Ch#160
"......If you're not going to merge with Agavert, disband Trebaga quickly. Otherwise, you won't get that off. You'll really get seriously hurt at this rate."
Tese tan clenched his fist under the desk.
Since the duel of honor ended, he had holed up in the base doing nothing.
Perhaps because he'd run nonstop for years without a single day off. Sitting still felt awkward to him.
"You made such a big fuss about never merging even if it kills you. But now that it's actually time to disband Trebaga, it seems to bother you after all."
Tese tan finally glared ferociously at Aleric.
"Get out."
Aleric shook his head.
"I was going to anyway."
He set down some food and drink on Tese tan's desk before withdrawing.
Once outside, Aleric let out a deep sigh.
"What the hell are you planning......?"
But he froze midway down the stairs.
"For real? Two more came yesterday?"
In front of the entrance, which was a mess from not being cleaned in ages.
Libia was hunched over, talking to someone.
The other party was the Necromancer King.
* * *
'......She's kinda cute?'
Libia thought as she watched Astie chattering away before her.
"So I just came to let you know that. Agavert just needs one more member to become a large-scale mercenary group. The guy who came yesterday is Uncle Rio. We decided on the alias Nemo."
"I see?"
"Yep! Grom it is."
She knew it was a disguise, but honestly, it was a pretty good one.
Suddenly, she recalled Aleric's disguise dealing with the Church folks on the Northern Continent.
Back then, Aleric had disguised himself as a woman. Libia had nearly vomited for real because it was so gross.
As she thought about it, the Necromancer King, who had bowed deeply at the waist in greeting, spun around.
But he immediately tripped over the clutter in the messy entrance and staggered badly.
"What kind of gaps are these everywhere?"
Libia blurted out as she grabbed the Necromancer King's hand without thinking.
The Necromancer King, regaining balance, looked up at Libia with a somehow embarrassed face.
"Th-tha... thank you, auntie!"
Then he dashed outside.
"Auntie......?"
As Libia stared at the closed door, Aleric approached from behind.
"Betraying us already?"
Libia startled and stood. Wearing an aggrieved expression, she said,
"Betraying what betrayal?"
"The leader's holed up in his room like that, and you're consorting with the very person who put him in that state. That's betrayal."
Libia gaped.
Aleric lightly pressed his palm to her forehead.
"Keep your conduct straight, Libia."
Libia snapped to attention watching Aleric walk away. Then she dashed after him and grabbed his arm.
Aleric turned slowly.
"What."
"Aleric."
Libia whispered, lowering her voice. Aleric furrowed his brow.
Libia dragged him to a kitchen corner. The kitchen was littered with food scraps left by members.
To Aleric, who wrinkled his nose, Libia continued quickly.
"Be honest. You think it's fine too, right?"
"......What."
"Merging households with Agavert."
Aleric, who had stiffened, sighed and stared into Libia's eyes.
"Even if we think it's fine, what can we do? With the leader opposing it so strongly."
"Be honest, you like the Necromancer King too."
Aleric shut his mouth.
Like the Necromancer King? Honestly...... yeah, a bit.
It was Tese tan who'd done all the crazy shit so far, not the Necromancer King.
"Know what she said when she came today? That their group becomes a large-scale mercenary group with just one more member."
"......"
"And she came today too? Yesterday, the day before, the day before that."
Actually, Aleric knew too.
The Necromancer King kept hopping the fence into Trebaga's base every single day for some reason.
Once, some Agavert member named Veil or whatever hopped the fence to drag the Necromancer King back.
And their base just had to be next door.
The problem was how clearly their garden conversations carried over.
'What the hell are you doing?! Did you smear honey on that house or what? Take care of our members like that! Plenty of the new ones are still adjusting!'
'Ughhh, why does Brother Veil always nag?! Nagging is bad! Kids have rights too!'
'Rights?! Hey, we've respected you enough as it is—what more do you want! We let you do whatever, and you're still grumpy!'
'Tie feels grumpy too! You know what it means to turn a good kid bad in an instant? Adult nagging!'
'Where'd you learn that from......!'
The Necromancer King and members' conversations were a bit vague.
Not calling her 'leader,' constantly referring to her as kid or child......
But they brushed it off as usual.
It wasn't news that the Necromancer King was deeply immersed in her identity-hiding game.
"The Necromancer King is super favorable toward us."
Aleric snapped out of his thoughts.
"Honestly, the moment the leader flat-out refused the merger, it should've ended there."
"......"
"But she keeps coming over, acting friendly."
"......"
"From what I overheard earlier, she even said she's expanding their group so we won't lose face since ours is bigger?"
"......Did the Necromancer King say that?"
"Nah? Just my feeling."
Aleric fell silent, lost in thought.
Then Libia grabbed and shook his sleeve.
"So, Aleric."
"......What."
"Let's seduce him, just you and me."
"What."
"The leader! Let's persuade him."
Libia nodded toward the stairs outside the kitchen.
"Have you ever seen the leader like that? A guy who bulldozes through anything no matter what—have you seen him like this? Can't you remember just the duel the other day?"
"......"
"But a guy like that says 'No merger! We disband for sure!' and then drags it out like this? While obviously agonizing over it, holing up alone in his room?"
"......"
"He doesn't have conviction himself. He's definitely agonizing over whether to really disband or if merging is the way."
"......"
Libia grabbed Aleric's cheeks with both hands.
"So you and me do it."
"......Do what."
"Take responsibility and change the leader's mind. Him losing his leader position to the Necromancer King after merging? Can't be helped. Who told him to duel her?"
Aleric pulled his face from her hands. Then he scowled.
"Fine. But did you butcher meat again?"
A perplexed expression spread across Libia's face.
"Huh? Oh...... the members wanted pork, so I dismantled one."
"Can't you go a single day without dismantling something?"
"......We haven't done sieges lately. You know butchering's all I can do. Anyway."
Libia wiped her palms on her clothes.
Then she shoved her face right up to Aleric's.
"What if we create an opportunity for the leader and Necromancer King to have a cozy chat?"
"Chat? Cozy? As if our leader would do that with her."
"Hey! That's exactly why we should! Why's the leader refusing the merger? He just doesn't like the Necromancer King. Sure, there might be other reasons."
"......"
"Force them together. Make them face each other and talk, like it or not. Won't his mind change then? Better than dragging it out and letting the Ring of Covenant grind his wrist off."
Aleric's expression darkened. He tensed his lips, then let out a long sigh.
After the ensuing silence.
"......Alright, fine."
He nodded faintly.
* * *
A few days later.
Tese tan opened his eyes in the chair as sunlight hit his face.
As he stood, a stuffy sensation enveloped his body.
"......Damn it."
Looking out the window, Agavert's base came into view right away.
With a hardened expression, he habitually reached for his sword leaning against the wall.
But.
"......Where is it."
It was gone. He'd definitely left it there last night.
Tese tan opened the door and went outside.
As he descended the stairs, Libia, Aleric, and Victor stood awkwardly in the entrance.
"You guys. Haven't seen my sword?"
Asking just in case, Libia cleared her throat loudly.
Victor averted his gaze for some reason, and silent Aleric answered.
"Ah, that."
"......"
"The Necromancer King took it."
