Chapter 541: Wiz, How Will You Repay Your Debt?
"What's this liquid?"
Eiji grabbed the doorknob and got his hand covered in some sticky fluid.
He sniffed it but didn't detect any particular smell—it seemed to be just ordinary water. There was also a large puddle of it on the ground nearby.
This was a secluded alley in Axel, rarely frequented by people. Eiji now stood before the entrance of an unassuming, plain-looking shop.
"Ding-a-ling!"
With the crisp chime of a bell, Eiji pushed open the door and stepped inside.
"Why is there so much water?"
Eiji was baffled by the wet puddles covering the floor.
It was understandable outside, but was it really necessary to make the inside of the shop like this too?
Did they not care about appearances at all?
"Who's there?"
As soon as he entered, a trembling voice reached his ears.
"It's me."
Recognizing the voice, the shopkeeper cautiously emerged from the back of the store.
"Mr. Nangou! Thank goodness it's you!"
The tea-haired, buxom shop owner rushed toward Eiji upon seeing him, tearfully throwing herself into his arms.
This was Wiz's Magic Item Shop.
Though Eiji found it odd that she had set up shop in such a remote location, he was more concerned about something else at the moment.
"What happened to you?"
Eiji looked surprised.
"Aren't you a lich? Who could possibly make you cry like this?"
Wiz clung to Eiji, sobbing pitifully with a look of relief on her face.
Having such a well-endowed shop owner clinging to him like a delicate little bird felt rather nice.
Had some powerful figure capable of making a lich cry arrived in Axel in just two or three days?
The possibility flashed through Eiji's mind, and his eyes lit up.
"It's Miss Aqua! She poured a huge amount of holy water in front of my shop! And it was personally made by her! I couldn't even step outside!"
"That woman is truly a menace!"
Eiji looked at Wiz with pity.
Liches were Undead, extremely weak against holy attributes. Without the protection of the former Demon King, she could easily be purified if exposed to strong holy energy.
From that perspective, Aqua was undoubtedly her natural enemy.
And since Aqua absolutely despised the Undead, being targeted by her was truly a tragedy for Wiz!
"But don't worry, I'm here now. You won't have to fear this anymore!"
Eiji thumped his chest confidently.
"What do you mean?"
Wiz wiped her tears and released Eiji.
"Speaking of which, shouldn't you be staying at the castle in the outskirts right now? What brings you here?"
Ever since news spread that the Demon King had taken up residence in the beginner town, outsiders had been appearing over the past few days.
Their demeanor was completely different from the locals—likely all here for the Demon King. But when they stormed the castle, they found that the Demon King had stood them up. Wasn't that a bit too much?
"I only said I'd be staying here—I never promised to remain in the castle the whole time!"
Eiji chuckled. "Coming into Axel itself counts as staying here, doesn't it? If the adventurers can't figure out my identity, that's their problem!"
I've kept my word perfectly. If you can't recognize me, that's just your own incompetence.
"Anyway, I came today to inform you about something!"
"Inform me?"
Wiz immediately tensed up.
Could it be about collecting debts?
Or perhaps trying to force her to rejoin the Demon Lord Army?
If she rejoins, maybe they could let the debts slide?
"Starting today, I'm your landlord!"
Eiji pulled out a white sheet of paper boldly stamped with the words "Property Deed."
"What?!"
Wiz shrieked, nearly blinded by the glaring document.
"Why so sudden? And shouldn't you be living in that castle of yours?"
Why would he suddenly come to Axel to buy property?!
What she couldn't accept even more was how he could buy a house the moment he arrived, while she'd been running her shop here for nearly a decade and was still renting the storefront!
"As the Demon King, of course I live in a castle, but as an adventurer, I naturally live in the city!"
Eiji casually found a chair and sat down comfortably.
"I thought this place looked nice, so I bought the building. The landlady was such a kind soul—she even offered to give it to me for free! Of course, I'm not that kind of person, so I paid the full price."
Mainly because the landlady had proposed a date, which had startled him.
"Speaking of which, the landlady mentioned that the tenant here hasn't paid rent in three months, didn't she?"
Eiji glanced at Wiz, who instantly panicked, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
"Now that I'm the landlord, the rent naturally goes to me. Do you have the money ready?"
"W-Well, about that..."
Wiz broke into a cold sweat, flailing her limbs as she struggled to come up with something to say.
"Ah! I remember! According to Belzerg Kingdom's laws, once property ownership is transferred, the debt relationship between the tenant and the previous landlord is nullified!"
Wiz suddenly placed her hands on her hips, puffing out her ample chest with newfound confidence.
"That's right! That means all my unpaid rent can be wiped clean!"
She jumped up excitedly.
"However, under Belzerg Kingdom's laws, if the previous landlord agrees to transfer the debt, the new landlord can continue pursuing it."
Eiji smirked coldly, dousing her enthusiasm.
"...Mr. Nangou, aren't you a reincarnated person? Why do you know Belzerg's property laws so well?"
"I did some research before coming."
"Are you obsessed with money or what?!"
Wiz couldn't help but shout.
Sigh.
Eiji shook his head pityingly.
This woman really doesn't get it at all!
"Instead of wasting time with excuses, you should think about how to pay the rent."
"Ugh..."
Wiz groaned in frustration.
What should she do?
Was there anything valuable she could use to settle the debt?
Her eyes swept across the shop before landing on the shelves.
"Ah! How about this, Mr. Nangou!"
Wiz excitedly rushed to the shelves and pulled out several bottles of oddly colored potions.
"I'll pay the rent with these Magical Items!"
I'm a genius!
Wiz was thrilled.
She couldn't have done this before—the previous landlady was just an ordinary person, so these adventurer-exclusive items were useless to her and couldn't be used to settle debts.
But Eiji was different. As the Demon King, he surely had an eye for quality and would recognize the value of her stock!
This way, she could both sell her goods and settle the rent—a perfect two-for-one deal!
"Oh?"
Eiji pondered briefly.
"Tell me more."
This clearly piqued his interest!
"For example, this teleportation scroll!"
Wiz excitedly pulled out a parchment scroll and confidently began explaining.
"Just open it, and it will teleport all living creatures within a one-meter radius straight to the capital's dungeon!"
"Now that's interesting."
Eiji became intrigued. He'd recently been troubled by how expensive Teleportation Magic was in terms of points.
"Can it teleport to other locations?"