FINAL CHAPTER
A Celebration of Villainy
1
Sitting in the wastelands near the hideout, Mr. Destroyer is extremely conspicuous.
This is where we plan to fight the Sand King.
We’ve set traps all over the place in hopes of slowing it down, and in the middle of our traps is the bait Alice whipped up herself.
“Boss, can I have a little of that?”
“That’s the bait for the Sand King. If you eat everything you come across, you’ll get sick.”
Rose gazes longingly at the bait set out on the ground.
Since it’s all-hands-on-deck, everyone who can fight—minus Grimm, for obvious reasons—is out here.
…Feeling pity for the ravenous Rose, Viper pulls out a snack.
“Mr. Six gave me something called Calorie-Z. Would you like—?”
“Don’t mind if I do!”
Before Viper finishes speaking, Rose grabs the supplement bar.
She seems to have grown attached to Viper and usually falls asleep in her presence.
Maybe Demon Lords give off a scent that Chimeras love or something.
For some reason, Heine shoots a nasty look at the traps we’ve set.
“…Hey, Six. Back when we attacked the castle, my sorcerer stone exploded right in front of me. Did you set that trap?”
“…? I don’t remember doing anything like that.”
“Huh? O-oh, I see. It doesn’t seem like you’re lying, s-so sorry for suspecting you…”
Heine apologizes, but she still seems a little skeptical of me.
Alice glances over at me as though examining some unusual animal.
“Hey, Alice, could you stop looking at me like that?”
“…Oh, sorry. I was just wondering what your memory capacity is like.”
I ignore Alice’s strange remark and confirm the placement of the traps along the plain.
The wire traps are designed to immediately bind anyone stepping on their triggers.
Alice nods in approval as she surveys them.
“The bait’s designed for carnivores this time. This should draw the Sand King to—”
Before Alice finishes her sentence, we hear a loud crash.
Looking in the direction of the noise, we notice the bait successfully lured in its first carnivore. Tiger Man has been snared.
“Well done, Alice! This trap should definitely work on the Sand King. It certainly drew Tiger Man’s attention.”
“Do you want to get your ass kicked that badly, Tiger Man? Someone get this waste of oxygen out of here!”
As Tiger Man, bound from head to toe, mewls in distress, Alice crosses her arms and yells:
“I’ve explained the plan several times, but since I’m worried that some of you still don’t have any idea what’s going on, I’m going over it one more time!”
I nod repeatedly in agreement.
Your average Combat Agent is as dumb as a box of rocks, so multiple explanations are a must.
“When the Sand King emerges from its hole, the Combat Agents will fill in the hole with quick-drying cement while it’s distracted by the bait. Tiger Man, Rose, Viper, Heine—the four of you will defend the agents as they work. Then, once the Sand King’s escape route’s cut off, you can leave the rest to me.”
I’d forgotten most of the plan up to this point, but I notice something when it’s explained again.
“Hey, Alice, I didn’t hear you mention my name.”
“You’re a Combat Agent, aren’t you? You’ll be helping with the cement.”
……
“Wait, that’s work for the expendables! I wanna do something more important! Something that’ll win me a bunch of accolades!”
Hearing my words, Snow also pleads with Alice.
“Alice, I didn’t hear my name, either! Please, I can’t go back to Tillis without any major achievements…!”
“Your specs are on par with an above-average human’s at best. I don’t care what you do. Just try not to die. If you kick the bucket, Tillis will probably use that as leverage to negotiate new terms.”
“I’ve known you for a long time, you know… Can’t you at least pretend to care about me…? Oh, forget it! Defending is the Royal Guard’s specialty, so I’ll play defense! I’ll watch over the whole battlefield from here, then reinforce whichever place is in trouble!” says Snow, pouting.
Once everyone is in position, I stand with my arms crossed and try to look important. Again, Alice glances at me as if observing a strange animal.
“…You know, I’m still technically the branch manager and your partner. Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…Well, I’ve known you for a long time, but I still can’t predict how you’ll behave. It’s fine, though. Do what you want. When I let you run wild, you sometimes produce unexpected results.”
Having received Alice’s blessing, I turn and call out to those in position.
“The fates of Vi and the demons rest on this battle! Make sure to give it your all!”
“You’re one to talk! Hurry on over and get ready!”
As I cockily cheer them on, one of my colleagues seems to have realized something and speaks up.
“…Ohhh. His Evil Points are still in the red, so he can’t afford to order any quick-drying cement.”
““““……””””
I can’t offer a response because they’ve seen right through me.
“Laaame! So he can’t even fight because of a reason like that?! Ha!”
“Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Just go ahead and watch from over there, Mr. Branch Manager!”
“If you ask nicely, I might be willing to get you some cement!”
As the expendables start taunting me, I decide on one thing.
“All right, I’m going to kill them during the battle and make it look like an accident.”
“Why are you agents always at each other’s throats? Is it because you see things in one another that you don’t like about yourselves?”
While arguing with the other agents, I feel a tremor beneath my feet, so I scoop up Alice and hop to the side.
Just then, the ground swells.
“Squeesqueesqueee!”
A wild Sand King appears!
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