Combatants Will Be Dispatched Volume 1 Chapter 3

Translated by JayTranslation

Edited by Ulti

Part 1

Rose is my new toy…. No, that's not it. After we made her one of us against her will, we received several orders to go a.s.sault some areas and we were involved in many small skirmishes.

Victories are quite rare nowadays so as we stacked up wins, we steadily increased our military achievements.

That was how I spent my day-to-day, although today was a rest day….

「Strange.」

Inside our designated room in the barracks.

Alice was in the middle of disa.s.sembling and cleaning her shotgun. She put her hands down and looked up after hearing my mumbling.

「What's with you? Is there something concerning about the movements of the Demon King's Army?」

「No, it's not something trivial like the Demon King's Army.」

Alice placed the shotgun parts on top of the table. She changed her posture to listen to me seriously.

「…Ever since we came here, we've already been sent out on several raids, and continually stacked up achievements. And now, even though it's been a while, no one has shown any signs of liking me.」

「…What?」

Alice, although she's just an android, made a very funny face with her mouth wide open.

「Don't 'what?' me. Listen carefully, Alice. My squad only has girls. On top of that, I've had encounters with Tirris, the female knights… Heine, even though she's an enemy. The policewoman as well, even though she has a boyfriend.」

「A warning came from that very same policewoman. It seems like Grimm took quite a liking to the wheelchair you gave her. She's been speeding down the streets every day. The policewoman said that the next time she sees her, she'll be arrested.」

I ignored Alice's words, and raised my fist to emphasize my point.

「But! There's been so many encounters, but not once has there been a perverted event. Such as when I'm in the middle of my bath, and Snow walks in because she accidentally strolled into the men's bath. Or when I wake up and realize Grimm crawled into my bed because the ever so sleepy Grimm mistook my room for hers. Or when Rose gets hungry, she could've mistaken my… I'm saying that it's strange that there hasn't been any of those events yet.」

「Your last scenario was the lowest, but I understand just how strange you are now more than ever.」

As if she discovered a rare specimen, Alice looked at me with great interest. I turned to her to continue my speech.

「I brought the first taste of victory to this country that only knew defeat. Although they may have been small skirmishes, I'm still stacking up excellent results! Normally, that alone should be more than enough to fall for me. But I'm still waiting for the event to happen where I collide with a girl around the corner of a hallway that ends with me fondling her b.o.o.bs as a result of falling down! Everyday, I'd sit around the corner of the hallway, so it's not like I'm not putting in the effort!!」

「There are complaints coming from all over the place asking you to stop that because it's obstructing them.」

As I was poking Alice's head for continually interrupting me,

「To receive a confession from a beautiful girl while a coincidental gust of wind prevents me from hearing it… I want to be yelled at by that girl for not realizing her feelings while being called a dense idiot! Then… Then, I want to be asked by a ton of beautiful girls about which one I would choose!! I want that kind of chaos… Oi, where do you think you're leading me while grabbing my hand?」

「Mhm, okay. I get it, so follow me to the infirmary. I'll give you a thorough medical examination.」

I brushed away Alice's hand.

「I'm not crazy! However, it's a little strange. Only looking at this country's knights alone, the percentage of women is way too high! How is it that there are so many girls around, yet I'm still waiting for my lucky erotic event!?」

After hearing my soul pour itself out, Alice let out a very deep sigh.

I thought about this occasionally, but there are times when she's actually like a human.

Alice took my right hand and placed it on her chest.

I didn't know the meaning of this and silently looked on.

「Ah. Ah.」

With a deadpan expression as if reading out loud from a textbook, Alice started to moan. I once again brushed away her hand.

「It must feel good for you to touch a beautiful girl's chest. I hope you can be content with just this for today.」

「How can I be happy touching the silicone attached to a robot's chest!? And at least put some emotions behind your moaning! And again, no. It's not like that! I mean, of course I want to do erotic things!」

「Alright, I understand now so calm down a little. Let's go to the infirmary now. Hmmm?」

While Alice was trying to calm the agitated me, a knocking sound came from the door.

「Your rowdy voice can be heard way beyond your door! Just what do you think you're shouting out loud!? There's going to be a meeting right now. You've been summoned as well… Saying erotic stuff and whatnot! You saying that out loud will turn me into a laughingstock for being in the same squad as you! So stop it!」

A bright red faced Snow opened the door and informed me of my summons.

「— — The Hero-dono's party was defeated by the demons guarding the top floor of Duster Tower. Gil of Power and Rista of Knowledge dealt heavy wounds to them. Currently, they are receiving emergency treatment from the healers that were dispatched.」

We were currently in the conference room within the castle.

The commanders of every squad were gathered here to listen to the situation from the general.

There was a great commotion after the news of the Hero's defeat.

「Quiet! Luckily, even in this unfortunate situation, the Hero-dono's wounds are not fatal. It seems like it won't be difficult healing him.」

All the commanders were relieved from the good news.

「But, as you all know, our country is currently losing ground to the Demon King's Army. It's fortunate that the Hero-dono didn't die, but now there's a problem because of the defeat this time.」

The meeting room was dead silent as everyone was waiting for the man's next words.

「What I mean by that is we no longer have time. In terms of overall strength, though frustrating to admit, the Demon King's Army is a lot stronger than us. If this war is prolonged, it is guaranteed that our country will fall. Our only hope was for the Hero-dono to slay the Demon King before that happened. In other words, although it might be harsh to say this about the Hero-dono, if he doesn't hurry, then the situation will only get worse. And in this predicament, he suffered injuries.」

Dreary expressions formed on everyone's faces.

「I have asked the Hero-dono, who is currently undergoing treatment, why he went about attacking Duster Tower. Apparently, a treasure that's necessary to attack the Demon King's castle is stored there. In other words, upon the completion of his treatment, the Hero-dono will strike the tower once again. But, we're running out of time….」

As everyone was quietly listening, the man slammed the table.

「For that reason… While the Hero-dono is recovering, we will use our full force to attack Duster Tower. We will use the full might of our nation to take the necessary treasure! For the sake of defeating the Demon King even a second faster!」

The conference room exploded in cheer.

Every squad commander was unified in excitement.

…Still, this is a lot different from the 'heroes' I know of….

I thought a hero would be sent by the King to take down the Demon King with the absolute minimum amount of help. It should have been the hero's duty to figure out the weaknesses of the Demon King. To think that the whole nation would be behind him..

Wait a second, now that I think about it… The hero is a prince of this nation.

If that's the case, then it wouldn't really differ from the tales of the past. Isn't it a given that the whole nation would, at least, support him?

Since this isn't really a place where I can voice my complaints, I idled around the table in the conference room.

「Please wait a moment. General, is there a plan of action for attacking Duster Tower, when even Hero-dono failed?」

The person who chipped in was an older man with thinning hair and a scar over one eye.

He was definitely the military advisor. While the folks here were losing battles, I was boasting of our achievements and almost brought this man to tears criticizing him.

「Duster Tower.. The tower's interior is practically hollow. From the interior walls, there's a spiral staircase that leads all the way to the top. By going up the narrow staircase, there will be encounters with the demons protecting the tower. Soldiers injured during combat will be replaced. There's no other option, but to utilize our numbers and slowly march up. There's no guarantee that the raid would be complete by the end of the day even if we were to start the operation in the morning… Advisor, do you have a better plan to deal with the demons?」

When put into the spotlight with a follow up question, the old man quickly became fl.u.s.tered.

Seems like he didn't have a better alternative.

「Ah, no. I don't have anything in particular…」

Stay in there, old man.

… As I was thinking that, for some reason, he took a sideway glance at me.

What is it, old man? I don't have a lifeline for you. Even if I could give you one, I wouldn't.

「Racking up achievements one after another lately, as well as coming from a different nation. If it's No. 6-dono, wouldn't you be able to think up a strategy that we could never concoct ourselves? Since you were able to criticize us so thoroughly for our poor performances in past battles…」

It seems like this old man was holding a grudge from the past.

After he said that, everyone's gazes turned to me.

…I'm definitely going to make him lose more of his thinning hair for this.

The general locked eyes with me.

「No. 6-dono, do you have another way to deal with the demons?」

…Well there is, but I don't know if they'll accept it.

Because these guys and knights of this world have completely honorable mindsets, and me being from an evil organization… Our ways of thinking are completely different…..

「Let's light it on fire~」

As if the table was flipped over, instantly, everyone's heads tilted towards me like I was a hopeless case.

「You mean attack with fire? But the tower is made of stone. I don't think fire will have any effect…?」

A female commander nearby asked me the question.

「That's not what I meant. Since the tower's interior is hollow… If we secure the ground floor, then after we open the entrance, I'm saying that we should make a campfire in the middle of the open area. From the enemy bosses to the rest of the demons within the tower, we'll have them scorched all at once until they're nothing but ashes. It'll be fun!」

「Wh, uh, what does everyone think of that? I mean, certainly it'll be effective. It'll be effective, but…」

From the fl.u.s.tered general's words,

「Even if they're demons, isn't this a little too harsh…」

「Although our own damages will be small…」

「Pardon me, is this really ok to do as a knight?」

Once again, the conference room erupted into chatter as each commander was voicing their thoughts.

……After ten minutes…

「This, this never happened! No. 6-dono, although you gave us a plan, we're going to act as if we never heard it, and proceed with our original frontal attack.」

Every commander nodded their head in agreement.

Part 2

The tower was vacantly standing alone in the middle of a vast wilderness.

It had white walls and was about the size of a small skysc.r.a.per.

There were already many knights deployed inside and they've managed to secure the ground floor, where there were many areas to fight in.

Alice approached the tower. She started knocking on the outer walls as if it was of great interest.

「It seems like we can take it easy till evening.」

「「Eh…?」」

Snow and Rose blinked their eyes as if they couldn't understand what I just said.

Grimm was already next to me sleeping peacefully on her wheelchair, as usual.

「What are you saying!? The attack on the tower has already started!! Also, there's a fearsome demon that has already defeated the Hero waiting in there! If we win this, our accomplishments will soar through the roof!!」

Snow was very excited with her fist held high as she was lecturing me without pause.

「Hey… Isn't the Hero person supposed to be really strong? So strong that he would never lose in a 1 vs. 1 against one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army? I don't want to go out. It's scary. I don't even want to think about the risks, that's why I'm going to take a nap right here. Since we brought such a large army, at least one of the squads should be able to finish up here. Once it's evening and Grimm wakes up, if the raid on the tower isn't finished, then we'll talk.」

After hearing my words, the veins on Snow's temple were bulging and her face reddened in a flash.

Why does this girl get agitated so easily?

「You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Based on the last few battles, I thought I could trust you, but I see that was a mistake on my part! You coward! So be it, I'll go alone! If I have any great feats, I won't share any with you!」

Snow spat out those words and started stomping towards the tower.

「Hey, commander… Is this really alright? To let Snow go out on her own…?」

Rose was gazing worriedly at Snow's back.

She looked like she couldn't decide whether to run after her or not.  

「It's ok, because she's strong. Besides, soldiers from our side are scattered all over inside the tower, so there should be no problems. Maybe she'll get tired soon and come back.」

— — After a couple hours.

「…Hah… Hah…」

She really came back because she was tired.

「Hah… Hah… It's almost evening, No. 6… Is, Is Grimm still not awake?」

「I think she's going to wake up soon, but it seems like she's in some fun nightmare, so we were all watching her for a bit.」

While sitting in her wheelchair, Grimm was drooling and mumbling around.

「Aaah… Snow is… Snow is blus.h.i.+ng while telling the Commander… That he can do anything he wants to her chest… Such indecent actions…」

「Wake up, Grimm! You're dreaming such a stupid dream! Oi, wake up! If you keep dreaming this weird dream, I'm going to slap you!!」

As Snow was violently shaking her, Grimm slowly opened her eyes.

「Ah! …I just had an amazing prophetic dream…」

「That's enough, you can sleep more. I'll bury you after I cleave you in half.」

「It's been a while since she's been awake, don't try to make her go to sleep again. Anyways Alice, how's the situation? Do you think we'll be able to go?」

After I calmed down the cold-blooded Snow, I asked Alice as she was examining the outer walls of the tower.

「Mhm. The tower is a solid structure made from stone. It won't collapse from a small hole in it. First, be wary of the wind that's picking up while you guys go up. Also, since it's getting dark, be careful where you put your hands. And take off all the heavy armor before you go. Everyone, proceed while wearing things easy to move in.」

Snow had a suspicious expression after listening to Alice.

「What's going on? Just what kind of thing are you scheming again?」

「How rude to call it scheming. Aren't we going to attack the tower? I think it's about the right time.」

Snow seemed to be even more suspicious now.

「You… Didn't you say you didn't want to because it was scary? What brought about this wind of change?」

「I said I didn't want to because it was scary if we're supposed to a.s.sault the tower head on. Although not as much as you, but I do want to rack up more achievements. And I want to do it in the easiest, least dangerous way possible. All this time, I've been observing everyone constantly fighting, and it seems like quite a few teams faced the bosses on the final floor. How'd it go? Did the bosses receive any injuries? Are they even a little bit weaker?」

Snow looked astonished from my question,

「You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, now you're freely revealing your underhanded ways…. Many people made it to the top floor. Even though they were well prepared, the awaiting bosses instantly defeated them. It seems like the enemy duo has a very powerful, coordinated attack. Currently, our side is thinking of possible weaknesses that they might have.」

As Snow was finis.h.i.+ng up, a sound arose.

From the outer wall of the tower where Alice was clinging to, a clanking sound could be heard as if someone was hammering something in.

As I looked towards where the sound was coming from, I saw Alice's figure after she hammered in an iron stake.

「Mhm, it's working fine, this will work. It's simple to hammer it in. No. 6, take this.」

A compact-size climbing hammer was in Alice's hands.

Although it was originally a tool used to hammer in stakes into bedrocks…

「…What is that tool? …No, there's no way…」

After seeing that, Snow was starting to break out in cold sweat.

「Alright, shall we get started? You really think you can raid this place from the inside? You people are so frustrating. The demons will be busy taking care of the soldiers coming up. It's also pretty dark right now, so we won't be discovered climbing up the outer wall. There's no way they'd expect us coming up this way.」

Part 3

「Hey, go around that way! Take out those demons that use magic first! The damage will be spread out!」

「Push forward! We'll take them on with our numbers!」

The sound of chaos could be heard while I was leading the slow ascent from the outer wall with a small climbing hammer.

The sound of each stake being hammered in was obscured by the loud battles taking place inside the tower.  

「Is… Is this kind of method even allowed? This…. this….」

Snow was mumbling to herself while following right below me.

Snow was without her armor, and had her sword strapped to her back.

The other members were also without any heavy gear, and were climbing up in an unenc.u.mbered state.

「Oi Snow, they probably can't hear because of the battles going on, but since you never know, keep it down. If the enemy notices us here, then we're all finished. If you have any complaints, take it up with Alice, who came up with this plan.」

I was without my battle suit right now. If I fell from this height, nothing would be able to help me.

We were fairly high up right now. As strong winds began to hit us, I firmly grasped an iron stake and made a new handhold with it.

I wonder just how many times I did this.

When we could slowly see the top of the tower, Snow started to quietly whisper.

(…Oi. Oi, No. 6!)

I also quietly whispered back.

(What is it? Why do you sound so desperate? You… You're not about to say that you have to go to the bathroom right now, are you?)

(That's not it! That's definitely not the reason…)

Then what is it, you're acting so strange.

(…I'm at my limit right now from swinging around my sword earlier in the day. What should I do? My arms are starting to tremble.)

(You idiot, if you fall from this height, you'll die! Also if you fall, look at the order we're in, everyone below you will be swept away as well!)

(I-I know! That's why I asked you what I should do! No, this is really dangerous. Wh. Whwhat should I do…)

Snow, who never liked to lose, looked up at me as if ready to burst into tears.

Since this was a new look, I really wanted to let her have it. But if this stubborn girl would say such weak words, it really means that she's almost reached her limit.

(Ah really… There's no helping it, give me your hand!)

For now, I put the climbing hammer in my mouth. After grabbing an iron stake with one hand, I used my other hand to grab Snow's hand.

(Oi, oi, just what are you thinking of… Eeeek! To think that I'd be dangling in the air with one hand, I'm getting gooseb.u.mps all over!)

I pulled the noisy Snow all the way up to my shoulders.

Frankly, pulling this off without my battle suit is quite difficult.

Although I'm a modified human, my physical specs are only near the very peak of human limitations.

Even I can't hold onto the blade-wielding Snow with only one hand for long.

While I had the climbing hammer in my mouth, I sent Snow a gaze to hold onto my back.  

(Kugh. I'm… I'm sorry.)

Although it's impossible for her to climb up on her own, it's possible for her to make it by holding onto my back with both her arms and legs.

After Snow wrapped her arms around my neck, I confirmed that everything was set and started to make my way to the top once again.

…Wait, this is…

(Hey, hold on properly! Stick closer so that you don't pick up any more wind resistance!)

(alright. Is this fine?)

I felt something soft press on my back.

It's finally my desired ero event. I offer my most sincere grat.i.tude.

(For the first time today, you finally did something right. If you're going to be deadweight, at least spread your chest out and move closer.)

(You, in a time like this! I always knew you were human sc.u.m.)

(Sh-shut up! Your big b.o.o.bs are your only good point. Since I'm letting your only good point s.h.i.+ne, you should be thankful!)

(You b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Once this operation is over, come behind the barracks!!)

While we were going back and forth quietly, the top floor was finally within my grasp.  

I checked up on everyone below, it seems like they had no problems following.

It's a given for Rose, who's physically fit. But even Grimm who's always in a wheelchair… I don't know if it was because it was night time, but even she seemed alright.

As for Alice, she was relaxed because an android never tires out. That may be why she was occasionally peeking through the tower's windows to see what was going on inside.

I let everyone know in a quiet voice.  

(Alright, I'll go up first and scout out the situation. You guys follow up once I raise my voice.)

Everyone besides Snow, who was still on my back, nodded their heads.

After I hammered in the final stake, I peeked my head out and scouted out the situation.

Two demons were standing on the top floor that was completely enshrouded in darkness.  

A huge demon, with a head of an ox, was wielding a gigantic axe while blocking the entrance from the stairs. And a small distance away, there stood another demon, with the head of a goat, wielding a staff.

Intruders could only fight one at a time because the stairs were quite narrow to fight in, while the enemy could fight in a wide, open area with a lot of cover.

I see, even though they're the enemy, that's a pretty good idea.

(Good, since we haven't been discovered, seems like this is a good chance. Let's go and begin the fight once everyone's here.)

Snow whispered those words while clinging to my back….

From the far side of where I was looking at the situation, the two demons looked very defenseless with their backs turned to me. It seems like they were happily having a conversation.

「Fuhahaha, how many teams have come, brother? I have yet to even receive a scratch!」

「Heh heh, it's too bothersome to even count so I wasn't keeping track, brother. We've already defeated that Hero, so a team of ordinary knights or soldiers are no match for us.」

I climbed up without being detected while Snow was still on my back.

The two demons were continuing their conversation happily. Seems like they haven't noticed us.

「Exactly. We've made a mess out of the Hero. You think we'll be promoted to the Four Heavenly King-cla.s.s? You know, it wouldn't even be surprising if that's exactly what Demon King-sama does?」

「Ah, even the Four Heavenly Kings couldn't take down the Hero. Even though we couldn't take his life, I'd call it a success to even give him such a grievous wound. You think it's fine now to go around saying that we've surpa.s.sed the Four Heavenly Kings?」

(Alright, now we just have to call everyone up… Oi, No. 6?)

While ignoring Snow's whispers, I crawled closer to the demon with the goat head.

「Fuhahahaha, our dreams are getting grander, brother! Indeed, if we're together, we're invincible!」

「Heh heh heh, indeed. With our combo, whether it's the Hero or the Four Heavenly Kings… Even the Demon King-sama will have trouble you know?」

The demon with the goat head seemed happy while still not realizing what's happening over here.

He was a bit apart from the stairs. He was at the edge of the floor, joyfully watching the battles unfold below..

As I was getting ever so closer to the goat-headed demon's back…

(O-oi No. 6. I think this is far enough. Hurry up and call everyone up, and let's take on these…)

「Fuhahahaha! Brother, each time we fend off an intruder, surely our fame will increase!?」

While the ox-headed demon was loudly laughing as if he was satisfied…

(N-No. 6?)

With Snow still on my back, I slowly got up to my feet behind the goat-headed demon…

「Heh heh heh heh! Of course, that's the case! One day, our fame will be renown throughout the world! Gil of Power, and Rista of Knowledge …」

— — While he was excitedly going on about knowledge or something, I pushed him off the tower.

「Aahhhhhhhh! No. 6, just what do you think you're doing!?」

「It's fine now! Everyone, it's now your turn! Get on up here!」

After I called everyone up, Snow got off my back and drew her sword. She took a ready stance while looking very dissatisfied.

「Oi No. 6, isn't that really lacking in humanity!? Even I can't help feeling sorry for it! I've never heard of a time when the boss fell off the tower before the fight even began!」

「What!? W-where did you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds come from!? How cheeky. Oi Rista, let's do that! Our killer move-」

While the rest of the squad was making their way up from behind us, Gil was looking all around the place.

「…Rista? Oi Rista, where are you?」

Of course, his gaze eventually met ours.

And then our eyes naturally looked towards where Rista fell off.

Gil threw away his task of guarding the stars, and urgently ran towards where Rista fell off.

「Ri-Rista! Ristaaa!」

「Help, help me Gil-!」

After hearing that, I glanced towards the bottom of the tower. The goat-headed demon, known as Rista, was desperately hanging from the edge of the spiral staircase.

「Tsk, so it failed! Oi Alice, you think you can shoot that thing to make it fall?」

「Making it fall will be easy. There's no need to waste precious ammo, wouldn't simply throwing a rock suffice?」

「Well, that works too. Let's go with that…」

While I said that, I picked up a suitable rock.

「Stah- stop, stop it! Don't you lay a hand on Rista!」

While Gil announced that, he stood between us and where Rista was hanging from.

「I won't let you lay a hand on him! I don't know where you came from or how this even happened, but I will definitely protect my brother!」

「Uhh…T-this will be tough…」

Rose mumbled behind me.

However, we're still in a good situation.

「Surround him! And, if he tries to attack one of us, then the rest of you throw rocks at the one hanging below!」

「Good job, No.6. That's a great plan worthy of a model Kisaragi employee. By letting him hear you give out orders, he won't attack us rashly now.」

That's right.

「Yo, you said you were Gil, right!? Heh heh heh, It's alright to move if you want to, but if you do, I wonder what will happen to your precious friend? …Alright you guys, Snow and I will be on standby with rocks, at hand! The rest of you, keep your distance from him and bombard him with long range attacks!」

「「「U-uuugh……..」」」

The members, outside of Alice and I, looked very disgusted. Meanwhile Gil of Power courageously resolved himself. He held his axe in hand and started to wail out loud.

「Daaaamn iiit!!」

「— — Gil! Gil! Are you ok!?」

Rista of Knowledge was shouting while coming up from the stairs.

「Well, he's not ok, but he's still alive.」

Since he was more persistent than expected, when Gil was downed, Rista was gone from the spot he was hanging from.

Seems like Rista gathered up and led all the demons of the tower to where Gil was…

「You, you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds…! Not only did you push me off the edge by ambush, but to even prevent Gil from fighting back….! Un-unforgivable! All of you will be ma.s.sacred!」

I put my hand out towards the enraged Rista with bloodshot eyes.

「Jeez, didn't you hear what I just said? He's not ok, but he's still alive. Yeah, I said he was still alive, ok?」

While each side was warily keeping the other in check, I smiled at Rista.

I only smiled to lower the tension, but for some reason, Rista took a step back.

「…Here, your precious comrade is lying around and dying. If you treat him quickly, he might be able to survive… So then, here's a question for you…」

Rista took a big gulp as he saw my smile becoming bigger.

「How much will you cough up for your very own partner?」

As soon as I asked the question, the all too familiar voice could be heard in my head.

Part 4

A knock on my door could be heard.

「Hey No. 6, are you in there?」

It was Snow's voice calling from outside.

…Well, it can't be anything big…

「If it's the tidy and kind No. 6 you want, he went out to the riverside to pick up trash.」

「Cut the bulls.h.i.+t, I know you're in there!」

Snow shouted in reply while storming in.

The time was almost 10PM. It's a little late to visit someone.

「What do you want at this time? To think that you'd come to a man's room this late at night. Are you seducing me, Big t.i.ts?」

「Don't call me something so stupid! What are you going to do if someone else hears and it catches on!?」

「Hey, Big t.i.ts. I know what's on the minds of you two young people. Should I leave the room?」

「You brat! Alice, even a brat like you is saying such a thing!」

While she was huffing and puffing, Snow gave me a big leather sack.

「What is this…?」

I casually opened the sack… And then, I tensed up.

「This is your pay. The reward from the results of the latest battle is also included… I still can't accept this. I can't accept your method of attacking the tower, and I also can't accept using that tactic of pus.h.i.+ng over a boss.」

As if doubting the reason of why I'm so tense, Alice also looked inside the sack.

「Wow…」

「The thing that I can't accept the most is the fact that you made a deal with the demons! Although we didn't suffer any losses and secured the treasure, using a hostage is not right for a knight… Hey, why are you so tense?」

My mind was too far gone to listen to any of Snow's ramblings. I looked into the contents of the sack once again.

Gold coins… It was filled to the brim with gold coins….

「Hey, Snow. Just how much value do these coins have in this country? 」

「Value? Ah, that's right, you said that something's wrong with your head and you can't remember many things… Did you really forget the value of money…? If it's that much, one family can live extravagantly for about a year.」

「…Seriously?」

I was stunned while clutching the sack tightly. It seems like Snow interpreted it differently.

「Hmm… Are you dissatisfied with the amount? I understand, I also have my complaints regarding the money. But, even though you've contributed that much, you're still only a squad commander. If you attain a higher rank, you'll receive a reward that will make that look insignificant. A proper reward fit for the contribution you've made…」

Before Snow even fished, I started a serious talk with Alice.

『Alice, I'm going to quit being a spy. I've decided that my remains will be buried in this country.』

『Wait, don't be in such a hurry. Is what you're saying in j.a.panese what you really think?』

I looked at the serious-looking Alice who interrupted me.

『Ok, listen carefully. When I barely returned from fighting in the Sahara Desert for over a month, without any words welcoming me back, my boss sent me out on an errand to get her some potato chips. And my salary doesn't include any insurance and a lot of other things, and it still only comes up to 18,000.』

『Actually, it's amazing that you haven't already quit.』

Snow looked very suspicious while we were conversing in j.a.panese.

「What's going on you two. Why are you talking in another language?」

「Don't worry about it. No. 6 just started talking in his native language because he became too excited. It's because the money he received exceeded his expectations.」

As if expressing that she couldn't understand, Snow tilted her head and,

「Is, is that so? Then it's alright… This is your share Alice.」

「Ooh, thank you. This is the second time I've received something from someone since I got my shotgun.」

Although she did say to give her a shotgun as a present, Alice just used my points and simply ordered whatever she wanted. I didn't think it was that great…

While still embracing her precious shotgun as usual, Alice looked to be in a good mood while receiving the sack. As I watched on…

…Well, it looked like she took a liking to it. Once again, I thought that it wasn't something worth pondering over.

【Interim Report】

It looks like there are daily battles going on between the country I'm affiliated with and the other side.

Currently, my squad has made huge contributions because of my blindingly brilliant performance.

I've received gold coins as a reward that, if converted to the j.a.panese yen, would be worth millions of yen.

I've received gold coins as a reward that, if converted to the j.a.panese yen, would be worth millions of yen.

At this point in time, there are no problems or hindrances concerning the mission.

I will contact you again next time.

Report by Combatant No. 6, the man who was awarded gold coins worth millions of yen.

P.S. I hope there are better working conditions on the way.

Thanks to Ulti again for the banner and the edits!

Short chapter, and it didn’t have any ill.u.s.trations. I feel like there were some good moments here…… Missed opportunity!

I hope you guys all have something to take away from this… If there’s an easier way, always go for it no matter what they tell you!*

*(Not liable for any possible jailtime as a result of taking this advice.)

The more I think about this… Kisaragi Corp. seems like what the Axis Cult would be in the distant future. Aqua would definitely approve!

Until next week folks. We have 3 more chapters to go!

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Seriously… Help us take over the world….

Translating at Starbucks during Summer Break! If you want to leave me a tip @ , that’d be awesome but completely optional!