Chapter 9.1

Chapter 9.1

This feels disgusting.

But Valen changed his mind. He had experienced countless times what unconditional hatred could lead to in war. Getting furious in this situation wouldn’t change anything. He needed to think rationally.

However, no matter how much he pondered, he couldn’t predict their true intentions. What could they gain by deceiving him with such absurd lies? The only thing he could speculate on was…

Is it because of my life force?

Valen glanced at Argen’s profile.

Even among the energetic soldiers, the succubi only fixated on Valen. When their charms didn’t work, some even knelt and begged. Though he didn’t know why, it was clear that Valen’s life force was a delicacy for the succubi.

Whatever the case, if the demons intended to use him, he could just as well use them in return.

Valen shifted his gaze from the teacup and looked directly at Argen.

“A little. But no matter how I think about it, it seems like I’m the only one losing out.”

“You, too, will be free from the war.”

“This? I could end it with just a resignation letter.”

“Submitting a resignation doesn’t bring peace.”

“That’s something the higher-ups need to sort out. I’m not really interested. If things get dangerous, I’ll just hide away and plant some grapevines. Maybe make and sell wine. What I’m saying is, our situations are different. Understand?”

Argen fell silent, deeply contemplating.

Naive. There wasn’t a single truth in Valen’s words. As a hero and symbol of justice in the human realm, he couldn’t easily resign from his position as the knight commander.

Moreover, the cost of the medicine for his younger brother, Leto, was astronomically high, beyond what Valen could afford. Only the most skilled court physicians could treat him. The moment the king’s support ceased, Leto wouldn’t survive for more than a few years.

“You are right.”

Argen nodded in agreement.

“Indeed, I wouldn’t want to do it either.”

Nadol chimed in.

“What is it that you want?”

“The duration of the agreement. There needs to be a clear end date, regardless of when the war ends. I don’t want to live here until I turn into a skeleton.”

“Is that all?”

“Of course not. My safety must be guaranteed until I cross the border after the deal ends. And I need to receive jewels or magic stones worth 1 million lope.”

Argen raised an eyebrow. Despite acting as if they would accept any demand, they flinched at the mention of money.

It was understandable, as 1 million lope was equivalent to the annual budget of Valen’s hometown, Gluttonia. Valen had no intention of playing along with this ridiculous charade. He planned to stay in the Demon King’s castle, gather information until their defenses weakened, and then escape when the opportunity arose.

However, he also had to consider the worst-case scenario. If he couldn’t escape by the end of the agreement period…

There was a very high probability that rumors of Valen being violated by Argen would spread throughout the human realm. If the revered hero fell into disgrace, he couldn’t expect medical support from the royal palace.

It wouldn’t be easy, but he had to secure enough money to cover Leto’s medical expenses until he could find another job. As much as possible.

Of course, even Valen knew that 1 million lope was an outrageous amount. But the basic principle of negotiation was to start with a higher price than the actual value.

Despite waiting, Argen did not speak. The other demons, who had been chattering non-stop, were also silent. Unlike their previous behavior, they were now just glancing at each other or pretending to be distracted. Was the amount too large compared to what they had? Just as Valen was about to adjust the amount…

“…How big of a bag should we prepare?”

“What?”

Argen asked, her face serious and stern.

“Isn’t it better to have more than less of anything?! There’s that cart the ogres pull. We can load it up and be done with it. Hahaha!”

“Indeed.”

Indeed, my foot! If it’s top-quality magic stones, even half a sack of rice would be more than enough. And ogres are a giant race over 7 meters tall. Valen couldn’t possibly pull a cart that those monsters would handle by himself.