Chapter 13

Returning hastily to the dungeon of the Demon King of Lust, Eligor, I found him breathing heavily beside me.

"Phew, you chose to reset all of a sudden. I was surprised. We almost sank to the bottom of the sea."

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect the collapse to start so suddenly."

I was taken aback by the lack of time.

This time, the location of the dungeon was wrong, but normally, if the dungeon suddenly disappears and you are thrown outside, it shouldn't be a problem. The design must be like this for that reason.

In any case, I obtained the crystal.

With this crystal, I can create a dungeon.

"Procell is going to create a dungeon, right? Is that right now?"

"Once I gather the necessary information. It will take time to gather people, but the sooner I start, the better."

"Would you like me to lend you some monsters? You're strong, but with only ten, it might be inconvenient."

"No, that's fine. I'll take your offer to heart."

...I don't trust Eligor that much.

Besides, if it's just a matter of numbers, there are ways to force it.

Once the dungeon is set up, there are many things I can do.

"So, where do you plan to create the dungeon?"

"I'll look for a place now. The information I have is still insufficient."

The location of the dungeon is very important.

No matter how good a dungeon you create, if it's not in a place where people can see it, no one will enter. Even if the rumors of the city spread and people want to come, they might give up if the access is poor.

On the other hand, choosing a place with a lot of traffic and well-maintained roads can also be problematic.

If the dungeon is too large, the owner of the country will come and cause a lot of trouble.

Creating a city in another country is the same as declaring war.

To select a location, the information I got from the Fox sisters is far from enough. I need to gather more information.

"Hmm, let me know when you decide. I'm curious about what kind of dungeon you'll create."

"Yeah, I owe you a lot, Eligor. I'll let you know."

Prepare adequate defenses first.

I added that in my mind.

"We had a good deal. I got the medal to create the S-rank monster I've been dreaming of, and you got the base you needed to return."

"Yeah. It's good that the first Demon King I met here was you."

"Same here. It's good that the first Demon King I met was you."

We shook hands.

After a few more words, we parted ways, and I announced that I would go to the surface of the city to shop and gather information in the city of Lust.

◇

The city of Lust was at its most lively time.

The main industry here is women, but with so many people, there are various shops.

Therefore, there are many things I need for the new dungeon... my city.

I entered a back alley where no one would notice and gave Shielle instructions.

"Shielle, bring out a large bag full of gold coins."

"Sure thing, I'll do it in a puff."

I chose Shielle for one of the storage slots because she can store many tools inside her body.

In Avalon, we have a mine that regenerates resources, and the golems created by the elder dwarf Rorono, who works tirelessly, are mining.

Magical metals like mithril and orichalcum are never enough for the monsters' equipment, but ordinary metals like gold, silver, platinum, and iron are left over and cannot be used for weapons.

As a result, until Shielle was born, the minerals piled up so much that there was no place to put them in Avalon.

Where do all these things go? They all go into Shielle's stomach.

It's convenient and tidy inside Avalon, and I can take them out whenever I want.

By bringing only one Shielle, I can transport supplies, which is very useful for speed-priority strategies. Additionally, in case of an emergency, I can carry things without worrying about weight or space, and with Shielle, I can get what I need in any situation.

"Puff, puff, puff."

Shielle spat out gold ingots, which I processed into gold coins using the alchemy skill I copied from a dwarf smith.

I've already seen the gold coins of this world, so as long as I have the materials, I can replicate them.

The amount of gold ingots stored in Shielle's body exceeds several hundred tons, and there are also mountains of platinum and silver.

I won't run out of gold anytime soon.

"Done. A whole large bag."

"Thanks."

Here, one gold coin can support a family of four for a month.

A large bag full of gold coins, enough to fit a person.

Maybe I overdid it a bit.

But it's fine; I'll use it all up soon, and everything I buy will go into Shielle's stomach.

I'll be light again soon.

◇

I finished shopping.

My bold spending made me stand out a bit, and I was targeted by pickpockets and robbers, but it wasn't a problem.

While shopping, I had Shielle do another job.

It's about time for the results.

"So, how did it go? Did you find any good prospects? Preferably a noble who can be moved by money."

"There's a perfect one. A foolish and incompetent noble with no wife or children. Just as you specified."

"That's good."

While shopping, I had Shielle eat the hair of nobles, merchants, and other people who seemed to have money, power, and information.

Shielle is an S-rank monster. Although her stats are low for an S-rank monster, she can easily cut the tips of hair and put them in her mouth without being noticed by ordinary people.

Shielle's skill, "Mimicry," allows her to transform into the appearance of the person whose part she has taken into her body and use their skills.

As a side effect, she can also obtain their knowledge.

This city has many powerful people, making it ideal for gathering information.

"Hmm, where is this noble's territory?"

"Listen. It's about 100 kilometers from here, managing three villages centered on agriculture. It's located between two prosperous cities, but it's a considerable distance from both, and it takes a day by carriage to reach either."

"Interesting. Not a bad place to build a city. So, how foolish is this noble?"

At this timing and with these conditions, it feels like this world is telling me to build a city.

"He's a gambling addict and a womanizer, and he's in debt. He has no intention of paying off his debts and borrowed a large sum from a powerful merchant, but the merchant has a noble backer who is more powerful than him, so he's in trouble."

"A common story."

Nobles have a delusion that they are special.

Since they are special, they don't have to pay their debts. This person probably didn't fear the increasing debt.

However, merchants are not stupid. If they lend to such a person, they will have a strong backer, and they won't lend more than what the person can pay back even if they sell everything.

In the case of my city, I was often used as the backer, and I understand this well.

"That's where it gets interesting. He doesn't want to sell his collection, so he squeezed every last bit out of his subjects. As a result, there were many deaths from starvation and people selling themselves into slavery. In the end, there were night escapes and riots, and the territory's income plummeted. Even if he stops gambling, he can't even pay the interest."

"Excellent. My city has a good start."

In such a hellish situation, the people who still remain in the territory must have some special reason for not leaving or are incompetent and lack the courage to go out.

Therefore, they are easy to manage, and if I create a dungeon and a city there, they will settle down.

"Shielle, I have a good grasp of this country now."

"I've cross-referenced the knowledge of many merchants and nobles and systematized it. Ask me anything."

Shielle is excellent.

Except for her tendency to get carried away.

"Gathering information and shopping is sufficient. Let's pick up Kumin and Arhi, and once the preparations are complete, let's go to the territory this fool governs."

"Yes! We're getting new land."

Let's go.

I think this way: If a heretic comes from outside the country, they will be noticed.

If that's the case, I can become a noble in this country and pretend to have developed a territory I already own.

◇

The noble of the Arnabourg Principality, Baron Tsutaya Farnade, was holed up in his mansion, holding his head.

Around the mansion, his private soldiers were patrolling.

If they didn't, they wouldn't know when the peasants would attack.

"...It's not enough. This month's repayment is not enough."

He had no money.

He was in a hopeless situation.

He borrowed from a merchant at a high interest rate, intending to default, but the merchant had the backing of the Duke Cortinara, who was connected to the royal family. If he made the Duke his enemy, he would be killed.

Therefore, he had no choice but to continue paying the exorbitant interest.

The interest alone was a considerable amount, and he had no room to reduce the principal. The decrease in income made the situation even worse.

The number of subjects in Farnade's territory was now less than half of what it was at its peak, and the tax revenue naturally decreased.

No, it was even less.

Over-extraction left no room for seed, and the workers were in such poor condition that they couldn't take care of the fields properly, and this year's harvest was poor.

The subjects were already dried up, and no matter how much he squeezed them, nothing came out.

He started selling the art pieces he had decided not to touch for repayment.

However, there was one thing he absolutely did not want to sell, which was on his desk.

A statue of a goddess adorned with a ruby-like magic stone.

He didn't want to sell it.

Once he let it go, it would never come back. It was that valuable.

Baron Tsutaya Farnade was infatuated with this goddess.

"Why did it come to this? Ugh, help me, anyone, even a demon."

If someone could save him, he would make a contract with a demon.

However, there was no such convenient thing.

The Duke Cortinara would never let him escape.

He might as well die.

He would rather die than be separated from the goddess.

Just as he was thinking this, the door opened.

A black-clad youth with a blue-haired girl in tow entered.

He was young and slender, but the air he exuded was that of a seasoned soldier, and having seen many nobles, he knew this was not someone to be taken lightly.

"Who are you? How did you get in? What happened to the guards? What happened to the guards!!"

"Puff, puff, puff, that's not enough to stop Shielle. It was done in a puff."

The girl laughed.

She looked cute, but her back stiffened. Her instincts were screaming.

She's not human.

The black-clad youth is the same.

Could he be a real demon?

"Shielle, don't scare him too much. Baron Tsutaya Farnade, I came here to save you. I will take on all your debts, your position as Baron Farnade, your territory, and your people. I will give you a new name, a new life, and enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life. Take off the robe that doesn't fit you and entrust everything to me. Then, you can live happily with your precious goddess."

The man extended a cloth bag filled with gold and several documents.

Where did he get them? They were official documents with the royal family's crest, including an application for adoption and the transfer of assets and power to the successor.

In addition to these documents, there was a will written in his own handwriting, a household registration in a neighboring country, a comfortable residence, and profiles of the servants living there.

Baron Tsutaya Farnade understood the contract being offered.

This man is a demon who tempts people to fall. But still.

"This will make me happy."

With that in mind, Baron Tsutaya Farnade signed the documents, took the last treasure and gold, and boarded the luxurious two-horse carriage the man had prepared, heading for his new land.

With gold and the goddess, the name and place that only caused him pain no longer mattered.

Finally, he could be free and happy.

The carriage carrying him sped through the dark night like the wind.