalent to a high position in a Magic Tower or a usable space. Even for non-mages, it was an incredibly helpful location.

‘And given its size, if things go smoothly, its influence could be quite significant.’

I just needed to whisper to a few trustworthy individuals among those gathered for the event match, and promotion would be assured.

All I had to do was finish the event match properly, receive the promised items, and depart for Gagap.

That’s what I thought, but…

‘There are more people than I expected…?’

Somehow, in just one week of promotion, an enormous crowd had gathered.

“You can keep the items I was going to return. Just do a good job, young lady…”

At the same time, the lord appeared behind me, making an ominous remark.