“This, this, you damn, mutt-like bastard. How dare you call me a piece of shit…?”
In that instant, Drak’s veins swelled and his eyes glowed with a red magical aura.
Before he could release his magic, I grabbed my sword with the intention of beheading him.
A low, cold voice interrupted, echoing as if to mediate.
“Stop it.”
The surrounding air instantly grew heavy. With those few words, all the Demon Lords and monsters instinctively held their breath.
I too stopped drawing my sword and looked at my opponent.
A girl with a tiny frame, compared to Drak, and an unreadable expression.
However, the power of magic she possessed was far beyond what I could even begin to comprehend.
From her, I could feel the magic of a wizard with a higher rank than a grand sorcerer—what is commonly called a sage’s magic.
Her identity came from Rain’s mouth.
“D-Demon Lord, Lord Beal…!”
Overwhelmed, Rain instinctively bowed her head, but I quickly grabbed her ear and pulled him away.
It was a gesture meaning she should not bow to anyone except her lord.
Looking sideways, I could see Damon too, overwhelmed by Beal, showing a clear sign of tension.
Even the proud monster, Lauro, swallowed nervously, watching cautiously.
The manic light in Drak’s eyes was fading, like a dying flame.
‘If that gorilla quieted down with a single word, then Beal must truly be the Demon Lord.’
I released my grip on the sword and shot a glance at the two Death Knights standing guard behind Beal.
One with a spear, the other with a greatsword.
Those weapons were familiar, though I couldn’t recall where I had seen them, and the problem was I couldn’t recognize the owner.
…Probably because they were skeletons.’
Beal, who had appeared and overwhelmed everyone, stood before Drak and then shifted his gaze toward Rupia.
She looked down at Rupia with a calm gaze.
Then she muttered.
“To stand against Drak, you’ve grown a lot.”
Rupia, trembling like a wet puppy, showed no sign of recognizing Beal.
Beal spoke to the glasses-wearing female Demon Lord who followed him and Drak.
“Let’s go.”
Drak let out a rough breath, seemingly trying to calm himself, shot one last glare at Rupia, and then moved.
The frail-looking female Demon Lord, following him with a brisk step, adjusted her glasses and spoke to me.
“Hmmm… Strange. Just a skeleton who’s good with a sword. Was the rumor exaggerated…?”
What’s this bitch talking about?
Of course, I only thought it, not speaking aloud.
Once Beal disappeared, the silence took over, as if a storm had just passed. No one dared to exhale first, and only the lingering tension floated in the air.
The silence was broken by Rupia’s small groan.
“Ugh.”
Rupia staggered as if nearly fainting.
Rain and I quickly supported her.
“My lord!”
“R-Rupia, are you okay?!”
Rupia held back her tears, swallowing them down.
I quickly checked her lower half. After all that trembling, thankfully, she hadn’t had an accident.
Soon, the tears she had been holding back streamed down her cheeks.
I stood in front of Rupia to shield her from view.
“…Well done, my lord. You don’t have to fear anything while I’m here.”
Rupia, in my thin arms, only trembled but didn’t make a sound.
I patted her head and spoke.
“Thank you for keeping your promise.”
Just as the oath of a knight from over 800 years ago had to be fulfilled, so too must the promise of a lord be kept.
Carlos broke his vow and erased me, but she kept her promise, even swallowing her fear.
My lord. My young lord whom I serve.
Even though quite some time had passed, Drak’s face was still burning red.
Veins stood out on his wide forehead, and the muscles in his jaw clenched, trembling slightly.
“Ah, damn it. I’m still so pissed off.”
“What’s got you so angry? Calm down. Calm down.”
When Aishi spoke with a nonchalant tone, Drak’s voice rose even higher.
“How can I not be angry? Didn’t you see that skull bastard laying hands on the sword? That monster had the nerve to…”
“I think the Demon Lord spoiled him too much. Or is it the skeleton who spoiled the Demon Lord?”
“I’m telling you, one day, I’ll kill him with my own hands.”
“He’s undead, so I don’t think he can die.”
“You may be right. I’ll need your help a little.”
Saying that, Drak looked down at Aishi.
Aishi tilted her head.
“…Even with my powers, I can’t remove the undead’s immortality, you know?”
“Death may be out of reach, but I can still offer him pain. I’ll break him so thoroughly that he won’t even have the will to live.”
Drak said this as he exhaled once more. He was still not calm.
At that moment, a black cat with a bundle was selling various items in the cabin.
“Hey, give me some cigarettes.”
Drak tapped the black cat lightly and said.
The black cat looked pleased and bent down to offer a leather pouch containing the cigarettes.
“Oh, finally the first customer…! Here you go, Lord Drak…!”
Drak opened the cigarette pouch handed by the black cat and immediately frowned.
“Why is the quality like this? Is there nothing better than B-grade?”
The type of cigarette Drak wanted had a calming effect, and most of them were B-grade or higher.
The black cat scratched its head awkwardly and answered.
“Th-this is all I have…”
“Damn it, are you only selling toys for kids? Is there even a Demon Lord or monster dumb enough to buy this?”
Without asking for permission, Drak rummaged through the bundle, and the black cat tried to resist weakly by flailing its front paws.
“Y-you can’t do this…!”
“Black cat?”
The person who muttered briefly was the Demon Lord Beal.
Both the black cat and Drak shifted their gaze at once.
The black cat recognized Beal, who had a thousand faces, immediately and bowed its head almost to the ground.
“A-aah! I greet you, Demon Lord Beal…!”
“I thought I had seen a cat merchant before… You’re the child of the Merchant King.”
At Beal’s words, the black cat’s fur stood on end in surprise.
“H-how did you know that?”
Aishi, who had been standing behind, also spoke in shock.
“Merchant King? That crazy cat who sold its life to a dying Demon Lord?”
In the Demon Realm, there were three people with the title of king.
The Demon Lord who ruled monsters.
The Dragon, called the king of monsters.
And the Merchant King, known as the king of traders.
Even Drak knew a little about the Merchant King.
“Wasn’t it the legendary merchant cat who never had anything it wouldn’t sell? I’ve never met him, probably because I never needed anything.”
The Merchant King was famous for bringing the exact item that a customer needed, always getting the highest price possible.
It’s still unknown what he received in exchange for selling his life to the dying Demon Lord, just before his death.
In fact, it’s even unclear whether the story itself is true.
“Hm, this kid seems to have no talent for trading, huh? The things he’s selling are strange…”
Drak, still rummaging through the bundle, stared at it blankly, while Aishi tilted her head.
The black cat flinched and began to tidy up the bundle.
Upon hearing that he had no talent for trading, its black ears and tail drooped as if defeated.
Beal, with a blank expression, asked.
“I heard there was a Demon Lord meeting, and that you boarded the airship. Who did you follow?”
“W-well… You may not know, but I followed Lord Lupia…”
Lupia Hon Derbil Valotus. The fallen dungeon, the ruined bloodline of Valotus.
Beal fell silent for a moment as if deep in thought.
Then he nodded.
“Seems like the child has the same poor judgment as his father. The Merchant King, the black cat, died like that. Probably.”
“…!”
The black cat’s yellow eyes widened in shock.
As Beal had said, its father, the Merchant King, the black cat, met his death at the hands of a greedy regular customer who turned violent.
Almost all of the black cat’s goods had been taken at that time, which is why there was nothing left to sell.
A merchant who sold exactly what his customers needed.
Being a regular customer of such a merchant meant that the customer wanted many things, not just one or two.
In other words, the regular customer was so greedy that even if the black cat had poured out everything it owned, it would not have been enough to satisfy him.
“I hope the child is wise. I liked his goods.”
After leaving those few words, Beal moved again.
Drak, following behind with Aishi, had by now grabbed a bundle of cigarettes.
The black cat suddenly shouted in alarm.
“D-Drak! I haven’t been paid for the cigarettes yet…!”
Drak ignored the shout and walked away.
The black cat, helpless, lowered its front paws.
Its shoulders slumped, and its tail brushed the floor. In the end, it hadn’t sold anything.
It was quite a while later before the announcement came that the airship had arrived at its destination, the Sky Island.