Deceiving Gamigin was nothing more than a concurrent task for me.
It honestly wasnât anything impressive. I was simply teaching a good life lesson to an amateur dater. The sight of me disemboweling myself will probably remain as a trauma for her. Blood, broken glass on the ground, and pained groansâŠâŠ.
From now on, she will probably never try to dominate her future partners because of this trauma. In this regard, Iâve become a great benefactor for all of Gamiginâs future partners. People say that being too nice will only cause inconveniences, but look at me being this nice.
Â
âYouâre up?â
Gamigin was acting as usual when I woke up. At a glance, nothing about her had changed. Should I say that this was as expected of her? Her mental state should be extremely unstable right now, but she was good at hiding it. Her mask was perfect.
I also acted like usual.
âUghâŠâŠ!â
However, when eating breakfast, I contorted my face and abruptly grabbed my stomach as if it were in pain while I was eating soup. Gamigin dropped her silver spoon in surprise. Her face became pale.
âItâs nothing.â
I put on an awkward smile which made it seem like I was forcing myself to smile.
âIâm all right, Miss Gamigin.â
That was it.
Gamigin couldnât put her mask back on throughout the entire day. The mask she had created so desperately had fallen apart with little effort.
At lunchtime, there were surprisingly no knives placed on the table among the silverware. This was rather interesting. It seems any sort of knife-like object reminded her of her trauma now. At this rate, sheâs going to have a hard time if she goes to war in the future. Hahaha.
Iâll tell Barbatos about this later.
Barbatos is someone who understands my personality fully. There was nothing to hide. Barbatos was also someone who hated humans so much that she would often say things like wanting to make children kill their own parents. In a way, we were mutually equal.
âTsk tsk.â
Barbatos clicked her tongue from her side of the crystal ball.
âWho knew that the day I would pity Gamigin would ever arrive. You live and learn.â
âRight? How could she have lived for that long and never had a proper relationship before? Sheesh.â
ââŠâŠWell, yeah. Thatâs not what I was feeling sympathetic about.â
Barbatos took a puff out of her long pipe.
âLet me ask you something. Do you not feel bad about tricking Gamigin?â
âHm? Why? The person who gets tricked is at fault.â
ââŠâŠ.â\n
At that moment, the expression on Barbatosâ face crinkled up so much that I couldnât possibly describe it with words alone.
I was just being honest. The number of humans that Gamigin slaughtered easily went over ten thousand, so what was so wrong about giving that sort of villain a little trauma?
The person who gets tricked is at fault.
* * *
Â
Keuncuska Firm HQ.
This building was always brimming with customers as there were no products the firm didnât deal in, whether they were from the demon world or the human continent, and they accepted all customers indiscriminately. Small merchants were making a fuss as they were doing whatever they could to bargain with the staff members of the firm.
The entrance was made out of marble in the style of the ancient republic. Beyond it was a tall, gothic-style structure that looked as if it were built recently. It was magnificent enough to claim the title as the best in the demon world.
This place was my main objective for visiting Niflheim. In order to meet Ivar Lodbrok and see her real body.
However, there was an issue.
Getting here was easy enough after pleasantly leaving Gamiginâs villa, but I wasnât sure how I was going to meet Ivar Lodbrok. I had forgotten the magic orb I used to directly contact Ivar back at my Demon Lord Castle.
âAh, I donât really feel like going all the way back to my Demon Lord Castle after coming all the way hereâŠâŠ.â
I was troubled.
Itâd be great if there was a reception desk somewhere, but all I could see was a sea of merchants. I was too unfamiliar with the layout of the building. It was silly if you think that I was unfamiliar with the headquarters of the firm that I had traded with hundreds of times now.
I canât do anything about it now.
I decided to stop and ask one of the staff members.
âHey, you. Let me ask you something. Where do I have to go to meet Ivar Lodbrok?â
âWhat?â
The staff member gave me a weird look.
ââŠâŠHa, is this guy retarded?â
He let out a snort before continuing on his way.
Well, I wasnât offended. He probably didnât know that Iâm a Demon Lord. Different from Barbatos and Paimon, my face isnât that known to the public. âThereâs a man going out with several female Demon Lords,â this is the most that people know about me.
I didnât let this bother me as I stopped another person.
âYou there. I donât know the layout of the building that well. Do you perhaps know where Ivar Lodbrok is?â
âThe exit is that way.â
The staff member politely pointed outside the building. She walked away with quick, short steps.
Mm.\nâIvar Lodbrok? You arenât talking about our chief, right?â
âHow can a perfectly normal-looking man go so insane? Keke.â
âWhy are you bothering me with this bullshit when Iâm busy!â
The same thing happened dozens of times.
The staff members either cursed at me or ignored me whenever I approached them. It wasnât like I didnât understand them. To them, Ivar Lodbrok wasnât simply the CEO of the firm they worked for. He was the God of the business world who had been reigning for hundreds of years.
Itâd be like a tourist going to the Vatican and asking âWhere do I have to go to meet the pope?â. People would probably give them weird gazes. It was the same here. Except, understanding with my head was a separate matter from progressing the situation.
I was standing in the center of the busy marketplace like a solitary island.
ââŠâŠWhat should I do?â
Should I show the horn on the back of my head to prove that Iâm a Demon Lord? No, I still have my dignity as a Demon LordâŠâŠ. Moreover, not only do I only have one horn, but itâs also rather small for a Demon Lord.
Among Demon Lords, your horn size was comparable to a dick measuring contest between men. You were respected the larger it was and ignored the smaller it was. My horn was so small that it was almost invisible under my hair.
âI donât really want to show itâŠâŠ.â
It was hopeless.
I continued to ask for directions while hoping that Iâll luckily find a nice person. However, far from being nice, there were only sharp-tempered assholes here. One of them even called the guards to chase me out, saying that I was a crazy person.
3 orc guards came up to me.
âGuest, you cannot act like this here.â
The orc who appeared to have the higher position growled in a rather refined tone despite his looks. His toned body made it obvious that itâd be dangerous to mess with him.
âListen here. I really received an invitation from Ivar Lodbrok. Iâm a Demon Lord.â
âJeez, it seems this rude customer wonât listen with just words. Guide him outside.â
âHahâŠâŠ.â
I scratched my head.
âIt probably wonât matter if I say this to you guys, but youâll regret this soon. Iâm serious.â
âHuhu.â
The orc guard laughed while showing his teeth.
âIâd regret it if I donât make a rude customer like you leave. Well, I donât like violence. Letâs proceed peacefully so we donât have any bitter feelings toward each other afterward.â
âMm.â
If I wanted to, I could use my power as a Demon Lord to force them to listen. But I donât like making a scene. Thereâs something Barbatos would always say to me whenever she had the chance, and that was to please keep my dignity.
My body is no longer mine alone. Itâs funny, but thatâs the truth. Iâm the lover of Barbatos, Sitri, and GamiginâŠâŠ. If my reputation goes down, then theirs will as well.
What would happen if a rumor got around saying that a Demon Lord mercilessly used his controlling power over the good people in the middle of a market hall? Niflheim consists of demons with a composed society. They arenât just a bunch of savage monsters. It might be different on the battlefield, but doing it thoughtlessly in a place like this would only sully the names of Demon Lords.\nVisit wuxiaworld.eu for extra chapters.
âFine. Iâll walk out on my own two feet.â
âDonât come back.â
I ended up sitting helplessly next to the fountain in front of the HQ building.
I absentmindedly watched the sun set behind the city.
A light gust blew through the city. The laundry lines that were set out like spiderwebs between buildings fluttered.
Articles of clothing and blankets fluttered in the wind as if they were coincidentally caught on the lines after flying through the air. They all swayed in the same direction like a bunch of leaves on a tree branch.
Those who have never stepped on air before and, even if they did, most likely did for only a moment before stepping foot on new land, were talking, working, and returning home. I heard a young girlâs voice from somewhere.
âApples! Freshly picked apples for sale!â
Another voice shouted.
âNo, even if it were really big.â
A large cloud went over the city. A long shadow was cast over the city spires, expansive rooftops, and streets made of stone. The cloud soon passed the city. People were momentarily sad about the loss of the cool shade, but that was it. They returned their eyes back to the things that attracted their attention around them. The one thing that was clear was the fact that no one paid any interest in the man sitting quietly next to the fountain.
It was after about 3 hours that a rather extravagant carriage came to a stop in front of me.
A man hastily exited the carriage.
âWell, if it isnât Sir Dantalian!â
The man expressed his friendliness by taking my hands in his.
Rank 68 Demon Lord Belial. Ever since Barbatos saved him when his Demon Lord Castle was about to get captured by the human army, he would act kindly to me since I happened to be Barbatosâ lover.
âAh, Sir Belial. It has been a while.â
I smiled slightly.
Referentially, there was also a time when I suspected that this guy was the culprit who supported Riffâs party from behind. Although I had forgotten about that since there was no proof.
âI never imagined that I would meet you here on the street like this. No, may I ask for what reason you are here sitting calmly on the floor?â
âHaha. I was actually chased out from the firm.â
âPardon me?â
Belialâs eyes opened wide in shock.
âYou were chased out?â
âI came here because I have an appointment with the chief of Keuncuska, but the staff members must have failed to realize that Iâm a Demon Lord as they refused to let me see him. It is troubling. I promised I would get here before eveningâŠâŠ.â
Belial let out a weird gasp.
âCouldnât you have used your Demon Lord authority?â
\nâThere were too many people around. I was afraid that bad rumors might begin to circulate if I were to use it.â
âThatâs trueâŠâŠ. Huh. Thatâs a turn-up for the books.â
In the end, I was able to arrive at the reception desk with Belialâs help. This desk was meant specifically for welcoming VIP guests. It was on the complete opposite side of where I was, so I wasnât able to find it.
âThank you very much, Sir Belial.â
âThink nothing of itâŠâŠhaha.â
Belial left after guiding me here.
The old man soon came down once I told the receptionist to notify Ivar Lodbrok of my presence. It was Ivar Lodbrokâs clone. He was accompanied by subordinates on both his sides as if he were some mafia member. He bowed deeply the moment he saw me.
Â
âI greet the O Great Being!â
I waved my hand.
âYeah, yeah. Youâre working hard. Iâll allow you to skip the pleasantries.â
âMy apologies, Your Highness, but I thought you would arrive soonerâŠâŠ.â
Ivar Lodbrok spoke in a slightly perplexed tone.
We didnât set an exact meeting time, but we did say that we would be meeting today. The other party was probably waiting all day. It definitely wasnât polite to keep them waiting. Especially when the person in question was the chief of Keuncuska.
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.
âI actually arrived three or four hours ago.â
âPardon me? Why did Your Highness not come up?â
âI was chased out.â
Ivar Lodbrok made the same expression Belial did earlier.
âMy apologies, but this humble one is struggling to understandâŠâŠ.â
âPeople failed to realize Iâm a Demon Lord, so I was chased out by the guards.â
ââŠâŠ.â
The temperature around us instantly dropped to below freezing.
âI revealed that Iâm a Demon Lord, but they insulted me and said I was a rude customer.â
Ivar Lodbrokâs expression became ghastly pale as if he had just witnessed the end of the world.
TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. This was a fun chapter. Nothing too big, but it makes you look forward to see how Ivar will try to amend the situation.On another unrelated note, next chapter has a chance of being a day late because I have to go to like a pre-wedding dinner tomorrow. Basically, our family is going to have a meal at the wedding hall where my brother is going to get married to âtest the foodâ. It doesnât sound like much, but it might end up taking up my whole day depending on how long people talk for⊠God I hope it doesnât last long.
In any case, if the next chapter comes out a bit late, itâs because of that. Iâll see you guys in the next chapter.