After finishing my daily routine of brushing Bell, I changed into fresh clothes and made my way down the corridor toward Lilia-san’s wing of the mansion.
Sieg-san and I had arranged to meet today, with plans to head out together afterward.
During our previous trip to the beach, Kuro had proposed an idea to Sieg-san—the possibility of her receiving combat guidance from someone named Funf-san. Kuro had apparently handled the introductions already, and since Sieg-san was eager to learn, she had been planning to go and pay her respects.
As it happened, I also wanted to thank Funf-san for her help during the Battle with the God Realm. Since we were both heading to the same place, we decided to go together. Kuro helped us coordinate our schedules, leading to our visit today.
When I arrived at the entrance, our designated meeting spot, Sieg-san was already waiting.
"I'm sorry, did I keep you waiting?"
"No, I just arrived a moment ago myself."
Sieg-san smiled as I apologized, assuring me that she didn't mind at all.
Today, she wasn't wearing her usual sleeveless top. Instead, she was dressed in casual attire: a white shirt, a jacket, and navy jeans. She also wore the muffler that had become her trademark.
Strictly speaking, she had originally started wearing it to hide the scar on her neck. Now that the scar had been erased by the Fruit of the World Tree, she didn't technically need it anymore... but she had grown so accustomed to the feeling of it that she felt restless without it.
On a side note, while Sieg-san’s scar had vanished, the one running from the right side of my neck down my body had remained even after I ate the Fruit.
When I asked Lilliwood-san about it, she explained that the Fruit's healing properties did not affect scars that the individual subconsciously desired to keep.
Back when I had first eaten the Fruit, I had still been clinging to the memory of my parents without even realizing it. That was likely the cause. It stood to reason that if I ate one now, the scar might finally disappear.
Then again, I've lived with this mark for about ten years now. If it were suddenly gone, I think the sense of wrongness whenever I looked in the mirror would be overwhelming.
"I haven't seen that jacket before. It has a very smart design—it looks great on you, Sieg-san."
"Fufu, thank you. I bought it recently and thought today would be a good occasion to wear it."
Once our greetings were finished, we had promised to take the opportunity to tour the city surrounding Kuro’s castle. I’ve visited Kuro’s home countless times, but I didn't recall ever taking the time to explore the city itself, so I was looking forward to it.
After chatting with Sieg-san for a bit, I used a magic tool for Teleportation Magic to warp us toward Kuro’s residence.
Since Kuro’s castle was naturally protected by a Teleportation Interference barrier, we arrived a short distance away from the main entrance. From our vantage point, we had a clear view of her home—a castle even more massive than the Sinfonia Royal Castle. Even though I'd seen it before, the sheer scale of the place was overwhelming.
The city surrounding Kuro’s home was known as one of the Three Great Cities of the Demon Realm, a premier metropolis even by this world's standards. The other two were the city ruled by Megiddo-san and Lilliwood-san’s Yugfressia.
"Come to think of it, isn't this city famous as an economic hub even within the Demon Realm?"
"Yes. It serves as the headquarters for the Seditch Magic Tool Trading Company and several other major merchant associations."
"I see. I guess those kinds of headquarters tend to cluster together, huh? ...Wait. Now that I think about it, didn't I hear that most of the people living here were Kuro’s Family or their associates?"
I had assumed it was like Tokyo or Osaka in Japan, where corporations naturally gravitate toward flourishing cities. However, I remembered Kuro mentioning once that most of the residents here were her family or those connected to them—people the public recognized as part of the Underworld King Faction.
"U-Um, I’m not quite that familiar with the specifics myself..."
"In that case, allow me to explain."
"Phantasm King-sama!?"
As Sieg-san tilted her head in confusion at my question, Alice suddenly appeared.
"Well, the thing is... to put it simply, almost all of those major merchant associations are 'Kuro-san’s companies.'"
"...Are you serious?"
"I am. Almost every top-tier merchant association in any given field in the Demon Realm was founded by Kuro-san. That’s why she’s known as the Zenith of the Economy. Because she owns so many different associations, she usually leaves the role of Chairman to someone else and maintains a rather unique position for herself."
I see. So the fact that Sei-san served as the Chairman of the Seditch Magic Tool Trading Company was likely due to that arrangement.
"To give you an idea, Kuro-san’s total assets account for about thirteen percent of the entire world economy. Combine that with her sheer influence and name value, and she’s quite terrifying. If she truly felt like it, she could single-handedly collapse the economy of a nation or two."
"...That’s insane."
I was once again floored by the sheer magnitude of Kuro’s wealth. It occurred to me that even the shops I had visited without a second thought might actually be part of her vast empire.
Serious-senpai: "Seriously, why are you including despair-inducing information like 'they're going on a date after the greetings'?"
???: "Apparently, after hearing your complaints, the decision was made to make it easier to predict the outcome from the previous chapter this time."
Serious-senpai: "...No... That's not what I meant at all."