"S-slaves…? What do you mean slaves…? What use do Demons have for slaves?"
Halsem had a lot of questions, but as time passed, his face grew pale.
"I-is it… so you could eat them…?" Halsem trembled as he began to visualize the image of human slaves being eaten alive. "Don't joke around! Even if they're slaves, they're living humans! Even if they're treated like cattle, they're not food raised for your kind!"
"…We do not eat human flesh."
"Don't lie! You just said you'd chew on me…!"
When Tom looked at Ellin with a frown, Ellin spoke in a panic.
"B-but he was trying to rat us out…! He might have if I hadn't scared him a bit!"
"I was planning on putting him to sleep with my magic in that case."
Halsem began to fidget as he misunderstood Tom's usage of the word 'sleep' to mean 'death'.
Tom turned to him to speak.
"The slaves we are planning to buy are Dwarves."
"D-dwarves?"
"Yes."
"Dwarves? Why do Demons need Dwarves…?" A look of horrified realization crossed his face once more. "…To eat?"
"Why are you still on that? Nobody is eating anyone."
Tom's words fell on deaf ears, as Halsem would not leave the thought alone. He sighed. It was apparent that he was going to need to spend some more time convincing him that they didn't eat people.
***
One, two, then three hours passed. Only then did Halsem begin to finally calm down and show signs that he was beginning to understand.
"S-so… in reality, Dwarves are citizens of the Demon Kingdom, and you've come to save them?"
"Yes, that summarizes everything that I've been saying this whole time."
It was the most persuasive argument he could think of. And it helped that it was at least passably close to the reality of the situation.
'I was planning on making use of the Dwarves under their classification as slaves, but since this guy refuses to believe anything…'
Ellin suddenly appeared beside Tom and whispered in his ear.
"Um… is it really okay to lie like that?"
"Well, nobody would believe him if he tried passing the explanation on to someone else that actually knows a thing or two about the Dwarves. But there's no real reason to explain how, actually, we're planning on using the Dwarves for city and wall reconstruction, castle remodeling, and preparing supplies to this guy. There is no real reason to reveal these details to the humans."
Tom turned to Halsem again.
"So… what do you think?"
"No."
It was a refusal without hesitation. Tom's eyes twitched.
"I have no idea what you're trying to do. But I guarantee that it's dangerous and must be stopped."
"It's not anything dangerous at all. You just have to buy us some Dwarves."
"I'm a merchant of crafts, not slaves! Look for someone else! I'm not going to help you!"
It was rare to find anyone who experienced the events in either the Golden Fief or in Lania to speak so boldly. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he was a gambler.
Halsem sighed as he continued.
"A-and… I know that you're not such a bad person. My continued existence might be proof enough of that. I survived even when I was closest to you, and the only ones that were killed by the Undead were the soldiers."
Halsem faintly smiled, recalling the events in the Golden Fief.
'Now that I think about it, there was quite a bit of trouble with these monsters. All the most talented gamblers were so dispirited… It makes me laugh thinking back to that time!'
He knew that the one standing before him was a fearsome monster, but thinking about that time naturally brought a smile to his face.
"More than anything, there is no benefit to me."
"That's where you're wrong. There is a benefit."
"…?"
Tom placed a leather pouch on the table and smiled.
"I'll make you the greatest merchant known to man."
***
Halsem stared blankly ahead of him. All he owned―the entire collection of his possessions―consisted of a few pretty trinkets and some small pieces of quaint furniture loaded onto a pitiful wagon pulled by a donkey. This could be considered his entire estate, but now, before him were two massive stallions with thick muscles and flowing manes pulling a supply wagon with large, sturdy wheels.
Halsem had had a goal back when he had started his work as a merchant―to become a household name. To be known all throughout the land as a great merchant. He had believed that it would be amazing to become a leader of a grand merchanting company as someone that had started with nothing. There was a romantic appeal to that idea which had enticed him.
However, dreams and reality were very different. He had only started working as a merchant a few months ago, but all he could buy was a donkey and a worn cart on the streets. He even had to fix it by hand as he went along. The stallion and supply wagon that he had seen in his dreams was simply that, a dream. These things… were now sitting before him.
'… How many years would it have taken me to buy this wagon and these horses?' Halsem swallowed drily. 'Five years? No, they're stallions! They're not simple horses! I-I don't know much about horses, but they even look expensive! It might have taken me ten years of saving or more…!'
"What do you think?"
Looking at Tom speaking so flippantly, Halsem felt his stomach ache. Tom had granted him all of these things that he had dreamed of so easily. He still wasn't a merchant lord that was renowned everywhere, but these things in front of him now were all things that the average merchant would be drooling with envy over.
"E-even still…"
"I've heard that mountain bandits were starting to get more common. Safety is of the most importance."
Tom pushed a bag full of gold coins into Halsem's hand.
"…?!"
"Hiring more quality mercenaries and guards might be best. Also, this will be helpful in buying the goods themselves."
Halsem began to feel anxious.
'F-fine! I'll buy in slaves like this guy wants! It's just Dwarves, right? Just some Dwarves…! But… what if these guys change their minds…? I can trust them, but they're still demons, right?'
Halsem struggled with the decision before finally coming to a conclusion―safety always came first.
"S-still… I still want to want to climb to the top through effort! Do you think I'll just agree with these cheap methods?!"
Halsem spoke with a trembling voice, and Ellin―who was observing the wagon and horse beside Tom―spat out a single sentence in reply.
"So you're a coward."
"…?!"
Halsem felt insulted.
"A coward…? You're talking to me? You fiend!"
"Hm? You're not? Aren't you refusing, in reality, because it's dangerous? Why? Are you just that scared? Or do you not trust us, then? Because we're Demons? How does a man have such frail nerves…?"
When Ellin began to taunt him, Halsem's eyes began to twitch.
"I am a gambler! I always put my life on the line! Even my work as a merchant has involved risking myself! I never knew when I'd be bankrupted by some bandit or mugger! I have no guts? This is nonsense!"
"Then accept our deal!"
"Fi―!"
Halsem almost spat out 'fine!' at Ellin's taunting. However, he had managed to stop himself at the last moment. He pinched his forehead and shook his head.
"I'm not going to fall for such simple tricks Miss Demon! So don't look down on me!"
"…Ah, you're not falling for it…?"
Ellin looked surprised as she turned to Tom. Tom sighed and spoke to Halsem.
"Mister Halsem, you're a merchant, so I'm only offering you a deal."
"…?"
Halsem turned to look at Tom. He was stunned.
"Merchants always move toward the greatest benefit to themselves, and they don't let go of any chance that might net them a great advantage. My deal isn't even extremely risky or dangerous, either, so what downside is there?"
"…"
"Isn't it more disadvantageous to the person that misses out on this opportunity?"
"T-that is true."
"Then, why is it that―now that the opportunity is at your feet―you refuse it? You've failed as a merchant, if this is really your choice."
"…?!"
"We have many people that can fit the criteria. There are more than just one or two merchants in this city. How long do you think it'll take us to convince another?"