In the early morning, when the morning fog still hasn't cleared, the group ahead of us was advancing through the magical fog forest.

They are not tired, perhaps due to the fact that they were well rested, but rather they are full of motivation because they know that if they finish this job, they will have a lot of money.

The elves and the girl of the oxen tribe are also pressed into the carriage, which seems to have no effect on their speed.

Hiding behind the lush trees, the young man with dark eyes and black hair, Virum, is listening in through the gap.

(There are ten mercenaries, two people pushed into a carriage, and the one who seems to be the leader of this group is... that guy. There's a bit too many of them. It's tricky if even one of them can escape, but it's even more difficult to find the right moment to launch an attack. What these guys have been going through so far is a route that goes through a relatively shallow area of the forest and bypasses the deep part. If they attacked on this route, there was a high chance that the outside world would be aware of their presence. On top of that, that spirit that has a contract with the elves. Her magic power is being disrupted by her impatience. He's already aware of the existence of the village. In that case, it's best to lure them to the depths.)

What came to Wyrm's mind was a plan that, to be honest, even Wyrm himself wasn't comfortable with.

If all they had to do was to attack and annihilate the entire population, it would be easy to do it here and now.

But when it comes to not being noticed by the outside world, the difficulty level rises dramatically.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

It's a very good idea to be able to find them in a shallow part of the forest.

Furthermore, there is little time to think of another strategy this time.

This group's goal is to get out of this forest safely and quickly.

Without a good reason, they wouldn't go all the way to the depths.

(Well, they're dirty with money, and I'm sure they'll bite us, though. If they fail, we'll have to kill them on the spot, right? Ah, I'm not sure I'm willing to do that, even if it's to avoid leaking the existence of the village.)

Frowning at the plan he'd come up with, Virum let out a sigh as he moved ahead to the most appropriate place to carry out his plan.





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A few hours had passed since they entered the Demon Fog Forest, and the merchant-style man was in a good mood at the fact that things were going smoothly without any problems.

Occasionally, powerful demons peculiar to the Demon Fog Forest also appeared, but they were beaten without any noticeable damage by mercenaries who were competent and numerous in their own right.

As long as you can get past this forest, there is no more obstacle to be overcome.

The slaves themselves are legal, but not only this time, they were stocking up on slaves through slave hunting, which is considered illegal.

The only source of money needed is the slightly pricey compensation for the raiders and guards they currently employ, and the cost of food for the slaves while they are on the move, so they are making huge profits compared to those who deal in slaves legally.

That alone was worth the dangerous bridge to cross, but this time they were able to enslave the elves.

It wasn't easy to capture an elf with high magic power and light body weight, but for some reason the elf girl had been captured after fighting while protecting a defective cow man race girl.

Elf slaves are rare and can be sold for a high price.

As the man was thinking about this, an unnatural sound of leaf rubbing jumped into his ears.

''All of you, intercept!''

Last night, the man who had asked for a top-up on his reward gives the mercenaries an order.

The mercenaries instantly formed a formation to protect the carriage and the merchant-like man.

''Ah, no, there is no hostile intent over here.

A dark-eyed, dark-haired young man came out, scrabbling through the grass that grew around him and holding his hands up.

''Abomination...?''

'Oh come on, there's no way an abomination can grow up to this point. It's dyed. He's been here before, hasn't he? A zany adventurer who dyed his hair to intimidate.

I'm not sure if I'm right. You were scared at first, but when you fought, your sword flew off in a few seconds and you ran away.

It was kessak.

The guards look at Wyrm as if they were underestimating him, but he hasn't lost his battle stance.

They are also not lowering their hands to show that they have no hostile intent.

I'm not going to be able to say that I don't care if it's an abomination or not. Why did you call out to us? A group of us advancing through the Demon Fog Forest is just too suspicious. Didn't you think they would kill us to cover their tracks? I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let you off the hook, okay?

The merchant-like man looks sternly at Vilm.

'No, I just have a request for you guys who smell the same, you know. May I put my hand in your pocket?

The request. Hang on. Aegil, Melvin, Foxy, surround him. If he tries anything, you kill him.

The three of them surrounded Vilm with their spears against him as ordered.

'Good. I'm sure you heard me, but if you do anything strange, I'll kill you immediately. If I don't like that request or whatever it is, I'll kill you.

Okay. Now....

He fidgeted with his hands in his bosom and placed the bag he had taken out at his feet in a slow motion.

From the mouth of the sack, dazzling gold coins and colorful gems were visible and hidden.

The mercenaries are upset.

''I'll step back a little so that it's easier to inspect. Is it alright?''

Oh, yeah, all right. You three keep your eyes open for that guy. Dios, see what's in the bag.

The ordered mercenary swallows his spit as he approaches and begins to inspect the contents of the bag with a fearful look.

'....Ah, there's nothing suspicious in there. It's all real gold coins and, well, jewelry.

Even the quintessential merchant-style man can't hide his stunned expression.

Judging from the size of the bag, it is filled with gold coins and jewels that, at the very least, would be more than forty percent of the profit from selling the elven girls as slaves.

'Yes, what is the request? I can at least listen to what you have to say. Hey, boys, draw your spears.

I try as best as I can to keep my attitude in check, but I stutter because I'm too upset.

Lowering his hands slowly, Virum begins to speak, not caring that he has a spear to his head.

Thank you. My name is Virum. I am an adventurer as a summoner. ...Excuse me, but may I ask your name?

'Ah, ah. I'm a slave-trader by the name of Lade. These are the mercenaries I have hired as my personal bodyguards.

Now, Mr. Lade, if you don't mind. So, I'd like to make a request...

Wyrm grinned at Reid.

'The spirits, are you not interested?'

What? What, genie?

''Yes, it's that spirit used by us summoners and spirit magicians. The reason why I entered this forest alone this time is because I received information that there is a settlement where a higher level spirit lives.

As soon as you hear those words, Raid's face becomes serious.

''It seems you're interested. I really want to sign a contract with several high-level spirits, but the demons around me are an obstacle to signing a contract with those spirits. They are unprotected during the contract. What I need you guys to do is to protect me until I sign a contract with them. And once I make a contract with them...

Wyrm's smile grew even worse.

'I will have no part in the exact location of that village, no matter what you guys do with it.

It's a big shock to the raiders.

Spirits rarely show themselves, and they are a race that summoners and spirit mages want so badly that they can't get enough of them.

Their status is based on the quality and number of spirits they sign up with, and if they are able to sign up with a higher level spirit, they will be able to obtain the strength of an A-ranked spirit, which is enough to be recognized as an ability.

With the exact location information of the settlement where the high level spirit lives, you don't even know how much it will be worth.

''I see. So this is the fee for the request. Mr. Wyrm, you want to accomplish this at all costs. What I don't understand is why don't you have an adventurer do it? It would have been cheaper to hire them that way.

Yes, I was going to do that at first, but... have you heard of the A-ranked party's Will-Free Magic Sword? There was a rumor the other day that we had lost contact with them. The other adventurers (do-gooders) got scared off and none of them would take me on. I had no choice but to go to the place where I wanted to go, but I didn't think it was safe to sign up, so I turned around and found you guys when I returned.

''The A-ranked party could have been wiped out in this forest by one (...) person (...)?''

The Raid's eyes become sharp.

It would be a natural reaction.

Where even an A-ranked party might have been wiped out, it's unlikely that an adventurer would enter the search alone.

He seems to be analyzing the conversation calmly, perhaps recovering from his earlier unrest.

''It's natural to be suspicious. This forest is very dangerous. However, I do have a reassuring ally. If it's only a demon of this level, one person is enough. If you'd like, I can summon it right here on this spot.

"...All right. Let me see.

The raid doesn't break his sharp gaze, but urges Virum to go ahead.

Virum coughs in a slightly theatrical manner and begins to focus his magic power, "Then....

O ye who have a hollow soul...

His clear voice echoes all around him.

I, the Seeker, Thou art (from the earth)...

An aura of bright yellow magic envelops Wyrm's body.



The guards are transfixed by the slow but erratic, but fantastically moving aura.

Let the avengers return to their clods...

And Wilm invoked her name, the ruler of the earth.

"The Advent of the Yellow Serpent Princess Zemiamagarna.

Suddenly, the yellow aura that envelops Virum suddenly converges and begins to form a human shape.

Brown skin and bundled, almost creamy blonde hair.

He is taller and slenderer than the surgeon, Virm, and has a slender body.

The scales that cover the chest and crotch area increase the bewitching atmosphere that inspires a man's lust rather than that of a stark naked body.

"Oh, oh...

So this is a genie, huh?

In fact, many of the bodyguard group's cheeks were reddening as if they were captivated by the beauty and bewitching atmosphere.

...Although some of them seem to be bending forward a bit.

Looking at such raids, Vilm smiles confidently.

'She is my partner. She is the spirit that controls the earth. Her name is Radia.