Combatants Will Be Dispatched - Volume 2 - Chapter 4.1

FINAL CHAPTER 

 Brainy Partner, Brawny Partner 

1 

The next day. 

The three had sufficiently recovered from their near-death experience, so I explained our new mission to them— 

“ Sob… Sniff… Sob … Bwaaaaah…” 

Currently, we’ve piled into the new buggy, and with Alice at the wheel, we’re heading back toward Toris across the evening plains. 

After listening to my explanation, Rose, sitting in the back seat, looks at me with a faintly exasperated expression. “To head right back to Toris after doing that to their royalty… I have to admit, Boss, there are times when I’m pretty sure you’re just dumb.” 

“For all your cuteness, you have some real zingers sometimes. And you’re a man-eater, to boot.” 

Snow’s sitting in the passenger seat up front, while the rest of us are in the back. 

Grimm was so excited about the buggy’s speed last time, but I think something snapped in her brain when she got mummified. She’s sitting on the seat clutching her knees, muttering something under her breath. 

And then… 

“ Sob … Sniff … Bwaaaaah… Sniff … My pay… My salary…” 

“Hey, Six. Do something about her. She’s getting on my nerves.” 

Snow, sitting in the passenger seat, has been sobbing continually. 

Because we failed our water fruit–collection mission, it appears she got a pay cut in addition to her demotion. 

“…Sheesh. Hey, Snow, there’s nothing you can do now about the reduced pay, right? I mean, look at me. I always use up my money the week I get paid. Yet, I manage to enjoy my life. There’s more to life than money.” 

“The reason you’re enjoying life is because I give you an allowance.” 

“Y-you get an allowance from a childlike Alice…? That’s low, even by your standards…” 

Great. I try to cheer her up, and instead, I get a guilt trip. 

“But this pay cut hurts. Too much, really… I was hoping to buy a replacement for my poor frost blade that perished in battle with Heine…” Snow begins to tear up again. 

“Okay, fine,” Alice mutters in annoyance. “Snow, if you’re useful during this mission, I’ll give you an allowance. And if we manage to acquire a certain object from those ruins, I’ll pay you a bonus worth three months your salary. How about it?” 

“Sweet Lady Aliiiiiice!” 

I think we’re starting to get a good idea of how to deal with her. 

Snow clings Alice, who is still driving and pushes her aside with a look of exasperation. “The goal this time is infiltration. So keep your temper in check.” 

“Of course, Lady Alice! I, Snow, swear to be of use to you.” Despite the fact that she was criticizing me for the same thing a moment earlier, Snow flips her attitude entirely. 

“Hey, how deep do your sins run? Just what did you do in your previous life to end up this way? What sort of life does someone have to live to become like you?” 

“Oh, shut up. You’re one to talk, getting an allowance from Lady Alice. Money is the most important thing in the world. If it’s for money, I’ll toss aside colleagues, acquaintances, hell, even my parents, whose faces I’ve never seen.” 

“Sorry to interrupt you as you reach a record-breaking low, but stop calling me Lady Alice.” 

You know, I’m starting to feel this gold digger is better suited to Kisaragi than I am. 

Hoping to avoid any further involvement with her, I turn my gaze to the carnivorous Chimera sitting next to me chewing on a piece of jerky. 

“Say, Rose. Do you really not remember what happened in the desert?” 

“This again, Boss? Like I’ve said before, I don’t remember a thing. I remember being so hungry that I was about to faint. Then when I came to, I was sleeping in a bed at the castle. Besides, there’s no way I’d attack you, Boss. Orcs are as far as I go when it comes to food.” 

Yes, she claims she doesn’t remember attacking me. 

The moment she woke up, I tried to force her to apologize for trying to eat me… 

“And if what you said is true, Boss, you did a bunch of things to me, too. Um, what did you actually do?” 

“…If you don’t remember, then it’s best to let it go. I got a little enjoyment out of it.” 

“Boss, what did you do to me?! I won’t be mad, so please tell me. Depending on what it is, you need to take responsibility for it!” Rose grabs me by the shoulders and shakes me. 

“I don’t like the words…” 

“ Taking responsibility , I know! How awful! I don’t know why, but those words stick out in my memory!” 

Why does she remember that of all things? 

“<Hey, Alice. Are we sure she’s safe to bring along? I don’t want to anyone taking a bite out of me during the mission.>” 

“<Nothing came up when I examined her. Chimeras are weird life-forms, so I can’t say how they differ from humans. Still, it should be all right if we avoid making her hungry. Make sure you keep her fed.>” Alice sounds unconcerned, but being the one who was almost eaten, I can’t quite get over my anxiety. 

Noticing that we started a conversation in Japanese, Snow draws closer to us. 

“…You know, I didn’t want to bring this up before, but every time you two break into your native language, you’re plotting something, aren’t you? Hey, Six. I’m not like those inflexible knights you know. I’m a woman who can accept the good with the bad. So as long as you two aren’t planning to betray Princess Tillis, I can help you with your schemes.” 

I can’t quite believe what I’m hearing out of her and give her a look. 

Snow then misinterprets the look, shaking her head. “Don’t say it, I know what you’re thinking. That it’s not the sort of thing a knight should be saying, much less the former captain of the Royal Guard. That the people’s hero, Lady Snow, should be above reproach.” 

“Not at all.” 

Snow doesn’t let my remark deter her, and she dramatically forms her hand into a fist. “However, I’m a true patriot! So long as it brings prosperity to the kingdom of Grace, I care not what happens to other countries, nor do I care what evils I must engage in. So, Six, Alice, confide in me. You’ve said you’re investigating these ruins, but what are you planning to do? Come now, give me a bite of the apple. I won’t ask for a cut. Just so long as you let a little of the gains trickle down to me.” Snow has the eyes of one who has completely succumbed to their greed, and she smiles at us, still operating under her mistaken assumptions. “What riches await in the ruins in Toris? You said you’d pay a bonus if we acquire a certain object. What is this object? Is it treasure? If it is, I’d be willing to look the other way while you skim a bit off the top for yourselves.” 

Ah, so it looks like she thinks we’re going after a buried treasure, and she’s proposing we keep some of it instead of giving it all to Tillis. 

“<Hey, Alice, should we just recruit her into Kisaragi? I think she’s got potential as an evil minion.>” 

“<I don’t really get the sense Snow is evil. She reminds me of you, actually. She’s nothing more than an underhanded lackey. She’s the sort who fails because she lets her greed get the better of her.>” 

As we engage in another conversation in Japanese, Snow makes more mistaken assumptions, smiling over at us cheerfully. 

Whatever happened to the proud, compassionate knight who risked her life fighting the enemy and came to beg for my help to save Rose and Grimm during the Demon Lord’s Army’s invasion? The beautiful young woman kissed me and said she’d consider going out with me, then smiled shyly… 

“Well? Have you come to a decision? Don’t worry, I know where we can dispose of any goods of questionable provenance. There’s a shop that handles that sort of thing in the slums. Heh-heh… How about it? I think it’s a good deal for all of us…” 

Looking at this woman and her scheming smile, I accept that the Snow from that time is gone. “To make sure we’re on the same page: The thing in the ruins isn’t treasure. It’s a weapon of some sort.” 

“Now, there’s no need to be so cautious, Six. It’s between us. We’ve exchanged a kiss. You can trust me,” Snow whispers to me, despite the fact that she’s not believing me when I’m telling her the truth. 

…Man, this chick is a pain in the ass!