Chapter 29
“Who is it?”
Richmond scratched his jawbone with one bony finger, as if digging through his memory.
“What was that guy’s name again…? Ah, right. Geru.”
Geru was a demon who had worked at the headquarters of one of the biggest merchant companies in the Demon Realm, holding an important position.
His specialty? Exactly what Ariella had been wanting — financial management, handling budgets, and tracking income and expenses.
Just hearing that made Ariella’s mouth water.
“A big merchant company? Which one?”
“The Fedwick Trading Company.”
Her excitement instantly faded.
Instead of smiling, Ariella frowned deeply.
She already knew that name — and hated it.
“Fedwick Trading? That’s the same company that teamed up with Bephar for shady business! Those rotten scoundrels!”
How could she hire someone from a place like that? If he came to the Demon King’s Domain, he could become a second Bephar.
Ariella was ready to reject the idea immediately.
But Richmond seemed to have expected her reaction.
“Before you object any further, listen. Based on the evidence we’ve gathered, Bephar started working with that company about ten years ago, right?”
“Yes. We even know the exact date they started doing secret deals.”
Bephar had kept detailed records in a hidden room inside his mansion, probably thinking no one would ever check.
“Geru left the company just before Bephar began those backdoor deals.”
Ariella’s ears perked up.
“So Geru had nothing to do with our problems here? None at all?”
“From what I’ve heard, no. In fact, around that time, the Fedwick Trading Company got a new owner. Geru and that new boss had a huge falling-out.”
“I don’t know exactly why, but that fight forced Geru to leave the company.”
Ariella rested her chin on her finger.
“The timing is strange. Too perfect to be just a coincidence.”
She traced the events in her mind:
First, the company’s owner changed.
Then Geru fought with the new owner.
Geru left headquarters.
And only after that, the company started doing dirty deals with Bephar.
“After leaving, Geru went back to his hometown, the Delrac Demon King’s Domain, and opened a magic goods shop with his own money.”
Business was good.
Even though his relationship with the new owner had ended badly, his old colleagues still helped him because of his long years at the company.
“That’s strange. He got on the boss’s bad side, but his former coworkers still helped him?”
“That’s because Geru was well-respected back in his day. He wasn’t only a great finance manager — he had also been an excellent merchant. In his youth, he traveled all over the Demon Realm, building both skill and reputation.”
In other words, he wasn’t just someone who sat behind a desk pushing numbers.
“Multi-talented. I like the sound of this.”
“Many merchants saw him as a role model. The shop he opened after retiring was incredibly successful, thanks to the trade routes and connections he’d built.”
“I even used to make special trips there to buy magic materials.”
“So that’s how you know him.”
“Exactly. He’s definitely skilled. They say he played a huge part in making Fedwick Trading as big as it is today.”
Ariella’s eyes lit up.
If he truly had nothing to do with Bephar, this changed everything.
Fedwick Trading was massive — bigger than some Demon King’s castles. And Geru had managed finances on that scale, plus had plenty of on-the-ground merchant experience.
That kind of skill would be a huge help.
He was starting to sound like the perfect candidate.
Ariella nodded.
“Alright. Let’s meet him right away.”
“Ah, but…”
Richmond hesitated mid-sentence.
“What is it?” Ariella asked. She was ready to overcome any obstacle — even if Geru refused, she’d find a way to convince him.
Richmond finally said,
“Well… Geru died about a year ago.”
Ariella’s jaw dropped.
Why even bring him up if he’s already dead?
Then her eyes narrowed. Richmond wouldn’t mention this for no reason.
‘Wait… Richmond’s specialty is summoning the dead and creating undead.’
No way…
A shocking idea came to her mind.
“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”
“Oh? And what’s that?” Richmond asked, smiling.
Ludwig and Ulken still looked confused.
Ariella spoke her thought clearly, like hammering a nail.
“You want to bring Geru back from the dead and hire him for our domain?”
“What?!”
“You’re joking, right?”
But Richmond simply let out a smooth, pleased laugh.
“Exactly, Contractee. You guessed it in one try.”
Ariella smirked. “The real genius is you, Richmond. Who else in the Demon Realm would think of this?”
The two of them were perfectly in sync.
“Of course, it’s not true resurrection. I’d summon his soul into our world so he could talk and act here, and influence reality.”
“A very fancy way to say ‘turn him into an undead,’” Ariella teased.
Ludwig frowned. “Would an undead even have enough brains to handle finances? Your skeletons can fight, but they’re not smart enough for anything complicated.”
“These?” Richmond pulled a small bone from his robes and tossed it.
It instantly grew into the skeleton of an orc that had once guarded Ariella.
“This one’s been dead a long time. The older the bones, the lower the intelligence.”
Which is why they follow orders blindly and are easy to control.
“But Geru has only been dead for a year. Considering how slowly demon bodies decay, he’d still have flesh and organs. He’d be a zombie, not a skeleton — and zombies keep their minds much more clearly.”
Zombies were harder to control. They wouldn’t obey every command unless convinced.
“So we can’t make Zombie Geru a slave… but we could hire him, if he agrees?” Ariella asked.
“Exactly. I’d summon his soul first, then we’d persuade him to work for us. But we’d have to pay him something he actually wants.”
Ariella tilted her head.
“What could a dead person want? To live again? But becoming undead already solves that.”
“Wrong,” Richmond said.
“Why?”
“Many dead don’t want to come back to the living world at all.”
“I don’t get it. Life is the most valuable thing there is. Why refuse it?”
“That’s what you, the living, think. Don’t assume the dead share your desires. That’s a bias.”
“So the living and the dead often want completely different things?”
“Exactly.”
“That makes it harder to persuade him…” Ariella muttered. But giving up wasn’t an option.
“Wait,” she said. “Doesn’t undead summoning have a time limit? If we hire him but he can only work for a few hours a day, that’s useless.”
She imagined the worst-case scenario:
“Oh! Sorry, Lady Ariella. My allowed summoning time is up for today. I’ll have to leave now!”
“What? Geru, you’ve only been here for one hour! Where are you going?!”
The thought made her scowl.
‘No way am I paying a salary to a ghost who spends more time in the afterlife than working!’
But Richmond seemed prepared.
“If I explained in full, we’d be here all day. The short answer: with the right preparations, Geru can stay active for long periods.”
Ariella nodded firmly.
“Then we need two things — something to convince him to work for us, and the materials to keep him active for more than half the day.”
The goal was set.
