Chapter Sixty-Seven: There Must Be Something Strange About This

As a merchant, Clarisse clearly understood one fundamental truth: if you want to strike a deal, never waste time offering the customer something they do not need. In this regard, Clarisse excelled, and the “gift” she brought fully demonstrated her acumen.

But, as with all commodities, you can never receive everything for free.

“How interesting.”

Setting down the intelligence report in his hand, Jain narrowed his eyes. According to the information provided by Clarisse, the situation was even more complicated than he had anticipated. At first, relying on news from Enoia, Jain had assumed this was a typical cleansing operation by the Temple against the Underdark. But that was not the case. In fact, the trend of expeditions into the Underdark had begun among the populace, and only afterward did the Sacred Order initiate their campaign. All their declarations were vague—simply claiming to strike at “evil” in the Underdark. As for what this evil was, the Order said nothing specific, and the public didn’t care.

Yet Jain knew that, even within the Order, the details were unclear—at least, the itinerant bishop Alex, whom they had killed, was equally ignorant. The situation was all the more bizarre because the operation was led by the Temples of War, Verdure, and Silver, with the other four temples merely providing support.

This made things truly intriguing. Normally, such alliances would be spearheaded by the most powerful temples, with the rest cheering from behind. But now, the three weakest among the Nine Saints were at the forefront—a detail not without significance. Consider the domains they presided over: the Verdant Goddess Aidas governed tranquility, springs, and healing; the Silver Maiden Sairen presided over navigation, the moon, and beastfolk. Neither temple was specialized for battle; only the War God Makar was remotely appropriate—though after his fall, his temple was but a shadow of its former self.

Just as demon lords among the demonic tribes varied in strength, so too did the gods of the Celestial Kingdom. Among the Nine Saints, the strongest were the Sun God Amonra, the God of Truth Tom, and the War God Makar—their temples most numerous across the continent of Klein. After all, Amonra brings light to darkness, Tom seeks truth, and Makar protects warfare. What part of the world can do without these three?

Next in strength were the Water Goddess Revini, the Forest Goddess Melika, and the Harvest God Mona. The Water Goddess ruled all domains of water, making her influence vast. The Forest Goddess sheltered elves, nature, and druids—a considerable following. As for the Harvest God, Mona—who would dare go hungry without worshipping him?

Then there were the Silver Maiden Sairen, the Great Mother Chati, and the Verdant Goddess Aidas—subsidiary deities, in truth. Sairen, patron of navigation, was essentially under the sway of the Water Goddess Revini. The Great Mother Chati governed grains, subordinate to the Harvest God Mona. As for Aidas—her supposed partnership with Melika was the subject of countless tales, none fit to repeat.

Understanding the power and rank among the Nine Saints, the composition of this alliance seemed all the more peculiar. Makar may have been one of the original three greatest gods, but after his corpse was dragged to the Demon Realm, his temple was little more than an empty shell. Now, what kind of combination was this—one fallen power and two lackeys?

Jain had never set foot on the surface, but the libraries of the Demon Realm were vast, and he was well-read enough to know these things. So upon reading Clarisse’s report, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

To put it in perspective, it was as if Earth were invaded by aliens and the United Nations announced that China, Britain, France, Russia, and the U.S. would join forces to lead the resistance—everyone would be reassured. But if, instead, the UN declared that Australia, Canada, and Iceland would spearhead the effort, with the permanent five providing logistical and training support from the rear… well, who wouldn’t find that suspicious?

Such was the thought that formed in Jain’s mind after seeing Clarisse’s information.

“Clarisse, what do you make of this?”

“My lord, there must be something fishy here!”

Obvious enough. Jain rolled his eyes at her reply. He hadn’t expected Clarisse to offer anything truly useful—she was, after all, a merchant, and merchants were as cunning as they came. In online games, didn’t you have to pay to access special services?

“Very well.”

With that, Jain cleared his throat, fixed his gaze on Clarisse, and raised a single finger.

“One sentence, one question.”

Hearing Jain’s words, Clarisse arched her brow, her eyes flickering thoughtfully. She extended her right hand, all five fingers splayed. Jain shook his head and held up one finger. Clarisse, dissatisfied, curled her little finger and winked at him. Jain curled his lips and flashed a “V” sign with his fingers. Clarisse waved dismissively and bent her ring finger. Still unsatisfied, Jain repeated his “V,” showing no sign of backing down.

After a brief stalemate, Clarisse gave a resigned nod.

“Very well, Your Highness—one sentence, one question.”

“I want to know what Klein, Liricia, Vivian, and Naberius have experienced in the past thirty days and how they’ve responded.”

No sooner had Clarisse agreed than Jain rattled off his question, speaking so swiftly that not a single pause for punctuation could be detected.

Clarisse stared at him, eyes wide with surprise, and after a moment shook her head with a wry smile.

“Your Highness, that’s certainly more than one question.”

“One sentence, one question.” Jain spread his hands with an expression of utter innocence. “Please answer, Miss Clarisse.”

“Very well…”

Clarisse sighed. “Your Highness, you really should consider a career as a merchant. The Kuriskane Trading Company has always hoped for someone of your talents…”

“If I’m ever truly down and out, I’ll consider it. For now, I’d rather have the answer.”

“…Understood.”

This time, Clarisse’s sigh was truly heartfelt. To be honest, her invitation for Jain to join the company wasn’t merely a ploy—she genuinely wanted him on board. Having sparred with him for years, Clarisse knew better than anyone his business acumen; in this field, he was even more cunning than a devil. The Kuriskane Trading Company had dealt with Jain for so long without ever gaining an extra copper from him—that alone spoke volumes about his shrewdness. Your greatest rival often knows you best, and with Jain’s skills, he could easily become a preeminent merchant in the Demon Realm.

Clarisse simply couldn’t understand why Jain refused her invitation. His identity was no secret in the Demon Realm; cleverness had kept him alive so far, but if a demon lord truly wanted him dead, it would cost them little. The Kuriskane Company, however, rivaled even mid-tier demon lords in influence—enough that even the great ones of the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons had to show respect. If Jain joined, he would surely rise to prominence, wielding power and wealth without ever needing to lift a finger. Even archdevils would be relegated to his subordinates.

In this world, only money is truly omnipotent, is it not?

Could it be that Jain intended to marry one of her sisters? Clarisse dismissed the thought with a shake of her head. Among demons, such situations were not uncommon, and she knew well that both her sisters cared deeply for Jain. Yet he showed no sign of such intentions; otherwise, he wouldn’t have ventured alone into such a forsaken place. She truly could not fathom what the prince was plotting.

Speculation aside, since Jain declined, Clarisse could only leave the matter for another day. She quickly composed herself and began to outline the current situation for him.

“In recent days, the territories of the others have also suffered varying degrees of incursion by the Children of Light. But, as Your Highness knows, such attacks are of little consequence to them.”

“Indeed.” Jain nodded. Clarisse was right—he had left with nothing and now commanded fewer than fifty souls. How could he compare to those who had proper legions under their command?

“Lord Klein’s response has been to kill on sight. Any Child of Light daring to enter his dungeon was swiftly slain and turned into undead to reinforce his armies. I’ve had the privilege to witness it myself; I must admit, some of those Children of Light do possess a measure of skill.”

Jain curled his lip. His elder brother Klein had once been human, betrayed by his own kind and transformed into a demon. Thus, his hatred for humanity was boundless; it was his lifelong wish to exterminate them all and unite the continent. Even his dungeon was built in the Lost Marshes, close to populous surface territories—a clear sign that he was ready for a massacre. Those who courted death had only themselves to blame.

“As for your second sister, Liricia, she remains secluded within her dungeon, but with the aid of the dark elves, the invaders have found little comfort.”

That was Liricia’s style—masterful at using others as her tools, never dirtying her own hands if she could avoid it. Jain was certain his second sister was already plotting some elaborate counterstroke.

“Princess Vivian’s situation is somewhat… lively, though it has little to do with her dungeon.”

“Oh?” Jain’s interest was piqued. “How so?”

“Well, after completing her dungeon, Princess Vivian reverted to her true form and toured the surrounding area, demanding tribute from the humans. If they refused, she threatened to raze their towns. So…”

Clarisse gestured, and Jain immediately caught her meaning. His fourth sister Vivian was a dragon by nature, and by Clarisse’s account, she had gone out to throw her weight around in draconic form. The humans on the surface would treat a dragon very differently from a demon; they were probably quite eager to pay her tribute, grateful for such a deterrent in their midst—a veritable nuclear deterrent, as it were. Of course, “dragon slayers” were doubtless soon to follow.

“As for Princess Naberius, as you know, there are few people in her region to begin with, so she has been entirely unaffected.”

“That, I’m well aware of.” Jain couldn’t suppress a laugh. Naberius was much like Iris—both preferred peace and quiet, and the youngest especially loved to stick close to him. When she came to the material plane to build her dungeon, she chose the deserted Canyon of No Return, close to Jain’s own territory. The place was utterly deserted, above and below; no humans to cause trouble, and she herself would not seek any. It was a place of profound peace and nearly unbearable boredom.

Jain fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. Then he reached for a pouch of coins and tossed it to Clarisse. She caught it deftly, gave Jain a respectful nod, and withdrew. Jain said nothing until she had departed; then he let out a soft sigh and murmured to himself,

“It seems, in the name of justice and light, we must truly strive to maintain the peace and stability of our rear.”