CH 170

“John!”

“Yes, that’s right, Canal. How many times have we met like this?”

In response to Canal’s questioning look, the man in black, called John, smiled and bowed. The man who was about 180 centimeters tall and slender appeared to be very picturesque. …. Hmmm, at any rate, it doesn’t look like he’s going to attack us out of the blue.

The man in black, called John, smiles and bows to Canal’s quizzical expression.

“Hey Canal, do you know him?”

” …An acquaintance. I’m not happy about it though.”

“Oh my, isn’t that my line? You’re the one who has been causing trouble at my workplace, aren’t you?”

“Ugh!? I-It’s not that! I am just doing my job as usual ……”

“Is this the result of doing a normal job?”

John shrugged his shoulders in exasperation and looked around, while Canal made an extremely sour face. Canal is quite thick-skinned, but even she couldn’t insist that this was a “normal job” after seeing this scene.

“Well, then, let me go ahead and introduce myself first. My name is John D. Jones. Who are you? Why are you with Canal?”

“I’m Ed… just Ed. As for why I am with her… am I like Canal’s bodyguard or something?”

I’m not getting paid or anything, but there’s no other suitable way to put it. Upon hearing my words, John raised his perfectly shaped eyebrows in surprise.

“Oh, a bodyguard? If that’s the case, shouldn’t a bodyguard avoid involving their employer in such danger?”

“I wish I could say that I gave maximum consideration to my employer’s wishes there. Besides, this is not dangerous. You know that much, don’t you?”

If it was just Canal to protect, I could handle a hundred guys at my feet without any problems. That confidence is the reason why I silently accompanied her to such a shady place. Otherwise, I would have dragged her back forcibly before entering this building.

But John, the man standing in front of me, is different. My instincts tell me that he is a strong opponent whom I need to be wary of. That’s why I can’t let my guard down, not even for a moment, even if I’m making sarcastic remarks, and I’m sure John feels the same way.

“T-That’s right! Ed is protecting me!”

“Haa. Canal, you ought to be a little more observant…”

“We even sleep together in the office!”

“…… what?”

As Canal protested with only her face peeking out from behind my back, the pressure coming from John increased a notch.

“…Canal. Are you living together with this man?”

“Yes! Ed is pretty good at cooking, and when I sleep with my belly exposed, he covers me with a blanket and is kind to me!” 

(T/N: Do I sense a Carnage? Finally?)

“…… Houu?”

“Wait a minute. Hold on. I feel like we’re going in the wrong direction here,” I said, holding my sword in my right hand while extending my left hand forward. With the glimmer of killing intent appearing and disappearing from John’s black eyes, this is definitely not a good situation.

“Indeed, Canal may be a bit of an airhead at times, but to overlook such despicable acts taking advantage of it–“

“Who are you calling an airhead!? I have carefully discerned with my own eyes that Ed is a good person! Well, admittedly there may be some suspicious things about him or he may have some issues with how he treats women but–“

“– is death.”

“Just wait! You know what? There’s Two! My partner and I are being taken care of at Canal’s place!”

Feeling a chilling pressure around my neck, I hurriedly conveyed the message. Then the pressure from John gradually decreased, and his gaze shifted from me to Canal.

“Is that so?”

“Hmm? Yes, I am. So it’s like the three of us now. It’s gotten quite lively, but well, it’s not so bad,”

“….., I see.”

A murmur of relief escaped me, and the sense of caution I felt from John dropped to a minimum. I still can’t relax, but for the time being, it seems that I’m no longer being attacked without question.

“So, what is John doing here? I mean, how did you get in from the outside when we’re on the 16th floor—“

“I’m here on business, of course. I’m dealing with a rather complicated matter.”

“Complicated?”

“……S.E.E.D.”

“Seed…..wait, could it be that S.E.E.D!?”

(T/N: ‘Seed’ is written in japanese while SEED is written in english in raws.)

“Hm? Hey, Canal, what’s a seed?”

John, not Canal, answered my question, having no idea about the word, unlike the two who looked like they knew what they were talking about.

“Special Extended Ecstasy Drug…… a.k.a. S.E.E.D. Unlike previous drugs that only gave physical pleasure, this latest drug expands the soul of the person who ingests it, giving them a sense of omnipotence for a short period of time.”

(T/N: Bold because it is written in english in raw)

“Expanding the soul… that’s quite an exaggeration. Can it really do such a thing?”

I knew that the technology in this world was ridiculously advanced, but I still find it hard to believe that it is possible for a human being to interfere … with the soul and even expand it. But John shook his head without changing his expression at my skepticism.

“It can be done. At least those who have taken it have felt it. Unlike conventional magic drugs, there are no physical side effects, so it seems to be quite popular among those in power.”

“Heh. Hmm? But if there are no side effects, then it’s okay, right?”

“No, it is not. It’s just that there are no physical side effects, but the side effects themselves are there. Once you take S.E.E.D, your forcibly expanded soul is distorted and you … will never be able to reincarnate again.”

“Huh!?”

I gulped at John’s words. Before I regained my memory as the Demon King, it wouldn’t have hit me, but now I understand the gravity of the situation more than ever.

“Of course, this world is overflowing with life, not only human life but also fish, insects, plants, and many other forms of life. But no matter how many there are, they are finite. If S.E.E.D continues to spread, in a few thousand years, or even tens of thousands of years, there will be no life at all, and this world will die out.”

“But that’s just a myth, isn’t it? No one has been able to prove it.”

“Yes, you’re right, Canal. But it will only be proven after the souls have been used up to the point that there is nothing more that can be done about it. … And even at that stage, there are likely to be people who use S.E.E.D. As long as there are people who want to enjoy the present rather than worrying about their future life, whether it really exists or not, the demand for it will never disappear.”

“Well, that’s true”

That’s right, even if it’s your own soul, living your next life through reincarnation means living as someone else. Humans who can’t even quit drinking for their own sake ten years from now won’t be able to give up present pleasure for the sake of their next life, the existence of which is uncertain.

“That is why we need to eradicate it at this stage, when it has only spread to a very few wealthy people. For the future of this world.”

“I see you’re still doing your noble work. So, how does that connect with these moneylenders? They’re not making S.E.E.D., are they?”

“Of course. There is a rumor that a certain government agency is behind the creation of S.E.E.D., but the security is too tight to investigate directly. However, whenever something is created, there is always a flow of funds. So, we received information that a significant amount of money flowed into the organization from here this time…”

“…………, M-Me!?”

Upon receiving John’s sharp glare, Canal points at her own face with a foolish expression. John lets out a deep sigh in response to her actions.

“Yes, It was certainly unexpected that the source of the funding was Canal… you really surprised us,”

“I don’t like having money either!”

“I agree with you, but you need to be more cautious in your actions… and the same goes for your bodyguard.”

“Ah, I see. I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.”

I could only nod in response to John’s sarcastic warning. In the first loop, I didn’t even hit the Dice Lane, so I wasn’t involved in this kind of incident, and both Tia and I had a much lower awareness or sense of caution regarding “having a lot of money.” This realization came to me once again.

While it’s possible to handle most situations somehow, it’s obviously better to navigate in a way that prevents problems from occurring in the first place.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at Canal’s words as she murmurs, “I became so rich, yet I haven’t been indulging in luxury, and I keep getting dragged into strange incidents. It feels like nothing good is happening to me…”