Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Not Easy - 2
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I stared at the flower bed, where not even a trace remained.
In the spot where the cute little flower bed had once been, there was now nothing but a massive crater, like it had been hit by a meteor.
I crossed my arms and nodded to myself, muttering under my breath.
"Hand over what you owe me."
Tyr shot me a look like she wanted to kill me right then and there. Even the knights I'd fought earlier hadn't glared at me with such intensity.
"What did I say last time? I specifically mentioned that the worst feeling in the world is when one of my sculptures gets blown away..."
Before she could finish, I grabbed a fistful of her mint-green hair.
"Then from now on, when a fight breaks out, you can be the one that explodes instead. Why the hell am I keeping someone like you alive? Save you, and you bitch. Don't save you, and you still bitch."
"......"
Tyr averted her eyes slyly.
"I'll build it again..."
This time, Dodo stepped closer and spoke up.
"In the end... they all died..."
"Not a single patient in sight. Must be nice for you, Dodo."
"Well... yeah, that's true."
It wasn't wrong. The knights caught in the explosion had burst apart so pathetically that their sturdy-looking armor seemed laughable in hindsight.
All dead. No injuries. No patients, period.
And yet, there was something oddly endearing about Dodo's slightly darkened expression.
She had such a pure heart. She might not fit in with a rotten world like this at all.
But that's exactly why I planned to keep her around. I had no intention of letting her end up dead at the hands of third-rate villains.
"Master~"
Just then, Ellis brought out tea on a tray. Just one cup.
"To think you'd use my explosion spell like that—oh my, oh my~! That was so cool! Here, have this!"
"Why'd you only bring one? Be more considerate and grab some for the others too."
"I don't have any for those losers~ Teehee~"
Dodo, Cheshire, and Tyr let out disbelieving chuckles. The executives had grown all too accustomed to situations like this.
"Now, let's discuss the next plan... Pfft!"
I took a sip of the tea, then spat it all out. It tasted nothing like what I'd expected.
"What the hell is this? Why is the tea so bitter?"
"It's not tea."
"Then what."
"It's an aphrodisiac. You said you'd grope my butt today."
I pondered for a moment, then pointed at the massive crater from the explosion.
"From today onward, Ellis's house is down there."
After spanking Ellis's butt over a hundred times, about an hour later, the meeting finally got underway. I turned to Dodo, who was sitting beside me.
"Wake Ellis up."
The rabbit was still twitching and convulsing atop the round table, lost in the aftershocks.
Dodo gently shook her shoulder.
"Ellis~ G-get up~ We have a meeting~"
Suddenly, Tyr smacked the back of Ellis's head.
"Get up already. You think this meeting's a joke?"
"Eek!"
Only then did focus return to Ellis's eyes. She looked around in startled confusion before muttering one thing.
"...Is the meeting over?"
"......"
Why did I ever spare this one? Still, triggering Trivi earlier had been a meritorious deed in the end.
So, I'd go easy on her today. I asked Ellis, who was picking stray hairs from her lips.
"You've wiped out all of Balrog's guard knights. Now we're discussing our next move."
"Obviously, we rip him to shreds? They tried to blow up the whole mansion."
For once, a sensible answer.
"We do have to rip him apart. But if we keep waiting for them to come to us, we're the only ones who lose out. Know why?"
"Because our mansion turns into a battlefield~ No matter who wins, if the mansion gets damaged, it's a loss in time and property."
"......!"
Tyr, Cheshire, Dodo, and my eyes all widened. Ellis saying something like that?
Ellis scratched her cheek with a slightly annoyed look.
"...Why's everyone staring like that? I was top of Valhalla Academy's Department of Healing, you know."
Right. It wasn't that Ellis was unintelligent; I'd just twisted her that way. If anything, she'd abused her high intellect to commit drug crimes.
Thinking about it made me feel a twinge of guilt. Had I ruined her?
Nah, no way. I'd saved her life when she would've died otherwise.
Anyway, Ellis spread her fingers wide as she continued explaining.
"Anyway, we've got this asymmetric powerhouse called Master on our side. I think it's about time we take the fight to them."
"What makes you say that?"
"Dnia's three knights surely have bonds with each other~ If all three come charging in at once, win or lose, Wonder Fentanyl territory itself would be left in ruins~"
Clap, clap, clap—
We applauded. Deeply moved, Dodo even stood up to clap.
"F-for a patient to heal themselves... that's no easy feat... You've overcome it..."
Tyr nodded and muttered.
"Boss, looks like all those spankings finally brought her back to her senses."
Ellis openly grimaced.
"...Master, am I being praised or made fun of right now?"
"Praised. I'll spank you more often from now on."
"Whoa!"
Ellis's ears perked up. Not the rabbit ears on her headband—her real ones.
Anyway, she wasn't wrong. It aligned perfectly with my own plan.
The moment I'd seen that steel carriage packed with explosives, I'd decided no more fighting in this territory. Now it was our turn to strike.
'Word can't get out that we're targeting Balrog.'
We had to avoid all-out war.
If the other two knights came to support while we fought Balrog, it'd be a hassle. Or worse, if they raided our undefended Wonder Fentanyl territory.
'Assassination itself would be easy.'
As Elfriede Dice's shadow, I'd cut the throats of several with assassinations. Balrog wouldn't escape mine either.
But.
'Even if it's known he was assassinated, that's still a pain.'
Back when I was just a shadow, competent shadows handled info control, so I never worried about it.
'Now I have to manage everything myself...'
As I drummed my fingers on the table, lost in thought.
"Hey."
Ellis spoke up again.
"That knight I sniped first, remember?"
"What about him."
"He died early, so he was a bit away from the explosion site. His armor's intact."
Ellis held up a single finger triumphantly.
"The armor covers the whole body, so you can't tell who's inside~ What if we disguise ourselves with it, infiltrate, and kill Balrog?"
"After killing Balrog."
"We wear his armor and keep infiltrating! That way, we get intel circulating among the knights, block what needs blocking, and handle everything quietly!"
Clap, clap, clap—
Everyone stood and applauded.
Wow. Ellis was on fire today.
After that, things proceeded smoothly.
One person slips into the armor, disguises as Kaliman, ties me up, and brings me in. Simple, but an incredibly effective plan was complete.
Now the only issue was deciding who would go inside the armor.
I sat straddling a chair like an interviewer.
"Pretend I'm Balrog and talk to me. Make it realistic."
The suit of armor in front of me nodded. Ellis was inside right now.
I tried for a stern voice.
"Hmph, good. You've brought Florian?"
"O-oh gods...?!"
Ellis crumpled to the floor. Yeah, I hadn't expected much.
"Next."
This time, Cheshire was inside the armor. She slyly lifted the helmet.
It looked like nothing was inside at all. A perfect result combined with her innate ability, 'Stealth.'
"Good. You've brought Florian?"
"Yes, nya."
"No, no. You can't talk like that. Answer again."
"Yes, nya?"
I shook my head.
"Drop the nya."
"Yes, nyaa."
"I said drop the nya."
"......"
Telling her to drop it shut her mouth completely. In disbelief, I asked.
"You can't speak without the nya?"
Cheshire nodded quietly.
"Next."
Executives: not easy to use.
We tried Tyr and Dodo in the armor too, but the results were lackluster.
This wouldn't do. For a shadow like me, the armor wasn't protection—it was a constraint. It hid identity, sure, but cramped movement.
Tyr scratched her head, facing this unexpected hurdle.
"If only Boss could use stealth magic... it'd make things so much easier. Though of course, it's Cheshire's innate ability, so impossible."
"That's right, nya. No one can replicate my ability, nya."
'Innate ability?'
But a thought suddenly flashed through my mind. Right—I had a way to learn others' innate abilities.
Plus, that aphrodisiac Ellis had given me must've been potent. Truth be told, my erection hadn't gone down since earlier.
Just then, Ellis crossed her arms and whispered softly.
"Master... They say the aphrodisiac's effects won't fade unless you ejaculate. Your pants are tenting—everyone can see. This is a problem, right? I didn't know it'd be this strong~ No choice, huh~? Let's recharge together. Yeah?"
But what I needed now was Cheshire's innate ability.
So, in the end.
"Cheshire."
"Nya?"
"Let's talk for a sec."
Cheshire's head tilted slightly.