Chapter 2: Trao’s Underlings
After leaving the tavern, I headed straight to a house on the outskirts of town.
At first glance, it looked like any other house, but upon closer inspection, there were no windows on the ground floor, and the door was solid and sturdy.
I knocked twice, then once, then three times. Finally, the peephole opened, and someone inside confirmed my face.
“What’s the matter, Senpai?”
The one who greeted me was Rio. She let me in, quickly closed the door, and scanned the surroundings.
Rio, an adventurer by profession, wore light armor for ease of movement, with a sword at her waist. Her short red hair, slightly slanted eyes, and agile body reminded me of a cat.
She was also the leader of the all-female party based in this house, Garnet.
Once inside, two members of Garnet, Lilith and Dominique, rushed over to me.
Lilith, a cleric, had shoulder-length pink hair and large, round eyes. She was slightly short with a gentle face that put people at ease.
Dominique, the mage, had curly blonde hair she usually hid under a hood. Though her features were well-formed, they were often obscured by the hood.
This trio made up Garnet, a promising A-rank party, but they were also my pawns.
Four years ago, I approached them when they were struggling as adventurers, teaching them how to defeat monsters, coordinate as a party, and all the necessary knowledge to survive as adventurers. I even funneled money from Blue Ring… or rather, made an upfront investment to equip them.
Now, they called me “Senpai” and gathered intelligence, conducted reconnaissance, and occasionally did some unsavory jobs for Blue Ring.
However, Garnet’s existence was kept secret from Blue Ring’s members. They would never accept having younger girls do the dirty work.
Still, without people willing to take on such roles, defeating the Demon King would be impossible. The world isn’t a place where you can get by with just ideals. I intended to take on these dirty roles, but…
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“I got expelled from Blue Ring.”
I said in a joking way.
“What!?”
After a moment of stunned silence,
they started listing my crimes in unison:
“Did they find out you were embezzling party funds?”
“No, it must be that they found out you were forcing second-hand gear on the party while buying new, high-performance items for yourself, right?”
“Was it blackmail? Robbery? Kidnapping? Which crime got found out?”
Let me clarify, the new high-performance item bag was necessary for the future, so it wasn’t a waste.
And as for the crimes, they were only against really bad people who were in the way… though I’d be arrested if found out.
“…No, I mean, a lot got found out, but that’s not the reason.”
Feeling somewhat blamed, I calmed them down with a hand gesture.
“Sure, they had many complaints about me, but they cut me off because I opposed the Demon King subjugation.”
I didn’t mention Garnet was a reason for my expulsion to avoid them feeling responsible.
“Demon King subjugation… Senpai, you’re against it?”
Hesitantly, Lilith asked. I had already explained to them how difficult this subjugation would be, organized by the Golden Fangs.
“It’s doomed to fail. As a merchant, I can’t take part. I can’t throw my entire fortune into a gamble and end up hanging myself the next morning.”
“Is the chance of success that low? Even if you participate, Senpai?”
Rio seemed to have some hope for the subjugation.
“I’m not much use in terms of combat. My role is to create a winnable scenario. While it seems like a good opportunity, we’re not ready yet.”
Indeed, we weren’t ready. We lacked the necessary funds.
“I see… but if you say so, it must be true, Senpai.”
Rio looked disappointed. They had taken on dirty roles for Blue Ring’s subjugation of the Demon King. It’s understandable.
“Plan A, defeating the Demon King with Blue Ring, is off. So, we’ll go with Plan B—this team will achieve it. Naturally, I’ll join Garnet. Agreed?”
“…Can we really defeat the Demon King?”
Dominique sounded anxious. They had always been in support roles, and now they were expected to lead the fight.
“We can. Just follow my lead.”
With the main party switching from Blue Ring to Garnet, the plan needed significant changes, but it was manageable.
“So, what’s our first move?”
Rio, quick to adapt, asked with a tense expression.
“First, scout the movements of the Golden Fangs. Find out their route into the Demon King’s territory.”
“Understood.”
“If Blue Ring decided to join, the subjugation is almost certain. Secure high-grade weapons and gear first. Stockpile potions and medicines. Buy them through merchant acquaintances and sell them at a high price later. Lilith, Dominique, can you handle it?”
I asked the two. Lilith was trained in negotiations, and Dominique had a good eye for quality. They should be able to manage.
“Um… are we sabotaging the subjugation?”
Lilith gave me a slightly reproachful look.
“We’re not sabotaging. Merchants just seize opportunities to profit.”
“But the Golden Fangs are going to subjugate the Demon King for everyone’s sake, right?”
“Yes, in a hopeless battle.”
I thought of Rainer and the others. Would they give up if we monopolized the supplies?
No, that’s impossible. Completely controlling the supply chain was impossible. So, profiting now was the best option.
“But if you help, Senpai, maybe a miracle—”
Lilith persisted.
“As a cleric, you may believe in divine miracles, but as a merchant, I don’t. I only believe in money. If there were divine miracles, they should do something about the Demon King. And right now, I lack the money I believe in, so there’s nothing I can do.”
The Golden Fangs would be accompanied by five S-rank parties, including Blue Ring.
The adventurer guild’s upper management, friendly with the Golden Fangs, likely proposed this subjugation.
Pressured by the kings of various countries,
who wanted to halt the advancing Four Heavenly Kings, they planned a diversion by sending adventurers into the Demon King’s territory, hoping to force a retreat.
If so, it would be much better to use adventurers to destroy them individually, but in that case, the order of defeating them would be a problem. As a result of such political wrangling, a choice was made to invade the Demon King’s territory, which seems to be beneficial to all the countries.
If the remaining threat in the Demon King’s domain were the Beast King, there might be a chance, but against the demon Majin Becker, it’s tough. His demonic soldiers are strong, and even if he is defeated, the Demon King awaits. How do they plan to win?
Of course, the rewards would be plentiful, enticing adventurers.
But those rewards would cloud their judgment, making them think, “With this much money, I can buy powerful gear,” or “With so many adventurers, we can win.”
And then, looking at the adventurers who were lured by the gold, some adventurers gathered in the hope that they would be able to defeat the Demon King.
Rainer and his party were among those hopeful adventurers.
“As someone expelled from Blue Ring, I don’t care what happens to them now.”
I told Rio and the others, feeling a frown form on my brow.
“I’ll use whatever I can.”
They stared at me intently.
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