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Chapter 346

To head to the Edina Archipelago, I needed Lucinil.

It wasn’t an urgent matter, but there was no need to delay it either. Thus, I entrusted a letter for Count Argon Ponteus to the Rotary Club.

Even though I wore the Ring of Sarkegaar, I had no intention of visiting Count Argon Ponteus’s house directly, as I had to be cautious about my movements.

I left the Rotary Club headquarters and headed to the prearranged contact point.

Since it would take some time for my message to reach its destination, I waited until late at night.

The meeting place was in the lower reaches of the Irine River, just a little off the main road.

It was a very secluded spot.

If there was plenty of time, waiting like this would be possible. However, if I were in a hurry, this method would be difficult.

Although I had no choice but to stay at Count Argon Ponteus’s mansion for now, I thought I should make arrangements to contact Lucinil more conveniently.

How long did I kill time by the riverside in the darkness?

Swoosh

As if a faint mist gathered from the void, it soon took the shape of a silver-hAirid girl.

Thud

“Hello, Archdemon?” she said, as she gently landed on the ground and looked up at me.

“Have you arrived?”

“Yeah, I’m here.”

“But what was that just now? Is it like teleportation?”

“Huh? Oh… this?”

Lucinil briefly demonstrated the ability to become blurry and turn into mist, then materialize once again.

“It’s a vampire ability. It’s not teleportation. I can move quickly, though.”

The ability to transform into mist. Eleris had never shown me such an ability before. Was it a power unique to the Wednesday Clan?

Did each clan have their own unique abilities?

While I was wondering about that on my own, Lucinil put her hand on her waist.

“Anyway, you needed me?”

“Yes, I need you to accompany me somewhere immediately.”

“Where?”

“It’s a place called the Edina Archipelago in the southern part of the Empire. Do you know it?”

At my question, Lucinil crossed her arms as if she couldn’t believe it.

“What do you think I’ve been doing all these years? I usually know geography-related information. Although sometimes there are cases where a country I knew disappears.”

Had my question been too shallow for someone who had lived so many years? Lucinil tilted her head as she looked at me.

“What do you want to do in that southern island nation?”

“I have someone to meet there.”

I simply told Lucinil that, knowing that even if I explained further, she wouldn’t understand.

However, Lucinil seemed to have an attitude that she didn’t care what I did. It was neither opposition nor agreement.

Lucinil looked around.

“Alright. There doesn’t seem to be anyone around, so shall we go now? The distance is quite far, so I’ll have to cast the spell several times in a row.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Lucinil concentrated her mind and began casting Mass Teleport.

Both Lucinil and Eleris.

Their personalities were quite different, yet they were both equally reliable.

——

Located at the southernmost point of the empire, the Edina Archipelago was so far from the mainland that it lay beyond the range of even the large warp gates. As a result, one would normally have to travel there by boat.

There were warp gates installed on the islands themselves for inter-island travel, but they were not connected to the mainland.

-Pop!

Lucinil cast several consecutive teleportation spells.

I was able to arrive in the port city of Lazak, in the Edina Archipelago, where I had previously visited the Grantz family’s villa.

As soon as we arrived in the outskirts of Lazak, Lucinil’s eyes sparkled.

“Wow! It’s snowing here?”

The Edina Archipelago was not a tropical region, so it was also winter here, and the surrounding area was covered with heavy snow. Lucinil enjoyed stepping on the crunchy snow.

“…You’ve seen snow in the Council before.”

Hadn’t she complained about the snow being tiresome then?

“Archdemon, is the snow blowing in the windy places the same as this gentle snowfall in a quiet and cozy harbor town?”

“What’s the difference, really?”

“Ah, seeing someone much younger than me act like an old man who’s seen it all is quite refreshing.”

It was truly strange that Lucinil’s sensibilities had not died despite living for so long. Anyway, we stood on the outskirts of Lazak, looking at the snow-covered port city.

“Anyway, who are we supposed to meet?”

“A friend? Colleague? Someone who runs a tavern.”

Honestly, I barely remembered anything about Airi, apart from her pink hair. I had the opportunity to visit her last time but didn’t. Upon hearing my words, Lucinil tilted her head.

“A tavern? What on earth does your grand dream of reconstructing Darkland have to do with your colleague running a tavern in a remote village in the southernmost part of the continent?”

“I’ve decided to think of it as the first step towards gaining control of the empire’s finances, but the details are a bit complicated and vague, making it hard to explain.”

“…Really? I guess it is what it is.”

“Good.”

Lucinil gazed blankly at the falling snowflakes, as if to say, ‘if you say so.’

This guy, she helps with everything but is rather neglectful. It’s as if she’s saying, “I don’t care, do what you want.”

At least Eleris was curious about my intentions.

Just do it your way. I’ll help, but if you die or anything, it’s not my fault.

Should I describe it like that?

Is this what it means to be versatile?

“Anyway, don’t call me Archdemon anywhere from now on. I’d rather not attract any strange attention.”

Although I knew there would be no one here who could recognize me, I had changed my face to a completely different one, not as Reinhardt.

“Got it, Reinhardt.”

“Fine.”

Not looking like Reinhardt, but still called Reinhardt. It wasn’t a particularly rare name, so it seemed reasonable.

——

Having entered Lazak, they inquired about Airi’s tavern. They didn’t even know the name of the establishment; they simply asked if there was a tavern with many succubi nearby.

They thought they could easily find it since it was already quite famous, almost causing a family ruin across the city when they last visited.

“…?”

However, a passerby frowned upon hearing their question.

“What are you talking about?”

“…Pardon?”

“That tavern closed down quite some time ago.”

Having said that, the passerby walked away briskly.

It had closed down?

They had been too busy dealing with affairs in the Imperial City to keep up with the latest news from the Edina Archipelago.

What had happened to Airi in the meantime?

“Seems like a strange situation?”

“…Doesn’t it?”

Lucinil and the protagonist exchanged glances, but as they both knew nothing, staring at each other wouldn’t provide any answers.

They continued walking and stopped passersby to ask more questions. Most responses were that they knew the tavern, but it had closed down, so there was no point in going.

“Ah, that tavern? Too bad. I used to go there quite often…”

The person they talked to appeared to be a drunkard, tipsy from alcohol. The intoxicated man smacked his lips.

“Are the tavern staff… those people safe?”

At their question, the man frowned.

“Safe? You’re asking if they’re safe? Ha, haha. Hahaha…”

He laughed as if they’d asked a ridiculous question and moved past them.

Had something happened to Airi and the succubi?

Had they been found out and severely punished or even killed?

They had seemed to be doing well in business, but they knew of many cases where families were ruined.

Had this become a problem leading to a public outcry…?

Such dreadful possibilities swirled in their minds.

They stopped the next passerby and asked.

This time, it was a middle-aged woman.

“I heard there was a famous tavern in Lazak with many succubi, but it seems to have closed down. Do you know what happened?”

“…Why do you ask?”

The woman frowned upon seeing a stranger getting straight to the point.

“I just want to make sure they didn’t get hurt or anything…”

“Hurt? They’re not the type to get hurt.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Those damned creatures! They’re not worth worrying about. It would have been better if they had died! Ptui!”

The middle-aged woman spat as if disgusted and walked away.

What was going on?

What had happened?

The answer came from the next person they spoke to.

“Oh, you’re talking about those women?”

This person didn’t seem particularly interested in alcohol or regretful about the tavern’s closure.

The tavern owner had closed up shop quite some time ago and switched to the money lending business.

What?

What on earth was this?

The old man I’d been speaking to pointed to a certain direction in Lazak.

There stood a rather large and prominent stone building.

“Looks like they’re not catering to people like us with small change, but rather focusing on providing loans to ship owners and nobles who mainly lead trade fleets. Judging by the fact that they’ve closed their original business, they must be doing quite well.”

It wasn’t that the business had failed.

Rather, it had gone so well that there was no longer a need to run the tavern. As a passerby walked past, Lucinil grabbed my sleeve with a blank expression.

“Is this that thing you mentioned earlier… the Imperial authorization or something like that?”

“Well… it seems like it.”

“Why on earth didn’t you expect this either?”

The suggestion to strive for Imperial authorization had been made casually, but had the tavern already been closed and transitioned to a money lending system?

Just how much money had been made?

Lucinil and I walked toward the building that the passerby had pointed out.

——

Airi’s tavern had been thriving in the middle of the night. Thus, the regular customers seemed to be disappointed to see it transformed into a money lending business.

Pawnbroking, debt, money lending.

It seemed to be called such, but the stone building Lucinil and I arrived at appeared to be more of a financial institution than anything else.

What’s the difference between a large-scale pawnbroking business and a financial institution?

We had expected to see a tavern bustling at midnight, but when on earth had this building been built?

Angel Capital

The company name was even engraved at the entrance of the towering building.

“I don’t know much about finance, but the combination of angels and money lending doesn’t seem to fit well together.”

“…I think so too.”

Lucinil muttered in disbelief.

Despite the late hour, bright lights shone from within the building.

And there seemed to be a commotion near the entrance.

A young woman in a black suit and a middle-aged man with a protruding belly were in a dispute.

It wasn’t Airi, but it seemed certain that one of the succubi I had rescued was involved.

“Hey, just let it slide this time. I’ve told you several times that my money is tied up, right?”

“Captain, how many times have I told you? You must adhere to the interest payment due date. We run our business on tight finances, and there have been numerous occasions where we’ve been ruined because the due dates haven’t been met. I’ve repeatedly warned you to stick to the agreed-upon due dates and about the penalties for not meeting them, haven’t I?”

“Yeah, I know. Of course, I know. But did I know that things would turn out like this? Just give me one week, one week, and I’ll pay you triple the interest I owe. Seriously, who knew that my financial channels would suddenly be blocked? This has never happened before, you know?”

“Captain, I understand we have a relationship, and I would like to help you, but this is not a matter I can decide on my own ship. I must follow strict guidelines. The amount of interest is not the issue here. Once, we allowed an extension of a deadline, and it caused a major disruption in our financial liquidity, ruining a big business deal. I’m truly sorry, Captain.”

“Yuria… Please, I beg you. Do you think I, the captain of a Lenos-class trading ship, would care about such a small amount of interest? I’ve never fretted over money like this in my life. Please, just this once, for the sake of our friendship. Hmm? What do you say? Do you think I would face bankruptcy over such an amount? If you can help me just this once, I promise to repay the favor.”

The unfolding scene made my head hurt.

What on earth was going on?

At the persistence of the middle-aged man, Yuria, the Succubus who was called forth, let out a weary sigh.

“Fine. Our relationship goes back more than a day or two, Captain. But you must understand, this is the last time I can help you like this. If the deadline is missed again, it won’t be your problem alone – my neck will be on the line as well. Do you understand? You must value me as much as I value you.”

“Of course! When have I ever broken a promise with you, huh?! Except for this time, of course! Haha!”

“Alright, I’ll give you a one-week extension, but you must be prepared next time. After that, even I won’t be able to help you.”

“Great! In a week, I’ll repay not only the interest but also the principal!”

The middle-aged man, reassured by the promise of an extension, let out a hearty laugh and left.

After he left, the capital employee, presumably the Succubus named Yuria, turned her attention to us, standing blankly near the entrance.

“Are you visitors?”

“In a manner of speaking…”

At my words, Yuria scratched her cheek as if she felt sorry for us.

“I apologize. Angel Capital only provides financial services to a select group of VIP clients. We are not accepting new clients unless they have a referral from an existing member.”

It was a loan shark operation.

However, it wasn’t the type that targeted ordinary citizens.

How they ended up here from the bar was unclear, but the scale of the operation suggested it was wildly successful.

Right now, I am neither the person I was as Valier nor as Reinhardt. So, they wouldn’t recognize me.

“Tell the boss that ‘the last remaining family member’ has come. They’ll understand.”

“…!”

There were many ways to summon Airi.

Though we were not blood relatives, we were the last remaining family.

The royalty of Darkland.

Airi would understand that apart from herself, I was the only other family member.

“…I will inform them. Please follow me.”

And if Yuria was a Succubus, she would have no choice but to understand.

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