The day after the merchants of the 69th Floor visited the 70th Floor, a great seismic change was occurring in the Demon World's market.
"W-Wait..., Duke Bennet, where did you get these goods!?"
Wayne reacted this way upon seeing the weapons Bennet had brought to the market today. Bennet grinned and said to his old acquaintance.
"You should've taken the challenge yesterday, Wayne."
"...Don't tell me, all of this came from the 70th Floor!? No, I, I've never seen swords of such high quality! I never imagined they'd be this good..."
It wasn't just swords. Weapons such as spears, along with armor and helmets, were also clearly of a higher quality than those from the Demon World. After exclaiming in surprise, Wayne said to Bennet with shining eyes.
"Duke Bennet, could you possibly supply me with a few of these? I'll pay double the prime cost!"
"Oh, double?"
"Yes!"
Bennet chuckled. If Wayne had stayed yesterday, he could have sold these fine goods with him. Unfortunately, their fates had diverged.
"I'm sorry."
"No, just a little...!"
"Of course, I'd love to, but look at this."
Bennet handed Wayne a document. It was the contract that Demon Lord Sitri had 'personally' drawn up yesterday. Wayne followed Bennet's finger to a clause in the contract and read the words.
"...E-Exclusive!? And it even strictly prohibits sales through other merchants?"
"Yes, it's stated that these goods must be handled exclusively. It's for three years, which, as you know, is not a short time."
"E-Exclusive rights to these amazing goods!? Ugh...ugh..."
Having already done the calculations, Wayne clutched the back of his neck, thinking of the enormous profits Bennet and the merchants who stayed on the 70th Floor yesterday would make. He regretted his choice immensely.
Bennet, watching Wayne, chuckled and tossed out a word.
"Too bad, Wayne."
Saying that, Bennet entered the depths of the merchant building. Although he hadn't shown it to Wayne yet, the goods Bennet had received from the 70th Floor were not limited to weaponry.
"How's the work?"
"It's progressing well."
Ten humans stood listlessly, their hands tied with chains connected to the ceiling. Behind them, two Nightmare Demons were kissing their backs.
These were the Succubus and Incubus clans. Their greatest characteristic was their specialization in magic that seduced people and interfered with their minds. The Succubi were kissing the nape of the men's necks, and the Incubi were kissing the nape of the women's necks, imprinting brainwashing magic.
"Any problems?"
"No, their magic resistance is lowered due to the curse, so brainwashing is easy. Once it's done, they'll treat the Demon race they recognize as their master as if they were serving gods."
"Excellent. I'll reward you handsomely if you finish within the time limit."
"Thank you, Head of the Merchant Guild."
Bennet had made a plan with the other merchants who had agreed to handle the slave trade yesterday. There were only ten slaves each, but together, they totaled fifty. So, instead of selling these slaves separately, they wanted to put them on a stage and sell them through an auction.
This way, there would be no problem even if there were disruptions in the supply. It wasn't a method of continuous distribution, but an auction that could be held periodically whenever there was stock.
Bennet called his secretary. Then a small, green-skinned Imp in a suit came running.
"You called, Sir Bennet."
Though of the Goblin race, he was unusually intelligent, a seed Bennet had picked up and nurtured.
"Beck, spread the rumor. That a slave market will soon open."
"Understood. Which floors should I spread it to?"
"The entire Demon World. Especially focus on the upper class."
"...Will that be alright?"
"They'll welcome it."
Bennet, with the sharp eyes of a merchant, said to Beck.
"The higher-ups are always thirsty for new toys."
#
"Nahen."
In Nahen's office, inside the Demon Lord's castle on the 72nd Floor, Cain was holding a letter.
"What's that?"
"It's a letter from someone named Bennet."
"Ah, it's about time."
Nahen received the letter from Cain and immediately tore it open. After checking the contents, Nahen grinned.
"Is it about the sales status?"
"That too, but these guys had an interesting idea."
"Are they daring to challenge us?"
Cain said with glaring eyes, but Nahen shook his head, saying it wasn't like that.
"...It's not that, the way they're selling slaves is a bit interesting."
"Yes?"
"They're inviting us to take a look later. It would be good to bring them along and give them some stimulation."
"What do you mean..."
"They're opening a slave auction market."
"...An auction?"
"It's not a bad method. The slaves we supply aren't consistent."
Nahen, thinking of Bennet who had come up with this, smiled with satisfaction.
"Then, who are you planning to bring to the slave market..."
Cain, asking Nahen, suddenly remembered something, widened his eyes, and asked in a voice of disbelief.
"Are you planning to take those humans?"
"It'll also be a wake-up call, don't you think?"
"It's not a bad idea, but... What if they run away?"
"Run away? Haha."
The moment he heard Cain's words, Nahen laughed lightly and gave off a chilling glare.
"From me?"
"...I misspoke. It was a foolish question."
Cain said, bowing slightly.
"I'll prepare."
"I'm counting on you."
#
Eri and Dane were a little anxious. They had been told to study and were holed up in a room, but now, out of the blue, they were being taken somewhere.
Eri and Dane glanced at each other, then looked at Nahen, who was walking in front of them, holding a young child. They had already heard about this child's identity, but honestly, it was a bit hard to believe.
'That's the Demon Lord...?'
No matter how you looked at it, she was just a cute little girl. Seeing her cheerful smile, excited about the outing, made one unconsciously want to hold her.
"N-Nahen."
"Hm?"
"Where are we going?"
They had already ridden portals twice. Nahen answered Eri's question simply.
"To show you what would have happened if you had refused my offer."
"...Yes?"
"Follow me closely so you don't get lost. And don't think about running away. There's nowhere here that welcomes you anyway."
Nahen finished with a short warning and continued to head somewhere. The words that no one welcomed them made Eri and Dane a little anxious, but it also sounded like they would be fine as long as they stayed by Nahen's side.
"L-Let's go!"
After walking for about an hour following Nahen, Nahen approached a place with a huge merchant guild.
"It's s~o big!"
Seere was amazed by the scale of the merchant guild, and Eri and Dane couldn't take their eyes off it either. Numerous items were scattered within the merchant guild, and among them were quite a few that couldn't be seen in the human world.
'Magic tools, aren't they?'
And there were many advanced magic tools that were hard to find in the human world. Because humans, unable to use magic, developed weapon crafting, Demons, who could freely use magic, naturally developed magic tool crafting.
Dane was also amazed, but Eri, being a Mage, was particularly interested. Nahen glanced at Eri and asked her.
"Do you want one?"
"...Yes?"
"I know you're a Magician Class. If it helps your studies, you can choose one."
"R-Really!?"
When he said he would buy something for Eri, Seere, held in Nahen's arms, suddenly glared at Eri. The young child's gaze was so fierce that Eri shuddered.
'Wh-What...?'
Then Nahen patted Seere and said.
"Seere, do you want to choose one too?"
"Can I also buy one?"
"Of course."
"Hehe~♪."
As if she had never glared at Eri, Seere's face brightened instantly and she began to look at the magic tools from Nahen's arms.
Eri quietly said to Dane.
"S-She really is the Demon Lord..."
"...Anyway, since he said he'll buy us one, let's hurry up and choose. What if he changes his mind?"
"Ah, right."
While Seere and Eri were choosing magic tools, a man approached Nahen. Nahen smiled at him.
"It's been a while, Bennet."
"Have you been well..."
Bennet was about to bow to Nahen first, but he noticed Seere in his arms and changed his attitude.
"Have you been well, Her Majesty Seere von Devata."
"Y-Yes!"
"Have you been well, Nahen?"
"Yes, thanks to you, I've come to the 69th Floor."
Originally, it was difficult for Seere, a Demon Lord from another Floor, or Nahen, her key figure, to set foot on someone else's Floor, especially the 69th Floor, which was most wary of them. But thanks to Bennet's backing, they were able to come to the 69th Floor without any interference.
He was a merchant who already owned a large merchant guild on the 69th Floor. Recently, with the booming trade of weapons supplied through his dealings with Nahen, his business had grown even larger.
"When does it start?"
"It's about to begin. That's why I came to escort you."
"I see."
Nahen looked back at Eri and said.
"Eri, hurry up and choose."
"Yes, yes! I've decided!"
What Eri chose was none other than a magic storage artifact.
Unlike the Demon race, who had innate magic power and used magic, human Mages relied on magic tools with stored magic power to use 'Magic Art', a modified form of magic. Staffs or rods, representative weapons that come to mind when thinking of Mages, were such magic tools.
Therefore, artifacts that could store magic power extracted from others or nature were very important to Mages. Nahen nodded, seeing that she had chosen what she needed.
"Is one enough?"
"Yes?"
"I'm asking because human Mages can't generate magic power on their own."
"...!"
Nahen didn't give Eri an answer to how he knew that. Instead, he turned to Bennet and said.
"How many of those do you have in stock?"
"We have about fifty or so in stock. But Nahen, these people..."
"Bennet."
Golden eyes looked at Bennet.
"That's not your concern."
"...I misspoke."
"Rather, give me all fifty."
"Yes?"
"I'll pay."
Bennet's eyes widened, then he nodded.
"Shall I send them to the 72nd Floor?"
"Yes."
"I'll settle the payment there."
"Do as you please. And add this to the payment as well."
What Nahen pointed to was a necklace that Seere had picked up. It wasn't an ordinary necklace, but a magic tool with protective magic, but it seemed to have been made with aesthetics in mind, as it sparkled.
"Sparkly!"
It seemed to have caught Seere's eye, who liked shiny things. Bennet looked at it once and said with a smile.
"I'll give this to you as a service. Since you've bought so much."
"Then I'll gratefully accept."
"Now, come this way. It'll start soon."
As Nahen followed Bennet, Eri and Dane followed closely behind. Eri whispered to Dane.
"...Maybe."
"...Yeah."
"He might really be someone who will take responsibility and raise us."
"...I guess so."
Just seeing how he immediately bought a bunch of artifacts without hesitation because it would help Eri, it was clear how properly Nahen intended to support Dane and Eri. They even thought, maybe he wasn't such a bad person after all.
And that thought was shattered exactly three minutes later.
"......"
"......"
Dane and Eri, who had followed Nahen into an unusually dark place, were horrified.
In a dark, theater-like place, only the stage was lit. And on that stage, there were people. Not people in the sense of individuals, but real 'humans'.
"Now! Thank you for waiting! This time, we're introducing slaves prepared for entertainment! Look at these jewel-like eyes and beautiful figures. Don't they stimulate the male heart? Thoroughly imprinted, they'll never rebel against their masters—very obedient slaves. The auction starts at five gold coins!"
Dane and Eri weren't fools. This was clearly a slave market that sold humans as slaves. And those were adventurers who had been captured by Demons, just like them.
"Ah, it seems to have already started."
"It's a shame. But it seems to be almost the beginning."
"That's true. Now, come to the VIP seats here."
"Eri, Dane. Follow me."
And the reason Nahen had brought them here. The two of them weren't so clueless as to not notice its meaning.
'This is...'
'Anyone can see...'
It was a warning. If they didn't work hard, they could end up like that at any time.
The auction, which had just started at five gold coins, quickly soared in price and was sold for seventy gold coins, and the beautiful adventurer was sold to a Demon just like that.
"Hut...!"
Eri closed her eyes tightly, imagining herself in that place. Dane approached Nahen, taking Eri with him. Nahen, even after seeing the expressions of the two, pointed to a spot and said.
"Sit and watch."
"...Understood."
The slaves mostly started at one gold coin. This was because Nahen had already sorted out the usable humans, so there were no defective goods.
The Demons participating in the auction also understood that one gold coin was the starting price of the auction, seeing the quality of the goods. Bennet confidently pointed to the auction house to Nahen and said.
"What do you think? I thought this way, there would be no problem even if there were disruptions in the slave supply."
"Excellent. You used your head well, Bennet."
"Thank you."
Seere, simply fascinated by this situation, was watching the auction scene with her mouth slightly open. Then Seere suddenly looked at Eri and Dane once. And she asked Nahen.
"Teacher."
"Yes?"
"Why aren't those humans being sold?"
The question arose because, in Seere's eyes, the slaves being sold in the auction house were no different from Dane and Eri. They were all the same humans, after all.
It was a pure voice, but Dane and Eri couldn't help but shudder. This child was the Demon Lord. Nahen had said he would take them as his subordinates, but the Demon Lord's words could not possibly take precedence over his.
Nahen chuckled at Seere's question and answered.
"It's for later."
"Yes?"
"Someday, Seere, when you grow up, your forces must assist you. They follow my words now, but when you grow up and give your own orders, they won't have time to listen to mine."
Nahen stroked Seere's hair.
"But if I am to guide you properly, I will need my own right-hand men. I'm raising them for that time. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
Nod, nod.
When Seere nodded that she understood, Nahen smiled a good-natured smile. Then the stage became noisy.
"I..., will not surrender you Demon race bastards!!"
Somehow, even after undergoing brainwashing, the man had maintained his reason. Bennet slammed his fist on the railing at the sight.
"Damn it, did the Succubi not do their job properly!?"
"I don't think that's the case."
"Yes?"
"That guy, he's a AAA Rank Adventurer. He has the skill equivalent to a veteran knight, and his class...a Crusader."
He was Josef Rosenbach, who had been defeated and captured by Varuna. As a Crusader, he possessed Divine Power, which gave him resistance to the Demon race's brainwashing magic. Adding to that the mental strength of a AAA Rank Adventurer, this situation had occurred.
But Nahen gestured to Bennet that it was fine.
"Don't worry. He'll quiet down on his own soon."
"Ah..., are you talking about that?"
"Yes."
Josef broke the chains that bound him with tremendous force. Then the auction house became noisy. Josef, holding the chains he had broken, tried to strike the auction host next to him.
And at that moment.
"Gasp, cough...!!!"
Josef suddenly collapsed, clutching his chest. And dark red blood poured from his mouth. After coughing up blood for a while, Josef collapsed forward with a thud.
Nahen, surprisingly, remained silent even as Seere watched the scene.
'She wouldn't be afraid of something like blood.'
She was a child, but Seere was the Demon Lord. Her origins were different. Naturally, she was watching the sight of a human, not even a fellow Demon but an enemy, spewing blood without any particular emotion.
"Yes..., there was a brief disturbance. As you can see, if the slaves try to harm us, their hearts will burst and they will die. So, I would like to say that you do not need to worry about the slaves harming you."
Some people seemed relieved at the host's words, and those who had been eyeing Josef expressed their disappointment.
"He seemed like a good item."
"It's a shame."
Dane and Eri were frozen. If they hadn't accepted Nahen's offer and had been on that stage...
"Dane, Eri."
Nahen called them. And he casually tossed out a word.
"Do you regret taking my hand?"
"......"
To show them this scene and ask if they regretted their choice. It was a cruel question. Dane, with a feeling of futility, sighed and answered Nahen's question.
"...No. It was the most excellent choice of my life."