Chapter 87: I Complained A Bit About The Working Environment In Another World
“I thought I used the… correct tactic. Then, why? Why did this happen?”
As the Mist of Deception flooded out of the valley, Countess Carmilla muttered in dismay.
‘I just chose the most efficient way to get the results I wanted.
And yet, how did this happen?’
“Everything went… wrong. The slaves were freed… and we are stuck.”
Carmilla’s body began to tremble.
‘Is this enemy … really an emissary of the Heavenly Dragon?
‘Or is he a devilish schemer who has read our thoughts and made the first move?…’
***
“I think it’s time.”
I had Rafilia and Iris stop using [Dragon Whirlwind LV1] and [Fantasy Space LV1].
The mist from the valley enveloped the Countess and her soldiers. That was enough.
The Countess had originally planned to attack the valley, so she shouldn’t complain if she got wrapped up in the mist. Even if she did, I didn’t care.
“I warned them.”
It was too much for me to pretend to be a transcendent being like a Dragon as I didn’t possess their dignity or anything like that.
‘Sorry, Heavenly Dragon Egg.’
I borrowed the Heavenly Dragon-like appearance and the Heavenly Dragon name, but it didn’t work as well as I thought it would.
“It’s no use. It’s a hassle, but let’s go scare her directly. Cecile, Iris, Rafilia.”
“Yes, Master.” “I’m sorry.” “Duu.”
With the girls connected by the [Mana Thread], I went into the Mist of Deception.
The Heavenly Dragon Egg nullified the effect of the mist for us.
We could see the soldiers clearly.
‘And now for the finishing touches.’
***
“Hiiie───!”
Carmilla screamed.
She was holding her head and cowering but she didn’t take her eyes off the scenery around her.
She couldn’t believe what she was seeing, hearing, smelling or feeling.
Her vision was completely white, her feet were supposed to be stepping on the ground, but she couldn’t feel anything.
She was afraid to walk or change her position.
She didn’t know what to do. She just then realized how frightening losing one’s senses could be.
“GIGIGAAAAAAAAAAA!”
Next to her, a Zombie Ogre was wielding a sword.
‘Is that Grandpa?
‘But what is this putrid smell?
‘What about that Lizardman? Salamander? Human?’
Enemies and allies were mingling and fighting. No, to begin with, she wasn’t clear on who her enemies or allies were. All she could hear were beastly yells.
“Here, the best tactic in this case…”
Carmilla couldn’t think of anything.
Her mind went completely blank.
“GUGO AAAAAAAA!”
The Zombie Ogre swung his sword, and Carmilla saw someone parry it.
A flying object from outside the mist struck the Zombie Ogre.
The Ogre rolled over, holding his face without knowing what hit him.
“HIIIIII AAAAAA!”
The one who defeated the Ogre was a monster with twisted horns - a Devil.
He had green wings on its back. His stomach was swollen with silvery color. His left arm was strangely thick, perhaps because it had so much muscle.
“HIIIA, AAA!”
The Devil held out something from his hand. Carmilla couldn’t help but extend her hand towards it.
‘Something soft. I know what this is. Is this dried meat?’
***
“Activate [Food Negotiation LV1]”
“Are you Countess Carmilla Rigilta…?”
Reflexively, as Carmilla took the dried meat, she heard a human voice.
It was a reassuring voice.
The Mist of Deception had given him the appearance of a Devil, but he was a human being - an ally.
“I am Carmilla Rigilta. I’m glad you found me.”
“Are you really the young Lady? Are you sure?”
“Yes. Please get me out of here right away. I promise to give you all the compensation I can. Would you like the position of Chief Knight? No, we’ll talk after you get me out of here…”
“I’m not here to help you.”
In a terribly cold voice, the Devil said.
Swish
Something that looked like a sword touched Carmilla’s neck.
“You will swear here and now that you will never again persecute your slaves or your men and you will be allowed to flee this place. Otherwise, you’re done here.”
Carmilla’s face turned pale.
The Devil in front of her was one of the figures at the entrance of the valley. He was Carmilla’s enemy.
“Where did I… go wrong?”
Before she knew it, Carmilla asked.
“There was no mistake in my plan. Why am I in this mess? Why should Carmilla Rigilta, my great father’s daughter, die here?”
“You used your slaves as disposable. That was your mistake.”
The Devil’s arm dug into Carmilla’s skin.
“You didn’t move from your safe place until the very end, so you didn’t realize that you were facing an enemy you were no match against. That’s all.”
“Why cann’t I sacrifice our slaves? They’re there to be used!”
“… You still don’t get it, do you? How troublesome.”
“Huu”, the Devil sighed.
“I warned you. I warned you that this valley would soon collapse and you also the earth rumbling. You knew it was dangerous. You could have at least taken a look at the situation for a while. But you still sent your slaves into the danger zone. You just wanted to wait and reap the rewards without any work, didn’t you?”
“Ugh.”
“Lord Heavenly Dragon showed you mercy and warned you not wanting to spill any blood. He just wanted to sleep in peace.
“You didn’t heed his words. You ought to be punished for using people as disposable items.
“Make a Contract, Carmilla Rigilta.”
Even while being enveloped by Mist of Deception, the fiery gaze of the Devil pierced Carmilla.
“…Contract?”
“It’s too cheap a Contract to trade for your life, though.”
The Devil seemed to laugh, with a wide gaping mouth.
Carmilla’s legs started to shake.
‘It must be because of the mist that my underwear feels wet. It must be.’ (Carmilla)
“You will walk away from this place and swear never to persecute your slaves or your men again. And you will also pay the slaves you have freed an appropriate reward as danger pay. Do that, and we’ll let you return.”
“… Is that all I have to do?”
“Then I’ll add one more thing. If you violate this Contract, you’ll be instantly reminded of the horror you’ve just experienced.”
“Wow, okay. I’ll sign the Contract.”
After a few moments of thought, Carmilla nodded.
As she thought, she had never once persecuted her men or her slaves.
She had always given them the job they deserved. Even if she signed the Contract, it would never activate according to her.
“So that’s the Contract. If you do so, I will let you leave this place alive.”
“I will never hurt or persecute my men or slaves. And I will pay them as well! I will pay the slaves I freed danger pay as well!”
“”Contract.””
Carmilla Rigilta and the Devil clicked their medallions together.
‘So the Devils have medallions, too.’
Frightened, Carmilla was thinking about that.
“Come to think of it… you ate that dried meat I gave you.”
Only after being told did Carmilla notice the salty taste that lingered in her mouth.
She was hungry because of her fear.
And before she knew it, she had eaten the dried meat that the Devil had offered her.
“If so, then [Food Negotiation] will work. I’d like to ask about the dark-haired boy who was with the Prince. Who sent him? Was it the King? The Guildmaster?”
“Why would I tell you that? I’m being blackmailed. I don’t have to tell you that the person with Kravis is a Wise and is sent by the King!”
“Oh, so the King sent him.”
Carmilla held her mouth involuntarily.
‘Why am I doing this?’
Carmilla’s mouth seemed to move on its own. Something seeped into her body from the dried meat that she had eaten. That was all she could think of on what could be the reason.
“One more question.”
“… Uh-oh. Oh, hii.”
“You attacked us, who claimed to be with the Heavenly Dragon. Was it because you thought we were fakes, or did you think it didn’t matter even if we were real?”
“Well, that’s…”
“Both the Sea Dragon and the Heavenly Dragon are on the side of humans and demi-humans. But it seems that there are those who want to eliminate them. Do you know something about it?”
“…”
“Answer!”
“Because the Dragons… give people a choice…”
Carmilla said in a strained voice.
“Humans and demi-humans should rely on Royalty and Nobles. …Only the Royal and Noble Families can protect them from Demons and monsters. But, Dragons take the side of people… and help them, and because of it…”
“…What do you mean?”
“If people start to rely on Dragons, the authority of the Royal and Noble Families will be lost. People will stop listening to their orders!”
“What?”
“That port town of Ilgafa… the people from that town ‘negotiate’ with the Royal Family and Nobles. That’s because the Sea Dragon Kerukatoru is protecting them. What if other towns receive Dragon’s protection and do the same thing? What if they don’t listen to my orders and try to negotiate with me as an equal. What if they don’t listen?
“Why don’t you just negotiate as equals?”
“Why would we do that?”
“I want to punch…”
“Hiii!”
“No, I am just kidding. Go on.”
“So the Dragon Festivals must be destroyed, and the Dragon relics must be monopolized by the Royal Family. If the Heavenly Dragon is about to revive, we must destroy it before it does.
“We don’t need a Dragon to save our people. They’re in the way! We are the only ones with the power to protect the people from the Demon Lord and his monsters, and if they see that there is no other place for them, they will have no choice but to follow us!”
“So it was like that.”
The Devil let out a very, very long sigh.
“Only Royals and Nobles should have the power to fight the Demon Lord. Adventurers can only support them at best.
A powerful being like a Dragon, who knows how to talk and is on the side of humans, must be… destroyed or banished. If there were Dragons, the Royal Family and Nobles would not have absolute power over their people, so that means…”
The Devil seemed to mumble in a really small voice… “Maybe the Demons were destroyed …”
“Then we’ll just do the opposite.”
“…”
Carmilla didn’t understand the meaning of the Devil’s words.
“What do you mean? What are you going to do? Devil! What do you mean?”
“Time to end this, bye.”
The mist started to thin out.
The ground rumbling also got louder.
“Believe it or not, the Valley of Mist is about to collapse. Get away from here unless you want to die. Also, this is just a bit of information I received. Be careful on the way back.”
“On the way back…?”
“You have a rival, don’t you? If I were her, I’d set up an informant on your side. Then I’d attack you on your way back. If you die, everyone will think you were killed by a monster. It’ll be an accident.”
“Why? Why would you say that to… me?”
“Information exchange. Also, you can’t persecute people who are lower than you anymore, so it doesn’t matter if you’re still alive. At best, you can crush the other Nobles. Goodbye.”
“Wait, wait… ah, ah, ah, ah!”
Fear, respect, and awe.
Carmilla sat down with her head in her hands as a feeling she had never experienced before swirled within her.
The Devil was nearly out of her sight. But Carmilla’s senses were still crazy and she couldn’t move.
“… That Devil could have killed us at any time.”
She couldn’t stop shaking just thinking about it.
“If this is the grave of the Heavenly Dragon, was he the Heavenly Dragon’s emissary?
“Please send… this to… Kravis …”
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Did we draw the wrath of the Heavenly Dragon’s emissary by trying to escape and attack the valley?’
“I can’t… do that. I can’t do that.”
After a while, the mist began to thin out and Carmilla could see the soldiers around her.
All the soldiers had taken down their swords and spears.
Some of them had burns on their hands and feet, but they were only minor injuries. No one died or even had serious injuries.
And…
With a roar, the valley collapsed.
The narrow path between to the valley was buried, and rocks the size of a man’s head came tumbling down to their feet. The soldiers rushed to set up their shields. The sound that made Carmilla want to cover her ears continued for a while, and the impact of the rocks hitting the shields made her legs tremble.
A few moments later, the sound died away and the Valley of Mist was completely blocked by crumbling rocks.
‘I just barely made it.’
If they had gotten even a little closer to the valley, Carmilla and the soldiers would have been crushed.
“…He can kill me at any time … so he didn’t even bother to kill …”
‘That emissary is too powerful. I can’t … win against that Devil.’
“All retreat. Watch your backs.”
Carmilla turned her back to the Valley of Mist. When she looked back, she couldn’t see the Devil or other figures.
‘I’ve made the Contract so I guess they don’t intend to come after me.’
“Lead with lightly armed soldiers. There is a possibility that some other enemy is lying low. There is no need to fight. Just let them know that we are aware of their presence. If they know they can’t take us by surprise, they’ll give up.
“What are you doing, soldiers? Get into line now! There are plenty of replacements for you.”
Shirring
A chill ran down Carmilla’s back.
She felt fear, as if she were being grabbed by her heart.
Her breath stopped involuntarily. She felt as if that Devil was peering at her from behind.
Carmilla looked around at the soldiers as she managed to keep her consciousness from fading away.
“You don’t have to… any amount of … please work. Just do your job for your salary.”
With a curiously hot exhale, she spoke the words.
***
We watched from a distance as the Valley of Mist collapsed.
“We’ve completed the quest. Thank you for your work, Raijika the Mummy Wyvern.”
I put my hands together for Raijika.
After making a Contract with the Countess, we passed through the line of soldiers and entered the animal trail before the Mist of Deception disappeared. We headed straight up the mountain because there was a chance that we might run into the Countess on our way down.
Thanks to Rafilia’s knowledge of the area, we were able to easily climb to a place where we could look down on the valley.
“There is an old cave up in the mountain. It is from the time when the Ancient Elves and the Demons worked together to build the Valley of Mist.”
‘Let’s use it for today. If it’s still there, that is.’
“Good job, guys.”
Iris was slumped on my back. Cecile was sleeping soundly on Rita’s back. Rita, who was carrying Cecile on her back, was smiling and seemed to be in good spirits. Aine checked everyone’s condition with [Dynamic Observation]. She made circles with her fingers and smiled, as if she had figured out that everything was fine. Rafilia was so flustered that I couldn’t tell if she was tired or not.
“Thank you for your hard work as well… Heavenly Dragon Egg.”
The egg in my waist bag hadn’t reacted at all since then, but I was sure that it was fine… probably.
So we started walking towards the top of the mountain, with Rafilia leading the way.
“Nagi, can I ask you something?”
Rita, who was walking behind me, murmured.
“Earlier you said to the Countess, “Then we will just do the opposite.” What did you mean by that?”
“I want to know too.”
‘Oh, that…’
“It is just an idea at the moment, but it means exactly what it means.”
I told them both.
“I just thought that if the Royals and Nobles are trying to destroy the Dragons, the one force that can stand against them, then we should do the opposite and bring them back.”
The Visitor, Eterina Hasburg, tried to destroy the Sea Dragon Festival.
Prince Kravis and his companions came to explore the valley to see if there were any signs of the Heavenly Dragon left.
The Royals and Nobles feared the power of Dragons… maybe even Demons’, who were different from them, and tried to crush them and hide them.
“Then I will resurrect Dragons, Demons, Ancient Elves, and other lost races. We will use their legacy to fight the Demon Lord and monsters. Then the authority of the Royal Family and Nobles will be lost. They might even become a little more quiet, don’t you think?”
I said.
Rita and Aine looked surprised.
Rafilia was as usual impressed, saying, “That’s my Master.”
“I don’t want it as my purpose in life. More like a hobby, you know?
But it would be nice to be able to choose where to live, wouldn’t it? So that if one gets sick of working for the Royal Family and the Nobles, they can work and live somewhere else. Well, it’s like harassing the King and the Nobles.”
“It’s just like Nagi.”
Rita laughed at that.
“It looks interesting. I will help too.”
Aine gave me a quiet nod.
“I see. Master will use me to revive the Ancient Elves.”
“And Demons.”
“”…Which means!””
Rafilia and Reggie at my back joined their voices.
“That’s not what I meant. I meant just looking for their legacy!”
I denied it quickly, otherwise it would have been made the entire party’s goal.
“I’ll need the help of everyone else. I’m sure Aine and Rita will be able to help. Only if I want to, of course.”
But I was not that desperate. It was more like a vague goal.
It wouldn’t be funny if I worked so hard for it that I find myself forcing everyone to work in black.
My goal in life was to live a carefree life without working.
And so, under Rafilia’s direction, we proceeded down the hidden path…
After a while, we found a cave near the top of the mountain that looked like a hideout.
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