"well."

He doesn't seem to be interested. I have no choice but to suggest it a little more actively.

“Let’s try it on.”

“Hmm.”

Be a little more proactive!

“I'll walk you.”

"okay."

Reed immediately leaned back and lowered his posture. It felt like the situation had changed drastically, but for now, the important thing was to put a bell around the cat's neck.

She gathered her long black hair and gently swept it over one shoulder, then put a necklace on it, like putting on a noose.

The restraint was successfully engaged, but the lead didn't respond at all. Is it because it has lost all its strength and doesn't feel anything?

“What do you think? Does it suit you?”

“Yeah, of course.”

It wasn't an empty promise.

The chain that met the jewels on his chest grew longer and hung lower. Even just the glimpses of it inside his shirt gave the impression that his upper body was tied up in chains.

Maybe it was because he was disguised as a dream horse, but it suited him very well.

<You've unbuttoned your shirt even more. Who are you forcing yourself out like that? You're being untidy.>

[I am very satisfied that the 'Libra that judges the soul' is what you want to see.]

I paid the price and left.

As we went deeper into the black market, the atmosphere became considerably more sinister. As expected of a place where everything that exists in the world is bought and sold, the trading targets were not limited to simple items.

Dalgrak Dalgrak!

“Aha, you came here to replace your wrist bone? I’ll take a fresh one and give it to you right now!”

flesh.

“Don’t you need a special pet? I’ve trained one well, so why not raise one?”

right.

“Oh, your obsession didn’t go away. You need some consolation, don’t you?”

Pleasure.

It was a place of denial and corruption. It wouldn't be strange if it were judged by fire and brimstone at any time. It seems like a tour of the Demon World isn't worth it.

“Eyelet Rodelin.”

"huh?"

“What do you think of the Demon World?”

“Do you really think it’s a terrible neighborhood?”

Looking at the lead, I couldn't help but wonder why he was asking such a question.

“Let’s change the question. Do you wish the Demon World would disappear?”

“Hmm, it’s a bit much to be honest and openly criticize the Chaos Evil that watches over the Demon World.”

“You promised to conquer the world together, but you actually didn’t trust me? It’s a shame.”

“......Why are you asking again when you already know my answer?”

Reid laughed as I reluctantly and indirectly confessed.

“Don’t worry. I’m not trying to divide you into human and devil sides right now. I’m just trying to point out something you don’t seem to know.”

“What I don’t know?”

“There are positive functions in the demon world too.”

Noise filled the gap left by the silence. All around me, things that should not be traded were still being traded.

Is it even possible to find a positive side to this decadent pleasure district? And that too through Reed's cynical worldview?

“Let’s say you’re cleaning your house. What’s the single most important tool you have?”

“Healthy arm muscles?”

“Of course that’s important. But there’s something more important.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a trash can.”

Reed looked around at the demons in his field of vision. It was the gaze of a seer.

“About half of the demons are originally human beings. Humans who made a contract with the demon for their desires, or humans who committed sins and did not repent. When they die, their corrupted souls do not reincarnate as humans, but become demons.”

“So, the Demon World is a trash can that collects the most heinous sinners?”

Just then, a procession of slaves passed in front of us. They were human beings, or rather, lower-level demons who were human beings, wearing prison uniforms, and had signs around their necks listing their crimes. Murder, murder, murder, rape, child abuse, murder, human trafficking... ... .

They were trash.

“Yeah. It’s a pretty useful tool, if only it could stop the trash from coming out. It would be a problem if it disappeared.”

“Now that I hear it, that’s true. Thanks for letting me know.”

I was lost in thought for a moment.

“I understand what you’re trying to say, Reed. We need to leave at least one Demon King behind to maintain the Demon World.”

“Correct answer.”

“Then what should we do? Which of the three Demon Kings, Avicinis, Carpeios, and Inferinos...?”

“I’m sorry, but Eyelet Rodelin.”

Reed said refreshingly.

“I hate them.”

“I guess so.”

How much did he suffer because of the Demon Kings during the time he was struggling to save the world? Carpeios, in particular, was a being who made him spit out curses even when he was good.

“But you need a Demon King. Reed, do you want to be the Demon King too?”

“I can’t do it because I’m out of standard.”

"then?"

Before we knew it, our steps had stopped. Against the backdrop of the red-light district, a handsome man smiled captivatingly.

“Eyelet Rodelin.” 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

He held out his right hand to me. In his palm was a dangerous proposition.

“Would you like to fall with me?”

“.......”

Ah, our lead. If you do that, then so be it.

“I’ll go first.”

A throaty laugh came from behind me. My ears couldn't tell if it was a joke or self-mockery.

✠

I picked up a few more items as I made my way through the arcade shopping street. A fur cloak, a fan, bracelets, a cane, and more.

['Libra, the Judge of Souls' is dissatisfied with the lackluster shopping.]

The real squandering starts now.

Reid and I went into a building. As we went up the stairs, we came across a tavern with a black winged sign.

This place, cleverly disguised as a food service establishment, was actually a smuggling shop handling goods smuggled from the divine realm.

In a place where there were no customers, a blue-skinned demon was wiping cups.

Reed tapped the floor with the tip of his cane as if knocking, drawing the demon's attention.

“Did you come here to drink? This isn’t a good place for a date, and you don’t have good taste.”

“I came to buy something.”

“What are you looking for?”

“Indulgence.”

It is the name of a promissory note that forgives sins.

The devil, who had been indifferent the whole time, raised his eyebrows.

“Ew, that’s expensive. It’s not worth it for a low-level demon like you to poke at. Phew, phew.”

Here, showing is quicker than telling.

WHACK! As Reed turned over his purse, the devil's gold coins poured out.

“Oh my, welcome, sir! First, let’s each have a drink as a service.”

I finally know how to serve customers.

“How many would you like, sir?”

“Enough to forgive all my sins.”

“One sheet will do! A piece of shit like you, sir, ah, no! For devils with no experience and only a lot of potential, one sheet is usually enough!”

A parchment fluttered from the blue devil's hand. It was a document with an antique border, a picture of an angel, and a few lines of writing: the indulgence certificate.

“One sheet? Well.”

Reed bought one on the spot. Reed's real name was automatically written on the note, which became the property of the person who made the transaction.

This was not the end. It had to be burned to take effect, so it was placed in the fireplace flames.

Reed rolled up his left sleeve as he watched the paper burn very slowly, unusually for a paper.

The barbed wire wrapped around his forearm remained unmoving, even though his face was completely destroyed.

“Huh, huh? That feels strange. There’s something wrong.......”

“I don’t want to waste time. Bring me the indulgence certificate.”

A cold voice commanded the demon.

"entire."

✠

The devil of the smuggler's shop suggested that Reed weigh the price of his sins.

The format involved placing the lead on one side of a giant scale, and stacking the punishment on the other side until balance was achieved.

Indeed, the inventory held by the demon was not enough to wash away the sin of ‘attempting world destruction’.

Reed and I had no choice but to go around the black market and buy up everything we could find.

Only one ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ indulgence can be burned at a time. It will still be a long time before all the indulgences are burned.

So, the lead was still fragile. My role as guardian was going to continue for a while.

“Reed, are you planning on staying in the dungeon until you confirm that you have regained your strength?”

“I guess so.”

We decided to wander around a bit, Reed suggested.

“Ilet Rodelin. If you’re bored, why don’t you go to a casino? There are many games with newer rules than those in the human world, so it’ll be fun to experience.”

“I’ll decline.”

“How about the arena? Demons like to fight and take what they want. Their opponent’s treasure, their opponent’s slave, their opponent’s humiliation, and sometimes... their opponent’s affection. It’ll be quite fun.”

“I’m not interested.”

“Wow, the Holy Spirit is so ascetic. It’s not easy to corrupt him.”

“New Bible?”

“You were called that in the previous episode.”

“Oh, well, I know how to use the Holy Descent, so it’s right for me to be called the Holy Scripture.”

He nodded in agreement.

“Yes, the divine descent.”

The small Reed suddenly seemed to remember something. The smile on his lips was charming, yet gave off a dangerous vibe.

“Come to think of it, Eyelet Rodelin.”

"huh?"

“What should we do with this dungeon? Do you want to conquer it?”

The eyes, with their soft, gleaming color, speak. It means that they want me to subdue them.

When I didn't answer, he continued.

“The master of this place is Nazril, the slave master. Since it is not Walpurgis Night, he is probably only slightly stronger than Count Orsh. In terms of ranking, he is probably.......”

[<System> The dungeon's master, ranked 688th in the Demon Realm hierarchy, 'Archangel Nazril Wizaderun' has appeared.]

“......You know better than I do.”

The bustling arcade street split left and right like a stream of water.

A tall man with blond hair that grew wild like a mane. He wore a shiny enamel coat wrapped around his body and walked while smoking a cigar, looking like a gangster boss.

“It’s Nazril!”

“The master of the black market! The strongest in the black market!”

“Quick, quick, get out of the way!”

There was nothing good to come out of it, so we also retreated to the edge of the road.