Thanks for dender104, Ashura and Slashdog1793 for becoming as Supporters!
===BREAK===
After returning home, Ignis went straight to the kitchen sink. He turned the water on full blast and smeared dish soap all over his hands. At that moment, he genuinely felt that touching that chromatic mutant with his bare hands was no different from shoving his hand directly into a pile of filth.
The only difference was that filth probably wouldn't feel pleasure from pain.
This was, without question, one of the most regrettable decisions across both of the Salamander's lifetimes.
"Why do you look so pale?" Billy walked over after hearing the noise. "Did you eat out and find a cockroach leg in your food?"
"It was worse than that," Ignis replied flatly, shutting off the tap. He knew perfectly well that after being scoured by the Emperor's golden psychic flame, nothing unclean could possibly remain—this was purely psychological shock.
"What? Foreign objects in food?" Nicole followed him over. "Did you take a photo? If you did, you can demand compensation. At least five thousand dennies."
"Enough. Drop the topic," Ignis said firmly, forcing the last image of the chromatic mutant out of his mind. "Nicole, how did the discussion with Mr. Rhode go?"
At the mention of that, Nicole's expression immediately lit up. "Very well. We're going to make a lot of money from this."
"Mr. Rhode said the other side never showed him the original contract, and he himself never saw the copy his granddaughters supposedly held. That means the contract likely involves forgery—or at the very least, unfair clauses, dual contracts, that sort of thing." The cunning rabbit had already found the key breakthrough.
"Next, aside from filing an appeal, we'll generate some public-opinion white noise. I've already commissioned Rain to handle it. She set up a bunch of accounts, posted short videos across several platforms, and started boosting the data. Legally and publicly, we cannot lose. This fight isn't just about winning—it's about winning cleanly and decisively."
"So, you're borrowing public sentiment again," Ignis said as he sat down in his specially reinforced chair at the dining table. "You really favor this approach."
"Borrowing power?" Nicole snorted. "I'm exposing an agency's scheme, their fraud against an innocent old man, and their exploitation of artists. I'm doing a good deed—supervising social justice as a citizen of New Eridu and standing against corporate oppression. By all rights, this is speaking for the people."
She slapped her chest confidently. "I'm following public will to fight an evil, black-hearted corporation."
"You're the one stirring it up," the Salamander reminded her calmly. "If you lose control, backlash will hit."
"It's fine." Nicole put on a pair of plain glasses and pulled a small booklet from her pocket. "I've studied the relevant laws and similar cases from the past two years. There has never been a precedent for charging liquidated damages to a third party not listed in the contract. That already exceeds contractual scope. Even if they try to argue debt inheritance, Mr. Rhode didn't inherit any estate. He has no obligation whatsoever."
"So even if this goes to court, they're completely indefensible. The public-opinion pressure is just leverage. If they refuse pretrial mediation and compensation, I'll still win at the Supreme Court. But it's best to resolve this outside the courtroom."
"I don't want to wrestle with professional corporate litigators. Even with airtight evidence, victory takes time."
Seeing her confidence, Ignis still cautioned her. "You still have the Vision Corporation case. Being this visible in official media—won't it affect your other business?"
"Not at all." Nicole smiled even wider. "This just makes us more famous, which means higher commissions. We're a manpower dispatch firm, a fully registered and tax-paying legal enterprise. Even our weapons are properly registered."
"Yours excluded," she added quickly before Ignis could speak.
Ignis spread his hands. "That can't be helped. But tell me—these over-spec weapons perform well in Hollow exploration. You like heavy firepower."
"Absolutely!" Billy said excitedly. "With you around, Hollow runs are way easier!"
"You could upgrade too, Billy," Ignis said evenly, beginning his usual firepower sermon. "Larger calibers. More justice. Shotgun or autocannon—you choose."
Seeing the Salamander starting to spread his firepower doctrine, Nicole immediately cut in. "Billy, think carefully. Ammo costs beyond reimbursement aren't covered. His weapons are self-funded. Can you afford that? And if you pay for ammo, will you still have money for Starlight Knight and Big Sis Monica merch? Think about it—new belts, new badges, new photo books, and the latest collaboration items."
The demon of consumerism whispered relentlessly, each word shaking Billy's resolve.
"Stop—stop!" Billy waved his hands frantically. "I—I can't give them up! Starlight Knight and Big Sis Monica are my soul's light, my fire of desire. I'll never abandon them!"
Seeing the robot prove utterly unreliable, Ignis shook his head. Nicole, meanwhile, looked victorious and gave the Salamander a thumbs-up.
"I appreciate your concern for our safety," Nicole said seriously, "but more advanced weapons don't always mean greater safety."
She understood perfectly. Billy already had exceptional performance—dual revolvers alone let him suppress many enemies. With true heavy weapons, his combat effectiveness would multiply severalfold.
But the Cunning Hares didn't need that level of firepower. They lived in the gray zone between law and crime, surviving in the gap between white and black. If Billy carried overwhelming weaponry, they'd lose any chance of stepping back into the light. The darker side was not easy to survive—and those carefree days would end.
"I don't like New Eridu's order," Nicole said, pulling out an ID card, "but it's better than total chaos."
"This is your Hollow Investigator certificate. You mentioned wanting formal credentials. I took care of it."
The card bore the Hollow Investigative Association logo. One side read the slogan: "We will reclaim this world from the Hollows." The other displayed the Salamander's photo and fabricated personal data. Under position, it read: Independent Explorer.
"Now, aside from illegal commissions, you can also take legitimate Association work. And if you're on an illegal job and run into New Eridu Public Security inside a Hollow, you can flash this to bluff them." Nicole smiled. "Don't forget to thank me. This wasn't easy—I spent a lot bribing hospital contacts to fabricate a legitimate ether aptitude check."
"You went through real trouble," Ignis said, slipping the card into his pocket. "How do I repay you?"
"We're family. No need for repayment." Nicole waved it off generously. "Just make sure you come back alive. And help us bring in more commissions—we're short on funds. I want to replace the furniture at the orphanage."
"I can handle that," Ignis replied immediately. "I'll measure everything in a few days and build it myself. Beds, desks, chairs."
"Handmade saves money, but—" Nicole knocked twice on the table, her tone stern. "No carving skulls or double-headed eagles into children's beds. Don't scare them. Dragon heads are also forbidden."
Cut off before he could argue, Ignis felt a rare twinge of disappointment. Skulls were symbols of purity, the double-headed eagle the emblem of the Imperium, and dragon heads sacred marks of the Sons of Vulkan. With such protection, children would surely sleep peacefully.
He considered protesting—but seeing Nicole's uncompromising expression, he abandoned the thought. This was New Eridu, not the Imperium.
"Then how about carving the emblem of the Cunning Hares instead?" Ignis offered a new suggestion.
"Wouldn't that be a bit too deliberate…" Nicole Demara actually looked a little embarrassed. "Anyway, don't put anything weird on them. Just make them ordinary beds."
Ordinary? You're asking a Salamander for ordinary? If anything he built couldn't be called mastercrafted, it would be a disgrace to his Chapter's teachings. Even furniture for children was going to be made from high-strength ether alloy, built to standards meant to last at least—two hundred years.
Children were the future, and hope was priceless.
At that moment, Nekomiya Mana burst in through the door.
"Nicole, I'm back!" The cat-girl pounced straight into Nicole's arms. Lately, she was increasingly shifting from Cunning Hares member toward household pet. "Ignis, what's for dinner tonight?"
"Huh? Let me think… how about braised fish?"
"Yay! Fish! My favorite!"
The head of the Cunning Hares pressed a hand against the cat-girl's forehead and lifted her away by the collar. "Why did you come back alone? Where's Anby? Weren't you two supposed to escort Mr. Rhode together? And what about the clues I asked you to find?"
"I'm here. Nekomata ran off as soon as we reached the metro station," Anby said as she entered and changed her shoes in the entryway.
"Mr. Rhode's living conditions are indeed poor—no exaggeration. We recorded videos: posters of Augilia and Augetta on his walls, his second-hand Bangboo, a lame puppy, and the rundown state of his home." As she spoke, Anby handed her phone to Nicole.
Nicole flipped through the photos and videos, a smile forming on her face. "Very good. Excellent work. We'll pass these to Rain later and continue using them as promotional material. Mr. Rhode's poverty is real, unfiltered—that's what stirs people's sense of justice. The puppy and the old Bangboo can be highlighted."
"Oh, and tomorrow, follow him again. Film his work conditions. If you catch footage of him being harassed, even better." Nicole issued new orders.
Anby nodded and took her phone back from Nicole.
"Nicole, isn't this going a bit too far?" Ignis spoke calmly. Exposing an old man's hardships online didn't sit well with him.
"Too far? I think it's just right." Nicole met his gaze head-on. "Everything you see is real. We're simply conveying the difficulties Mr. Rhode is facing. But who caused them? Why does an elderly man need two jobs just to survive? Am I really going too far?"
She continued without flinching. "I fabricated nothing. I'm only presenting the truth as it is."
"But does Mr. Rhode mind?" Ignis asked seriously. "Tearing open his wounds and displaying them—this could disrupt his life."
"Ignis, what does he still have left to lose?" Nicole's tone sharpened. "That damned agency pushed an old man to this point. Don't you want to help him? The method may not be spotless, but it's effective. Stir public outrage. Apply pressure. Force them to accept mediation instead of dragging us through first trial, second trial theatrics at the Supreme Court. Resolve it fast. Mr. Rhode can't afford delays. This is just using extraordinary measures."
Seeing Nicole fully show her serious side, the Salamander chose not to argue further. She was far more experienced in these matters. And she was right—Mr. Rhode didn't have time. Every day sooner that compensation arrived would make a real difference.
"If there's anything I can do to help," Ignis said, watching her sit at the dining table rapidly sending messages—likely coordinating with Rain, "just say the word."
"There is! Right now!" Nicole put down her phone. "Start cooking early. I'm hungry."
Once the head of the Cunning Hares issued the order to eat early, the Salamander, as the chef, dared not delay for even a second. There was prepared fish in the preservation compartment—caught by Nekomata a couple of days ago. That would do.
Ignis stuffed a frozen ether alloy rod into his mouth, chewing slowly as he began his work.
===BREAK===
Like the story and want more chapters?
Join and support me by joining my Patreon!
[email protected]/SiRoasa