72-Episode 72: Egg shell and another product

Hmmm, I'm glad the herbs are for sale, but that's the only thing I'm worried about.

If you only have one thing for sale, you don't want to be able to rely on it for anything but a bounce.

We've had major problems in our previous lives and previous lives due to famine and depletion from over harvesting.

It would be nice if there was something else to sell that would become a specialty of Kuujima alone.

So, I should go to Morishima again.

That's a long time ago.

The value of the eye-catching items is confirmed by Mr. Byrne and the rest of the Goodruiser's crew, so there's nothing that would make me want to trade for it.

'Hmmm, what to do?'

As I was strolling through the forest like that, I suddenly came to a place that looked familiar to me.

'The ruins of the demon gate?

Even if I say ruins, they are the remains of houses in the Celestial Continent era, though it's not so unusual for me to see them as I knew them back then.

"The gate has been completely trampled down.

Yeah, with Bahamut's full weight on it, this gate is no longer useful.

Well, if the demons can't get to the forest island easily, that's probably a good thing.

Hey, Lex-san. What is that thing?

And at that time, Liliela pointed to something black and asked me.

''That's a Bahamut eggshell...''

Yeah, eggshells, after the chicks have already hatched.

''Bahamut's eggshells!''

For some reason, Liliella is surprised, rolling her eyes.

'What's wrong with that thing?

''Because Bahamut is such a demon that it's called an S-rank among S-ranks!　If that's the case, wouldn't those eggshells be of great value too!

I was about to say that this is ridiculous, how can an eggshell have such value, but when I thought about it, even green dragons are worth quite a bit of money, and Bahamut's eggshells might have an unexpected demand.

For example, ingredients for a potion that I never knew existed.

''Hey, let's collect them!　It's going to be good money!

It's amazing.

'What?　What?

I was honestly impressed by Liliera-san's idea.

''Indeed, if Bahamut is an S-ranked demon, it's no wonder the eggshells have value. Yes, let's collect them!

Hmmm, so maybe other Bahamut-derived materials could be gold, too?

With that in mind, we collected the eggshell from Bahamut and looked around to see if there was anything else.

Is that a scale that fell out of Bahamut?

Does that mean it's not a piece of a horn?

When we collected the items, we went back to the empty island to have the people of the Goodlouser evaluate them.

Oops, I have to collect the old eggshells too!

''Uh-huh, I didn't expect to get Bahamut's materials. Wouldn't it be amazing to get a new piece of equipment with this?

While she was leaving, Liliera-san was in a good mood all the time.

◆

This is Bahamut's eggshell.

This is Scales of Bahamut.

This is the piece of Bahamut's horn?

I asked Byrne and the others to take a look at the Bahamut material I brought back immediately, but everyone was acting strangely.

All of them are acting suspiciously excited.

Well, Bahamut is a good material in its own right, it is understandable that they are a little surprised that they were able to have fun getting it, but I think they are a little too surprised.

''Well, there are a number of such things in Kuujima?''

Well, not many, but there may be others if you look for them.

With a clatter, the sailors of the Goodruiser float to their feet.

'This looks like it's going to be worth money.

'I don't know, does Bahamut's material look like it's going to make money?

'Yes, sir. I'm not a connoisseur, so I can't be sure, but this eggshell is hard and light. Even if you cut them with a knife like this, the blade of the knife would be chipped off, rather than being damaged. This would be valuable enough to make armor as well as weapons.

Thank goodness, this is going to be a good profit.

''I never thought the day would come when that abominable demon material would turn to gold...''

Calm and the other celestial beings seem to be in a delicate, half-jubilant mood.

Well, he's the one who made them struggle for years, you know.

But if that's the case, it's probably a pity that Bahamut is no longer with us. You can't get new materials anymore.

Idiots!

When one of the knights said such a thing, Mr. Carm dropped his genkotsu with angry words.

''Ouch....''

"Thanks to you, Lord Lex, there will be no more food shortages in the future!　Don't even joke about it!

I'm sorry, I'm sorry...

The knight is teary-eyed, as if Mr. Carm's genuflections have hurt him a lot.

But yeah. It's true that if we can continue to collect Bahamut's materials, it's better than that, isn't it?

Hmm, then it might be better to find out where Bahamut is.

That might be a good idea.

What?

If you're raising your children not too far away, then hopefully you'll be able to retrieve materials from the Bahamut's Nest in the long run.

'Okay, let's find the Bahamut's Nest!

""What?"

You're not going to be able to do that.

I'll have to check this one out now.

I decided to look for Bahamut's nest, and I went around the surrounding empty islands looking for Bahamut's nest.

When I found a new empty island, I used my exploration magic to search for signs of a strong demon.

After repeating this several times, I finally succeeded in capturing a large reaction.

'There it is, it's Bahamut!'

Okay, let's get going.

Um.....

And I was about to head to Bahamut's Nest when I heard a reserved voice behind me.

'What is it, Mr. Calm?'

The ones who called out to me were Calm-san and the other knights of the empty island who had followed with me.

''Well, are you really going to attack Bahamut's nest?''

No, no, no, I wouldn't do that.

'So why do you go to Bahamut's Nest then?　And that's with Bahamut in the room.

No, I was wondering if we could discipline Bahamut and collect the material from the nest on a regular basis.

""What?

Calm and the others look at me in disbelief, but in previous lives, breeding demons and retrieving only the materials they need was a common practice.

''In short, it's akin to raising livestock.

""The scale of the senses is so different!"

Huh?　I don't think that's true.

'Basically, animals obey beings that are stronger than them. Demons are animals too, so even Bahamut will listen to you if you persuade him a bit.

''That's assuming ... that we can beat Bahamut, right?

Yes, of course!

It's a lot of work to get the material while keeping an opponent stronger than you alive.

That's exactly what requires expert knowledge and experience.

But if you're Bahamut, well, if you put a little energy into beating them down, they'll listen to you.

I used to help an acquaintance from a previous life, and I used to beat up demons to show the difference in their power.

The stronger the demon, the more intelligence it has to be able to understand the difference in power.

Well, some demons are less intelligent and can't understand that, but that's the exception.

''Are you really going to go?　Who do you think we're dealing with here, Bahamut?　We're going to die...

'The magic item that defeated Bahamut is now broken too.

No, you'll be dealing with Lord Lex.　I don't think he's going to take on the challenge without any ideas. Don't you have a plan?

''Indeed, not only does he have that much strength, but with his in-depth knowledge of magic items, wouldn't it be strange for him to have some kind of knowledge to follow Bahamut!

No, it's simply a tour de force.

Then let's go.

""Yes!"

I took the convinced knights and headed to Bahamut's Lair.

''Speaking of which, why do we have to accompany you?　It is Lord Lex who follows Bahamut, is it not?

Oh, good point.

That's because from now on, it will be your job to go to Bahamut's nest to collect the materials. After all, I will be leaving the empty island sooner or later.

Mr. Calm and the others shout out in surprise.

"What kind of nonsense is this?　We can't follow Bahamut!

No, it's not. It's all right. We'll just give him a hard-on and he'll do what we say.

You're gonna be heard...

Coo!

And here's the mohumov that was on his head, speaking up.

Since Mohumov is also a demon, I brought him here to see if maybe he could be useful in persuading Bahamut.

Well, Mohumov is still an immature child, so I don't know how useful he will be in persuading Bahamut.

'See, Mohumov says he's fine, too.

Huh....

While we were talking about what we were talking about, we came to the neighborhood where Bahamut lived.

In front of me was a nest made entirely of wood, just like the one on Morishima Island, towering over me.

Grrrrrr.....

I can hear Bahamut's roar.

It's threatening and alarming, I guess.

But I walk into Bahamut's nest with my chest held high.

I can't afford to be timid when dealing with wild beasts.

''You all should also hold your chests and be proud. The beast will see through your feeble opponents.

Well, that's ridiculous...

It was then, as if sensing the weakness of Calm and the others, a black shadow rose up and spread its black wings and covered the sky in the blink of an eye.

''Hii!

''Ugh, whoa!?''

Bahamut stood up, just enough to make the knights float away.

The first thing you need to do is to have a look at the actuality of the situation.

'Bahamut, I have a favor to ask of you!

I speak to Bahamut at the top of my voice.

'I want you to give us the missing scales and pieces of horns that litter your nest!　In exchange for the flesh of the demon we hunted, I will give you the flesh of the monster we hunted!

As long as you're trading, there's a price to pay.

Even livestock need to be fed and their beds cleaned.

And since defeating demons is a job for the knights, they can provide Bahamut with the meat of the monsters they hunt during their defeat.

Grrrr.....

Huh?　It looks like Bahamut is thinking about it.

Come to think of it, Bahamut drew when I defeated the demon, and this Bahamut might be quite clever.　

Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!

Huh?　There's something wrong with Bahamut.

I mean, did Bahamut sound like this intonation?

Hmmm, Bahamut is clearly behaving strangely.

Could this be a breakdown in negotiations?

And that's when it happened.

'Kyu!'

The Fluffy Mofu on top of my head screamed loudly and landed in front of Bahamut.

And then he begins to scream as if to say something to Bahamut.

Cue!　Kyu Kyu!　Squeak!

Grrrr.....

Bahamut also raises his voice in response to Mohammed's words.

'We're having a conversation...?'

Mr. Calm let out such a comment on the mofos' condition.

'Perhaps. Perhaps they're trying to convince Bahamut to do something about it.'

I'm surprised that a mohumofu can talk to another species.

And when the discussion is over, Mohumofu turns to me.

"swoosh!

And then with a loud voice, he jumped into my chest.

"Oops!

I shouldn't, I caught it in a hurry and grabbed it in the face.

Cholo-cholo-cholo........

Oops, I think I scared her by grabbing her face.

I think Fluffy wet myself again.

I'm really, really sorry.

"Squeak squeak!　Coooo!

Then all of a sudden the Fluffy Fluff in my hand began to squeal as if it were screaming.

Grrrrrr.....

I thought he was protesting against me, but for some reason Bahamut responded to the muffled cry.

Was the squeal that I just heard was a call to Bahamut?

And so, after Bahamut continued to talk with Mohammed for a while, he gathered up the scales and pieces of horns in the nest and presented them to me.

Grrrrrr.....

Furthermore, I thought he was lying on the ground, but he turned over and came over to show me his belly.

Is this supposed to be a sign of obedience?

Bahamut shows his tummy and waves his tail!

Is he showing his submission to Lord Rex?

Anyway, considering that Bahamut gave us the material, it seems that the negotiations were successfully concluded.

This is all thanks to Liliella's offer to make money out of Bahamut's materials!

Thank you, Fluffy.

I stroke the mofo that got me through the negotiations.

'Cuong!　Kyuun!

Haha, you're really friendly with your tail wagging.

◆

********************.

Gah!

The humans are here again!

They moved out of the nest and were quietly raising their children, but somehow, someway!　There's another human being here.

I haven't done anything wrong, okay?

Well, don't be afraid of the monsters in the sky.

As I was frightened, the white demon on the head of the human spoke to me.　　

'I am the king of all demons, your savior.

Savior...?

What the hell does that mean?　Do you think you're stronger than these people?

You may be a man of great strength, but you still can't beat the man in front of you.

You can't defeat the man in front of you. I'll give you that.

But the white demon sneered and said, "But that's only if I'm fighting alone.

But that's a case of me fighting on my own. But that would be a different story if I were to join forces with you!

What the hell?

What do you think?　Will you not join me in defeating the human?　If we join forces with them, that human will have no hope of escaping.

Well what do you think?

It's true that the power I feel is more powerful than this demon, and that's something to be reckoned with.

But at the back of my mind is my own child, whom I love.

I will not gamble with him.

'Can you afford to be bothered?　You don't want to die either, do you?　Including the kid behind me.

d*mn, this demon is right.

It doesn't matter how much it bothers us, our fate is still in the hands of this human being.

Shouldn't we rather shape our own destiny?

Even if you can't win, you can at least buy yourself time to let my child go.

I see you've made up your mind. Now follow me!

The white monster pounces on the human's throat in an attempt to bite it off.

Gasp!

Oh, he grabbed me by the face.

Cholo-cholo.

And then he blurted out.

'Yes, if your life is at stake you will give your body parts to my master!

You son of a b*tc*!　Really, a lot of things are just awful!

Why else would I give you a piece of me?

Humans wear our body parts as trophies of war. So, if you don't want to be killed, you can give us some of your missing body parts, and we'll let you live!　My master is so merciful that I believe he would spare the life of anyone who defies him if only they would pay him tribute!

No, you're the only one who disobeyed.

''Hahaha!　Do you think my husband would agree with that?　As soon as you're in trouble, you and I are already in the picture!

Oh, Jesus!　That's really bad!

But in a way, this might have been a good thing.

The fact that this demon was captured so easily is proof that even with two people working together, we were no match for this human being.

In that case, I will not hesitate to put aside my pride to protect my child.

Finally, let's be sure that we can be saved by paying tribute, right?

Yes, my master is a merciful man.

I see, that's why you're still alive.

I gave up and presented the missing scales and pieces of horns scattered around in front of the human, and even showed my complete submission by lying down and showing my belly.

I don't think of it as a bad influence on children or anything. It's mindlessness, being mindless to live.

I'd rather let him learn how to get by when he encounters an overwhelmingly strong man who can't win no matter what.

"********

Then the human was satisfied with that, and returned meekly, taking a part of me with him.

◆

********************.

The humans came again today.

These days, they've become accustomed to humans entering their nest.

My child is eating the meat of the demon that the humans brought with them, as if it were delicious.

To be honest, I wish they wouldn't do that, because it makes me lose interest in practicing my hunting skills.

But oh well. It's very easy to clean the nest on its own, so it's very easy.

I'm grateful that I can focus on raising my children.

But, my child, you mustn't become like that monster.

◆

Thus, with the success of negotiations with Bahamut, Kuujima became the only nation in the world that could regularly ship Bahamut's materials as well as medicinal herbs.

It may be difficult to communicate with the countries on the ground, but according to the deputy chief, it's a business material that can be sold aggressively, so if you can get along with them, you can build a relationship with each country as an equal.

Well, I'll leave that part up to the higher-ups.

And about the new airship I've made, I've decided to sell it in exchange for Bahamut's materials, some herbs, and some unwanted magic items from the Celestial City.

If I used my private airship for the nation's trade, I thought I'd have to go through a lot of procedures and rights, so I figured it would be less of a hassle to sell it.

I've given them a maintenance note in case it breaks down, so they should be able to repair it on their own, and if they can't, I've told them to go to the Adventurer's Guild and ask for my help.

Now that I've finally solved all the problems on the Sky Island, I can leave the island in peace.

''Wait!　You haven't solved my problem!

Alright, I guess I'll go home.

I told you to wait!

What is it, Your Majesty the Sky King?

Yes, the person who was talking to me earlier was the Sky King.

"I thought I could finally ensure the safety of my people and abdicate the throne, why do you have more work for me to do!

"Well, despite what you say, His Majesty the Sky King still has the final say on trade matters.

Yeah, trade is a business that is done between countries.

It's only natural for the Sky King and other nobles to work hard.

Also, there's no way a powerful person can throw away their power so easily.

Unfortunately, it was also a disaster that the Celestial Sky King was oddly serious.　

''Well then, with that in mind, good luck with your last great task during your reign, King!

Hey, wait, you!

We left the empty island, shaking off the Sky King who was chasing us from behind.

''Just leave me alone?''

'We've done everything we can,' asked Liliella, holding Fluffy in her arms.

''We've done all we can do. Now it's the Celestial King himself's turn to clean up to abdicate his throne.

It's a simple matter of leaving no stone unturned.

So let's go back to our old home.

It's not exactly nostalgic, though.

I'm sure Gyro and the others will be back by now, and it will be interesting to go out together next time.