A Reincarnated Demon’s Life of Wonder

Half a day after the battle against the Aderyn y Corff, after the spur-of-the-moment bazaar was just a faint memory of the efficient merchants of the desert, we were...

"GWA-HAHAHAHA!! If getting assaulted by a who-knows-what gives such great profit, I'd have plastered a 'kick me' sign on my back ages ago!!" - Jumbo

We've been busy counting moolah. Turns out those Chaos Church lunatics we captured, as in the group I tricked the Aderyn y Corff to spice-bomb before, were also an infamous gang of desert bandits. They were often recruited by less-than-honorable groups to search the desert for treasures, or sometimes just to rob other people down to their underwear, or worse. In short, they were already bad eggs even without the whole "Chaos Chuch" gimmick added to them.

And on a more personal level, these guys might have been the same people I caught a whiff of when Iron and I were taken to that underground sand dome place by that "Golden Desert's Robber" creature thingy. Why do I know this? It's because the lunatics/desert bandits had the Kheperiktot, the scarab monster that was supposed to be the ruler of the underground dome, in their possession. Sort of. It looks like they had some sort of mind control over the thing.

In any case, they used the scarab to semi-control the Aderyn y Corff and made it go on a rampage. And I say "semi" because it seems the Kheperiktot wasn't fully there. It must have been the mind control thing preventing it from fully dominating the ghost bird. Hmm...

Now that I think about it, maybe the desert bandits weren't part of the Chaos Church from the start? They looked a little too loco to match their reputation as feared desert pirates. Maybe they were also mind-controlled, just like with the Kheperiktot? The Chaos Church could have hired them for some gig, then saw how efficient they were, so instead of paying the desert bandits, they decided to lobotomize them and get them under the Church's control?

Yikes! If that's true, then they really are a bunch of no-gooders. It might be just a theory, but I still don't want anything to do with that mad Church ever again. I mean, I didn't want to in the first place, but now my mind is set in steel. Titanium even.

"Big Boss Lady?" asked a silent voice to me all of a sudden, yanking me out of my train of thought. It was Lily, the Growth Chimera, that we had escorted before this whole Church mess started.

"What's up?" - Garami

"Is it really fine to share the bounty with the boss? We didn't really do anything special-*mmph*-?!" - Lily

"Lily! Here, take some sweets!" shouted Jumbo with a hurried tone as he shoved a comically large lollipop into Lily's mouth. Sheesh.

"Relax. We got the lion's share of the bounty already. Besides, you guys got harmed by the lunatics as well. Think of it as compensation money of sorts." - Garami

As some might have already guessed, "bandits", as in the desert bandits, have bounties on their names. After we brought them to Shaharin's police forces/city guards, we were gifted a ridiculous bounty in reward for their capture. More than enough to compensate even Mira's and Noire's spending frenzy at the instant bazaar at the foot of the Stone Highway. So I decided to make sure to stay on good terms with my new favorite spice traders and shared one-third of the bounty with them. The "compensation" bit is just an excuse to make them accept my bribe, cough, present.

"Ehm, well..." stammered Jumbo, looking a little embarrassed over his previous outburst. Maybe being glared at by Lily, who was still licking her lollipop despite her sour demeanor. "*Cough*, if there's anything you need help with, don't be shy to call us."

Saying so, Jumbo handed over something like a business card. And it even has the address for his HQ here in Shaharin written on it.

"I'll keep you guys in mind," I said while nonchalantly leaving the city guard's office with Iron and Revi. The latter had been furious over having to wait for us on the Marauder all that time. I need to keep her company for a while to turn that frown upside down.

And boy, ain't this the perfect place to do so. The city of cloth, Shaharin, surely lives up to its name. If I had to oversimplify it, I'd say this city is taken straight out of the Tales of One Thousand and One Nights. Typical old-fashioned Arabian architecture makes up most of the city, with even the street lamps being fashioned after the old classic oil lamps that genies are often depicted inside.

Not that there's real fire coming out of those lamps. It's rather a sort of yellow light, probably made from some simple magitech item using Light attribute materials. I bet I could fashion a crude copy using my Alchemy skills, I even specialize in the Light attribute, but the design! Even from afar, I can see that each lamp has been carefully handcrafted by the hands of real professionals. And knowing the size of this city, they must either have a ton of craftsmen working at their workshops, or one old master with a TON of hands! Maybe they're a Hecatoncheires?

It's not just the lamps that scream "expert craftsmanship". Like its moniker, Shaharin is rich in clothing products. And it's not just in the shops. Even the buildings are dressed in luxurious carpets, giving the otherwise sandy-dusty city a colorful appearance that wouldn't lose to any rainbows in the whole wide world. The large straps of cloth ain't just for show. Some of them seem to be related to the classic magic carpets.

By that, I mean the carpets act not only as decorations but also as bridges and elevators. It is possible to walk on the roof of the buildings here in the city, with floating carpets allowing even heavy wagons to be lifted to the top floors, while large velvet carpets are draped between the buildings, allowing people to cross the "street" to reach the next building, making Shaharin something you could call "a multi-floor city".

Now it's night time, but with the magical lamps and the faint glow from the carpets, probably mana or aether woven into them, the city streets are still bursting with life. Heck, now might even be the peak of Shaharin's populace activity, as the scorching desert heat has gone down, leaving behind a nice temperature that should otherwise be impossible in the frosty desert nights. It must be yet another product of Shaharin's craftsmen.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

While I looooved this city's aesthetics, Revi didn't seem that impressed about it all...psych~. She tried to feign indifference, but I didn't miss her eyes swaying from one shop to another. Iron was the same, though he didn't bother to hide his curiosity over the new culture he was experiencing. Maybe it's because both of them have lived most of their lives in a city that is constantly "dark and dead", while this city's life is bursting during the night. Velantas never turned this lively after sundown, so this must be an entirely new experience for the two Tir na Nogians.

Okay, it's the same for me as well. And I can't wait to experience everything here! But first, the Adventurers' Union. We sent Mira and Noire ahead there to secure us an inn while we were retrieving the bounty. If we're lucky, they haven't gotten themselves into TOO much trouble during this short time. They've got a bad track record when it comes to finding trouble after all...

---

To my surprise, nothing bad had happened this time around. The Union staff had managed to uneventfully point the girls to an inn with free rooms for adventurers, so after we were given the address by the same staff, we headed toward our temporary lodgings.

The inn's name is "The Sleepy Lamp", a place with...quite the atmosphere. The staff seems to consist entirely of female Djinns, demons who often possess or are sealed to certain objects, not too different from possession-type ghosts like Iron, or better yet, like the Aderyn y Corff we had to deal with earlier this day. Their uniforms are quite revealing, almost like those used by belly dancers, yet they still have some professional air to them.

"How scandalous," mumbled Revi after we left the staff's earshot. She doesn't seem too keen on the Djinns' risque choice of clothing.

"I don't know. If I had evolved into a Djinn, I might have dressed the same." - Garami

"I take it back. They are right and fashionable in those dresses." - Revi

Hehehe~. It's always fun messing with this little dragon witch. Not that I was completely making this up. The Djinn species is one of the more direct evolution options for the Grey Demon, which I started my new life on Terra Sol as.

Speaking of which, among the 7 G-ranked demon species, called the "color demons" because of their names, they all have something akin to a "direct evolution path", which again has made those 7 different demon species be referred to as "the seven true demons", each representing one of the Seven Sins. Grey Demons and Djinns represent the sin of sloth, not that I understand why. Maybe it's because the image of the more stereotypical Djinns lives in magical objects instead of being active and about in the outside world?

While I was pondering that, we reached our destination. A large outdoor pool area, decorated with palm trees of various colors, some even glowing like neon, a fancy outdoor bar, and a bunch of tables and chairs made of ebony-black wood...

"No way this is our room." - Garami

Thinking we might have made the wrong turn somewhere, I spotted Mira and Noire standing by one of the tables. Sitting there was a person I didn't expect to see here, and who was now busy waving at us with a smile on her face.

"So, what's the coincidence about?" I asked them after we reached the table. She was the Desert Elf who had given us the information about the impromptu bazaar when we first arrived at the entrance to the Stone Highway earlier today.

She could simply have checked in at the same inn as us, but looking at how tense Mira and Noire are right now, I'm starting to regret not using [Identification] on her when I had the chance.

"No coincidence to be found here~. I just ordered the people at the Union to show you the way here. The Sleeping Lamp is one of my favorite little vacation spots, so I was in the mood to share it~." - Desert Elf

Ahh... Now I get it...

"Why?" asked Revi, looking grumpily at the 'Desert Elf'. "We're not friends or anything."

"Indeed," said Iron as he secretly moved his right hand to the handle of his sword, ready for a fight. Mira could only give a small, inaudible laugh at the duo's reactions, while Noire looked like she wanted to flee right away. And that is enough evidence for me to conclude who the person in front of me is.

"So, what's the big deal, Filyn?" - Garami

After sitting down and asking this question, the 'Desert Elf' smirked before moving her hand in front of her face, before doing a theatrical movement as if unmasking herself. A white oval object, like an unpainted porcelain mask, appeared in her hands as the image of a Desert Elf disappeared in front of us in dark smoke before revealing a black-haired Succubus demon with red-and-blue eyes. After the transformation was done, the "object" that was in her hands had already disintegrated.

"Ahahaha~! You're one of the very few people I know who can figure out it's me with so few clues, Garami~." - Filyn

Enjoying the reaction of the undead duo, Filyn, the self-proclaimed "evil organization boss", talked to me with enjoyment dominating her voice. I'm glad someone is having a good time with this.

"Anyone who knows you would piece it together when you start talking with your usual tone," I said while repressing a sigh from leaving my mouth. In response, Filyn made a "whoopsie" gesture that is far too otaku-ish for me to enjoy in this situation.

Also, did she say she "ordered the people at the Union" before? Don't tell me she has one of the most important Unions on her payroll. That's exceeding what a self-proclaimed evil organization should have power over! She would be equal to the boss of a REAL evil organization if that's the case!

"So? Why are you here?" - Garami

"On a vacation~. Blot can handle most of the stuff back home, so unless I take some lacherious breaks, people will start taking me seriously!" - Filyn

"Sheesh. What madmen would ever do that?" - Garami

"Many, believe it or not! But that's not why I wanted you here today. Are you Guild open for quests?" - Filyn

"We're already on one. Material gathering." - Garami

"For your precious Damavand~?" - Filyn

"..." - Garami

Not really, I just wanted some fancy silk to train my Weaver-class skills with, but that's not important right now. How did she find out about the Damavand!? Sure, it was an open secret between us and the Nequitas organization that I was building a Dungeon, but I never told them the name of the place. Heck, I only figured out the name a good time AFTER I finished building it! The shocked look on Mira and Noire tells me that they didn't spill the beans either. Maybe calling her "self-proclaimed" inside my head was a naive thing to do. Let's be even more serious about handling her from now on. Starting right now.

"That's irrelevant. I'm just looking for some new goods I can use to enhance our equipment." - Garami

"Right, you were also a Weaver. Could you prepare some new threads for me too~?" - Filyn

"Sorry. My works are for Nightmare Voyagers only." - Garami

"*Whistle*, talk about brand quality~. In that case, let me support your work. You need weaving materials? I'll buy some of the best on the market~." - Filyn

"...What's the catch?" - Garami

"Nothing. Just clear the quest I talked about before. It's even one you personally might be interested in." - Filyn

"Me personally?" - Garami

"Yup, yup, yuppety yup~! After all, why wouldn't the Champion of Darkness be interested in one of her fellow Champions~?" - Filyn