「Lala～lan♪ lalan♪ la～lanlalalala ♪」
Morning. As the sky, colored black like shadows, slowly bleached, with a complicated lightly mood, I was humming a melody in an eerily enthusiastic manner which echoed within a room of an inn somewhere inside the royal capital.
「lalaa~, lalanlan♪ lalala~, lala♪」
In the end, because of the several difficult manufacturing processes, I had to reluctantly give up on going to bed that I've been missing over the last 3 months. Using my anger as the fuel for my vengeance soul, I gulped magic potions one after another and rushed the project.
Even after all the stuff that has happened, my body and spirit were fatigued, but it felt like they were saying 『Aren't you enjoying it?』 as I spent the night immersing myself in manufacturing. The moment I finished the difficult part of the process, I fell into a weird trance. Although I didn't need to drink the low-grade mana potions anymore, I drank all the remaining ones left, because my mind wasn't working properly.
Even though I realized that my conscious state was in a dangerous situation, I rely on the adrenaline that was gus.h.i.+ng out as I contemplated the modified necklace. Then, humming the rad*o train*ng music, I stretched my body. If I were to bathe in the sunlight, I should be able to relax from the high tension of the night work.
[Daily: Not sure why that was censored >.>]
「『You're so loud!! Do you have any idea what time it is!!』」
「Uooh,so-sorry…」
Suddenly, there was a loud noise across the other room, and in an instant, I went back to my usual self again. Not only it was a long time ago since I stayed at an inn, but I also was all alone during my fugitive days, so I completely forgot about troubling other people.
This is bad, the inns at this level have really slim walls, so it's quite possible that they have heard my moody singing. This is terrible; I want to die so badly, it's really embarrasiiing!!!
「『I've been saying it over and over, shut the f.u.c.k up!!』」
After I dived into my bed and rolled over on it, my neighbor hit the wall once again.
It seems that I haven't yet returned to a completely sane state. My creative ability has. .h.i.t rock-bottom. Really sorry about that. Because I have fallen into despair, I'm going to sleep.
Although it's been awhile since I have slept in a bed, I can't allow myself to completely fall asleep and oversleep. I wanted to prepare a few things before leaving the city.
Even though the princess has ordered them to stay away from the summoning area until the next day, they should have already realized, and she should be receiving treatment right now. I believe that it will take some time to mend those injuries since quite some time has pa.s.sed since then, but I want to leave the capital at the end of the day.
Seeing the bed with such a regret, I sat down and leaned beside the window where the light of the day could wake me up as I closed my eyes.
I splendidly overslept, the end.
... Well, it's because I never would have thought that it would suddenly become cloudy. What about your first time? There is no way that I would have remembered about the weather of the day after the summoning.
That's why the sun has already risen, and it should be approaching noon. Immediately, I checked out of the villa and decided to postpone preparations for my escape. Then, I ate something from a decent food stall and proceeded inside the slums.
It seems that the warning from yesterday served its purpose, since I was able to reach my destination without any hoodlums' interference.
I pa.s.sed the currency exchange shop while I was at it, but there were other staff who were attending the place. After they saw my face, they bowed in fright, so I decided to grin at them, but I wonder why they seemed to pale even more.
It's not like I'm here to start a fight. Unless I have a reason that is.
[Daily: Yeah, wtf, I wonder why?]
As I reached the place where the gargoyles are set, as if yesterday's event never happened (on the contrary, they've been slightly enhanced), I realized that I still don't know the secret pa.s.sword.
Without any time to think, the gargoyles told me 「「Enter」」. It's great that they have already made some arrangements.
And then, after I reached Duphein's base, the bodyguards from yesterday's incident sent me piercing glances.
「It's not like I'll attack you unprovoked. Don't be nervous, aren't you bodyguards?」
While frowning my eyebrows, I talked to them while mixing in a sigh, but I wasn't able to relieve them from their nervousness. Although it is the proper att.i.tude, since dropping your guard in this slum could be lethal, it's not on the level where being tense will make a difference, so I believe that it's disadvantageous if you exhaust yourself being so tense.
When I went upstairs like yesterday, I found Duphein waiting with a smile on his face, and on his desk, there were 4 bags in which the gold coins were divided almost evenly. And inside the small one, there should be the remaining 40 gold coins.
「With this, there should be currency equivalent to 340 gold coins. Do you want to corroborate? 」
「There is no need. The one sitting in that chair isn't someone petty and would take some of the money.」
The real reason is because I considered it a ha.s.sle, but I decided flatter him halfheartedly.
「Without further ado, this is the necklace.」
「I thank you from the bottom of the heart, I got something really valuable. Nh? Kh, this is… 」
Duphein, who received the necklace, seemed to realize something. I made sure to apply a disguise which could fool common alchemists and magicians, that's why people with such a level of perception and intellect are hard to deal with.
「Haah, with this, direct negotiations with the royal family will be impossible.」
「Don't you think that it will be funny if you shove it on some n.o.ble who is a hindrance to you? Besides, from the start, you didn't even remotely think of using such a high-risk strategy like making direct negotiations with the royal family, so don't try to fool me.」
It's something from the last time; originally the royal family, in brief, the actual king, the queen, and the princess tolerate the slum as a necessary evil; however, they don't want to recognize the existence of the slum. It is because rumors of the demon lord's existence have been propagating rapidly, that the products have been bought out constantly and the prices have been increasing exponentially, leading to the development of the slum's infrastructure.
If negotiations were to be done directly, it is obvious that they would push the blame onto the slum and try to tie them up. They would accuse the slum of working with the thief and numerous crime slaves will be born, who will then be forced by the kingdom to work, whittling away their lives for the sake of productivity.
If they were to do that, it is quite obvious that it will instigate a rebellion, but we are talking about royalty who thinks that their status is irrefutably theirs. They have never thought of a possibility that it might initiate a rebellion.
By the way, the first time, when they did something similar behind my back and caused a revolt, they framed me, who had just defeated the demon king, by making the citizens believe that I was the one behind it all. I believe that they will try to s.h.i.+ft the blame once again, only this time with a different scapegoat.
「Nevertheless, I crushed the possibility of you gaining a favor from some influential aristocrat. That's why I'm going to pay you 20 gold coins for the trouble fee, and if you were to accomplish something I request, then I would add 20 more. Are you interested?」
「I don't mind giving you a discount on the trouble fee or additional fees if you teach me how you were able to add all these modifications in only one night.」
「I lament to inform you that it is a trade secret. Well then, can you do it?」
「I cannot answer you without hearing the details first.」
Duphein shrugged his shoulders a little bit.
「Naturally, my request isn't something so difficult to accomplish. I want you to prepare an alchemic creature like the one that you used to transform into a gold coin to use as my eyes. I want it to be disposable and to be able to magically record a video of what happens at the castle, then disguise itself into something like a bird and return to my side.」
「If they are able to discover its source, the repercussions I receive will be large. The additional fee is 80 gold coins.」
「That's the time to show your skills, 30 gold coins.」
「No, no, it is not about if it's possible or not, but it's about how large the demerits are if I were to fail. 70 gold coins.」
「Che-, anyhow, you will use a method similar to how you collect information from the n.o.bles, won't you? Only that, in this case, the target is going to be the royal family. 50 gold coins.」
「I consider that the risk between doing it to a n.o.ble and to royalty differs greatly. 60 gold coins, also, it seems that the sky is beginning to clear.」
Then, in the middle of the negotiation, Duphein who was watching me this entire time, smiles and looks at the window. It looks like he is expressing his intention that he won't budge any more than this.
「...I got it, that's enough. You truly are a greedy gla.s.ses b.a.s.t.a.r.d.」
「Don't you know that praising me won't change anything? With this, the negotiations are complete. Well then.」
Duphein laughed as if he was mocking me, and after saying that, he pulled out precisely 40 gold coins, counted them, and put them in an empty bag, which he took out from his desk.
If added to the bag that was partially full, it would be exactly 80 gold coins. 20 from the nuisance charges, and 60 from the result of the negotiation, were collected as the result.
「Thus, this is the radio receiver of the "prying eye". If it's activated successfully, it should link and display the recorded video from the transmitting end of the "prying eye".」
Duphein showed me a little bottle that had a gold-colored substance inside of it which felt like metal.
I picked up the little sealed flask and kept it inside my bag.
「Geez, I'm wondering why it is that the good that I asked for just a moment ago had already been made?」
「I lament to inform you that it is a trade secret.」
Duphein seemed to retaliate because of the conversation of while ago, as he smiled sarcastically and laughed.
「Haah~… Well then, I pray that we won't meet again.」
Somehow, even though I'm thinking that it will be impossible after all, but I still used abusive language.
「That's sad. As far as I'm concerned, I don't mind if you visit me.」
I don't know how serious Duphein's response is.
Since I can only imagine that Duphein would always grin like that with whatever response I could give, I decided to leave without saying anything special. I felt that I kinda lost, but I didn't give it another thought.
Nevertheless, I believe that Duphein will pull it off.
The plan's success solely depends on if there's someone inside the royal palace who could realize the slight difference of the necklace like Duphein; however, she was always wearing the necklace wherever she went in my past life. I don't know if she either has any emotional attachment to it or has a special reason for wearing it, but considering the princess's personality, she will wear the necklace herself without checking it first.
If she does that...
「Ku ku ku, it will be great if she falls into the trap perfectly.」
Thinking when it will be the day, my mood became great. I remembered those days where I was living the life of a fugitive, all the time I was running, and running, and all I was thinking of was my survival. Everyday, 24/7, for one complete year, I wasn't able to live a fulfilling life, because I had to be aware of my surroundings and couldn't even get the time to think of unnecessary things.
I've been thankful for the second chance given to me. Imagining the faces that the king, queen, and knights would have when they see the princess's face warped by the agony next to them, I, in a euphoric mood, was walking the slum's streets.
「Ah, to think that it would be this fulfilling just thinking about all of the people I plan to take revenge on.」