Dustborn entered into a regular contract with the Harrenhal government. He was promised many privileges, and Echidna was largely responsible for this. She was a master of 'negotiation'.
The most noticeable privilege is the autonomy guaranteed during operations.
It can operate independently without being under the command of the military or the guards. In other words, it means that it does not provide separate manpower support.
'It's not positive for us. Even if there are a lot of people, it's just a hassle.'
Thanks to this, I have been able to travel around here and there with a light body. When there are no urgent national issues to be resolved, the government also helps me with various requests.
It was a great opportunity to grow our ranks as a mercenary company.
It's been about three months since I started working in Harrenhal.
Dustborne has yet to experience a single failure.
"You came, and this time you did a perfect job."
Echidna welcomed Kim Lee-Hyeon back after completing his mission. It was a temporary residence provided by the Harrenhal government. It was a building that was used as an operations room, office, and dormitory.
Leone, who had been fidgeting since the entrance, was now completely intimidated.
"Hey, is this the company?"
The building was much bigger than I had imagined on my way here. The office was also very fancy. The sight of a slender woman in a suit sitting on a leather chair was like a scene from a drama.
"It's not exactly a company-owned building, but one that the government gave us. The demand for housing has skyrocketed due to the influx of refugees from nearby areas, but the upper class has fled to the relatively safe capital, so there are quite a few empty spaces."
"...Then it's not private property?"
"Harrenhal has been in a state of special disaster ever since the Great Disaster. As long as the capital city continues to function, a certain amount of restraint is bound to work."
Echidna rested her chin on her hand and spoke lazily.
"And―how worried would a family with healthy children be? You never know when your precious, beautiful child might be drafted into the military. In that case, some people say they'd rather buy a building or two."
A confident voice and an objectively beautiful face. She was an attractive woman who would make even a man of the same sex lose his mind, but Leone instead looked away.
'Oh, it's uncomfortable.'
When I met his sharp red eyes, I felt intimidated. I felt like a herbivore standing in front of a lion. He was a type that was difficult to deal with in another sense, unlike Kim Lee Hyun.
The corners of Echidna's eyes curved as if satisfied with the fact that she was waddling her tail. A silent preemptive strike. Kim Yi-hyun, who was watching the situation unfold, repeated the words he had heard yesterday.
"Be good to the child, be good to the child."
"They say kids these days are smarter."
"I don't know if they were clever, but there were some poisonous guys."
Compared to Claire Dennis, Leone was nothing but innocent. In the game, he seemed much more solid. It must have been because of his years in the guard.
Strictly speaking, it was in a similar context to Asterike.
"So why did you bring him?"
"He said he wanted to follow me. Think of him as a trainee."
"Huh. You mean the trainees?"
Echidna approached and looked Leone up and down.
"I'm Echidna Rusano. My title is Director, and I'll be handling external affairs in place of the president who likes to go out and about. We'll be seeing each other often in the future, so please take good care of me."
"Okay, I'll take care of it!"
"I don't know if you've already said hello, but let me say this again. This person is our CEO, and this person is a dispatched agent from CellbroLogics Lab, which has a contract with the head office."
Cellbrox Lab?
Leone's eyes widened at the familiar name. The sense of unease he had felt since hearing the company name Dustborne was now becoming clear.
A research company that has rapidly grown in fame since the Great Disaster. Cellbrox Labs has collaborated with Ishrad's Ivory Tower to establish various theories and countermeasures regarding parasites.
The company that became famous by being linked to them was Dustbourne Corporation.
The beginning was the Geneva summit. The terrorism of that time brought the existence of a group called Legion to the surface. And the events that had occurred in several countries, including Cilicia and Bastitera, were brought to light again.
At the center of all the events was Dustborn.
A PMC that continues to operate actively in various countries even after the conflict with the Legion. A unique company that is trusted by many countries despite having an extremely small number of personnel.
By now, their name had spread to the public. In some ways, they were similar to Albatross, but there was a rumor that they were a group that pursued more practical interests than them.
Above all, Dustborn had a reputation as a specialist in anti-parasite warfare. Whether it was possible or not, there were countries that tried to follow their tactics.
This was the reason why a single PMC was able to receive favorable treatment in Harrenhal, a country considered a great power.
"I am Leone Ryan…."
Leone couldn't hide his embarrassment.
I came to a place that was even more amazing than I expected.
"I'm a little late in greeting you. I'm Turkam. Just call me senior."
"Who are you, senior? You belong to a different organization."
"Hey. Are we going to do this? Leila would be upset if she heard about it."
"Why does it seem like I'm getting more and more witty as time goes by?"
Kim Lee-hyun ended his life in rap two years ago.
However, the agreement remains in place, so Turkam is dispatched to Dustborn. He is also very active as a liaison and operational agent with the Lab.
"Anyway, our trainees will write up the contract later."
Echidna, who had brightened the mood, looked at Kim Ihyeon.
"Are you going to meet the client?"
"Are you asking to meet me there?"
"No, you seem out of your mind. How could you possibly have the luxury of doing that when your own little brother is infected?"
"Surely you wouldn't be stealing my commission fee?"
She laughed heartily.
"Don't worry about anything."
Leone shrank his neck and Turkam stuck out his tongue.
The first impression of her as apathetic in the rap has long since been erased from my memory. Echidna was a fierce person in a different sense from Kim I-hyun.
"Yes, I believe you. You are an expert in this field."
It's not a question of money. Is there any other commodity in the world today that is as ambiguous as money? It's just an expression of intent that if you want to move Dustborne, you have to offer enough value.
The person who understood this principle of action the best was Echidna. She accurately represented Kim I-Hyeon's will, walking a tightrope between the illegal and the legal.
It was a role that neither Chelsea, Edwin, nor Asterique could fulfill.
"Okay. I'll try to contact the client."
Echidna manipulated the tablet on the table and handed it over.
"This is what happens next."
"Another request? I don't have time to rest."
While Turkam frowned, Kim Yi-hyeon silently accepted the device. A picture appeared on the screen. It was a picture of a half-ruined street that could be seen anywhere these days.
The problem was the eggs lying right on the street.
When I zoomed in, I saw that the condition was very dangerous.
The branches extending in all directions are umbilical cords. Just by looking at their size, you could tell that hatching was imminent. Inside the mucous membrane, the parasite would be waiting to come out into the world.
It is a special entity that is different from the general ones. The danger varies greatly. It is recommended to remove it quickly, but the problem is that the egg increases the contamination index of the surrounding area rapidly.
In other words, there is a risk of contamination just by approaching an incompetent person.
'The second half is a spell-cracking game.'
The key is resistance rather than the spell itself. It was one of the reasons Dustborn received special treatment. The veteran operation team, which was mostly composed of ability users, was an absurdly attractive card.
"Where is it?"
"It's a suburban town called Teasdale."
"That's where Chelsea and Edwin went. I thought there weren't any eggs."
Even in the face of the sudden incident, Kim Yi-hyeon's face showed no sign of embarrassment. Instead, Echidna sighed at the sight of the corners of his mouth going up.
"Oh my. You don't do that in front of other people, do you?"
"What am I?"
"That's it. Why are you giggling like that about the egg coming out? It's not a good thing."
"It's a good thing, in the grand scheme of things."
He said, his eyes fixed on the screen.
"I need at least one more piece of data."
The average parasite is what is called a 'failure'.
An entity that cannot adapt to mutation and stops at crystallization. However, in Egg, a complete parasite is born that goes beyond the crystallization stage.
We need to collect as many samples as possible.
So that Cellbrox Lab's research can advance, so that Leila can grow. It is the only way for the continent to survive the disaster.
'There are also things I personally commissioned from the rapper.'
The more samples there are to study, the faster the completion will be. In any case, I was in a position where I had to hunt parasites.
"No matter how much data you collect, I don't know what will come of it. I just can't trust those so-called scientists."
"You don't trust the police, you don't trust the military, you don't trust politicians."
"I said that humans are the problem."
"Are you stupid?"
Kim Lee-hyun smiled bashfully.
"I'll be back soon. Oh, and from now on, don't take any requests."
"Huh? If we raise the price any further here, there will be complaints."
"Oh. How did you come up with that idea right away? It's so reassuring."
He handed the tablet back and said.
"That's not it. Once we get back to Asterike, we should probably leave."
I had gotten everything I wanted, now it was time to go back to the nest.
* * *
Tisdale, located on the eastern outskirts of Harrenhal. Like Tulavia, where Kim I-Hyeon first opened his eyes, this was a closed area that had long since been devastated by disaster.
'There are few parasites.'
While driving through the abandoned city, I encountered very few parasites. This may seem natural since it is a closed area, but a closer look reveals otherwise.
Areas that have been hit by disasters in the past have particularly high contamination indices. Most of them are red zones with contamination indices of 150p or higher, and some even have higher indices.
In other words, it is an environment in which it is easy for the disease to develop.
And in the closed areas, vagabonds live. Disaster strikes regardless of social status, but the order is different. The people at the bottom are always the first to scream.
On the other hand, there were few humanoid parasites in Tisdale. This meant that there were few vagrants who were not accepted into the city. The situation in the nearby cities was also quite stable, which showed that the government was competent.
'It's definitely a good country.'
I need to finish my last task neatly so that things will be okay in the future.
"Boss. What's wrong with your face?"
It was the sound I heard as soon as I joined the operation area.
Kim I-hyeon and Edwin criticized Chelsea with their eyes as her personality got worse day by day. Chelsea soon corrected herself by tapping her mouth.
"I said it strangely. Look in the side mirror. Your face is pale."
"You're the same, Inma. You seem to have lost weight too."
"If you know, give me a vacation. If I keep doing this, my brain will get polluted."
"I'm planning on returning to Cilicia after I finish this job anyway."
"Yes!"
Chelsea clenched her fists in joy. Thinking about the league Toto, all the strength she had never had before came rushing back. Thanks to all the hard work she had done, her wallet was also full again.
Kim Yi-hyeon swallowed his words even though he could clearly read what he was thinking. If he kept going like that, he might really succeed someday.
Or you could work like an ox in Dustborne for the rest of your life.
'The latter would be more advantageous for the company.'
About 500m from the junction point, a crossroads appeared.
"That's it."
As seen through the screen, the egg was proudly occupying the middle of the road. It had grown even larger than in the photo, and was comparable in size to a truck. Every time it beat, a faint ground rumbling occurred.
The stage just before hatching. Even if you deploy one company, you will have to suffer significant losses, but there are only three combatants. Despite the ridiculous lack of personnel, no one was discouraged.
Kim Yi-hyeon pulled his mask up to the bridge of his nose.
"Do as you were doing. Take your seats."