Volume 9 Chapter 24 Merchant Guild Collapse Strategy
We returned to Clay's shop and immediately started a strategy meeting.
"Let's do it. We'll use the Merchant Guild as a scapegoat and take down the Demon King's protection tower."
At my words, Ice's eyes sparkled with excitement, saying "Yeah...!" and Clay yielded, saying "From here on, it's your territory, Leader."
Then, Rollo chimed in.
"Master~, aren't you being a bit too reckless~? You're always saying you don't want to stand out, but you're saying that's exactly what you're going to do~?"
Hearing that, I smiled wryly and said,
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I was planning to make a big splash and get back at Clay. Let's make it so grand that the bazaar is half destroyed."
"Wait, what? Master~, are you serious? Are you really going to make such a big deal out of this?"
"Haha."
"Eeek!"
While brushing off Rollo's teasing, I began to explain.
"The overall plan is to kidnap several influential merchants within the Merchant Guild, excluding Yor, and use them as pawns."
The premise remains the same: we can only make a big move with a scapegoat. We need a scapegoat.
"We'll use them as a scapegoat and launch a surprise attack on the tower. It'll be a large-scale battle against the Demon King's army, but we'll make sure to shift the blame to them. We'll mobilize a large number of demons to make it seem like they're the ones doing it."
"Yeah, that's right. The Demon King's army is heavily guarding against Empress Yor, but we can break through. The other merchants are also being guarded, but we can handle it."
"Ah, and then we'll shift the blame to Yor if they get caught――"
I stopped talking there.
"...This is impossible. Demons won't listen to what we say."
"Eh...?"
Clay looked puzzled.
"It's definitely suspicious, but... yeah, that's right. The influential merchants are experienced and have strong demons. Even if we use a Slum trainer, it's uncertain whether it'll work out."
A trainer. I wondered if such a thing existed.
"So, bringing a big merchant along and... that plan is no good. Threatening them won't work, and the Demon King's army won't buy it either. Especially if we get caught by the Demon King's army, we won't be able to do anything."
I let out a sigh. Clay also says, "How about calling master?" with a hint of consideration. The existence of 'mystery' is a bit concerning, though.
Then, Ice raises her hand, saying, "Ah, ah, that's...?"
"What, did you think of something?"
"Yeah... I was thinking, maybe we could use the demons we brought here...?"
"Tell me more about it."
"Yeah...!"
Ice starts explaining.
"Basically, we want to frame the Merchant Guild, but since they're demons, they might give false testimony, which is unreliable, and that's a problem..."
"That's right. You're absolutely right."
"But whether the Demon King's army believes the Merchant Guild or not isn't the issue. It's whether one of the big merchants will give false testimony or not."
Ice searches for words, closes his mouth once, and then looks at me again.
"Even if the entire Merchant Guild denies it, if the Demon King's army suspects them, that's all that matters...!"
"Ah~! That's it, isn't it, Ice-sama? You're amazing~!"
Rollo laughs and says,
"So, after we attack the tower, we'll spread rumors that the demons from Bael's territory~, led by Rollo, did it, right? We'll say the Merchant Guild attacked the tower~!"
"―――I see. That's a good idea."
I think it's a clever plan.
Spreading rumors on a large scale, with thousands of people involved.
In a way, it's more effective than the testimony within the Merchant Guild. After all, a large number of people outside the Merchant Guild are saying they're the culprits.
However, if rumors start spreading without any evidence, there will be doubters within the Demon King's army as well. Then...
"I wish something would happen. An event that would make the Demon King's army, who heard the rumors, go 'So that's what happened!' or 'I knew it!' and start doubting."
As I was thinking about that, the door to the room suddenly burst open.
"Huh? Who could it be? I didn't call anyone..."
Clay cautiously approached the door, and when he opened it, the person who entered was incredibly energetic.
"It's all because of you that Wade and the others have disappeared! Where did you take them...? Wade! And Ice too!"
"Kyrie? And those 2 friends of yours."
"Klainatzirks' Lillu and Gand! You should remember!"
The ones who appeared were Kyrie and the 2 demon friends I had gotten along with before, Klainatzirks.
There was Kyrie, the leader with an androgynous, red-haired, and carefree demeanor. Then there were their companions, Gand, the giant with scales on his cheeks, and Lillu, the wolf-like demon.
...But why are they here? This is the conference room in the back of Clay's shop, and it's usually off-limits to outsiders.
Looking at the 2 who followed behind, it seemed like they couldn't stop their leader Kyrie's impulsive actions. I glared at Kyrie with a scowl.
But Kyrie was unfazed. With sparkling eyes, they approached me.
"You look perfectly fine I thought you'd been kidnapped by the Slums or something☆."
"That's not something to be said with a high tone."
"No way, it's great! We didn't get caught by the Slums, after all ."
"There's something unsettling about your way of worrying..."
I responded to Kyrie's high-tension remarks with a scowl.
"Wade-kun, who are those people?"
"Ah, that's Kyrie from before. They're related to the circus."
"I see."
Clay nodded in understanding, not seeming to be angry about the sudden intrusion by outsiders.
On the other hand, Ice was being cold.
"..."
She gazed at Kyrie with a chilly smile. It was the coldest gaze I'd seen since we first met at the training facility, when we saw Drop.
I couldn't help but feel that she really disliked demons. It seemed to depend on the individual, though.
"What did you come here for...?"
Clay's eyes widened in surprise at Ice's question, which was laced with a hint of darkness. On the other hand, Kyrie didn't seem to notice and said with a smile, "Well, of course, those 2 were worried about you!" What a thick skin they have.
"Is that so... But, you know? That kind of thing is okay, because we're really strong, right...?"
"I know that, but! You suddenly disappear and get us worried! You're strong, I know, but there's no scent of sorcery, you know♪."
Kyrie seemed to be saying something friendly, but Ice's smile was freezing cold. Clay and I were terrified.
Come to think of it, we're always getting tangled up in trouble in hell. I was wondering why we were being targeted, but I guess it's because we don't use sorcery, so there's no scent of it.
As I was thinking that, Kyrie stepped on Ice's landmine.
"And, Ice was strong at long-range, but if we get caught, it's gonna be bad, right?☆."
"So, should I try it...?"
Oh no, this is bad. We have to stop her.
Just then, Rollo suddenly cut in.
"Ladies~! Right now! Rollo and the others were plotting something naughty!♡."
"Huh? Plotting something? What kind of bad thing were you planning?!?"
Kyrie bit into Rollo's words, and Ice's fighting stance was defused.
Clay and I let out a sigh of relief, but Ice was still fuming.
"I'm so angry, I'm gonna destroy the Merchant Guild~! That's what we were talking about~! Maybe we'll need some extra hands, don't you think?"
"Rollo, wait... Don't go ahead with the plan..."
Ice tried to stop her, but Rollo stuck out her tongue and acted cute.
At that moment, I suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu looking at the two of them standing side by side.
Rollo and Kyrie――these two are supposed to be completely unrelated.
But for some reason, they seem... eerily similar.
Their facial features are more alike than Renril's sisters, and their carefree attitude, as well as something deep down in their personalities, seem to be the same, somehow.
I noticed it, and I'm like, "What's going on?" There's this weird sense of discomfort. The two of them are standing side by side, and it's like they're identical twins or something. But for some reason, they're not saying a word to each other.
I gulped, swallowing my saliva. It's a small thing, but for some reason, I feel like I've stumbled upon something I shouldn't know, and it's making me really uneasy.
That's when Kyrie spoke up.
"―――If we're going after the Merchant Guild, I've got a juicy rumor to share?"
Everyone's gaze turned to Kyrie. Kyrie flashed a wicked, demon-like grin and said,
"Recently, the Circus's troublemakers and the Slum's lowlifes have been teaming up to take down the big shots at the Bazaar. And if we time our attack just right, we might be able to take down the Merchant Guild too☆."
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