Lord: Starting from a Goblin Nest

When it rains, it pours—and Bakoyannis was a prime example.

Ron only had two friendly creatures here in Delusional Land, and she had managed to run into both of them. He even suspected that if he’d returned a few days later, they might have found a Sorol Fishman caught up in the mess, too.

”We already spared you once,” Aive said, looking at Bakoyannis. ”You shouldn’t have come back. Really.”

”I didn’t want to,” Bakoyannis said with a bitter smile. ”I was just following orders from my superiors. I had no choice—please, spare me!”

”We catch you, let you go, and you just come back for more!” Delaford shouted. ”Killing you would hardly be a loss!”

”No, no, no—” Bakoyannis’s eyes darted around in panic. ”Wait, I can trade information for my life! How about it?”

”It’ll save a lot of people’s lives!”

”If it’s just another assassination plot like last time, there’s no need to say anything,” Ron said, looking at her. ”Go on, what else do you have?”

”It’s not aimed at you! They already know you’re too hard to kill,” Bakoyannis said quickly. ”It’s for the Adventurers you dispatched!”

”I saw the plan in my superior’s room when I went to meet him: They’re preparing an ambush. They’re going to wait for the Adventurers to get ready to attack the slave convoy, and then they’ll ambush the Adventurers!”

”Can you give me a map? I’ll circle the location for you!”

Her life was now entirely in the hands of Ron and the others. Bakoyannis didn’t dare try any tricks and obediently marked the ambush location with a pen. ”It’s right here!”

”So? Is this information enough to save my skin?”

”You’d sell out all your colleagues just to save yourself?” Aive glanced at Ron. ”For the sake of her one life, she’s certainly decided the fate of many others.”

”Is there anyone who doesn’t cling to life...?” Bakoyannis laughed awkwardly. ”Is this enough to trade for my life?”

”I suppose it’s possible, but what do you plan to do after this? Turn over a new leaf and find a new profession?”

”I...” Bakoyannis hesitated. To be honest, she couldn’t bear to part with the high salary from the Black Eye Circle, to say nothing of the commissions. But if she said she wasn’t willing, she was afraid she wouldn’t make it out of here alive.

’Wanting it both ways left her with very few paths to survival.’

”I can infiltrate Carolina’s inner ranks and help you from the shadows!” Bakoyannis blurted out, seeing Sera raise her greatsword again.

”Seriously? You really think we’re going to trust a slave trader?” Silvia raised an eyebrow. ”Benefactor, don’t believe her. People like her are completely untrustworthy.”

”Silvia!” Bakoyannis looked despairingly at the Vampire Descendant. ”You can’t kick me while I’m down!”

”I wouldn’t say that,” Silvia said, flashing her sharp fangs. ”Benefactor, why don’t you just give her to me? I’m sure Seymour and I can find some fun with her.”

”Forget it. It’s better to give her a quick end; no need to torture her.” The kind-hearted Victoria immediately raised her Hard Head Hammer, preparing to deliver the final blow to Bakoyannis.

’Keeping her alive could also work,’ Ron mused. ”Aren’t our friends who rush to help the wronged still missing something? Why don’t we just send her over to them?”

”Exactly,” Aive agreed. ”You is just a banshee, after all. There are many things she can’t conveniently do. Let’s send her to Aiksuuri.”

”She’ll even get to listen to the teachings of Bahamut. I think that’s a pretty good deal.”

”You’re... sending me to that giant? No, that kobold? No, the Black Dragon?!” Terror filled Bakoyannis’s face. ”I beg you for mercy! Don’t send me to the territory of a creature like that!”

’Bahamut? More like Tiamat! I won’t last a few days!’

”So picky. You don’t want this, you won’t do that,” Sera said, hoisting Bakoyannis up with one hand. ”Where you’re going isn’t your choice anymore!”

A goblin brought some hemp rope from the camp and trussed Bakoyannis up tightly. The group rested for a while in the ruined campsite, waiting until the next day to deliver her to the Black Dragon’s lair.

As for whether Aiksuuri would keep her or be unable to resist having her for a snack, no one particularly cared.

However, when Ron and the others reached the Black Dragon’s lair, they found no trace of Aiksuuri. Following the directions of You, who had been left to guard the place, it took them a few days before they found the Young Black Dragon fast asleep in a trading post.

”Eh? Ron?”

Aiksuuri groggily opened his slitted pupils, but he snapped wide awake the moment he saw Bakoyannis. ”It’s this woman! She’s the one who led the attack on your territory! You caught her?”

”Caught her red-handed,” Ron said with a smile, taking some spices from Rose City and a few shiny trinkets from his luggage to give to the Black Dragon. ”Thank you for helping fight off their attack. This is just a small token of our appreciation.”

”It was no big deal...” Aiksuuri raised his head in satisfaction and accepted Ron’s gifts. ”But you were gone for such a long time! It’s too dangerous out there!”

”What would you have done if someone had stolen all that treasure you entrusted to the great Aiksuuri for safekeeping?”

”Then I suppose I’d have to rely on the ’great Aiksuuri,’ eh?” Ron gestured for them to bring Bakoyannis forward. ”After we caught her, it occurred to me that your lair might be in need of a steward or something. How about I give her to you?”

”I don’t like this woman, and I already have You to help me,” Aiksuuri said, snorting a breath onto Bakoyannis’s face. ”However...”

”Fine! Have your people bring her to my home later. I’ll have my own use for her!” A malicious, sinister smile spread across the Young Black Dragon’s face, making Bakoyannis’s scalp crawl.

”You’re injured?” Victoria circled Aiksuuri and spotted a bloody, mangled wound beneath his ribs. It was difficult to see against the color of his scales. ”It looks like a blade wound—did this woman do this to you?”

”No... alright, it was her,” Aiksuuri instinctively tried to hide the wound, but under Victoria’s stare, he confessed. ”The cunning woman sneak-attacked me. While I was in the air corroding the roof with my breath, she cast Dagger Cloud and cut me up.”

”But it’s alright, I’ll recover quickly,” the Young Dragon said, flapping his wings. ”See? I’m almost completely fine! Really, it’ll heal soon, you don’t need to—HEE HEE, HAHAHA, stop healing me! It’s too ticklish, HAHAHAHA!”