While the shocked merchants stared blankly at Nahen, he held up two fingers.
"I have two proposals for you."
"Two?"
'Wasn't it just weapon trade?'
All twenty merchants wondered the same thing: what else could he propose besides the weapon trade? With a mix of anxiety and anticipation, the merchants awaited his next words.
"The first proposal, as you might have heard, concerns the weapon trade. Let's discuss that first."
Nahen received a document from Sitri's attendant standing next to him. He spread it out and read.
"First, you will have the exclusive right to sell our weapons throughout the Demon World."
"...Are you saying you'll give us exclusive rights?"
"Yes. Of course, it's not a permanent monopoly. The contract period is three years, after which the exclusive rights expire."
Even if it wasn't a permanent monopoly, it wasn't bad. Three years was more than enough time to make a good profit. The remaining merchants began to pity those who had left earlier.
"The profit distribution is 6:4."
"6:4...which side gets 6?"
"Ours, of course."
"Excuse me?"
"I hope you understand this is unavoidable. This business is a joint venture between Her Majesties Seere von Devata and Sitri. It's structured so two strata share profits. Thus, the profit distribution is effectively 3:3:4, with you receiving slightly more."
It was a blatant lie. Sitri was only taking 5 percent of the profits. However, Nahen deliberately emphasized their separate entities, subtly implying the merchants would benefit slightly more.
One merchant then raised his hand.
"Shouldn't Her Majesty Sitri and Her Majesty Seere be considered co-founders? How can the distribution be like that?"
It was Bennet.
"You're absolutely right, but they're not co-founders, so that's why."
"Excuse me?"
"This information is just for you: this business is being conducted in two strata simultaneously. Weapons from the 72nd and 71st Floor blacksmiths are produced separately."
This was also a lie. In fact, they all worked together on the 70th Floor, but Nahen leveraged the shared 70th Floor forge of the 71st and 72nd Floor blacksmiths to subtly rephrase his point.
"You will receive all weapons from both strata. Therefore, the profits should be separate."
"...I understand."
Since raw materials and manpower were consumed separately, the profits should also be distributed separately. When Bennet agreed, the other merchants also nodded in agreement.
After all, according to Nahen's logic, the merchants were getting a little more.
"Let's move to the next topic: the quality of the goods, which I imagine you're most curious about."
"!"
"First, I'll show you the swords."
A servant carefully brought a sword and handed it to Nahen. He picked up the sword and slowly drew it from its scabbard.
"Oh...?"
"This is..."
The merchants' eyes lit up. The merchants traveled all over the Demon World and saw many weapons firsthand. Sometimes, when they found weapons of considerable quality, they were told that they were all made in the Human World.
But the sword Nahen was taking out was almost similar to those swords. Even if it couldn't surpass them, it was of the same level.
"This is a sword we made ourselves."
"You...made this yourselves?"
"I'll compare it to a human sword."
Nahen reached out to the side, and another sword was placed in his hand. And Nahen immediately drew the sword and showed it. It was a fairly high-quality sword captured from a human adventurer.
"You'll want to see it up close."
Nahen placed the two swords on a stand that a servant had brought. And he nodded to the servant, as if to tell him to go closer and show them. As the servant approached the merchants with the two swords, the merchants' eyes widened.
"Ah, no..."
"It's not inferior at all!"
No matter how you looked at it, the two swords were of equal quality. Bennet, looking at the swords, thought of Wayne, who was probably returning to the 69th Floor by now, and gulped.
'Wayne.'
He was always a merchant who made wise decisions. But he always lacked a sense of adventure.
'You were wrong this time.'
Bennet smiled a victor's smile. And he looked at Nahen and asked.
"How much can you supply us with!"
"Four hundred blades a month."
"Then..."
"That's twenty blades per merchant here."
"That's a little less than I expected..."
At Bennet's words, Nahen let out a dry laugh.
"You're greedy, aren't you?"
"I'm...I'm sorry."
"And you should listen carefully. We prepared a deal for weaponry, not just swords."
"!"
Weaponry. It didn't just mean swords. It didn't even just mean simple weapons. It meant all the tools used in war.
"Did you...make armor too?"
"...Then helmets too!?"
"So, about the goods you're going to supply us with..."
Nahen smiled.
"Now you're finally understanding correctly. Yes, we will trade most of the weaponry with you."
#
Sitri was slightly narrowing her brow. As things progressed, she kept getting greedy. Seeing the reactions of those merchants, she kept thinking that she could have taken a little more profit for herself.
'...No.'
Sitri, who was thinking that, shook her head. Who was Nahen? If she had continued to ask for more profit there, he would have really left her out and proceeded with the work. Sitri knew better than anyone that he would have succeeded in this plan no matter what.
'Let's be grateful for even 5 percent...'
Meanwhile, the merchants who properly understood Nahen's story had bright expressions. Nahen said to them.
"Right now, we can supply swords, spears, battle axes, full body armor of heavy and light types, protective gear, and helmets. The others are still in the development stage, so we can't supply them."
"That should be enough to attract early-stage businesses! You'll keep adding more items anyway..."
"Yes, as other weapons are developed, we'll supply them only to you for three years."
Nahen seemed to be wrapping up the story. The merchants also thought they had heard enough.
"Then the contract..."
"I'll write it directly with everyone here. But before that, I have one more thing to say. I told you earlier that I had two proposals."
Distracted by the weapon trade, the merchants finally remembered Nahen's initial statement. This time, unlike before, they looked at Nahen with anticipation even before hearing the story.
"What's the deal this time?"
The merchants were full of anticipation, expecting him to show them interesting and rare items like the weapons. Nahen gave these merchants a slightly strange answer.
"This trade doesn't have to be agreed upon by all the merchants here. There isn't much quantity anyway."
"Excuse me?"
"...Are you saying it's still worth trading despite that?"
At Bennet's sharp question, Nahen honestly expressed his admiration.
"You're quick to understand. Some of you may be reluctant, but some will try to make this deal happen no matter what."
"What kind of item is it that..."
"It's faster to see it in person."
Nahen said that and came down from the platform, then turned to Sitri and Seere and said.
"I'll be back after showing them the item."
"Yes, go ahead."
"Go ah...Y-Yes!"
With Sitri and Seere's permission, Nahen ordered the doors of the main hall to be opened and turned to the merchants.
"Follow me."
#
Bennet and the other merchants were slightly flustered. Nahen was taking them further down, saying he would show them the item.
All Demons knew what was below the Demon King's Castle. Although the shape and structure varied, there was always that underground place.
'Why is he taking us to the underground prison?'
Given that Nahen said he would show them the item, if one were to guess why he was taking them to the underground prison, there was only one reason: an item in the underground prison...
'What kind of item is kept in prison?'
That part didn't make sense. Bennet and the other merchants were following Nahen with expressions full of doubt.
When Nahen and the merchants arrived at the door leading to the underground prison, the wardens bowed their heads.
"You've arrived."
"Open it."
The door to the underground prison opened. Inside was the key to resolving the question the merchants had been harboring. Nahen entered the door without a word, and Bennet and the merchants followed him with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.
"What!?"
A merchant who saw the scene inside the underground prison shouted in surprise. Bennet and the other merchants also thought it was strange.
'...Humans?'
Inside the prison, there were a considerable number of imprisoned humans. It was estimated to be 200 people, which is not a small number.
"Humans...?"
"This is the second deal I'm proposing to you."
"Excuse me?"
"The humans here were captured from the 72nd Floor."
Upon hearing that he had captured humans, Bennet and the merchants widened their eyes and racked their brains to figure out Nahen's intentions.
"...Are you, by any chance, proposing a slave trade to us?"
Bennet was the first to notice. Nahen nodded and asked him.
"You're particularly quick-witted. What's your name?"
"...Bennet."
"Bennet?...Ah, I see."
Nahen nodded as if he understood. Bennet didn't understand why Nahen reacted that way despite asking for his name, but this was a reaction Nahen could show as a player.
Bennet was a character who appeared as the owner of the largest merchant guild in the Demon World, regardless of the player's build choice. Only his base stratum changed depending on the player's chosen build, but that remained true.
He was a character, a great businessman who pursued profit over morality, and he didn't severely cross the line, so he didn't make many enemies. Nahen made the proposal with Bennet in mind.
"We will distribute the humans captured here as slaves, providing cheap, lifelong manpower throughout the Demon World. Since they will be distributed as slaves, we have already selected the useful humans, and we will continue to do so. However, the number is not constant."
Nahen looked away from Bennet and spoke to the other merchants.
"So, I won't force all of you to trade. Only those who want to trade here should remain, while the rest should return to the main hall to wait for the contract to be written."
Slave trade. Even with humans as the target, problems were unlikely in many ways. Human slaves could cause problems, and the Demon race hated any human presence in their territory.
But it was slightly different for the higher-ups. Many higher-ups, who already had a lot and enjoyed everything, wanted something different to pique their interest or for new fun. And human slaves perfectly fit that.
"I'll do it."
The first to answer was Bennet. After that, some merchants joined in, while the remaining merchants declined to participate in the slave trade and went to the main hall first.
Nahen smiled, satisfied, as if he had expected this result.
"More people stayed than I thought. That's good news. Let me continue."
Nahen started walking into the underground prison and said.
"The humans here are for labor. As the name suggests, I've selected those who are good for odd jobs. And these are for entertainment. I've gathered those with outstanding appearances. And here..."
There was a prison with only a very small number of people. Their epaulettes had at least AA or higher grades.
"These are for guard-use. You can use them differently, but."
"How strong are they?"
"Are you familiar with regular knights of the human world?"
"Yes, I've heard of them."
"They're equal to them."
"...They're useful."
Unlike the humans classified for labor and entertainment, the eyes of those classified for guard-use were still fierce and sharp. Bennet glanced at their eyes and asked Nahen.
"This, it could cause problems."
"You don't have to worry. Look closely at their necks."
"...A curse?"
"Not just them, but all humans here have that engraved on their bodies. It's a curse that says, 'If you harm a Demon, your heart will burst.'"
Bennet nodded and asked.
"Then the effective distance..."
"There's no limit, so rest assured."
"Excuse me?"
A curse that takes the opponent's life when a condition is met. Such curses are often accompanied by tremendous power, but there's usually an effective distance. If the caster was too far away, the curse would weaken or become ineffective.
But now, Nahen was saying there was no such distance limit. Neither Bennet nor the other merchants had ever heard of such a thing.
"I-Is that possible?"
"It's possible. You've seen it this far, do I have any reason to lie to you?"
"...No...I guess not."
"So you don't have to worry about rebellion. Well..., if they rebel, it means they want to die themselves..."
Nahen gave them a tip.
"You can even brainwash them to make them obedient."
Bennet and the merchants, understanding Nahen's intentions, were momentarily startled but soon nodded. And Bennet asked Nahen one more thing.
"...I understand. Then, are you going to supply all the people here right away?"
"Then can you handle the fluctuation in supply later?"
"I said that because I thought it would be impossible."
Nahen said to the merchants.
"Since there are five merchants here, I'll give ten people to each at first. Five for labor, four for entertainment, and one for guard-use. After you sell all the slaves you've been given, you can take them whenever you need them."
"Is that okay?"
"Instead, you have to be aware that the quantity can continue to fluctuate."
"Yes, I understand."
Bennet and the merchants bowed their heads slightly. Then Nahen chuckled.
"I haven't even talked about the distribution yet."
"I believe that Sir Nahen will do a good job with that."
"The distribution is 5:5."
"Excuse me?"
Unlike the weapon trade, Bennet was slightly embarrassed by the words that he would give them half.
"You're providing slaves and even engraving curses, is it okay for us to take that much? It'll be like we're monopolizing it like the weapon trade..."
"The reason I'm giving you a lot of profit is simple. To gain your trust."
"Our trust?"
"As I said, the slave trade can have severe fluctuations in quantity. We can only catch them when humans cross over to the Demon World. So, conversely, there will be times when the supply is completely cut off."
Bennet and the merchants realized Nahen's intentions with an 'ah'.
"I want you to trust us and not stop trading even when the supply is cut off. I hope you think of it as that trust."
After hearing Nahen's words, Bennet and the merchants exchanged glances for a moment, and then bowed their heads silently.
"...Thank you!"
"I look forward to doing business with you in the future."