Chapter 78

The chimeras nod with satisfaction at Viper’s contrite apology. “See, look at this picture, Viper. There’s no way this supercool Panda Man would be that nefarious!” “What are you talking about, Mr. Russell? Mr. Panda Man is adorable, not cool. Just look at him! He’s got that cute little puffball tail that makes you want to nibble on it. When I meet him, I’m definitely going to nibble on his tail, or maybe his ears…” Thinking back on it, both Panda Man and Koala Man always made sure there were TV crews around when they were facing off against the Heroes. They always gave envelopes to the TV crews once the battles were over… I wonder what that was all about. But never mind that… “Hey, Russell, should you be slacking off in here? I know you’re the Kisaragi Corporation’s maid and mom figure, but your actual job is creating water, right?” This chimera still looks like a girl when dressed as a maid, but he doesn’t seem to mind being loved by everyone. It also looks like he’s grown pretty fond of the outfit, despite his protests. “Since there are cheap water crystals being sold in the city of Grace, I’ve got less work to do. That woman really did mess with what I’m doing. Us chimeras are created to be useful to people, so we actually kind of like working…” Seriously? I wondered why he was so willing to work despite being a former member of the Demon Lord’s Army’s leadership. But if that sort of disposition is coded into a chimera’s DNA, then it makes a bit more sense… I can’t help but glance at the other chimera scarfing down snacks next to Viper. “…What is it, Boss? Is there something you wanna say to me?” “You’re the same kind of creature as Russell, right? Is there a difference in personality between male and female chimeras?” …I defend myself against Rose, who sets aside her snacks and lunges at me. The sirens suddenly started going off in Hideout City. “An attack by monsters or savages? But everyone seems to be in a bit of a panic, all things considered.” There are several types of alarms, and depending on how urgent the situation is, the sirens will repeat more quickly. “Ha-ha! It’s finally my time to shine, Boss! I mean, I’m not just eating and sleeping all the time for no reason! I’m preserving my strength for moments like this! It’s time to show everyone the power of a combat chimera!” Rose, who was grappling with me, then leaps out the office window. We’re technically on the second floor, but I guess that doesn’t matter to a combat chimera. As he watches Rose leap out the window, Russell shakes his head with a fond sigh and stands up. “She’s so reckless, it makes me wonder if we really are the same species. But it’d be good to show people our true power. I feel like no one’s been taking us very seriously lately. I need to show everyone that I used to be a member of the Demon Lord’s Army’s Elite Four…!” Russell smiles at Viper as he speaks. “…? Oh yes, please be careful, Russell. You’re wearing a short skirt, so don’t move around too much, okay?” “I didn’t ask you to worry about that! That look I gave you meant that you, Viper, the former Demon Lord, should show off your power, too!” 5 In the woods a short distance from Hideout City. As demons look on from a distance, Rose has her tail raised in an intimidating pose, while countless Bashin tribe members face off against her. “Oh damn, that’s a huge group! Where are the Combat Agents?! Why aren’t they here?!” Even thinking about numbers, there are way too many of them here. In the worst case, we can resort to sweeping them aside with machine-gun fire, but given that the Bashins are practically naked, the result would be a gory mess. Among the residents of Hideout City looking on from a distance are the demon children. It wouldn’t be good for their emotional development to witness a machine-gun massacre. As though detecting my anxiety, Viper speaks up in response. “The Combat Agents are all off working on the road to the giant lake. Ms. Alice is in the city conducting trade negotiations, while Ms. Snow went off to the city boasting about how she was going to buy up food and supplies at a cheap price…” And of course, I bet Grimm’s asleep. Dammit! “…Tch! …Tch!” Facing off with Rose is a large Bashin tribesman as well as the Bashin girl we encountered a while back. It seems the girl wants to communicate something and is appealing to Rose in her muted tone. “I don’t quite get it, but you’re here to fight again, right? Fine. I’m Rose: Combat Agent and chimera of the Kisaragi Corporation! I accept your challenge!” “—! !” The young Bashin girl shakes her head intently from side to side, but Rose pays no heed, sucking in her breath— “Drown in a sea of hellfire…! Sleep for all eternity! Crimson—” Rose falls over and rolls on the ground, fire spilling from the corner of her lips after I smack her in the back of the head. I guess having her fire breath interrupted midcast causes her to lose control of the attack. “Aaack! Wuh are you doingth, Bothh?! If I wasn’t a combat chimera, I’d have nasty burns inside my mouth!” “Um, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t be able to breathe fire at all if you weren’t a chimera, but hang on a sec. They don’t look like they’re here to fight.” Yes, while the Bashin tribe are all carrying weapons, none of them look like they want to attack us. I thought they might have been here to protest our construction near the giant lake, but that doesn’t seem to be it, either. It is then that the Bashin tribesman begins to mumble… “Ummm. ‘Is the white-armored woman who keeps interrupting this girl’s rite of passage one of your people? If so, we would like to know why she keeps getting in the way…’ is what he’s asking.” White armor…? Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me. Since she’s not one of us, I let Viper know the Bashin tribe can deal with the interloper however they see fit. “‘In that case, we’ll deal with her on our own. We’re sorry for troubling you with such a large group.’” The Bashin tribe is a lot more civilized than I gave them credit for. If anything, our chimeras who refuse to let down their guard are more savage than they are. “I don’t quite get it, but I guess you solved everything by talking? I’m always competing for prey with that girl, so I wanted to finish her off here, but…” “Aww, how boring. I was hoping I could toy with these savages…” Yeah, based on what Rose and Russell are saying, they’re totally the savages. And I think we are done, but… “!” …Little Bashin, who was quiet up until this point, begins to plead her case. Having noticed, the Bashin tribesman murmur something to Viper. “…Um, he says, ‘We have nothing else to say as a tribe. But…we wanted to ask the chimera girl a question. Why does she also continually interrupt this girl’s rite of passage?’ to Ms. Rose.” At Viper’s interpretation, everyone turns to look at Rose. It seems that Little Bashin can’t speak the spirit language yet, so Viper can’t interpret what she’s saying. “What’s a rite of passage? The thing is, whenever I find a delicious-looking supopocchi to hunt, that girl shows up and gets in my way. So ask them why she does that!” “—! !” Little Bashin emphatically shakes her head, and the tribesman murmurs again. “‘Members of our tribe are considered adults when they can hunt a supopocchi on their own. That’s what we call our rite of passage. We do controlled breeding of supopocchi in our forests by hatching their eggs, but the chimera girl comes into our forest territories and takes the ones that are ready for harvesting…’” “You’re totally in the wrong here, Rose! You’re hunting animals they painstakingly bred!” “B-but the forest belongs to everyone! You can’t just claim a piece of it for yourself! Besides, I don’t know what the difference is between wild and human-bred supopocchi! If they’re that important, put your names on them or something!” As Rose lashes out, the little Bashin girl shakes her head again. “—. …” “‘Because of this world’s climate, supopocchi eggs can’t hatch naturally without human intervention. All the supopocchi in this forest were bred by humans.’” “We’re going to apologize to them. I’ll order some gifts with my Evil Points to make up for it.” “W-w-wait, Boss! How was I supposed to know about the life cycle of a supopocchi?!” I make sure to grab Rose, since she’s trying to flee as the situation turns against her, and order a gift package of confections from Kisaragi— “‘No, it’s enough if you recognize our breeding efforts. We did cause you problems when we were doing our drive hunt with a giant pack of monsters, so…’” I figured they were trying to interrupt our construction efforts, but they were just doing a drive hunt. Still, it sounds like Rose has been taking their animals not just once, but multiple times… “I know this isn’t much, but please accept this both as an apology and as a greeting from your new neighbor.” “‘Oh-ho, thank you for being so polite! But we only have our hand axes to give you as a gift in return. Please, accept this…’, Mr. Six, I’ve heard that axes are the second most important thing to the Bashin tribe, next to their lives. What should we do…?” Having been offered the ax in exchange for the sweets, I have Viper tell them that I can’t accept such an important item as a gift, but the Bashin tribesman is adamant that he can’t accept our gift without providing one in return. After a moment’s thought, I have Kisaragi send me two tomahawks. I don’t know what they prefer, so I order one each from two major weapons manufacturers, Flowning and Smith & Johnson. “I’ll accept your ax. These are personal presents from me. Go ahead and choose the one you want and take it. Also, the girl seems pretty close in age to our chimera, so I hope they can be friends.” “‘Such a beautifully crafted and functional weapon! Despite being made entirely of metal, it’s easy to grip and the weight balance is nearly perfect… Ohhh! And this one’s designed perfectly as a throwing weapon…!” “…You can go ahead and keep them both.” Since the Bashin tribesman is having trouble choosing between the two, I insist he take both. The tribesman holds each ax in either hand and freezes, and after several long moments spent in thought, hands one to Little Bashin. Given that he then bows his head and urges the little Bashin girl to thank me, maybe he’s her dad? Little Bashin stares, transfixed by the ax before she cradles it to her chest and looks up at me. “Thank you…very much…” She speaks softly, but in words I can understand. “Since they’ve taken two axes, giving them the sweets as well would be too much, right? I’ll go ahead and eat this.” “Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!” “Dammit, we’re trying to clean up your mess, you idiot! Hey! Stop fighting, you two!” 6 After Rose and Little Bashin spend some more time chasing after each another, it feels like we’ve gotten to know our neighbors a little better. I’m giving a report in my room to Alice as she returned from spending the last few days negotiating with merchants gathered from the various neighboring countries, but… “If they love axes so much, we could probably hire them as mercenaries by offering them tomahawks. Since we’re short on combatants back on Earth, it might be an option if things get bad enough.” Alice makes this proposal while lounging around on her bed. “They don’t seem like bad people. Little Bashin comes out to play every once in a while, and she seems to be a positive influence on the chimeras.” I ask for the girl’s name, but evidently the tribe considers itself a single entity, and they have no concept of individual names. Rose decided to call her Ms. Bashin, while the rest of us have started calling her Little Bashin. Though she utters the occasional word we can understand when playing with Rose, it feels like it’ll still be a while before we’re able to communicate properly. “So the problem is the crazy one in white armor.” “Yep, seems they released her at some point.” It sounds like Adelie has even started causing problems with the Bashin tribe while we aren’t looking, and it feels like past time to settle things with her. “Seems the police put her through rigorous interrogation, but she didn’t break in the end. There’s no doubt she’s related to the ones that took over Toris, so let’s collect some evidence to prove she’s a spy and have her hanged.” “Again with the violent solutions. I mean, I know espionage is a capital offense in most countries, but that’s going too far. I’m nice to pretty women, after all.” But even as I say that, I just can’t feel a hint of attraction when I look at her. At first, I thought it was because she wasn’t my type, but could it be that… Just as I’m pondering Adelie’s secrets, someone opens the door to my room. A demon merchant who does business in Hideout City appears on the other side in a panic. “Ms. Alice, come quick! Ms. Snow’s been captured in the city of Grace…” Alice and I get up to deal with what feels like our daily routine of damage control. “So you’ve finally shown your true colors, corrupt Governor Snow! I had been investigating various crimes in this city, but it seems you’re at the heart of it all!” “Wh-wh-wh-wh-what basis do you have for that accusation?! To accuse someone you just met of crimes! How rude!” Having been shown to the city’s main square by the merchant, we find Adelie pointing an accusatory finger at Snow in front of a large crowd of onlookers. I approach someone in the crowd… “Hey, what’s going on here?” “Mm? Oh, you’re one of the black suits in charge of law enforcement. That woman decided to call out Lady Snow, who’s been flaunting her authority as governor to get her way. People have been suspecting Lady Snow of rigging bids on public projects and accepting bribes…” Given Snow’s personality, I can say there’s no doubt that those allegations are true. “Hey, Alice, we’re totally at a disadvantage here. We should ditch Snow and retreat.” “Yep, agreed.” Alice and I try to go home after we grasp the situation, but Snow, who has been looking around for help, spots us before we can leave. “Six, Alice, help me! This rude woman is calling me a criminal!” “I’ve already got the evidence! Just surrender and come along peacefully!” Help her? Why? We know better than anyone that she’s guilty. Alice and I turn away from the pleading Snow and try to hide in the crowd. “C-curse you, Six—I’ll remember this! Is the evidence those papers you’re carrying?! It’s true that they’re signed by me, but that’s easy enough to forge!” “What?! They’re not forgeries. They’re definitely authentic…!” Snow decides to abandon any pretense of playing innocent and goes on the offensive. “For example, someone could have brought me a blank sheet of paper and told me, ‘I’m a fan, please give me your autograph!’ and then filled in the contract text on the rest of the sheet at a later date! Or maybe by using the ink of a camouflage octopus that fades away after a certain amount of time and getting a signature on a harmless contract before rewriting it later! There’s plenty of methods like that!” “<Hey, Alice, she’s definitely used those tricks before, hasn’t she?>” “<It feels like it’d be better to just leave her and go home, but…>” As Alice and I exchange whispers in Japanese, Adelie, on the defensive from Snow’s counteraccusations, produces something from her fob. It’s— “If you’re going to make that claim, then we’ll use the karma-measuring crystal to…” “Lady Snow made a run for it! After her!” “So she’s been engaging in corruption! Apprehend her!” The moment she sees the crystal ball in Adelie’s hand, Snow makes a run for it. The corrupt governor runs not toward the distant Hideout City, but toward the royal palace. Evidently she’s come to the conclusion that she can’t outrun the mass of people to get to Hideout City, so she decides to use her connections from her last job. The fact that she makes that decision so quickly probably means she already planned out her options in case she was exposed. “H-hold up, Snow, you corrupt governor who uses the taxes earned by the blood and sweat of the people to line her pocket! I, Adelie, the Umbral Savior, won’t let you escape! …H-hey, don’t run away! At least say something snarky before you flee…!” “…” Snow wants to avoid wasting her breath on a remark, and she keeps running without a word. Her ability to just roll with the situation is pretty admirable, honestly. “Hey, Alice, I’m starting to think Snow’s an even better fit for Kisaragi than I am.” “If she became a full employee, I bet she’d climb the ranks pretty quickly. I really don’t want to give her a teleporter… I’m pretty sure she’d start selling things she’s not supposed to sell just to make money…” Alice sighs and produces a small radio. “I guess we can hedge our bets…” As Alice calls in to Hideout City, she and I chase after Snow as she makes a serious run for it— 7 When we reach the palace, Adelie faces off against the guard in front of the tightly locked castle gate. “Hand over the corrupt governor! I’m going to punish her in the name of justice!” “What are you talking about? Do you even know where you are?! And while Lady Snow is temporarily assigned to Kisaragi, she’s still a knight of this realm. I can’t just hand her over to some random person!” I guess Snow has more of a following than I thought. The guards won’t yield an inch to Adelie. …I really don’t want to deal with her again, but Snow’s still technically serving as Hideout City’s governor. If things keep going the way they are, we can’t pretend we’re not involved. As Adelie holds out a weapon that looks like a police baton, I call out cheerfully to her from behind: “Hey, Adelie. Seems you’re going on and on about justice again.” “I-it’s you, Agentsix! …Look, I’m chasing after a great evildoer today. Since nothing good ever seems to happen when you’re around, do you mind going home?” Pretty sure it’s your own fault that nothing good ever happens to you. I reply to Adelie as her expression soured the moment she turned and saw me. “I understand you’re a serious person who loves justice. But even if Snow’s a villain and an evil, oppressive governor, it’s not up to you to get involved, is it?” At these words, Adelie produces something and shows it to me with a confident smirk. “Agentsix, can you still say that after seeing this? Yes, I’m a member of the Hiiragi Agency of Order, the Defenders of Justice and Truth of this world! I’m Adelheid Krueger, the Gray Savior! Bow before me, surface dwellers!” Adelie flashes a card that shimmers white-gold. As Adelie displays the card with a triumphant expression, Alice, who Adelie underestimated, reaches up and swipes it. “?!?!?! W-wait, what are you doing?! Give it back! That’s really important to me. You’re a good girl, right? Give it back, please!” Ignoring Adelie’s pleas, Alice holds the card up to the sun. “Wow, it’s made completely out of platinum. Nice find.” “Platinum’s expensive, right? So if we sell that, we can pay for drinks tonight!” “Please give it back. Without that, I’m no different from anyone else! …Wait, I’m a member of the Hiiragi Agency of Order, and that doesn’t mean anything to you? Shouldn’t you be more afraid of me?!” Adelie’s eyes well with tears as she tries to take back the card. “Um, I’ve never heard of them.” “Whaaaaat?!” Adelie let out an odd noise, completely at odds with my response and she freezes in place. “…Wh-why? Wasn’t it part of the legend? When humanity was threatened by the Demon Lord and on the edge of extinction, the Chosen One, granted power by the gods, would save this kingdom. And the Chosen One would be guided by the heaven-sent agents of Hiiragi and bring peace to the world…” “Um, well, I’m a foreigner, so I don’t know anything about that. Does the legend passed down in this kingdom really mention Hiiragi or an agency of order?” The legend is probably the Grace Kingdom’s story about the Demon Lord and the Chosen One. I kinda recall hearing something about that when Alice and I first came to this kingdom. Hearing my remark, Adelie looks back to the guards behind her. “W-well… Of course they’re mentioned, right? You’re from this country. I’m sure you learned of the legend as a child, right? That the servants of the Hiiragi would bring about world peace… Right?” she asks with a hopeful expression to the still-wary guards. “No, I mean I learned about the Chosen One coming and defeating the Demon Lord, but there was nothing after the defeat of the Demon Lord. Just your usual happy ending.” “Hiiragi? Hiiragi… Hiiragi…” “Nope, never heard anything about you guys…” “This is what’s wrong with you backward surface dwellers! At least make sure you pass down your legends correctly! …No, I misspoke. Sorry! Dammit, calm down, Adelie. It’s too early to give up even if they didn’t pass down the legend correctly…!” As she says this, Adelie begins to ruffle her own hair before she widens her eyes in realization. “Oh! The oracle! There should be a famous oracle in this kingdom whose family has been doing that for generations! Have that person prophesize the future of this kingdom right now. Then you’ll discover the truth!” Hearing that, the guards tilt their heads and exchange glances. “Oracle? Oh, the person whose prophecies all ended up missing the mark? The one who said the Chosen One would defeat the Demon Lord, despite the outcome being completely different…?” “Oh yeah, that person… If I recall, Lady Snow chased them out of the country because the prophecy was wrong. I think she called them useless. Pretty sure they’re in another country by now.” “Whaaaaat?!” Oh, right, I seem to recall Snow mentioning that. “Ch-chased them out?! …Calm down, Adelie, it’s not time to get angry yet! It’s too early to determine that this kingdom is evil because of the actions of one foolish woman…!” Adelie mutters to herself and places her hand over her chest to calm herself. It is then that one of the guards claps his hands together as though remembering something. “Ohhh, I knew I’d heard the name Hiiragi somewhere!” “Yes, yes. So now you remember?” says Adelie with hope in her eyes. “Remember the tribe of barbarians in the woods that used the weird light to attack you? This lady’s part of that tribe.” ““Ohhh!”” “How dare you call me a barbarian! Those surface dwellers are our servants. When people acquire power beyond their control, they’re the watchmen that stop them! Calling them savages is an act of evil!” Adelie grows visibly agitated at the circular discussion, glaring at the gate that stands in her way. She then crosses both arms in front of herself and lets out a heavy sigh. With that, a blue static electricity starts to spark around Adelie’s body, and her feet begin to glow! “<Alice, there’s something wrong with her! I’ve seen that glow before! That’s what happens before the Heroes use one of their finishers!>” “<I’ve sent for reinforcements from Hideout City, but I guess they won’t get here in time. All right, Six, time for you to man up! Treat her as a Hero-class threat!> ” My voice breaks into a squeak when I call out in panicked Japanese. Alice responds with a tense declaration: “<The moment she attacks the castle, use that opportunity!>” “Justice Attack…! Umbral…” Just as Alice and Adelie are speaking— —the castle gate opens slowly, cutting through the tension. “I decided to have Snow taken into custody since she was assembling the castle’s soldiers despite being assigned to Kisaragi, and look what I find… Just what is going on here?” Princess Tillis, the effective ruler of this kingdom, appears with a group of soldiers carrying a hog-tied Snow. Having fled into the palace, Snow was planning to counterattack by using her authority as a knight. Adelie, who has canceled her attack, looks back and forth between Snow and Tillis. “You’re…this kingdom’s ruler, Princess Tillis, yes? I am Adelie, the Umbral Savior, member of the Hiiragi Agency of Order. I would like you to turn over that hog-tied bundle who had been engaged in acts of corruption and oppression in this kingdom.” “Your Highness! You must not listen to this woman! She’s an agent working against this kingdom! She’s trying to drive a wedge between us! You should punish her for espionage!” At Snow’s desperate attempt to save herself, for some reason Adelie’s expression tightens. “Please believe me, Your Highness! My hunches are often correct! I didn’t grow up and survive in the harsh slums for nothing! I was the one who first realized that the mouth-breathing moron, Six, was a spy back in the day! I bet this woman is here to use all sorts of flowery words before she’ll repay the kingdom’s kindness with treachery! Yes, just like that man!” “<Hey, Alice, shouldn’t we shut her up?>” “<Eh, Tillis already knows you were a spy. We can just give that idiot a lecture later. Seems like the reinforcements I called in are finally here.>” Alice, who was watching the events unfold, points her thumb behind her. “Tillis was already well aware that this weird woman was an agent. While her actions up to this point were misdemeanors, she’s now been caught in the act of attacking the royal palace. We have a fair sense of who you serve, but now’s about the time that you fess up to everything, don’t you think?” When I look over at the direction Alice is pointing, there is a group of Kisaragi Combat Agents, including Heine and Russell, hurrying over. They apparently rushed over from Hideout City. “…I see. The reason you didn’t crack down on the corrupt governor was because you wanted to force me to act. I suppose I can only say, ‘Bravo; well done.’” While I never intended to set any traps of that sort, reading the mood, I nod. In response, Adelie looks vexed as she points her index finger at me. “But I can’t just surrender in the face of evil! If I, the heroic woman the kids look up to, am doomed to a pervy treatment after getting captured by evildoers, it’s only right that I go out in a blaze of glory instead…! Once I’ve taken as many of you as I can down with me, I’ll self-destruct and blow this hive of villainy to smithereens!” Holy crap, she’s no Hero! The villainous hog-tied bundle tries to squirm away after the guards put her down. Meanwhile, the Combat Agents who arrived surround Adelie. As if in response, Adelie sucks in a deep breath… “Justice Attack…” “It seems there’s a misunderstanding here. I’m already aware from reports that you are an intelligence agent serving the organization that conquered Toris. But there is a reason I ordered you released despite that fact.” Caught off guard by Tillis’s words, Adelie pauses. “…H-how long have you known I was an intelligence agent?” Adelie’s expression is one of shock. “From the very start. When you were captured by Sir Six and interrogated, you were far too suspicious, so I had one of my own operatives tail you.” “You had seen through me from the start?! …Tch. I only lost because I underestimated the surface dwellers as being backward and primitive…!” “You know, given how much she goes on about justice, she says a lot of prejudiced stuff, doesn’t she? Like she’s totally assuming the people of this kingdom are beneath her by calling them backward surface dwellers.” “Yeah, she’s just like you and Lady Lilith, who kept going on about how you were going to be invincible against the primitive locals.” As Adelie frowns in displeasure, Tillis offers her a smile. “We never had any intention of fighting a war with Toris. Unfortunately, we wound up in a war over a small matter concerning the trade of water crystals.” With that, Adelie’s eyes widen in surprise before she speaks to Tillis in a serious tone. “…Meaning you wanted to talk to the ones who had taken Toris… Us…” “That princess is a piece of work. She just called putting your dick on the head of a country’s ruler’s a small matter.” “You know, even though you’re an android, you still have the appearance of a young girl. You shouldn’t really say words like dick so casually.” “Dammit, stop it with the dick remarks! We’re trying to have a civilized conversation here! …Meaning, you don’t have any intention of fighting us despite the fact that we’d absorbed Toris.” Adelie—who has said dick more than anyone here—narrows her eyes as though trying to determine Tillis’s intent and waits for her answer… “Attacking the castle?! You’ve gone way too far this time, Justice Woman! Russell, I’m leaving the support to you!” “All right, but that means I’m leaving the front lines in your care! Time to punish the lady criminal!” The former Demon Lord’s Army’s leadership who had arrived at the castle gate raises their voices as they prepare for battle. “So this is the weird woman that we’ve been hearing all those rumors about!” “Yeah, you can definitely tell with a glance that she’s weird! I heard she’s an oddball that likes sleeping in jail cells!” “Not only was she causing trouble for the citizens, now she’s attacking the castle! What a piece of work!” Next came the shouts of derision from the Combat Agents who arrived a few moments later and Adelie’s eyes quickly filled with tears. Seeing my colleagues with weapons in hand, Tillis steps in front of Adelie as though to protect her. “Please, all of you, be still. I’m currently speaking with Ms. Adelie. Please lay down your weapons.” With that, she stands between Adelie and my coworkers. “…Wh-what are you doing? Why are you doing this?” Adelie asks with confusion, even as she seems to relax a little bit. Tillis smiles in response. “What I seek is for my kingdom’s people to live in peace. Conflict produces nothing. Don’t you think it’s a foolish thing?” “Y-you…” While Tillis is as much of a schemer as Alice, she really does care about her people. Finally in the presence of a proper, merciful ruler, Adelie drops her guard and closes her eyes. “…It seems I was mistaken. The demons, who I had believed were evil, showed me souls that were purer than any I’d seen before. And you, the one known as the scheming princess, are, in fact, the noblest of them all. Heh… I almost feel like the villain here…” “…Tch. Seems like everything worked itself out. I wanted to get her back for her calling us evil demons over and over, but…” “Well, I mean, it’s true that we’re former members of the Demon Lord’s Army’s Elite Four. It seems like she’s sorry, so we should just let it go this time.” At Heine and Russell’s remarks, Adelie looks at the ground apologetically. “I’m sorry things got so out of hand, but…if you can forgive my offenses, I, Adelie, agent of Toris, or rather the Hiiragi Agency of Order, would like to speak to you as a diplomat representing my agency. What say you?” At Adelie’s proposal, Tillis smiles and nods. “How impressive, Your Highness, to forgive this spy woman! Hey, Adelie or whatever, you better apologize for calling me a corrupt governor! Also, you soldiers that tied me up, get over here! I’ve got a bone to pick with you all!” Noticing that the tables had turned, the hog-tied bundle at Tillis’s feet suddenly adopts a pompous attitude. Those words stir something in Adelie’s mind and she bends down to address the bundle. “Oh, we haven’t punished you yet. But it turns out that the policies conducted by this kingdom all had deeper meaning. I’m sure there’s a deeper purpose to your actions up to this point. I was ready to execute you if you were truly an evil person, but…” Snow lets out a surprised gasp and freezes as Adelie chuckles dryly. “…Your actions did have a deeper meaning, right?” “Y-yes, of course. I am Snow. I’m one who once served as knight commander of the Royal Guard in this kingdom. There’s no way a petty villain could rise to that rank, is there?” Snow speaks with a sharp, professional expression and matches Adelie’s gaze as she speaks. Adelie then takes out the crystal ball from her fob and presses it to Snow’s cheek. ““……”” As the crystal ball turns a refreshingly honest shade of black, Snow and Adelie exchange troubled glances. Briefly freezing in place, Adelie then turns to those of us watching the scene unfold. “Yup, black! It’s black! You’re all almost refreshingly dark hearted! You’re all corrupt! I was right!” Well, duh. We’re employees of an evil organization and former leaders of the Demon Lord’s Army. “Hold on a moment. Yes, the crystal ball turned black! But they’re not bad people at heart!” Tillis desperately tries to defend us, but with all the Kisaragi agents causing the crystal ball to give off an eerie black glow, even the soldiers look a bit uneasy about defending us. “If they weren’t bad people at heart the crystal ball wouldn’t turn black! It’s looking at the color of their souls! …For all of you to make it react this way, ah, you must all belong to an evil organization! In that case…!” “‘In that case,’ what?! War?! If you’re going to declare war just because the other side has evil people, then that makes you far more evil!” Tillis must think the situation is getting dicey and decides to go on the offensive. “You declared that the orc farms are evil! Yes, when viewed from ignorance, it may seem exploitative. But in this harsh world, feral orcs can’t survive on their own! Which is why they come willingly to us for help. And they tell us that they want to live in peace and work as farmers…” “I… I…” Adelie mumbles and seems to back away. Seeing an opportunity, Tillis presses the attack. “You what?! Orcs can happily live out their natural lives! We get their labor and their meat in exchange for protecting them! Why do you get in our way if everyone is happy with the arrangement?!” “I-I’m sorry…” As Adelie is cornered by Tillis’s argument, Tillis declares proudly, “I’m Cristoseles Tillis Grace, the eldest princess of the Grace Kingdom! If you have complaints about my kingdom’s policies, then feel free to air them to me!” “O-oh, ohhh…” Adelie is on the verge of tears; Tillis has overwhelmed her with her argument. “…But I’ll stop bullying you now. If you cannot trust the others, then surely you can at least try trusting me? What did you see in the faces of the country’s people? Did they appear to be a people oppressed by an evil government?” “I… N-no…” Even Adelie has to admit that this kingdom’s government isn’t a bad one. If I’m being honest, I was totally repulsed by the orc farms, and I still can’t get used to the idea of eating sentient beings. But the vast majority of this kingdom lives happy lives filled with laughter despite the harshness of the world. “If you cannot trust me, then place your crystal ball on my hand. But if you can find it in your heart to trust me…then why don’t we start by learning more about each other?” Tillis offers her hand to shake, smiling gently to Adelie. At which point, Adelie looks apologetically at Tillis and places the crystal ball in her hand. [Status Report] The development plan around Hideout City has been progressing steadily, and the construction for the infrastructure around the giant lake is about 70 percent complete. We succeeded in making contact with the local savage Bashin tribe and while we’ve only succeeded at forging a verbal agreement, we’ve negotiated a mutual nonintervention pact. Little Bashin sometimes comes to play at Hideout City. While she’s not much of a talker, her reactions are really entertaining when we give her candy. Based on those things, our invasion plans as the Kisaragi Corporation are proceeding well. However, it appears that the princess of the Grace Kingdom, our ally, has been declared an evil being by a weird woman claiming to represent the Hiiragi Agency of Order. As the branch manager of the Kisaragi Corporation Grace Kingdom branch, we’ll be raising our alert level against the Hiiragi Agency of Order, as they claim to be servants of justice. P.S.—Among the strange items we’ve found on this planet, there’s an item I’d really like the Supreme Leaders to try touching. Currently, Tillis has caused the item to shine a sinister black, darker and more chilling than I have ever seen. But I’m sure Lady Lilith could top that with little to no effort. Reporting Operative: Combat Agent Six, Who Isn’t The Absolute Worst Person In the World, According to the Crystal