"What's going on here?"
I turned my gaze to Gedwin, who just shrugged as if caught in an awkward situation.
"She said she had something to discuss with you."
"What is it?"
"I'll explain."
Lieutenant Imosha stepped forward.
Whether it was because it had been a while since I'd seen her or because the wave had taken a toll, she looked noticeably haggard.
"Carl Marcus, I have a proposal for you."
"A proposal?"
"I'd like you to join an investigation team as a mercenary to look into what happened on the western plains. I'm well aware of the risks. We will make sure you're properly compensated."
That was strange.
Normally, there wouldn't be a side scenario like this around this time.
But I had a guess.
"The western plains?"
"Yes."
"What exactly happened?"
"...It's classified. If I tell you, you'll have to accept the mission."
"So, you want me to decide without knowing anything? Then I'll refuse without listening."
"...It's a matter directly related to Ark's security. If you complete this mission, we will grant you access rights to Ark."
...Oh ho.
They're willing to go that far?
But I wasn't about to take the bait so easily.
If they were putting Ark access rights on the table, it meant there was more to this than just urgency.
"Do you know how I've survived outside Ark all this time?"
"Pardon?"
"By not getting caught up in pointless messes."
"..."
"If you can't tell me what this is about, I'm not interested. Find someone else."
To be honest, I already knew what the incident on the western plains was about.
The appearance of Ouroboros, a region lord-class monster.
Given Ouroboros' mobility, it wouldn't have taken long for Ark to notice and raise the alarm.
However, I declined Imosha's offer for two simple reasons.
First, it was too obvious.
Second, it was to raise my worth.
If Ark really wanted to hire me, they'd have to prepare a far better offer than what they had in mind.
In other words, they'd have to meet any demand I made.
"...Please wait a moment."
Imosha left for a while, presumably to report to her superiors.
"Let's talk business."
"Ah, yes!"
While Imosha was away, I took the opportunity to negotiate with Gedwin about how to spend the accumulated achievement points.
"Hah..."
My current achievement points totaled 37,551.
Considering that I had earned around 32,000 from the previous two waves combined, getting over 37,000 from just one wave was a massive leap.
Naturally, Gedwin's face was filled with shock.
"...That's incredible. On behalf of Ark, I thank you. Thanks to your efforts, Ark's losses were minimal."
"Let's get to the deal."
"Oh, yes."
Even with 37,000 achievement points, it wasn't quite enough to purchase high-end tactical equipment.
I had to decide whether to save up for better gear later or spend it on practical supplies right now.
'Achievement points will keep piling up as the waves progress.'
Besides, the tactical equipment I had now was already more than enough, even for Orange Line or Yellow Line engagements.
'In that case...'
I decided to stock up on daily necessities:
Farming toolsMulti-calorie barsBasic spices like salt and pepperVarious meats for grilling
In total, I spent about 10,000 achievement points on daily essentials.
It was quite different from the combat gear or survival items I usually ordered.
With most urgent problems taken care of, it made sense to improve my quality of life.
"Today's order list is quite unusual. Planning to farm, are you?"
"Thinking about it."
"...Where exactly?"
I glanced briefly in the direction of Noah, and Gedwin stared at me blankly before his face twisted in disbelief.
"...In Noah?"
"Yeah."
"But farming in Noah isn't exactly easy. Finding suitable soil alone would be..."
There was a perfect excuse I always used in situations like this.
"The Voice of Souls said it might be possible."
"Ah... I see."
Gedwin looked exasperated.
"If it doesn't work, I'll just drop it, so don't worry."
"...Understood. Please wait here."
After Gedwin went to gather the supplies, Imosha returned as if she had been waiting for that moment.
"Did I keep you waiting long?"
"Not really."
"I'll explain the mission. After listening, if you're still not interested, feel free to refuse."
Sounded like Lieutenant Colonel Banol had made a few concessions.
Of course, that didn't mean I'd just accept right away.
"A few days ago, an anomalous phenomenon was detected several hundred kilometers west of Ark. We dispatched recon drones and identified what appears to be a region lord-class colossal beast. Here are the photo records."
Imosha manipulated the device on her wrist, and a holographic screen appeared.
Beyond Grade Colossal Beast, Ouroboros.
As expected, the reason Ark had urgently mobilized an investigation team was none other than Ouroboros.
["Looks like someone familiar?"]
Esther chuckled.
'All thanks to you.'
["Hey, to be fair, half the blame's on you. Let's call it 50-50."]
'Shut it.'
As I stared at the hologram, I noticed something odd.
'That scene...'
The hologram showed Ouroboros thrashing around.
Meaning, it was during my fight with Ouroboros.
'So, they caught on, huh.'
The hologram didn't show me directly, but it was suspicious that my presence wasn't visible despite being in the middle of that fight.
In other words, Ark was aware I fought against Ouroboros.
The only thing that saved me was the fact that I had worn the Kupf's Mask and black poncho during the fight.
Ark already recognized me as Skull Turncoat.
Adding to that, with such a scene on display, it was obvious how Ark would react.
'If it's gotten to this point, they've probably given me a name.'
At this point in time, the remaining name should be... Pawn, was it?
The Turncoat Pawn.
That was probably what Ark would call my Skull Turncoat form.
'Well, it's not that important.'
What mattered was that Lieutenant Imosha was hiding the fact about the Turncoat Pawn from me.
'Are they suspecting me?'
There was a possibility.
Ark might have classified me as a Skull Turncoat, but in reality, Skull Knights and Skull Turncoats were nearly identical beings.
It was entirely possible for an entity originally classified as a Skull Knight to roam around and harm Ark.
There were even cases like that in the past.
'Or maybe they genuinely need my help.'
That wasn't out of the question either.
Considering Colonel Banol's nature, he wouldn't want to waste precious soldiers on such a dangerous mission, so it wouldn't be strange to seek the help of an outsider.
'Whatever the case, what's certain is that Ark hasn't fully confirmed my identity yet.'
If they had, they wouldn't have bothered proposing a mission but would have immediately dispatched the Red Line's direct defense force.
Interrogating an outsider without Ark citizenship was a simple matter for them.
"Then, what's the mission?"
"It's a mission to investigate the area where the massive beast appeared, observe its movements, and assess whether it poses a threat to Ark."
"That sounds incredibly dangerous."
"Yes. That's why we're asking for your help, Carl Marcus."
Normally, I would have accepted the request without hesitation.
After all, side quests like this usually came with decent rewards.
'Besides, if I happen to find any trace of myself there, I'll need to cover it up.'
However, letting the conversation flow too smoothly wouldn't be fun.
More importantly, the basics of negotiation involve taking a step back at first.
"What support is Ark offering?"
"...I will be leading, and four soldiers from the Red Line will accompany us."
"What kind of soldiers?"
"...They're recruits from the current batch."
Just as I suspected, Colonel Banol intended to treat this investigation team as disposable.
This fact was something I could definitely take advantage of.
"I refuse. You're planning to take recruits when even elite soldiers wouldn't be enough? Ridiculous."
"...Please. We really need your help, Carl Marcus. Please reconsider."
Lieutenant Imosha bowed her head.
For the manager of the Red Line gate to bow to a mere outsider...
'Hmph.'
At this point, it wasn't a bad move to agree and strengthen my rapport with Lieutenant Imosha.
But it didn't sit well with me to just accept it like that.
"In that case, the compensation is insufficient."
"...What do you want?"
"Honorary citizenship of Ark. That would make me reconsider."
"...Honorary citizenship?"
"That's right."
Honorary citizenship of Ark.
This wasn't just a simple entry permit.
The biggest difference between ordinary citizenship and honorary citizenship lies in the rights and duties as an Ark citizen.
Ordinary citizens of Ark have rights, but they also bear responsibilities.
Serving as a soldier in Ark's forces is one of the most common examples.
However, honorary citizenship is different.
Honorary citizenship is a form of privilege granted to external allies of Ark.
It bestows all the rights of an Ark citizen but without any obligations.
One can fully enjoy the benefits provided by Ark without bearing any of the responsibilities.
'Of course, the process of obtaining honorary citizenship itself can be considered a responsibility.'
Since it's such a special privilege, it's not issued to just anyone.
Only a very few external allies of Ark, those who are clearly friendly and maintain a relationship beyond alliance, can receive it.
The honorary citizenship I demanded was precisely that kind of privilege.
"...That's beyond my authority."
"I'm not asking you. I'm asking Ark."
"...Understood."
Lieutenant Imosha let out a deep sigh and then nodded.
"...Please wait a moment."
After she went back inside, it wasn't long before she returned with Gedwin.
It seemed the timing coincidentally aligned.
"These are the supplies you requested."
"Good."
"Who do you think I am? Haha."
As I was tying up the materials, I received from Gedwin, Lieutenant Imosha, who had returned with him, slowly parted her lips.
It seemed she had taken some time to make a decision.
"Carl Marcus, we accept your terms."
"Oh? That's unexpected."
"We will depart tomorrow morning. Please come here by then."
"Understood. What about the means of transportation?"
"We will proceed on foot."
They didn't even provide a silent hover bike...
The treatment was almost insultingly poor.
Of course, it wasn't like I could complain, so I just nodded.
"Got it. See you tomorrow."
"We will take care of the basic rations and field supplies, so there's no need to worry."
"All right."
Leaving Gedwin and Imosha behind, I headed to the hideout.
There was a lot to prepare.
*
After returning to the hideout, I organized the supplies I got from Gedwin and immediately started preparing.
Since we were leaving at dawn the next day, there was plenty to do.
["Are you really going tomorrow?"]
"Yeah."
["I feel like Ark's up to something. If you get caught, it could be a big problem, you know?"]
"The reward is worth the risk."
["Hmph... I really can't figure you out. Can I take a little peek inside your head?"]
"You must be missing the feel of experimental bullets lately."
["Ahaha... Just kidding, of course. You don't get jokes, huh?"]
And so...
The next day finally arrived.
"You stay here."
[Kikigik...]
I had no choice but to leave Horus at the hideout.
It was frustrating to have obtained Horus only to not use him, but Horus was my ace in the hole.
I had no intention of revealing him to Ark.
["Take care of the place, Bonehead."]
[Kiiiik!]
Horus let out a growl of protest.
Of course, Esther just chuckled as if she found it cute.
When I arrived at the Red Line's Red-1 Gate, where I had been yesterday, familiar faces awaited me.
"Hey, Carl!"