Chapter 347 [Illustration]

Chapter 347 [Illustration]

Yuria recognized who I was just from what I’d said. There were few in the world who could introduce themselves not just as a friend, but in a way that only Airi could understand. I wasn’t just family, but her last remaining family.

Lucinil and I were led into the building, where employees were quietly conversing in offices, possibly conducting loan consultations, even at this hour. There were those who didn’t appear to be succubi among them.

We were led into a restricted area, inaccessible to outsiders, and saw several things behind the scenes. A succubus employee was briefing several armed individuals on various precautions they were to take.

“Be careful not to cause any problems. Of course, most of what we do is legal repossession, as you all know. Let’s keep it within bounds.”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

They seemed to be debt collectors. The succubus employee, who appeared to be in charge, nodded with her arms crossed.

“We don’t care if people get hurt, but if the seized goods are damaged, that will be considered a loss. Remember, if you break something like a statue to intimidate someone, you’ll be liable for damages.”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

“Understood!”

“Of course, I assume you know there will be problems if you don’t resolve the collections within the deadline...”

‘Could it be that even these debt collectors are slaves?’

The gentle tone with which these ruthless words were being said made my head spin.

‘Des Airi have a talent for this? How on earth did she get to be this way? I only just wrote about stuff in my room for a living. I can’t fathom it!’

Yuria led us through the building and up the stairs. We went up to the fourth floor, and stopped in front of a room with a sign that read “President’s Office.”

Clang!

Yuria rang the bell to announce our presence and carefully opened the door.

—What is it? I’m busy.

A voice, recognizable but with an unfamiliar sharpness, came from beyond the door.

“President, a very important guest has arrived.”

—I said I’m not meeting with any fleet owners or royalty yet. Tell them to leave.

‘What’s this about?’

“The last remaining family member... has arrived.”

—Family? What do you mean by family... oh...? Could it be—?

Before she finished speaking, hurried footsteps approached the door from the other side, and it swung open.

Since we were in a private indoor area, there was no need to conceal my identity, so I used Sarkegar’s ring to return to my original form as Baalier.

The pink-haired Succubus Queen, Airi, stood in front of me.

“Ah.”

Airi regarded me in my Baalier form and then pulled me into a hug.

Wham!

“Baalier...!”

“Uh, uh... Yeah... Have you been well?”

I knew how much Airi cared for me, but I still felt awkward around her. Airi, overwhelmed with joy, held onto me for quite some time.

***

Despite being named Angel Capital, the moneylending business seemed to lean more towards the demonic than the angelic.

In the president’s office, Lucinil, Airi, and I sat at a guest table. After a moment, a secretary brought out some tea.

Lucinil covered her cup with her hand as Airi tried to pour tea for her, shaking her head.

“Oh, I’m not going to drink. You don’t have to serve me.”

Airi seemed puzzled. “Oh, this is...?”

“If you know about Eleris, then you should also know about the Vampire Lords. I’m Lucinil, head of the family of Wednesday.”

“Vampire Lord...?”

Airi nodded blankly at Lucinil’s introduction. Though I didn’t fully understand why, Airi seemed quite surprised that I had secured the help of another Vampire Lord.

“... I’ve managed to acquire some help, somehow,” I said to Airi.

“Once all the large fleets are gone, the merchants can’t buy or sell traded goods. Captains lose their ships. Sailors lose their jobs. Sailors without money can’t drink. Then, taverns can’t sell alcohol and go bankrupt. Like dominoes, they all fall in a chain reaction. And then the economy becomes paralyzed.”

‘Was all that talk of enslaving others not her real goal? Bringing down a national economy? Why on earth...?’

“So you’re not out to make money, but to cause an economic crisis? Why?” I asked, bewildered.

Airi smiled slyly. “The goal is to dismantle the trade fleet cartel of the Edina Archipelago.”

“... Huh?”

Another unexpected revelation...

“No matter how much money I have, it won’t be enough to control the entire market. I could never raise enough capital on my own to do so.”

Airi looked out the office window. “This is all possible only because the Edinan Royal Bank is backing me.”

She was essentially a moneylender with unlimited credit.

“It’s not that it’s impossible to construct a mega warp gate to connect the Edina Archipelago to the continent; it’s that they can’t build one even if they want to. If it were just a matter of distance, building another mega warp gate on an uninhabited island along the route would solve the problem, wouldn’t it?”

“... No way.”

“Yes. It’s impossible to build one because of the constant lobbying and obstruction led by the representatives of the trade fleet cartel.”

The reason why the Edina Archipelago did not have a mega warp gate was not because of practical reasons. It was because of opposition from large interest groups whose profits depended on maritime trade.

Despite all her previous talk of royalty and such, Airi had made a secret pact with the Edina Archipelago’s royal family.

“If the chain bankruptcies triggered by the collapse of the trading fleets lead to an economic crisis, they’ll have no choice but to accept the construction of a mega warp gate to improve the overall economic outlook of the Edina Archipelago. This will give the Edenian royal family the mandate to collaborate with the empire to push for the construction of a mega warp gate.”

“... Wow.”

It was both shocking and surprising. I had purposely sent her to a place far from the empire’s reach, and now, she was trying to build a bridge herself.

I was at a loss for words.

“In return, I get about ninety percent of the profits from the operation of the mega warp gate.”

What she was after was not the control of these large trade fleets, but their collapse. And after that, a near monopoly on the trade rights between the Edina Archipelago and the continent. That was the picture Airi was painting.

***

“I sent you here, a place far from the empire’s reach, and now you’re trying to build a bridge. How am I supposed to take this?” I grumbled.

Airi flashed a grim smile. “You’re walking on thin ice in the imperial capital, and I don’t want to believe that you’ll solve everything for me while I sit safely here without taking any risks.”

Airi believed there was something she could do and wanted to do something, anything. She had even talked about selling themselves as slaves to humans to raise capital.

Airi wasn’t just relying on her own strength; she had connections with the Edinan royal family. Without that, she couldn’t have pursued a business of this scale.

“Anyway, the Edina Archipelago relies too heavily on maritime trade. But if a mega warp gate connecting the continent and the archipelago is built, the social costs incurred by the need to operate these fleets will decrease, and the economic situation will improve significantly. That’s why the royal family has been pushing to build a mega warp gate for a long time.”

“And those involved in the maritime trade have been blocking it continuously?”

“That’s right.”

Without the warp gate, those involved in the maritime trade were indispensable in the Edina Archipelago.

“When discussions about building a warp gate began, the maritime trade cartels threatened to strike and paralyze the national economy. They’ve done it before, and each time the economy has faltered. A mega warp gate can’t be built overnight, so the question was always whether the economy could weather the complete paralysis of maritime trade during that time.”

The maritime trade cartels had a stranglehold on the Edina Archipelago, and had complete control over their economic fate. Though their practical utility has diminished, they managed to maintain their dominance over the Edina Archipelago through strikes and the threat of strikes.

“Because of this, the royal family wants to eliminate the maritime trade cartels altogether. They believe that, despite the bloodshed and chaos that could ensue, it’s better to build a mega warp gate and completely dismantle the cartel. And if I fail, the royal family can simply cut ties.”

If Airi’s intentions to dismantle the entire maritime trade cartel become apparent and she becomes their target, the royal family could always withdraw their support.

“It’s too risky,” I said.

“Perhaps.”

“Even if everything goes as you say, there’s a real possibility that the Edinan royal family might betray you later on.”

If things went wrong, they could always cut ties, and even if things went according to Airi’s plan, it was possible that the royal family would discard her once she served her purpose. She was shouldering an excessively large risk.

“No, Baalier, that won’t happen,” Airi said confidently.

“Why is that?”

“You know why.” Airi gave a subtle smile. “We’re just too easy to love.”

The fleet owners she intended to bring down and the members of the royal family who were secretly collaborating with her... She knew that they would never abandon her because they were utterly infatuated with her.

The Queen of the Succubi... Even without her horns, Airi hadn’t lost that kind of confidence.

“Some might already see my actions as suspicious or think that I’ve crossed a line. That’s why I don’t do business with civilians who don’t know me well or haven’t seen me much.”

To her, it was just a matter of playing with those already enamored with her.

Airi reassured me that there was nothing to worry about.