Chapter 83

The corpses presented by Ariel received an unprecedented response, and thanks to that, Ariel was able to make an enormous amount of money in an instant.

The Scorpion Corpse was bought by a crustacean enthusiast, and the Medusa Corpse was purchased by the guild master of the Alchemist Guild.

Once the auction ended, Ariel placed the sales proceeds into her Inventory and left the Black Market.

“Thank you! Please visit us again next time!”

“Take care!”

The manager and employees of the Black Market bowed respectfully to Ariel.

An excessive level of courtesy that felt burdensome.

In fact, it was a natural reaction.

From the Black Market’s perspective, sellers like Ariel were extremely important. The more sellers who brought rare corpses, the more prosperous the Black Market would become.

“Hmm, the response was better than expected. I made a lot of money. Hehe…”

Belmont gave an awkward smile as he looked at Ariel. Since he had introduced her to the Black Market, he had hoped that maybe some of the money would trickle down to him.

But Ariel simply asked with an expressionless face.

“Where is a famous dessert shop?”

“…A dessert shop? Hmm, I guess Delight is famous? I don’t really eat sweet stuff. But hey, aren’t you glad you came to the Black Market? If you went somewhere else, you wouldn’t have made that much money. Well, no need to thank me, but if you really want to show your gratitude…”

“Take me to Delight.”

Ariel moved behind Belmont and spoke.

“I’m hungry.”

“……”

*

Delight was located in the heart of the Imperial Capital.

Its exterior resembled a candy house straight out of a fairy tale.

The walls were painted in soft pastel tones, and candy-shaped decorations adorned with gold leaf dangled here and there.

The colorful candy roof sparkled in the sunlight, and the windows had cute lace curtains, giving off a cozy vibe.

A small garden was arranged next to the entrance, filled with beautifully blooming flowers of various colors.

If Roo had been there, she would have immediately thrown herself into that flower bed.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Belmont awkwardly cleared his throat. He felt a bit embarrassed to enter Delight.

As far as Belmont knew, Delight was a place where noble ladies in elegant dresses gathered to spend time.

A place where they sat around small tables, enjoying high-end tea and desserts while engaging in trivial conversations.

Their conversations were truly trivial.

The latest fashion trends, how lavish a certain party was, who spent a secret moment with whom in the backyard…

In any case, it was a place that didn’t suit a rough mercenary like Belmont at all.

No, even for any sane adult man, Delight was a place they would never want to enter.

The moment you stepped inside, you’d be under the gaze of countless noble ladies and gentlewomen.

“…Go in and eat by yourself. I’ll wait outside.”

Belmont said that and turned his head away.

Ariel’s eyes sparkled as she looked inside Delight.

“Hey, didn’t you hear me? I’ll wait outside…”

At that moment, Ariel swiftly turned her gaze to Belmont.

Her eyes were completely different from when she was looking at Delight.

It wasn’t exactly a glare. Ariel’s eyes were just indifferent. But that made it even scarier.

Ariel opened her mouth.

“But you’re my subordinate.”

“Well, that’s true…”

Technically, according to the contract, Belmont was Ariel’s slave.

“Then eat with me.”

“…Fine, got it.”

In the end, Belmont had no choice but to enter Delight with Ariel.

He had a foreboding feeling that his life might be in danger if he didn’t.

Of course, that was just Belmont’s misconception.

Ariel simply thought it would be pitiful if Belmont waited outside alone, and as her subordinate, she wanted to treat him to some delicious desserts.

Ding-dong.

The door to Delight opened with a small bell sound.

The interior of Delight was larger and more spacious than expected, but it was decorated with the same charming vibe as the exterior.

Especially the chocolate fountain and macaron tower in the center of the store gave off an overwhelming impression, making one wonder if they were made by someone in their right mind.

Of course, that was just Belmont’s personal opinion. Ariel, with her heart pounding, approached the chocolate fountain.

“…?”

But upon closer inspection, the chocolate fountain was fake. It was just a prop.

The macaron tower next to it was the same.

Ariel glanced up at Belmont, and Belmont looked down at her with a ‘what do you expect?’ expression.

“If you want to eat, it’s over there.”

Belmont pointed towards the display counter with his hand.

“This is just for decoration. If you want the real thing, you have to go over there.”

By the time Belmont said that, Ariel was already gone.

Ariel was now in front of the display counter, looking at the desserts.

‘What kind of speed is that…?’

Belmont thought it would be hard to escape from Ariel as he walked over to her.

“This, please.”

Ariel pointed to a tart filled with fruits.

“Ah, the strawberry tart~”

A female employee with a large red ribbon tied around her head nodded brightly with a smile.

“I’ll prepare it right away.”

“And this too.”

Ariel pointed to the tiramisu cake next to it.

“Tiramisu cake? Yes, I’ll prepare that too.”

“And this too.”

“Lemon pie? Sure.”

“And this too.”

“Cream puff and…”

“And this too.”

“Macarons too.”

“And this too.”

“……”

Ariel kept picking desserts without stopping.

The female employee, who was smiling brightly at first, gradually stiffened.

Belmont also looked at Ariel with a stiff expression.

‘Stop picking… Are you planning to eat all of this?’

“And this too.”

Finally, after picking a large amount of desserts, Ariel stopped ordering only after selecting a big cheesecake.

Even though Delight’s desserts were already expensive, Ariel had picked so many that the total cost was astronomical. But since Ariel had already made a huge profit at the Black Market, it wasn’t a problem.

Of course, to Belmont, it was a big problem.

‘With that money…’

The amount spent on just sweet desserts could have been enough for the mercenaries to take months off and drink to their hearts’ content. It was a waste.

Regardless, Ariel boldly paid the bill like a rich young lady and said to Belmont,

“Bring the desserts when they’re ready.”

Then she walked briskly to a corner seat and plopped down on a chair filled with soft cushions.

“Sigh…”

Belmont let out a deep sigh and quietly waited for the desserts to come.

The noblewomen sitting nearby glanced at Belmont, who was completely out of place, and whispered among themselves. Belmont once again firmly resolved in his heart.

‘I will definitely escape, no matter what…’

*

Since Ariel had ordered such a large amount of desserts, Belmont had to go back and forth several times to bring them all.

If he hadn’t been wearing his mercenary outfit but instead an apron and a ribbon on his head, others might have thought Belmont was an employee of Delight.

Belmont endured the shame and self-loathing as he carried the desserts, and Ariel put half of them into her Inventory.

Then, pointing to the remaining half, she said to Belmont,

“You can eat too.”

Her tone sounded as if she was doing him a favor, and Belmont muttered curses under his breath.

Of course, it was a favor. Delight’s desserts were extremely expensive, and she was offering them for free.

But Belmont would have preferred meat or alcohol over this. The sweet smell from the desserts alone was enough to make his head throb.

“Phew.”

Belmont sat down weakly in the chair, and for a moment, he lost his balance due to the overly soft cushion and wobbled slightly.

And from a distance, someone who had been watching giggled.

It was the group of noblewomen who had been glancing at Belmont earlier.

“Sigh.”

Belmont sighed and looked up.

Munch, munch.

He saw Ariel eating the desserts heartily.

Her cheeks were so full of desserts that they looked like they might burst.

Belmont asked,

“Where are you going after this?”

“Mmmph.”

Her pronunciation was slurred due to the desserts in her mouth, but Belmont understood immediately.

The Armory.

She was going to retrieve Ragnarok, which she had left for repairs.

“Where are you going after that?”

Just as Belmont asked that,

“Kyaa!”

A scream came from behind.

Startled, he turned around to see a person in shabby robes jumping up and down, pointing inside the display counter.

“That one, and that one, and that one, and that, and that too, give me all of them!!”

From the voice, it sounded like a young girl, but the way she was picking desserts was similar to Ariel earlier.

Belmont instinctively checked the female employee’s expression.

The employee looked even more exhausted than before.

“Um, the money…?”

However, this shabby-robed customer had one difference from Ariel.

“I don’t have any money…”

At those words, the employee looked utterly dumbfounded, and so did Belmont.

Well, to be honest, he had expected it a bit from her attire.

How could someone wearing such shabby robes, almost like a vagrant, afford to buy so many expensive desserts at Delight?

If she could afford that, she should have bought some decent clothes first.

“If you don’t have money, you can’t make a purchase.”

The employee spoke in a voice that sounded like she was barely holding back her anger.

“Ah, right, of course, sorry, goodbye.”

The vagrant customer slumped her shoulders and walked weakly towards the door of Delight.

‘To come to a place like this without any money…’

Just as Belmont was thinking that, Ariel reached out her hand to him.

“?”

Ariel’s palm was filled with gold coins.

“What’s this, what am I supposed to do with it?”

When Belmont asked, Ariel gestured with her eyes towards the vagrant customer.

“Are you telling me to give it to her?”

“Yep.”

“No, if you’re going to give it away, give it to me. I’m just as pitiful as her…”

At that moment, Ariel slightly furrowed her brow.

“…I’ll go give it to her right away.”

Belmont immediately stood up and took the gold coins Ariel handed him.