*

　For a while, Christine was squatting there as if she was devastated - but then she said

'Stop squatting and get on with the conversation.
Yes.

　Euka said grimly, and Christine returned to her seat.

'Oh, um, if you could stand there...'
What?
It's nothing.

　Yuka asked back, and Christine nodded.
　She glances at us.
　'Help me,' she pleads with her eyes.

'Yuka, come back because Chris is scared.
Tsk, I don't blame you.

　Yuka turned on her heel and Christine let out a breath of relief.

'However!'
Hee!
　Christine screamed as Yuka turned around.

'From now on, you will refrain from being arrogant.
Yes, yes, I understand.
Children are supposed to be obedient.

　'Hmph,' Yuka snickered and moved next to Makoto.

'So, what do you want?　We have a lot of work to do.
I was wondering if you could tell me about the undead you two fought last night.
You finally seem to understand how to talk to your elders.

　Christine said in a polite manner, and Yuka looked satisfied.

'Could you tell me about the undead last night?'
Not for free.
Yes, yes, I know, it's just a thought, but I can offer you a gratuity.
How's that sound?
If you're not satisfied, you can always add more.

　Christine said, sweating fat.

'Ha, I don't blame you. I'll forgive you for that--
'Yuka, let's leave it at that.
Hang on a minute. We're in the sweet spot.
That's why I stopped.

　Mako let out a sigh, feeling disgusted.

'Don't be too humble, Chris, either. The more concessions these types make, the more they will take advantage of you. They're like bad quality crayfish.'
'What's a poor quality Kramer, a poor quality Kramer?'
I mean the worst quality of Kramer.
That's not what I meant!

　Mako said with a sigh, and Yuka's voice broke out.

'Take a firm stand, take a firm stand.
Because I'm scared.

　Christine said with tears in her eyes.

'You were so nonchalant when you were kidnapped.
You don't understand, Yuka.
It's rather obvious, I think, isn't it?

　No, maybe he's not good with people like Yuka, who are driven by emotions.
　On top of being driven by emotions, the lord's authority is not accepted and is even stronger.
　Considering that, it seems harsh to ask for a firm response.

''Sorry, I've said a bit too much.''
You must not coddle them.
I agree with you on that one, though.
I know, right?

　Mm-hmm, Yuka nodded.
　I didn't mean to spoil it, Makoto said, looking at Yuka with a sideways glance.
　If he had been able to beat the hierarchy into her, would she have been more honest?
　I have a feeling that in the case of Yuka, she will attack with a vengeful spirit.
　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.
　Makoto looked at Christine again.
　The poor thing is frightened like a small animal.

'Well, if I lived a normal life, I wouldn't have the chance to get to know someone like Yuka.
Hey,
What?

　I looked next to her as she slapped me on the second arm and saw Yuka looking at me with a frustrated look on her face.

''Makoto, we're partners, aren't we?''
What do you mean by "bushes and sticks"?
Answer me.
You're my partner.
Then why do you insult me in such a bad way?

　Yuka turned red and shouted.

'I'm not cursing,'
You're as good as cursing a poor quality Kramer or someone like Yooka!
'I wasn't cursing, I was just putting the facts out there.
What?　What?　What's the truth?
You can't be objective about yourself, can you?
There's no one in the world who can look at themselves objectively like I can!
'Don't deny your spinal reflexes,'
It's going through your brain!
Brain stem?
The brain stem is on life support!　Of course it's a cerebral one!

　Yuka shouted loudly.

'Mako doesn't have enough respect for her partner,'
Use your Japanese, Japanese!
Respect it.
That's something I admire about you, Yuka. Seriously, I respect you.
You need to use your Japanese, Mako!
Seriousness and respect.
I'm pissed off that you're trying to be subtle and rap-like.

　Yuka said as she spat out.

'It's time ... can I get to the point?'
Yeah, please.
"Mm, last night--
"Hmm?
Hee!

　When Yuka said with her willow eyebrows upside down, Christine let out a small scream.
　It's because of that kind of attitude that they take advantage of me--''

''Don't poke me because I'm not going to talk to you.
All right, all right, all right.
Go ahead.
Ummm, about the undead from last night...

　Christine cut in without fear.

'The undead that Yuka and I fought against called themselves Kuzuha. I don't know if it's true or not, but he said he was the undead of the seven evils.
"The undead claim to be?　Isn't that the seventh evil?

　Christine's eyes widened in astonishment.
　Apparently, undead with reason are rare.

''Do you think that the words of that Kuzuha and his ilk are true?''
"I suppose it's possible he's calling himself the seventh evil undead.

　Mako cowered lightly.

'You don't know if they're the same kind?'
'It's like Kuzuha understood it, but I don't.
Okay.

　Christine's shoulders slumped disappointedly.

''The important thing is that Geha seems to be the mastermind of the case and that he's the enemy.
Yes, you do.

　Christine nodded after a moment.

'What do you think Chris?'
Whether or not they're the seventh evil, they're definitely the enemy. I think there's a good chance they're undead because of the circumstances.
Circumstances?
Right. Well, I think it's best if you let him speak frankly from now on.

　Frank stepped out silently as Christine looked at him.

'As I recall, you were an escort at the request of the church, weren't you?
Yeah, we were hired to escort an investigation team sent by the Church.

　Frank replied gloomily.

''At first ... there was no problem in the middle. The undead that appeared were weak and this one was all veterans. The members of the survey team listened to us very well.

　So Frank cut off the words.

'Go on,'
'We found nothing in the vicinity of the ruins, so we had to investigate the ruins. I have no way of verifying the truth, but I don't think I had any reason to lie. The incident was.....

　Frank cleared his throat lightly.

'The incident happened the night we investigated the rock.
A rock?
'Yeah, it's a rock. It looked like a rock to me, but the leader of the survey team said it was a star that had fallen hundreds of years ago. The night we surveyed the rock, the undead showed up.
What did he look like?
"It was a rag-clad skeleton. Only there was a blue flame in its eye sockets.
...I see.

　Mako nodded after a pause.
　It was possible that it was another undead than Kuzuha - but...

He killed the guards and laid hands on the survey team, one by one. Probably more than half of them were killed by him. And then the dungeon appeared.
The dungeon?
'Yes. The scene around us was stretched out and we found ourselves in a dungeon.
I'm surprised you made it out of there.
'Because they were all veterans and the one that was there was the first level. Still, another half of them died before we got out.
'There are so many powerful undead out there?'
''It's a higher species of Skeleton Warrior. One or two of them, but any more than that...

　Frank bit his lip.
　He regained his poise and escaped the dungeon while being attacked by a strong enemy.
　This alone would be an amazing feat, but he couldn't think of it that way.
　I didn't save half of them, I only saved half of them.
　Inevitably, I can't help but think of it that way.

''I'm ... sorry.''
No, don't worry about it.
"We escaped the dungeon and ran to warn them of the anomaly...
So you think he was faster than you.
That's what I'm talking about.

　Frank nodded at Yuka's words.

'Was there a Fene's, or even a Redo guy, among the survivors?
I'm sorry, but my people are the only ones who've survived.
I see.

　Mako let out a deep sigh.
　'I heard that Fene was asleep, but it seems that this was the cause.

'I just didn't see Ledo get killed.
Did you know him?
I was only impressed with him because he was the youngest member of the survey team.
You mean he might be alive?
It's just that there's no chance of that happening.
That's enough for now.

　'So,' said Makoto, turning his gaze to Christine.

'What are you going to do about it?'
Of course we must defeat Kuzuha.

　Christine said, sounding miffed.

'He killed a lord. He must be brought to justice.
Good luck with that.
Are you gonna help me?
Not for free.
Ugh.....

　Christine moaned softly.
　Unfortunately, the justice mode was over.

'Hey, how much?'
Ten million A's.
Uggh, you're looking down on your feet.
Last time I checked, it was 10 million A's.
Yes, but yes!

　'Uggh,' said Christine, holding her head up.

'What do you think, Mako?'
I'm not gonna charge you that much this time.
'How can you not look down on your feet at times like this?
Don't look down on your feet too much.

　Mako scratched her head.

'Besides, I think we're going to have a tough time on our own this time.
Ah, the power of numbers.

　Yuka nodded as she got the point.
　They would have to conquer the dungeon and fight Kuzuha even more.

''Oh, yes--''
'Surely more shields are better than less.
That's not what I meant.

　If I'm honest, I'm expecting you to play the shield, too, but you'll only make enemies if you talk about it.

''Yes, yes, I'll take it that way.
Oh, yeah?

　The sarcastic tone of voice irritates me a bit.
　However, Yuka didn't show any pretense of caring about our feelings and crossed her arms as if she were thinking about it.

''Well let's do the attack as usual, the question is how many people do we take with us?
'That's the thing, but I think we should take on the Polar Regions Act this time.
What's the Polar Regions Act?

　Yuka tilted her head curiously.

'The Polar Method is the one you guys used when you took on the Skeleton King's dungeon. We built a base camp and set up an advance camp... well, it's one of the methods of climbing.
How do you know that?　You were in the Shorinji Kempo club in high school, weren't you?
Oh, f*ck you.

　Mako couldn't help but pout.

'I think it was in a comic book, or maybe even a ronobe.
When you hear that your knowledge comes from a comic book or a light novel, you instantly feel unreliable.
Knowledge is knowledge.
It's all about impressions. You're also- I mean, that's what I mean.
I don't know what that means, but I do know that you couldn't come up with a suitable example.
But why is this one time the Polar Regions Act?
That's a safe bet. We don't know how many levels there are, and we don't know if there's any transference available.
''In the Kaerazu dungeon, the transference was blocked, but isn't the same true for the Kuzuha dungeon?''
About that...

　Frank raised his hand in a reserved manner.

'What?'
'I could use the communication and location magic items in the dungeon. Couldn't they interfere with the shifting magic?
What would you do if you could?
"...it's dangerous to prepare for something you can't do.

　Frank answered after a pause.

'It's not going to be fashionable to go near the bottom level and try again from the ground floor. You should think in terms of might, not would.
I think it might be okay, you know?
You're the kind of guy who gets chewed out by the instructors at school.
I'll be angry back then.
Are you kidding me?
No.
So what is it, then?
You know how expensive driving school can be, right?
I got a quarter of a million, sixty thousand for my time.

　It was a long time ago, so it might take more now.

'I can't explain paying that much money to be pissed off.
Well, sure.
See, that's what Mako thinks.
That's it, that's it, this is it.
You said it yourself.

　Yuka's lips twitched in a sultry manner.

''You mean you want me to give you the funds you need for the Polar Regions Act?''
I need you to organize me.
You should have done it, Makoto.
I don't know what I could do with that, but it's not very efficient, is it?

　You'll be spending a lot of money and time on trial and error.
　Then it's better to leave it to the smart guys.
　Unless you have a little more time..." "But that won't shorten the city's defenses.

But wouldn't that leave the city unprotected?
Well, yeah.

　Not all the members of the defeating party need to be skilled, but we don't want to be slowed down.

'If we are attacked again when the strike force is out...'
That's a gamble.
...a gamble.

　Christine grunted.

''Can't we just intercept Kuzuha?''
You looked pretty cautious. There's no guarantee he'll be here.

　Kuzuha has the option of avoiding Rockwell.

'If I had to come back, it would be when you're sure you can beat me.
Do we need reinforcements?
'If I wanted to, I would have liked to have the support of the Kingsguard, but I'd be wasting my time.
"You can wait for the enemy to come, or you can meet him before he attacks you and turn the city into a battlefield.
Now we just have to wait for reinforcements to arrive.

　Yuka gave a nasty smile.

''You can't transfer to King's Landing?''
'I'm sorry, but I don't have a transition spot ready for you, so you'll have to take the carriage on the outward journey.
I see.

　Christine hung her head helplessly.

'....What do I do?
If you don't want to pick one, I'll pick one for you.
True?
Yes, and I'll be a lord in return.
...Ug.

　Christine moaned softly.
　Yuka had a point.
　The person in charge is there to take responsibility.
　If we throw out the responsibility here, we won't know what the lord is for.

''All right. I'll send a strike force.''
Okay.

　Mako patted her chest.

Why do you let your master pat you on the chest?
'I figured if I was going to throw the blame away here, that was the end of my relationship with Chris.
What?

　Christine's eyes widened.

'In case you don't mind me asking you why?'
I don't like people who delegate personal responsibility to others.

　I think this has a lot to do with his father.
　When his father accepted his old boss's invitation, it seemed to Mako that he had only put the responsibility - his and his family's future - in the hands of others.
　You can't delegate something important to someone else.
　You can't follow someone who doesn't understand that.

'Good for you, isn't it?　Don't let Mako abandon you.
No.

　Christine frowned as Yuka said mischievously.

''I'll leave the city's security to my eagle men.
So that means the strike team is mainly for adventurers.

　Yuka smiles a nasty smile.
　It's an expression that seems to say that adventurers are disposable.
　When I was wondering if I should interrupt, Frank opened his mouth.

''If the main force of the defeating party is adventurers, then I can help you.
No.

　Christine turned her gaze to Mako.

'It's the Black Flame's reward...'
'I wouldn't want to pay too little, but I also wouldn't want to be too different from the other adventurers.
Oh, yeah?
You don't need to worry about that.
Ugugu.

　Christine's expression lit up, but it was only for a few seconds.
　Yuka's words clouded her expression.

''We're going to take on the hardest part of the job anyway.
I don't think it's gonna be hard anymore.
Do you have a specific plan?
Sort of.

　I nodded at Frank's words.

'Basically, me and Yuka will deal with Kuzuha.
Well, we're the only ones who are able to fight well.

　Yuka threw out her chest as if she was proud of her victory.

'If there are any tough enemies along the way, we'll take care of this one too.
I can't blame you for this one.

　Hmph, Yuka sniffed.

'Just conserve your strength as much as possible.
So, you want me to pay the dewlap, is that it?
''Yeah, exactly. So I'm going to keep letting our monks use the Ascension (Turn Undead) when I fight Kuzuha.
Does it work?

　Frank raises his eyebrows quizzically.

''The Ascension can block the movements of the undead. I don't know how useful it will be against the Kuzuha, but if you can stop them from moving for a second, it's pretty impressive.
You want us to use you as a shield.
Yes.
Okay.

　Surprisingly, I should say, Frank nodded.

'You're going to die, okay?'
I'm not going to die that easily.

　Frank replied matter-of-factly.

'People will die, even if they don't intend to die.
I know that much. But I'm a mercenary. We'll be licked if we can't protect our clients and avenge our friends.
I guess we can redeem ourselves.
That's what I'm talking about.

　Frank gave a wry smile.

''We should be able to gather the members to join the battle if we pay 50,000A a head each.
...50,000 A.

　Christine raises her eyebrows with difficulty.
　At the rate of 1 A = 100 yen, that would be 5 million yen.
　There are few jobs that can earn this much in a short period of time.
　Well, whether it's a fair price for life depends on the person.

Are you sure that's what you want to call it during the operation?
Yes.
Half of the money up front and the other half at the end of the mission.
Does that mean I'm dead and not halfway through?
I'm not that much of an ogre.

　Christine frowns at Yuka's words.

'I don't want you to run away.
You're a tightwad.
Of course.

　Ahem, Christine said proudly.
　Apparently, she is getting back on track.

"The Black Flame's reward is--
About that...

　Frank interrupted Christine.

'What?'
You should offer at least twice as much as we did.

　'Mm-hm,' Yuka countered with a satisfied smile.

'Frank, I'm going to put you in charge of the strike force. And yet if the rewards are so different, won't you get in trouble?
The Black Flame is the strongest team of adventurers in the neighborhood. If you can get a job with a team like that for a cheap price.

　Frank chuckled.

'Hi, how about 100,000 A each?
100,000 A.

　Yuka blatantly frowned.

''Last time you did it was 10 million A.''
''Considering the emotions of the people of the territory, that amount of money is...''

　Christine grunted.

'What are we going to do?'
It's going to be a lot easier this time around. Well, but just let me talk to my guys about it.
Tsk, I'm going to be the one to blame for this, aren't I?
I mean, you're not a bad person, you're a miser.
"I'm not a cheapskate!

　Yuka raised her voice.

'No matter how much money you make, you can't take it all the way to Periolis-sama.
'Don't talk to me like I'm some kid who knows what he's talking about.
Yes.

　When Yuka was awesome, Christine easily backed down.
　If she's going to back down so easily, I don't think she should have told me.

'This is why I don't like rich people, just like Fujika and this guy.
Don't ask for consent.
I know you think so too, don't you, Makoto?
Well, you know.
I was hoping Mako would say that.

　Yuka smiled.
　It's a smile that gives the illusion that the surroundings have brightened.
　Well, the content was terrible - but it was terrible.

'I know it's a big assumption that money is important, but sometimes you just want to hear something beautiful.
It's all about the money, isn't it?

　Yuka agreed, but he wasn't going to let me hear a pretty story.

'Well, that's enough talk for now. Frank will stay here.
Can you do me a favor?
What's more?

　Christine said disgustedly.

'Kuzuha destroyed my equipment.
What's the matter with you?
Do you have a legendary weapon or something?
There is no such thing!

　Christine stood up vigorously and barked.

'You don't have it?'
The legend is that...

　Christine said with a sigh and sat back in her seat.

'You can take whatever equipment you have in the warehouse and study the request fee?
'You know you don't have much to offer, don't you?
No, I don't think so. So, maybe there's a legendary weapon.

　When Yuka pouted, Christine replied, sweating fat.

'Well, as long as it's more useful than the last one, that's fine...'
Just the one you like.
Can I get one of those?

　Yuka interrupts Christine's words.
'I like--'
There's not always what you want in a warehouse and...
Okay.

　Christine grunted as Yuka interrupted her words further and said.

''I will also pay for the equipment you purchased. However!　100,000A for each head!　It's decided, it's decided!　That's a done deal!

　Christine shouted in desperation.

'And--'
You can't!　We can't do this anymore!　Impossible, impossible, impossible!

　Christine called out, interrupting Mako's words.

'No, I wanted to visit Fene but...'
....

　Christine suddenly shushed him.

'Ummm, that's totally fine with me. You'll have Laura to show me around.
You've been betrayed and you trust me.
I'm not surprised.

　Yuka muttered, and Christine's chest heaved.

'Maybe the house will be taken over by my grandson's generation.
Well, that can't be...

　Christine slouched and sweated fat.

'Don't sow the seeds of disbelief,'
He's going to be raised.

　Yuka said simply.

'I can't wait to see what kind of flowers you get.
Let it die.

　Mako let out a sigh and turned on her heel.
　When he walked out of the office--.

''Thank you for your hard work, Makoto-sama.
Hey, fellas.

　Laura and Liv labored over it.
　Yuka closed the door to the office.

''The reward for defeating the seven evils is 100,000 A per head.
100,000 A?
It's a lot of money.

　Laura muttered ruefully and Liv plunged in.

'Instead--'
''I've been allowed to take as many supplies as I want from the mansion's warehouse. Plus, any equipment you buy in town will be expensed as well.

　Yuka said, interrupting Makoto's words.

'Whoa!　You're so fat!
'Let's go to the warehouse now. There's some equipment I've had my eye on for a while.
Hmm?　Laura, didn't you say you were very attached to that equipment?

　As I recall, my great-grandfather said that the shield and armor were given to him by His Majesty the King--''

''Of course I have them, but they are the equipment I was thinking of negotiating with him to give them to me if I get the chance.
There were some terrible knights.

　Yuka said dumbfoundedly, and then there was a clattering sound.
　When I looked at the direction of the sound, I saw Christine looking at me through the doorway.

'Lo, Laura, trust me--'
The door was open.

　Laura closed the door.
　There was a crunching sound--.

'Let's go to the storage room after we visit Fene,'
Can't wait to see what blooms.

　Yuka said somewhat happily.