The Abyss of Darkness (2)
I stood before her, irritation slowly building in my chest, yet I kept my composure as I made the request. "Della Objet. I've come to speak with you."
"No. Go away. It's tiresome."
Della Objet—the 7th Legion Commander—rejected me with such firm resolve that it left no room for negotiation. Her voice was laced with pure laziness.
"If you don't leave, I'll attack."
"Am I to take those words as treason?"
"Treason? No, this is self-defense. You're the one who barged in. I'm simply protecting myself."
"What sophistry. I am the Cezar. Visiting a Legion Commander's quarters is entirely within my rights."
"Ugh, so annoying. If you don't leave right now, I really will attack."
Frustration only piled up. She clearly had no intention of listening to a single word I said, only repeating her curt demand for me to leave. Yet turning back now was not an option. The only path forward was to find a solution quickly.
This time, I hadn't received any schemes from Anima in advance. From what I'd heard, even she had little information on Della Objet.
"You're not leaving? I'm seriously going to attack, okay?"
Of course. How could someone who acted this rudely even toward the Cezar be expected to hold a proper conversation? Wait—someone who doesn't even speak properly with a Legion Commander?
"Della Objet."
"What? Go away."
"What exactly did you discuss with Nobel Highness?"
"What?"
"Let's not waste each other's time pretending we don't both know. You spoke with Nobel Highness, the 1st Legion Commander. Not long ago, in fact."
"Why would I tell you that? It's tiresome. Go away."
"You seem to have something to hide. Go ahead and attack if you wish. Your current reaction is more than enough for me to suspect treason, and I have no intention of letting it slide."
"⋯⋯."
Della Objet remained silent for a long moment, seemingly deep in thought, but it didn't last. "Come in. Just for a very short while. I'm busy."
"My thanks for the welcome."
The moment her words fell, a white beam of light shot down into the dark space, accompanied by a heavy clunk as a square doorway materialized. I didn't need further invitation. Taking Trivia's hand, I stepped inside.
🏠 Type: Chaotic Bedroom / Fortress of Sloth
🗑️ State: Catastrophic Mess
🌸 Color Scheme: Overwhelming Pink
💨 Odor Status: Surprisingly None
"⋯⋯."
"If you're not going to talk, get out."
"Is this really a place where people live?"
"How rude."
What greeted my eyes inside the white space was Della Objet's bedroom, painted entirely in shades of pink. Or rather, could this even be called a bedroom? There was a bed, but the sheets were in complete disarray, and trash was scattered everywhere in utter chaos. It looked as though she found even gathering the garbage to throw away too tiresome, so she simply tossed it wherever and forgot about it. The fact that there was no stench was nothing short of a miracle.
"If you have something to say, say it quickly. I need to get back to what I was doing."
"I can't even imagine what could possibly keep you so busy."
"It's rude to ask that. Didn't you learn manners?"
"I don't recall ever learning that such a question was rude. On the contrary, isn't it rude not to offer a guest even a cup of tea?"
"No tea. If you want something to drink, have a cola or whatever."
A black liquid with countless bubbles rising from a red can. But it looked completely flat and warm, so I hesitated to accept it.
"I don't need it. Since you're so busy, let's get straight to the point."
"Fine, talk quickly. Say what you need to and leave soon."
"Della Objet. Would you consider working under me?"
She stared at me blankly for a moment before asking again. "Did I hear that wrong just now?"
"No, you heard correctly. Would you consider working under me?"
"Aren't I already a Legion Commander serving under you?"
"Ah, my mistake. The way you treat me makes it seem less like you're a Legion Commander and more like you're dancing on top of my head."
"Are you blind? Do I look like someone who enjoys dancing around?"
"That... I have no response."
Her appearance truly lacked any persuasive power. Tiny stature, dark circles hanging down to her chin, messy red hair that reached her hips and looked unwashed and clumped together, and an oversized white t-shirt with a completely stretched-out neck covered in mysterious stains. If I hadn't known this was her bedroom and that she was a Legion Commander, I might have mistaken her for a young homeless woman who'd taken a wrong turn in life. Though at an estimated age of over seven hundred, calling her "young" hardly fit.
"Allow me to rephrase. I require both you and your legion. In other words, I'm asking if you have any interest in demonstrating your abilities under my command."
"So you're saying I'm already a Legion Commander under you..."
"You know very well that's not what I mean."
"If you know that much, then you should also know that my answer is no."
"I've come here precisely to reject your rejection. That's why I'm trying to say it nicely."
"This is so annoying. Seriously annoying. You're way too much work."
"That's my line."
Still, her looks were quite salvageable despite everything. Her hair was disheveled and unkempt, and her glasses hid much of her face, but even living like this, her body showed not a trace of excess fat. She was like a raw diamond waiting to be cut. The phrase "beautiful if only she tried" fit her perfectly.
"I promise fair compensation. I also won't assign you any extra tasks. I simply need capable people right now."
"Don't the other legions have enough hands? Why us? Why me?"
"Because I know your abilities are exceptional. After all, true sloth only exists when one possesses talent yet refuses to use it. Sloth without ability is simply incompetence."
"Looks like you came to the wrong place. We don't have that kind of ability. Especially not me. I only became a Legion Commander because they told me to, and somehow the ones who enlisted ended up as my subordinates. You must have heard some ridiculous rumor. We have no interest, so you've got the wrong address. Try somewhere else?"
"I'm afraid that's not possible."
I had considered using other legions, of course. But no matter how I thought about it, only they would do. The 1st Legion was untrustworthy from the start. The 2nd Legion lacked administrative capability. The 3rd Legion, just as Anima and Intri had warned, were nothing but muscleheads who would likely cause more losses than results. The 4th and 5th were essentially extensions of the 1st. The 6th? Laughable. Like the 2nd and 3rd, they could excel at severing heads, but they weren't suited for office work. Therefore, for us, the 7th Legion was the only option worth using.
"Well, let's change the subject for a moment. It seems talking about something else might be better for persuading you."
"Do people usually say that out loud? You don't know how to be indirect."
"Even if I spoke indirectly, you'd just say it's tiresome and refuse, wouldn't you?"
"Yep."
"How decisive."
Come to think of it, I had seen this type of person before.
"Eternal. If you have something to say, just say it. Why go through all this tiresome indirect talk? You know better than anyone how much I hate that sort of thing, don't you?"
No, I'd remembered the wrong person. Right. I hadn't seen this type before.
"Della Objet. What exactly did you discuss with the 1st Legion Commander, Nobel Highness?"
"I didn't."
"You said you hated indirect speech, yet you're doing it perfectly well yourself. Weren't we both supposed to know everything already?"
"You were the one who barged in. I didn't say a single word."
"What a ridiculous statement. If that were true, you should have hidden it properly. Isn't it even more ridiculous to think I wouldn't notice when you revealed yourself so openly?"
"Haa⋯."
Della Objet shot me a look full of annoyance, but seeing my unwavering attitude, she finally sighed and opened her mouth.
"Fine, we talked. He said the same thing. Asked if I wanted to join them. No, actually, he at least asked me not to cooperate with your side."
"I see."
"Surprising. You accused me of treason and all that, but you're not getting angry?"
"Because I expected it."
"So what exactly do you want me to do, caught between the two of you? I never intended to join anyone from the beginning. If I had, I wouldn't have handed over the previous Cezar's secretary to the 1st Legion."
"That's quite the curious story as well, but what I demand is simple. Work under me. I won't make you do overtime. As long as you meet your quota, I won't demand more. I won't force you into tiresome political struggles or wars."
"And if even that is too tiresome?"
"Then you will simply burn."
"So this wasn't a request—it was a threat?"
"Requests and threats have always been two sides of the same coin."
"What a tiresome person. I've gotten myself into a real mess."
Della Objet let out another sigh. But this time, before another word could come, something changed in the surrounding environment first.
Click—
"Go away. The conversation is over. I have no intention of burning, nor do I plan to join anyone. You know that, right? I've lived quite a long time. No matter how strong you are, I can at least leave a wound on you. And of course, I can't guarantee the life of that insignificant little servant of yours."
"Now you're the one making threats."
"I don't want to do this either. If you left me alone, I wouldn't dream of becoming a threat to you. Can't we just live like this? Peacefully, for both our sakes."
"I'm afraid that's not possible."
"So you're going to keep pushing like this until the end."
Della Objet's finger slowly crept toward a button that had somehow appeared in her hand. It was probably some kind of detonator. The moment it was pressed, it was obvious that magical bullets would fire toward me and Trivia.
"I'll count to three. Either leave or get hit. Choose. Three."
"This is absurd."
"Two."
"⋯⋯."
"One."
Without thinking, I recalled Anima and reached into my inner pocket. But what I pulled out wasn't a note containing some clever scheme. It was a long, thin bamboo shoot stick that Intri had handed me.
"Wait, this is⋯."
Intri, what possible help could this—
"T-that's!"
"Hm?"
"That... that thing! Where did you get that?! If you hand it over, I won't fire! Hurry up and give it to me!"
"⋯⋯."
Intri, you truly are the greatest tactician.