My alter ego is becoming a big shot - Episode 179
#179
Operation to escape from the Demon King’s Castle (1)
Tarak, a large city in the northwestern part of the Aeon Continent, greets the dawn of morning..
This was a bustling city that could not be said to be quiet even in the middle of the night, but now that most people were awake and moving around, the bustle was on a different level from the night..
Squeak—
“Then I'll be back.!”
“Well, always watch out for the carriage.!”
And Diana, who recently moved to Tarak, was also busy..
Like everyone else, she hurriedly left home early in the morning..
But even in that rush, his face was full of smiles.—.
Since I had just moved here, everything around me was unfamiliar, but I was extremely satisfied with my current life..
‘Same with this house! Although it is an indefinite lease,···.’
This small house, which I am still not used to, is incomparably larger than when a family of five lived in a living space attached to a grocery store, and since it was built not long ago, there was no room for neat repairs..
Even the location is a central area with good security, so there is no need to say more.!
It was literally an 'expensive-looking house' itself, with all the elements that affect house prices..
So of course it has to be good.
“oh! hello grandma!”
Diana, who was busy going out the door, found her now familiar neighbor and greeted her cheerfully..
At the sound of that voice, the old woman next door, who was sitting leisurely on a rocking chair on the terrace and getting some fresh air, turned her tattooed face towards her and let out a soft laugh..
“Click, click... So, are you going to work already? I'm diligent every morning.”
“Hehehe, I'm still learning. Servant... Master Hubert trusted me, and I cannot disappoint you.!”
“I'm still young, but I'm quite amazed. Heheul···.”
At first, I was worried when I found out that there was a scary-looking grandmother living next door, but fortunately, contrary to her appearance, she was very kind to children..
Not only does she give me snacks as if she were my real grandmother, but she also tells me various interesting stories and is outspoken..
Thanks to this, even the children who were wary at first became very friendly with her..
Aside from young Rafi, his younger brother Aaron, who used to be shy, can now go to the house next door without hesitation..
‘That old lady said that she, like us, is receiving support from the Hubert Company... If she's a trustworthy person, she won't have to worry..’
Of course, it was difficult for Diana, who had experienced betrayal only recently, to trust without thinking, but it was true that she also needed to make some effort since she couldn't live her whole life with suspicion..
At the very least, you should try to open your heart to someone you can trust and who has been proven..
“Then I'll just leave.!”
“Yes, be careful on your way. Well... at least in this town, you don't have to worry too much..”
The Hubert Chamber of Commerce was now, in name and reality, the representative chamber with the greatest influence in the Tarak merchant world..
Starting with extensive connections across the religious order and the lord's family, unique and excellent products supplied exclusively, enormous capital power that can instantly attract talented merchants under its command, and the superiority of secret investment using unknown means, etc.···.
Thanks to these various factors, they quickly encroached on the market within a few years of their launch, and the area where they are now was the courtyard where the Hubert Company's power exerted the greatest influence..
sniff—
Diana's nose kept twitching as she walked down the street..
A now familiar smell was coming from all directions..
The city police force, which has been intensively patrolling this street due to some kind of backroom deal, and the security team belonging to the Hubert Chamber of Commerce, which is deployed in the commercial district and protects people and shops..
And in addition to that···.
Even the fishy scent of blood secretly wafting out from the shadows all over the city..
‘I never thought I would feel relieved after smelling this..’
There was a time when I would tremble in fear and avoid the smell, but now I feel anxious without it..
It's only natural that all the vampires around here follow the man's orders..
‘Now that I think about it, it’s interesting. I think it's only been about two years since you became a vampire, but where and what have you been doing all this time has allowed you to do this??’
Thinking about the subordinates who were crushed by Tarak right now and the immigration process that had gone smoothly before, it didn't seem like a high position at all..
Considering the rumored situation in the Kingdom of Thalia... it's not like he's a high-ranking noble..
‘Well, I don't really need to know that. If I can just return the favor, that's enough..’
However, Diana soon shook off her idle thoughts and walked briskly towards the headquarters of the company..
Unlike her uncle, who had an ordinary job related to supplying groceries, her responsibilities under Hubert's influence were quite serious..
It was a kind of auditor-like position that inspected the products handled by the trading company for any abnormalities and maintained consistent quality..
Of course, there were quite a few people who opposed that parachute greeting.···.
Since Hubert's authority within the current chamber was absolute, everyone was watching her with a wait-and-see attitude..
‘···To be honest, I'm anxious, but I have no choice but to do whatever I can to live up to my beliefs..’
By the time Diana arrived at the head office of the company with a firm resolve,.
Murmur—
I felt more noisy than usual nearby..
It also has a very pleasant smell..
“Ah, Lord of the Chamber of Commerce. hello!”
“Yes, Diana. You came so early today too. As expected, you are diligent..”
Coincidentally, she ran into Hubert on the way, who was also heading to the commercial building..
However, unlike his leisurely attitude of responding to her, the reaction of the immediate bodyguards surrounding him was somewhat different from usual.···.
Except for a few people, unlike before, everyone was guarding them from a distance, not only did they completely surround all sides, but there were also some who showed a sensitive reaction, even expressing caution towards Diana as she approached..
‘what? And this smell···.’
In addition, some of them must have been through battle, and their wounds and weapons were giving off a subtle odor of blood..
Something must have happened before I got here..
“Hey, by the way... did something happen??”
“hmm? Ah—nothing. Because it just happens periodically. It happens sometimes. Those who attack with baseless confidence.”
Hubert calmly answers her question..
Having already prepared thoroughly, he took Diana, who tilted her head, and walked towards the headquarters of the company..
Even on Earth, where civilization and the rule of law are developed in their own way, when interests are at stake, all kinds of dirty tricks follow. In this world, which can be said to be even more barbaric, there is no way that there will be threats to running a business..
Of course, it was common sense here to prepare for that, and the people who instigated it probably didn't try it because they thought it would succeed all at once..
I guess they just tried it as a ritual to scare me, to threaten me, and to check my liver just in case..
‘How dare you go against me.’
Of course, it was not all smooth sailing to grow Hubert Trading Company like this..
Because of that, we had no choice but to reinvest a significant portion of the money we earned into preparations..
It would probably have been impossible to grow like this without the help of Harley and his friends in the early days of the business, and later the Brokoslak Clan..
After the attack by the Upersh Clan, I felt anxious even with my previous preparations, so I wrapped myself in all kinds of expensive magic tools..
However, as the current reality shows, despite many such secret struggles, the result was always his victory..
It has to be that way.
They may have just assumed a fairly large top and carried out a scheme, but the scale of the organization operating to respond was never at that level..
‘Now then... let's investigate who are the people who instigated this incident??’
Of course, their ending was already decided..
***
The Principality of Rohan has collapsed to the point where it is now meaningless to even use the word country..
With the help of the empire and the church, they formed a last line of defense near the capital and were barely holding on..
It was ironic that it was thanks to the Immortal King that we were able to do this at least.···.
The reason was that the number of monsters invading the principality began to plummet as he settled in the northern mountain range where the greatest number of monsters were coming down and became a breakwater..
Of course, since they believed that the current situation itself was caused by the Immortal King, no one was thankful for it..
They just think he's taunting them again with some whim..
And the center of the situation—.
No one has seen it in person yet, but its existence is well known... No, there were some people who dreamed of escaping from their short imprisonment in the immortal castle..
“Heron, how about today? Do you think you can do it??”
“Umm, just a moment... This is ambiguous..”
They were Riley Carte Azerion, the 5th princess of the Azerion Empire, and Hesperon, a new awakened person from Earth who had been transferred for less than two months..
As usual, I was busy practicing magic with a barrier around me..
In response to Riley's carefully asked question as if conscious of the gaze of those around him, he frowned and looked worried..
In fact, the work itself could start at any time, so it was more like a slow process for a more dramatic effect, but as the few days passed, it seemed like her patience was reaching its limits..
“Phew—I'm so nervous these days that I can't sleep, but you look so relaxed, don't you? Well, it's really possible.?”
Would it be displeasing to be in a situation where only he seemed to be in a hurry?.
She, who had been waiting quietly until now, finally sighed and pouted her lips as if complaining..
“Uh huh, this isn't as easy as it sounds? As soon as I was transferred to this world, I was captured and I don't know anything about the situation here. Of course, I don't know where this is or where we should go..”
In terms of spatial ability, accurate location identification is not an option, but a necessity..
As the risk was high in proportion to its usefulness, there was concern that a catastrophe could occur if done incorrectly, which would be worse than not using it at all..
“That's true, but... Still, this is probably the northern tip of the continent, so if you somehow manage to steer south,···.”
“Where do you think south is from here??”
“···Ugh.”
There was no way that they, who were not of high level as wizards, would be able to know the direction of the outside from within this immortality, which was like a separate space..
In the end, a shadow fell on Riley's face as she faced the reality she had tried so hard to ignore..
“So, is there really no way??”
“No way. Actually, I got a rough idea to some extent. I was just being careful to be more sure..”
Then, her expression brightened again as the hope was thrown again..
Perhaps because it was an extreme situation, her facial expression changed in a variety of ways that did not suit her nickname, the Iron-Blooded Princess..
“···But, aren’t you talking too casually earlier??”
“Hey, what do you think? Now we are a community of destiny! Let’s take it easy, take it easy! Hahaha!”
Still, when I was learning magic, I at least pretended to listen for a moment..
A look of astonishment appeared on her face at Hesperon's shameless answer, as if she thought she had a clear advantage..
But it was true that he held the key to overcoming the current situation.···.
“Haha, please be careful around other people. Unlike the place you were in, there are a lot of people here who are sensitive to status. It could really be a big problem.?”
In the end, Riley had no choice but to compromise with him with a sigh..
In fact, the reason she reacted sensitively to Pyeongdae until now was because she had heard about Earth from Isea, and not specifically to establish her own authority..
If you've only been in this world for a short time and you're already used to treating the princess comfortably, won't the chance of making a mistake later on out there increase??
If something like that were to happen, he would end up in trouble, so I was planning on telling him to be careful about his mouth from now on.···.
‘I don't know anymore. He's not a stupid person, so he'll be careful out there. ···It's a bit unsavory to see what you're doing, but.’
Riley looked at him with a sly expression that did not match his intellectual appearance and sighed again..
Thinking one more time about whether I can really trust him and leave it to him..
But there was only one conclusion.
‘Two months later I'm still anxious, I can't stay in here for years! By then there will be no more opportunities to turn the tables..’
Let's do everything we can for now.
‘As Isea had already experienced the greatness of the ‘unique skill’, it was judged that it was worth trusting..
It also played a role in the fact that Hesperon's talent was greater than hers..
‘···Please, I hope it works out well..’
Just a few days before an unexpected event occurred to no one on the continent..
The curtain of the great exodus was now rising..
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