Hellmode ~A Hardcore Gamer Becomes Peerless in Another World with Retro Game Settings~

This happened a day before Allen had to fight the Demon Great Generals.

Only one day was left before the Songstress Contest, so Allen and Peromus gathered in the reference room.

"I knew the disappearance of the crystal seeds was strange. And there's no records showing the warehouse was emptied too."

"Yeah, it's not normal. But the event is tomorrow. Maybe Ignomas sold them to nobles in secret."

They were the only ones in the room.

While Allen got everything ready for Rosalina's participation in the contest, Peromus was searching for the crystal seeds.

Crystal seeds could be sold by stores for up to a million gold coins.

But 3000 of them had simply vanished from the warehouses.

One possibility was that Ignomas had sold them through some method which he did not want the public to know.

Like for example selling them to a province or vassal country with a bad reputation.

And maybe he had just been selling them like that to merchants and nobles.

Allen did not think of Ignomas as a particularly smart man.

It was hard to anticipate what someone who mainly acted on instinct and emotions would do.

Reading his emotions was easy enough, but predicting his actions in a long time was hard.

"I know. But I found who was in charge of the warehouse, so maybe I'll ask him some questions."

Peromus knew who had been in charge of the warehouse the day the records stopped.

If the official in charge knew where they had been taken, then they would be able to track the crystal seeds.

"I see. I'm planning on going to the S Rank Dungeon soon, to give out the earrings you got me."

Allen looked at his watch, it was a little past 10.

It was almost time for Kurena and the rest to enter their break from hunting Iron Golems in the S Rank Dungeon.

"Got it. I'll see if I can talk to the official, maybe I can get some information."

If it seemed impossible, he would return to the building where Luck was to eat lunch.

"Ah, alright. I might be away for a while, so just in case…"

'Master Allen, should I extend Mimic's duration?'

"Yes."

Allen renewed the effects of [Mimic] and the Aromatic Vegetable, then left to the S Rank Dungeon.

The effects would have lasted for a while after lunch, but Allen knew he might end up having lunch in the S Rank Dungeon.

So he decided to extend them.

That way everyone there, including Peromus, those in the palace, detached villa, and the building where Luck was, would continue under the effects of [Mimic].

After Allen used the Bird A summon's Special Skill [Nest Transfer], Peromus went looking for the official.

He had been in the palace for a month now, so there were many officials and knights that knew him. One of them had been in charge of the crystal seeds right before they vanished.

There were various reference rooms and meeting rooms in the palace, and he found the person he was looking for in one of the meeting rooms.

He was tidying up after a meeting.

"Let me help you."

"Hm? Ah, thanks."

At first he hesitated, trying to remember who Peromus was, but he accepted the help.

"Ah, was this a meeting to discuss the ceremony tomorrow?"

"Yes. All officials are being put to run all sorts of errands lately, irrespective of their position or regular duties. I feel like we'll be really busy tomorrow too."

He was still rather young, so he spoke to Peromus with little reserve.

"That sounds rough. Though still better than being on the surface."

Peromus said with a sigh.

"Hmm… Ah right, you're the guy working with the ambassador that sided with the emperor."

"That's me."

Peromus said, exaggerating an exhausted expression.

He was acting everything out, but his merchant Skill [Negotiate] made it believable.

"I heard about that. Apparently he was boasting he could gather ten million gold coins in three months. Do you actually think that's possible though?"

Allen's deal with Ignomas had become rather famous in the palace.

"Well, err…"

Peromus opened his mouth, but quickly stammered.

"What, you can't tell me?"

"W-wait, are you also betting on it then?"

"Oh, so you already know about that? I put money on it not happening to be honest. But how's it looking?"

Many of the palace's officials seemed to like gossip.

Allen's promise to Ignomas had become a hot topic to bet on.

Allen had found out about that through his Fish D summon.

He used that to gather information, and he quickly picked up on the story.

"It-it's looking pretty rough…"

Peromus answered with a troubled look.

"I see. Well, I'll be looking forward to the next two months."

The official looked quite pleased hearing he had placed his bet correctly.

"Could you look a bit less happy? Master Alec's orders are getting ridiculous because of that."

Peromus spoke like he was on the verge of tears, unable to handle Allen's orders.

"Hmm, well, the new emperor might be a bit rough, but he doesn't really pay much attention to details. I could give in some words for you if you want?"

Ignomas had staged an insurrection, killing the emperor, but the officials and knights in the palace were largely unchanged.

Usually when people took over a throne like that, they would surround themselves with people they trusted and avoid interacting with other provinces.

They usually were worried the people would try to kill them in revenge.

But Ignomas welcomed into the palace anyone who bowed their head to him.

Thanks to that a large number of officials remained the same, and the contest was organized.

Ignomas' 4 Star Talent was a big reason for his confidence.

"I really appreciate that offer. A-actually, I have a favor I'd like to ask."

He seemed like a nice person, so Peromus acted like he needed help with something.

"Hm? Is it something involving the ambassador?"

The official asked if it was something related to the ten million gold coins.

Peromus made him promise to not tell anyone else before continuing.

"See, Master Alec says that crystal seeds can sell at crazy high prices on the surfaces, so he's starting to get desperate looking for them…"

"A-ahh, I see."

Once he got there, the official seemed to understand what Peromus was getting at.

"You know, I'm usually in charge of looking over the palace's treasury and warehouses."

"Ohh, I see. So what happened?"

"They all just disappeared suddenly. That was quite a messy day."

The official remembered that day like it was yesterday.

The 3000 precious crystal seeds just vanished.

He instantly reported that to his superior, and there was a big mess as they looked for the thief.

"Huh? That actually happened? Or are you saying that just so you don't lose the bet…"

Peromus asked if that was true, looking desperate like this was his last day to live.

"Are you stupid? Of course there was no thief. I suspect the emperor or the Prime Minister used them for some secret deal."

All the noise that happened at first was quickly silenced.

And then the Prime Minister ordered them to halt the search.

The running theory was that Ignomas had sold them somewhere for his own profit.

Those were their orders, so the officials did not make the incident public.

"So that's what happened. We're talking about the eastern warehouse, right?"

"Yeah, that one. It should be empty now, ready to house the seeds that appear tomorrow."

The official knew he would be busy the next day too.

Peromus thanked him for the help, and left that place.

In the end he had gained nothing of use though.

He could have headed straight back to Luck, but he decided to go look at the warehouse.

Since it was empty and there were no valuables to protect, there were no guards at the warehouse's doors, and Peromus entered without issue.

Since the seeds had vanished from one day to another, he suspected there had to be a secret passage somewhere in there.

Usually there were knights on the entrance, keeping the contents safe.

There was a chance that such guards could be bribed, but the official's story did not seem to indicate that was a possibility.

Peromus began checking the floor tiles, looking for any that seemed loose, when he heard the sound of the doors opening. He quickly hid behind something, trying to not be found.

Breathing as quietly as he could, he peeked out and saw Professor Sinorom.

He had been gone from the palace, but it seemed like he was back now.

While Peromus felt like he needed to report that to Allen, Sinorom stood in the center of the warehouse.

Still hiding, Peromus saw a magic circle appear, and a clown appear from it.

'Hello, Master Kyubel. Was the trip pleasant?'

'Sinorom, my friend. I've come to change the teleportation goal for tomorrow. Is the Sacred Beast Stone ready?'

Peromus did not know everything, but he had heard Allen say Kyubel was a Demon Great General, and the Demon King's Army's chief of staff.

'But of course, Master Kyubel. It'll work flawlessly for the resurrection ritual tomorrow. It's currently stabilizing in my laboratory.'

'Good work, if that's true. I'll tell the Demon King that everything is going smoothly then.'

Sinorom mentioned it was still stabilizing, but he assured Kyubel it would be ready for tomorrow.

'Yes, even after turning the crystal seeds into Sacred Beast Stones, the Administrator Rights were still assigned to Aqua. Rewriting that took quite some effort.'

Peromus had just witnessed something unthinkable.

He was barely breathing, waiting for both of them to leave the warehouse.

It seemed like the crystal seeds had been taken by the Demon King's Army.

'Hm? And who is over there hmm?'

"?!"

Even though Peromus' breath was repressed, he was trembling so much Kyubel noticed him.

'Hm? Who is that?'

Peromus' instincts took over and he ran straight to the warehouse's exit.

When he was almost there, he realized that no matter how much he moved his legs, he was not moving forward anymore.

"Huh, wah?! Gahhh!!"

Kyubel had somehow gotten right behind him, and was holding him up by his neck.

'An official of the palace? I guess rats will always be around even when an important ritual is about to start.'

Kyubel said that, slowly putting more pressure on Peromus' neck to break it.

'Oh?! That seems like such a waste, please wait!!'

Sinorom arrived a short time later.

While Peromus thrashed his legs around as much as he could, Sinorom took hold of his head and examined him closely.

Then he opened his eyes wide.

'Did you find something good?'

'Valuate? He has Valuate! Th-that can't be. That's such a precious Skill!! I-I-I want him. Master Kyubel, please let me use him as a subject for my experiments!!'

Sinorom seemed interested in putting Peromus' Extra Skill [Valuate] to use.

He wanted him for his experiments, so he asked Kyubel to give him Peromus.

'Now now, Professor Sinorom, no need to make so much fuss. Hmmm…you've been working hard lately, so I guess you can have him.'

"Thank you very much. I'm glad I worked diligently until now!!"

Kyubel shook his head a little at Sinorom's attitude, but then gave Peromus to him.

A moment later, Peromus' sight changed and he was on a hard stone floor.

"L-let go of me. I won't tell anyone!!"

While Peromus was not exactly a warrior, Sinorom had incredible strength that did not match his elderly appearance, and Peromus could not break free.

'Ahahah. I would never let go. I'll be dissecting you once the ritual ends tomorrow. You only have yourself to blame for being there.'

Peromus wriggled around as much as he could, but he had focused his stats on Endurance and Agility, so he did not have enough Attack to break free from the elderly Sinorom's hold.

Sinorom dragged him through many corridors and stairs, eventually arriving at a cell with two guards.

'Welcome back, Professor. May I ask, who is that?'

One of the guards, a demon, asked Sinorom.

'It's the reward Master Kyubel gave me. He's mine now, and I'll be having so much fun with him tomorrow after the ritual.'

'Is that so. Should I chain him up then?'

The demon did not seem bothered that Sinorom had brought back a merman as reward.

'No need for that, he's nothing but a merman. Open the cell, I'll throw him in.'

'As you wish!'

The cell was opened, and Peromus thrown inside.

'Now off to work I go. Master Kyubel keeps demanding progress, and I have to make sure everything is ready for tomorrow.'

Sinorom trotted off while saying that.

"L-let me out!!"

Peromus grasped the cell's mythrili bars and shouted.

'Hey, shut up. You better keep quiet unless you want to end like the guy behind you!!'

A guard told Peromus to keep quiet unless he wanted to end like the other person.

"Huh? Behind? Wh-what?!"

Peromus' instinct to run away was finally starting to calm down.

He turned around, hearing there was someone else in the cell.

"Hm? Who's there?"

Peromus' shouts had woken up the other person.

All his limbs had been cut off, and he raised his face to see Peromus in the eyes.