“But… what’s the catch?”

So there were conditions after all. I forced a goofy grin and asked.

Yukari didn’t budge at my cheap act. Instead, she pointed with her thumb at the outfit displayed dead center behind the glass wall.

It was all in shades of purple. The design itself wasn’t that flashy, but the dark stitching running down the middle set off the purple just right. The outer fabric was thick-or-thin in that perfect way that would feel extra comfortable in both summer and fall, yet still look tight and stylish.

After I seriously finished judging how it looked, my eyes dropped to the price tag—three hundred and sixty thousand yen!!

The price on that thing was so sky‑high it was insane!

“You really wanna buy… that one?”

I was just about to beg her to show mercy when I turned my head and—Yukari was gone. And inside the clothing store…

“Wow, manager, this one’s really nice! I’ll take it!” She’d already dashed into the shop while I was talking, decided on her own to buy it, and now stood in front of the mirror twisting her waist in that outfit, drawing a whole crowd of onlookers.

“Whoa… what a pretty girl. Is that her boyfriend?” “She’s super cute but the guy’s kinda meh. Must be some rich young master, right? Look at those clothes they’re buying, that’s not—”

All of a sudden, I noticed the whispering behind me getting louder and louder. It made me want to run, yet felt like there was nowhere to escape… How could I even think that? It’s Yukari we’re talking about… I pulled out my bank card with tears in my eyes.

“Come again, dear customer! We look forward to your next visit!” The manager and Yukari—one had just sold a dress and made money, the other had bought the outfit she wanted and was over the moon.

Meanwhile, after paying, I walked along tasting bitterness I couldn’t spit out.

Beep beep beep… that damned ringtone chose the worst possible timing to go off again. I quickly flashed Yukari a strained smile, turned my back to her, and snapped into the phone, “Whoever you are, I’m busy. I’m telling you—”

“Sir, it’s me… I’ve dug up enough on the Elena Group that I’ve got, like, eighty to ninety percent of the picture!”

“…Got it. But I’m afraid it’s not that simple. Tell my father this group is suspicious…”

Yukari walking beside me didn’t notice anything wrong. After all, I wasn’t here to pick up girls in the first place; I was purely here to complete my mission.

Mm… yeah… fine, fine, I admit I wasn’t being honest with myself.

I couldn’t say I wasn’t moved at all, but I still knew what mattered more, and what I ultimately had to do.

“I only know she doesn’t seem to know anything about this so‑called organization. But…”

“But what?”

“But… Commander Bai, do you know what the Allied Army is?”

“Allied Army?”

Bai Yifei didn’t seem very familiar with the term, but he still answered carefully.

“Honestly… I don’t want to just guess. A lot of that’s classified. There’s no way I’d know.”

“…Then why’d you even call to say all this? Put your brother on!”

“You mean General Bai? He’s tied up in an important meeting right now. He doesn’t have time for you.”

“Uh, do you not realize my father is the person in charge on the Japanese side? We’re part of the Alliance now!!!”

“I know. But my brother’s got important things going on too!”

“What could be more—”

“Enough.”

Bai Yifei sounded a little impatient.

“Juxi, you’re not the ones fighting out there. We’re the only combat power on the field right now. If you think we’re not doing enough, you’re welcome to handle it yourselves.”

“…Listen, Bai Yifei,” I snapped, “we’re not even talking about the same thing. I’m talking about the Allied Army. They might be some new force that just formed!”

“No… that’s not what I’m hearing on my side.”

“Wait, didn’t you just say you had no intel?”

“No. If you mean the Allied Army, Elena did gather a bunch of mercenaries and formed this so‑called Allied Army. But trust me, they’re just a rabble. They’re not our top priority.”

…

“I can’t believe they actually did that.”

…Mm.

Staring at the shadow floating in the air before her, Juxi finally felt her nerves ease a little.

“Okay, but I really want to know… in the end… what happened to us?”

…In the end…

“When holy war descends, weapons will become the most precious treasure of all. They’re the screams from the depths of the soul!”

Hard to believe they’d sent a lunatic like this in front of me—a pock‑marked old black guy—to launch into some long‑winded speech. Compared to the weight of all those lives, he seemed to think his beloved Bogamin and his bloodthirsty weapons were more valuable.

“Hey,” I said, getting impatient, “can you just give me a gun or whatever—any kind of weapon’s fine, okay?”

“No, no, no, guns are not good things!”

The pock‑marked black guy—yeah, I named him that—hurriedly tossed the rifle he’d been kissing and cuddling onto the ground. In its place, he held out a very old bow and arrow.

“This one suits you. My little heart’s already going thump‑thump‑thump!”

Was he messing with me? That decrepit wooden bow wasn’t even as useful as some cheap compound bow knockoff.

“Thanks, but you should keep that bow for yourself.”

Personally… no, on a world level, this is just how truth works. Shouldn’t his pile of garbage go back to where it belonged—the trash heap?

Crack! I slammed the bow onto the ground.

“Oh… my God, look what foolish sins you’ve committed. The Lord will punish us for our wrongs!”

“Wait, what are you even talking about, I can’t—”

“No one can escape God’s judgment!”

“…You’ve gotta be kidding me.” I felt mentally exhausted. I told him clearly, “Are you done yet?! I just want to save my friends. I’m not some savior, and I’m not the ‘king’ you people keep talking about!”

“You…”

The babbling old black guy was stunned by my sudden outburst.

“My friends are in serious danger. Right now they might be under the control of those blue‑hatted troops and having their lives threatened!”

I let my eyes tell him I had zero time for his jokes.

“You’re… serious?”

“Yeah. I’ll never forget that you saved my life, but I can’t abandon my friends’ lives either.”

After hearing my heartfelt plea, he stepped in front of me as I was about to leave and shoved a rifle into my hands.

“Take this and send those damned legends straight to hell. It’ll lend you some strength. Say hi to your friends for me, and you can bring them here to take shelter.”

“Thanks. My name’s Tsubaki Juxi. What’s yours?”

“Krus. Just call me Krus. What are you standing around for? Every second you waste could mean death for your friends. Go. Good luck!”

Since I’d accepted his blessing, I had to return one, so I gave him a confident smile. “You too.”

“But I still prefer calling you Pock‑mark… heh.”

“Hey, I’ve hated that name since I was a kid!”

Krus swung his fists in protest, and I teased, “Oh? So someone really does call you that?”

“For real?!” He looked like he didn’t quite believe it.

“See? You don’t even know what’s true. Maybe I’m lying to you. So you should think hard and let your own memories give you the answer.”

I patted his shoulder, grinning, feeling ridiculously satisfied inside.

“Bullying honest people really does feel great.”

I wasn’t the only one enjoying myself now, though. There was also…

“Kids, I think you understand.” At the dining table, Colonel Koisnov elegantly used knife and fork to cut into a delicious steak. In a gentlemanly tone, he said, “You can call me the king here if you like, but you have to understand—our Allied Army is a civilized organization, not a bunch of butchers.”

On the other side of the table, Yukari and Yuanhui were tied up and hanging from the beams, legs dangling in midair.

Yukari had been terrified when they dragged her out of the crowd; now her eyes were screwed shut and she was unconscious. The sedative they’d given Yuanhui had just worn off; the moment he opened his eyes, he saw the scene in front of him.

“You bastard, put me—”

The instant Yuanhui saw Yukari tied to the beams as well, fury exploded out of him.

“No, no, no. Didn’t your mother teach you the right tone when you’re begging someone?”

The other side held all the power. He could only compromise. “Fine! What do you want me to do? As long as you let her go, I’ll do anything!”

“Let her go… oh? So she’s your cute girlfriend? Then don’t you think she’d be heartbroken?” Koisnov pulled out his phone, showing him a picture of Juxi, grinning as he did.

That little move made Yuanhui roar, “Shut up!”

The whole mood shifted. Yuanhui struggled with everything he had against the ropes, only to realize all his effort was useless.

“Don’t get mad. Let’s calm down and talk.” Koisnov gestured for them to lower Yuanhui from the beam.

“Humans are born selfish. For example, between us there’s already a tight web of mutual benefit.”

“Mutual benefit?”

“That’s right. The rules you know are already shattered. Only beasts can survive in this… world. And the reason is simple. Beasts don’t know how to pity their enemies, and they never will.”

As he spoke, Koisnov spread his arms wide and pushed open the balcony doors behind him. A streak of sunset spilled in.

“The great powers of this world, and the balance between them—that whole structure is about to vanish. You’ve seen it yourselves. Very soon… very soon, this world will become something you can’t even imagine. Everything here will be wiped out, turned into a wasteland.”

“…You’re insane! You’re a demon trying to destroy the world!!!”

Yukari shouted, cursing him.

“No.” Koisnov wagged a finger, denying it. “You’ve misunderstood. First, this world isn’t something one madman can change. Second, only madmen can push our civilization forward. And likewise, only madmen… can survive disaster after disaster.”