I accepted Hound’s proposal and left Ruby’s side because I believed it was the only way to protect her.
Five long years. I suppressed the urge to run to her, enduring by force.
To reunite sooner, I gritted my teeth and slaughtered enemies on the front lines.
All for nothing? My actions put Ruby in danger?
Unbelievable. An uncomfortable truth, hard to accept.
“Well, to be precise, Ruby drove herself into danger. Though you being the cause is undeniable.”
“…”
“Regardless, Ikazuchi’s irritated. Red Dog’s grown too big to dismiss as just a mercenary group. They’re grinding their teeth over how to deal with her.”
Hearing this, scattered puzzle pieces began to fit together.
“That’s why I’m here. Ikazuchi plans to use me to recruit Ruby.”
Of course, I intended to play along only to escape the city with Ruby. For now, knowing Ruby wasn’t in immediate danger was a huge relief.
“Hm. That’s odd. My intel says Ikazuchi’s preparing to wipe out every last Red Dog.”
“…What?”
“By now, orders should’ve reached the police. Rat Town will be locked down soon. Not even a rat will slip through.”
That’s impossible. Hound promised not to move during the one-week grace period to bring Ruby. Only three days have passed, and they’ve issued an emergency lockdown?
One of them is lying to me. Who should I trust?
“Ruby’s already shown strong hostility toward Ikazuchi. Would she really join them willingly?”
“They could use me as leverage. Like how they held Ruby hostage to make me the White Wolf…”
“Are you still loyal to them? Doesn’t look like it to me.”
“That’s…”
As I hesitated, he pounced on the gap.
“If even you don’t fully obey them, do you really think Ikazuchi would take the risky move of taming Ruby, their biggest threat?”
“…”
I couldn’t argue. Working under them for five years, I knew Ikazuchi’s methods better than anyone.
Ikazuchi crushes any threat without mercy, by any means.
“With the corporate war over, they might even see you as expendable and take you out too. Ever consider their plan to recruit Ruby was bait to lure you?”
I wanted to deny it, but my mouth stayed shut. Setting aside our bad blood, his point was coldly logical.
Hound’s sudden interest in recruiting Ruby did feel off. I brushed it off, thinking it was like when they recruited me five years ago.
But the situations were entirely different.
Unlike me, who’d endure any humiliation for Ruby, she’s a volatile time bomb. Even I, her sister, can’t predict what she’s thinking or planning now.
For a corporation, trusting a single leash to tame a mad dog is far riskier than just slaughtering it.
I had to admit he was right.
“Hoo…”
Realizing Ikazuchi’s scheme, rage boiled inside, but I soon calmed down.
Whatever their intentions, nothing changed. From the start, I only planned to escape with Ruby. Joining Ikazuchi was never an option.
What intrigued me more was why the Reaper shared intel only he knew, tipping me off about Ikazuchi. This guy isn’t one to help out of pure kindness.
“Be honest. What do you want from me?”
“As I said, I’m building a company. Starting right here in Rat Town.”
“Here? Why?”
I hadn’t lived here long, but I could say with certainty. In the novel’s grim world, Rat Town was the absolute worst dump.
It’s no place for a proper company to set roots. Maybe for drugs, mercenaries, or weapons, but still.
When I asked why, he paused, then answered.
“Hm. Call it personal motivation. Living elsewhere, I found myself drawn back here.”
What? The legendary crap-connoisseur? His reasoning was baffling, but what could I do if that’s his stance?
“Anyway, I don’t want Rat Town thrown into chaos. I initially targeted Ruby to quietly resolve things before Ikazuchi acted, as that seemed best.”
“Then why stop short of killing her?”
Ellen told me on the way here. His original mission was to eliminate Ruby, but the client suddenly changed it to rescuing me and Reina.
“Because of you.”
“…Me?”
“Yes. I got late intel you were alive, so I altered the plan. If I’d killed Ruby, you wouldn’t have stayed quiet.”
Obviously. Frankly, I don’t care about Rat Town’s fate. If Ruby died for it? I’d go berserk like last time, razing the place—starting with the client, killed horribly.
“And I know what kind of person you are. From the start, you just wanted to live quietly with your sister.”
Right. My goal never wavered. From the moment I met Ruby five years ago, it stayed the same.
“That’s why I called you here. To help you achieve that goal.”
“…For real? You’ll help me?”
“Do you remember my guiding principle?”
I recalled his words from five years ago, repeating them.
“Only make choices that benefit you… Right?”
“You get to leave Neotopia with your sister. I get to easily remove a threat to Rat Town. A win-win deal.”
“Seriously? If Ikazuchi catches wind, they won’t sit still.”
At my warning, the Reaper scoffed, unfazed.
“Same as five years ago, no? I didn’t get caught then.”
Now that he mentioned it, the flow felt eerily similar. Teaming up with him again for Ruby, against our shared enemy, Ikazuchi.
My decision didn’t take long. There was only one choice.
“Fine. I’ll take the deal.”
“As expected from my VIP client.”
“What do I need to do?”
As we began discussing the plan, Ellen, leaning against the wall, shrugged.
“Sounds like I should sit this out. I’ll wait outside.”
“No. We need your help too, Ellen. That’s why I asked you to bring Lapis.”
“Feels like I’m getting played. If this goes south, I’m enemies with Ikazuchi, right?”
“Complete this mission, and I’ll pay you immediately.”
“…Alright. I’m in.”
There seemed to be some prior agreement between them. Whatever it was, it worked for me. As the novel’s protagonist, Ellen was an undeniable asset as an ally.
Thus, an unexpected team was formed.
“The plan’s simple. Smuggle a pair of sisters to Europe.”
“Europe…?”
The absurd destination made me doubt my ears. Based on the novel’s lore and what I’d learned here, that place was…
“Do people even live there?”
I’d heard it was a hellhole beyond comparison to North America.