GalaxyTL
* * *
“Hey, long time no see, Burning.”
At the back of the abandoned church he was guided to…… In the office beyond the hidden door.
In this clean and functional room, a stark contrast to the desolate appearance until just now, Ambitious spoke with a bright smile to a slightly overweight man who was writing something in a ledger at the desk.
“…… Leader?”
That man, Burning, opened his mouth in surprise upon seeing Ambitious and muttered that softly.
His appearance is harmless and seems like a kind-hearted ordinary person, but he is actually an assassin with the terrifying ability 【Ignition】.
He has a long association with Ambitious, and like Short Warp and Smooth Stan, he is a veteran who has been active as an administrative staff since the days when the “Purple Dual Rings” was a small-scale cult religious group.
In other words, they are familiar with each other.
Due to his sincere and trustworthy personality, he is also the person Ambitious has appointed as the person in charge of this base in Ashgo.
“Hahaha, Burning, what’s with that dumbfounded face! Are you surprised that I suddenly appeared?”
“…… Yeah, that’s right, I’m surprised. What’s the matter, all of a sudden?”
Burning slowly stood up, shook hands with Ambitious, and then they lightly hugged each other.
“Um…… Mr. Burning, can I go now?”
“Yeah, I’m counting on you.”
The braided assassin, Knife Hand, who finished guiding, exchanged a few words with Burning, then closed the hidden door while holding the bag of bread and went off somewhere.
After seeing her off, the two sat comfortably in the armchairs.
“But seriously, I’m really surprised, Leader…… Did something happen?”
Burning is an assassin, but he has a timid and cowardly personality.
Lowering his eyebrows anxiously and looking up at Ambitious’s face, he asked that.
“Problem? Hahaha, there’s no way, right? The activities of our ‘Purple Dual Rings’ are going smoothly. It continues to grow at an upward trajectory. Just the other day, I scouted a promising young person.”
Sitting deep in the sofa for guests with his legs crossed, Ambitious laughed showing his teeth.
Of course, there is a problem.
The headquarters has been destroyed.
It’s a big problem.
But to honestly convey that…… Ambitious had no intention of doing such a thing.
If he did that, his qualities as a leader might be doubted.
That’s not acceptable for his pride, and it would only be a hindrance in the work of taking control of this Ashgo base that he intends to do from now on.
There’s no reason to say it.
Even to Burning, whom he has a long association with.
Ambitious fundamentally doesn’t trust anyone other than himself.
“Haha, is that so? Is Smooth Stan doing well?”
“As usual, he’s mumbling about gloomy and difficult things.”
“What about Short Warp?”
“He’s also training as usual.”
“You didn’t bring them with you? Knife Hand is fond of Short Warp. I’d like to let them meet.”
“Hahaha, that’s impossible…… I had both of them go somewhere a bit far.”
“Work, huh? Can’t be helped.”
While talking midway, Burning stood up, made tea, and handed it to Ambitious.
“It smells good.”
Ambitious lifted the teacup to his nose and enjoyed its aroma.
“Right? It’s my recent favorite. Apparently, it’s a specialty from some region in the Fantasy Continent.”
Burning gulped down his own tea making a sound.
* * *
“Now then…… Shall we get to the main topic, Leader?”
After enjoying some innocuous conversation for a while, Burning leaned forward and made eye contact with Ambitious.
“You specifically came all the way here from the headquarters alone. You didn’t come for sightseeing, right? What’s the matter? Well, if it’s sightseeing, I’ll take you to a good drinking place.”
It’s a serious gaze.
Ambitious looked straight back into Burning’s eyes and nodded once.
“That’s right…… Well, one thing is an apology, I guess.”
“Apology?”
To Burning, who was surprised again, Ambitious continued with a wry smile.
“Burning…… I left you in charge of this troublesome land of Ashgo for a while. An apology for that. Sorry about that.”
“Ah, yeah……”
Lightly bowing his head, Ambitious continued without giving Burning a chance to interject.
“And the other thing is help.”
“Help, you say?”
“Yeah, this country is going through a lot of trouble now, right? They say there was a political change the other day! With several corrupt nobles disappearing, if things stay like this, it will be a bit of a problem for us, right?”
Hearing those words, Burning nodded deeply while frowning.
“That’s right. Especially Maqueterra’s downfall is painful. He was a valued customer.”
“Right? I’m not so heartless as to leave this base, which has been put in such a predicament, alone.”
Hearing those words, Burning’s eyes shone.
He unintentionally got into a half-crouching position and clenched his fists.
“S-So you mean!”
“Yeah…… I intend to stay at this base for a while and take command. Let’s work together to overcome this predicament, Burning!”
“Oh, that’s a big help! …… If the Leader is here with us, there’s nothing more reassuring than that!”
Burning grasped Ambitious’s outstretched right hand with both hands and shook it vigorously!
On the other hand, Ambitious narrowed his eyes while looking at Burning’s overjoyed appearance.
What those eyes curved behind the white-rimmed glasses express is definitely not affection.
What’s there is ridicule.
Let me say it again.
He…… Ambitious.
He doesn’t trust others.
Everything is a pawn for his own sake.
* * *
“Now that it’s decided, we need to inform the others! We’ve also recently added some lively new people here!”
Saying that, Burning stood up and led Ambitious down the stairs leading to the basement of the abandoned church.
Of course, these stairs are also cleverly hidden secret stairs.
“This is quite a good base, Burning. Let’s overlook the fact that you moved the location on your own, considering how good these facilities are!”
“I’m really sorry about that! The guards are really annoying because of the demons. We had no choice but to abandon the previous base……”
Tap, tap, tap.
They descended the stone stairs illuminated by magic lamps, exchanging banter and the sound of their footsteps.
Apparently, there are break rooms for the members prepared in this basement, and by chance, everyone is there now.
There seem to be a few assassins recruited locally who don’t know about Ambitious.
It’s just the right time to introduce the current “Purple Dual Rings” representative, Ambitious, to the new members.
“By the way, Burning. If everyone is on standby, does that mean…… that ‘strange monk’ too?”
“Yeah, of course.”
The “strange monk” is the surviving executive from the days when the “Purple Dual Rings” was a small-scale cult religious group.
This person has high abilities and has sworn loyalty to Ambitious, so he is the only one who has escaped the purge.
That being said, Ambitious has identified this person as a potential resistance force and is wary of him.
The code name Ambitious gave to the “strange monk” is Old Man.
It has nothing to do with his combat style or anything, he’s called Old Man because he’s old.
Even this careless naming was accepted with a laugh by that man as a proof of loyalty.
Currently, however.
“Don’t worry, Leader. That old man is also behaving himself. There’s no need to be scared.”
Patting Ambitious’s shoulder, Burning winked mischievously.
“Hahaha, scared? Me? …… No, Burning. This is the caution that one in a high position should naturally have. Unfortunately, that ‘strange monk’ has a history.”
“That’s why I’ve been monitoring him.”
To Ambitious, who made a sharp look behind his white-rimmed glasses while laughing, Burning made a slightly displeased face and shrugged his shoulders.
Why was he displeased? Because Ambitious’s current remark unintentionally revealed his inner thoughts that he doesn’t actually trust Burning much.
(Well, it’s fine.)
Burning snorted lightly and thought that.
In the end, this Ambitious thinks he’s the best.
He doesn’t trust his old friends and only sees them as usable pawns.
Burning had known that for a long time.
And this man Ambitious doesn’t trust others, but at the same time, he looks down on them a little.
He has conceit.
And he’s convinced that whatever he does will always go well.
No, is he trying to convince himself?
That’s why, for Burning, who has a timid nature, Ambitious’s “caution” is truly sloppy and full of holes.
Now, what was at the end of the stairs leading to the basement was a corridor.
Ignoring the several doors on both sides, Ambitious, guided by Burning, arrived at the large door at the end of the corridor.
“This is the break room. It’s lunchtime, so everyone should be here now.”
Saying that, Burning pushed open the heavy double doors and entered the room, beckoning Ambitious inside.
However.
“…… Well, what is the meaning of this, Burning?”
Ambitious didn’t try to enter and stopped in front of the large door, furrowing his brow.
Because the room that Burning insisted was the break room was pitch dark inside…… and there was not the slightest atmosphere of people enjoying each other’s company.
“Huh? That’s strange…… Um, lights, lights……”
While saying that, Burning was secretly searching along the wall in the dark room.
He’s looking for the switch for the magic lamps.
(Something is wrong.)
Ambitious finally thought that at this moment.
His innate arrogance.
And the impatience to urgently rebuild the organization.
As a result, they clouded his vigilance.
It’s too late to feel doubt.
And the price for that, he will.
…… have to pay from now on.
Bang!
Suddenly, an unexpected impact was applied to his back.
“Wha!?”
Staggering, Ambitious was pushed into the large door.
Clang, click!
And with a loud noise, the large door was closed!
It seems they even kindly locked it.
“What in the world is this!? What’s the meaning of this, Burning!?”
Locked in the pitch-dark room, Ambitious shouted at Burning, who should have entered first.
However, there was no answering voice.
Instead.
Flicker, flicker!
Flicker, flicker, flicker!
The candles installed on the floor and walls of the room suddenly lit up all at once.
It began to eerily illuminate the surroundings.
And at the same time.
Ring, ring, ring……
A high-pitched bell sound began to echo.
——
【Ignition】
An ability to burn things.
As one becomes proficient, the target that can be burned, the firepower, the range, etc. increase.
Burning has trained this to a level where it can be used for assassination.
By the way, this ability.
It’s actually the same ability that Emi has mastered from the very beginning.
However, she mainly uses it for everyday life such as lighting fires for campfires and doesn’t utilize it in battle.
Because it’s faster to punch.