Chapter 108

Upon the table, the chartreuse paper demanded crimson blood. Sion quickly ran the blunt edge of her glass across her finger, creating a slender cut.

From the thin wound, blood trickled. The chartreuse paper drank Sion’s blood greedily.

I, too, grasping the pen on the table by its end, pierced my thumb with the tip, coaxing out a single drop of blood.

Soon, the chartreuse paper devoured my blood as well.

The devil’s contract then ripped in two, flying towards each of our wrists.

With a soft click, a jet-black bracelet fastened itself to my wrist.

“There! The negotiation is concluded. From today onward, we are officially partners!”

Sion smiled brightly, offering her left hand in a handshake. Within those scarlet pupils dwelled a colossal greed I could not fathom.

“…”

I extended my bloodied left hand, clasping hers.

Well…I never expected to conceal the fact that my right hand was ruined anyway.

“Come out. Somehow, things worked out rather nicely.”

From the shadows of the furniture placed throughout the room, hulking assassins emerged.

The sound of the doorknob turning. The servants, mages, and soldiers who had been waiting in the corridor outside the room breathed a sigh of relief, returning to their posts.

“Preparing for a war, perhaps?”

Sion spoke, glancing at the door with amusement in her eyes. Did she truly possess the confidence to escape the Imperial Palace against such a force? There was no surprise within her gaze.

“…There’s always the off chance to consider, you know.”

The line of soldiers returning to their posts parted as the old servant, Boon, walked further inside. A long rapier hung from his waist.

“If it isn’t the silk merchant!”

Shion, seeing Boon in his neatly pressed suit, beamed and approached him.

“Where’s the pearl necklace? It suited you so well, made you look like a ruthless industrialist with, like, five slaves in the mansion basement for… unsavory desires.”

“That’s awfully specific.”

“I’ve seen it a few times! Usually those types don’t keep more than five slaves. Gets too tiresome to maintain their skin and figures, apparently.”

“…Information I’d rather not possess.”

I shuddered and waved my hands at Shion, who was delivering this repulsive tale with such a bright smile.

Just where had this girl gone wrong, to be able to utter such things with such cheerful levity…?

“So? No pearl necklace today?”

“……”

The old servant, Boon, remained unblinking, unmoved by Shion’s mocking flippancy.

“Hello?”

“……”

His posture was like a gargoyle guarding a vast cathedral, making you fear that the slightest movement of his head would produce the grinding sound of stone on stone.

“…Hello?! The pearl necklace! That cheap string of pearls that screamed ‘fake’ from three kilometers away!”

“……”

When Boon still didn’t react, Shion quickly lost interest and plopped back down in her seat.

“…Boring.”

Yes, I understand.

Amusing myself with the palace staff proved less entertaining than I’d hoped.

Toss a joke their way, and their faces would freeze, standing rigidly as if some ‘Rules for Palace Staff’ handbook dictated, ‘When the user tells an unfunny joke, remain perfectly still, like a stone statue.’ A silly thought, really.

“When should we prepare the itinerary? I recommend five days from now. Departing around then would align our arrival at the ‘Golden Sea’ with the unveiling of the Archipelago Mist.”

“I was under the impression the Archipelago Mist lacked any discernible pattern. How can you be so certain?”

I voiced the question that had been gnawing at me.

Despite having played this game for 4000 hours, I’d never encountered any information suggesting a specific pattern or premonition for the Archipelago Mist.

Speculation, such as ‘it seems to appear slightly more often in certain regions,’ would surface in the community, but those were purely subjective observations. The Mist’s appearance, location, and frequency were entirely random.

This was a fact explicitly stated by the developers. How could anyone possibly track it?

“Ha! No pattern to the Archipelago Mist? That’s research from, like, thirty years ago! That’s the problem. With all the focus on the war, the armchair mages are all researching demon ‘black magic’! And the field mages are solely focused on spells to combat demons. The real money-making opportunities are being ignored!”

Sion slammed his palm on the table in frustration, launching into a passionate tirade.

“Mages in the back alleys developed a method to track the Archipelago Mist about five years ago. That’s why ‘White Ones’ corpses started flooding the market around that time, you know? It’s all because of that. They don’t usually share this kind of information with those working in the light… But! I’m making an exception for you, General! We’re partners, after all!”

“That’s… quite useful information.”

I didn’t believe that the information gleaned from the game was the sum total of this world’s knowledge.

Just as there were humans, like the capable ‘Sion’ before me, whom I’d never heard of, even though I thought I had explored every inch of this game, there were bound to be things I didn’t know about the ‘real’ continent, as opposed to the continent in the ‘game’.

To fully transfer the immeasurable amount of real-world information into the game’s data would require user disk space in the order of thousands of terabytes.

‘Sion’s words have almost confirmed it. Information and people not directly related to the war are barely implemented in the game.’

Therefore, there must be mountains of secrets I’ve yet to uncover in this world.

Secrets that can’t be revealed simply by clearing the game.

‘I might even find new ways to improve my abilities that I never knew existed. Maybe there’s a way to unlock other spells currently in a [Locked] state…’

And beyond those secrets lies the crucial reason I was pulled into this world.

“That settles it, then. It’s best to keep a door open, any way we can, with someone who knows the underworld inside and out.”

Things you can’t get through ordinary channels, like forbidden magic tomes, she could probably procure. And even for me, someone who’s poured four thousand hours into the game, she might have access to information I haven’t yet uncovered.

Information related to the war with the Mazoku – for that, the soldiers and others working in the light would undoubtedly be the best source. But for everything else, those living in the shadows would be the ones in the know.

“…A shame, though.”

I couldn’t help but wish I could bring Zion into the fold, make her a full-fledged subordinate.

The information and connections she possessed seemed too valuable to simply use once and discard.

“Well! It seems our conversation is drawing to a close, so I shall take my leave!”

Oblivious to the thoughts swirling in my head, Zion vanished from before my eyes with a light whisper of air.

As quickly as smoke escapes through a window, the crimson-eyed girl disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The moment Zion left the room, I turned my gaze to the hulking assassins dressed in black. They briefly scanned the window and the surrounding area of the castle, then informed me that Zion had completely left the grounds.

The conversation we were about to have couldn’t leak out, not just to Zion, but to almost anyone within the Imperial Family. If Zion were to hear what we discussed here, our entire plan would crumble.

I asked the assassins to secure the area for five minutes, ensuring that no one overheard our discussion.

Without a word of inquiry, they obeyed my command.

“…How much liquid capital do we have available right now?”

I asked the aged butler, who stood behind me like a stone statue.

“A little over 300 gold.”

“That should be sufficient.”

“…While it was a bit of an exorbitant price, 100 gold isn’t completely unreasonable. When you consider it’s the cost of acquiring a scripture that can revive the dead, it might even be a bargain.”

The old butler spoke cautiously, his gaze fixed on the black bracelet clinging to my slender wrist. He, too, seemed to believe that the value of an asset like ‘Zion’ and the rewards we stood to gain from this expedition outweighed the monetary cost.

“With that scripture, we can awaken General Bel from his coma, and heal General Bin’s hand. It would be worth spending all 300 gold, wouldn’t it?”

In truth, this was a singular chance to restore two war-wounded generals to their full fighting form.

From a continental perspective… whatever sum they demanded would be worth it.

“Then liquidate every possible asset into cash within five days.”

“Everything? Are you prepared to expend upwards of 300 gold on this endeavor?”

“No, I intend to conclude this matter with roughly 100 gold, give or take.”

“…In that case, it would be wise to carry only the necessary funds. Gold coins are deceptively heavy,”

The aged retainer said, his gaze settling on my slender wrist adorned with a dark, unadorned bracelet.

…He seemed concerned that carrying a hefty sum like 300 gold in coin pouches might lead to the breaking of my one remaining arm.

I no longer feel offended by such looks.

And truthfully, the thought of lugging around that many coins does make me a little nervous about my wrist.

“Use the remainder to purchase some information. Contact ‘Mallis’ of the southern continent directly.”

“Mallis… Are you referring to the Mallis, the Class 1 wanted criminal? I doubt they’ll be particularly cooperative with the Imperial family.”

“They’ll be cooperative with money, I assure you. I doubt they’d turn away a bulging coin purse at their doorstep.”

Money.

Money.

In the midst of waging war against the insane demon race, I had momentarily forgotten, but so many of the world’s problems can be solved with it.

And I possess money, an unreasonable amount, in fact.

“Arrange for the envoy to depart the day after I leave with Zion to search for ‘The Archipelago Mist.’ Given his temperament, I doubt he’d collaborate with a partner, and this should prevent Zion from discovering the Imperial family’s contact with ‘Mallis.'”

Having an assassin of general-level skill as my personal guard.

Obtaining information that would be utterly inaccessible through ordinary means.

To mend a ruined hand, and awaken a 9th Circle mage doomed to thrash in a perpetual coma.

“……You seem to have an idea, General.”

If everything could be solved with money.

Why wouldn’t I?

“What sort of information are you intending to purchase?”

I smiled faintly.

“I’m looking to find a vault.”

I picked up the glass she left behind and handed it to a servant.

The servant who received it, caught the faint trace of blood on the rim and offered a subtle smile.

“……Understood.”

I was so preoccupied with surviving and growing stronger, I hadn’t realized.

That overflowing with coin, could be such a comforting thing.