The Hunter Office located near the Mihazono Residential Ruin was equipped with a cafeteria. After they finished their job for today, Akira and Carol were having their meal there. The cafeteria was divided into 3 sections and Akira and Carol were sitting in the expensive section. One meal in that section could cost up to 100,000 Aurum, but Carol and Akira had no problem paying that.
It was a section for relatively high-ranking Hunters in Mihazono ruin. So normally, that section was empty. But today, it was filled with Hunters. Although it was not filled to the point that there was no open room, if this continued, they might need to readjust the size of the section.
Akira was at his table when he spotted the reason why that section was filled today and was surprised. It was completely unexpected.
“Carol, what do you think that thing over there is?
“A rich someone from who-knows-where?”
There were about 15 people in maid uniform and butler uniform gathering on the other side of where Akira and Carol were taking their meal. In the middle of that, there was a girl wearing an expensive-looking dress. The maids and the butlers were standing lined up on her side. It was as if to announce to anyone that she was the master of that group.
“Maid uniform and butler uniform, wait, no, they’re actually battle suits. They must be pretty expensive.”
“Oh, they indeed are. After all, it requires special skills for such attire to retain its performance while keeping its design. I bet they’re full of old-world technology, so I bet they really are expensive.”
The girl gracefully move as if she was some high-class noble. She wore an expression devoid of joy even when tasting the most expensive food in the cafeteria. Nonetheless, her emotions did not get the better of her as she remained courteous.
“But still, although it is fine when it is only one or two, with that many people in the same place, they do look extremely out of place… This just reminds me of that maid story. Those Hunters vanished not because these maids treated them as suspicious people when they tried to talk to them, right?”
“I wonder about that. Well, either way, it’s best to keep away from them.”
“Can’t agree more to that.”
Akira and Carol completely lost interest in them and continued their meal.
When Akira already moved to the after-meal coffee, Carol, who was in contact with someone else during their meal, discussed their plan after this.
“Akira, we are actually already done for today but is it okay if I take up another job for early tomorrow morning? I’ll refuse it if you don’t want to.”
“I’m basically just following you around, so feel free to decide what to do. Is it about making maps again?”
“Nope, it’s about selling the map this time. Someone asked me for the map’s data as well as to guide them through the ruin, you see. And they want me to give the data inside the ruin that we will be exploring tomorrow.”
“Leaving the guiding part aside, you can just send the map’s data through the net, right? Isn’t it too dangerous to go inside the ruin just to do that?”
“Viola is the one who told them about me, so it will be fine.”
Hearing that reply, Akira could not help but frown. Seeing that, Carol smiled amusedly and explained to him.
“Basically, we can have Viola take responsibility if the customer tries to do anything funny. I’m sure she already knew about that too when she introduced me to them. Up until now, Viola never seriously wanted to kill me. Furthermore, I have you as a bodyguard this time. That’s why it would be fine. Are okay with taking up that job?”
“…I see, okay, sure.”
Akira was convinced by Carol’s explanation, but he still had a conflicted look on his face. Carol smiled wryly and then explained to him.
“I know Viola is not exactly a good girl, but as long as we can handle her correctly, we can get profits from her cunningness. So, it’ll be fine as long as we know how to treat her correctly.”
“I-I see, I’ll leave that part to you then.”
Akira still did not seem to be fully convinced by her argument. Thus, he made an awkward smile in an effort to hide it. Considering what happened with Babalod as well, Akira thought that Carol was slightly worse than Viola, so he was being very careful with what Carol had said.
—*—*—*—
Reina’s team was taking a break inside the ruin. They were having a meal inside one of the abandoned buildings with its self-repairing function still active.
Shiori, who received a notification, picked up the call, and after she finished the call, she looked vexed. Reina who saw that was interested in what just happened.
“Shiori, uhh, what’s wrong?”
Shiori regained her usual expression first before replying.
“…Milady. It seems that Chloe-sama is coming here. She wants to meet you.”
“Chloe? She wants to meet me? Why?”
“It seems that she wants to meet you simply because she is close by. I don’t know the details.”
Shiori still seemed displeased even after she tried to hide it. Her outward expression did not match her real feeling, seeing that, Reina smiled bitterly.
“Well, it would only tire us to keep asking questions. So, when she will be coming?”
“…In about 15 minutes.”
Reina raised her eyebrows; she did not expect it to be that quick. Moving to Kugamayama alone would take 3 days, including the preparation. Reina had thought that it would be about in a week or so.
“15 minutes? Do you mean that Chloe is already outside the walls right now? Or more like, she’s really already somewhere close by?”
“It seems that she was already in the nearby Hunter Office by the time I received the call.”
“So, she’ll be coming? Right here? In the middle of the ruin?”
“That is the case.”
Reina looked completely flabbergasted.
“…Why?”
Shiori already had a guess, but since it had something to do with their current mission, she could not tell Reina.
“As long as it’s not a form of harassment toward Milady, I don’t care about her intention at all.”
Reina did not notice that at that time, Shiori’s true emotions were leaking out.
After 15 minutes, a girl around the same age as Reina arrived there together with a dozen of maids and butlers. They were the group that Akira saw back in the cafeteria.
The girl was Chloe and just like Reina, she was also from a noble house.
Shiori was serving Reina, but to be more precise, she was serving the house where Reina came from. And since Chloe was also from the same house, Shiori gracefully bowed to her and greeted her.
“Chloe-sama, Long time no see. What brings you here today?”
“Hm? Didn’t I tell you? I’m here just to see Reina.”
Chloe smiled at Shiori with a smile from someone in a higher position. She then turned to Reina and smiled fondly at her.
“Long time no see. That dress does suit you very well.”
Chloe’s smile and words were very friendly, but the content was obviously poking fun at Reina. Shiori forced herself not to let her real feelings out. Chloe coldly smirked at Shiori’s reaction as she had fully expected that. She then turned to Reina, looking forward to enjoying her reaction.
But in contrast to Chloe’s hope, Reina’s reaction was rather light.
“Thanks. You look good in that dress too. Or at least that is what I want to say, but unfortunately, it doesn’t suit you at all.”
Chloe faked calmness as she tilted her head.
“…What do you mean?”
Chloe thought that Reina would throw an amusing childish tantrum when she was treated like a servant. But Reina was too indifferent as if she was a completely different person from the one Chloe knew. Chloe’s smile immediately vanished.
In contrast to that, Reina frowned and looked a bit confused.
“What do you mean by that? This is in the middle of the ruin, you know? It’s dangerous to be here in a casual dress. Though that dress is okay for sightseeing, it would be bad if you get attacked, you know?”
“Ah, if it’s about that, don’t worry. My servants can handle monsters just fine.”
Chloe’s smug face was indicating that she was not the same as Reina. Although both she and Reina were assigned servants since both of them were from the same noble house, the ability and the number of their servants were completely different. Chloe was basically boasting about the servants who accompanied her to Reina.
But Reina’s reaction was as indifferent as usual. She just replied casually without a shed of irritation nor trying to counter Chloe’s boast.
“I see. But those servants are not that familiar with being inside ruins, right? So, it’s better for you to be extra careful so as not to cause them trouble. Although, it might be weird for me to say that since I’m always causing trouble for Shiori and Kanae.”
Reina even had the leeway to make a small joke with a hint of self-mockery, tinged with a bitter smile. Due to that, Chloe caught a few things from Reina’s attitude and made a stern expression.
“So then, are you really here just to see me? If that’s the case, I’m sorry but it might be better for you to leave now? I’m in the middle of a Hunter job, so it’s not like I’m free right now.”
“Oh, urging me to leave like that, is it that you’re not doing well?”
“Unfortunately, yeah, we’re having a hard time right now.”
Reina and Chloe smiled peacefully at each other from the outside. But behind it, they were probing each other’s real intentions. After a short silence, Chloe suddenly said.
“White card.”
With that one sentence, those who knew what was going on would already understand. Chloe was basically telling them that she knew what they were doing, even the colour of the card too. It was just a statement that also doubled as a warning.
Shiori’s face turned stern. She herself was being very careful with her current mission, but even so, that information had been leaked to Chloe. It was either Chloe had that much influence inside the house or there were more people than Shiori had expected who decided to sell that information to Chloe.
Shiori tried her best to suppress her emotions, but even so, it still leaked out. That was just how big of a shock that was to her. And now that Chloe saw her reaction, there was no doubt that Chloe was able to gather more information, which only made Shiori even more concerned.
Chloe was satisfied that Shiori reacted as she had expected. But when she saw Reina’s reaction, she was a bit surprised. Reina was completely confused.
“White card?”
Chloe tilted her head.
“…You… You don’t know anything?”
Reina smiled lightly and casually replied.
“Ah, the cat is out of the bag, huh? Yeah, I actually don’t know anything.”
Reina and Chloe once again only smiled at each other in silence. But as always, they were looking closely at each other’s reactions. But in that silence, Chloe understood more of what was going on, which caused her to get even more suspicious.
Even Reina understood that Chloe was poking for information. But since Reina actually knew nothing, Reina only gave little to no reaction. On top of this, although she really knew nothing, she pretended as if she knew something.
Chloe could not tell if Reina really did not know anything or that Reina was hiding it from her. Likewise, it was possible that Reina was doing so well that she could afford to make up such a lie. The confirmation that she received from seeing Shiori’s reaction was contradicting the reaction that she got from Reina.
Both Reina and Chloe were smiling at each other while locking gaze, watching for even the slightest change of expression. Reina, who really did not know anything, was firm, while Chloe who knew, could not help but waver for a bit.
Since Chloe understood that the one watching her was not only Reina but also Shiori. To avoid leaking anything from her expression, Chloe thought that it was better for her to withdraw.
“Well, it seems that you’re indeed busy, so I’ll leave for now. After all, I already did get to meet you today.”
“I’m sorry but I’m indeed busy at the moment. And I think I will be this busy for the time being, so do tell me beforehand before you want to visit me again.”
“…I see. Alright, until next time.”
Chloe threw a smile and left that place. After she opened up some distance from Reina’s group and there was no need to keep her performance, her expression immediately turned stern.
Next to Chloe, Pamela, who was the leader of the maids in their group asked Chloe.
“Milady. Was that really alright? Although they did say that they are busy, I believe there was no need to be concerned about their current task. Milady is in a position to afford such a thing.”
Chloe understood what Pamela and the others were trying to say to her, so she pulled herself together, regained her calm, and shook her head.
“It’s fine. I also wanted to stop instead of continuing the conversation. It was the perfect excuse to do that.”
“Very well.”
The butler by the name of Latis who was on the other side of Chloe was just like Pamela, he was the leader of the butlers. Since he saw that Pamela did not seem that happy with how things concluded, he interjected.
“Milady, if I may, would be alright if I ask the reason?”
“It’s because there’s nothing to negotiate. If they were only an incompetent noble who was banished to the wasteland and a loyal servant who was trying to help her master regain back her position, it would have been easy. I could just tell them to work under me and they’ll eventually regain back their former lives, then I bet that they would jump into that offer. But that seems to not be the case.”
“She’s still working as a Hunter in order to win favour from Lorents-sama and her loyal servant is still working hard to better her situation. I believe that there’s still a chance for them to take that offer.”
Lorents, the head of the noble family where Reina and Chloe came from, was a former Hunter. He achieved success working as a Hunter and right now controlled a huge corporation that had its influence throughout the eastern district. Although it was still no match against the five biggest corporations, he controlled several corporations which controlled a number of cities, effectively making him the one controlling those cities.
All of those companies were owned by the family and all the leaders of those companies came from that family. But with such a big corporation, there were many officer seats to fulfil. Normally, they would have to outsource people that had no connection with their family to fill those seats. But Lorents was a womanizer, causing him to have many children. Those children also produced even more grandchildren. Because of that, all the officer seats were filled by the family’s relatives, causing them to struggle for power, aiming for a higher position.
Reina was one of Lorents’ grandchildren. But her family was banished from the city and Reina ended up being a Hunter. It was all because her family belonged to the losing faction inside the noble family.
The best way for those who lost their position in the struggle for power inside the corporation was to gather accomplishments outside the corporation, and the best way to do that was to become a successful Hunter.
In the midst of the in-fighting inside the corporation, Lorents had obvious favouritism toward the Hunter faction. It was no surprise considering Lorents himself was a former Hunter. Moreover, if they could secure a valuable relic and bring it back to the main corporation instead of selling it to another corporation, it would boost their standing within the corporation. Depending on the quality of the relic, they might even be given control of one of the corporation’s branches.
Of course, not all of them did well. Many of them failed and did not return from the wasteland. But even so, baited by the reward for success, many factions, who lost their influence in the inner struggle for power, sent one of their family members out to the wasteland to be a Hunter, hoping that they would be able to overturn their situation.
Those sent to the wasteland were those who were too weak to fight the power struggle inside the corporation. Many of them were only given two choices: to refuse and get themselves kicked out from the family or go out as a Hunter and still be considered as a part of the family. As such, many of them only chose to become a Hunter because they were forced to. Reina was basically one of them, though slightly different. When her family discovered that she had an interest in the world of Hunters, they thought that she was the perfect person to be sent out to the wasteland.
From Chloe’s point of view, Reina was useless in the power struggle, that was why she was sent out to the wasteland. But after their meeting just now, she no longer thought so.
“Latis, you also saw their equipment, right? Those are from our company. And they are pretty powerful equipment as well. Normally, there’s no way they would be able to borrow it.”
“But they did. However, how is that connected with forgoing negotiations with them?”
“Of course, that is only one of the reasons. But just judging from that alone, it means that they negotiated with someone of a high standing inside the corporation and managed to procure it. Regardless of who they contacted, there’s no mistaking it. They presented something that gave that person enough reason to lend them their current equipment… The white card… Just knowing about that alone was not easy, you know?”
Chloe lightly chuckled, her expression then turned serious.
“They are not that stupid as to hang on a glimmer of hope that is close to futility. Just being able to gain that information this time could already be considered a success. Moreover, it seems that the thing that they are aiming for is way bigger than what I had imagined. So, we have to reconsider our strategy in order to snatch it for ourselves. We need more time and information to do that, that’s why I decided to withdraw for now.”
Pamela then made a suggestion with a serious expression.
“I’m sure I’m more than capable to handle them. So, we have the choice to force to hand over the key for this matter, that white card, you know? Since we’re in the middle of the wasteland, so such a thing is well under what is normal in this place.”
Chloe lightly laughed and replied.
“No, that won’t do. If we get too used to doing something like that, our skill in negotiations would fall. Though I do think it’s okay to use that method when it is necessary.”
She then smiled as if to scold Pamela.
“Moreover, she’s still from the same noble house, so let’s hold ourselves back from using violence. There’s no need to unnecessarily intimidate them either. The thing that they have might bring about something that is way more than enough to regain their position. So, there’s still some space for us to manoeuvre in, and in order to get into that space, even if we use intimidation, let’s not use something too direct and use something more subtle and peaceful.”
“…Very well.”
The reason why Pamela was a bit reluctant to back off there was simply because she wanted a chance to show their strength. Chloe at least understood that much. Chloe thought that it was normal, just like how she aimed for a higher position, the people under her were also aiming for the same thing.
Although no one knew the reason why the heads of their noble family ignored the ongoing power struggle. As a matter of fact, they seemed to be supporting it. Even when it escalated into a real fight, they only reprimanded the ones involved and did not take any concrete step to stop them. Chloe herself also knew that and admitted that she also agreed with their attitude.
Those who had the skill would climb up the ladder. The ongoing struggle for power inside the corporation was a form of natural selection, so Chloe thought nothing much of it and just obeyed it.
But unlike Chloe, who was one of the masters in that power struggle, the servants only had a limited method to reach for a higher position. Even inside the corporation, there were rules which limited their options. Their options to reach a higher position were mostly only two. Either they pushed their master to a high position or overtook their master.
There were occasions when they left their old master when someone of a higher position was interested in them. Then, just like how the servants could abandon their master, the master could dump the servant when they were deemed useless. So, it was important for them to prove their usefulness both so that they would not be fired and so that someone of a higher position would take interest in them.
Although Chloe understood that Pamela was looking for a way to garner more achievements, Chloe had no wish to give them away for now. Nonetheless, in order not to worsen Pamela’s mood, Chloe was choosing her words carefully.
“It’s all thanks to you that I can travel safely through the wasteland. You have my thanks. So, I hope that would be enough for now.”
“You kind words are wasted on me.”
Seeing Pamela deeply bow, Chloe thought that it should be fine for the time being. She then turned to Latis and smiled wryly at him.
“Also, Latis, you asked me even when you know my answer, right?”
Latis smiled gently.
“My apologies. But please at least let this humble servant enjoy the proficiency of my master.”
“I won’t scold you, but it’s sometimes a bit too much of a bother to answer your questions. So do it in moderation.”
“But of course.”
After Chloe rebuked her servants, she then shifted her mind to think about her next plan while she was on her way back.
—*—*—*—
Reina lightly sighed as she watched Chloe’s group leave. Those people usually would never step out of the city. However, right now, they went out of their way to visit her in the middle of the wasteland. Although they quickly left, there was no doubt that they would bring them more trouble later down the road.
Shiori apologized deeply to Reina.
“Milady, about what happened just now…”
“Ahh, don’t worry about it, I won’t force you to tell me.”
Shiori was a bit surprised, but Reina just lightly smiled and continued.
“Although I don’t know what is going on and I do question it sometimes, but you do think that it’s better not to let me know for now, right? So, I’m fine with that. Though I don’t know what exactly you are doing, I’m sure you’re doing that for my sake. Not to mention, we were able to confuse Chloe thanks to that. That’s why I won’t force you to tell me. I’ll wait until the time you can tell me the details.”
“…Thank you very much.”
Shiori was content that her master fully trusted her. She smiled happily and bowed.
“So then, what is the next plan? Want to keep exploring the ruin?”
“Indeed. But please wait for a bit. I’ve contacted someone who can give us more information and guide us inside the ruin. We’ll decide on our next route after getting that information.”
“Alright, then we’ll be taking a rest for a bit here, huh?”
“Yes.”
Seeing that exchange between Reina and Shiori, Kanae could not help but smile. Shiori, who saw that frowned, and called her.
“What is it, Kanae?”
“No, it’s nothing. I just thought that Milady has really grown up and I’m happy. And also, both of you are as close as ever.”
“…That’s obvious.”
Reina and Shiori blushed, Kanae who saw that smiled amusedly.
Not too long after that, the guides that Shiori said finally arrived. They were surprised when they saw their guide, it was Akira and Carol.
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