"It's really quiet."

Hella and Bel ran to the president's office without any hindrance.

Except for the sleeping employees, there wasn't even a single rat in sight.

There was no urgent espionage operation as imagined.

In reality, it was closer to a running race with the constraint of a time limit.

"Hah! Hah! W-wait, let's take a break..."

"Are you here to play? What do you mean, a break? What are you going to do if you're panting after just climbing a few stairs? It's not like there was a battle."

"Th-this, originally, the lower exoskeleton is supposed to reduce the wearer's burden, but when I changed the fully automatic design to a manual one, there was a design problem... I think it's the hydraulic system..."

"What are you talking about?"

Hella couldn't understand Bel's muttering, and she had no intention of understanding it.

"So the problem is that machine, right?"

"In conclusion, phew! That's right, but!"

"Then you have to fix it."

"That's easier said than...!"

"Machines are originally."

Thwack!

A clear hitting sound.

Bel realized from the shock that shook his lower body and rattled his skull.

This woman had hit his armor.

With a hard spear shaft made with the secret of the dwarves, mercilessly and refreshingly.

"They're fixed when you hit them."

"Ugh! You're ignorant...!"

They said mercenaries were more gentlemanly than contractors.

Bel was convinced that it was bullshit.

A contractor who has no respect for technicians.

A mercenary who doesn't know the delicacy of machines.

Both were equally and incomparably ignorant.

"What are you going to do if it breaks down like this!"

It was an armor modified from a broken combat-type machine.

Since it was like mending torn clothes with rags, he didn't know when or how it would break down.

If it came to that, the fact that the exoskeleton didn't work was a minor issue.

There was a risk of being trapped inside again, or even an explosion.

And she's fixing it by hitting it?

It was a crazy statement and a crazy act.

"What are you talking about, it's moving just fine."

"...Huh?"

"You're just exaggerating. See?"

Bel jumped up the stairs.

The weight that had been pressing down on his whole body was gone.

The exoskeleton was finally working properly.

It was a relief, but Bel couldn't consider it a relief.

"Wh-why is this...?"

"Anyway, it's the technicians who are the most ignorant. I don't know why they say they can't do something that can be solved so simply."

"This shouldn't be like this...?"

"What do you mean it shouldn't be? If you don't know, just be quiet. Are you a corporate official or a technician who makes this kind of thing?"

He was a technician.

But Bel, whose pride had been crushed, could not reveal the truth.

Allen too, it was clearly an ignorant act, but why did the ignorant act work?

He even felt a confusion about his own common sense.

"Anyway, the problem is solved, so run. This is a race against time."

It was a stroke of luck that the Shadow Empress of Madhouse was absent.

But that didn't mean they had time to be leisurely.

An outlaw who moves on a whim, it was unknown when she would return, just as she had disappeared.

They had to achieve their goal as quickly as possible before any troublesome things happened.

"Don't even think about deviating from the path to a strange place like before."

"It wasn't a deviation from the path...!"

"What wasn't?"

"Ugh, I shouldn't even talk."

He had only done what his colleague had asked him to do.

Bel was wronged, but it was a situation he couldn't explain.

And it wasn't a deviation from the path just for that.

He had taken something that would be helpful for the success of the mission entrusted to him.

Bel endured his resentment, thinking of the time when the ignorant mercenary in front of him would see him in a new light.

"Is this the president's office?"

Instead of borrowing the ID card of a fallen researcher, Hella chose a classic method.

Crash!

Bel swallowed a scream at the sight of the door, which had been crumpled like a piece of paper.

Hella lightly dusted off her hands as if it were no big deal and strode into the room.

"Is that...?"

"Wait, I'll check."

Bel lifted the face of the middle-aged man, who was slumped over as if he had fainted, and examined it.

"He's the president of Delight Conquem."

"We've come to the right place."

Bel pushed back the chair he was sitting in.

As if the effect of the sleeping drug had taken full effect, he didn't even stir when handled roughly.

"I'll search this side."

"You ignorant mercenary. What do you mean, search?"

"Don't you remember why we came here? We have to find the ledger and the blueprint."

"So why are you trying to find a classic handwritten document?"

Bel clicked his tongue and connected the cable he had brought to the device on the table.

"...Found it."

"Found it? Already?"

At Hella's surprised reaction, Bel laughed triumphantly.

Although it wasn't visible because it was covered by a gas mask.

"It's easier to store the blueprint and manipulate the ledger electronically than by hand."

It was a method that companies with shady dealings were competitively introducing, as if they were being chased by someone.

It was a trick he knew well because he had done it himself.

"What, you were a hacker?"

"Ahem, you could say that."

Although it was a petty trick he had learned due to circumstances, Bel did not hesitate when the moment to boast came.

"I-is that so? I see."

Hacker.

It was a profession that was gaining attention as technology developed and cities became more prosperous.

In missions where success was difficult to guarantee with force alone, they played the role of paving the way by ensuring convenience.

He was the perfect talent for a mercenary corps suffering from a chronic shortage of manpower.

His personality didn't seem very good, but that was a matter that would be fixed as he was rolled around.

Hella smacked her lips.

"Then after this request is over, you and I will go see the old man's face..."

It was then that she was about to extend her evil hand.

Whoooosh!

"Wh-what!"

The light began to disappear.

The bright interior of the building was submerged in darkness, as if it had turned into a cave in a mountain corner.

Unlike the flustered Bel, Hella could sense what was happening.

"Damn it, is she back already?"

The return of the Shadow Empress.

"You! Have you finished preserving the data?"

"Just about... done!"

"Then bite down hard and hold on to my waist."

"What do you mean..."

Bel's curiosity was soon resolved.

Because he had experienced it with his own body.

Crash!

"Aaaah!"

As the spear shaft momentarily delayed the movement of the firewall that was covering the outer wall, Hella jumped down, hugging Bel.

His hair and clothes fluttered wildly, and the strong pressure of the wind crumpled his facial muscles.

At the dizzying freedom that woke him up, Bel opened his eyes to their limit.

The sky was close and the ground was far, and then it gradually began to flip over.

It was a free fall.

"You ignorant mercenary bastard!!"

"You're noisy, so shut up!"

"Gasp!"

Hella, who had knocked out the terrified Bel, scanned the view of the building.

The entire space, except for the president's office, was submerged in darkness.

It was a characteristic phenomenon that appeared when the Shadow Empress exerted her skills.

'Will it be okay?'

No matter how much the opponent was a thief, not a combatant who had made a name for himself with force, she was worried when she thought of Madhouse's reputation.

Should she just throw the baggage away and help?

Hella, who was contemplating while slowing down by sticking her spear shaft into the adjacent building, experienced a dazzling flash that seemed to blind her for a moment.

Whoooosh!

Burning away the darkness, a brilliant blue light spread.

'Ah, there was that.'

It wasn't a very unfamiliar sight.

Because it was the trigger that made her see the naive rookie contractor in a different light.

'It'll be fine.'

He was so confident.

As expected, he had something to believe in.

***

Bianca handles shadows.

For a thief who is familiar with darkness and makes stealth her skill, it was an innate ability.

If there was a treasure without an owner, she would push aside numerous competitors and get her hands on it.

If there was something she wanted, she would steal it from the hands of a powerful person and run away.

Naturally, the process was not always smooth.

Nevertheless, Bianca had succeeded in all her numerous thefts.

It was impossible to disparage her by saying she must have received help from her colleagues.

The reason she had gained an unprecedented reputation as a thief was before she became a member of Madhouse.

Thus, a mere thief had even put her name on the list of Madhouse.

What made that possible was not just the ability to handle shadows, contrary to public rumors.

The source of Bianca's capabilities came from the monster she raised.

Grrr!

Their silhouettes were completely melted into the complete darkness, and their boundaries were faint.

Since the cries echoed from all directions, it was difficult to grasp their numbers, let alone their location.

The Shadow Empress, who had manifested on the prepared stage, was not a mere thief, but an incarnation of fear.

That's why not only the powerful people who had been tricked several times, but also the large corporations that had brought in renowned personnel, did not act rashly.

Unless there was a special measure to drive away this artificial darkness, anyone would be helpless.

"Go ahead and try."

That's why Bianca just enjoyed the contractor's pathetic provocation as entertainment.

The monsters rushed at the enemy in a swarm, like a wave.

The wave of monsters, which attacked, revealing only a faint silhouette in the darkness, had a corner that aroused a creature's fundamental fear.

This enemy would also have the same impression.

The opponent did not react at all.

'It's over.'

Bianca relaxed her shoulders and thought about what to do next.

By an unexpected stroke of luck, she had gotten a chance to steal the android without incurring the wrath of her business partner.

It was enough to slightly adapt the plan that had already been established and add some flesh to it.

The work is not that difficult...

Screech!

"…!"

The continuing thoughts were cut off by the sharp cry of a beast.

"You're not the only one who handles beasts."

A faint smile revealed in his face.

The hawk that had manifested from his tattoo pecked, grabbed, and threw the monster.

Bianca's vision, which was bright even in the deep darkness, captured this accurately.

"Hmm, it doesn't seem to be an ordinary beast."

The size of the beast with its wings spread was large enough to block the hallway.

The sharp eyes in its sharp-eyed gaze relentlessly chased the enemy's movements, as if to see through the darkness.

The swarm of monsters, which had been about to bite the defenseless prey, could not stand up to the top predator that had suddenly appeared.

"And that's not all."

Kwa-ja-jak!

Bianca slid back, riding the shadow.

Immediately after, a sharply honed stem shot up from the spot where she had been.

"A strange ability?"

Taming beasts and handling plants.

It was a unique ability even among the contractors, where all sorts of strange races gathered.

Bang!

"A sharp aim, too."

The shadow sprayed from her hair blocked the bullet that had been fired unexpectedly.

He didn't just rely on his ability, but also had his own weapon.

Information about the opponent vaguely came to mind.

"I think I've heard of it. I thought a bunch of nobodies were trying to overturn the board without knowing their place, but a surprisingly famous person has intervened."

Of course, even so, he was a worthless rookie.

And yet, the reason she remembered was.

"You were the one who messed with our mad dog, right?"

Because he was an enemy who had outsmarted Buggy Vile and had even caused him to lose his life.

Although it was treated as a rumor in the industry, Bianca, who had been moving with Buggy at the time, knew it was true.

"So are you going to take this opportunity to settle a grudge for your colleague?"

"We're not that close. I'm just thinking of an excuse. With that mad dog's personality, he'll obviously go crazy if I say I killed you."

"Then you're going to let me live?"

"No way, I was just wondering what to say so that our mad dog wouldn't go crazy at me if I killed you."

Thinking about the aftermath was a headache, but the decision did not change.

"You killed my babies, so you have to pay the price, right?"

He was an opponent who had outsmarted Buggy Vile.

Now that she knew his identity, she was not going to be careless from now on.

"Come out."

While continuously charging the monsters, Bianca took out a special monster that had been sleeping in a subspace.

Slither!

It was a single entity, not a swarm, and it was large enough to fill the hallway.

It did not have a fixed form, and its whole body flowed like a liquid, and every time a bubble on its surface burst, it gave off a foul rotten smell.

Shadow Slime.

It was a monster that Bianca truly cherished.

If the wolf monster was a wave, the Shadow Slime was a tsunami.

It devoured everything that existed in the place it passed and cleaned it up neatly.

'The drug I used on Buggy won't work either.'

Since it was not a living creature, even the trump card he might be hiding would be useless.

The compatibility was bad.

Under the prepared stage, Bianca was no different from his natural enemy.

Because the Shadow Slime was an incarnation of a huge physical force that was immune to petty tricks.

"I'll end it quickly so it won't be painful."

The Shadow Slime opened its mouth wide, crushing the monsters that were blocking its path.

The monsters were crushed like clay and scattered, and were absorbed by it.

The Shadow Slime grew even larger as it absorbed the swarm of monsters.

The rotten smell that had faintly lingered in the nose was now about to fill the hallway.

Bianca sensed the end.

"…?"

It was then that she noticed a strange sense of unease.

'Light...?'

Slowly, a cluster of light was springing up from her feet.

The cluster of light that floated in the air drove away the shadow.

Like the numerous stars embedded in the dark night sky, it scattered a dazzling light in the darkness.

It was as mysterious as fireflies dancing at night, and as dreamlike as the Milky Way pouring down from the sky.

"!"

It would have been like that for someone.

Bianca held on to her mind, which had almost been lost.

Her survival instincts were sounding a warning against that beautiful sight.

"What in the world is this...!"

The deep darkness that had been laid out in the venue was an artificial domain she had created.

Even if the outer wall of the building had been blown open, this darkness would not be easily erased.

But this light shone more brilliantly than the sun and drove away the darkness.

It erased her domain and created its own domain, painting over it.

Whoooosh!

And when Bianca closed and opened her eyes at the sudden explosion of light.

The world had changed.

'This is...?'

The sensation touching the soles of her feet was different.

It was soil.

The smell that reached her nasal cavity was unfamiliar, so she had a hard time remembering it.

It was the smell of grass.

It was as if she could faintly hear the chirping of birds.

The sound of grasshoppers crying and water flowing tickled her ears.

Most of all, everything that met her eyes was green.

It was not the black darkness, nor the inorganic gray-white of concrete.

It was a fresh green.

The splendor of the flowers that bloomed as if shouting in between dazzled her eyes.

"..."

In the center of it was a man.

The cluster of light that had risen around the man at some point illuminated his whole body one by one.

As the gently blowing wind messed up his hair, a slender chin with a fine line was caught at its end.

A high nose bridge and pale skin.

The pupils that were staring at her were clear, as if revealing a strong will.

As if guided by an exquisite visual device, Bianca's field of view naturally expanded.

The illusion of a huge tree that soared as if to pierce the sky cast a shadow.

Under it, from him, who stood upright and solemn like a priest, Bianca felt an indescribable thrill.

"...Wow."

Greed is a covetous heart.

And the standard of value that aroused Bianca's greed depended on others.

She could not empathize with the monetary value of an object or the aesthetic value of a work of art.

She was just addicted to the base pleasure of possessing something that others wanted.

But even she, for now, judged differently.

"Domain Declaration."

For the first time, Bianca was genuinely impressed.

An art that made everyone admire was unfolding before her eyes.

Swoosh!

In the wave of Mother Nature that was overflowing towards her.

She felt a strong greed.

'I want it.'

The greed that had suddenly soared was directed not at an object, but at a person.

(End of Chapter)