I Have An SSS-Rank Service System: Hire Me For Anything!-Chapter 7: Demon King
"Can I just sleep a little bit?" Liam yawned as he rubbed his eyes.
Dory smiled. "No. One has to get to work early. It’s the first rule of making a profit in a business. If we get there late, other sellers will make better sales. We aren’t the only ones in the market."
He was currently pushing a large cart with the ingots arranged in eight separate honeycomb patterns. Liam was sitting at the front of the cart wearing a blue tunic as Dory pushed.
Everywhere was still dark as they were just leaving the house; after walking only a few feet, Horg’s shape could still be seen waving goodbye from the cottage.
The market square was situated in the Capital—a large, sprawling walled city where kings and queens lived. It wasn’t as if Dory was interested in the luxury... not yet. For now, he still had a lot of foundation plans.
First was helping Horg sell his iron ingots in a week’s time, but he decided to go hard on himself and sell them in a day. If that worked out, he had many more business ideas which in the future would include people like Maya. Of course, Maya was already in his plan by default.
When they got to the city, Dory wasn’t exactly in awe since he couldn’t see most of its features while everywhere was still dark. So, all he did was push the cart toward the large wooden gate guarded by five soldiers, each wearing black armor and wielding a sword.
As they spotted the two kids emerging out of the darkness with the cart, they glanced at each other before stopping them.
"Hey! What do you want?!" one of the guards yelled.
Dory didn’t reply immediately; he just moved the cart closer to them and greeted them with a warm smile. Liam, on the other hand, frowned.
"Good morning. We’re iron ingot sellers, and we’re here to sell iron ingots at the market today. Any more questions?"
One of them, also holding a club, hissed and stepped forward. "Okay, brat. Tell us the truth. You are one of those kids who are planning a coup against the king, right? Tell us the truth! What do you want to do at the market?!"
Before Dory could answer, Liam got down from the cart and yawned. "You know what, Mr. Slow Brain? Yes, we are the kids who want to kill the king. Because you see, two teenagers are capable of killing the city’s most important person. And you know how we will kill him? By throwing iron ingots at him. We’re going to the market square to wake up more kids so they can help us throw the ingots. Does that answer your question?"
The guard’s expression changed. He gritted his teeth and, out of rage, unsheathed his sword from the side of his waist. The rest shifted, ready to pull out their weapons.
He stomped forward toward Liam, who stood still with an angry but nonchalant expression.
"How dare you—!"
Dory immediately intercepted the guard, almost meeting his face with the fire burning from the torch.
"Ah, Sir. Please be calm. You see, my partner here is still delirious from not having enough sleep. And just pity his words; as you said earlier, we’re kids. But I can assure you we mean no harm to the King. We’re here to help the economy further grow in the city. With the incoming war, people from the separate clans on the other side of the sea will come here for weapons, which leads to iron or metal. And we’re here to sell that. At great quality, too. It won’t make sense to keep us waiting. So..." he pushed the sword back slightly from the guard’s hand.
"...You might want to lower your weapons. We mean no harm."
He ended his statement with a warm smile. The guard calmed down and returned his weapon, the rest following suit.
"I guess you’re right, kid. But next time, warn your partner to think twice before talking. If not for you, he would have lost that sharp tongue of his," he said as he stared at Liam with disdain.
"Go in."
Dory bowed. "Thank you, sir."
With that, Liam got back on the cart, making Dory roll his eyes for a second before he pushed it past the large gate.
On the other side of the gate was the sprawling city of Agusta. The morning moon shined its glow on the city. There were different streets and lanes, all plastered with alabaster stones. Carts lay around; shops were closed, though a few were just opening. The buildings were made of concrete and wood, ranging from short to tall, small to big. At the far end of the city, Dory could see the top of the castle spires, dark with the moon behind them, creating a sense of dread and authority at the same time.
Dory wasn’t feeling the same sentiment, though. He barely cared.
He pushed the cart past the street with Liam directing him toward the market square. He could hear people waking up and beginning their everyday duties.
A few minutes later, they reached the market square. It was situated at the center of the city like a large round orb with a fountain at its center shaped like a man royally dressed. Well, he didn’t look like a man. The statue was dressed in armor, the size of an average man, and had two large horns.
’Probably the king.’
As if listening to his thoughts, Liam started a conversation.
"That’s the king. The Demon King. He has been ruling the city and its outskirts—which includes our village—for two decades, but I don’t think he’s truly ruling, though. Things just became much harder after he ascended the throne to replace the previous King."
Dory thought for a while before asking:
"I thought only humans were in this region, including its outskirts and the four other regions. In conclusion, isn’t the whole West supposed to be ruled only by humans? How did you end up with a demon as a King?"
