"So? Can you tell me now?"
Those were the first words Baldas spoke after they left Wither HQ, and he said them when they arrived in front of the mansion.
Pride's Mansion looked the same as before, covered in bushes and foliage.
"Yeah. I can. But I won't. Just watch."
Micah walked up to the front gate. He opened the Negotiation Tactic Handbook through the system window and pulled out the wrench.
"Hello? Is this the residence of a certain personage known as Pride?"
Micah half-shouted toward the Mansion that couldn't be seen due to the plants. Since he was so close, he couldn't even see the top that poked out through the sea of greenery.
"There aren't any other buildings nearby, so I'm going to assume this is the right place! I don't know who ordered it, but I'm here to fix some pipes!"
Micah held up the wrench in his hand in case there was a way to see through the plants.
"However, I won't be able to fix those pipes with these plants in the way!"
"..."
Micah didn't get a response, and he let the wrench-holding arm drop to his side again.
"Oh! I also need the gate to be open if I want to pass through and get to the pipes!"
Baldas looked at Micah in horrified shock. He couldn't believe this was Micah's great idea. The man who took over Vanitapolis with brutal efficiency, tricks, and persuasive power strong enough to strike a deal with a demon wanted to talk to Pride, who had locked himself in his mansion and refused contact with everyone else.
Baldas thought that it was understandable Micah wanted to keep his idea secret. If he had told Baldas what he was going to do, Baldas would definitely have broken out in a mocking fit of laughter.
Fortunately, Baldas managed to keep himself controlled thanks to the shock of experiencing Micah's plan directly and because they were in front of the mansion of one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
However, Micah wouldn't hear the end of it as soon as it became obvious that his plan was a complete and utter failure. Baldas could hardly wait to get the chance to tease, taunt, and mock Micah. He had thought he would have to wait longer until an opportunity for revenge came along. But now, Micah had served that opportunity on a silver platter.
But Micah held an iron wrench that looked like it was enough to turn Baldas into something other than Baldas with one hit. So, Baldas decided to wait until it was safe to open his mouth, which he technically didn't have.
"If there's been an error or something, I would like to hear it in person so that I can tell my superiors!"
Micah didn't have any intentions of giving in so quickly, and it looked like Baldas would have to wait a little longer before he could begin exacting his verbal revenge on Micah. But Baldas didn't mind, not at all. It only gave him more time to think about witty lines and insults he could use to mock Micah for his failure and ridiculous idea.
"I know you're in there, so there's no point pretending there's no one at home! But if this is an inconvenient time, I can come back at a later date!"
"..."
"However! I will be busy for a couple of days, so I don't know when that'll be!"
Baldas looked on as Micah continued shouting at the mansion and all the plants without a hint of embarrassment on his face. It was actually impressive. But Baldas' takeaway was that Micah was simply shameless, which would become another way he could use when he took revenge.
Micah sensed Baldas plotting nefarious things. He almost couldn't wait to see the look on Baldas' face.
Micah couldn't guarantee success in everything he did, and he had experienced failure several times.
"I might come back tomorrow or in a few days! Will that work?"
But Micah didn't do something that he thought would fail, even if it was possible. He also did his best to ensure success.
"But you can rest assured! I will return until I get a satisfactory answer!"
Even if others might not understand Micah's thoughts or actions, Micah knew what he was doing. And from what he had gathered so far and based on what he had somehow managed to understand about Pride, Micah felt that he actually had a pretty decent chance of succeeding with his plan.
Micah tapped the front gate with his wrench to make a metallic ringing sound.
"What's it going to be?"
Micah felt that his idea could succeed. And although each time Pride stayed silent lowered his confidence, it also increased the strength of his gut feeling he had regarding Pride's personality.
Naturally, Micah couldn't be sure without meeting and interacting with Pride personally. But since Pride locked themselves up in their mansion and even barricaded it with a small mountain of various plants and refused to meet or even talk with anyone, Micah was pretty sure Pride was antisocial. That, or dead.
But Micah didn't think it was possible for one of the Seven Deadly Sins to die just like that without anyone noticing. So, Pride was most likely an introverted recluse who, after something happened, decided to live a life of solitude.
"You know what? I'll give you a couple of minutes to think it over before I head back today!"
Thankfully, there was an easy way to handle introverts.
"Does that sound good?"
Like the other times Micah shouted, he didn't get an answer. He wasn't surprised, and he simply stood in front of the gate with his arms resting behind his back. He rolled on his feet a little as he waited. Waited for the one sure-fire way to deal with introverts to take effect.
Micah also did his best to ignore Baldas and his shifting expression. He also ignored how he could tell the expressions of a floating, winged eyeball demon so clearly.
Until finally….