Don Quixote momentarily couldn't understand what Osian was saying. Request a mission? Right here, right now?
Belatedly, he realized that Osian was giving him an opportunity. While he felt grateful for this, he also had concerns and questions.
"Why?"
"Those guys we fought. You know who they belong to, right?"
"Battle Trench."
Don Quixote answered. The name of the company from which he purchased the steam suit at a considerable cost.
Ronan's expression hardened. Though his poker face didn't completely break, the subtle change showed that even Ronan was taking this situation seriously.
"I see. Conversely, the company that requested the mission from Basilio was Antique Gear."
Antique Gear and Battle Trench. These two are major corporations considered the twin powerhouses in automaton manufacturing. They have been competitors for a very long time.
"One side submitted a request, and the other openly interfered. Evidence that the collaborative relationship between the two organizations isn't smooth."Interfering with an ongoing mission was crossing the line, no matter how desperate they might be. If they had simply taken over after a failure, like passing a baton, it wouldn't have been an issue. What Battle Trench did was clearly mission interference.
Major corporations don't reach their positions by accident. Without trust, they can't maintain their solid standing.
In Tirna, nothing matters more than money. Faced with money, people lose their loyalty and betray each other. But that only applies to those of mediocre caliber.
Major corporations strictly maintain trust related to money. Being a major corporation isn't just about having a lot of capital, size, or manpower.
This corporation can be trusted. This company's products are worth buying. That kind of trust. Major corporations are fortresses built on layers upon layers of such trust.
There's no way such corporations would do something that crosses the line.
"Although they've joined hands for a common goal, the two companies were originally bitter rivals constantly competing with each other."
The development of steam suits merely caused these two adversaries to temporarily join forces. Before that, they had been showing their teeth at each other and engaging in all sorts of underhanded sabotage. Could they suddenly build a sincere relationship?
"So in the end, this isn't just a competition between automaton companies and steam suit companies over new technology development..."
"Right. It's a complex power dynamic between steam suit companies and numerous automaton companies."
That's why Osian had sought to exploit that gap.
"Indeed. An excellent choice. They can't complain about Osian making such a decision. Antique Gear and Battle Trench will blame each other. However..."
"The problem is becoming disliked by Battle Trench, the major corporation that directly intervened in this affair."
"Yes. They're more than capable of it. And they failed despite staging such an operation. They'll be watching closely."
Ronan's gaze shifted toward Neo. Neo was staring intently at the bottles displayed on the shelves with his bright yellow eyes. Even the interior scenery of this bar would be all new to Neo, so it must be quite fascinating.
He looked just like a child. To think that this innocent automaton was the most important key to this situation.
-Clang!
Neo accidentally dropped a bottle.
"Wow! So this is how glass breaks!"
"Ah. That was an expensive one..."
Ronan felt a throbbing in his head. An imported brandy had just been lost. Osian's affairs were always out of the ordinary, making them challenging to handle even for someone like him.
"It should be fine for now."
Osian said nonchalantly.
"Even Battle Trench can't move recklessly in the current situation. Besides, a new client has appeared."
Osian pointed at Don Quixote. Ronan's narrow eyes stretched even further horizontally. Ronan had also immediately recognized Don Quixote's true worth.
To a stranger, Don Quixote might appear to be just a strange person imitating a knight. But Ronan instantly grasped the value of the steam suit Don Quixote was wearing.
'He's casually wearing the most expensive steam suit.'
This wasn't simply a matter of having wealth. It meant having both substantial money and considerable influence.
And Ronan could recall the most similar person he knew.
"One of the Four Madmen...Oh, I apologize. That was a slip of the tongue."
One of the Four Madmen, Alonso, the Madman of Dreams.
Although he was crazy for pursuing knighthood, he was counted among the successful investors in Tirna.
People who achieve such success through personal investment are rare. There's a reason he's called one of the Four Madmen. While it seemed like a derogatory term, it was simultaneously an expression of respect.
Having heard this much, Don Quixote could understand what Osian was talking about. Don Quixote trembled slightly and bowed his head to Osian.
"Thank you very much. As you say, I will request a mission."
"Hehe. My goodness. Successfully completing one mission while bringing in a new one. I really can't match your skills, Osian."
Ronan said this while producing a mission form as if he had prepared it in advance. Osian chuckled and said:
"You're the one who seems to have prepared as if you were waiting for this."
"A broker must always be prepared for any contingency."
Hmm. Don Quixote felt as if he had fallen into some kind of scheme watching Ronan. Although Ronan spoke as if being humble, his distinctive impression made him look like a suspicious mastermind with something up his sleeve.
Why did the mission request form he smoothly handed over look like a contract with the devil? Normally, Don Quixote would have shouted and accused him of trying to deceive someone, but this time he didn't.
This mission was entirely orchestrated by Osian. His trust in Osian outweighed his distrust of Ronan.
Don Quixote took a pre-prepared pen and quickly filled out the mission form. He handed the completed form to Ronan, who naturally passed it to Osian.
The content of the mission was to safely escort Neo to Don Quixote's mansion.
"I accept the mission."
"Here. Enjoy your meal."
Ena placed the freshly prepared, steaming hot dish on the table. Don Quixote stared down at it blankly.
The sweet aroma tickled his nose through the suit.
"Ah. Can you eat with that on?"
"You need not worry about that, miss."
With a click, Don Quixote opened just the lower half of his helmet's faceplate. The revealed lower face belonged to an elderly man with a long, snow-white beard.
Don Quixote, with only his mouth exposed, ate the food Ena had prepared. Soon his spoon movements became busy. It was delicious. That was the only way to describe it. Even for someone like him, who prided himself on earning a lot of money and experiencing numerous fine dishes, this was like opening a new horizon.
Osian and David were also eating beside him. All they had eaten in District 49 were protein bars to replenish energy. They did get to eat soup with meat thanks to Don Quixote, but how could that compare to Ena's cooking?
While they were eating voraciously, Lorraine and Diolan were curiously observing Neo.
"Wow, it's a real automaton. And a totally outdated one at that."
"Amazing. Can it really talk and think like a person?"
"Nice to meet you, friends!"
And Neo, apparently delighted that the two were showing interest in him, waved his hand and used the term he always used. Friend.
At that response, Lorraine and Diolan exchanged glances before showing even stronger curiosity.
"What's your name?"
"I'm Neo."
"How old are you?"
"I've been awake for about 50 years now."
"You're quite old? I thought you were completely outdated, but you're really more than 50 years old. At 50 years, normally you'd rust without repairs, how did you manage?"
"Regular oiling and part maintenance is the secret! Do you need some? I know a good oil."
"No, people shouldn't use that kind of oil."
The main content of their conversation was these meaningless questions from Lorraine and answers from Neo.
Just then, the back door leading to the empty lot opened and Asmer entered.
"I heard the successor has returned. More importantly, what's that horse in the empty lot? It looks strange."
"You're here. Sit down. I have someone to introduce you to."
"Oh. Who could that be...?"
Asmer's gaze turned toward Don Quixote, who had just finished his meal and lowered his helmet again.
"A knight."
Asmer muttered involuntarily. Anyone would have noticed that Don Quixote's appearance closely resembled a knight from stories.
But what surprised Asmer even more was the distinctive aura emanating from Don Quixote.
"Could it be a user of the Starlight?"
As a fellow user of the Starlight, Asmer could sense the wavelength of starlight emanating from within Don Quixote. Though it wasn't flashy or brilliant, it was a power that ordinary people couldn't possess.
The same was true for Don Quixote. After awakening to the Starlight, he could feel that this man was of the same kind as himself the moment he saw Asmer..Frustratingly, Asmer's command of the starlight power was several levels above his own.
"What exactly is going on?"
Asmer asked Osian. Having a knight suddenly appear was quite a surprise for him.
Osian explained how he had come to meet Don Quixote and the whole story.
"I see. So that's what happened. Sir Don Quixote, was it? Truly remarkable."
Asmer freely expressed his thoughts. Until he met Osian, Don Quixote had been just an old man imitating a knight.
But in that battle, Don Quixote awakened to the starlight on his own, without anyone's help. That was certainly remarkable. After all, Asmer had been educated from childhood, but Don Quixote hadn't.
A wildflower blooming in the wilderness. That exactly described Don Quixote's story.
"Thank you, Sir Asmer. I too am pleased to meet someone like you."
Don Quixote also showed respect toward Asmer because he sensed the starlight in him.
"By the way, are you really that Don Quixote?"
"You know the story?"
When Osian asked, Asmer nodded.
"When I was young, though I spent most of my time training, I did read books. Among the books my grandfather left me, there were naturally many knight stories."
"Hahaha! Your grandfather was a man of knowledge! Indeed!"
"Then is the horse outside Rocinante? How wonderful!"
Asmer and Don Quixote unexpectedly got along well. Before coming to Tirna, Asmer had lived alone in a remote place, so his perspective was quite different from ordinary people.
"David! Heard you're back!"
"Without you around, my muscles are itching!"
"Greetings, Successor!"
Just then, as if they had received word, Osian's knight order also arrived at the shop.
"Ah. Those guys are here again."
Lorraine stuck out her tongue in disgust at the sight of them. Several bare-chested men showing off their intimidating muscles entering simultaneously wasn't visually pleasant.
"Put some clothes on, you jerks!"
Finally unable to contain herself, Lorraine yelled, but the knights didn't budge.
"Why should we hide these beautiful muscles?"
"Yeah. I don't understand."
As they shook their heads as if they couldn't comprehend her, Lorraine had to roughly tousle her ivory-colored hair.
"Wow! Lots of new friends have appeared!"
Neo made a fuss over the muscle-bound knights. While others might find the excessive muscles overwhelming, to Neo, even this was just a valuable experience satisfying his new curiosity.
"Huh? What is this guy?"
"An automaton, right? But it talks?"
"Whatever it is, if it's here, it's either a customer or a comrade. Nice to meet you!"
The knights accepted Neo surprisingly easily. Normally, a talking automaton would be cause for surprise, but for those who poured everything into becoming knights, even Neo wasn't a point of interest. Their lack of prejudice was so extreme it almost seemed like a lack of thought—a simplicity of that degree.
"Hmm. Who are they?"
Don Quixote seemed slightly bewildered by the newly arrived knights. Even for someone as shameless as Don Quixote, it was difficult to process the appearance of such muscle-bound men in a normal state of mind.
It was David who introduced them instead.
"Sir. Let me introduce you. These are my fellow knights. You all greet him too. This is Sir Don Quixote. Like Lord Osian and Lord Asmer, he is a knight who wields the power of the stars."
"Incredible! A new knight!"
"He controls the stars? Then he's our senior!"
"Greetings, senior!"
They immediately bowed their heads, making Don Quixote feel awkward yet pleased with their reaction.
"Well now, I should show some starlight to my juniors!"
"Woahhh! It's real starlight!"
"Starlight! Amazing, senior!"
The Violet Fox tavern instantly became boisterous. Ronan shook his head as if he couldn't handle it, and Diolan yawned while leaning back in a chair in one corner.
Lorraine sighed and began cleaning her gun, while Ena headed back to the kitchen to serve the new guests.
A peaceful and joyful time enjoyed after an intense battle.
What broke it was none other than a new uninvited guest.
"Hello."
Everyone's gaze turned toward a man in a suit. He wore glasses and had his hair neatly slicked back, exuding the strong smell of ink.
"I'm Jerey, team leader from Battle Trench's business division."
For just a moment, his gaze quickly scanned the interior of the tavern from behind his glasses before settling on Osian.
"Fixer Osian, would it be possible to have a conversation?"