Cassius and his men rode in the wagon, slowly making their way along the stone road.

Even though he was in a hurry, it would have been a mistake to injure the wheels and the horses.

Although he understood this, Cassius was still furious at the thought of Celestia’s response to the servant.

Desperately trying to suppress those feelings, he reconfirmed them to his men on the road to the mercenary union.

“Is it true that Lulu Noah and Jick are back?”

“Yes, Lulu Noah is already in the mercenary union. And Jick will be here soon.”

It was an incredible report for Cassius and his men.

“With that, the regenerative and physical abilities have increased by leaps and bounds, and although it’s a point or two behind me, it’s hard to imagine it being crushed by common sense.”

The men who had witnessed Cassiouss many experiments also agree with that opinion.

“About the monster on Lulu Noah side ……”

“Hmm? By the way, I haven’t heard any reports from the troops there ……”

“Ah, about that ……”

The words of a somewhat stammering Kelly, the troop leader, were full of strange parts.

“Big hole ……?

“Yes. The mutation …… excuse me. After the unit responsible for monitoring the evolved monster had lost contact with us, the standby team went to check out the situation …… and found a hole so deep that it looked like it would go straight to hell. According to the footprints, the monster may have fallen in there too.”

Although the word “mutation” offended his master, he managed to divert his attention by producing a report that would appeal to him.

Kelly’s ability to serve Cassius for years and still be alive was one of the reasons.

“Hmm. Aside the missing troops. No wonder then that the monster on Lulu Noah’s side is gone.”

“About the boy, he seems to be an even match for the monster, and according to the village people he may be even stronger than Lulu Noah.”

There was a look of pure admiration on Cassius’ face.

“That’s surprising. In that case, Kelly, he must have reached a level that would be a problem even for you.”

“Someone like me, just an immature man who couldn’t even defeat an experimental subject.”

“Don’t be modest, just being able to deal with it is already great. There are only a few people, including Drake and myself, who have been able to defeat it.”

Kelly’s pride was saved by the comparison with the [Inferno Lion].

“But here’s the problem ……”

“That’s right. The problem is, what about the monster on the other side.”

At the thought of the dispute that would undoubtedly follow, Cassius couldn’t help but look out the window with a grim look.

♢♢♢

“–About that, of course I refuse.” (Jick)

Jick and his [Knights Without Banners] had incurred many losses, but Jick himself had returned to the mercenary union completely unharmed.

“Handing over the captured monster is not included in the commission. There is no reason for us to hand it over to you.” (Jick)

“…… The commission I proposed was a ‘subjugation’ wasn’t it?” (Cassius)

Jick was certain that the mutated Orc was definitely related to Cassius.

Although it was very unpleasant that he hadn’t been able to defeat it, there was another way other than that.

That was to capture it in strong chains while rendering its joints powerless.

“It doesn’t matter if you treat it as a failed commission. I’ll give you back the advance fee if you want.” (Jick)

The leather bag, which was almost bursting with gold coins, creaked against the old wooden table.

“This amount of money just a fraction if I giving it to Light’s Army. Orcs with dragon scales … I’m sure they’ll be interested. ” (Jick)

“……”

Unconsciously clenching his teeth, Jick’s response stung Cassius’ nerves.

“Do we need to return ours too?”

Lulu Noah, who was sitting deep in the tavern in her usual spot, eating and drinking, spoke slowly.

“It was the boy who drove it out of the village and chased after it, so you can have them back if you want.”

In Lulu Noah’s opinion, that a monster like that is not worth the trouble.

With a subdued smile, she tested Cassius’ attitude.

“No. Consider it a payment for your work.”

“Who exactly do you mean ‘you’?”

“All of you, including the boy. You’ve done a good job. This way I will be able to pay my debt to the Kingdom of Light …… In lieu …… of that I owe you a debt as well.”

“About the debt, you can pay back at us whenever you like.”

To the man who was obviously speaking in a very emotionally unstable tone, Jick responded as if there was nothing like that.

“Well, in that case, can you bring us some fancy wine?”

“Sister ……”

“In that case, the only one who would be happy would be you, sister.”

Anyone could see that Cassius was completely enraged at the moment, but the Bonds of Three Fairies continued to do as they pleased.

“Ah, I’ll think about it ……”

♢♢♢

“……”

“……”

Whoever it was, even Kelly, didn’t dare to make a comment to the quiet, closed-minded Cassius.

At the moment his face was bloodshot and he just stayed there without saying a word.

As this atmosphere continued in the carriage, Cassius suddenly whispered.

“About what Lulu Noah just said ……”

“Shall we obey her request?”

Kelly, who had hastily left his place to come to Cassius’ side in order to do as he was told, sensing his master’s meaning, did not hesitate to say so.

“Ah, no. I don’t mean that …… that girl, didn’t she say that the boy had gone after the monster? Is it possible that the untraceable troops were defeated by him along with the monster?”

“How could …… no, if he can fight the experimental subject…”

That would not be impossible to defeat the elite troops, and Cassius thought the same as he did.

“Seems I need to rest. The women I brought … I’m tired of them … ”

“How about going to the Light Kingdom Casino. I hear there’s a popular casino these days.”

The information he had gathered beforehand came to mind, and Kelly hastened to try to interest Cassius.

“A new casino? ……”

♢♢♢

In the middle of the union, which had cooled down after Cassius had left and Jick and Lulu Noah had dispersed, a figure appeared near the reception desk.

“Eh? Really?”

“Yeah. This was deposited here as your share by Lulu Noah-sama.”

Chrono, who had hidden his true face, showed a surprised look at the reception desk.

It was surprising that there was a payment that had been divided into four equal parts.

“I thought it was a no-no, but …… could it be that I’m …… super lucky now ……?”

“No, I don’t think it’s about luck. I think it’s thanks to the conscience of the [Bonds of Three Fairies].”

The man at the reception said with a bitter smile as he looked at Chrono, who was holding the bag of gold coins with a happy face.

“Haha, that’s a lot of money, and you should be expected to use it a little to find a way to live safely-”

“Is there a good casino anywhere?”

“Are you listening? Are you listening to what I’m saying? Don’t ask such worrisome questions, will you?”

The man who had heard Crono’s unsettling words continued to discourage him, but Crono’s mind was already filled with the loss of the six swords and Celestia’s wages.