As Long as You Have the [Shop] Skill, the Dungeonized World Is a Breeze ~The Bullied Youth’s Payback Lifestyle~

Chapter 130 – Seen Through

“Let me ask you this.
Is this the collective will of the kingdom of Allods?” (Hakumen)
“……..” (Rajie)
“If you can’t answer that, then were you perhaps hoping to recover Nike by yourself?” (Hakumen)
“…….My king puts the peace of our country first, for better or worse.
Our participation in this war was only because he judged that it would be a losing battle for the Empire, so he crossed sides over to the allied forces.” (Rajie)
He must have had a good eye to see which side would be the winner.
In other words, he had not been motivated by a sense of justice.

“Even if we could recover Nike-sama, he didn’t want to hold onto someone who could be the trigger to a war.
In fact… he already refused my request.” (Rajie)
“Even though it’s his own daughter’s son?” (Hakumen)
“My king prioritizes the peace of the kingdom over his own family.” (Rajie)
…As a king, it was probably the right choice to make.
The citizens of a kingdom were happiest when there was no fighting going on.
A peaceful city was the best assurance to them.

But what about as a father? His own daughter was physically weak, and he had been the one to bring her into this world.

If I were in his position, I would have definitely pushed to protect my daughter’s son at any cost.
There was no way I would stay silent and do nothing, especially after receiving Shuren’s emotional outcry.

“Did the king read her letters?” (Hakumen)
“Of course, he read them.
But…” (Rajie)
So even despite that, he still chose not to take Nike in…

“But I believe this was an opportunity created by heaven’s will.” (Rajie)

“Opportunity…? Ah, you mean being transported to Earth?” (Hakumen)
“Yes.
The only people who fear the bloodline of the Empire in this world are those who are currently in Elrond.
If I could just get Nike out of here…” (Rajie)
“Does that mean you no longer wish to return to your world?” (Hakumen)
“In the first place, I don’t know if there is a way to return, and I don’t think it would do Nike-sama any good to go back.
In this new world, Nike-sama might be able to make a new place for himself.” (Rajie)
This old man really seemed to only be thinking for Nike’s sake.

“Your true intentions aren’t that you want Nike to succeed the throne as emperor, correct?” (Hakumen)
After all, Nike was the memento of Shuren, whom the emperor had adored so much.
If Nike became emperor, he would surely be proud.

However, Rajie shook his head vigorously from side to side.

“I want Nike-sama to live a life free from the vicissitudes of political power… Just as Shuren-sama once wished.” (Rajie)
“…Then at the beginning of this conversation, when we spoke about who would govern the Empire from now on, that…” (Hakumen)
“I believe there may be a division of power.
The most influential one would be King Dragia, who rules over the garbels.” (Rajie)
Certainly, his ruler’s spirit was something else.
He was qualified, and I believed he would do a good job ruling this massive city.

“But after King Dragia, the next name on the list would be—Julaf.” (Rajie)
“Julaf? That’s Ze’ev’s partner, right? I hear he’s an adventurer, but…” (Hakumen)
“That’s correct.
However, there is hearsay claiming his lineage… is that of a noble family from the Empire.
I also looked into it, and it was said that he was a relative of Vodara, the now exiled Chancellor.” (Rajie)

Vodara… That scumbag who ran away with the Curseweaver.

Come to think of it, Ze’ev mentioned that.
He said that Julaf was eager to join the war against the empire.
Perhaps that was due to his ties with the Empire…?

“Julaf has many supporters.
And right now, under these circumstances, more and more leaders will be needed.
The Empire is in a tough spot right now because of the disputes between the leaders, but because of that, right now is the best chance we’ll get, since no one will be looking at Nike-sama.” (Rajie)
I see.
So that’s what he meant by this being an ‘opportunity from heaven’.

“It’s indeed as you say.
I will always take the more profitable side.
Are you saying that you can pay me more than if I were to join hands with King Dragia?” (Hakumen)
“……..” (Rajie)
“Besides, you have no proof to substantiate that everything you said just now was true.” (Hakumen)
It was still possible that everything he had told me so far was meant to elicit sympathy so that he could take advantage of me.

Then, Rajie gazed fixedly at my face and spoke.

“I can see your true form.” (Rajie)
“….! What are you talking about?” (Hakumen)
“I told you earlier that Shuren-sama kept me at her side because of my abilities, but it wasn’t just because of my ability as a merchant or my connections.” (Rajie)
What in the world is he saying…?

“I was born with a certain power.
In part, that’s why I was able to become a great merchant.” (Rajie)
“I have no idea what you’ve been talking about for a while now…” (Hakumen)

“You aren’t a garbel.” (Rajie)
I unconsciously swallowed a gulp of saliva.
I hadn’t expected to be seen through so suddenly.

I could feel Shiki stir in my shadow, alert and ready to move at any moment.
However, I continued to maintain my composure.

“I’m not a garbel, you say? As you can see, I’m a real silver fox though?” (Hakumen)
“Your appearance as a silver fox is the reason I’m suspicious.” (Rajie)
Why? Until now, everyone had seen this form and looked on with respect, but never with suspicion.

“Silver foxes are one of the legendary Four-Colored Beasts.
And… I’ve actually met a real silver fox before.” (Rajie)
…?! S-Seriously… I thought that the chances were slim to none….
I never thought I would run into someone that actually met one before.

“If you’re a real silver fox, you should be able to prove it.” (Rajie)
Prove it? …There’s a way to prove it? No, maybe this is a trap he set up for me? Perhaps there really isn’t any way to prove it, but if I act like there is, then he’ll be able to judge me as a fake.
Then…

“Proof? There’s no such thing.
It’s my appearance as a silver fox that shows I’m the real one.” (Hakumen)
Hearing that, Rajie’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment.
Seeing his expression, it looked like he wanted to praise me for having seen through his trap, but..

“Hohohoho!!” (Rajie)
He suddenly broke out into laughter.

“…What do you find so funny?” (Hakumen)

“No, no, excuse me.
Hmhm, I see.
You call yourself a merchant, but in fact, you’re just a young lad, aren’t you?” (Rajie)
It didn’t show on my face, but at that moment, I inwardly glared at Rajie with a chestful of irritation.

“There there, don’t glare at me like that.
This old body of mine can’t take it.
I’ll explain everything properly.” (Rajie)
Rajie cleared his throat before continuing.

“You judged that the proof of being a silver fox that I asked you for didn’t actually exist, which exceeded my expectations.” (Rajie)
“……..” (Hakumen)
“But unfortunately, everything I told you so far was true.
Except there was one thing.” (Rajie)
One thing…?

“Right now, it has nothing to do with you directly.
You don’t need to worry about that part for the moment.
Anyway, it’s true that I’ve met a silver fox.
And there is a way to prove that you’re not a silver fox.” (Rajie)
…It seems that I read too much into it.

“And that is—silver foxes are female.” (Rajie)
“….Eh? Seriously?” (Hakumen)
“Hohoho… You’re letting your true colors show right now, you know?” (Rajie)
…?! Crap!

…I was so shaken by his unexpected answer that I accidentally let my surprise show.

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