Combatants Will Be Dispatched Volume 2 Chapter 3

(TN: 'Carnivorous' has a double meaning here. In addition to 'meat-eating', it also refers to people that are s.e.xually aggressive. )

Translated by JayTranslation

Edited by CannonGerbil, Ulti

Part 1

During an audience with Grace Kingdom's royalty.

「… Snow, please raise your head.」

「…… Yes, your Highness.」

Since the king has yet to be captured, the one sitting on the throne and ordering the trembling Snow is Tirris.

After safely escaping from Toris… I mean after returning home we were reporting on what occurred.

And as a result, in order to avoid looking at the calmly smiling Tirris, Snow was in a dogeza position.

Snow raised her head to read the mood. I said to her,

「Hey Snow, we can't do anything about things that are already done? Stop weeping for however long you were planning to and pull yourself together. 」

「You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you bastaaaaard!」

Hearing me console her, Snow got up right away to attack me.

— —The killer move I unveiled at the party caused time to stop for everyone present while all the knights turned into berserkers.

Going with Alice's plan of capturing Engel as our hostage, we were somehow able to escape and make our way back but…

「I didn't think we'd receive a declaration of war after sending Snow as our friendly amba.s.sador.」

Tirris was smiling while she said that. Though she showed a calm smile, her eyes were completely empty.

「Tirris-sama! It wasn't like that. I was only one step away from having Engel-sama in my pocket! If certain events happened between him and me and I was no longer able to ride a unicorn, we'd be able to get Toris in our debt and I'd be able to live a life of luxury, that's why I was willing to put my body on the line…!」

「I-is that so. I was expecting you would seduce him, but I didn't think you'd resolve yourself to go that far…」

While appealing to the slightly terrified Tirris, Snow pointed my way.

「But this man! No. 6, why did you do something so stupid!? Just how messed up in the head can you be that you'd put that kind of thing on top of the prince's head!?」

「What do you mean 'something stupid'!? That was a legendary party trick pa.s.sed down from my country. Different countries have different cultures. The world is a vast place, don't think that your common sense applies to everything.」

Although I said that, I did wonder if I did a slightly bad thing. In order to show that I was self-reflecting on what I've done, I was currently sitting in a seiza position.

「N-No. 6-sama, for what reason did you show that party trick…?」

「Because I was raging inside. I'm self-reflecting right now.」

「Put more effort into your apology!」

Since what's done is done, I'm hoping she lets me off lightly.

「In the declaration of war, aside from the rude act committed on Engel-sama, there was also a mention of a threat made…」

Tirris was looking at the declaration of war and her eyes drifted towards Snow.

「Ah, it was this girl! This girl would occasionally threaten that old man! Also she would demand bribes from their-!」

「Y-you b.a.s.t.a.r.d! That's wrong, Tirris-sama! It wasn't a threat, I thought it would be advantageous for us during the negotiation progress if I mentioned our military forces. And it's ridiculous to say that I demanded a bribe. That was only because I wanted to shake them up a little to see their reactions, it was just one of many diplomatic tactics!」

While blocking my mouth, Snow was making lousy excuses for her actions.

However… While looking down at Snow from her throne, Tirris declared,

「Captain of the royal guards, Snow. You are stripped from the position of captain. You are to a.s.sist this squad, as you are doing right now. 」

「Aaaah… I just returned to my original position, to think I'd be demoted again… 」

Leaving aside Snow while she was crying, Tirris let out a sigh.

「You've committed something very troubling… No. 6-sama, how are you going to remedy this? This time, it's without a doubt that our nation is in the wrong. Even if war breaks out, I think the surrounding nations will side with Toris…」

「Alice said to let all the surrounding nations know that Toris signed a nonaggression pact with the Demon King's Army. Paint them as the enemy of humanity, while claiming we would never do such a thing. By taking advantage of that point, we will be the ones that are angry and denounce their act.」

Tirris momentarily stopped moving.

「… It's not really in my personality to tell others this, but Alice-san is quite something, isn't she. Still, let's go with that explanation to the other countries. They do have a non-aggression pact with the Demon King's Army, after all.」

She had some reservations about that idea, but she still supported it in the end.

By putting it this way to the surrounding nations, Alice is predicting that the Grace Kingdom won't be one-sidedly depicted as the villain.

「Toris will also need time to prepare for war, so they won't come attacking right away. Since the situation's already like this, there's no helping it. We will raise our defenses, and prepare for an attack from the Demon King's Army or the kingdom of Toris.」

As if her mood changed, Tirris dropped her serious expression.

「Anyway, it has become really troubling… Now that it's come to this, how will we secure water…?」

While saying that, she looked very worried…

Seeing that, Snow raised her head as if this was what she was waiting for.

「Tirris-sama, I have an idea for that problem! This man said he is able to have items transmitted from his country. So, how about having him get large quant.i.ties of water from his home country! If that works out well, then if you can just reinstate me to my original position, and… 」

「Don't be ridiculous, how am I supposed to get enough water for a whole country!? Do you know how many points I'd need for that!? This whole thing happened because you dragged your feet in seducing that man! The only thing good about you is your erotic body, so at least pull that off!」

My words caused Snow's brows to raise and…!

「You're one to talk! Whose fault do you think it is that I was demoted!?」

「Huh? What did you just say? Do you want to go!? I'm strong, you know!?」

Because we started fighting each other, Tirris let out a sigh as if she was astounded.

Then, while Snow was locking hands with me in confrontation, she suddenly looked like she realized something.

「I knowThere's that! Tirris-sama, now that I think about it, the artifact that can call down rain is in a functional state! Since his Highness is nowhere to be seen right now, if Tirris-sama takes his place…!」

「Anyway, it has become really troubling… Now that it's come to this, how will we secure water…?」

Completely ignoring Snow's remark, Tirris repeated the same words she said before.

While I was still facing off with Snow, I whispered to her in a small voice.

(Oi Snow, I'll grab ahold of Tirris, so gather the people. This isn't betraying Tirris, this is for the country. If you can gather the people at the courtyard, once we announce to them that Tirris is about to use the artifact…)

(Ah, then she won't be able to get out of it! So that's it. It's not an act of betrayal, but it'd be for the sake of saving this country. Tirris-sama will definitely understand later on.)

「I just came up with a good idea!」

As if to stop us from whispering to each other, Tirris excitedly shouted those words.

She seems a little fl.u.s.tered. Is it just my imagination?

「Knight Snow. I will give you a mission right now.」

Realizing that I was looking at her, Tirris skillfully exercised control of her expression and looked towards the kneeling Snow.

「The wasteland that the Sand King claimed as its territory, the Tezan Desert. Do you know why trees are abundant in the middle of that desert? Also, do you know what effect the fruits of those trees possess? 」

「Yes! It's called the water podfruit of water. Although it's the size of a finger, if you squeeze it out, it's been said to have enough water to fill a pool…… Um, so… Tirris-sama? I'm just wondering, but…」

Tirris firmly said her next words with a serious expression in the direction of the pale-faced, silently trembling Snow.

「Please retrieve them.」

Part 2

「I don't want to, I don't want to, I really don't want to! What do you mean the Sand King!? It's a great demonic beast that even the Demon King steers clear of! Going into its territory would be suicide!」

Rose was throwing a tantrum while saying she didn't want to go. She wouldn't let go of the town gate.

「It'll be okay Rose, it's not like we're fighting the Sand King! And I heard that it's only active during the daytime? We're just going to stop by during night and come back right away! Alright? Once we return, I'll buy you some delicious meat!」

「Hey, since I'm also dragged into this, give it up! If Snow's getting you delicious meat, then I'll give you some rare snacks! Have you ever licked candy before!? Besides, last mission's failure is everyone's responsibility! You can't just run away by yourself after all we've been through!」

Even though Snow and I tried to persuade her, Rose dug her nails deep into the gate and wouldn't budge.

「Don't think that I'll listen to everything you say just because you'll give me something delicious! Besides, even if you say everyone's responsible for the mission's failure, I didn't do anything wrong! But, what's a candy!? For now, please tell me what kind of snack it is!」

Despite having tears in her eyes, Rose seemed like she still had the presence of mind to care about such things. Alice took something out for her.

「If those two are giving you something delicious, then I'll give you an item that will give you a powerup. Now, do you know what this is?」

As if she was a little interested, Rose stopped her crying.

「… What is it?」

「This is called a battery, it's a ma.s.s of electrical energy. Now as an experiment, try eating it. You might even be able to let out an electrical breath…」

「I'm not going to eat something like that! Anyone can see that it's not something you can eat!」

Although Rose looked the other way, Snow and I looked at each other and,

「Now, now, it's not good to be picky. Here, I'll feed you. If you eat this and get stronger, you won't need to fear the Sand King, right? So come on Rose, open wide…」

「Woah, th-this girl… To think you can resist the power of my battle suit, well aren't you capable…! But give it up, starting today, you're going to be called the monster, Electric Chimera…!」

「I'll go, I'll go! I'll go, so please don't make me eat that!」

— —We were in the buggy. With Alice driving with her night vision function, we were going full speed on the dark roads.

「Ug, uh… Once we return, I'm definitely going to get my delicious meat and candy… I'm not going to forget…」

Next to the sobbing Rose, a small mumbling sound of complaints could be heard.

「Unforgivable… Unforgivable… The one that chummily talked to me a lot, even though he had a fiancée, Hammel… The one that was very kind, even though he was married, Gilbert… The one that reached out to me while I was crying and being unruly, even though he was a h.o.m.os.e.xual, Isaac… I won't forgive any of the men from that country…!」

Grimm was already in the buggy first when we were causing a fuss outside. It seems like she was still harboring some resentments after what happened to her in Toris.

Those would be pretty shameless words coming from someone who one-sidedly liked another, but it seems like logic doesn't really work on this deadweight girl.

Now that I think about it…

「Hey Grimm, there's something I want to ask you.」

I have something I need to ask her.

「What is it, Commander? Right now I'm more peeved than the Demon King's army and p.r.i.c.klier than Brad the Hedgehog. If you ask me something pointless, I'm going to cast a curse on you.」

「The thing that I wanted to ask you was about that curse when you got dumped… S-sorry, it was a little harsh of me to say that! Stop glaring at me while squeezing that doll, it's really scary!」

Yeah, the thing that I wanted to ask her was about her curse.

When we were in Toris not too long ago, the prince's behavior changed.

More specifically, instead of saying it changed… The fact that his personality was being the exact opposite of what he was known for was a little concerning to me.

And there was something weighing on my mind regarding that.

「What is it? Do you want to curse somebody? What a coincidence, I was just in the mood to cast a curse on somebody as well. So how should we go about it, Commander? Once this mission is over, do you want to go on a cursing street date with me?」

「I'm not going to go on a, what… a cursing street date? You're not going around cursing the people in that area every time you get rejected, are you?」

I was sitting on my knees and said to Grimm who was looking my way with her head tilted,

「You fired a curse at me when we were inside the Toris Kingdom's castle, right? That curse that makes you impotent. So about that, what happens when the target of the curse dodges it? Didn't the ring that was supposed to be the offering disappear for sure?」

「Normally, curses are not something you can dodge. You remember when I cursed that General, Heine, right? She hid behind that golem and used it as a s.h.i.+eld. Leaving aside special instances where someone uses a magically-created lifeform as a s.h.i.+eld, unless a curse hits a lifeform and activates…」

Grimm stopped answering my question, and her complexion steadily went pale.

「Where do those curses go?」

「Maybe they go visiting somewhere?」

I harshly grabbed Grimm's head while she avoided my gaze, and whispered quietly to her,

「Have you heard the rumors about the Toris kingdom's prince?」

「I don't know what you're talking about because my only friend is Rose. I never hear any rumors.」

I said to Grimm after she just casually said something heavy.

「That old man was supposed to be a serious lecher that really loves beauties. Snow also put in a lot of effort after hearing that, but he wasn't even affected the slightest…」

After I spoke that much, Grimm smiled a little and placed her small index finger on my lips.

「Hey Commander. Don't you yearn for a secret between just the two of us?」

I slapped her finger away.

「Yearn my a.s.s! Oi everyone, listen to this! This girl is absurd! She's done something really dangerous!」

「Commander, wait! It's not for sure that it was my curse! It could've been from something else!! You saw how that old man looked, his conditioning wasn't very good! Or it could just be that Snow wasn't charming enough!!」

「Oi Grimm, you just said something I can't let go! What did you say about my charm!?」

That old man became impotent after getting hit by Grimm's curse!

“Even I am taken aback. The depths of Snow's greed and ambition repulses me a little, but you're the type that does stuff no one should ever do!”

「J-just think of it this way! I protected Snow's virginity! If I didn't do anything, Snow would've sold herself for a low price, as if she were groceries that were nearing their expiration date! A young girl should treat her body preciously!」

Towards Grimm, while she was making pathetic excuses,

「But, you showed me your panties before willingly.」

「That, that was…! B-back then I thought the Commander was a superb catch! You were leading a squad at such a young age. To think that you were bad with money, and a lousy, unsuccessful man…」

「You said in your own words that a young girl should treat her body preciously… You're over the age to call yourself a young girl.」

「Great Zenalith-sama, bring forth a curse to this man!! Make his body unable to m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e…」

「Stop! If that curse is activated, your body's going to take responsibility for it!」

While I rushed to restrain Grimm, laughter could be heard from the side.

I wondered what could be so funny when we were currently in a crisis since we were heading into the Sand King's territory. I turned to the source of laughter, and saw Rose happily laughing.

「Commander. The Sand King may be scary, but everyone being rowdy isn't a bad thing either. For some reason, it feels like we're going on a picnic!」

From those innocent words, Grimm and I were freed of the ill wills we possessed. We looked at each other and couldn't help but smile.

Part 3

「Hey Rose. You said that you felt like we were going on a picnic, right? Do you really think that? Can you still say that after seeing this!? Is this the mouth that spat out those carefree words!」

「It hurts, it hurts, I'm saaawy!」

The buggy we were riding was stuck in the jaws of some enormous creature that resembled an antlion.

「Oi, stop fooling around and do something! What is this huge thing!?」

As soon as we flashed some light into this darkness, the figure of a grotesque insect could be seen.

Inside the tilted car, I was hanging from my seat while I shouted that to Grimm as she was pulling on Rose's cheeks.

「This thing's a huge antlion! They dig holes in the Tezan Desert and prey on pa.s.sing animals! They're heinous demonic beasts! This isn't an enemy that a pitiful and vain Grimm-swan can take! More importantly, I hate insects!」

「It hwuts, it hwuuts!」

Grimm put more strength into pulling on Rose's cheeks.

「Whwhat are we going to do No. 6, are we going to fight!? This thing's a pretty strong enemy! But since I was demoted, I need some accomplishments…!」

「I want to accomplish something as well, but I don't want to go up against this thing! … That's right, insecticide! Let's have Kisaragi's powerful ant killer, Bug Killerin sent here, and use it to deal with this…!」

As I worked on the terminal in a panic, I screamed towards Alice who was causing the gear to make creaking noises.

「Do you even know just how much insecticide you'd need to take care of that giant thing? I'm going to step on the gas, so hold on tight. Kisaragi vehicles are high performance. They'd never lose to some bug.」

Almost as if its fellow machine had the same idea, Alice revved the engine to accelerate the buggy. .

With its flesh being torn apart by the tires spinning at a high velocity, the giant beast was unable to endure it and opened its jaw.

Treading on the soft sand, the buggy finally managed to escape from the hole. Sounds of relief could be heard inside.

『Oi Alice, first the Great Evil Forest, and now this desert. Aren't there too many dangerous beasts on this planet? Do our executives really need this kind of land? Let's just give up on this place and go back to Earth.』

『Even if it's a wasteland, land is land. If the population keeps increasing at this pace, then within ten years, there won't be any habitable land left on Earth. We can just exterminate the dangerous creatures and develop the wasteland. Nothing is impossible for us. Kisaragi technology is amazing, creating me, the high-performance android is proof of that.』

As if she was confident and proud of the Kisaragi tech that made her, Alice strongly declared that to me in j.a.panese.

In response to my partner's rare self-a.s.sertiveness,

『… Is that so. So it is. I don't really know about the Sand King, but in front of Kisaragi's power, it'd be nothing but a simple prey. Also with that guy gone, our business rivals would start to behave themselves, right? Then, hunting it down with this opportunity is one way to go about it. If we succeed, we can demand them to hand over part of their land as a reward.』

『That's great, No. 6, so you didn't forget the orders from the higher-ups. Within the month, let's expand Kisaragi's territory. The only land we have right now is that tiny base of ours. Let's fill the quota before Astaroth-sama gets angry.』

As Alice and I said that, we both had an evil grin on our faces.

— — —A moon, that was much larger than the one on Earth, silently lit up the desert.

Because of the good amount of light we were easily able to find the trees we were looking for.

After getting out of the buggy, we stepped on the ground below us.

Stomping on the ground a couple of times… As if the ground in this area was reinforced by the roots of all these trees, it was as hard as rocks.

「There really are trees growing in the middle of the desert. It doesn't look like they have leaves, I wonder if they're like cacti?」

「There might be water underground here. You guys go collect the fruits. I'm going to search underground.」

I left Alice alone as she started investigating after saying that. I looked around the area.

「Not only the animals of this planet, but the vegetation here is pretty amazing. Is this tiny fruit really filled with water?」

I grabbed one of the fruits hanging from a tree and carefully examined it.

「That fruit is compact because it's wrapped in magic. Apparently, if a magic removal spell is cast, then a large quant.i.ty of water can be gained. If we take as many fruits as we can see, then it'd be a huge accomplishment, enough to cancel my demotion!」

Because of what the excited Snow said, Alice reacted by flinching a little.

「You just said magic. Every time I hear about that shady occult stuff, it feels like my existence is being denied. It's annoying.」

「Is this brat still denying the existence of magic!? From the beginning, didn't you see me cast a curse? And explain how my doll and rings disappear in exchange!」

These two fight every time magic is brought up.

Alice looked annoyed as she held her head up while touching her terminal.

Soon after, an underground surveying tool arrived in her hand.

「Look, a tool came out of nowhere. For your information, this isn't magic. Since I can do it as well, claiming your tributes as proof is lacking.」

「Wait a second, what you guys always do isn't magic!? Then how are you going to explain me being unable to wear shoes!」

Science and the occult seem pretty incompatible, but the demonic beast could come anytime so I wish they'd be a little more quiet.

「That's why I said things like curses are nothing more than hypnotism. Also the compensation for failure is just an autosuggestion for increasing the hypnosis' effectiveness.」

「Just how much of a stubborn child are you!? Fine, if you're willing to go that far, then I'll cast a curse on you! Then why don't you try calling it hypnotism!」

While holding a doll tightly, she glared at Alice.— — —

「Hey No. 6, tie down Grimm right now. I'm going to have shoes sent here from Kisaragi, and force her to wear them. Moving around in a wheelchair is troublesome as well. I'm going to prove that there's no such things as curses or tributes.」

「Alright, leave it to me.」

「Noooooo! Wait you're lying, what are you going to do if my body explodes everywhere from wearing shoes!? You don't want to see such a gross sight, do you!? You won't be able to eat for three days straight!」

Seriously? Will she really explode if she doesn't observe the conditions for her powers?  

「Self-destruction is a villain's dream. If Grimm explodes, I'll acknowledge you as an excellent member of Kisaragi. I'll hang a Kisaragi badge on your grave.」

「Commander, please stop this kid! Snow! Rose! Instead of gathering up the fruits, help me!」

While Grimm was struggling as I was tying her up, Alice started to use her terminal.— — —

It was in that moment.

「Huh!? an earthquake!?」

Feeling the ground suddenly shaking, I unconsciously let go of Grimm.

While the others were sitting crouched because they couldn't keep themselves steady from the earth shaking, the only one who kept her footing, Grimm, quickly distanced herself from us.

「Look, this is divine punishment from Zenalith-sama! Since you were rude to me, he's making an example by shaking the earth!」

With a triumphant look and her chest puffed out, she pointed at Alice while saying……

However, Alice was ignoring both Grimm and the earthquake, and started her work searching underground.

「This brat! Even so, you're a little too carefree! Now, say 'Grimm-onee-chan, I'm sorry……' 」

It was at that moment when Grimm said that much.

As if responding to her loud voice, the earth started quaking, then the surroundings became silent.

「… Oi you guys, get inside the buggy right now. Don't raise your voice and be quiet. Let's get out of here.」

Hearing Alice say that while she was searching underground, even though I had a bad feeling, I obediently did what she said.

Realizing the atmosphere was abnormal, everyone didn't say anything and boarded the buggy.

While Alice was checking to see everyone boarded, she suddenly floored it without saying anything— — —!

『Oi Alice, I really hate this planet now! I really want to go back!』

『Stop saying something heartless, partner. This planet is truly interesting!』

Feeling an earthquake that was incomparable to the one before, the buggy accelerated right away.

「Hey, the earth is starting to rise, just what's going on!?」

「Where we're at right now is on top of the Sand King's back. When I searched the area, the whole place had the reaction of a living body.」

Even when Alice was explaining, the trees, that were getting farther and farther away, were rising and a large amount of sand was falling with them.

The moonlight revealed a gigantic mole that had trees growing on its back.

That thing, which was as big as a stadium, was the great demonic beast known as the Sand King.

「This is the first time I've seen the Sand King! I heard that it was big, but I didn't think that it'd be this big……」

While Rose made a laidback comment of appreciation, Snow was thoroughly looking at the collected fruits and,

「Hey No. 6. Doesn't that mean these fruits are the Sand King's…」

「Organs that collect water. Is it alright to just take these?」

As if responding to my question, the Sand King, that was taking its time getting up, looked back towards the buggy that we were riding.

With an unexpected cute appearance, the mole twitched its nose and…

「No. 6, the Sand King is following us! Whwhwhat are we going to do!? For its huge size, it's really fast! We're going to be caught at this rate!」

「Alice, can you go faster!? Kisaragi tech is supposed to be amazing, isn't it!? Wasn't nothing impossible for us!?」

「It's okay No. 6, the 'save and load' function that Kisaragi boasts of is the best. I'll do a little better next time.」

「You're the only one that can come back from this like that! d.a.m.n it, now that it's come to this, let's just fight!」

I don't really expect a rifle to do anything significant to that huge body.

Then, that leaves me with using my special move and cutting its weak spot with my R-b.a.s.t.a.r.d sword…!

「Well, just wait for it, No. 6. I'll give the signal, so everyone run outside when I do. Afterwards, make sure to not let out even a small sound. Also, even if something happens, don't move an inch.」

After saying something strange, Alice unlocked the doors and turned the steering wheel sharply and made the buggy slide across the sand.

「Get out!」

Matching Alice's signal, I ran out of the car and rolled onto the desert.  

I thought that the Sand King would attack us right away, but it turned right around to chase the buggy that was heading in the other direction.

The Sand King and the buggy were getting farther away.

That's probably because the Sand King was chasing the buggy to attack it.

Faraway, the sound of something exploding erupted.— —

「— —Now that we've come this far, does that mean we can relax for now?」

Because the Sand King destroyed our buggy, we were walking the distance.

With the moonlight illuminating our way, without missing a step on the sand and cheerfully leading the way, Alice mumbled,

「It doesn't look like it's near for now. Since a mole has bad eyesight, it uses sound and vibration to hunt their prey.」

「d.a.m.n it! Traveling by foot through a desert, what kind of punishment game is this!? To think that the buggy's destroyed, do you know how many points I spent on it…」

We've already walked for hours from the spot where we were chased by the Sand King.

「Hey No. 6, how many points do you have right now?」

「I only have 10 points right now. If I use this to have a tent teleported, then I'll be completely broke. Even though I was in the negative last month, I steadily committed evil acts earnestly, and at one point, I saved up quite a lot…」

「What kind of evil act can you do earnestly…?」

A buggy is worth about 300 points.

I spent most of my saved up points on the recent small skirmishes, and for the buggy we used for our transportation to Toris.

Even though I really want to get something to ride and go through this desert in a flash, with my current amount of points, that's not possible.

「Rose, you're getting meat and snacks when we return, right? Then I'll treat you to a lot of vegetables. So can you carry me? I don't think I can handle walking barefoot in the cold sand of a desert at night. I also left my favorite ride back in my room.」

「Grimm, why did you cast a curse that prevents one from wearing shoes? Weren't there any proper curses to cast?」

Behind us, Grimm was pestering Rose to carry her.

「If I were to tell you, it'd be a long story… Okay, about…… years ago…」

「I couldn't really hear the part about how many years ago…..」

At the sight of us leisurely talking as if we were never attacked by the Sand King, Snow had a somewhat conflicted expression while smiling bitterly.

「When we were running away, most of the fruits were dropped and it looks like we'll only be able to take one back, but…」

While saying that, she took out a small fruit.

「Look, No. 6. We got water from the Sand King, and everyone's still alive. This should be a good enough achievement. … Don't you guys think so as well?」

With the moonlight from this planet's especially large moon s.h.i.+ning on her, Snow smiled joyfully.

As if Snow's smile was contagious and because of the relief from escaping the Sand King, without knowing it, everyone's faces burst into smiles.

On a planet far away from Earth, in a desert during the night— —

「… Yup!」

I also couldn't help but to put on a smile.

Part 4 【Crossing the desert, day 1】

Under the desert sun, I moved my heavy foot forward.

「Hot!」

I can't count how many times she's cursed, even though yesterday night she was the one that claimed to see something in the distance.

「Shut up, it's hot for everyone! Just hearing you say it's hot is making it even more hot!」

The fantasy-like night was bright but after basking under the scorching sun, our mood took a turn for the worse.

「It's your outfit that's making you hot! How about you take off that black armor! I'm suffocating just looking at you!」

「This has a function that regulates my body temperature! Even though we're in the middle of the desert, I'm way better off wearing it!」

The battle suit that I'm wearing makes it possible for me to even sleep in the open whether it's in the desert or the arctic. It's quite handy.

Because I didn't do any maintenance on it for years, the built-in cooler wasn't in a good state. But I was still better off than the others.

「What…! That's not fair, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Even just the upper part is fine, so hand over your armor!」

「There's no point since this was custom made to fit my body! Anyway, how about you take your own advice and get naked if it's so hot!?」

While we were having a useless fight in the middle of the Tezan Desert,

「You two, if you keep fighting, you're going to get thirsty and hungry! We definitely only have a little more to go, so let's do our best!」

Although it was only our first day of walking, Grimm was already completely exhausted and couldn't move. Rose carried Grimm on her back while she shouted those words optimistically.

「See, even though she's the youngest, you should learn from the mature Rose! Out of everyone here, you're the loudest!」

「Wasn't Grimm the loudest just a few minutes ago!?」

The Disaster G.o.d believer and practically half-undead, Grimm was already weak to sunlight. Because of the strong sunlight here, her body dried up, and she was already taken out of commission.

In order to make sure she doesn't dry up any further, we put a hood over her. But if she isn't revived soon, then it would be too late.

「Well, there's one thing going for us. It's not difficult to get water in this desert. I don't need water, but everyone else will die if they don't drink it. Even though there's only one, we're lucky to have gotten this mysterious fruit.」

Alice was walking in the lead and talking in a good mood while she played with the fruit in her hand.

Snow was looking at her as if she was a little awestruck.

「I did hear about Alice, but I can't believe you were actually a golem. I can't really tell you apart from humans from just your looks…」

「To be more precise, I'm not a golem. Well, you can just think of it as something similar to it.」

At the moment, we were letting Alice guide us back to town because she said that she was equipped with some kind of internal map. She was also managing our water.

If she wasn't with us, we'd be in the middle of the desert without knowing where to go. We'd probably die.

Unlike the one that dried up right away, she was a reliable partner occasionally.

「Aside from water, I really want to eat something…」

「… Yeah. In the worst case scenario, we'll have no choice but to eat a demonic beast we encounter. Survival is the most basic of the basic skills for a combatant. We need to eat in order to survive. So we're going to eat the next demonic beast we find! Got it!?」

In response to my forceful statement, everyone meekly nodded with an astonished look on their faces.

【Crossing the desert, day 2】

「No way, no way, no way, no way, there's no way! Hey, this one still has its head attached to the body! More importantly, I told you there's no way I'm eating a humanoid!」

「Commander was the one that said we're going to eat the next demonic beast we find! Please stop being picky. If you don't eat, you're going to die!」

「For someone so lively all the time, you're so pathetic in times like this! Rose, open his mouth. I'll force feed him!」

In the middle of the desert at night, an orc was being cooked in a cauldron.

「I don't like orcs! I mean, they're capable of talking to us!」

While I was resisting Rose's monstrous strength, Snow laughed, as if to put me at ease.

「If that's your only reason, then relax. Wild orcs are different from the ones in the Demon King's Army that speak our language. They can only speak in some savage language. They can't talk with us, so you can eat them.」

No, that's not what I meant!

「Alice, help me! These guys are trying to make me eat an orc!」

「Relax, I've already investigated its components and it's a good source of protein. There's no poison as well, so there's no problem eating it.」

I'm saying that I can't eat intelligent lifeforms!

「Didn't you eat something even more incredible, all the time at the bar? So how are you so scared of a little orc meat!?」

「That's right, Commander. You ate so much of that stuff, that even I would be terrified of eating! It's too late to be worried about orc meat now!」

Eh?

「Wait a second, what did I usually eat there? What could be something that even Rose would be scared of?」

Without realizing it, Snow brought orc meat closer to my mouth just after I asked questions.

「Now, I'll feed you myself. Say ah~……」

「Wait, I said there's no way I can do orc meat! Aaahhhhh, at least ditch the head and give me a leg pieeeeeece!」

【Crossing the desert, day 3】

When the sun was up, we pitched a tent to rest in the shade. Once it became colder during the night, we'd resume our march.

And right now, we were avoiding the glaring sunlight.

「Oi No. 6, at this rate, it's going to get dangerous in many ways. Therefore, I have something I need you to do.」

「Let's hear it.」

Inside the f.u.c.king hot tent, Alice looked serious while she asked me something.

「Can you go lower Snow's panties?」

「What are you saying all of a sudden!? Alice, get a hold of yourself! You're the only hope out of everyone here!」

At Snow's sudden words,

「Understood, partner. I'll make your wish come true.」

「Don't make it come true! Oi, don't make that hand come any closer! Alice, did you break from this heat!?」

「Commander, what are you trying to do in this crisis!? Alice-san as well, please stop playing around!」

Even after receiving words of resistance from Snow and Rose, Alice still had the same serious expression.

「Enough, listen up you guys. Every time No. 6 commits an evil act, he'll receive a corresponding amount of points. And if we have enough points…」

「「「Ah!」」」

Now that I think about it, that's the case. Why didn't I realize this till now?

It's not like I can only commit evil acts in that town, there's a good opportunity right here.

Looking towards Snow, I had a serious expression when I told her with great resolve,

「You must be hot so I'll take them off.」

「Go die.」

Snow drew her sword and took her stance at me while I was trying to undress her, even by force.

「Please stop doing that in this small tent! Commander, and Snow as well, please calm down! Let's leave that as our final resort when we have no other choice!」

I backed down for now because of Rose's desperate plea, but……

「I already think we're at the point where we have no other choice in our current situation… Also between Snow and me… I've already touched her b.o.o.bs and lowered her panties. 」

「Shut up! In the first place, if it comes down to that, I'm not the only one that can take one for the team! Rose, you're a part of this as well!」

「What!?」

While casting a sidelong glance at us arguing, Alice motioned for me to come over.

Having no idea what was going on, I approached, only to see Alice giving me a thumbs up from under Grimm's skirt.

{Atrocity points have been added}

「No. 6, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d! … Even if it's me, that's a little too revolting…」

「Co-commander… You're the worst…」

「Th-that's not it…! No, I mean… this was Alice's…!」

Snow and Rose were coldly glaring at me after I raised Grimm's skirt.

【Crossing the desert, day 4】

In the desert, during the night, we've barely encountered any demonic beasts. Although this was troubling for our food supply, I didn't want orc meat.

I tried to earn atrocity points by raising Grimm's skirt, but messing around with a girl that wasn't breathing… Instead of it being considered an evil act, I think it was counted as a shameless and low move.

I started to wonder if Astaroth-sama was possibly observing me back on Earth.  

Since there's no other way, I'm going to lift the skirts of the girls that are still awake.

【Crossing the desert, day 5】

We didn't encounter any demonic beasts today as well.

Snow's looking at me as if she wants to say something.

Rose is looking at me in another way.

No, in Rose's case, it's not just me, she's also taking small glances at the unmoving Grimm.

Just what could it be? If you have something you want to say, then spit it out.

But I'm so hungry that I can't put up with it any longer.

I feel like I can even eat orc meat right now.

I remembered receiving something even though it took me into the negative in points. So I tried to do it again, but there was reaction.

Last time, they had no problem lending it to me in advance,  so why are they acting like this now?

I must be feeling Astaroth-sama's wrath right now.

When I go back to Earth, I'm going to set her as my target for earning atrocity points.

【Crossing the desert, day 6】

Snow asked me if I'm not going to lift Grimm's skirt anytime soon.

She told me that she'd overlook this since it was an emergency situation and s.h.i.+fted her gaze outside the tent.

It seems like this girl's now willing to sacrifice Grimm.

Just after I told her that I couldn't earn any more points by lifting the skirt of a sleeping girl, she told me that she could overlook me lifting hers.

I lifted Snow's skirt as a test, and to no surprise, I didn't receive any points.

I remembered that if the target didn't hate the act, it wouldn't be acknowledged as an evil act. So I asked her if she was actually happy that I lifted her skirt and we were almost at the point of killing each other.

Hunger causes the mind to go barbaric, so it became really troublesome.  

This is because lately, Rose wasn't trying to stop our fights.

Instead, every time we started fighting, she started to look at me expectantly.

Not just looking, her eyes reminds me of something I've seen before.

That's right. This is for certain. This was just like the gaze of the well-known carnivorous monster girl, Spider-woman-san, when she was looking at me.

If people are put in extreme situations, their survival instincts take over and in order to leave behind more children, I heard that their s.e.xual desires increase.

I wonder if that's it. I wonder if that dangerous look in Rose's eyes was because it's so hot in here. Don't worry, it's the same for me.

More importantly, spending time in this tent is awful. Not having my own room is awful.

As a test, I raised Grimm's skirt and peeked inside.

I hoped this would be different, but no points were added.

Just how does this system work?

Now that I think about it, I've heard before that the increase in atrocity points are influenced by emotions.

Maybe it's not working because it's a state of emergency right now?

I feel like I've heard somewhere that in an emergency situation when one's life hangs on the balance, normal criminal acts would no longer be considered criminal anymore.

That's right, this is in the same category as being stranded on a snowy mountain.

Is that what's going on? I wonder if the act of lifting Grimm's skirt no longer counts as a criminal act.

Now, even if I lift a skirt to peek inside, n.o.body says anything.

Snow would occasionally ask me, 'did it work?' and check to see if I gained any points.

Although I shouldn't really be saying this, but are these guys really okay with this?

【Crossing the desert, day 7】

Our surroundings started to get darker, it was soon time for us to resume our march.

And for us, we were getting closer and closer to our limits.

Alice was the only one energetic. According to her, it looks like there's only a few more days to go until we arrive back at town.

But, even though she says that, we are pretty much on the edge of our endurance right now.

I'm hungry, I want to eat something, I want to drink a refres.h.i.+ng beer, I want my private s.p.a.ce, even 5 minutes of alone time would be okay.

While I was having these thoughts as I walked, I saw Rose biting her own tail.

Just like when a little kid sucks on her thumb when she's hungry, it seems like this helps Rose forget about her empty stomach a little.

Recalling this girl's poor history, I felt a little sad for a moment. But I asked her if her lizard tail would grow back if a little part of it was cut off, and she seemed to seriously start worrying…

Anyways, since I have my battle suit that can regulate body temperature, it doesn't really matter for me.

And from what Rose told me, it seems like she's fine in the heat or cold.

Alice was, of course, fine.  

There's one person for whom it's already too late but Alice is spraying a preservative on her, so I want to think she'll be alright.

And with that, the only remaining problem is Snow.

I looked towards Snow, who had a dangerous look in her eyes.

I resolved myself and opened my mouth— —

Part 5

「This is an emergency, so I'm going to undress you.」

「Good timing. I'm just about at my limit as well. Come at me.」

It seems like she's at her limit as well. With poised eyes, she drew her sword and got into a stance without any openings.

As if her five senses were sharpened from the hunger, she was different from usual, and had the aura of a powerful enemy.

「You understand, Snow? Listen well. At this rate, everyone's going to die. So just put up with it for a little, and if you can ignore what I'm about to do, then with all the atrocity points I earn, you'll be happy as well from a full stomach and I'll be happy in a different way. So how about it? Don't you think this is a mutually beneficial deal since everyone will be happy?」

「Even if my mind's just about to reach its limit, I can still tell that you're trying to trick me.」

Even though that's what her mouth said, I could see a conflicted expression on her face.

「You don't want to die as well, right? Don't you want to stuff your face until your stomach is crammed full?」

At my sweet whisper, it was Rose that responded.

「I want to eat!」

「I'm not talking to you, right now. … So how about it, Snow? If you agree right now, then not only food, but I'll give you a rare item as well. That's not such a bad deal, right? You can sell magic items on the black market, right? You're having troubles because of money, right? If you can put up with it for just a little, then you'll be able to pay off all of your loan on your sword, you know?」

「Ahhhh……」

While Snow was conflicted in agony, Alice spoke up while she was brus.h.i.+ng off all the sand that got in her shotgun.

「What are you worrying about after all you've done? You were so determined to sell your body to that man called Engel.」

「Back then… My eyes were lured in by all of the wealth that affluent country had. It wasn't my fault! Also back then, if something were to happen, he would've taken full responsibility for it. But in this case…」

Snow cast a look at me as if she wanted to say something.

「I don't like the word 'responsibility'.」

「Here I am trying to reason with you, you a.s.shole.」

Hearing Alice's harsh remark, I looked towards Snow again.— —

In the end, it seems like Snow reached her limit because she just fell over.

「O-oi, is this for real! Grimm's already deadweight, but if you collapse here as well, it'd be hard for me to carry you!」

「Ugh… I, I can't…… Go on anymore…」

It seems like she doesn't even have the strength to stand anymore because of the lack of sleep and hunger in this poor environment.

「Hey No. 6, this is your chance. While she's still conscious, get her right now.」

「N-no, that's going a little too far…」

Although I might get an earful since this was coming from someone that was just about to attack her, but I feel like attacking a girl that can no longer move is a line that I can't cross.

It was at that moment.

「Commander, I can't… Wait any longer…」

As if her consciousness became clouded because of the desert heat, Rose's face was bright red and her breathing was really rough as she mumbled.

「Ro-Rose? Wait, it's too early for your turn. Leave this kind of stuff to the one in charge of lewdness. It wouldn't weigh on her consciousness no matter what she does, so let Snow go first…」

Hearing Rose's unexpected words, normally, I'd be ecstatic, but I was hesitant right now.

If it was Grimm or Snow that said it, I'd probably wouldn't hesitate……

「But, any longer and…!」

Even though Rose looked like she was trying her best to hold it in, her expression, that said she can't hold it in any longer, caused my rationality to go out the window.

That's right, we're all at our wit's end.

Alice was watching this scene for a while now, please leave the tent for a little bit.

「Okay, sorry for making this embara.s.sing for you. I was at a loss because it was so sudden.」

「Embara.s.sing me, that's…… I also fully understand that this is a line I shouldn't cross. But…!」

Is that it?

It is……

We're comrades in the same squad.

There's no relations.h.i.+ps between s.e.xes here, we're comrades that entrust our lives with each other.

If we cross this line, it might cause some difficulties in future missions.

Every time we see each other, we'll definitely have awkward thoughts.

But…!

「Rose, this is an emergency right now. So don't dwell on it. And, this is also part of our instincts. Even setting aside this extreme situation, it's not that strange of a thing.」

That's right, the closer we get to death, our s.e.xual desires increase as a result of our survival instincts.

It's like the phenomenon where 'that' will for some strange reason have more vitality after being up all night.

After hearing what I said, she repeated my words back to herself as if she was trying to convince herself.

「Part of our instincts… It's an extreme situation, and it's not even that strange…」

「That's right! It's one of the three pillars of life! It's not a sin, even if you can't hold back!」

TN: Sleep, Eating, Reproducing

As soon as I outright stated that, she started to smile as if all her worries were dispelled.

「Yes, I somehow feel renewed now! Since we're in this situation, there's no other way!」

「Yup, there's no other way! If there were to be a problem, it'd be on the matter of whether it was consensual.」

That's right, if it's consensual, then my atrocity points won't go up.

「Huh? What's not good about it if it's consensual?」

「Ah, no, if you ask me directly like that, I don't think there's anything particularly bad, but… Well, if you want it that much, then it actually makes me a little happy… So even though you're usually reserved, you were the carnivorous type, huh.」

Hearing my mumbling, Rose started to blush.

「D-do you not like carnivores?」

「Not at all, I prefer to be on the offensive as well. Or so I say. Since it's to save everyone. I can't let your pure self be the only one taking it. That's right, something called necessity, is important.」

If she doesn't show a little bit of disliking this, then my atrocity points won't go up.

Rose lowered her head after she heard what I said.

「Yes, I'm a force of nature. It's alright, if it's that way, it'll reduce my sense of guilt. Commander, You have to face me seriously as well.」

「Sense of guilt… Huh, what? Am I the one on the offensive? Well, it's not like I don't like that role. Actually I'd really like that, but…」

I started to become hesitant at the sight of Rose approaching me quickly, different from her usual self.

I made Rose say all that, even though she's supposed to be my junior. How can I back away right now?

「Besides, I wanted to do this with Commander at full power. If it wasn't for a situation like this, we wouldn't be able to do this seriously. So please don't hold back!」

「You're fine with my full power!? I was going to be gentle with you, but… If you want it like that…」

It makes me a little uneasy to have my overflowing desire grind against a little girl…

But, I'm also a man. I have to respond to Rose after she resolved herself this much.

「Alright, then at least let me wash my body with a wet towel.」

This is the least bit of common courtesy I can show.

「I'm sorry, Commander! I can't hold back any longer…! Anyway, Commander, I'm fine with just the way you are right now? I… thought this for a while, but Commander smells really good…」

「I s-smell good!? You're really a.s.sertive today! Well, if you're fine with it, then it's okay with me, but aren't you a little bit crazy!?」

A fire is starting to heat up inside me because of what this younger girl is saying. It's making my heart beat really fast.

I looked towards Alice, who was watching us enthusiastically. As soon as I sent her a look telling her to read the mood…  

「I have a question for No. 6 and Rose. What are you two thinking of doing right now?」

「I'm going to pounce on her, and eat her out!」

「That's right, I'm going to devour the commander!」

After saying similar things at the same time, both our faces started to redden.

Alice said to the both of us,

「I don't think you two are on the same page, even though you guys seem like you are.」

She told us that as if she was watching something really funny.

「I'm about to do lewd things with Rose?」

「I'm about to exchange blows with the Commander?」

「What are you saying right now? What do you mean by exchanging blows? Is that some kind of dominatrix play?」

「What's the Commander saying right now? Following nature's law of the fittest, the losing side will get eaten.」

「By eaten, doesn't that mean in a s.e.xual way?」

「But I meant it literally?」

「Stop trying to be funny, that's not funny at all! I've come across many ridiculous monsters, and even if it's me, this is a little bit of a turn off!」

「Why are you like this so suddenly? It was the Commander that said it's alright to not hold back because it's one of the three pillars of life!」

「I did say that! I did say that, but!!」

I didn't mean that one. Even though eating is one of the three pillars as well, I didn't mean that one!

Rose's eyes looked really dangerous, as if she's reached the limit of her self-control.

「Commander, this is an emergency. This isn't the time to dwell on it.」

「I did say that, but this isn't the way! We only have a few more days to go until we reach the town, so we're going to have to endure it for just a little bit longer!」

The people on this planet will even eat orcs that are intelligent beings.

In other words, that means……

Rose's face was flushed red as she started to mumble something.

「I can't hold back anymore…… I was happy that Commander said that he didn't hate carnivores…」

「Communicating is so hard, is this what they mean by a cultural gap!?」

A 'carnivorous girl' has a different meaning back where I come from!

To make sure Rose doesn't get excited, I started to slowly walk backwards outside the tent.

Rose watched me with the eyes of a predator.

「Commander smells really good…」

「Context is really important. That's the same words from before, but my heart won't stop beating really fast because it means something completely different!」

Rose's cheeks started to blush from my words.

「Commander, do you know of the wobbly legs phenomenon? That might be what's known as love…」

「Yeah, this throbbing might be because of love! Alright, let's go, bring it on! My mind is feeling refreshed now, I'll just squash you right now!」

How can a combatant from an evil organization cower away from a brat!?

「Grandpa told me before! If a person loves someone, then they'll want to become one with the one they love…」

「Well your gramps was right, but your interpretation is wrong!」

As I shouted that while getting into my stance, Alice chimed in,

「Then, I'll leave you two young people here to do as you please.」

After we saw Alice leave the tent after saying that— — —

「This fight… Was destined to happen even before we were born…… I'm from the Grace Kingdom's Guerilla Squad, Battle Chimera Rose! Here I come!」

「I'm a member of the Secret Society of Kisaragi, Combatant No. 6! I'm now going to use you to earn my points!」

On a faraway planet, inside a tent in the desert, a steamy night began— —!

{Atrocity points have been added}

「— —Oh. No. 6, cheer up. It's starting to show.」

I couldn't say anything and just let out a sigh.

In my seat, inside the freshly arrived buggy.

『Hey Alice. I want to go back to Earth now.』

『What are you saying, you just had a good time yesterday night. Because of you, we managed to get our hands on a buggy that's also the newest model. Be happy for that.』

『You think I had a good time!? Good time my a.s.s! Are you stupid? In the end, I couldn't even cross the line, it wasn't anything more than dirty talk!』

『Even so, you still earned a lot. Good job. From now on, continue to fight Rose on the regular.』

While fighting Rose yesterday night after she turned all weird, I did a lot of different things and earned a lot of points as a result.

Seeing an opportunity to use my new points, I had things to eat teleported. Rose was caught up with the food after I attacked her, but…

『Battle chimeras are scary. This kid managed to fight me evenly when I was being serious.』

『That's quite interesting. It looks like we can't ignore investigating the ancient ruins of this planet.』

Looking behind to the back seats, three people were stuck together with the whites of their eyes showing.

There's not even a single shred of sensuality to be found amongst them now.

『Anyways, it'll be hard to call Tirris' request a success, since we used up quite a bit of the water from that mysterious fruit we managed to get our hands on. Furthermore, I want to send this fruit to Kisaragi to research it. If we can replicate the absorptive properties of this thing, it'll be really useful for us.』

『Now that I about it, I've completely forgotten about the request…』

While I was having a headache because of what's to come, the Grace kingdom finally started to come into our sights.

But something seemed strange.

It was just like that time the Demon King's Army invaded— — —

Part 6

「The Demon King's Army and Toris have joined hands. We are seeing aggressive movements from them. 」

Alice and I were summoned by Tirris as soon as we arrived in the town. We heard the news as soon as she opened her mouth.

It seems like those guys finished preparing for battle when we were suffering away in the desert.

「Oh, so they're scared of my strength? Fighting is this combatant's job. But, No.6-san's services aren't cheap, you know?」

「Did you forget that it was No. 6-sama's fault for turning the Toris kingdom into our enemies?」

Tirris spoke while looking at me with pitying eyes.

「I'm a man that doesn't linger in the past. I don't remember stuff that happened in the past.」

「That's amazing No. 6, this is something that happened just last week.」

Seeing that even Alice's comment went out one ear and out the other, Tirris let out a sigh as if she was troubled.

「Since the situation has escalated this much, we have no choice. But, No. 6-sama, you have to take responsibility for your actions as well.」

「I don't like the word 'responsibility'.」

「You're such a piece of trash. This conversation isn't going anywhere at this rate, so stop being so noisy.」

Tirris' veins were twitching and she resumed talking with great patience.

「Currently, because of the dispatched combatants from Kisaragi Corporation, we don't fall behind in combat strength against the Demon King's Army. But, since Toris is now our enemy, if we engage in a drawn out war, then defeat is guaranteed. Since, we still have a water problem…」

「So Tirris should go in front of the people…」

「I've seen the report stating that you failed to gather the water necessary for farming! At this rate, our country will be in a dangerous situation! We're doing our best to search for my father. For No. 6-sama, I'll give you a special mission!」

Tirris cut me off and took out a map.

「This is the map of the ruins that I was planning to reward you with upon the success of the escort mission to Toris. I've heard that two generals of the Demon King's Army are investigating these ruins…」

Now that I think about it, I didn't say anything about it, but Heine and Russell were in Toris for that reason.

「Mhm, apparently there's a powerful ancient weapon lying dormant there. They told me they were going to use it to take down the Sand King.」

Tirris nodded to what I said and,

「I need the two of you to go to those ruins.」

「… In other words, are you telling us to stop them from getting their hands on that ancient weapon?」

We had no clue what kind of weapon it was, but Heine seemed pretty confident about it.

It definitely won't be good for us if the enemy gets their hand on it, but…

Just when I was having these thoughts…

『Hey No. 6, listen well to what I have to say. If you don't, something bad will happen.』

『It's really rare for you to say it like that. What is it? Are you wary of that ancient weapon?』

Even though she was surprised at Alice suddenly speaking in j.a.panese, Tirris was silent as she watched on.

『There was that mysterious gla.s.s case back in Toris. And it was empty inside. What suddenly emerged from inside was a general from the Demon King's Army that knew a lot about the ancient ruins and that case. So,doesn't that surprise you?』

Alice's way of talking was different from her usually serious tone. I gulped.

『… In other words, there are a lot of those gla.s.s cases lying around in these ancient ruins. Are you saying that there are many beautiful girl-type homunculi being ma.s.s produced…?』

『That's completely off the mark. … That kid called Russell strangely knew a lot about the ruins. I'm thinking that he was the one that was inside the case from the very start. Also, he got really mad when you were hitting that case. It felt like he was quickly trying to stop you before you broke something really important to him.』

Oh yeah, that did happen.

『There's a possibility that he's the same as Rose, a battle chimera that was created long ago. Plus, he has a full recollection of the past. That's why they said that they can take down the Sand King if they had that ancient weapon. …… You had a hard time fighting the battle chimera, Rose. He probably has a similar level of strength as her. If you let him get such a troublesome weapon, then…』

『Our business will be ruined!』

I finally managed to realize our situation with Alice's explanation.

The reason why the combatants from Kisaragi can fight against the Demon King's Army was because of the advantage of having modern weaponry.

As if Tirris could tell what I was thinking from my expression and shout,

「I don't really know what you two were talking about, but it seems like you've made up your mind.」

「That's right. This doesn't seem like it's just somebody else's problem. We'll completely destroy that weapon so there are no traces of it remaining.」

As I said that while nodding my head, it seems like Tirris's expression softened.

「 Please, I'm entrusting you with this request… Please take care of it before we run out of water…」

「Well, you can solve the water problem instantly if you'd just cooperate a little.」

All you have to do is shout that in front of the people…

「I sincerely apologize, it's because I lack the strength… With my mana and my apt.i.tude for magic, I can only summon a water spirit for a split second. So, it's really regrettable, but…」

「That's not what I'm saying, though? It's not like I'm expecting anything if you cooperate with your magic? Wouldn't everything be solved if you could just shout that in front of everyone?」

Tirris just ignored what I had to say.

「Then No. 6-sama, Alice-sama! You must succeed with your mission of destroying the ancient weapon!」

「Oi, you just told me to take responsibility. Then, Tirris, as royalty, should also take responsibility. This can be solved if you just shout one thing.」

While I was pressuring Tirris as she was avoiding my eyes,

「No, let's wait on destroying it. If we're doing that, we might as well take that weapon.」

The android from an evil organization proposed something very reasonable.

Part 7

After we returned to our base, we reported what was going on to Tiger-Man-san.

「On that note, Tiger-Man-san, we'll leave the defense of this country to you. We're going to raid the ancient ruins in Toris.」

「Oi, that's not fair you guys. I also want to go nyaa…」

We were inside a room inside our base that we're calling the conference room, Tiger-Man-san said those words to say he'd be bored staying behind.

We're going to sneak into the ancient ruins, and take the weapon that our business rivals are looking for.

Then we're going to use that weapon to seize Toris. That was Alice's plan.

Currently, unlike the Demon King's Army that rushed in to attack, it seems like Toris is being cautious and gathering up their troops.

If that ancient weapon falls into enemy hands, it'll be really bad for us.

So bad that if the girls in my squad weren't on the verge of dying, then I'd like to leave right away.

Then, while Alice was taking out a map,

「The ruins of Toris should be around here. We're going to follow Russell while he's investigating the ruins, and let them go inside the ruins first. Since we don't know if there are defensive mechanisms or traps set up inside, we're going to let them care of them. Then when they make it to the very end, we're going to attack them and steal the weapon.」

「「That sounds good.」」

Mine and Tiger-Man-san's voices overlapped unintentionally.

Those guys will be in tatters when they reach their goal from fighting or removing traps. When they get careless from the relief of finding their target, we'll attack then.

It's the perfect plan for an evil organization.

「Tiger-Man-san, you forgot to end your sentences with 'nyaa'.」

「It doesn't matter since I'm only with you guys. Anyways, tailing people with my large body seems hard. There's no helping it, this time, I'll hold the fort down nyaa.」

「Tiger-Man's mission won't be easy either. You'll have to repel the Demon King's Army when they attack. If they get through here, then it's likely that Toris' army will follow up at once. If we can successfully steal away the weapon, then it'll be possible to negotiate using the threat of the weapon. But if we fail, then everything will be decided by the battle against those two. It's a really important responsibility, but we'll entrust it to you.」

「The standby point is the forest. I'm known as the king of the jungle, Tiger-Man, you know? I can win fighting defensively in the forest with my eyes closed nyaa.」

「As expected of Tiger-man! Even with all the nyaa nyaa, you still sound cool! 」

The monsters: Chameleon-man and Tiger-Man.

Their idiosyncrasies and personalities may be on the extreme side, but these two are the best from Kisaragi in regards to fighting in the forest.

While Alice looked at me and Tiger-Man,

「Alright. Then, let's head to Toris again since the generals from the Demon King's Army are there right now. Since it's probably chaotic within the Toris kingdom because they're preparing for war, those guys will likely want to finish investigating the ruins as soon as possible.」

After saying that, she raised her fist into the air.

「We're all part of an evil organization. We'll use whatever we can and reap all the benefits there are!

「「Hear hear!」」

We b.u.mped our fists together as we raised our voices with plenty of spirit.

【Interim Report】

Due to minor cultural differences, we're at a state of war with a neighboring country.

Also, it seems like a popular party trick from j.a.pan isn't well received in a wealthy nation.

Speaking of cultural differences, carnivorous girls of this planet are much more active than those from Earth.

I was nearly eaten, unlike what happens when the mood's going well, intercourse was avoided.

I probably would've been eaten if I didn't keep my wits about myself.

On that note, because we're in a crisis, I'm requesting free delivery of water and food.

Please consider it because there are lives at stake.

Report by Combatant No. 6, who's popular with carnivorous women.

Special thanks to CannonGerbil & Ulti! Seriously, they made this chapter a whole lot more readable!!

Oh boy, the things people do when they're in a crisis… There's probably a meme here I can write, but I gotta head out right now so I'm going to spare you from my humor.

I know there's a s.p.a.cing issue with this chapter, but the people wanted this chapter and I'll change it later tonight!

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!