To Deprive a Deprived Person

Chapter 311: Rhinoceros beetle

Is it too big to call it――――a lone fish that moves effortlessly across the clear ocean? It has been growing steadily day by day and its length has already exceeded 40 meters. This is Ao――――the child of the sea dragon. Ao's huge jaw also holds a thick chain and if you follow that chain, you can see that it is connected to a magic ship.

"Hey! There's no need to be so hasty! Ao, I know you can hear me!

Narmo, a tigerman who is entrusted with the magic ship, shouts, but Ao doesn't even react to the voice, let alone look back. After all, Ao's eyes see the port of the Nameless Kingdom. He had no choice but to return as soon as possible. The speed of Ao pulling the magic ship goes up further.

"It seems that the ship has returned"

"It's back!"

A dragon man looking at the horizon from the harbor reports to Yuu in a soft voice and a young demon girl in a lively voice.

"You can see it by looking at it"

"I understand"

The little demon girl happily tells the dragon man.

"Hey, how long are you going to stay here?"

"Until you give back"

"Yes, Yes! I am"

The young demon girl raises her hand, jumping up and down.

"It doesn't matter what you think. If you have a place to go back to, then go home quickly"

"My God will not allow such an ungrateful act"

"What god do you believe in?"

"One of the Eight Great Dragon Kings, the great and benevolent――――Jinryuu Shintirio"

"What benevolent? Too fond of the human race............well fine"

This dragonman and young demon girl are the negative legacy of Balue. Originally, they were slaves that were kept by a nobleman of the Balue faction. Yuu, who didn't need slaves, released those who had a place to return, but there were some strangers and they came to the Nameless Kingdom with the gratitude to Yuu who released them from slavery.

"And the little one. You should be thinking about playing, eating, sleeping and growing up fast"

"I'm not a little girl. I eat a lot of food. Yesterday, you know. I played with Inpika-chan and others"

Yuu glanced at the dragonman.

"You can be relieved that I was there yesterday. Whenever children play in the river, there is usually an adult who is available to help"

"Hey. I didn't say anything, did I?"

"King, where are the older sisters?"

The young demon girl was curious about the fact that she could not see Nina and the others who were always with Yuu.

"I threw them out because they were too noisy"

"Eeh!?"

The young demon girl clutched the two small horns on her head in surprise. It's a habit that the young girl has when her emotions get the best of her.

"It's a joke. I'm sending them to the labyrinth because they're so noisy"

After the fierce battle in the Bueruko Basin, Nina and the others asked Yuu for an explanation as soon as they returned to the mansion. They were so worried and he exposed the appearance full of scratches, so it can be said that it is a natural request from Nina and others. However, Yuu abandoned all explanations――――no, Nina and the others didn't give up because of that, so Yuu threw them into an affordable labyrinth. Yes, the problem is postponed. After that, he ended the case with Roy and was handling the work of Nameless Kingdom that had been stagnant.

"In the labyrinth?"

"Yes. It's called the 『Fascinating Insect Kingdom』"

The dragonman muttered 「A rank labyrinth......」 without telling anyone. Then, along with the little demon girl, they turn their gaze to Namari, who has been standing by Yuu´s side for a long time.

"Is Namari-chan a caretaker?"

"No! I'm Odono-sama's bodyguard!"

"I told Namari to go as well. But she's too cocky to be my bodyguard. Well, I've got Kuro and Momo for Nina and the others, so they'll be fine"

Did she get bored? The young demon girl climbs up the body of the dragonman. The dragonman doesn't seem to care and he just piggybacks the young demon girl. The height and scenery that you wouldn't normally see make the young demon girl happy and excited. Despite having a place to return, the dragonman remains in the Nameless Kingdom, perhaps in return for his gratitude to Yuu, but this young demon girl has no place to return. There may not be a few of them. Among the slaves, a negative legacy of Balue, there were children of various races who were young. Yuu sought out the children who didn't even know the names and faces of their parents, let alone where they lived and sent them back in sequence with the help of those in power such as Morpheus and Muss. As such, some races keep the location of the village secret even to the same demons. The Nameless Kingdom took care of those children who had no place to return.

"Namari, let's go"

"Yup!"

Watching the magic ship entering the harbor, Yuu went on with Namari.

"Narmo, I've dropped the anchor!"

"Okay! Ao――――you don't have to use your strength anymore"

When the magic ship is fixed on the wharf, Ao releases the chain and heads for the beach where the children are waiting. Narmo drops his shoulders and sighs at Ao's unfriendly attitude.

"Damn. I'll definitely make you obey me one day"

The sailors working on the ship chuckled as they watched the frustrated Narmo.

"Sorry, let me through"

As soon as there was a pier between the magic ship and the dock, the merchants started to run ahead of them. Behind them, the escorts rush to chase the merchants saying, 「What should my employer do first?」.

"Nuhahaa. This Victor can understand the feeling of impatience, but I'm afraid you're in trouble"

It is Victor who has come down from the magic ship leisurely.

"Hooho. I think this country is worth it"

"I'm sure you're right about the potions that King Nameless makes"

Mago and a group of merchants followed. These ten or so merchants, including Mago and Viktor, are in possession of silver medals issued by Yuu. The copper medal is used to sell goods in Nameless Kingdom, the iron medal is used to purchase goods from Nameless Kingdom and the silver medal is used to purchase goods created by Yuu. Already, the merchants who could buy potions from Yuu were reaping huge profits in the process. The merchants who had started running as soon as the pier was set earlier were those who did not possess silver medals. Until now, only the wealthy, such as nobles and merchants and a few others, such as adventurers and mercenaries, had been able to purchase potions, but Yuu had made it possible for the common people to purchase them at low prices by differentiating their performance. As a result, a new market has opened up and that market is dominated by the merchants who do business with Yuu. The rival merchants are making huge fortunes right next to them and they can only watch with their fingers in their mouths. It was understandable that they wanted to win the trust and confidence of the Nameless Kingdom and receive the silver medal at any cost. And since they had heard that Yuu was going to be there today, their spirits were high.

"Look at this brilliance! Look at how bright it is!"

One of the merchants laid out a colorful array of jewels on the rug in front of Yuu. All of them were of the highest quality, with no complaints about grain or quality.

"Nameless, you can't sell gems in our house"

This merchant, who had recently come to Nameless, did not know that Yuu had enough jewels to sell from the treasure chests in the labyrinth and the gold and silver treasures stored by the ancient dragon Magranars, so Yuu was not interested in the jewels brought in by the merchants.

"Don't say that. Pick up one of these diamonds and take a look"

"No one is going to buy it, especially since diamonds are not that rare"

"Th, That's absurd!?"

"North and South

The merchants who had come to sell the jewels were puzzled by Yuu's words, but some of them were only slightly upset and immediately pretended to be ignorant.

"About 70% of the diamonds on the market are mined in the north and south countries. Hameln in the north and the Derim Empire in the south. These two countries play a central role in the amount of diamonds flowing into the diamond market, which is not so rare. In other words, the countries and merchants collude to maintain the value of the diamonds"

The merchants, who were unaware of this fact, turned their accusing eyes to Viktor, a merchant from the free state of Hameln.

"Satou-sama, that's terrible. You can't talk about the secrets of the state in a place like this. Viktor may be scolded for this later. I'll have to ask Satou-sama to do something for me"

"You're the ones who are terrible. You sell off a lot of rocks at a high price"

"Isn't it the role of a merchant to put a value on things? Besides, is it so bad for the countries of the north and south, with limited resources, to work together to gain profits? If you are a merchant, you should have an eye for the truth. If you are ashamed of yourself for not being able to see the truth from the amount of information and distribution, then so be it. If you blame others for your incompetence, aren't you disqualified as a merchant?"

The merchants who hadn't noticed the collusion of diamonds couldn't say anything back to Viktor.

"If you're not interested in jewels, how about food?"

As if to blow away the heavy atmosphere, another merchant made a sales pitch to Yuu.

"This is a spice from the south. At first, you may find it too pungent, but once you get used to it, it goes well with meat, vegetables and everything else. It is truly a magic spice"

"Hee. I like that"

The merchant inwardly shouted, 「Yes!」 as Yuu showed interest in the spices on display.

"I will buy as much as you have"

It was a purchase declaration without asking the price or quantity.

"If you'd like, I can bring you the necessary quantities on a regular basis"

"That's fine, but there's no point in trying to determine the population of Nameless from the amount of imports"

Some of the merchants smiled fondly as if to deceive, while others, such as Viktor, made no effort to hide.

"That's ridiculous. Nameless――――ah. Satou-sama, I'm not thinking about that!"

"How about you? Don't trust religion, scammers and merchants"

"Who is saying such a sloppy thing?"

"It's me"

"Eeh!?"

The children, who had taken the liberty of following the port, imitated Yuu loudly, saying, 「「「It's me!」」」 the merchants froze with their mouths open and Mago, who had been watching the business meeting in silence, covered his laughing mouth with his hand. The business meeting with the merchants continued. The children who were observing could not hide their excitement at the heated atmosphere and the rare goods from other countries. After most of the transactions were completed, Yuu's dealings with the merchants who possessed silver medals began. In the past, he had only shown his products to those who possessed silver medals, but now there were so many requests for them that he had opened the trade to the public. This includes the idea of having merchants compete with each other for trade with the Nameless Kingdom by showing the products Yuu creates to other merchants.

"Potion......gel, you say?"

"Yes. You can either drink the potion or pour it on the wound, right? This gel potion can be applied to a wound and even a small amount will have an effect"

"As expected of Satou-sama. Even the Alchemy Guild can't process potions like this"

"It's not just me. Now I have Russ and the deprived people creating them as well"

"So you're saying that not only you, but other people can create the same thing as long as they know how?"

"Yes"

"You can learn how to do it for a fee――――"

The merchant's attempt at evasion caused the others to panic.

"It's no good. You know the ingredients for potions, but you don't know how the Alchemy Guild creates potions"

Those with high-level 『Appraisal』 skills naturally identified the materials used in the potions created by Yuu and the Alchemy Guild, but could not find out how to make them.

"Satou-sama, this was another meaningful business meeting"

Victor, who had drunk the chilled fruit water in one gulp, spoke to Yuu.

"Business talks with you are more tiring than fighting monsters"

"Nuhahaa! It's like that again. By the way, the flying ship before――――was it an airship? What is the manufacturing situation like? Just tell this Victor――――"

"Victor-dono, I don't like the way you're asking Yuu-sama to do this"

"Oh? Mago-dono, are you jealous of my relationship with Satou-sama"

"No, of course not"

The merchant closest to Yuu was Mago, who restrained Victor when he was himself, but Victor didn't seem to care much and continued the conversation with Mago.

"An airship....... If it's easy to make, I wouldn't have a hard time"

"Hou....... Then?"

"It may be faster to find a floating island with nobody and remodel it"

"Nuhahaaa. Even Satou-sama cant build an airship――――

"There is!"

“――Difficult............is there?”

It was a beastman's child who broke into Yuu's conversation.

"Yes, there is. Yes, there is. It's a prototype"

"But, you know, children shouldn't ride alone. It's not fair for adults, is it?"

"It's only for two people, so we can't go on it"

"I want to fly in the sky, too"

Yet another child starts talking one after another.

"Ouch"

A beastman's child held his ass and raised his voice. In addition, Yuu shoots at the children's buttocks with magic bullets. Of course, it doesn't really hurt because the power is weakened, but the children still run away from Yuu.

"Stop it!"

"The king's mean~"

"You talk too much!"

The children dodge the magic bullets with quick movements while saying 「Why? Why?」.

"Hou, hoouu!"

Victor looks at Yuu sideways with a mean smile on his face.

"What is it? It's also a complaint. I tell you, it's something that even such kids know. It's not a very important secret"

"Hooho, I'm not worried about it. Oh, it looks like it's not the merchant over there"

Mago looked at the three men who were talking intently with the deprived people. It was easy to tell from their appearance that they were not merchants. They were not merchants, because no merchant would wear a gilet with a joust collar on top and culottes on the bottom.

"I didn't think much of it when we were together on the ship, but if Viktor's memory is correct, they were noblemen from the Kara Mu Kingdom"

"That's right. They are the aristocrats of the Kara Mu Kingdom, the fourth or fifth son. I heard that they were told to look into the Nameless Kingdom and hopefully incorporate it"

"Did they tell you that?"

"That's what they said. I told them, they're all such troublemakers at home, they'd rather be killed"

"I don't know about that"

Mago and Viktor both looked puzzled.

"Hooho. Those guys. Are they so incompetent?"

"No, they are not incompetent. You can tell by talking to them. They just have weird hobbies"

"Weird hobby......"

When the three men noticed Yuu, they came running, carrying baskets.

"Yayaa! Isn't this the Nameless King?"

"It's an honor to meet you"

"We must thank the Fire God, Agninni Allahz, for this day!"

"Shut up. It's not the first time we've met, you know. And don't call me king"

The group of excited men surrounded Yuu and made a lot of noise. Namari did her best to push them back.

"Stay away from Odono-sama"

"Ooo. Namari-dono, I beg your pardon"

"I'm afraid we've gotten carried away"

"Umm. But it can't be helped. We've got so many individuals!"

Then the men opened the lid of the basket.

"Is this a worm?"

"Not a worm, but a Heramjin beetle! This is an elephant beetle! I wish you would at least call it a beetle"

"That's why merchants are so tactful"

"Boorish. You probably don't even know the value of this beetle anyway"

The contents of the basket were bright red and blue shiny beetles.

"What? It's a strange hobby. These guys are collecting beetles at such a age. They only collect beetles that can only be found in labyrinths"

"Ha, Haa......"

Mago let out an exasperated voice.

"It's easy because I'm just catching it while exploring the labyrinth. How much do you think they pay for those blue beetles? One beetle costs a gold coin"

"A gold coin for a single beetle?"

"Nuhahaa. A mere insect costs a single gold coin. Isn't it understandable that the head of your family would be so dismissive?"

The men are used to Mago and Viktor's cold reaction and are gazing at the beetle with enraptured eyes without any sign of concern.

"I've heard that there are people like these guys in other countries. They're weird because they get together and brag about their beetles

"What are you talking about, Nameless King! But I can't thank the Nameless Kingdom enough. In the past, when I submitted a collection request to the Adventurer's Guild, they thought it was a joke, sometimes got very angry and finally reported me to my parents' house. This was not the case in the Nameless Kingdom. Not only did you understand our hobby, but you also brought back never-before-seen beetles from dangerous labyrinths"

"Exactly! The beauty of this Heramjin beetle is............. Haa~h......beautiful. I love the shiny luster and the straight horns!"

"My elefant beetle is no slouch either! The beauty of its horns, which are blue with a hint of black, makes it the king of beetles!"

The three aristocrats, who seemed to be able to look at the beetle without getting bored, turned their gaze to Yuu as if they were in agreement.

"What if............Nameless King has a rare beetle we dont even know about?"

I don't have any and I don't want to get mixed up with you guys. Only kids or you guys would be happy collecting beetles"

The men suspected Yuu of having a stash of rare beetles, but he brushed them off as ridiculous.

"Yes!"

"Wha!t?"

A child of the deprived people interrupted the conversation. It was a different group of children than the ones Yuu had chased away earlier.

It's this big!"

"Big!?"

A fallen demon child spread out its hands to show the size.

"It has five horns, so it's really cool!"

"Its strong. But it's quiet and good, because it gave me a ride last time"

"It's only in the king's garden"

"Five horns!? It's big enough to carry a person!?"

As if to compete with each other, the children began to talk about the beetle kept in Yuu's garden.

"Don't say it!"

"Why?"

"Namari-chan, why can't I say that?"

"Because it's a secret"

"Eh? That's not right"

"Everyone knows about it?"

"Uuh............"

Namari hurriedly tried to stop the children from talking, but it was too late. The three aristocrats were already excitedly closing in on Yuu.

"Nuhoo. The one who was pleased to have a beetle earlier......"

"Hooho, who was that?"

It was only at times like this that Viktor and Mago would cooperate.

"What? If you guys have something to say to me, say it clearly"

Yuu, who has driven away the aristocrats who are persistently clinging to him with magic bullets, glares at Mago and Victor.

"I was impressed with Satou-sama, who never forgets his childhood"

"Hooho, I Victor feel the same"

"How is it? The business talk with me is over, so go away"

Looking around, business talks continued with residents of the Nameless Kingdom and civilians of the Morbel Kingdom.

"No No, I don't know about other people, but in fact, there are still things I would like you to sell――――there are dragons in the Nameless Kingdom due to wind rumors and there are dragons that have a name"

One of the merchants smiles and talks to Yuu to search.

"Shameless fellow. It's awkward, so just say the requirements"

"Hahahaa. Did you see this? In fact, the snow dragon Uragano is a well-known dragon in each country and everyone here knows it"

"Why is that lonely dragon famous?"

"Calling it that way....... We are in awe of it"

"He's not a big deal, you know. He's just selfish, lonely and annoying"

Inwardly, the merchants thought, 「Isn't he the same from the Nameless King」, but they never said it.

"It's a dragon that isn't easy for us to approach, let alone talk, even if we talk to Satou-sama. So, back to the topic at hand, I was wondering if you could sell me its re-grown claws, fangs, scales――――or even its excrement"

"Isn't it more valuable to strip them down than to re-grow them?"

"I've got a wife and kids. I don't want to die yet"

"Huuh. And excrement is............. What are you going to do with all that stuff?"

"Nuhahaa. Satou-sama, there are rare plants that only grow in dragon excrement! It can also be used as a material for alchemy, a catalyst for magic or any number of other uses! If it was a well-known dragon, everyone would be piling up gold coins to get their hands on it"

"If you want it so badly, you'll have to ask Inpika"

"Inpika is......that beastman's child?"

"Inpika is the one who gets along best with the lonely dragon"

The merchant's face beamed at those words. This is because negotiations, which were thought to be difficult, are likely to go well. Inpika was loved by many merchants because of her friendly personality and intriguing appearance. She isn't the kind of kid who chooses words and bows down.

"So may I speak to her in person?"

"Then I'll go to――――"

"No No, if its Inpika-chan――――"

"What are you talking about! I'll negotiate with Satou-sama for permission――――"

Even the other merchants got greedy and started raising their hands.

"Shut up!"

As soon as Yuu screams at the noisy merchants, he silently smiles with a friendly laugh.

"Inpika is over there, so if you want to negotiate, go quickly"

"Then――――ugh"

Beyond the eyes of the merchants who triumphantly headed, there were children, including Inpika and the maid chief Adeline, who served Daddan, the king of the Morbel Kingdom. As soon as they see that face, the merchants don't even try to hide their bitter face. Even Mago and Victor laugh bitterly and if possible, create an air that they don't want to approach.

"A, Adeline-dono is there"

"This is not good"

"Shouldn't you, the one who suggested it go?"

"What do you mean? You guys wanted it too"

A lot of merchants from all over the world were put off by Adeline as soon as they saw her. That's how much they are being pushed around by Adeline. The merchants had been asked by Yuu to make a deal with the Morbel Kingdom and at first they had thought that they could do whatever they wanted with a defeated country. But as they negotiate with Adeline, they'll find that it's not as easy as――――they thought. She was able to negotiate on terms that were favorable to the Morbel Kingdom. Nowadays, just the sight of Adeline gives them chills. Adeline is what you might call a great woman――――

"Older sister, look here"

"Guhuhuu. What is it?"

She had a sloppy face on her face.

"You can have this"

"What's this, Inpika-chan?"

Adeline asks, rubbing her cheek against Inpika´s face.

"Ah, it's a loquat"

"It's delicious"

"Adeline-oneechan, good"

It was a loquat that Inpika presented to Adeline.

"This can only be found in the king's garden. It's very sweet and delicious! You know, I wanted you to have it, Adeline-oneechan, so the king gave it to me!"

Adeline, who had been drooling and exposing her disheveled face, tensed up as if she had been struck by lightning.

"This, to feed me this?"

"Yup!"

"How cute! Yes Yes, I understand! Yes, yes, I understand! Come on, come on. Let's go home together with older sister"

"It's not 「Let's go home」. Adeline, please don't try to take me home without permission"

Adeline was about to leave with Inpika and the other children at her sides, when Yuu stopped her.

"Ah. King~"

"King, have you finished your work?

"This is Satou-sama. Why are you stopping me? I have a duty to repay the love of the children!"

"I don't understand what you're saying"

As Inpika and the other children slip through Adeline's side and climb on Yuu's body, Adeline whispers lonely, 「Ah......my children」

"Would you mind explaining that to me?"

"What is that?"

"That's, that"

Yuu, who keeps Inpika and the others from falling, points with his chin. Beyond that, the guards of the Morbel Kingdom were wary of threatening the surroundings. In the center of the circle, of course, was not the king of Morbel Kingdom, Daddan――――, but the women. It's also clear that they are women of high rank, as they are dressed in glittering outfits that ordinary nobles can't afford, with decorations that function as magic tools.

'Ah............it's that"

With a look of annoyance on her face, Adeline sighed loudly.