“To all of you—”
“Damn it… Damn demons. If you’re going to do it, target only me.”
“You have a few choices—”
“What are you saying, Takemi?! Are you telling us to survive on our own?!”
“I have prepared them. Make your choice.”
“Let’s all survive and go home together! Don’t give up!”
“Will you remain prisoners, or work for the demons instead?”
“The Demon King’s army is our opponent! It’s too naive to think all of us can survive!”
“…Rey—”
What a racket, these guys.
Lady Fiona had no choice but to abandon her “Demon King mode” and start crying, but none of them even noticed because they were so absorbed in their theatrical exchange.
“Be quiet. You’re in the presence of the Demon King.”
Primilla slammed her heavy weapon against the ground.
Sensing danger, the three reincarnators stiffened and finally shut up.
Primilla is so reliable… Let’s not mention that even Lady Fiona flinched a little.
“Go ahead, my lord.”
“…Rey. I’ll leave it to you.”
Oh great, this demon is panicking and pushing everything onto me.
Well, I guess that’s fair. At least she managed to act like a Demon King for a bit.
“Alright, choose: work for us and enjoy some degree of freedom, or be confined.”
“…Working… does that mean killing humans as one of the demons?”
“No, you’ll be manning a shop.”
“…A shop?”
I’ll leave the beastmen to Tokito and Okui, and these guys can manage the dwarves’ dungeon shop.
Too many reincarnators in one place might conspire against us, which would be a hassle.
…Or maybe it would be easier to deal with them all at once if they did.
“What are you planning to sell? Surely not… drugs?”
“Ah, well, medicine is one thing.”
“Damn it! You fiends! So that’s how you’ve been secretly corrupting humanity?!”
Corrupting them? We’re actually helping with recovery, but okay.
Still, judging by his reaction, it seems winning them over won’t be easy.
“You’re mistaken. The medicine we’re selling is healing potions.”
…Ah, that’s what they thought?
Did they assume we were selling illegal drugs to weaken humanity?
I see now. That would make it hard for them to comply. Thanks, Rigma, for pointing that out.
“Healing potions… So, it’s just a regular tool shop?”
I feel like their hostility towards us has slightly decreased.
Not that I should say this, but is it really okay for them to trust an enemy’s words so easily?
“If we sold shady stuff, we wouldn’t be able to run a legitimate business.”
Besides, could Lady Fiona even create dangerous items like that?
It would skew our customer base and be a waste of magical resources for a shop with no steady supply of goods.
“So, what will you do? I don’t mind if you don’t want to work.”
Lady Fiona seems to be holding out hope, but if they refuse, we’ll have to confine them for a while.
Given their personalities, I wouldn’t be surprised if they chose that option.
“…If it’s not aiding in evil deeds, we won’t freeload either.”
“But—”
“It’s fine. The situation isn’t much different. Instead of living in a castle and leveling up for humanity, we’ll be working in a dungeon and leveling up for the demons.”
“True… We don’t owe anything to those who treat us unfairly.”
“Besides, as long as you two are here, I can manage anywhere.”
They seem surprisingly on board with the idea.
Judging from what they just said, are some of the other reincarnators besides Kunimatsu being treated unfairly?
If that’s the case, we might be able to win them over with the right conditions.
Though, there are probably others like the first group who think demons are just fodder for leveling up, so we’ll have to tread carefully.
“If you work and produce results, we’ll reward you accordingly.”
For instance, employee housing might get upgraded.
Lady Fiona is the kind of demon who handles those things properly.
Even if they eventually betray us, we need to provide appropriate rewards for their current efforts.
“Well, we’ll see… Those kings said similar things, and look how that turned out.”
It seems they’re willing to work, albeit with some skepticism.
But we’re just as wary of them, so that’s fine.
“Alright, I’ll work. I’m Takemi Kazama. My skill is ‘Hero.'”
“If Takemi says so… I’m Arata Sera. My skill is ‘Saintess.'”
“I’m Tomoka Hara. My skill is ‘Sage.’ Make sure to treat me well, okay?”
…Should they really be so open about their skills?
Honestly, I’m starting to worry for them.
But it’s good that they’re motivated.
“I am Rey. As you can see, I am a demon.”
First, I introduce myself, followed by the Four Heavenly Kings and Lady Fiona, but there is no significant reaction.
That means, these guys are probably newcomers to this world and have never played the game.
“I’ll be watching you, so if you do anything strange, I’ll burn you. Be careful.”
“That sounds dangerous… I’d like to know what you mean by ‘strange things’.”
“Any act of betraying the Demon King.”
“I see… understood.”
Finally, Pilkaya firmly gives a warning, and our introductions are finished.
I’m not sure how much they understood, but I sincerely hope they work without causing any trouble like Tokito did.
“First, I’d like to hear about the country you were affiliated with.”
“Please, listen! Let us tell you how unfairly we were treated!”
…Wow, they’re really eager about this.
Afterward, they went on to explain in detail their past circumstances, and I only learned that, apart from Kunimatsu, there are no significant threats, and the other reincarnated people are unmotivated.
I see. It seems the king here has misunderstood how to use these guys.
Naturally, there are very few people who can suddenly reincarnate in this world and fight.
It would be more efficient to use them as labor in a safe place, just like in their original world.
And since we’re short of shop clerks, it would be best to have them work in the store.
“Then, I’ll talk to the dwarf store manager. You’ll work there.”
“Ah, that manager, huh.”
Since they’ve been frequenting trap dungeons, Kazama must have used that shop.
If they’re acquainted, it should be easier for them to work together.
“Wait.”
Just as I was about to guide the three of them to the shop, Lady Fiona stopped me.
…Ah, she’s holding a treasure chest.
“Kazama. You said you’re a hero, right?”
“Ah, yeah… I said that.”
With Fiona’s serious expression, it’s hard not to be intimidated by her, especially with her good looks.
Even Kazama switched to using honorifics after a while.
But don’t be fooled. Her thoughts are definitely a bit off right now.
“What is your power as a hero?”
“…Unfortunately, I don’t know what it is. It’s not clear.”
“No, you already have power.”
Kazama, looking regretful, listened to Fiona’s words in surprise.
“Dungeons are far more dangerous than you might think. The fact that you’ve stayed unharmed until now is undoubtedly due to your power as a hero.”
“Me… a hero’s power…?”
“And that power, I believe, can even rewrite fate. After all, you changed the future where you were supposed to fall into traps.”
In other words, it’s just a protagonist buff, or good luck. It’s all about perspective.
“So, I want you to open this treasure chest with strong determination.”
“? Well, I don’t mind… I guess.”
See, she suddenly starts saying strange things, so Kazama looks troubled.
Still, he was about to open the treasure chest as instructed.
But since he was asked to try opening it, he hadn’t actually opened it yet.
Such a strange order, yet he obediently followed.
“Now, Rey!”
“Yeah, yeah…”
It felt like an ambush, and Kazama and the others were startled, but I ignored them and opened the chest.
Inside was… the feather of a phoenix.
“…Now, go. I expect you to be of use to me in the future.”
With her voice fading, Lady Fiona managed to say this.
Kazama and the others seemed moved by her words and left the place, guided by Primilla.
“Rey~!”
“Too bad.”
With demon king mode now over, Lady Fiona clung to me, and I immediately comforted her.
I’d rather she didn’t cling to me. She may be disappointing on the inside, but she’s really beautiful on the outside.
“Well, it won’t go that smoothly. We don’t even know if Kazama’s ability is just good luck.”
“That’s what you say, Rey! You make me hope, and yet it’s so cruel.”
That’s a false accusation. I’ll defend the reincarnators in this case.
…Well, they are reincarnators, so they should be able to open treasure chests too.
“Lady Fiona, why didn’t you have Kazama open the chest directly?”
“Well, if I did that, I wouldn’t be able to brag about having you, Rey, resurrect my subordinates. I want to brag about you to all my subordinates.”
“…I see.”
If we’re talking about credit, it’s all Fiona’s credit, though…
Well, I’ll accept her words gratefully since she seems to appreciate me that much.
“Kazama and the others, and even the Demon King’s crew, are always flirting around, huh?”
Shut up, Pilkaya. There’s no way Lady Fiona would talk about something so seductive.
