An awkward silence hung in the office.
Osian and Balud didn't even look at each other.
Illua, who didn't know that, just laughed and asked, seeming happy that a guest had come to visit,
"Would you like some coffee? Or tea?"
Osian and Balud said at the same time.
"No thanks."
"I'm good."
They had seen the sanitary conditions in this building on their way here.
There was no way coffee or tea would go down their throats after seeing that.
Besides, sitting next to each other in such an uncomfortable relationship, the coffee they were drinking would taste bland."Why are you here?"
Balud asked impatiently.
"That's something you should ask your employer."
"Archaeologist Illua. May I ask what is going on here?"
Balud stifled a rising sigh and asked as politely as he could.
His discomfort was not entirely gone, however, and Illua noticed and replied in a timid tone.
"Uh, that. It would be nice to have more people, wouldn't it?"
"I think I've explained that we're more than capable of handling the shortage."
"Well, just in case......."
Balud didn't seem to be backing down.
They thought they had secured the ticket, but then a fixer got in the way.
And it wasn't even a newcomer, it was Osian, who had interfered with their business before.
"You're a little too narrow-minded."
"......What?"
"Ruins are dangerous places. You never know what might happen there, and it's always good to have one more person who can help."
“That’s easy to say. You were just lucky enough to be chosen.”
"I was chosen because I'm good at what I do, but you're being disrespectful."
At that, Illua raised her hand cautiously.
"I, Mr. Osian, was hired out of personal curiosity."
"......."
"I'll give you that, you're the first fixer I've ever met who says they're a knight, and I've done some research on wandering knights in the past, so I figured one wouldn't hurt......."
‘I heard the truth I didn't want to hear.’
Osian frowned, and this time it was Balud who spoke up, his voice a little more gravelly.
"I see."
"Hmm. Still, it's true that I can't help you. I'm stronger than you."
“……It’s hard to let that go. Or are you saying that we should try to decide the outcome that we couldn’t decide then right now?”
"Why not, I seem to recall that I pretty much beat you then."
As the two men's momentum shifted unexpectedly, Illua interrupted.
“Shoo, no fighting! Let’s get along well! Whether we like it or not, we’ll be together at the ruins!”
She waved her arms desperately, almost pitifully.
Osian and Balud, both overcome with excitement, shook their heads in unison.
When they had finally calmed down, Illua broke out in a cold sweat and explained.
"Oh, anyway. This time, you two will be joining me in exploring the ruins. Of course, Mr. Balud, you are welcome to bring your men with you, but as you know, there is a limited number of people allowed."
Apparently, Balud had known Illua before.
Osian couldn't help but wonder.
"Have you always known her?"
"Yes. Mr. Balud is our guardian."
"Guardian? I'm surprised. A mafia getting into the archaeology business."
"Don't think of me as a typical mafia, we're open to any business that involves all kinds of labor. Archaeology is no exception. Thanks to the connections I’ve made, I was able to get a ticket to explore the ruins.”
He wasn't wrong.
But there was a hint of irritation in Balud's voice, as if he didn't like the whole situation.
Osian recognized the subtle discomfort there.
‘Come to think of it, with the influence of the North Blinders, they could have targeted a better archaeologist or explorer than Illua.’
Is there anything that Illua excels at?
From the stacks of books, she seems knowledgeable enough, but she's far from experienced in the art of exploring ruins.
Moreover, judging from Balud's reaction, it felt like he had no choice.
"Something must have happened."
Balud frowned at Osian's words but he didn't say anything as defiant as before. That alone convinced Osian that he had hit the nail on the head.
"Never mind, it's none of your business."
"Still, we're going to be exploring the ruins together, so it can't hurt to know."
"It's between us."
“Are you talking about that Kursha that I saw back then?”
Osian was right and Balud lost control of his expression for a moment.
Realizing his mistake, Balud took off his glasses and pressed his fingers firmly against the hollows of his eyes. Meanwhile, Osian asked him one more time.
"You can at least tell me what's going on."
"You're the target of our 'vendetta', in case you haven't realized."
“If you had wanted to, you would have done it right away. The reason you didn’t is because this matter is that important to you.”
Balud's forehead wrinkled.
‘This man.’
He'd felt it before, but his senses were too sharp.
His ability to see what was going on was almost unbelievable.
'I thought he was just a brute force fixer.’
The way he recognized his predicament, and the way he easily defeated the Kursha's trap.
It's not like he's used to being overwhelmed by brute force.
‘Come to think of it, it seemed he knew all about even our Nordic secret seasonal rituals.’
What could this man really be?
Balud answered the question steadily, even as he raised his alert level towards Osian.
For now, he was not wrong about the partnership.
"Still, you never know, maybe it'll help if you talk."
Balud was fully aware that was bullshit, but so was keeping it a secret.
As long as he was with Illua, he was bound to find out someday.
Eventually, Balud raised the white flag.
"I suppose I should start by telling you about our relationship with Miss Illua. Actually, the person I originally knew was Illua’s father.”
"Father."
Osian looked at Illua, and she nodded.
"He was a great explorer."
Past tense, which meant not now.
"He had a position and a say in the Archaeological League, and was supposed to be joining us on this expedition. The problem was the day before."
"Something happened to him. A threat to his life."
It was Illua who answered instead.
"That's right, my father was attacked by a group of unknown people out of nowhere. He barely escaped with his life, but his injuries were severe and he spent several weeks in convalescence. I looked up the old rules of the League and found that the authority itself is transferable, so I took over."
In other words, it was the kind of underwater work you see everywhere.
But I had questions.
"Who are the attackers?"
“The problem is that we don’t know. The use of force to get a ticket was excessive.”
That was the point.
If they really wanted Ilua's father's ticket, they would have threatened him and taken it from him.
But the attacker didn't want that, they just wanted to injure him.
"As if they were blatantly trying to hinder the exploration."
Osian's gaze shifted to Balud and Balud didn't deny it. His eyes were cold as he nodded heavily.
Who could hold a grudge against Balud?
He may be a businessman, but he's also a mafia, and you could count on two hands the number of people in this city who have a grudge against him.
But Osian could see one face with strange clarity.
"Kursha."
Balud's eyes widened at the sound of the name.
"I have a feeling he's been playing tricks on you."
"......I'm surprised, I was thinking the same thing."
I could see where this was going.
Balud had botched the witch asylum, and his name had been tarnished, if only slightly.
Kursha, who had always looked down on him, seized the opportunity.
Osian didn't know how, but Kursha knew that Balud was targeting the ruins.
It wasn't for lack of connections.
It's an organization like that, except for the boss, it's all about competition.
When a competitor slips, it's only natural to trample them.
"That's why you hired me in such a hurry."
"I told Miss Illua that we were more than enough for her."
Illua timidly raised her hand.
"Well, but you never know, I could be attacked at any moment."
Of course, the most likely reason is that she’s curious about the person who claims to be a fixer and a knight.
Add to that his recent track record, and she decided it's a good idea to hire him.
"Okay. I've got it all figured out. I just didn't realize you and I would be in the same boat."
But is it really just a coincidence that a wandering knight and a barbarian warrior would meet here, and that they would end up in the ancient ruins together?
Osian wondered if there was such a thing as fate considering his recent encounter with Martinez.
‘Interesting.’
Two people who would have been heroic NPCs in a game, or three if you count Elise.
That got him wondering. What about the rogues, the priests, and the mages?
'I thought this age was much weaker than the one I knew, but that was not the case.’
Pure power itself may have weakened, but powers that never existed before have been created.
In a way, it evolved in a different direction.
I looked forward to the moment I might encounter them one day.
“More than that.”
Osian interrupted, and their gazes met.
"If our hunches are correct, Kursha attacked Ilua's father to invalidate his ticket to the ruins and to sabotage you."
"What are you trying to say?"
"But the ticket was transferred intact to his daughter, Ilua, through a very unusual procedure. I've only seen Kursha once, but I don't think he's going to let things slide."
Balud's expression turned cold as he realized what Osian was saying.
"If that's true......."
"Perhaps he thought it was enough at the time, but then he found out about Illua."
By now, it was dark outside, because night was falling but the gas lamps, which should have been on, weren't.
As if someone had turned them off on purpose.
-Bang.
The sound of shattering glass echoed from the first floor and Ilua's face turned pensive.
"Hee hee! Zee, they're really here!"
"Yeah. I knew it."
Osian slowly rose to his feet and Balud did the same.
"Did you get your weapons?"
"What kind of fool leaves anything more important than his own life behind?"
Balud hung his white cap on a nearby coat rack and reached for the twin axes at his waistband.
Osian smoothed down the hem of his coat and drew his longsword from his belt.
The gas around them had been cut off, so there were no lights.
Illua started to light a candle, but Balud stopped her.
"Lighting a fire will only give away your location. Stay hidden until this is over."
Illua pursed her lips and shook her head up and down.
"That's quite a number."
"Quite a few for one young lady."
"Perhaps they've found out what you're up to."
"Well, if it comes to this, we'll have to clean up the mess together, but that's not a bad thing."
From the first floor, I could feel countless bodies coming up to the second floor.
They must have realized that the break-in had been discovered by the time they broke the glass, because their steps were brisk as they walked up the stairs.
“I’ll warn you in advance, but don’t get in my way.”
"Who am I to argue, you're the one who shouldn't get in my way."
He reached the door and pushed it open.
The room was filled with darkness.
Blue frost hovered over Balud's hatchet, casting a cold glow while Osian's sword glowed with a halo of starlight.
The door burst open with a bang and the intruders stared in surprise at the two lights that emerged from the darkness.
It was only a matter of moments before their faces, reflected in the starlight and frost, twisted into murderous grimaces.
Osian and Balud struck simultaneously.
-Pow!
The first man to enter the room was thrown backward by Osian's and Balud's kicks.
Beyond them, they could see the panic in the raiders' eyes.
"Well."
"Let's go."