Ch.6161. Black

The feel is pretty good.

That was the thought that crossed my mind as I cracked an orc’s skull with my warhammer.

A group of orcs had appeared in the massive firewood forest not far from the Imperial Capital.

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t be opponents I’d bother with. Usually, one or two members of the Royal Order would be dispatched to handle them, or even Academy trainees could manage threats of this level.

Yet I stepped in because this forest belonged to me. I was killing orcs as part of asset management while taking the opportunity to inspect my property.

‘To be honest, they probably wouldn’t have been much of a threat if left alone.’

The monsters living near the Imperial Capital were generally less aggressive. Some even survived solely on animal meat, as if they knew approaching humans would get them slaughtered by knights spewing aura within a day or two.

Still, I couldn’t just let these creatures go now that I’d spotted them.

Thwack!

One orc down with a hammer strike.

Some died with their faces caved in, others with their heads simply shattered. When one tried to flee with squealing sounds, I smashed the back of its head for an instant kill.

“Kweeaak!”

Pig-like squeals echoed from all directions.

After killing about ten of them, I was shaking orc fluids off my hammer when someone approached on short legs. It was Bingo.

“I’ll have the workers clean this up. But that hammer.”

“It’s Selin’s. She seemed reluctant when I tried to return it.”

“…I guess it would feel unsettling since it was used to crush Gwon Heejin’s remains.”

Bingo made a casual gesture, and workers who had been watching from a distance rushed over to clear away the corpses.

“Bury them deep, very deep. If animals are attracted, you’ll be in danger.”

Bingo was the one who managed this forest.

His regular job was looking after the assets I owned.

The firewood forest that supplied the Imperial Capital, a massive granary, and a villa (not just any villa, but one with orchards producing fruits highly favored by gourmets), among other things.

I had purchased these properties because holding too much cash felt burdensome, but they were turning out to be more profitable than expected.

“I think we can cover the money you spent on spirit medicine. The asset value has increased slightly.”

While it’s true that the Empire was staggering because of Cordana, not all nobles had been ruined.

Cordana hadn’t eaten away at everyone’s wealth equally.

Some families, like Commander Waynelight’s, had amassed tremendous wealth by simply mining rock salt from their territories without paying any attention to Cordana. Others, like the Archnite ducal family, were resilient enough to somehow endure the losses caused by Cordana.

Some families had even profited from the Cordana crisis.

“Erick, you’re distributing relief supplies with the money confiscated from Matthias.”

“That’s almost gone too.”

“There’ll be wailing soon enough. Anyway, I hear some people have recovered by supplying goods for that project. Nobles or imperial relatives who run workshops for winter clothing or medical supplies.”

People called this the “Matthias Special,” he said.

It might be more accurate to call it the “Cordana Special,” but using such terminology would likely get you stabbed, so they just attached Matthias’s name to it.

“…And to be honest, you’re a beneficiary too, Erick. With no banquets or festivals these days, some nobles are apparently indulging in fine dining at home.”

As a result, the fruits from my land were selling well.

Though the profits were modest compared to Cordana returns, as Bingo said, they would somehow cover the money I’d spent on spirit medicine.

This was also why people ruined by Cordana were going even more insane. The sense of deprivation from feeling like they were the only ones who had failed while others prospered. It was also why nobles and imperial family members who had benefited were being cautious and staying home.

‘But what can you do?’

Although I’d become somewhat more generous since becoming wealthy and noble, I originally had little interest in sharing what I had with others. If I’d been that type of person, I wouldn’t have broken off my engagement with Ember or retired from the knights.

The most I could do was listen carefully to Bingo’s advice.

“Erick, don’t you think more people will be flowing into the Imperial Capital soon? Before, it was mostly village residents who’d been badly hurt by monsters thinking the capital might be safer. And most of them arrived already severely injured.”

“Now residents from territories swept up by Cordana will come too.”

“Yep. That’s exactly it.”

After thinking briefly, I looked around.

Trees everywhere, of course. I instructed Bingo to build a charcoal factory nearby. Or at least hire a few more forest keepers.

Though it might not make much business sense, we could at least employ a few more workers. Better than becoming homeless in the Imperial Capital.

Of course, I also instructed him to pay fair wages that made financial sense.

That’s the basics when employing people.

***

These trash.

Trash among trash.

These were the words that the succubus “Iclit” had been muttering continuously since returning to the Demonic Land and arriving at the Demon Lord’s castle.

Silver hair, blue eyes. Her flawlessly beautiful face was contorted with anger. She hadn’t been this furious since being cleaned out at the exchange.

The Demon Lord’s castle was, naturally, the heart of the Demon Lord’s army.

It was where the Demon Lord lived and where the main forces of the Demon Lord’s army were stationed. It was a castle of enormous scale standing in the middle of the desolate Demonic Land, so massive that human technology could never even attempt to build something similar.

This wasn’t what triggered her anger. Of course the headquarters governing the entire Demonic Land would be large.

‘But, they’ve expanded it?’

The castle had grown larger compared to her last visit.

Was this what the Demon Lord had been doing while refraining from engaging in combat with humanity?

It wasn’t an ornate structure with money plastered all over it like human castles. Probably high-ranking demons had crudely constructed it by moving materials with magical power.

But from Iclit’s perspective—having infiltrated the Cordana exchange, that human den… no, demon den, on the Demon Lord’s orders and carried out a dangerous operation—she couldn’t help but be furious.

Moreover, she and her kind had been forced to abandon their livelihoods and were summoned to the Demonic Land. To personally explain their unilateral termination of the operation.

The succubi were still waiting indefinitely for the summons from the leadership.

Meanwhile, criticism of the higher-ups continued.

Even though the Demon Lord was an absolute being, the succubi who had essentially lost their entire fortunes felt no hesitation in their complaints.

Especially considering how they had earned that money. Though they were called dream demons, there were no succubi who truly only appeared in dreams to cause wet dreams.

“How much did you lose this time?”

“About 600 million. I entrusted it to that Iclit when she stepped up confidently, but she came back completely cleaned out. Money I earned by catering to humans’ tastes.”

“Tastes? Couldn’t you just enchant those ignorant humans with no magic resistance?”

“If you want to stay undetected in one area for a long time, you have no choice. You might eat anything indiscriminately, but I prefer to work patiently.”

“Oh my.”

Laments could be heard from all directions. Being demons, none were sobbing uncontrollably, but a few were shedding silent tears.

Particularly, one succubus who had been working on a fresh countryside knight from the Academy but was summoned to the Demonic Land before she could drain his energy, whimpered, “He looked so delicious…!” as she expressed her frustration.

Iclit wanted to join them in their complaints, but she couldn’t.

‘I’m the guilty one.’

Tears rolled down Iclit’s porcelain skin.

She wiped them away quietly, unable to even let out a sob. Although the stupid orders came from the Demon Lord’s army leadership, Iclit was the one who had carried them out.

Moreover, she had volunteered as the lead player, full of confidence.

Her weak magical power, enough to infiltrate the Imperial Capital secretly, and her confidence from surviving in human territory for decades had been the foundation of her challenge.

…But all Cordana had left her with were wounds.

A sense of loss, resentment from her kind, and deep guilt.

She couldn’t even apologize to the others now. The wound was too deep to be mended with mere words.

But she had no intention of letting this slide either.

Rather, she planned to take “responsibility” in a way that might even put herself in danger. That was what she had to endure as the person responsible for losing the succubi’s wealth.

Shortly after, the Demon Lord’s chamberlain appeared and called for the succubi.

“His Majesty wishes to see you.”

The succubi began to rise listlessly at this command.

That’s when Iclit stood up resolutely.

“I led the operation in the Imperial Capital. I’m the only one who knows all the details.”

Therefore, I will explain.

The succubi who had been quietly resentful toward her just moments ago now gave her blank stares. They seemed to have realized what Iclit was thinking.

Being demons, none tried to stop her, but neither did any give her looks of satisfaction.

“Do so.”

Iclit followed the chamberlain, suppressing her tension and fear.

As she walked, she kept talking.

She explained how much money she and the dream demons had lost, the weight of different types of gold coins used by humans, the value stored in them, and that minting costs needed to be calculated separately.

She did this with the determination to compensate her kind for their losses, even if it cost her life. She needed to send them back with at least some gold.

However, the chamberlain’s response was indifferent.

“Is that so?”

These Cordana-like bastards.

She almost cursed out loud, but just then the chamberlain added a strange comment.

“That’s just pocket change.”

Thanks to this, Iclit regained her composure.

While she didn’t appreciate the dismissal of the dream demons’ sense of loss, that indifferent attitude gave her hope that if she spoke well, she might create an opportunity for a reversal.

She might not only recover their losses but perhaps even approach her original goal of advancement.