Dungeon Defense (WN)

Marbas spoke as he stroke his beard.

“Can he present himself immediately?”

“Yes. Torkel is waiting outside the ballroom. If summoned, then at any time……!”

“I allow it. Except, I shall end this hearing here if the witness does not arrive within the next 5 minutes. Furthermore, I will also then declare this as Dantalian’s victory.”

Paimon lowered her head gratefully before hastily making her way out the entrance of the ballroom in search of her personal employee who should be on standby somewhere. The other Demon Lords continued to murmur as they watched her leave. The hearing was put on pause.

I felt my chest cool down.

‘How foolish.’

Paimon chose the worst possible option. Think about it. Torkel abandoned his duty as a merchant and gave Paimon confidential information. In other words, Torkel is Paimon’s spy.

If you add the name ‘Torkel’ to the original vague title of ‘an executive of the firm who had given her this information’, then, at that instant, the fault of going against one’s duty as a merchant doesn’t lie on all of the Keuncuska Firm but on Torkel alone. Her mentioning his name was no different from mercilessly ending Torkel’s life as a merchant.

The maiden who cares so much about the survival of humankind but doesn’t properly take care of a single demon who is actually her ally, that is the Rank 9th Paimon.

There was an event like this in <Dungeon Attack> as well. When the hero found himself in a perilous situation, Paimon appeared with her army and broke the elaborate trap that had been set up by the other Demon Lords which in turn allowed the hero and his party to escape. In the shoes of the players, it was a scene where they shouted ‘As expected of Paimon! The pure maiden!’

However, I thought differently.

In the shoes of demonkind, the hero was a nightmare that was incomparable to something like the Black Death. 72 Demon Lords were being killed one by one at the hands of a single human, was this not a calamity?

Once the main character and his party breach Rank 30 of the Demon Lords, the difficulty of the game increases drastically. According to the story, that was when the demons began to genuinely feel a sense of crisis as they proceeded to carry out a large-scale invasion of the human world. And yet, Paimon, despite being Rank 9, worked with a couple of other Demon Lords to obstruct her own side. Even though demons are far stronger than humans, due to Paimon having separated the demons into separate factions, the human-beastmen alliance manages to defeat them.

Thus, the demons lose their foothold in the surface world and end up retreating fully back to the demon world. Furthermore, after they lose their pivotal figures known as Demon Lords, they lose their hopes for unity and peace and end up being confined eternally within the cycle of the survival of the fittest. A pandemonium where the strong takes everything and consideration towards others no longer exist.

A pure maiden in the eyes of the player?

‘A traitor to her country. No, she’s beyond that. She’s a traitor to her own kind.’

If I were to borrow Rank 8 Demon Lord Barbatos’ words, then Paimon is a bitch that’s worse than a whore.

It would have been understandable if she were like Ivar from the Keuncuska Firm who had a rational reason to betray the Demon Lord army; however, Paimon squandered her allies simply because she thought humans were interesting and because she had taken a liking to the hero. This is why I always disliked Paimon as a character.

I stood still as I waited for Paimon to return. Honestly, I was overflowing with the desire to go back to Lapis and catch my breath, but since Marbas was standing right next to me with his eyes closed, I couldn’t will myself to move however I wanted.

‘Damn it. At the very least, it’d be great if I had something to fiddle with.’

I should go to a shop and buy a cane or something tomorrow. Fortunately, I managed to naturally gain a talking partner as I was in the midst of waiting awkwardly.

“Hey, you. You’re pretty good at talking for a low rank.”

It was Barbatos, the person who had been enthusiastically picking a fight with Paimon since the beginning of the hearing. With short and quick steps, the girl wearing a mostly red dress walked up to me. Despite her young appearance, the way she walked and the atmosphere she gave off was mature, so it felt somewhat offputting.

“Your words honor me, Your Highness Barbatos.”

In any case, in terms of ranking, she was far above me. In this current situation where I was being forced to stand against Paimon, the mere fact that a high-ranking Demon Lord favored me was fortunate. I greeted her as respectfully as possible.

“Ah– it’s fine, it’s fine. I absolutely hate that kind of etiquette.”

She made a retching noise and twisted the corners of her mouth as she waved her hand.

“Demon Lords these days have no spirit! In the past, we used to throw fireballs at each other whenever we met. They don’t know how to share companionship now.”

……Watching a girl who only looked like a little girl on the outside go on about young people these days felt bizarre. Referentially, Barbatos was also a character with a fairly strong fanbase. Threads calling her an SM loli would often appear in the strategy fansite, but I honestly couldn’t understand any of them.

“I was able to enjoy myself for the first time in a long while. Aah, to be able to see that whore get upset!”

“It seems you are on bad terms with Her Highness Paimon.”

“Ah. Her Highness? Who are you calling Her Highness?”

Barbatos’ slim brows narrowed.

“Why are you being polite for, brat? Did you hit your head on a pole? Aren’t you a Demon Lord?”

“That is correct.”

“Yeah. It’s great that you answer quickly. Hey, you’re a Demon Lord and that bitch is also a Demon Lord. Why are two people of the same standing talking to each other formally? I don’t get it. Are you that bitch’s vassal?”

“I am not.”

“Yeah, you aren’t! Your Highness here, Your Highness there, I can’t tell whether I’m at a Walpurgis Night or back at my castle.”

Her way of speech was unfittingly crude despite her childlike outer appearance. How should I put it? It may really contrast Barbatos’ appearance, but……she was almost like a delinquent leader, a mafia boss.

“I will refer to you as Miss Barbatos from now on, then.”

“Just talk casually, you rookie bastard. Are you looking down on me because I’m older than you? Treating your elders with respect is something that can go to Hell.”

“Hahah.”

I laughed. Even in the game, she was a character who had an unyielding nature since birth. Even though this kind of person is in a high position, she’s able to conversely establish her own authority by personally breaking the concept of authority herself. I am strong enough to crush authority, this was the sort of impression she gave to the people around her.

Raising Barbatos’ affection was a lot simpler compared to others.

I stuck out my right hand.

“All right, Barbatos. My name is Dantalian.”

“Oh? You’re really going informal?”

Barbatos took my hand in hers. She was wearing a pair of white gloves. The soft texture of high-quality cloth entered my hand.

“How could I disregard Rank 8th’s remark?”

“What?”

Barbatos cackled. I’m not speaking formally because I am now taking your words seriously, it seems that this implication got through to her quickly.

“Look at this rookie brat. Did you rub olive oil on your tongue? Well, you have to be this good if you’re going to let that bitch Paimon taste a bitter defeat. All right. My name is Barbatos. Call me whatever you want, brat.”

She strengthened her grip as we shook hands. A notification appeared at the same time.

「Demon Lord Barbatos’ affection has risen by 5!」

That’s right. Barbatos likes brave and honest people. She also had a rather favorable opinion of the hero because of how he would pick a fight with her unrelentingly. Barbatos didn’t distinguish who she favored whether they were enemies or allies.

In a way that differed from the approval rating given by the lolicons, I didn’t dislike ‘Demon Lord’ Barbatos. She was one of the Demon Lords who fought against the hero’s party the most aggressively. By fair means or foul, she did whatever she could to push the hero’s party into dire situations.

‘Hurry up and kill me, you son of a bitch.’

Even her last moment was a complete contrast to Paimon’s. Paimon asked for a kiss during her final breath in order to leave the biggest impression on the hero, but Barbatos got angry and urged the hero to hurry up and kill her. An illustration would appear the instant she calls the main character a son of a bitch and in that depiction, Barbatos had a surprisingly satisfied grin on her face. She genuinely looked like a mob leader that you would normally see in movies. 

“Listen carefully. Paimon may be annoying, but that bitch isn’t someone who would harass others because of a grudge. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

“Don’t worry about grudges and put an end to Paimon with no loose ends left behind.”

“Wow!”

Barbatos opened her eyes wide. She started to pull on the clothes of Marbas who was standing quietly next to her.

“Geezer! Look at this kid! He’s fucking sharp.”

“……I am thinking right now. Do not disturb me.”

“Wow, fuck. Why is this bastard still rank 71? With that wit, he should have been able to become rank 40 even if he lived his life begging for food. What have you been doing all your life? Geezer, you should raise him. You complained about the brats above rank 50 not being as good as they used to be like some old man on a rainy day that one time.”

“You once stated that Demon Lords must become existences that can stand alone.”

Marbas was still closing his eyes, but his eyebrows twitched.

“Also, I told you to not disturb me.”

“I’m just saying, you fuck. It just feels great to meet a bright rookie after having to deal with a bunch of imbeciles. You seriously like being dignified too much.”

Oh, his eyebrows twitched again.

Regardless, his eyes remained closed. This person is having a competition of pride at a weird time.

“In any case, you got it. Don’t worry about the aftermath and go all out. If by the rare chance that whore tries to retaliate, then I’ll stop her. All right?”

“Thanks.”

“Sheesh. Do you think I’m doing this for you? I’m doing this to teach that whore bitch who doesn’t have even a sliver of a brain a lesson. Do your best, Dantalian or whatever. Since it seems you have quite a stable personality, you’ll be able to live long if you do well.”

Barbatos then turned around and walked back to her original spot. She looked cool whether she was approaching me or walking away. I honestly couldn’t help but be in awe. Whenever I see someone who is able to show off their self-contentment that perfectly, I inadvertently end up giving them my praise.

Marbas let out a sigh once she left.

Mm, I have a rough grasp of what sort of relationship the two of them have. If I were to form a guess using the conversation between Marbas and Paimon earlier as a basis, then this man most likely values traditions greatly. Someone as uncensored as Barbatos was probably a poisonous existence for someone with that kind of personality.

“……The five minutes are almost up.”

Marbas opened his eyes.

Dear God. It appears that he didn’t close his eyes because he was thinking about something in particular. He closed his eyes because he was counting those five minutes. I gradually felt like I was getting a better grasp on this old man’s personality.

“Although it would only be right to end the hearing here since the witness is not present,”

Marbas glanced towards the entrance of the ballroom.

“Since they narrowly managed to make it on time, I will overlook it.”

At that moment, two individuals walked through the marble doorway.

One of them was Paimon. The other was the goblin Torkel who was much shorter than Paimon. Torkel had an incredibly prudent and placid expression on his face while Paimon’s face was filled with delight.

“Here! This one here is Torkel.”

Paimon exclaimed boldly in a tone that sounded as if she had won.

“Ask him anything. Torkel will also assure you that Dantalian is the culprit behind the Black Death!”

“Hm.”

Marbas turned his gaze towards Ivar in order to get confirmation that the goblin was indeed an executive of the Keuncuska Firm. Ivar bowed respectfully. Marbas nodded.

“Very well then. Old goblin, you have been chosen as a witness for this hearing. Step forward.”

“It is an honor to meet all of Your Highnesses.”

Torkel stepped out to the center of the ballroom. Like before, he was holding a staff that was twice his height. He leaned on his staff for support as he gave a bow to all 4 corners of the room.

I could tell that he had resolved himself very strongly.

‘……Hmm.’

I was somewhat curious. I honestly doubt Torkel could possibly reverse this situation at this point. For starters, it was a fact that I didn’t spread the Black Death. Even if he is one of the highest executives of the Keuncuska Firm, he can’t pretend as if something that didn’t happen had actually transpired⎯⎯⎯especially when he’s before the greatest lie detectors in the world.

Despite this, Torkel’s chest was filled with courage like a knight that had stepped out on to a battlefield. It felt like he had already made a firm decision.

‘But how?’

Whether Paimon wanted it to or not, the responsibility of this incident has been passed on to solely Torkel of the Keuncuska Firm due to her actions. Adding to this, Keuncuska’s other elite executive, Ivar, had their feet tied because of my threat. Thus, Torkel couldn’t possibly hope for any assistance from his firm.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t think of anything that Torkel could do right now. The outcome has already been determined. The only people who still don’t know this is probably that foolish Paimon and a few others.

I suddenly felt nervous at the possibility of Torkel having some sort of trump card. I have no more moves now. I couldn’t possibly threaten Marbas and forcefully make him end the hearing.

“I inquire you: were you the one who stated that Dantalian here was the culprit behind the Black Death?”

“Yes. That is what this humble one had said.”

“How did you come to this conclusion? If you have any proof, then bring them forth now.”

“Yes.”

Torkel raised his upper body. He looked straight at Marbas as he spoke. Paimon watched Torkel from behind with a smile on her lips.

It took no more than 10 seconds for her smile to change into shock.

“I told Her Highness Paimon that His Highness Dantalian had undoubtedly caused the Black Death; however, that was a lie. A flat out lie.”

“W-What!?”

Paimon was bewildered. There was no change in Marbas’ expression as he glared at Torkel. He was most likely assessing whether the other party was lying or telling the truth. Nevertheless, Torkel didn’t pause as he continued quickly.

“His Highness Dantalian and I have a small connection. Once His Highness discovered the medicinal herbs that had an effect on the Black Death, I saw the value in His Highness’ product. Thus, I personally approached His Highness and suggested that I should become his exclusive manager. However, His Highness rejected me saying that he already had an exclusive manager.”

Torkel raised his staff and pointed it at a corner of the ballroom.

“That girl over there is that very personnel. Lapis Lazuli. She is nothing more than a low-level employee. I took this refusal as a great insult. Despite my appearance, I am someone who has survived as a merchant for hundreds of years, after all. His Highness Dantalian’s refusal greatly injured my pride as a merchant. Therefore…….”

“Torkel! What are you talking about, Torkel!?”

Paimon was now screaming.

“Look at this lady! Look at this lady right this instant!”

“……Therefore, I did the unthinkable and decided to get revenge on His Highness Dantalian. I had also taken this as a challenge as a Keuncuska merchant. In any case, I judged that a certain type of retaliation was required.”

I was able to grasp Torkel’s intent at this point.

⎯⎯⎯What a terrifying guy.

I turned to look at Ivar to see what they were doing. Ivar was standing quietly with their eyes closed. Damn it! I wanted to let out a snort. So this is how you’re going to play this out.

“I approached Her Highness Paimon and told her this: Dantalian is trying to exterminate all of humankind. Dantalian is also the one who had created this unprecedented disease. Coincidentally, since there is the matter of His Highness Andromalius’ murder, we should be able to do something to Dantalian if we hone down on that. What does Your Highness Marbas think? Were there any lies in this humble one’s words?”

“Mm.”

“I dare to say that there were none. It is only natural since this humble one has only spoken the truth. This was all a scheme that this humble one had enacted alone. Since this one had a personal grudge against His Highness Dantalian, I thus also acted for the sake of doing harm to His Highness Dantalian. I was also the one who had sold His Highness Dantalian’s information, despite also being a client of the Keuncuska Firm, to Her Highness Paimon. The only wrongdoing Her Highness Paimon had done was the act of trusting this old goblin’s words. Although I may be overstepping my bounds greatly, since all the blame lies on this humble one,”

There was no time to do anything.

“I wish to apologize for this incident with my life.”

As soon as he finished that sentence,

Torkel pulled out a dagger from his coat and pierced it through his own throat. The dagger penetrated the old goblin’s slender neck with great ease. The end of the blade stuck out the back of his neck like a thorn.

The small goblin’s body collapsed onto the ballroom’s cold floor.

***

TL note: Thanks for reading the chapter! Honestly, I’m impressed that I managed to release 2 chapters while still in the middle of my trip. I’m not with my university group anymore as I’m now staying at my aunt’s place for a week. I learned that traveling in a group with people you don’t know that well isn’t a good experience. There were some fun times, but there were many more inconvenient times. Someone in the group also stole money from us because 3 people including me found out we lost a hundred dollars during the last week of the trip. We couldn’t have lost it because the money was in a spot deep in our respective bags. So yeah, fun times.

In any case, the next chapter might come out before I go back to Korea or after. Either way, I’m going to be a bit busy enjoying the rest of my trip. See you guys in the next release!