Chapter 183

“Dead Maestro… You’re here?” the mohawk guy mumbled in fear. The so-called Dead Maestro smiled with rosy cheeks. “Blocking people’s way? Not an honorable thing to do. Let the girls do as they please. Enjoy their life as much as they can, that the world doesn’t allow for much time…” I was speechless. Nelia, Vill, Esther, and Colette were also in a daze. That girl. She wasn’t normal. She couldn’t be. Anyway, we got to sign up with the Mercenary Guild. There’d been no background check. We’d just had to tell them our names and races, and that was it. Colette was right; they were super lax. A mercenary’s job was to complete the requests brought to the guild. You’d receive payment upon completion. Your mercenary rank would also go up, but that wasn’t important. We only needed money and the IDs. “Congratulations, Lady Komari. We shall remember this day as the foundation of the Komari Club.” “The what?” “That’s the name of our party. It’s here on our guild cards, too.” “What?!” I looked down at my card in shock. Next to my name was a line that read, MEMBER OF THE MERCENARY GROUP KOMARI CLUB. …Why?! Are you trying to embarrass me?! I turned back to the reception desk to get it changed, but Vill immediately grabbed my arm. “You’re our leader, so it only makes sense for us to be the Komari Club. Don’t you agree, Esther?” “Y-yes! I think it’s super cool!” “Don’t try to hype it up! I am NOT taking this name!” I said. “Me neither!” Colette yelled. “Why is she the leader?! This weak little shrimp?!” “I’m not a shrimp!!” “At the very least, I can confirm she’s not weak. Also, changing the name costs a hundred thousand nekopas, so I would advise against it. We’d end up with a single bean sprout for dinner tonight.” “What a scam!” I hung my head. Darn it… Why does she have to pick on me in the weirdest of ways…? Oh well. We just need to avoid bringing up our name to other people, right? I gave up and left the guild. The cloing sound of the biwa followed behind me. “It’s a wonderful name, the Komari Club. A perfect fit for your clear heart.” A graceful voice. I turned around. It was the person who had saved us from the mohawk. She was wearing a casual vestment, both hands in her pockets. She walked up to us. I could only imagine what color her eyes were since they were covered. “Such a clear heart. I can hear a serene melody simply by being in your presence.” “Who are you? And what’s with your getup?” Colette… Do you have no manners? The woman didn’t seem to care, though. “I am Tremolo Parcostella. I am better known by my alias, Dead Maestro. Some also call me the biwa bard.” Tremolo bowed, then took her hand out of her pocket for a handshake. I shook it quickly. It was slender and delicate. “Um…thank you for the help back there. I’m Terakomari Gandesblood. You saved me from taking a beating.” “Oh no. I’m sure you would’ve been able to save yourself.” “No way. I’d have a cream puff for a face now if it weren’t for you.” “That’s right! Terakomari’s a weakling below Vill’s heels!” My humility is not an invitation for you to belittle me, Colette. Unfortunately, I couldn’t deny it. “Hee-hee.” Tremolo laughed, her face red. “I suppose this mundane world is not as sad as I thought if I’ve gotten to know someone as virtuous as you. Perhaps it was fate that we met this way, and what a wonderful fate it is. Let us meet again.” “Ah…” She let go of my hand and turned to leave quietly. …What a mysterious person. The biwa bard… So, like, a musician? I kinda wanna listen to her songs… “Lady Komari,” Vill murmured with a serious look on her face. “Watch out. People who show up forebodingly like that commonly turn out to be crazy villains. Like Nerzanpi back in that restaurant in the Enchanted Lands.” “Don’t be rude… She saved me.” Still, it couldn’t hurt to be on the lookout. My optimism had already put me through hell, after all. Dead Maestro Tremolo Parcostella walked down an alley with her hands in her pockets. The voices of the girls she had just met echoed in her head. Terakomari’s warmth resonated deeply in her heart. No wonder she had such strong willpower. However, another problem had caught her attention. She’d known everyone’s names ever since she’d eavesdropped in the guild. There was Terakomari, Nelia, Esther, Villhaze. And Colette…Colette Lumiere. “Good to know she’s well. It was worth the effort going after the Arukan paddy wagon.” Tremolo produced a newspaper from her vestment. The headline read, A RIFT BETWEEN ARUKA AND MULNITE. The world was only plunging further into turmoil. Aruka had captured Colette. And Tremolo had secretly saved her, leaving money for her travels. She’d tailed the girl up to this point, but now that Colette was under that kind vampire’s wing, there was no need to worry about her anymore. She had to focus on beginning her work to make the world a better place. Just then, she felt someone’s presence. Multiple men showed up from the back alley—the mercenaries who’d been stationed at the guild, including the mohawk man who had argued with Terakomari. “Dead Maestro, you gonna pay up for humiliating us?” The mohawk man glared at her and unsheathed his weapon. Ahhh. What a sad, mundane world. So many people had suffered due to the conflict among countries. So many people had died untimely deaths. It was far from the world Tremolo wished for—a world composed only of people with clean hearts. “The price? Your life. We’re stronger than you punks.” “That’s right! Dragonhead rules the world!” “Star Citadel’s era is over.” Star Citadel. One of only thirteen moon-rank mercenary groups in the Netherworld. And Tremolo Parcostella was a member. Consequently, it was part of her daily routine to deal with mercenaries who were trying to take her life in an attempt to overthrow Star Citadel. And this group’s efforts were simply so… “Ahhh… You fixate on the mundane? How shallow.” “Enough with your gibberish!! See you in hell!!” “I shall destroy you, then. For the sake of Yusei.” “What?” Cloing. Cloing. She gently plucked the string. Just like that, the mohawk man was torn to shreds. His colleagues were aghast as they watched the pieces of his body fall to the ground, his blood splashing onto them. Immediately understanding they were outclassed, the mercenaries scurried away like cockroaches. “Just when I was thinking there was still hope in the world… You simply can’t expect much.” Tremolo plucked the string further. Screams echoed. The men were shredded to bits, their blood and flesh dyeing the cobblestone. Not one of them could get away. For all those with sullied hearts had to die. “Dammit… I can’t get this dirt off…” I was wiping a giant window. The cloth was already pitch-black. The children had scribbled all over the place. It was our third day in the Netherworld—five more until my demise. Our mercenary group, the Komari Club, was fire rank. The lowest. Fire ranks could only get measly chores, such as putting on a maid outfit and cleaning a fat cat’s mansion. Like I was doing right now. But what the heck? Is cleaning supposed to be this tiring? My arms were twitching from carrying buckets everywhere. I was totally going to be in for a world of pain the next day. It was my first time working a job besides Crimson Lord, and I’d never expected maid work to be this tough. I’ll try lending Vill a hand from now on.