Profession, Merchant Volume 7 Chapter 1 (Patreon)

Chapter 1 – Demon Lord, I

Newland, the land of the Demon Lord, is surrounded by very steep mountains and requires a tunnel dug underground to enter.

This tunnel is a dungeon and is truly impregnable if you attempt to force your way through.

After all, it was the final barrier to the demon lord.

Now, we are walking through the said tunnel, the said tunnel where it has been the source of bloodshed for many heroes in the past.

And there, we found the dungeon to be dimly lit and filled with eerie sounds and dankness.

The sound of our footsteps echoed through the area, which appeared to be made of hard, raw ore.

“H-hey. T-this place, there aren’t any ghosts or anything, are there?”

The female warrior said something incomprehensible as she picked at my right sleeve.

“H-hey now! You don’t have to say anything weird!”

Meanwhile, the holy knight, whose shoulders were shaking, picked at my left sleeve.

I spoke, as if in at limit of being bothered.

“Look here. If you are so afraid, why are you insisting on following me? I mean, you don’t even need to come. You’re getting in the way of my work.”

But the female warrior insisted,

“Even if you say that, if you go into a dungeon like this alone, you’ll be eaten by monsters. You’re so weak.”

And the holy knight also followed…

“Well, I, the wife, am already enough of an escort. If you’re afraid of such ghosts, why don’t you go home?”

…though not wasting the chance to rebuke at the female warrior.

“Don’t be silly! I’m not afraid of ghosts…”

Naturally, the female warrior struck back, but in the middle of it, she stuttered and froze.

“What’s wrong… with you… kyaaa!”

When I looked to the front, I now realized whythey are acting like that.

But… to think that even the holy knight is afraid of such a being.

But it’s nothing. After all, it’s just a red ogre.

Red skin, twice the size of a man, horns on its head.

It’s certainly a demon, yes, but it’s no ghost.

“Kyaaa, kyaaaa.”

“Iyaaaa, g-ghooosstt!!”

But both of them were caught up in the atmosphere and made a fuss like idiots.

Hey, you’re stronger than me, you know that?

“Hey, calm down—”

“Hyeeeess~~~ I am a ghoooooosstttt~~~”

I don’t know why, but the red ogre also said something in a deep, haunting voice.

“—And you, you don’t have to go along with them!”

“Ah, no, my apologies. It’s just…”

The red ogre scratched the back of his large head.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, will you? Here. Our passes.”

“Oh. Right. You can go now. Watch your step and be careful.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

The two women look at me as I walk on.

“I-it’s not a ghost?”

“First of all, there’s no such thing as ghosts.”

I pat the little teary-eyed female warrior on the head.

But the holy knight, as if jealous, decides to interfere.

“It’s just a red ogre. And you are making a pointless fuss about it.”

“And you’re the one to talk! Just now, you were saying something like “Iyaaaa, g-ghooosstt!!” while you were clinging to him. Now that I think about it, why did that red ogre let us through?”

The female warrior asks, finally regaining her composure.

“Well, just because they’re demons doesn’t mean they have to attack humans on sight. Especially since I’m a merchant, a mere civilian. I’m neither a hero’s party nor a soldier, and I’ve got my papers in order, so I have a pass. Not to mention that this dungeon is also risk-free, at least around these parts.”

“Is that so?”

The holy knight was the first to ask. Doubtfully, even.

But I tell no lies. The demons here cannot just attack anyone – all because they are now under the laws of Newland.

After about an hour, we exit the dungeon easily and walk above ground in the western sunlight.

“Wow. None of them actually attacked us.”

“I’m surprised about that too.”

“Well, it is possible here because Newland has a strong demon lord, and that makes the rule of law very effective. It’s not like that in other demon cities because…”

Still, my lecture didn’t get through to either of them, especially the female warrior who was just chasing butterflies with her eyes.

○●○●

Be that as it may, the demon city of Newland looms menacingly before us.

The city is home to red ogres, blue ogres, lecher beasts, phantasms, orcs, devils, vampires, and various other forms of demons.

And at first glance, you can see that their structures are all huge.

To begin with, they all have different body sizes, so it stands to reason that they would be designed to accommodate the larger of the two.

The largest of these is still the Demon Lord’s Castle, which can be seen from anywhere in the city.

Its majesty pierces the clouds like a skyscraper.

“So where are we going?”

“To the Demon Lord’s Castle. For now, I have a story I need to get through.”

“The Demon Lord’s Castle… um, is it really safe? Or rather, aside from that, how can we get into the castle with so many monsters in front of us to begin with?”

“First of all, stop calling them ‘monsters’ and start calling them ‘demons’, as they are considered ‘citizens’ here. And secondly, it’s okay. You won’t get eaten if you behave normally.”

I was in a very optimistic mood, walking with a cigarette in my mouth.

Not expecting that the next moment I would be put in a situation where my heart would almost stop.

Because right after I said that, I suddenly felt my body being lifted.

“Eh, gyaaa! Uwhoaaahh!?”

I shouted stupidly, but I couldn’t help it. After all, my body was suddenly floating in the air.

I quickly checked the situation and saw huge claws on my shoulders, and when I looked up, I saw the belly of a dragon.

Is this… a kidnapping?

“Ahh, wait!”

“Please don’t go before us!”

I heard the female warrior and the holy knight cry out.

“No, help me! I’m scared!”

I also cried in panic, but the dragon took me away without even giving me a chance to escape.

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