Chapter 21: Hit or miss

Sig, who always played the wise guy after the fact, stood with his back to the sun, bathed in the sunset’s glow, pulling up a veil of modesty.

Thus, the ultimate creature, Hakimi, was born, ha.

Riding on horseback, his hands rested on the girl’s fragrant shoulders to maintain balance, with no intention of going further to embrace her waist or take advantage.

He felt somewhat uneasy about it.

“You did alright, I suppose, just barely. I’ll give you ten points, but too bad the full score is a hundred. The reason I’m deducting ninety points is that your pie-in-the-sky talk needs work—it’s not convincing enough. Emilia, you need to learn from those people in your past life, full of half-truths and lies. It doesn’t matter if it’s useful or achievable; just focus on whether it sounds pleasant or appealing.”

Though he knew she had already done well and his critique was a bit nitpicky, he couldn’t help but point out flaws.

It felt off otherwise, and after going back and forth, he spoke up, perhaps also looking for a topic to chat about with her.

After all, the silence had lasted too long, and he couldn’t hold it in anymore.

But honestly, he felt that even if Emilia’s speech wasn’t great, her mere appearance was enough to make those imperial citizens—whether forced or willingly enslaved—unconditionally trust and follow her without hesitation.

It seemed fame had its perks…

Emilia gently bit her lip, glanced back with a hint of tenderness, and nodded.

She had no objections; after all, he was right, and there were indeed issues.

She took the opportunity to ask about their next destination.

“Got it. I’ll keep that in mind for next time. Are we going to buy supplies now, Sig?”

She was fairly certain of their goal but not entirely sure, so she asked, awaiting his response.

Sig replied earnestly, acting like a righteous hero, trying to cover up the fact that feeding a large group of slaves two meals a day had depleted their grain reserves in a single day, and he hadn’t prepared in advance.

“Something like that. The army moves only after the provisions are secured. After all, people die if they’re killed—er, I mean, people die if they don’t eat. These slaves are valuable assets; they can’t die so pathetically. At the very least, they should die on the road to building the Demon King’s Castle. The empire’s border is quite a distance from the castle’s ruins, and we can’t just tough it out. By my rough estimate… we’ll need at least three months’ worth of provisions to complete the basic construction of the Demon King’s Castle.”

“And it’s not just food. The materials and tools—we can’t just rely on whatever’s lying around, right? Instead of procuring later, which wastes time, effort, and money, it’s more cost-effective to have the slaves bring everything in one go.”

He paused, almost convincing himself, and rubbed his nose, satisfied that Hakimi’s dignity was preserved.

“The reason I didn’t prepare earlier is that I was observing the price trends in neighboring countries to avoid wasting money. Sure, we’re rich now, but that doesn’t mean we can squander it. Yep, that’s exactly it.”

“Makes sense. The empire’s prices have indeed risen a lot lately. It’s probably due to some major internal issues, but without enough information or intelligence, it’s hard to analyze in detail… If it were a year ago, buying in the empire would’ve been a bargain. Now…” Emilia responded quietly, shaking her head slightly, no longer dwelling on it.

The empire was no longer her concern, and she fully supported Sig’s decision to procure supplies at the border of the Os Kingdom.

“Yes, yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking.”

Good job, Emilia, good job, Sig thought.

A true scholar debates for me.

To keep up the act, he maintained a stoic expression, playing it cool, though his gaze toward the girl softened slightly.

The horse, burdened with a weight it shouldn’t have to bear at its age, panted heavily as they arrived at the solemn city gate.

The heavily armored guards, upon seeing them, followed protocol and greeted them formally, without any personal sentiment.

After all, being neighbors with the empire, the two nations hadn’t yet gone to war and were maintaining peace, but the tension was palpable, like a storm brewing.

It’d be odd if they weren’t on guard.

“Oh, you’re merchants? Here to buy supplies? Alright.”

The soldier casually glanced at their forged documents, flipped through them again, and, finding no issues, handed them back impatiently.

Lately, too many imperial merchants and refugees had been coming here.

He waved for the surrounding soldiers to make way.

Though he vaguely felt the woman looked familiar, there shouldn’t be any problem.

Still, he asked one more question.

“Miss Aminos?”

“…Yes.”

Emilia froze for a moment but quickly recovered, smiling and nodding, though her peripheral glance caught Sig, the culprit, struggling to stifle his laughter.

As the procurement began, while the place wasn’t exactly a steal, the prices were fair.

Sig mostly left it to Emilia, handing over all the money hidden in his trousers—not out of trust but because great men don’t sweat the small stuff.

Whatever she said went; whatever she wanted to buy, she bought.

He only offered a few suggestions, nothing more, and had no desire to micromanage.

He knew his own limits and how little he weighed in this area.

After all, his clan had been wiped out—he’d been beaten into submission.

If that didn’t make him honest, what would?

That’s why, from the start, he let Emilia, the traitor, stay by his side for so-called redemption.

It was for moments like this.

Her abilities and ideas were crucial, filling in his shortcomings.

She was an indispensable part of the Demon King’s Castle’s future.

From beginning to end, he thought rationally.

To return自宅, he was willing to do anything—even share a bed with Emilia and raise a family…

He could only grit his teeth and endure the disgust. Looking at the silver-haired girl bargaining not far away, Hakimi declared he wouldn’t touch what others had already eaten.

She, like a devoted wife, was meticulously purchasing essentials, completely focused, unwilling to betray Sig’s trust.

She even made a detailed list to avoid forgetting or overlooking anything.

But faint voices of conversation reached his ears, with familiar accents—likely imperial merchants, judging by their attire.

“Those damned imperial nobles bought up all my goods at a low price, and I couldn’t even bring them out. Ugh, I lost so much I could cry.”

“You’re lucky you got out alive. Yesterday, the emperor ordered the borders sealed, saying they’re preparing to recruit soldiers and won’t let anyone leave. Looks like they’re planning something big.”

“Pfft, boring. Let’s go back to earlier. From what I know, many merchants, including the merchant associations built in recent years, have been completely wiped out. Some are still missing, dead or alive. In the end, the empire is run by nobles now. They probably think we’re making too much money and want to take it all themselves. So they staged this whole thing to justify screwing us over. Those bastards don’t follow… Oh, right, that was during Emilia’s time. But merchants? They won’t exist in the empire anymore, and no merchant dares to go there now.”

“Yeah, back when Emilia was around, the business environment was great—better than any other country. As long as your paperwork was in order, no one hassled you or charged extra fees. What a pity. Every merchant thought that by funding the emperor, nobles, and church to oust Emilia, they’d get bigger profits… Who would’ve thought they’d be so naive, assuming everyone was like Emilia, keeping their promises.”

“Ugh, forget it. I regret it so much. Local merchants here don’t give us foreigners any room to survive. I don’t even know what to do next. If Lady Emilia returned to the empire, maybe we’d have a chance to live…”