“What a cute gift.”
The shadows moved according to Celia’s gesture. This was because the succubus’s charm had worked.
Goolon was appalled by the way the shadows followed her as if she were their pet from the beginning.
At the same time, he was relieved.
‘Was the charm always this powerful?’
Succubi were beings that commonly stole the vital energy of humans through dreams.
And as they gained higher status, they drew others in using their allure, not just through dreams. This was the essence of charm.
However, their power was only significant within dreams; in reality, they barely had any.
At least, it was something that only high-ranking succubi or the Succubus Queen, who had been extorting humans’ vital energy for a long time, could do, yet the succubus before him was achieving it.
‘Is she really the Succubus Queen?’
But Goolon shook his head.
‘No, she seems to be of an even higher rank than the Queen.’
He was shocked that the succubus before him was of such high caliber.
And he felt fortunate, congratulating himself for coming here to surrender immediately without confronting her directly.
‘I could have died if I messed up.’
If he had made her his enemy, he would have been ensnared by her charm just like the shadows.
A chill ran down his spine, and he shuddered.
Look at her now.
That succubus, Celia, was a being far superior to Baalcherit, the 5-star vampire the Merchant Guild cared about.
In other words, for Goolon, whose backing from the Merchant Guild had run out, this was his chance to grab onto a lifeline.
And not just any lifeline, but a golden one.
There was no need for confirmation.
“Um… will you accept me then? Please, spare my life.”
Goolon emphasized that he was a section chief in the Merchant Guild’s audit team, trying to appeal his usefulness.
He had already revealed the entire situation to Celia.
The fact that the Merchant Guild was displeased by the growing power of the dungeon she managed. And that the Merchant Guild intended to intervene to resolve the current situation.
However, Celia showed no reaction to Goolon’s words. She simply continued to gaze at the shadows.
As she remained unresponsive, Goolon’s anxiety grew.
‘Please, say something!’
Even if she didn’t know, he was in a desperate situation.
He had even bet his life on this, so Goolon felt like his life was like a sandcastle about to crumble.
At least he would feel at ease if she gave him a definite answer that she would accept him, but she offered no response.
“……”
How much time passed like that?
Finally, Celia opened her mouth.
“Well, alright. Since you’ve brought such a gift, I’ll show mercy just once. However.”
Celia raised her hand. Then, she plucked a strand of her hair.
“Feed this to that department chief.”
“What?”
What absurd request was this?
‘Feed my hair to the department chief?’
No, why would he feed it to him in the first place?
Even if he tried, the problem of how to force-feed hair remained.
It was an illogical premise from the start.
Goolon looked at Celia with a bewildered expression.
“Ah, don’t worry, Goolon. I’ve asked the shadows.”
Celia smiled and handed the strand of hair to the shadows.
The shadows politely received Celia’s hair with both hands.
The shadows handled the hair with care, as if receiving something of great importance.
“The shadows will handle it, so you just need to wait, Goolon.”
Celia gestured towards the shadows.
Then, their existence vanished in an instant.
As if smoke dissipating.
* * *
“Kuaaaah!”
Maltis, the department chief belonging to the Underworld Merchant Guild’s audit team.
He, who looked like an owl, was screaming.
He had clearly been working in his office just a moment ago.
But suddenly, shadows appeared from somewhere.
Strange.
The shadows were supposed to be assigned to Section Chief Goolon…
But that thought was fleeting.
The shadows began to overpower him.
And then they were shoving something strange into his mouth.
Fortunately, since Maltis had an owl-like head, his mouth was also shaped like a bird’s beak.
Thanks to this, he could resist a little, but it was only for a moment. Soon, succumbing to the shadows’ power, he had no choice but to open his mouth.
He didn’t know why the shadows assigned to Goolon were capturing him.
What was certain was that his hands were already held by the shadows, and another shadow was prying his mouth open.
“Kkkh…”
Maltis’s mouth was forced open.
The shadows shoved Celia’s hair deep into Maltis’s open mouth.
“Gah, gah.”
Maltis began to cough at the substance that entered his mouth.
After several attempts to resist, Maltis finally swallowed what was in his mouth.
“……”
Huh?
What happened?
Who am I?
What was I doing right now?
Yes, I remembered.
I am Maltis.
A department chief working at the Underworld Merchant Guild.
But why are the shadows here?
“……”
Ah!
That’s right.
I sometimes forget, don’t I?
I need to carry out the orders given by Lady Celia.
“……”
Maltis naturally returned to his seat.
This was because he had to work for Lady Celia, whom he followed.
Although he had never met Lady Celia in person, he always felt her presence within him.
This was undoubtedly loyalty.
“Oh dear. I’ve been doing my work so poorly.”
She would be very disappointed if she knew.
Maltis checked the documents on his desk and discarded them all.
After discarding them, he began to write new documents.
– I would like to share the results of my investigation regarding the recent merger of 26 dungeons.
There are no disadvantages to our Merchant Guild, and in fact, the owner of the dungeon is showing obedience to our Merchant Guild’s…
Maltis was diligently working.
“Ah, I almost forgot again. The only person aware of this matter is the Director above me. It’s Director Kaisenn. He’s been troubled lately by people within the Merchant Guild who are hostile to him.”
Maltis began to spill the information he knew, even adding his own opinions.
“I hope my words are helpful to him.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the shadows disappeared.
And the next day, the Underworld Merchant Guild was turned upside down.
The news that Kaisenn, one of the Merchant Guild’s directors, had committed suicide spread.
Of course, since he wasn’t a high-ranking official, the atmosphere was one of quickly forgetting about it.
“What a shame. Director.”
Maltis murmured this news while drinking coffee.
“That’s why you shouldn’t offend her.”
* * *
Goolon naturally returned to the Merchant Guild’s audit team and continued his work.
However, the atmosphere felt strange.
It was all because of Department Chief Maltis.
‘What did she do to the department chief?’
The department chief’s personality had completely changed.
He hadn’t made any mention of the work he had assigned to Goolon not being finished properly.
He seemed completely unconcerned.
‘Is it fortunate, perhaps?’
In the end, it was a situation that Goolon could laugh off.
He had returned to the Merchant Guild without any problems, and he didn’t have to beg for his life from the succubus.
“But then again…”
One thing that bothered him was the question of why he had been let off so easily.
‘What on earth is going on…’
It felt like a dream.
Perhaps all of this was a dream?
After hesitating for a moment, Goolon dismissed the thought.
What’s good is good.
There was no need to think further and give himself a headache; he should just focus on his work.
And then, he went outside to get some fresh air. His subordinate employees were already outside.
“Hmm…”
Seeing his subordinates, Goolon felt an urge to speak.
He couldn’t resist wanting to tell them about the things he had gone through, the experiences he had.
Especially about the existence of the succubus he had seen.
She was undoubtedly a being of immense caliber.
It was natural to report to the Merchant Guild, but he was afraid of her potential retaliation.
So, the method he chose was to spread rumors.
Goolon stealthily approached the group of subordinates.
“Ah, Section Chief Goolon. Hello?”
One of the employees greeted him.
“Uh… yes. Good morning.”
He couldn’t recall the employee’s name.
Perhaps he wasn’t someone he had paid much attention to. Or rather, he looked completely unfamiliar.
Ah, is he a new hire?
But he hadn’t heard anything about new hires joining.
Come to think of it, all the employees here were faces he’d never seen before.
He felt awkward.
‘Were they from other departments?’
As Goolon was about to slip away from the group.
“By the way, Section Chief Goolon, do you have something you want to say?”
Someone called out to him.
“Hm?”
Goolon turned back around.
“Did you experience something unusual?”
At that remark, Goolon’s face lit up.
He had been needing someone to initiate the conversation.
“Do I look like it?”
He cleared his throat once.
“What I experienced was…”
Goolon’s words began to flow, telling his story.
“Hey, that’s unbelievable. How could you subjugate 26 dungeons? And in such a short time.”
“I’m serious! That’s why the department chief scolded me.”
“And the dungeon owner is a succubus queen-level being? But she let you go just like that? You’re exaggerating.”
The employees laughed and chatted.
“No, I’m telling the truth!”
Seeing the employees who wouldn’t believe him, Goolon grew impatient.
so he started explaining in more detail.
From beginning to end, everything.
As Goolon explained, he suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.
Huh?
Suddenly, the surroundings became quiet.
No, it wasn’t ‘suddenly.’
At some point, he was talking alone.
Goolon looked around.
All the employees were standing still with blank expressions.
Their eyeballs began to roll around.
“Gasp!”
Their eyeballs soon all focused on Goolon.
Their mouths opened.
They all opened their mouths at the same time, but their voices were one.
“Oh my, Goolon, I told you mercy is only granted once.”
Huh?
It was a familiar voice.
It was the voice of the succubus Celia.
‘Could it be…’
As Goolon regained his senses, the scene of the Merchant Guild disappeared.
And a familiar landscape appeared.
The dungeon where 26 dungeons were merged in a short period.
The dungeon managed by the succubus.
“How was your dream? Was it sweet?”
Celia, standing before him, said with a smile.
Goolon was in the dungeon.
More precisely, he had never left the dungeon in the first place.
“Did I seem like a fool to you?”
“No…”
Goolon despaired.
“No! That was a mistake!”
But Goolon had thrown away the one chance for mercy Celia had offered.
“Kuaaahhhhhh!”
Goolon’s scream spread throughout the dungeon.
This was Celia’s judgment on one who had squandered his one chance.
