The next day.
After resuscitating the three that were basically corpses, the mission we received from Tirris was explained to them…
「Ugh…… Ugh… Uwah… Uwaaaah……」
Currently we were riding in the new buggy that Alice was controlling. We were in the barren land under the sunset, and once again heading to Toris.
After hearing the explanation in the car, Rose looked dumbfounded as she said,
「To think that we'd be heading back to Toris after you did that to the king, I've been thinking this occasionally, but Commander is pretty stupid, right?」
「You also act mature, but you say some pretty mean things sometimes. And you're also the carnivorous type.」
Snow was riding shotgun, and the rest of us were sitting in the back.
Grimm would normally be really excited when riding on the speeding buggy, but as if her mind was traumatized from being like a dried fish for so long, she was sitting in her seat with her knees pulled up, and looked like she was gazing into some faraway place while mumbling something.
And…..
「Uh… Ugh… Ugaaah… Awaah… The reward… My salary…」
「Hey No. 6, she's been crying for a while. Do something about this annoying girl.」
Snow was crying for a while in the front seat.
It seems like her salary was reduced from her previous demotion as a result of failing the mission to retrieve the fruit of water.
「… Jeez. Oi Snow, there's nothing you can do about your salary being docked. Hey, look at me. Someone like me spends his pay as soon as he gets it. I still live my life pretty happily which means that money isn't everything in life.」
「The reason you can live happily is because I give you an allowance.」
「Y-you were getting allowance money from a kid like Alice… Is that alright for a man to do…?」
I was trying to make her feel better, so how did it end up with me being reproached?
「Still, the pay reduction this time really hurts… It really hurts…… Ugh, the sword that the General of the Demon King's Army, Heine, melted… I was thinking of getting the second generation of the freezing sword…」
Alice looked towards Snow as she looked like she was going to cry again. As if she was fed up with this, she said,
「There's no helping it. Hey Snow, if you're useful in this mission, I'll give you some allowance money. And if you manage to get your hands on the thing that's lying dormant in the ruins, I'll give you a bonus worth three months of your pay. How is that?」
「Alice-saaaaamaaaa!」
I think I know how to handle this girl now.
Although Alice was driving, Snow attached herself to Alice. Alice pushed Snow away as if she was a nuisance,
「Infiltration is the goal this time. So make sure you control your temper when we're in the ruins.」
「Understood, Alice-sama! I will definitely be useful to you!」
Just a few minutes ago, she was looking down on me as a man. Now, she's flipped completely.
「Hey, are you a girl whose shame knows no bounds? In your previous life, if you did something bad, are you able to walk on that path? What kind of life do you have to live to turn out like you?」
「Shut it. Someone that receives allowance money from Alice-sama shouldn't talk. Money is more important than anything else. If it's for money, I'm willing to throw away comrades, friends, and even the parents whom I can't remember the faces of.」
「I'm sorry for interrupting your awul speech, but stop calling me Alice-sama.」
This really greedy girl might be a better fit in Kisaragi than even myself.
In order to not involve myself any further, I looked towards the carnivorous chimera that was chewing on jerky.
「Hey Rose. Can you really not remember what happened back in the desert?」
「Commander, are you bringing this up again? I told you many times that I don't remember. I lost my consciousness because I was so hungry. When I regained my consciousness, I was sleeping on a bed in the castle. I don't have a reason to attack the Commander. Even if the situation was that bad, the most I'm willing to eat is an orc.」
This girl was telling me that she couldn't remember attacking me.
I gave this girl a lecture as soon as she woke up in order to get her to apologize to me for trying to eat me…
「More importantly, if what the Commander is saying is true, it means that many things were done to me. Just what did you do to me?」
「…… It doesn't really matter if you can't remember. Well, let's just say there were some benefits to me.」
「Commander, what did you do to me!? I won't get mad, so please tell me! Depending on what you did, you might have to take responsibility!」
Rose grabbed my shoulders with both her hands and started shaking me.
「The word responsibility…」
「You said you didn't like it! You're the worst! I don't really know myself, but somehow I remember you saying that!」
She only remembers unnecessary things.
『Oi Alice, is she really alright? I don't want to be attacked during the mission.』
『Nothing is wrong with the results of her test. Since chimeras are mysterious beings and different from humans, I can't really say for sure. But it should be fine as long as she doesn't get hungry. Tame her with food.』
Alice doesn't seem too worried, but I can't help worrying since I was almost eaten.
Snow brought her face closer to Alice and me while we were speaking in Japanese.
「…… I thought this before, but whenever you two speak in your native language, aren't you plotting something suspicious? Hey No. 6, even if I look that way, I'm different from the hard headed knights, I'm a broad-minded woman. So even if you guys are plotting something, as long as it doesn't betray Tirris-sama, I can help you out, you know? 」
While I was wondering what this girl was trying to get at right now, Snow seemed to misunderstand something as she shook her head.
「Ah, don't say anything! 'Can you really do that as a knight?' 'Are you still a former captain of the royal guards'? You're probably having these thoughts and wondering if I, as a female knight well respected by the people, can really do such things.」
「Not at all.」
Snow overreacted by raising her fists at me after I inadvertently chipped in.
「I truly love this nation! In order to bring prosperity to the Grace Kingdom, I don't care what happens to other nations. I'm even willing to dirty my hands with evil acts. So No. 6, just what are you planning? Come on, let me in on it as well. I won't ask for a share. I'm fine with just a very tiny piece of the pie.」
Her eyes were full of desire, Snow seemed to be misunderstanding something as she smiled.
「Just what is lying dormant in the ruins of Toris? I was told I'd get a bonus if we manage to get our hands on a certain item. Just what is that 'certain item'? If it's something valuable, and you're planning to take a part of it for yourselves as an expense, then I can even look the other way?」
Does this girl think that what we're aiming for is some kind of treasure? And she's planning to take her cut by not giving everything to Tirris?
『Hey Alice, should we recommend this girl to Kisaragi as well? I do think she has the talent to be a combatant of an evil organization.』
『Instead of being evil, Snow is more like you, a third rate villain. When she fails as a result of being too greedy, she's the type to slowly fall into depravity.』
Snow seemed to be misunderstanding something as she smiled at us when we spoke in Japanese again.
Back when the Demon King's Army attacked the castle. For Rose and Grimm when they were risking their lives to fight the enemy… I wonder where the knight that put aside her pride for her comrades' sake by lowering her head to me went..
Laughing shyly after locking lips with me.. Telling me that she'll seriously consider dating me… I wonder where that beautiful girl who finally acted like her age went…
「So, did you decide? It's okay, I have a decent connection to a place that you can sell treasures of unknown origin. In the slums, there's a store that handles these kinds of things. Heh, heheh…… So how about it? It's not such a bad deal for the both of us…?」
While I watched this girl laughing sinisterly, I accepted the fact that the Snow from back then was officially gone.
「I'm going to tell you this now. The thing that's lying dormant in the ruins is not a treasure. It's likely some kind of weapon.」
「Heh heh, you don't have to be so wary. No. 6, this is just between us. We've already locked lips before. It's okay for you to trust me a little more, you know?」
Telling me to trust her more… Even though I told her the truth, Snow wasn't even trying to believe what I said while she muttered those words.
…… This girl is really annoying!