Chapter 274: Money War (4)
"This is the restroom, not the main building."
Viscount Saltsail's expression turned blank at Cat in Boots' words.
"...You've got to be kidding, right?"
"No way."
Cat in Boots raised a hand and pointed to the wall.
Suddenly, it made sense. Why there was a sink sticking out of the wall.
There was even a toilet just off to the side.
"You said earlier that you wanted to go to the restroom, so I led you here first."
"Well, that was just a comment."
"I see, then shall we go to the main building?"
Cat in Boots gestured to the maids in a dignified manner.
"The guest has been to the restroom, so bring him some fresh clothes and spray him with perfume."
"Eh, eh, I don't think that's necessary...."
"No, we're just doing our best, just in case you think you're unclean just because you went in and out of the restroom. Don't worry about it."
Then the maids came over and exchanged Viscount Saltsail's cape for another.
"We have several designs. You can choose the one you like best."
Saltail's jaw dropped at Cat in Boots' words.
There were more than fifty Asbestos Capes, of which he had only two.
'They're the ultimate luxury, made from raw materials found deep in the western jungle, so even if you have the money, you can't get them....'
Then.
Rattling-
The cocktail glass the maid was holding next to him made a sound. It was the sound of ice clinking together.
'Eh, eh, eh, come to think of it...?'
Saltsail glanced at the cocktail glass he'd just half-finished and handed to the maid to hold.
Being an observant man, he soon realized that the ice cubes in the drink hadn't melted at all.
"Hey, that's not ice!"
To Saltsail's exclamation of surprise, Cat in Boots spoke in a nonchalant tone.
"That's right, it's not ice, it's a diamond. I keep them in a cold storage room so it doesn't lose its cool, and of course, it won't melt and make your drink bland."
Saltsail's mouth dropped open at that.
Cat in Boots then led him into the main building.
There, indeed, a spacious, grand, and luxurious interior, far beyond anything he had ever seen before, awaited him and all the guests.
The center of the Imperial Capital. The pinnacle of luxury.
Gorgeous lighting enveloped everyone.
The jewel lights of the chandeliers falling all over the place made everyone's eyes intoxicated.
The gaps between the ceiling and walls were filled with spider webs, sprinkled liberally with gold dust, which glittered with every change of light.
The chamberlain-level servants who were busy coming and going were all wearing expensive asbestos capes over their uniforms, and theirs were black, different from those of the guests.
Viscount Saltsail exclaimed.
" ...What in the world is this interior, how can it possibly be this splendid?"
A truly avant-garde interior, far ahead of its time.
Even if you had the money, you couldn't afford it because you didn't know what it was.
The ceiling is high enough to set off firecrackers, and the spiral staircases connecting duplexes and duplexes stretch endlessly.
Rare and expensive ingredients of incalculable value are everywhere.
More than a hundred and fifty chefs were lined up in a circle, creating food for the guests in real time.
Elegant music from a triple keyboard. Musical instruments made of jade, pearl, and sapphire create glorious harmonies.
There were no words of moderation, frugality, or morality.
"Oooh, this is gorgeous!"
"I can't believe they thought to build something like this inside a party hall."
"I want to go in there too!"
"I wonder what I've been doing with all my money."
"Kah! Yes, this is how money is supposed to be spent!"
There was even a pool inside the party room that was big enough to fit everyone.
What was in the pool wasn't water, but a cherry-colored, low-alcohol fruit liquor, a mysterious drink that wouldn't leave a sticky residue when it got on the skin and evaporated.
Perhaps because of its size, there was room for people to pass through it, and it was intricately crossed by seven ivory and gold bridges.
The bottom of the pool, which was filled with liquor, was made of glass, and large fish swam in an enclosed area below.
All of them were of the highest quality, and the chefs would pluck them out and cook them as guests requested.
Whether it's a shark, a whale, or a whale shark.
This is like the main forest itself!
Everything you need to enjoy life was here.
Liquor, food, music, clowns, models, dancers, firecrackers, balloons, men, women... All of this fun and excitement was blazing and melting away in the midst of immense luxury and pleasure.
All of this is in the name of 'compassion'.
A great show put on by three students of the Colosseo Academy with overflowing humanity, selflessness and compassion.
"I've never seen such a great party!"
"What kind of students are they to throw a party of this magnitude!"
"No, I mean, how much money did they make in the first place?"
The guests are all dumbfounded.
But it doesn't last long, as they are soon overcome by the alcohol and the atmosphere.
Dancers covered in large, colorful feathers like flamingos put on a breathtaking show.
Tens of thousands of balloons are rising, and firecrackers are going off one after another.
Puff, puff, boom!
The balloons hit by the colorful sparks set off a secondary explosion, scattering the petals and gold dust inside.
This is the Oracle's party. A party where everyone is drunk on the colorful lights of the party hall.
No one in the Imperial Capital, or indeed any of the renowned nobleman of the Empire, had ever experienced a party of this magnitude.
And then, the hosts of this party stepped forward.
"H-Hello?"
Piggy was the first to step forward with an awkward smile.
"You've waited a long time."
Sinclair was next, smiling in polite greeting.
"We are the members of Oracle who hosted this party today."
Finally, Dolores, the representative, stepped forward.
Wah-aaaaaah!
The guests clapped and cheered.
Because the guests were older, no one stamped their feet or whistled, but they gave a warm welcome in their own way.
Then.
Dolores spoke up.
"I'd like to thank everyone for coming to our Oracle Investment Club party. I think it's a great opportunity for us juniors to meet and greet our seniors."
When it was revealed that she was the saintess of Quovadis, everyone exclaimed in exclamation.
'Si, Sinclair, what are we gonna do?'
'Shhh. Piggy, be quiet. If we stay still, no one will know we're commoners.'
Standing next to each other, Piggy and Sinclair didn't bother to give their names.
But, as Sinclair had intended, most of the people around them naturally assumed that their lineage was nothing out of the ordinary.
Dolores, meanwhile, had the last word.
"I would like to take this opportunity to say that I hope that what we have begun today will continue. No, I don't want it to just continue, I want it to be a steady march forward. Just like those nimble horses."
She reached out and pointed to the center of the hall.
There stood a large, beautiful coral sculpture.
A magnificently sized and expensive coral, a statue carved out of it, how expensive and how much it must have cost to make.
... But it wasn't a horse, it was a deer.
A deer with two antlers, not a horse but a deer.
But no one said anything else about the horse in Dolores's words.
"Come on, junior, let's run like horses!"
"Great! You've got guts!"
"They are very handsome young people!"
Jirokwima (referring to a deer as a horse).
What did it matter whether it was a horse or a deer in the first place, when they were already drunk with the splendor of the party?
Soon, the business world was swarming around Dolores, Piggy, and Sinclair, showering them with praise, flattery, and curious conversation.
And.
"...."
The servant boy, who had been busy weaving in and out of the crowd, serving, ushering, and otherwise skillfully handling his duties, quietly made his way to the edge of the party.
Cat in Boots.
He looked at the crowd with his red eyes shining behind the mask.
'End of the century. I'm glad the aesthetic I saw at the end of humanity worked.'
Night Hound. Vikir. This time, he became Cat in Boots.
Vikir's mind flashed back to the time before his regression.
Just before the full-scale war of destruction against the demon army began, humanity began to exhibit numerous abnormal phenomena toward the end of the century.
One of them was luxury and pleasure.
Every nation, every country, is always on the brink of destruction, and extreme extravagance is always present.
Most of the most wealthy people in the world went insane just before the end of the world.
They began to pursue extremes of taste, fashion, beauty, etc., and began to indulge in luxuries beyond human standards.
The 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th generations of rich people... ... As each generation passed, the corruption and debauchery became more severe.
And whether he liked it or not, Vikir had witnessed their extravagant behavior many times.
'In times of peace, people have money, but they don't know how to spend it. They lack imagination.
The forms of interiors, designs, and other luxuries that humans could create with all their creativity and imagination when indulging in extreme luxury and pleasure.
Vikir had used his knowledge and experience to organize this party, even if only superficially.
'By the way, I didn't have enough money for the party, so I had to go into debt.'
As if this investment and dividend income were not enough, they also received new investment from numerous people and poured it into the party.
They had to make a strong impression on people in the business world somehow.
... Of course, Vikir had no intention of repaying his lenders.
Because all the rich people who lent money to Vikir were the demon's agents.
They lent him money because they trusted the reputation of the Oracle Investment Club.
But of course, it was a fraud of identity theft, and Dolores, Piggy, and Sinclair had no obligation to repay anything.
'I'll bankrupt them all. Try strangling yourself with the money you loved.'
These are the people who got money instead of power when they made a contract with the demon in the first place.
They were unscrupulous people who would betray the Human Alliance before anyone else if war broke out, so there was no need to feel sorry for them.
Above all, if I succeed in hunting the Six Corpse, they will lose their energy and fade away on their own, so there is no need to worry about the aftermath.
Then.
"...!"
Something caught Vikir's eye as he silently searched his surroundings.
Long brown hair, pale skin, black eyes, and red lips.
An androgynous appearance that made it impossible to tell if it was a woman or a man.
He was dressed in a neat black suit and a red cape, but his attire somehow made him look more appropriate for a funeral than a party.
'....Found.'
Bourgeois J Demian.
Director of the Imperial Money Manufacturing Bureau and a member of the Bourgeois Landowners Guild.
Vikir closed his eyes once silently, then opened them.
He walked forward, his gaze firmly fixed on Demian.
With the eyes of a hound that has found its prey.
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