Chapter 273. Agent (2)
Lake Baikal.
The largest lake in Asia, located in southern Siberia, with an area of 31,722 square kilometers.
Its water was so clear and beautiful that it had earned the nickname ‘the Blue Eye of the Earth.’
And I was enjoying a vacation there.
“Whew...”
I let out a long breath while taking in the beautiful scenery spread out before me.
Lying on a sunbed aboard a yacht floating on Lake Baikal, I felt almost like some wealthy tycoon enjoying his leisure.
Though I’m technically above ordinary tycoons now...
Thinking that, I reached to the side.
I picked up the cocktail sitting on the table and took a leisurely sip.
BOOOOM!
My peaceful mood was instantly shattered by the explosion right beside the yacht.
It sounded like an impact effect from a battle.
The cause was Lee Gyu, who had just dived into the lake.
“Hahaha! That’s refreshing!”
I leaned over and saw a naked Lee Gyu swimming around and laughing.
“Brother, come in too! The water’s great!”
“No, it looks freezing... I’ll pass.”
We had come all the way to such a beautiful place.
Why would I spend my time staring at Lee Gyu’s hairy naked body?
As I was thinking that...
a voice came from the front.
“Looks like the Nameless King has no intention of swimming.”
I turned my head...
and saw a man’s triangular underwear.
No.
To be precise...
men’s swim trunks.
“Jason, please stand a little farther away when you talk to me...”
“Why?”
“Why do you think...?”
If he came any closer, Jason’s underwear was going to hit me in the face.
“This whole vacation-by-the-water thing is part of modern Material Realm culture, isn’t it?”
“You should be enjoying it more than anyone.”
“Lying around and relaxing is also part of modern vacation culture.”
“Don’t worry about me. Go swim with Lee Gyu.”
“Hmm? Ah, is this what’s going on?”
Jason stepped even closer.
“I said don’t come closer.”
“You...”
Jason lowered his voice.
“You’re disappointed because Princess Longji didn’t wear a swimsuit, aren’t you?”
"..."
I seriously considered punching him right in the center of his swim trunks.
“What kind of vulgar nonsense are you talking about?”
“Wah?!”
Water suddenly surged up from the lake and swallowed Jason.
He was trapped in it and thrown straight into the water.
“Nameless King, surely you weren’t actually hoping for such a thing?”
“Of course not.”
Princess Longji walked toward us with her arms folded.
She wasn’t wearing a swimsuit.
Still, compared to the fairy-like robes she normally wore, her outfit was much lighter and more casual.
I had brought Jason, Lee Gyu, and Princess Longji with me on this vacation.
It was partly a reward for everything they had done for me...
including carrying me away when Christina attacked.
“Hmm? Since we came all the way to a place like this, shouldn’t everyone loosen up a little?”
“Why are you acting so modest all by yourself when you’re not actually like that at all?”
A voice came from behind me.
“No helping it.”
“Nameless King, you can just enjoy looking at me in a swimsuit instead.”
“You can stare as much as you want.”
I turned around.
Daji was smiling seductively.
And then...
“W-Wait!”
Princess Longji rushed over and covered my eyes.
“Daji! What in the world are you wearing?! You’re practically naked!”
“It’s a swimsuit.”
“How is that a swimsuit?! That’s just some strings wrapped around you!”
“It barely covers the important parts... actually, I don’t think it’s even covering them properly!”
“Isn’t this much fine? There’s nobody around.”
“What do you mean nobody?! The Nameless King is here, and so are Lee Gyu and Jason!”
“The men swimming over there don’t seem interested in us at all.”
“Just let the Nameless King look.”
“Princess Longji, this has nothing to do with you, does it?”
“It’ll ruin the atmosphere if things get weird!”
“Cover yourself properly first!”
Princess Longji and Daji.
The two of them could probably be called the two greatest beauties representing Investiture of the Gods.
But perhaps because their personalities and roles were complete opposites...
they seemed to be a terrible match.
Was bringing Daji a mistake...?
Jason, Lee Gyu, and Princess Longji weren’t the only ones attending this gathering.
Daji had come too.
There was a reason for that...
but seeing her bicker with Princess Longji was already making me regret the decision a little.
“Oh, then why don’t you wear the same swimsuit, Princess Longji?”
“I brought a spare.”
“Want to put it on too and show the Nameless King?”
“W-What kind of ridiculous suggestion is that?!”
Now she was saying even stranger things.
Maybe I should just go swimming too...
While I stood trapped between the two of them...
“You people... what exactly are you doing?”
“A Sabbath?”
“The men are naked and playing in the lake, while the women are fighting over one man with their bodies...”
“Is this really some kind of Sabbath?”
A woman and a man were standing on the shore, staring at us in disbelief.
Of course, they weren’t human.
They were former members of Pandemonium’s Seventy-Two Demons...
Gremory and Leraje.
The official purpose of this gathering was my vacation.
But its hidden purpose...
was a secret meeting with demons formerly belonging to Pandemonium.
The catastrophe caused by Bael’s scheme...
and Christina’s massacre...
had inflicted enormous damage on Pandemonium’s demons.
But East Asia, including China, had suffered relatively little because it was so far away.
There were also demons like Leraje, whom we had met on Cyprus, who survived because they had been on islands.
“If all-out war breaks out, humans and demons will both suffer heavy losses.”
“I want to settle this peacefully before it reaches that point.”
Inside a private room on the yacht, I spoke to Gremory and Leraje.
“The Siberian region.”
“For now, I’ll recognize this place as the Pandemonium Autonomous Region.”
Siberia was currently uninhabited by humans.
Even if Pandemonium completely collapsed...
humans wouldn’t suddenly move here in large numbers.
The environment simply wasn’t comfortable for ordinary people.
But for demons who had lived in Hell...
Siberia was apparently more than comfortable enough.
“The Pandemonium Autonomous Region will extract resources from Siberia and trade them with humans.”
“Over time, demons can establish themselves as humanity’s partners.”
It wasn’t widely known...
but demons were actually highly skilled at mining.
They had built Pandemonium by working picks in barren Hell and extracting resources.
“Humans hold deep grudges against demons.”
“There will still be clashes in the future.”
“You’ll have to endure them.”
“Those are very unfavorable terms for us demons.”
Leraje sighed.
“We give up that vast territory, get confined to Siberia, and live quietly with our heads down?”
“But we don’t have much choice.”
“We’ve become far weaker.”
“You need to accept reality, Leraje.”
Gremory spoke calmly.
