Tirna produces a vast amount of waste every year.
It's not just garbage. Various pollutants and wastewater from factory operations were also significant.
To handle this, specific districts were designated to manage these pollutants.
Not all districts in Tirna are equal. The newer districts tend to have insufficient infrastructure and poor security.
As a result, they collected less tax revenue, and their annual budget was also insufficient.
For a poor district to receive more budget than other districts, they had to volunteer to pile up this waste.
'District 45 was created that way too.'
Initially, District 45 accepted taking in such waste. However, once they accepted it, it wasn't easy to stop.
Eventually, the already poor security deteriorated to the worst, and as the law collapsed, gangs took control of the district.
District 45 became essentially ungoverned territory abandoned by Tirna City.And in such a place, three organizations maintained a balance and created new rules.
Whether that was an improvement or not is unclear. The answer would differ depending on who you ask.
However, it's undeniable that District 45's volunteering to handle waste was the beginning of everything.
'Since District 45 can no longer serve that function, they'll naturally need the next garbage can.'
That was this place. The district located above the contaminated zone.
'No. This district wasn't selected because it was above the contaminated zone. The contaminated zone appeared after this place became a waste disposal site.'
The sequence was reversed.
"Even so, those people have quite some nerve. Are there no armed people visible in this area?"
Looking at the corporate people who were still arguing and increasingly raising their voices, well...
It seemed almost too brave. They were openly interfering with public duties for corporate profits.
Eldin answered Osian's curiosity.
"They have their own armed people. Above all, as that guy said, if they don't handle it today, they'll incur losses."
Money is the catalyst that moves corporations and the material value they always prioritize.
"Tirna's corporations never want to take losses. Such companies either went bankrupt long ago or were eaten up by other corporations. This is a world of survival of the fittest."
"So that's what was completed in such infinite competition."
"For a corporation to survive, they have to squeeze their employees dry. That person isn't just trying to assert dominance here. They're really worried that if it's not handled today, they'll take a loss, and they'll have to bear that loss entirely."
"Can't they just notify them that it can't be helped because the city is executing public duties?"
"Then the corporation would have to back down inevitably. While taking a loss. And that loss will, naturally, become someone's responsibility."
"So that person in charge is desperately fighting to avoid getting fired."
"Yes, that's right. But we don't need to worry about such things."
Osian's gaze turned toward the city's specialized extermination unit.
"For such a situation, they don't seem to be doing anything."
"They don't need to. Those people are civil servants belonging to the city. Have you ever seen civil servants do work outside their specialty? It's like that."
Their purpose was to handle the ethereal plants underground, not to listen to the complaints of corporate people nearby.
Therefore, while they waited for the situation to be resolved, they never stepped forward.
It could be seen as truly civil servant-like behavior.
"I guess there's no choice."
"What, rookie. Are you going to step in instead?"
"At this rate, it seems we won't even be able to start."
"Going with the fixer way? The opponent is a corporation."
"Don't worry. I'll do it in a knightly way."
Even though Osian said that, Eldin was a bit worried.
If they were a corporation that would act so aggressively even toward civil servants, it was obvious how they would treat a fixer.
'Besides, what's this knightly way? Does he mean resolving it honorably?'
Just as she was considering whether to trust and leave it to him, Osian approached the arguing corporate person and said something.
Naturally, the corporate person whose livelihood was at stake gestured angrily at Osian from his position.
As Eldin worried, they became even more aggressive after learning Osian was a fixer.
Judging by the corporate person's expression filled with anger, it seemed they were even adding some crude insults.
"Hey. Is it okay not to stop that?"
Eldin asked Mist.
Mist flinched unconsciously when Eldin suddenly spoke to him.
There weren't many times in his life when a woman had initiated conversation with him.
Quickly regaining his composure, Mist spoke in a solemn voice.
"It's fine. Because I trust that guy."
Mist thought even to himself that it was a cool line.
As they watched to see how Osian would resolve the situation in a 'knightly' way.
Osian punched the corporate person in the face, sending him flying.
"......!"
Eldin's eyes grew as big as saucers.
He said he would resolve it in a knightly way, so she was watching to see what he would do, but he uses violence?
"......Didn't you say you trusted him?"
Eldin glared at Mist reproachfully.
Although Mist hadn't expected this either, he decided to be shameless.
"Hmm. Just as I expected."
"Sigh."
Realizing they were birds of a feather, Eldin ran to Osian with a sigh.
She had to prevent the situation from escalating further.
"Stop! That's enough!"
Eldin immediately grabbed Osian's arm and confronted him.
"Are you crazy? You said you'd resolve it in a knightly way!"
"This is the knightly way though. Ah, is it because I didn't throw a glove in his face?"
"That's not what we're discussing right now!"
Eldin checked on the corporate person. Though he had only been hit once by Osian, he was unconscious with blood flowing from his nose.
The expressions of the mercenaries who had followed him turned grim. Since the other side had used violence first, they now had an excuse to use it too.
Just as Eldin was getting a headache wondering how to resolve this, Osian stepped forward saying not to worry.
"I started this, so I'll resolve it. Everyone else, step back."
"No, what are you going to do now?"
"Don't worry."
Hearing those words made her worry more, but Eldin didn't really have anything she could do.
"Come on, let's step back."
"What? B-but is this okay?"
"Well, he says he'll handle it himself, so let's watch."
As Eldin took the lead in moving the civil servants back, Osian, now alone, drew his sword.
The sound of the sword being drawn rang clear, and the blade sparkled brilliantly in the light.
It was clearly a sharp, high-quality sword.
Osian swung that sword and drew a line on the ground.
-Slash.
With a clean cutting sound, a deep line was carved between Osian and the corporate mercenaries.
"Cross this and you die."
Osian issued just one warning.
Sometimes such concise words were more effective than all sorts of excessive expressions.
Though they could have dismissed it as bluff, the corporate mercenaries couldn't rush in recklessly.
More than Osian's threat, the power he had just demonstrated made them freeze.
He cleanly cut the ground with a single sword strike. Being people with some sense who belonged to a corporation, they could understand how difficult that was.
Even if they all rushed in together, they would be no match for Osian.
Reading the submission in their eyes, Osian spoke.
"If you understand, take that guy and get lost."
Those who had been watching each other's reactions fled like arrows.
Having finished dealing with that, Osian gave Eldin a look asking how it was.
"Wow. Cool."
When Eldin looked to the side, Mist was standing there, though she didn't know when he had arrived.
"What did you just say?"
"Hm? Do you need something?"
"...No, I must have heard wrong."
Seeing Mist's expression turn puzzled in an instant, Eldin decided to treat it as an auditory hallucination.
When Osian resolved the situation, the extermination unit that had been quietly watching finally moved.
Rather, their dissatisfied gazes even held emotions of reproach asking 'why didn't you handle it sooner?'
"Ha, those guys......"
Given her personality, Eldin wanted to say something, but there was an elf who stopped her.
It was Coruntio who had arrived at the scene.
"Sister. Please calm down. There's no point trying to talk with those guys anyway."
"Aren't you a council member? Then shouldn't you outrank them?"
"Tirna is so vast, I'm just a council member in my district, not their direct superior. Besides, they're a special unit, so they won't listen to anyone except their highest authority due to their pride."
"Looking at them, I'm already worried."
"Still, their skills are real."
Eldin was half-skeptical of Coruntio's words.
One of the special unit members took something out from their waist. It was a small bird bone.
As he chanted some spell, black magical power dwelled in the bone.
The bone fluttered and flew up like a living bird.
"A black magician?"
Osian frowned at that sight.
Though less than before, hatred toward black magicians still remained deeply rooted.
"The special unit doesn't discriminate as long as someone has ability."
The birds made of bone headed toward the passage leading underground.
Soon after, another special unit member next to him took out some machine and exchanged conversation with his black magician colleague.
"We're scanning from outside the contaminated zone, but nothing's been detected yet."
"Then check the next area."
"Got it. Going in."
Eldin nodded at the reconnaissance using necromancy.
Rather than sending people in directly, sending bone birds like that allowed for faster and safer observation.
Moreover, proving he wasn't just any black magician in the special unit, he controlled nearly 10 familiars simultaneously and swept through the complex underground areas in an instant.
"Life activity detected."
"Is it that ethereal plant?"
"No. Just a mutant. Seems there's a rat that survived."
"Ignore it."
After all, a ground-crawling rat couldn't catch birds flying in the sky.
Just as they ignored it and went deeper into the contaminated zone, the black magician made a puzzled sound.
"Huh?"
"What's wrong?"
"Lost the signal from one familiar."
"Location?"
"Contaminated zone sector 4."
"Is there a plant there?"
Just as they were about to give the order to move in after confirming the location, the black magician continued.
"Wait. Lost signal from another one."
"Where's that?"
"Contaminated zone sector 7."
Sectors 4 and 7.
They weren't adjacent, rather quite far apart.
"Damn it! Lost another signal!"
"What? What the hell is happening?"
"I don't know either. Something is attacking the familiars! Th-this is......"
It didn't take long for all nearly 10 familiars to be shot down.
The expressions of the extermination unit members turned cold.
"It's not happening in just one specific sector, but this widely?"
"What exactly is going on? Could there be a problem due to the toxic space in the contaminated zone?"
"That can't be. That's why we used non-living things. Something literally attacked them."
As everyone was offering their opinions, Osian cut in and said:
"It's that ethereal plant's doing."
"Huh? Who are you?"
A leopard-form beastkin reacted strongly to Osian's words.
"Can't you see we're having a strategy meeting? So get lost."
He didn't appreciate some mere fixer butting into their business.
Usually when someone bares their fangs and growls like this, the other party backs off, but Osian didn't.
"It's a plant but has its own intelligence. When they tried to burn it with fire, it brought water to extinguish the flames, and it even dug traps to lure prey."
"Are you not hearing what I'm saying?"
"There's a high possibility it noticed something and attacked those familiars you sent. It can also plant seeds in living beings to mass produce similar individuals. It shouldn't be difficult to locate the main body."
"Y-you bastard, after listening and listening, are you ignoring my words now!"
"Hey! Stop it Tarka! Are you thinking of fighting before the operation even starts!"
The beastkin called Tarka showed no signs of stopping despite his colleague's intervention.
"You fixer bastard, you're just here to make up numbers. I'll warn you one last time. Know your place and get lost right now."
Unlike other beastkin, maintaining his beast form meant he had accepted that wildness.
That indicated that Tarka was a very excellent warrior even among beastkin.
If a fight broke out with a fixer, Tarka would win nine times out of ten. That was like an established rule but that only applied to ordinary fixers.
Osian was different.
"I too will warn you."
Far from backing down, Osian took a step toward Tarka.
The distance between them became close enough to reach with an extended arm.
"It's you who needs to know your place."
"...!"
Hearing those words, Tarka's eye twitched and he swung his right arm widely toward Osian.