"Gambard is practically on his last legs, isn't he? That's it — I'll just have him assassinated! Lady Letitia will cover for me. There's no problem at all!"
"A goblin borrowing the dragon's authority, are you?"
"Who's there?!"
Grandol instinctively scanned the room.
There was no one else besides me and Grandol, and no one else could get in here.
"Does it really matter?"
"Hey — intruder! Why are you letting an intruder in?!"
Grandol raised his voice, but it was pointless. Thanks to spatial transfer followed by spatial isolation, this room was currently "empty." From the outside, only the end results would remain.
"When on earth did you get in here?!"
"Ever since the part about 'precious gems discovered in the Folcania mine...?'"
"That's from the very beginning!"
He really was the type to fixate on minor details.
More importantly though —
"Business rivalry is one thing, but isn't wiping someone off the map going too far? Besides, your methods up until now have already blown way past the bounds of legitimate commerce."
"Shut your mouth! What would a greenhorn brat like you know?!"
"Hugeitakoids."
"Huh?"
"I mean the gems you were trying to get your hands on, even at the cost of killing so many people."
"How do you know about that?! You have them, don't you?! Hand them over! With those, I could make even more money!"
"Gold, gold, gold — aren't you ashamed as a merchant... well, I guess it's fine since you are a merchant. It's just your methods that are bad."
"What are you talking about?! With money, anything is possible! Women too — show a bag of gold coins and anyone will flip their loyalties in a heartbeat. I even poached Gambard Trading Company's assistant!"
"Money isn't everything in this world."
"Don't you dare spout Gambard-like drivel at me! That man has business acumen but can never make the most of it!"
So there was jealousy toward a business rival in there as well.
"Listen well — I'll teach you the truth one more time! Now repeat after me: 'With money, anything is possible!'"
"Not everything is possible. The person standing right in front of you is living proof of that."
Come to think of it, why was I the one getting lectured here?
"How much do you want?! For those Hugeitakoids, I'll pay whatever price you name! I'll even provide you with the most beautiful woman in the country — now speak!"
"Sigh..."
All I could manage was a massive, exasperated sigh.
"...You can buy people with money, but you can't buy me."
I simply act according to my own values.
And so — "Slave Choker"!
"H-hey, what is this black spiked collar?! Are you trying to keep me as a pet?! I'm not a dog!"
"That's very rude — go apologize to the dogs. It's not just a collar, you know. If you try to act for your own selfish gain, intense pain will shoot through you."
"W-what did you say..."
"From now until the end of your natural life, you'll be working for free for everyone's benefit. Oh, and before that — return the business to Gambard Trading Company."
"Why should I, of all people, work for free — Agagagaga!"
"By the way, that collar has already been improved."
"What do you mean — oh, the pain is fading..."
"Exactly. It would be troublesome if you deliberately kept disobeying just to rack up enough pain to kill yourself. This collar conveniently comes as a set: pain just short of death followed by automatic healing. For a villain like you, it's more than you deserve."
Even I work every day to plug every possible loophole.
"Oh... what have I come to..."
"Oh, right — I already smashed those gems into pieces. Sorry about that."
"What a waste! Those were a merchant's dream! How could you just smash them to bits?!"
"What was smashed apart was your ambition."
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Skills: [Reverse] [Divine Eye] [Sword God] [Fist God] [Spear God] [Scorching Magic] [Freezing Magic] [Clear Storm Magic] [Rock Iron Magic] [Holy Magic] [Dark Magic] [Space-Time Magic] [Thunder God Sword] [Gentleman Thief] [Ninja Master] [Truth Seeker] [Monstrous Strength] [Idaten] [Pain Relief] [Complete Status Ailment Resistance] [Dark Spirit's Protection] [Ultra Intuition] [Heaven's Gate] [Abyss Contractor] [Magic Hand] [Treasure Search] [Seduction] [Incitement] [Eloquence] [Strong Luck] [10x Growth Speed] [Growth Limit Breakthrough]
Rank: Orichalcum