"Number 21."

He muttered.

Even his voice was similar.

It was a tone that sounded like it was mixed with a mechanical sound because it was inorganic.

"Understood. It is an individual that was previously disposed of."

Disposed of.

'So he wasn't a person after all.'

As expected, he was closer to a machine.

My guess was a factory-produced android, or if not, a combat golem.

There were many similar ones.

It was a time when test subjects of future technology were being tested.

"Then what, are you something like Number 25?"

"I am Number 16. Combat-type units are not disposed of until they are broken."

"Was Number 21 disposed of after failing a mission because he was an information-gathering type?"

"Correct. What is your relationship with Number 21?"

"He abandoned me and ran away on a mission."

Thanks to that, I had a hard time catching the 85th branch manager of the Brotherhood alone.

Even though a lot of time had passed, it was a memory that was hard to call a fond one.

"I express my condolences."

"What about the grudge, are you going to avenge it for me?"

"It is unreasonable to transfer a grudge against another individual to this individual."

"I know."

I just said it.

It wasn't a deep grudge.

I just thought I should pay him back if I ever met him again.

Since he was disposed of, I erased him from my memory.

"You're all here."

It was right after my conversation with Number 16 ended.

A group of people rushed in, opening the door of the conference room.

"I am Holid, the aide to the head of the Gellerg City negotiation team. I will now give you a detailed briefing on the mission."

The aide said with a nervous expression, pushing up his glasses.

***

The negotiation site between Gellerg City and Persear was District 12, a border area with a great plain as a buffer.

The borders of each city were controlled by a kind of environmental zone, like the great plain, which restricted indiscriminate entry.

Discarded test subjects of black magicians, naturally occurring mutants, indiscriminately released poisons, and so on.

They were the representative obstacles that blocked movement between cities.

That's why the border area was a kind of demonic realm.

A place where danger lurked, but also where rewards like ruins were latent.

It was a vast and deserted place that no one but adventurers would set foot in, so it was perfect for a secret negotiation site.

"You all must secure the safety of this area until the day of the negotiation."

It was the first mission given to the contractors.

Threat removal.

It was closer to an errand than escorting a key figure, but no amateur held such a complaint.

The city government's rough handling of people was something that had been foreshadowed by their usual eccentric behavior.

"As you know, the great plain is a hotbed of black magicians' discarded test subjects, the Corrupted. Please be sure to remember this and patrol."

It didn't feel like he was worried about us.

Rather, it was a nuance that it would be troublesome to replenish the workforce if an accident occurred.

Were they telling us to take care of it ourselves since we were veterans?

The aide then left to direct the construction of the negotiation site without any further detailed orders.

"Slacking off won't be allowed, will it?"

The skinny man, Felixo, shrugged and sought agreement.

"Hehehe, why don't you give it a try?"

The one who answered was the old woman, Mezaia.

"I'll be leaving first."

The blind swordsman, Kedrak, quickly left the place as if he didn't even want to talk.

"Will you act together?"

Number 16 asked me.

"I don't think we have to."

I lightly refused.

I had experienced and knew the identity of the monsters that appeared in the great plain.

Test subjects of limb regeneration for living creatures.

Black magicians had conducted experiments by cutting off one limb of animals, including humans.

The test subjects, who rushed at them, aiming for the body parts they lacked, were disgusting but weak.

The tricky part was their infinite numbers, not their strength.

And dealing with a large number was my specialty.

There was no reason to act together.

"If you don't like the gloomy guy, how about going with this old woman?"

"..."

The old woman proposed to me.

A thick, unpleasant feeling came over me, and I couldn't open my mouth immediately.

"Hey, if you're looking for a companion, let's go together. I don't mind."

"Understood."

In the meantime, Felixo dragged Number 16 away.

"I have something to tell the young man. It would be nice if you could be this old woman's conversation partner, even for a moment."

"...Understood."

It was for the best.

I couldn't cause a disturbance after receiving a request from a big shot like the city government.

I was already uncomfortable.

Whether it was a grudge or an interest, I planned to resolve it on this occasion.

***

The old woman broke the silence only after walking for about ten minutes from the negotiation site.

"You said you came on Cromwell's recommendation, young man. That friend's eye for talent is worth acknowledging. He's been good at picking out promising guys since the old days."

The first topic was surprisingly Cromwell, not me.

"Do you know Cromwell?"

"Of course, we worked together once. It's been twenty years already, so a lot of time has passed."

Twenty years.

Both Cromwell and the old woman had endured for a long time in an industry where life was like a mayfly's.

"Do well. There's never been a guy Cromwell had his eye on who died young. You'll surely become a legend in the industry too."

The old woman was kind.

Her persistent gaze, as if she were going to tear my face off, was still there, but at least the content was a word of blessing.

"Was there a reason you started looking for a broker other than Cromwell?"

It went in one ear and out the other.

There was no goodwill without an ulterior motive.

And it was hard to ignore this unpleasant feeling.

Instead of letting my guard down, I focused on resolving my curiosity.

"Because he didn't just focus on making money."

"…?"

"He was interested in useless things. You'll find out if you work with him, young man. There's a reason why he's good at scouting talent but can't maintain relationships for long."

It was meaningful.

I was grateful for the support I had received from Cromwell, but I didn't have any particular complaints.

'There's no need to be swayed by an outsider's words and have a prejudice.'

There was no advice that should be ignored as much as the advice of a crazy contractor.

If Cromwell really had a flaw, it wouldn't be too late to judge after seeing it for myself.

"If you're interested, would you like to contact our broker now?"

The old woman approached with a subtle smile.

"A business card, yes. Here it is."

"...I'll take it if I have a chance later."

"Now is that chance. It's not a business card you can get from just anyone, so don't refuse."

The old woman forced the business card into my hand.

I held back a chuckle that was about to escape.

'Was this the purpose?'

Recruiting talent.

It was a blatant trick, as if she had been promised a commission from the broker.

'I might have looked easy.'

After all, the impression this face gave was quite gentle for a contractor.

If my personality followed my impression, it was perfect for pulling a trick.

'...But I don't think it's just a petty motive like this.'

It was a kind of intuition.

And this kind of gut feeling was rarely wrong.

Drip!

"Hehehe, you're ruining a good mood."

It was then.

The sound of a heavy object dragging on the ground.

Something shot out from a corner of the dry great plain.

A murky mucus flowed from its torn mouth, and a black gas flowed like a fog from its severed right arm.

A resident of the great plain, a Corrupted.

"Uninvited guests are not welcome."

The old woman responded calmly as she faced the disgusting creature.

As the old woman raised her right hand, the test subject, obsessed with its missing limb, gleamed with a disgusting gaze.

That was the end of it.

Crack!

A flash of light.

The beam emitted from her finger shattered the monster's head.

"Hmm, I should be careful not to get it on my clothes next time. It was a dirtier creature than it looked."

The old woman clicked her tongue, looking down at a drop of blood that had splattered on her clothes.

'A mage?'

In that brief moment, the process of the magic she had manifested all came into my sight.

A flawless magic formula, a wasteless amount of mana, a swift manifestation speed.

She was a rare and skilled mage among contractors.

However.

'...A black magician.'

She had hidden it well, but I, who was her opposite, could feel it.

It was an unpleasantly sticky black magic.

"From now on, I'll have to focus on the mission and talk to the young man later. It's a pity, but today isn't the only day."

The old woman smacked her lips.

"Then, young man, let's have a more in-depth conversation next time."

The old woman trampled on the corpse and left.

Soon, the sound of a watermelon breaking vibrated throughout the area.

It was the sound of the test subjects, who had gathered after sensing a presence, being massacred.

"..."

I remained alone in my spot and mulled it over.

It was rare, but possible, for a shunned black magician to launder their identity as a contractor who didn't ask for identification.

It wasn't something to be prejudiced about.

Nevertheless, I couldn't erase my disgust for the old woman.

I could hear it.

[The more I look at that brat's face, the more I like it. It will be a top-grade item in my collection, so I'll have to carefully skin it and display it.]

An ownerless voice was heard from the place where the old woman had left.

It brushed past like the wind and was heard only by my ears, without spreading to the outside.

The words, which I had thought were auditory hallucinations caused by paranoia, were proven to be real by the system message that soon appeared.

[The Whispers of Mother Nature have been activated.]

The Whispers of Mother Nature.

It was a real example that made me experience the vague explanation that was hard to understand.

Hearing the old woman's inner thoughts, I thought, 'Of course.'

It was a twisted desire befitting a black magician.

I, who was about to leave, stopped because of what I heard next.

[They won't blame me for taking a corpse after the big event. After all, my role in the big event is not small.]

"A big event."

The negotiation team that was scheduled to be annihilated in the scenario.

The black magician's inner thoughts.

Even a child would know what 'big event' meant.

***

As the date of the private negotiation approached, the city government's negotiation team also became busy.

The working-level staff, who were the busiest, had been staying up for a day or two as a matter of course.

The aide, Holid, was a representative example.

In the past few days, dark circles had formed under his eyes.

On the other hand, his boss, who was receiving a report in the back seat of the car, was a different story.

The elf's beautiful appearance did not fade even with fatigue.

It was the same today, as they had stayed up all night and were on the move.

"Is the work going well?"

At his boss's question, the aide shook his head to shake off his old feelings of jealousy.

Jealousy was futile against a race born with beauty.

Moreover, it was not the time to confuse public and private matters.

Even if he looked fine, the aide answered with tact before his boss's angry roar, which had been building up, erupted.

"Yes, the contractors' work ability is excellent. They are on the verge of wiping out the Corrupted near the negotiation site."

"Even back-alley hyenas have their uses. The barbarians might try to find fault in any way, so prepare thoroughly without any mistakes."

"I will do my best."

"What about the mercenaries?"

"We've caught three. They were tailing the negotiation team members, including you, Councilor."

Giselle had ordered the mercenaries to provide active escort.

Active escort meant not passive protection, but finding and eliminating threats first.

The number of mercenary corps personnel deployed in the following vehicle was very small.

The rest were scattered throughout the city, searching for suspicious individuals.

"Who's behind them?"

"They said they couldn't confirm."

"...It seems the mercenary corps is not skilled in interrogation."

"They said they all died before they could extract any information. It is judged that a black magician is involved."

"The Brotherhood, are they the rats?"

"I'm not sure about that... After all, these days, even corporations have deep ties with black magicians."

"Anyway, it's certain that there will be internal interference before the negotiation."

"That's right."

"As long as there are no problems on the day of, it's fine. Provide full support to the mercenary side."

It was a principled measure.

If something happened after all that, it would be the subordinate who would end up taking the blame.

To prevent this, the aide cautiously expressed his opinion.

"...Councilor, then how about using a contractor instead?"

"Them?"

"In fact, this is the contractor's area of expertise. The cleanup of the negotiation site seems to be ending early, so it would be a solution to pull out some personnel and deploy them."

Giselle touched his furrowed brow.

It was a habit he showed when he was deep in thought.

"They are like hyenas. They are not to be entrusted with escort."

"Wouldn't it be better to judge after seeing them in person? Since you are on your way for a site inspection, it seems like a good opportunity."

At the logical persuasion, Giselle finally gave in.

"...I'll consider it."

"And I don't know if you remember, but there's a companion on today's schedule..."

It was just before the aide finished his sentence.

The car stopped, and a woman opened the back seat door and sat down.

"...You've arrived just in time."

"Hello, Councilor."

A smile that drew a perfect arc, as if it had been practiced.

Giselle responded to her, Claire Sylvester's, smile by scowling.

"Who allowed an outsider to accompany my schedule?"

"An outsider? That's too harsh, Councilor. I'm a member of the negotiation team."

Claire was not hurt by the cold reception at their first meeting.

It was not something the self-centered Giselle would care about.

He reprimanded again.

"Answer me, aide. Do you want to be fired?"

"It's you, Councilor. You signed it when I submitted the written report last night."

The aide protested his innocence.

"..."

Did he?

Giselle remembered that he had signed all the minor matters in a batch last night because he had been busy.

Had his karma come back to him like this?

At his deep sigh, which signified resignation, Claire said with a bright smile.

"Please depart."

The destination was the negotiation site.

(End of Chapter)