Teleportation Magic

After our training session, Fee and I headed over to the inn the children were running to see how things were faring.

I had left the management entirely to them after providing the building and the ingredients, but since their clientele consisted of rowdy mercenaries, I couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of unease.

However—

“They’re doing unexpectedly well,” I noted.

“Everyone is working so hard,” Fee added.

Watching the children work so diligently set my mind at ease. If anything, the mercenaries seemed to have taken a liking to them; I even spotted a few of the men surreptitiously handing out snacks.

Still, just in case there were hidden problems, I decided to check in.

“How is the work going? Any issues so far?”

“Meat Big Brother! Everything’s fine. Everyone is really happy!” the girl at the reception desk chirped.

I really wish they’d stop calling me ‘Meat Big Brother.’ Al had started it, and for some reason, the nickname had spread among the rest of the children before I could even think to correct it. It was strange, considering I hadn’t even been handing out meat lately.

Regardless, her enthusiasm made me feel a certain sense of obligation, so I made sure the inn was supplied with a massive amount of Monster Meat.

Since the stampede, the monster population had been steadily recovering, and the mercenaries were bringing in plenty of kills. We kept the meat in the warehouse to prevent an immediate food shortage, but relying solely on hunting meant our supply was prone to fluctuations. I’d have to consider the logistics of raising livestock eventually.

As I was lost in thought, Fritz approached our table, his hands piled high with plates of food.

“Yuri? Didn't expect to see you here.”

“Just some business. What about you, Fritz? Why are you here?”

“Me? I eat all my meals here.”

“Is that so? I had no idea.”

“Now that you mention it,” Fritz said, gesturing with his chin, “I ran into some guy on the way in. He was looking for a room. Probably a new mercenary.”

I followed his gaze to a young man who looked far too slender to be a mercenary. He wore a black robe, seemingly trying to hide his face, but perhaps realizing how suspicious that looked, he had pulled his hood back just enough to remain visible.

“He looks suspicious,” I muttered.

“Eh, mercenaries wear all kinds of gear,” Fritz shrugged.

I suppose he had a point. Being a mercenary didn't strictly require heavy armor. In fact, while knights and soldiers stayed encased in steel, mercenaries often opted for light gear to stay mobile while traveling between territories.

Just as I was considering this, the man in the black robe whispered my name.

That was all the invitation I needed. I stood up and approached him.

“Did you have some business with me?” I asked.

As I spoke, I activated Appraisal.

Name: Ren Gender: Male | Age: 24 | Race: Human Occupation: Member of the Crow Guild Level: 26 HP: 134/134 (D) MP: 67/82 (D) Attack: 17 (D) Defense: 11 (E) Agility: 24 (C) Magic Power: 21 (C)

【Skills】 Dagger: 4 (C)

【Magic】 Teleportation: 4 (E)

The Crow Guild. The name rang a bell.

If I remember the Original Game correctly, one of the mid-bosses was the leader of the Crow. He was an easy enough opponent, provided you prepared for his one-hit-kill poison.

In other words, the guild Ren belonged to likely had ties to the Mastermind—my father.

Despite my suspicion, I found myself intensely curious about his magic. In the Original Game, the Teleportation Attribute was treated as a joke. It was useless in combat, and while it allowed for fast travel between towns, players usually just took a carriage to save a precious party slot.

However, that was game logic. In reality, Teleportation Magic was incredibly versatile. The ability to instantly jump to any town at will was nothing short of a cheat.

Even if I couldn't convince him to become a permanent resident, I wanted to leave a good impression. I forced a smile, trying to look as non-threatening as possible.

“Ah… um… Lord Yuri?”

“The same. I am Yuri Lousouth, the Lord of the Lousouth Territory. And you are Ren, of the Crow.”

I intentionally spoke his identity aloud so Fee and Fritz would hear it. Ren visibly recoiled, trembling with sheer terror.

“I’m not going to eat you,” I said dryly. “Go ahead, take a seat.”

I gestured to an empty chair at our table. Ren glanced toward the exit for a split second, but realizing the distance was too great to outrun us, he sat down obediently.

“…So, what do you want to talk about?”

“Let’s start simple. How do you find the town?”

I had intended it as a casual question about his comfort, but Ren seemed to read a far more sinister meaning into it.

“…I get it. I give up. If you know this much already, there’s no point in lying.” Ren raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “But tell me—how did you know I was here to investigate the town?”

“Eh? Oh… your attitude when you were trying to flee, I suppose?”

I had suspected an assassination attempt, but it turned out he was just on a reconnaissance mission. Honestly, a confession like that wouldn't even warrant the death penalty. In many cases, it wouldn't even be prosecuted as a crime.

“I see… I still have much to learn,” Ren muttered.

“So? What did your investigation conclude?”

“I’ve only seen a fraction of it, but to be honest… this place is nothing short of a threat.”

“A threat? What do you mean by that?”

“An absurdly cheap inn, an all-you-can-use bath, and meals that actually fill your stomach… If people start living in a town like this, they’ll never be able to leave. How is that anything but dangerous?” Ren argued with strange intensity.

Hearing such a straightforward compliment actually made me feel quite proud.

“If you feel that strongly about it, why not move here yourself?”

“…No. I can’t betray the Crow.”

He hesitated. That was an opening. It was time for one final push.

“You wouldn’t necessarily have to betray them. With your magic, you could rush back to them whenever you needed to, couldn't you?”

“You even knew about my magic…?”

“Of course.”

I needed to project an image of omniscience—that I knew more than just what was happening in the streets, but the very secrets he carried. By offering him a compromise he was likely to accept from the start, I had him cornered. No one would be able to resist such a deal.

“Can I ask one more thing?” Ren asked.

“If it's something I can answer.”

“Why do you cherish your people so much? You're a Lord. Shouldn't you be focused on how to squeeze every last asset out of them?”

“What would be the point of that?”

“Eh…?”

“This is the frontier. There isn't much to spend money on anyway. Besides, I have a steady stream of income from Magic Tools. With a separate revenue stream, I have no need to exploit my citizens.”

“Magic... Tools?” Ren looked at me as if I were a different species. “Are you telling me you can mass-produce them?”

“I can manage that much. They aren't exactly rare.”

“No, they’re rare! They’re incredibly expensive! They aren't the kind of thing you just leave lying around in a cheap inn!”

“Well, I have no use for them myself.”

The raw materials came from my hunts, meaning the production cost was essentially zero. Giving them away didn't hurt my bottom line in the slightest.

“So, what’s your decision?”

“…May I consult with the Guild Master, Totto?”

“Certainly.”

I harbored a faint hope that, if I played my cards right, the rest of the guild might follow suit and settle here.

“Yuri, can I eat this?”

Lucille suddenly cut into the conversation. As usual, she was driven entirely by her stomach. She had likely followed our scent or been lured in by the aroma of the food.

As I moved to soothe her like one would a hungry child, I noticed Ren’s jaw hanging open.

“I-is that… even the Demon Lord is tamed?! Is it even possible to oppose this man?”

He whispered the words under his breath, and I only caught fragments of his panicked muttering.

“A-anyway, I’ll talk to Totto first. I’ll be in touch.”

“Right. I’ll be waiting.”

With that, our dinner meeting came to an end.

At that moment, Ren’s heart was already won over. But as we sat there in the warm glow of the inn, none of us realized that this encounter would be the catalyst for a new brand of trouble descending upon the territory.