Chapter 193
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Hilbert is not only a well-known merchant but also a devout believer in the Crater Church.
During his childhood, he was hit by a carriage and suffered near-fatal injuries. By chance, a Sister of the Crater Church happened to be passing by and saved his life. As his consciousness faded, his mother bowed her head and promised to repay the debt over her lifetime, but the Sister simply smiled and said:
「It was pure chance that I passed through this place at this time today. Your presence here must have been God’s will for me to help you. So no thanks are necessary.」
After that, their family converted to the Crater Church and became devout believers.
Though he doesn’t have the magical aptitude she did, becoming someone who could help others just like her—this became one of Hilbert’s lifelong convictions.
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They say three women together are noisy, and how right that saying is.
Hilbert sighs at the scene before him.
「He’s so annoyingly persistent!」
「I know, right? That persistence really shows his personality.」
「How many times does he have to ask ‘Does it feel good?’ and ‘That feels good, doesn’t it?’ It’s so creepy!」
「I get that too. Like, stop making us say the same thing over and over!」
「And he lectures us in the middle of doing it, you know?」
「So gross! Just die already!」
「Yeah, we’ve all met that type. Had one at my last job too. Like, who are you to act so high and mighty when you’re here too?」
「Just perish already.」
「Well, at least his face is nice.」
「That’s true. But what matters is his head.」
「If you shook it, it’d probably sound hollow.」
The three women before him are proving the 「noisy」 saying true, thoroughly enjoying themselves trash-talking their client, Hero Ryūgūin. Hilbert massages his brow at the sight. Then he claps his hands twice.
「Alright, everyone! Your work for today is done! Please rest well so you’ll be ready when you’re called again!」
Responding to his call, the women start moving, each with their own 「Okay~」 「Woo~」 「I’m going~」
And as they leave, they each call out to him in their own way: 「Thanks, Hilbert!」 「Thank you!」 「See you!」
He brushes them off with a 「Yeah, yeah.」
Though he feels guilty about making them do this kind of work—he has absolutely no intention of stopping.
His anger, which no one notices, still smolders within his heart, eagerly waiting for the moment the Hero will be burned to ashes.
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He has a pretty good grasp of the Hero’s routine.
Though there’s quite some time before he’ll be called again, he’s just heard some interesting information.
He picks up the Contact Pearl and reaches out to one of the top officials of the Terrarium Project, the plan to keep the Hero like a pet.
The content is what he just heard from the women.
「It seems he thinks this Sealed Dungeon business is his own accomplishment.」
When Hilbert reports this, the usually easygoing man momentarily loses his voice.
「Oh boy… that’s quite—」
He understands both what the man wants to say and how he feels, perhaps too well. When he heard it from the women, he thought his ears must be playing tricks on him.
「Wouldn’t this make perfect material for that plan?」
Hilbert makes his suggestion.
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After discussing future steps, Hilbert finally gets to his late lunch. Just as he finishes eating,
「Master Hilbert, Sir Hero is calling for you.」
Right on cue, Hilbert leaves the dining hall.
When entering the Hero’s room, he never forgets to act out of breath.
He knows this tickles the Hero’s ego and satisfies him. This accumulation is the most crucial element in the plan to keep him like a pig.
「My, my, Sir Hero *huff* *puff* I heard you *wheeze* wanted to see me.」
「To think Sir Hero would praise me so highly! I shall pass down the tale of ‘The Day Sir Hero Praised Me’ to my descendants for generations to come!」
「But of course! I—Hilbert, who proudly considers himself Sir Hero’s partner—shall precisely determine what you desire!」
He’s gotten quite good at playing the fool.
Hilbert mocks himself internally, but he’s willing to act as stupid as necessary if it means getting the Hero’s head in the end.
Oblivious to his true feelings, the Hero asks for a meal.
They know about all the accessories the Hero wears, including his rings. They know that each one is an expensive magical tool. Moreover, they’ve figured out the detailed effects of most of these magical tools, with only a few exceptions.
Among them, the Ring of Poison Nullification is AMAZING!!
Because they can feed him ANYTHING!!
And they can make him drink ANYTHING!!
Like they say, even a pig will climb a tree if you flatter it enough.
「As expected of Sir Hero, truly someone who ‘knows quality.’」
Flatter the Hero enough and he’ll eat anything.
They can feed him ANYTHING!!
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When he puts on airs and says 「Won’t you join us?」 and they answer 「Oh no, we couldn’t possibly share a table with Sir Hero…」 (trembling in fear), Ryūgūin splashes about like a fish in water and says,
「Hmm. You have good manners. I like that. If you keep up your efforts, you might become a fine merchant yourself. Though I can’t guarantee it.」
He says this with a broad smile while giving Hilbert advice. Hilbert responds with 「Ah— such gracious words—」 but thinking about what the Hero had just eaten, he can barely contain his laughter.
After the meal, after a while, there’s a knock at the door.
Hilbert can hardly wait to see how he’ll dance from here on out.
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