*(A/N: If you want a summarized recap of the first seven chapters of the volume, since you all probably forgot it after such a long time, you can check this paragraph's comments. I am doing it this way because otherwise the chapter's price would go up.)*

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Alex moved as quickly as he could.

He also didn't hesitate to use what he had.

As he pointed his gun at the man again with one hand, mana began to gather in the palm of his other hand, forming a smoke-like substance.

Mist, to be precise.

But the man in front of him acted much faster than him.

First, he grabbed the gun that was pointed at him again and pulled it upward, sending the second bullet from the gun into the sky. Then he struck Alex's hand, which was concentrating mana, with force, mixed his own mana into the mist with his free hand, and dispersed it quite professionally. As if all that weren't enough, he pulled a knife from his outfit and pressed it against Alex's throat.

But… he didn't simply slit his throat and kill him.

Instead, he maintained his threatening position.

He was clearly faster and stronger than Alex. It would have been strange if he weren't, considering Alex's stats. After all, he was quite... weak. Still, he handled the situation quite professionally.

"H- hey, stop!"

Still, I quickly spoke up, as if he were about to kill him at any moment.

"Don't kill him!"

Fear, tension, pain.

My voice carried all of that and more.

The man's gaze focused on me.

He hadn't lowered his guard; he could still kill Alex with a single move.

"I won't ask again, who are you?"

I couldn't see his eyes because of his sunglasses, but I could tell he paused for a moment. He had probably seen the emblems on our jackets. They were identical to one of the two emblems on the bodies we had scattered around, the one with the blue bullet.

"I'm the heir to the Bluelet family! Please take your knife away from my throat!"

I saw the man's eyebrows rise slightly.

His reaction wasn't to the family name I gave him; what surprised him was the word "heir."

"We just came out of a fight…"

The man slowly lowered his hand holding the knife and carefully took a single step back.

Just then, others, other men in suits, came over to us.

But instead of simply standing behind the man, they quickly surrounded us. Especially so that there would be no space to escape if we tried.

I clenched my teeth and darted my eyes around as if feeling increasingly tense.

Every movement, every expression mattered.

I had to be helpless, and I was.

A terrified, weak willed heir who had just survived a battle.

That was my role.

But then…

"James Bluelet, right?"

I paused at the voice coming from behind the man who had incapacitated Alex.

My gaze turned toward the source of the voice.

Toward the spot where that state-of-the-art-looking bus was parked.

And I caught sight of someone approaching us.

If his carefully combed blonde hair had been a shade lighter, it would have prefectly reflected the sunlight. Or maybe he had used gel…

Setting his hair aside, his blue eyes were quite confident. He had a very handsome face, with not a trace of a beard or mustache.

Although it was the same black color, his suit was more... stylish than the others. His striped tie and shirt gave him a strangely aristocratic air.

He was about twenty-five years old, with blond hair carefully combed like everyone else, and blue eyes that seemed quite confident.

He had a slender build, far from muscular.

"Y- yes!"

He was smiling. But even that smile was modest. It was appropriate and perfect. He didn't seem pleased with the situation, nor did he seem to be mocking it.

He was just... kind.

"I see."

He took his eyes off me for a moment and scanned the scene. He looked at the vehicles and the bodies around him.

"It's clear you've just come out of a tough battle."

He turned back to me, his smile widening slightly without losing its modesty and kindness.

"I am Franz Martin Inferesse, the heir to my family. I have no intention of harming you."

It was as if… he was trying to reassure me.

"On the contrary, I would like to help. Our relationship with the Bluelet Family isn't 'that' bad."

He wasn't from an overly powerful family, nor did he have excessive influence in the mafia world.

Still, he was the heir to a family well

within.

And despite that, he looked nothing short of an angel. At least, that's how it should have appeared to someone who was naive and a coward.

"T- thank you!"

My eyes filled with excitement, and my body trembled as if I couldn't believe the scenario in front of me.

My gratitude was evident on my face, overshadowing the pain I felt.

"You're welcome. Would you like to stay under our protection at our mansion until these matters are resolved?"

He was 'inviting' me, which was a matter of great importance in this situation.

"Y- yes!"

After receiving my answer, his smile grew even more sincere. He turned around and began walking toward the bus he had come from, taking slow steps.

"My men will take you to a room where you can rest while traveling. Please try to relax while we investigate the scene here."

It all happened as he said.

Our wounds were bandaged, and the bullets in our bodies were removed.

We were placed in the room directly next to Franz's on the bus, as if to show that they trusted us. They provided us with high-quality service, including everything we needed to feel comfortable during meals.

And… that was it.

The first stage, at least, was over with this.

We had managed to get to Franz's side and set off for his family's mansion, and that was what mattered.

When those attending to our needs left the room to provide us with 'privacy', I relaxed and leaned back into the chair, which felt quite comfortable.

We were being watched.

Being alone did not mean we were truly "alone."

Despite Franz's angelic appearance and demeanor, he did not trust us after all.

So, I spoke quietly to my mind.

'Sith, can you go to Franz and tell me what they are talking about?'

'Sure.'

He shot out of my chest as a marble of light, slowly transforming back into his original body. But just before he passed through the wall on our right and began to watch Franz, I called out to him again.

'Ah, there's one more thing.'

Half of his body had already passed through the wall when he paused and glanced at me.

'Yes?'

'The spirits are around much more often now. I know you won't be reckless, but be extra careful.'

He sighed slightly before turning back to face forward.

'Don't worry.'

And he disappeared through the wall.

The moment he left, I sighed deeply, especially audibly, and then turned my eyes to Alex, who was resting in the chair opposite me.

"The heir to the Inferesse family… was he really that nice? Or was he just acting?"

Alex turned his eyes toward me with a weariness as if he had just emerged from a real conflict. He seemed as if he didn't want to say a single word, but he said more than one anyway.

"He is known to be quite polite in his social circle... but we cannot know what he is really like, young master."

"So... just in case, we should still be careful?"

"Yes, young master."

Of course, every word we said was a lie. It was all part of the plan.

We had to do what Franz would expect us to do so that he would let his guard down, not suspect us too much, and see us as "easy prey."

'Franz is in a meeting right now, and he has a camera feed of the room you are in with Alex on the screen in front of him.'

And that was indeed to case, at least according to Sith, who was explaining everything he saw to me.

The person Franz was meeting with was most likely his father. He must have been explaining the situation to him in detail before going to him. He was even relaying the camera footage and the things we were discussing to him.

'He's wearing headphones, I don't know what the other side is saying. But Franz is saying that he's in control, that you're under his control.'

Exactly.

'Oh, he also added that they could use you to swallow up the Bluelet Family.'

He'll be greedy.

He'll want to exploit us so that the Inferesse Family can gain more power.

'He's smiling. I think he got a positive response.'

And his father will support this, of course.

Because he's greedy too.

Just like his son, he knows very well that this is an opportunity he can't miss.

And we will take advantage of this.

Their greed.

'Alright, Sith. As long as the plan stays on track or nothing important happens, you don't need to give feedback anymore. Thank you.'

'You're welcome.'

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

I wouldn't relax yet, thinking the plan was going smoothly.

It was best to think it over again and again, revising every detail without stopping.

And that's what I did.

Hours passed like this as the bus we were on moved along, with the services offered to us continuing uninterrupted.

To be specific, it was two hours.

Throughout this process, Alex and I continued to play our roles, while Franz continued to discuss with his father how he could use us.

And, eventually...

"Oh."

My eyes drifted to the city I could see from the edge of the bus window.

On the horizon, in the distance, was a fairly large city surrounding a hill.

It didn't have many tall buildings or skyscrapers, yet it didn't look like an old town either.

This city was the former capital of Piarlin.

Old Gundam.

A city of crime, where gangs, mafia, and all kinds of corruption ran rampant.

And we were about to enter it.