-???’s POV-
“Apologies. For now, I’ve given everyone their upfront payment. But it seems it’ll take some time to arrange the remaining funds.”
“But it’s the prestigious Kanna Dukedom, right? How could something like this happen?”
Certainly, the reward this time was substantial, but checking Kanna Dukedom’s assets before the mission, Annal felt it wouldn’t impact them much. 
They likely had hidden reserves that they could utilize for payments, and even without those, they had enough flexibility to make the payments.
“Take a look at this.”
The captain manipulated his wrist device, projecting a hologram.
“This is… the stock price of Dog Puppy Company.’ It’s fluctuating wildly.”
The stock price was fluctuating between limit down and limit up. Annaal wasn’t well-versed in stocks, but they could tell it wasn’t the typical market movement.
“What’s this?”
“Even in the Kanna faction, Menou Marquisate, who owns Dog Puppy Company, went through a massive short selling, and now they’re being bought back. Not just that, but there’s also an attempted takeover.”
“Huh? Didn’t Menou Marquisate recover?”
This sudden turn left Annal puzzled. The captain’s voice turned bitter as they explained.
“The magical nullification technology that absorbed mana surprisingly became useless. Astonishingly, investors who had bought in, touting it as a revolutionary technology, abruptly sold off. Taking advantage of this, Kohaku, Teijou, Aguni, Aburage, and Takano families started buying up Dog Puppy Company’s shares.”
“Oh, I remember now! It was because of something used by Takano Miu! That’s why Aegir-danna fled!”
Recalling that Takano Miu had used perfume, causing the particles to dissipate, Annaal realized that Aegir-danna panicked and fled.
Miu had said the perfume’s price is 10,000 yen. 10,000 yen for a magic tool beat worth 300 billion yen. It was catastrophic for Dog Puppy Company.
Since it wasn’t his concern, Annal had forgotten about it. It seemed like something worth remembering, yet it had slipped his mind.
“Your head is as empty as ever, huh?”
“Ugh, can’t argue with that…”
Eri’s mocking expression led Annaal to feel frustrated and take a seat. They were surprised at themselves for forgetting something so important.
“To prevent the takeover, Kanna Dukedom is also investing funds. As a result, our available funds are starting to run low. We’ll just have to wait until this situation settles.”
“I see… But that means we won’t be assigned reckless jobs for a while, right? Maybe it’s time for a relaxing vacation.”
If they couldn’t get their hands on the money, there was no point in worrying.
Besides, if it came to a money-based battle, they had no chance, and without Nidhogg’s movement, they were safe to stay here.
“That sounds about right… I have some things to attend to, so I’ll be absent for a while. Annal, I’ll leave the management of the mercenary group to you during that time.”
“Captain, are you going somewhere? If you are, I’ll go too!”
Eri, who adored the captain, immediately offered to accompany them. 
However, surprisingly, the captain shook their head to decline.
“Apologies. I need to handle this on my own. I want you and the others to rest for a while. You must be exhausted from the Solomon operation.”
“That kind of operation is no big deal. I’m still fresh and well-rested!”
“Still, I want you to enjoy your vacation. You’ve never taken an extended break, have you? You have the money for it. You can even go to the mainland. Did you manage to secure your new identities?”
“Oh, that’s all set. I can confidently stroll around town now.”
Eri responded, patting her chest, but the captain didn’t nod in agreement.
It was unusual for the captain to suggest taking a vacation for a while.
“What will you be doing, Captain?”
“I have a little research to conduct. Don’t worry. There’s no danger involved.”
“Ugh, fine, understood. If anything happens, call us, okay?”
“Yeah, I promise.”
Though grumbling, Eri reluctantly agreed. After all, the captain was skilled in using various types of magic and excelled at concealment. It seemed like she thought she might be a burden.
“However, Kanna Dukedom is also going through a lot. This success might all go down the drain due to their current situation.”
“…You’re right, that’s true. We tend not to consider Takano County’s involvement. We’ll have to be more cautious than ever.”
Feeling a sense of dissonance from that statement, Annal furrowed his brows slightly.
We? The captain’s tone makes it seem like they have some connection to Kanna Dukedom… 
If that’s the case, it would make sense for them to support the Kamina family.
Annal had never heard about the captain’s past. It was an unspoken rule among mercenaries not to pry into each other’s history.
But if the captain was somehow part of Kanna Dukedom, could they even be of noble birth?
The captain is a noble… An unsettling feeling began to stir within Annaal.
“Something feels off… Isn’t catching one butterfly supposed to end it?”
The captain’s muttering soft words went mostly unheard by Annal, who was lost in thought, feeling unease.