3
We’re greeted by an adoring crowd when we return to the city.
“Good work, Man in Black!”
“Man in Black, you’re so dreamy! You’re so cool!”
“Welcome back, Captain Snow!”
“Hey, it’s the Fly! Zip down your fly!”
The phrase “Man in Black” refers to the awesome sight of me dressed in Kisaragi battle armor.
With our string of victories, I’ve become a favorite among the citizens…
“You goddamned brats! That’s the last damned straw! I’m going to shove some Diet Coke and Mentos up your ass!”
“Gaaaaaaah! You’re acting like an overgrown child, Fly! Help! HELP!”
I chase after the brat who called me the Fly, but the soldiers who came to greet us hurriedly rush up to stop me.
“Sir Six! I apologize for interrupting your righteous fury, but I have a message from Princess Tillis. She requests your presence at the castle once you’ve rested. We’ll make sure to give the lad a stern talking-to… Sir Six, S-Sir Six! Please don’t do that to a child!”
And so we arrive at the tavern that’s become our go-to watering hole on this planet.
“Well, here’s to our victory! Cheers!”
““Cheers!””
With our reward money in hand, we’ve come for a celebratory drink.
“…Aaah! There’s nothing like a beer after a good day’s work! Hey, drinks are on me tonight! Drink up!”
“Hey, Six, pay me the money you owe me before you go off buying everyone drinks.”
Alice usually stays home because she doesn’t eat or drink, but she decided to tag along tonight. She starts the evening by pouring cold water on the party.
“Thank you, Boss!” Rose cries. “You’re the best boss in the world when you’re paying for my food! And I look up to you, too!”
“It’s so true. I can’t say I dislike how generous you can be! But your spending habits make you less than ideal as a partner!” Alice adds.
“Ha-ha! You’re far too kind! Food and drinks are on me again on payday!”
“Th-that sounds like praise to you…?” Snow looks at me with exasperation, taking small sips of her drink.
“Huh, it’s pretty rare for you to come with us, Alice. Did Lilith give you a digestive system?”
“You’ve even dropped the pretense of hiding our identities ever since Snow found out about our spying. I suppose I should’ve expected that given you’re a meathead, but still…”
Currently, our position in the kingdom is a bit complicated.
I’m a mercenary hired to lead a squadron and the liaison to the Kisaragi Corporation.
And yet for some reason, Snow, who was promoted back to captain of the Royal Guard, is still tagging along with our group. She insists she’s been assigned to keep an eye on us, but I’m pretty sure she’s been sent here to get her out of the way.
I’ve already explained to the squad members that Alice and I come from another world. At first, they stared at me like I had a few screws loose in my head, but now they’ve accepted that we’re mages from beyond the stars.
“I’m here as part of my investigations into the planet. It’s possible that the stuff locals eat is poisonous to humans from Earth. Do you even know where that meat on your plate came from?”
Alice’s question prompts me to stare closely at the plate in front of me…
“Hey, barkeep! What do you use in the daily specials I order?”
“Hmm? You’ve been eating it all this time without knowing? Today’s meat is orc. The skirmishes with the Demon Lord’s Army’s made quality orc meat nice and cheap.”
Hearing that, I set my plate to the side.
“What’s wrong, Boss? I’ll eat it if you don’t want it.”
“You won’t eat grasshoppers, but you’re fine with orc? Aren’t orcs, well…the things on two legs we fight all the time? Pretty sure they can talk.”
I’ve eaten most things over my career, but I have to admit I’m a little creeped out by the idea of eating sentient creatures I can chat with.
Alice looks curiously at the contents of my plate, while Snow lets out a dismissive snort.
“I didn’t realize you had such a delicate stomach,” Snow scoffs. “Our kingdom is mostly wasteland, and water is precious. That makes vegetables rare and valuable. But you can find meat everywhere you look. Picky eaters don’t last long around these parts. Here, have some supopocchi and poison spoiler.”
“Stop that! Don’t put that weird crap on my plate! The second one sounds pretty dangerous!”
Snow pushes a plate in front of me, which I promptly shove back in her direction.
Alice chooses that moment to pipe up. “Hey, you lot. You’re off tomorrow, right? If you want to earn a little extra money, I’d like your help with a job.”
“Sure, but it’ll cost you a pretty penny. Mr. Six doesn’t come cheap.”
“…It’s supposed to be your job, too, but whatever…”
Alice rolls her eyes at me. Rose looks over apologetically.
“I’m sorry. I already promised Grimm I’d help her with something tomorrow…”
“Yes, I’m afraid tomorrow is this month’s Zenarith Assembly. Would the rest of you like to come? It’s called an assembly, but so far only Rose and I are attending.”
“Honestly, I kinda wanna see this,” I reply with interest, while Rose raises her face in surprise, as if hearing the news for the first time.
“Wait, what? You didn’t say anything about that! You said we were going to a fun meeting to listen to stories, like a tea party!”
“Sermons about Lord Zenarith are both enlightening and fun! I’ll serve tea, too, so make sure you come! I already paid you for your time by buying you dinner, so no take-backs! Besides, you’re one of the few Zenarith followers around!”
“I don’t remember converting! First Boss pushed that weird badge on me, and now this. Stop trying to drag me into weird things!”
Rose continues her indignant rant while Snow looks over at Alice with shining eyes.
“How much are you paying? I could always use a little extra income to pay off my loans. What do you need me to do?” Snow asks enthusiastically, invading Alice’s personal space.
Alice lets out what sounds like an annoyed sigh, pushing Snow’s face aside. “We’re looking into this.”
Alice points at Snow’s plate.
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