The Demon Lord produced a scroll from his pocket and removed one piece of art after another from it, placing them on the floor and the table. It was an amazing sight, but McBonald was not surprised. He was prepared not to be surprised no matter what his friend did, at this point. Still...
“T-This... is the famous vase of Aden!”
McBonald had his limits. He somehow accepted the method of storage he had never seen before. Some sort of foreign magic or new magical item, he thought. But, when it came to art, when it came to his livelihood, he couldn’t conceal his emotions.
“This was given to me by the Madame. I don’t have a place for it, and I thought you’d make better use of it.”
“Madame...? The younger sister, the famous collector?”
McBonald latched right onto that word. ‘The Madame’ could only mean one of two people in this country. The younger of which was a famous art collector, who also happened to win the previously mentioned music box in an auction.
“No, her sister.”
“I see...”
McBonald sighed in relief. He was sure that Madame Buttersauce would have never let go of the Vase of Aden, of all things. On the other hand, her older sister was less interested in art, and could plausibly give it away.
“In any case, these are all masterpieces... the Portrait of Baroness Doryl, the Golden Spoon of Herun, and this beautiful jade necklace.”
“I expect to receive many more like these in the future.”
“F-From the Madame...?” McBonald asked, shaking.
The Holy Maiden in front of him and the Madame. These figures guaranteed that none of these were fakes, and he could see that with his own eyes after numerous inspections. Just the art pieces in front of him now were worth twenty gold medallions. The Demon Lord suddenly lit his cigarette, and answered confidently.
“From all corners of the continent.”
McBonald was dumbfounded by the daring declaration. It was already surprising that he had been given art pieces by the Madame, and now he was claiming that he would have his hands on various pieces from around the continent. Luna flashed a surprised expression beside the Demon Lord, but soon, something seemed to click in her mind.
“The hot springs, right? How much money is it going to make?”
“It’s not about the money. The whole continent is going to be remade, with that village at its epicenter.”
“So, since I’m the lady of the village, I’ll be the world’s most important princess!”
“Hm... It seems you will.”
“Yay!”
Clinging onto the Demon Lord’s arm, Luna wore an innocent smile. Listening to this conversation, McBonald’s stomach was churning. What was happening? What was about to happen? All he could tell was that something unimaginable was forming under the surface. His intuition as a businessman was screaming at him to not miss this opportunity.
“Mister Kunai, Miss Holy Maiden. It seems that, um, you are orchestrating something huge.”
“I’m just playing in the sandbox,” the Demon Lord grinned, smoke flowing out of his smile. In a sense, this really was like a sandbox game for this man. It wasn’t the type of game that allowed him to build or scrap things with the push of a button, though. All planning and details were handled by Tahara, and the Demon Lord just had to give the green light.
“Now, let’s finish our business. These pieces will be yours for ten gold medallions.”
“T-Ten...? T-That’s hardly enough.”
“With the profit you earn, I want you to start a branch in the village of Rabbi.”
“Oh, you’re recruiting him.”
McBonald was plenty surprised by what the Demon Lord was saying, but the most surprising thing of all was the Holy Maiden still clinging to the Demon Lord’s arm. Luna was feared as a self-centered woman with a temper, but she looked like an ordinary girl now.
“I will gladly purchase these pieces. But, when it comes to a new branch... Well... If I could ask you about the contract...”
“Of course. No need for you to pay rent on the land. We would only have you pay 10% of your monthly sales to the village as a tax.”
“J-Just 10%...?”
“Oh, would you feel easier with a higher tax?”
“N-No no no no, sir! I feel completely at ease with 10%! I would love to pay 10%!” McBonald shouted.
It wasn’t that the Demon Lord was teasing him, nor did he have any calculations for the 10% rate. He simply reused the entire adventurer tax system he had learned while dungeon-crawling. Naturally, people were taxed differently based on the ruler of the land or city. Dungeon-crawling taxes could have an astronomical difference in their rates depending on the place, but the Demon Lord was only aware of the tax rate for the Bastille Dungeon. Yahooo, by the way, as a trading city, had an extremely high tax rate.
(I can make as much money as I want anywhere else... First, I need to gather good stores to gain vitality and trust.)
Just as ubiquitous fast food chains populate train stations in Japan, leading to convenience stores, apartment complexes, then supermarkets... the Demon Lord was hoping for a chain reaction like that. If it clicked, this reaction could go on endlessly.
“Then we have a deal. Tahara, one of my advisors, will confirm the details with you.”
“Y-Yes, sir! I look forward to conducting further business with you!”
“Oh, I did have a special present for you.”
“A present...?”
“I made it on the fly, but it might go for an interesting price.”
The Demon Lord handed him what resembled a name card. He had made it from a simple name card printer in the hot springs resort. It read ‘One Night’s Stay at the Hot Springs Resort’ on it. Without understanding what it was, McBonald took it and thanked the Demon Lord. He didn’t expect this little card to cause one big commotion down the road. This piece of paper would later be put up for auction, where the other butterfly, Buttersauce Butterfly, would win it.
The Demon Lord Goes Scouting, Part 2
After leaving McBonald’s shop, they headed straight for an apparel store: Fashion Police, run by Bingo, where he had bought Aku some clothes and ordered the Bunnies’ uniforms.
“Uh-huh... So you had these people make those perverted uniforms.”
“It looks like we’ll have them make all sorts of bizarre clothes.”
“Uh-huh. Uh-huh.”
Still clinging to his arm, Luna coldly stared at the Demon Lord... Most likely because she was never asked to wear one of the Bunnies’ uniforms. While Luna didn’t want to wear it, perhaps her pride was hurt when she was never even asked.
“I gave you that Blazer.”
“Sure, that’s a cute one, but... I think some more lady-like... or s-s-s-s-sexy ones would suit me better.”
“Ha ha ha. You’re hilarious.”
“What was so funny!? Did I say something funny!? Huh!?”
Luna jumped up on him and choked him by the throat, but the Demon Lord kept walking nonchalantly, letting her be. Anyone around would have only seen him walking down the street with a Holy Maiden embracing him face-to-face.
They did eventually arrive at the shop, maintaining their position.
“Ooh la la... Mister Kuna— argh!”
Seeing Kunai, a super-mega VIP, Bingo strutted over to welcome him, his hips swaying. When he realized the Holy Maiden was the one embracing him, he couldn’t help but let out a hefty grunt. Bingo was more on the feminine side, a complete princess at heart. Letting out such a noise in front of customers was nothing less than humiliating.
“Long time no see.”
“P-Please excuse me...! Everyone, on my mark!”
“Welcome to Fashion Police!” Bingo and his employees said, in complete unison.
“A-All right...”
The Demon Lord couldn’t help but shuffle backwards, but Luna didn’t see anything amiss with this picture. She enjoyed being worshiped, and held a status that called for worship.
“Sh
opping with Miss Holy Maiden today? I’ve never seen such a gorgeous couple before!”
As Bingo shook his hips and bit his handkerchief, Luna’s eyes brightened. It’s worth noting that she was still holding onto the Demon Lord’s neck like a koala.
“That’s right, I remember! You told me before we’d go shopping in the Holy City together!”
“No. You said that.”
“Oh, man up! At times like these, the man just makes the woman look pretty!”
“Oh...? Interesting.”
The Demon Lord cracked a grin. He thought about making Luna try on every single erotic outfit in the store, but somehow restrained himself upon recalling why he was there. This man was outlandish in all sorts of situations, but wasn’t so immature as to forget his goal.
“Good news, Luna. It won’t happen today, but I will host your fashion show. A long, long, fashion show.”
“Huh...?”
“I’m excited now. When that time comes, I’ll be the man and provide you with all sorts of outfits. I recall some like Sumo Wrap and Naked Apron.”
“W-What are those terrifying names!?”
“Ha ha ha!”
“W-What’s so funny! I’m not going to wear any of those!”
“Ha ha ha!”
“Stop laughing!”
As he listened to their conversation, Bingo couldn’t control his cold sweats. He had heard that the youngest of the Holy Maidens had a terrible temper, and that it could be disastrous if she were to become upset. But now, she only seemed like an ordinary girl her age. Bingo was losing sight of how to deal with and treat her as a patron.
“We’ve gotten off track. Bingo, do you want to put up a shop in the village of Rabbi?” the Demon Lord asked bluntly.
Part of it was that he didn’t expect Bingo to turn him down, considering their history. In fact, Bingo had made easy money from him so far.
“Two of them, actually.”
“T-Two stores...?”
Without even waiting for Bingo to answer, the Demon Lord pressed on with brazen disregard.
“One will be a high-end retailer for nobles. Women who have gained their confidence in the hot springs will undoubtedly look for an outfit a step above what they have. Their ultimate aspirations will be to pull off those Bunnie uniforms.”
“T-That uniform will be their aspiration...?”
Bingo couldn’t imagine it. There were countless women in the world, and he would have been hard-pressed to find one who could pull off that revealing outfit. She would have to have a perfectly fit body with immaculate proportions. Considering how much skin the outfit revealed, her skin would have to be very rejuvenated and tight, too.
“The other will be a store with reasonably priced workers’ clothes and undergarments. No taxes on this store since we’ll build it in the commoners’ quarters.”
“N-No taxes, you say...?”
“No rent, either. Any profit you make goes into your profit. I mostly want you to make workers’ and artists’ wear.”
The Demon Lord gave him the quick rundown, including the same conditions he gave McBonald. Most of it was given without time for Bingo to agree to them, but the shopkeeper wasn’t losing anything from this deal. In fact, he had heard so much about the mysterious facility called the Hot Springs Resort from his employees who had visited the village.
“Please, please, please allow us to...! I will make them stores that you will be proud of!”
“Fantastic. You’ll hear the details from Tahara, one of my advisors.”
With a heavy clunk, the Demon Lord threw five gold medallions on the table. The overwhelming shimmer of gold grabbed a hold of Bingo and his employees’ attention. Eventually, it seemed that all of their eyes had turned into gold medallions.
“Here’s for the first round of materials. Don’t skimp on the clothes you sell to the nobles.”
“Absolutely! I swear to it, I will make sure that they will be up to your standards, sir, oh yes, sir!”
“Wonderful... Now, on the double.”
“Everyone, this is war! Run, ladies, run!”
With a familiar conclusion, the store erupted in chaos, and the employees sprinted out. It couldn’t be helped when the Demon Lord always threw gold at them any time he came. Naturally, the gold traveled far beyond Bingo and his store. Money trickled down to the materials shops, the silk growers, needle makers, accessory stores, and many more. The dead money and the frozen economy of this country were being forced into turmoil by this man. The wheel was big enough to crunch through any pebbles in its course, and to knock off any enemies that stood in its way. With it, the Demon Lord would not slow down... He couldn’t help it. He was the Demon Lord.
“Luna, now we’ll head to the Holy City... You’re still clinging on to me!?”
“W-What do you mean... Aren’t you happy a gorgeous girl like me is hanging on you!?”
“Ha ha ha.”
“Nothing about that was funny! Be happy! Say you’re happy!”
Laughing along, the Demon Lord flew to the Holy City using Quick Travel, popping off one miracle after another. If White were to see, she would have been stricken with a massive headache... for two separate reasons.
Before the Storm, Part 1
At the Holy City, their destination, people were dismayed, shocked, and confused at a variety of rumors circulating the city. One was a rumor that the Demon Lord had appeared, another was that a miraculous doctor who could heal any ailment had appeared, and yet another was that White, the leader of the Holy Maidens, was given an Angel’s Halo. Still, the hottest rumor of them all... was about the silver Dragonborn. Because White usually spent her days in the Holy Castle, the people had few opportunities to see her halo. However, the one-on-one between Zero and Allit, the Duke of Darkness, was witnessed by tens of thousands, making for rapid, sensational rumors.
“The Dragonborn protected the Holy Castle.”
“Apparently the Demon Lord is Lady Luna’s backer.”
“I heard there are jobs in the village of Rabbi.”
“I wish I could dye my hair silver...”
“Lady White is an angel now!”
“Lady Queen and the silver Dragonborn are lovers.”
“The Dragonborn must have appeared to her to protect Lady Queen.”
“When’s the wedding?”
“I bet it’s going to be one big ceremony...!”
With no newspapers or news shows in this world, information traveled through word of mouth and dictated public consciousness. Some information was accurate, while much was way off of the mark. Without anything like the internet, it was incredibly difficult for anyone to fact check anything. In the midst of the storm, yet another event occurred worthy of gossip: the Demon Lord in his pitch-black coat, and Luna walking along happily with the end of that coat in her hand. The crowd around them grew with time, and they clamored away. Seeing the reaction of the crowd, the Demon Lord brushed his hair back with his hand as if to suppress a migraine.
“I guess this is what happens when the Demon Lord and a Holy Maiden walk together. Why can’t you turn invisible with one of your Holy Maiden powers, or something?”
“Turn... In what world can people turn themselves invisible!? I need you to understand that you are the extreme exception.”
The grass was always greener on the other side. For the Demon Lord, the magic users of this world were the truly exceptional ones, but the people of this world saw the Demon Lord and his advisors as the ones who utilized magic on an impossible and grand scale.
“So, where are we going next?”
“I remember a place with good food. I’m going to ask the owner there.”
“Come to think of it, we don’t have a real restaurant in the village, do we...? Then I’ll speak to the manager at Artemis.”
“Ah... Great. Good thinking.”
With newfound respect, the Demon Lord patted Luna on her head. This wasn’t an act, either. He only saw Luna as a child, and nowhere near a
woman... yet. Throughout history in any world, women matured much faster than men. There would come a day when the Demon Lord would lose his smile and be tormented by Luna in return.
“H-Hmph! Finally, you give me some credit. I’m a Holy Maiden, remember!?”
“Mm. You’re great.”
The Demon Lord complimented her again, with no minced words. He simply liked anyone that could do something he couldn’t or think of something that he didn’t. This characteristic, on its own, could make him sound like either a good leader or a child.
“Maybe I’ll have Artemis use the dining hall in the resort, instead of a restaurant. No, wait... What if we let the restaurant with the best sales or reviews for a month use the dining hall for the next month? Oh, that’s good.”
“Huh... Competition, then. Good. That’s exactly what the Wise Angel teaches us. No growth without competition.”
“Growth, huh...?”
The Demon Lord couldn’t help but glance down at Luna’s bosom, the lawless wasteland. A vertical cliff that forbade anyone from entering, much less nurture any competition. No growth would be had here.
“W-W-W-W-What are you looking at!? Just because I’m beautiful, it doesn’t give you the right to look at me with those perverted looks!”
“Ha ha ha.”
“What’s so funny!?”
With a dry chuckle, the Demon Lord headed to Kanpai. The bar was bustling with adventurers as always. Sammie (the owner)’s cooking must have played a part in it, but the regulars had grown attached to the bar that saw them through their rookie days. When the Demon Lord opened the bar doors, all eyes turned to them.
“Hey, welcome... M-Miss Holy Maiden!? And the gentleman in black!”
“It’s been a while, Mama.”
“W-Why are you calling me Mama?”
“Why did you call me the gentleman in black?”
With her healthy stature and attitude, Sammie seemed like an Italian Mama to the Demon Lord. She acted that way, too.
“S-So, are you going to have something to eat, or...” Sammie asked, glancing at Luna.
Even she seemed nervous to see a Holy Maiden in her bar. A modern-day equivalent would be the head of the FBI casually dropping by. Even if they did nothing wrong, anyone would be a little uncomfortable.
Demon Lord, Retry! Volume 3 Page 15
