Translator: Wawaa
Editor: WilsonWilson
The enraged law enforcement knights left, saying they would come back again later. After that whole fiasco, Lara was able to hear from the manager about what had happened in more detail.
“It’s some kind of dessert shop in the downtown area. They were chased out as soon as people found out they were Barbarians. The staff who kicked them out said that the store’s reputation would decline and that they would be hated by their customers.”
“Then?”
“At first, they stood their ground. They questioned why they couldn’t buy it since they were already going to pay for it. So they just stood there…”
“Were they dragged out?”
“Yes. The shop’s staff used violence first. So Lampion smashed the shop out of rage and Domino beat people up.”
“What about Demian?”
“He clapped his hands out loud…”
The manager slightly lifted his eyes and read Lara’s face. Lara twitched her lips.
“Milady, what should we do? Should we ask Crown Prince Acerus for a favor?”
The manager asked. In his opinion, the fastest and cleanest way to deal with the situation was to leave it to Acerus. If the Crown Prince gave the order, Demian, Lampion, and Domino would be able to return safely to the hotel right away. Compensation for smashing the shop and problems related to the injured people would also be simple to solve. He’s the Crown Prince after all. But Lara had no intention of getting his help.
“No.”
She shook her head.
“I will take care of it.”
In Lara’s opinion, if the problem was dealt with that way, nothing would ever change. The Tarragon Empire would continue to despise the Barbarians and if the Barbarians were released due to their personal friendship with the Crown Prince, the knights would hate them more and more. That was not the result Lara wanted.
“Where is Oscar now?”
“I heard he’s packing blankets, coats, and underwear to bring to the prison.”
Lara thanked the manager and went to Oscar.
He was randomly stuffing the three men’s luggage into a large bag.
“Why did I follow them all the way here? I should have just ignored the news that Demian was back… I should have just stayed in the mountains. Why should I care if those bastards fight or starve to death? Those damn Barbarians! Why the hell am I so unfortunate?”
“Oscar.”
Lara spoke to him.
“Would you mind waiting a moment? I will go with you.”
“To the prison? Even if you go, you won’t be able to see anything good.”
“It would be even worse without me. I have something to prepare, so please wait for a moment.”
“Yes? Prepare?”
Oscar asked back, feeling puzzled. He had a face that was asking what there was to prepare. He thought that only a blanket and a pair of clothes were needed because of the prison’s low room temperature.
Lara laughed softly.
“Because this is my second time being a supplier for a prisoner.”
“What?”
“Experience is the key to anything.”
Oscar did not immediately understand Lara’s words. He was bewildered and followed her out of the hotel. He saw that Konny was standing at the entrance and was waving her hands.
“Milady! We’re all ready!”
A large wagon was loaded with all sorts of luggage. Oscar looked at the scene with a puzzled face.
“What is all this?”
“Blankets, pillows, towels, pajamas, beddings, socks, earplugs, underwear, dried meat, dried fruit, sandwiches… And chocolate.
Chocolate?
“Chocolate in the prison…”
Regardless of whether Oscar was flustered or not, Konny moved diligently. She thanked the workers who loaded the luggage over and over again and told the coachman to go to the watchmen station. Then, when the carriage for Lara came, Konny gestured to Oscar.
“Hurry up!”
The prison managed by Dandelion Law Enforcement was an ordinary-looking building. It was not so run down despite being a prison. However, since the people that were captured that day were the fearsome Barbarians, the law enforcement knights imprisoned them in the most heavily guarded dungeon.
They couldn’t have helped it. If they had just locked them up somewhere, they were afraid that they would end up seeing the Barbarians breaking out.
“Who are you again?”
Said the manager, who made a puzzled face as Lara entered the watchmen management office. Oscar felt deep sympathy for him and glanced to the side.
“If you’re talking about visitor records, I wrote it down when I came in.”
“Well… Yes, this one. But… What’s that wagon?”
“My friends are in prison. I’m worried they will catch a cold so I want to give them private food.”
“Pardon?”
“I heard that as long as it’s nothing like weapons, liquor, drugs, money, or anything made of metal, it’s fine.”
Well, that’s true. But that’s too excessive.
The flustered manager gazed into deep space, lost and wandering around.
“You can inspect them inside out. Feel free to exclude anything suspicious.”
“Excuse me, milady.”
“I know that the person captured inside is the hero who saved the life of the Crown Prince on the battlefield. Do I have to spread this news around?”
“Well… All right.”
While the managers inspected the items Lara brought, she brought Oscar and Konny down into the dungeon.
Demian was lying on the wooden bed of the prison. He was as comfortable and natural as lying in his own bedroom. Lampion and Domino were sitting on the floor, lamenting their circumstances.
“I held it in really well, but they touched me first. How can I know the shop’s table would be so weak? I just touched it slightly and it broke down.”
“Then, should I say this to them? The fault lied in the guy who flew away after I threw him.”
“Dude, hitting someone is still wrong.”
“Wow, you…”
Domino was outside the shop. When he saw Lampion being hit by several people, he was blinded with rage and charged inside. Seeing Lampion not taking his side, he beat his chest, saying he was hurt.
“Demian!”
Lara appeared at that time. Demian looked at Lara and raised his body. Lampion and Domino waved their hands to greet Oscar, who had been following Lara’s back.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
While Lara looked at Demian to make sure he was not hurt, Lampion and Domino joked to Oscar that he should get out, hit someone, and join them. But they were savagely insulted in return. Lara reached out and gripped the thick iron bars.
“Demian, would you like to inform Crown Prince Acerus about this?”
“Nah, it’s okay.”
Demian seemed like he did not mind. He got up from his seat and walked over to Lara. He took her hands from the iron bars and wrapped them in his.
“Demian.”
Lara leaned close to him. Then, she spoke in a very low voice so that the guards watching from afar could not hear her.
“Just wait for a while.”
“What?”
“Before saving the world, I must first save you all.”
Demian looked at her. He raised his eyebrows, then lowered them shortly after. Just as he was about to ask Lara what she was thinking, the door opened from the top of the stairs and Konny appeared with the workers.
“Milady! That shameless manager confiscated chocolate because of it being a luxury item! I bet he’s going to secretly eat it!”
Along with Konny’s loud tattling, the items brought by the workers, including blankets, pillows, beddings, underwear, food, and earplugs were brought into the prison one by one under the guard’s supervision.
“What are those?”
Lampion and Domino hung side by side from the iron bars with their mouths wide open.
The watchmen did not report the incident to Acerus. The reason was that it was not important enough to be reported to the Crown Prince.
They did not even release Demian. He just smiled and clapped but they refused Lara’s request to release him, saying that he also had to be investigated to clearly cover the dispute.
What to do? There were many ways to get them out of prison. Lara could solve it by herself without the help of Acerus. If she applied for a trial and followed the law, the staff’s mistake might be pointed out. But it would take a very long time.
There was also a way to cover up their crimes with money. She could just give enough gold for the shop owner and victims to be satisfied.
She could also visit the God of Fate and beg for his help. Since he was friendly, he might be able to give a rather flustered revelation. And if he first needed to build karma even for that, she could go to Valac and provoke him.
Or she could even abandon Tarragon. She could turn her back on the Empire and go to the lawless zone. She could stay silent until the Great Demon War broke out and grow her strength there.
Lara could do anything. There was nothing she could not do for Demian. After turning back 10 years, Lara firmly vowed that she would do anything for him. Demian had risked his life on dozens of battlefields over the years for her. His sacrifice was Lara’s karma. He was her destiny. Demian Rhode Drake—the King of Outlaws in her past life—would be called the King of the Barbarians in this life.
In the carriage returning to the hotel, Lara spoke to Oscar.
“How many Barbarians are there in the West?”
“It’s a little over 2,000 people. However, our people are scattered here and there, so no one knows the exact number. It’s hard to figure out because we live on our own.”
“Did someone order you to hunt for the demonic beast?”
“No. It’s just our job. The Empire’s officials give money to hunters to control the number of demonic beasts.”
“What happens if the Barbarians do not do the work?”
“The demonic beasts usually give birth every six months, so the number will increase significantly after about a year. It might even come all the way down to the border.”
“Then, the knights will be dispatched.”
“Yes. from what I know, before we started hunting, the knights were regularly dispatched.”
Oscar looked at Lara with a perplexed face that questioned the reason why she asked such questions.
“If I ask which one will you hunt between the demonic beast and the demon, what is your answer?”
“The demon of course. Barbarians train all our lives to fight stronger opponents. Now that those demon worshippers are quiet, we can’t help but hunt the demonic beasts.”
“Great.”
Lara nodded. Then, she gave him a piece of paper and said.
“Write a letter to your comrades. Tell them to let Tarragon’s knights deal with the demonic beasts. We will go to the North and hunt the demon there.”
“What?”
“I will feed you all until then.”
“All 2,000 people?”
“Yes.”
Lara was confident. She was actually thinking of this as an investment, not an expenditure.
2,000 demon slayers. There would not be any other heroes more expensive than them in the Great Demon War.
