"This world's history is quite a lot. And that is rather something."
I sighed as I placed the letter down.
"Just look at its civilization timeline—or at least what I know of it now."
The document had been sitting on my desk for the better part of the morning, and somehow every paragraph had managed to make the history of this world feel even longer.
I leaned back and looked around the empty office.
"I wonder how Megumi is holding up."
"She's probably all right. She's with Mary."
Anaita sat across from me, casually skimming through the letter I had abandoned.
I took another sip of my coffee.
"Do you think I should approve this request for us to lend the sword?"
"That should be okay. It would still be in the capital."
She covered her mouth as she yawned.
"Besides, we get to make a little something out of it, no?"
I nodded.
She had voiced exactly what I had been thinking.
"Yeah…"
I paused.
Then she suddenly lifted her head.
"Oh. Mary just sent a message."
Almost at the same time, a small bird landed on my desk.
Its body dissolved into a flash of light.
The message settled into my hands.
I stared at it.
"It was probably the car," I murmured.
"Or it was Mary herself."
Anaita rose from her chair and followed me.
"Hmm. Both could be the case."
I folded the message.
"But she's not wrong."
Whatever was happening, waiting until nighttime suddenly seemed like a poor idea.
I opened the door and headed down the corridor toward the office of one of the heads of the security detail.
After exchanging a brief greeting with the guard at the entrance, I stepped inside.
"Lead Yori, we might have an issue."
He was hunched over his desk, writing something.
He looked up.
"Nicholas. What might be the matter? I thought we were not doing anything until nighttime."
His eyes shifted briefly toward Anaita.
I took a seat.
"Well, yes. But Mary just sent a message, so it would be best to act now."
Yori stared at me for a moment.
Then he stood.
He walked to the door and quietly gave the guard outside a few instructions.
"All right, then. We should be on our way. Let me just inform Lead Yi and Ito-san."
He reached for his coat and sword.
I stood.
After informing Etsuko that we were stepping out, we made our way toward the vehicles.
There were five of them.
I stared at the convoy.
"Five cars moving together like a military convoy would not alert anyone."
"We do not have time to be subtle," Lead Yi said with a sigh.
I turned toward him.
I had no reply to that.
Unfortunately, he was right.
"So, what's the plan?"
I adjusted my tie as I settled into one of the vehicles.
"We cannot afford to just open fire at them," Yori said from the front. "That would create a lot of paperwork for everyone."
"So bringing a gun to a knife fight is a lot of paperwork."
"Essentially."
I sighed.
"Wonderful."
Yori continued.
"We cannot just storm the area. You and Anaita might have to go in alone while we secure the perimeter."
I looked out the window.
The cars came to a stop.
I frowned.
"The port is still a few minutes away."
Yori ignored me.
Of course he did.
"Come on, Anaita. Let's go."
I opened the door.
"And I want a drink after this."
The dock area was quieter than I expected.
We moved through the streets, keeping our pace casual.
The restaurant eventually came into view.
I slowed.
"That's the restaurant?"
Anaita glanced at it.
"Yes."
"It's that close to the docking area?"
I frowned.
"That alone is enough to make Mary and Megumi look suspicious."
Anaita said nothing.
We approached the entrance.
The moment we stepped inside, Megumi looked up.
"You are here!"
Her expression carried an amount of relief that made me feel slightly guilty.
She looked at Anaita for a moment.
Then said nothing else.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting," I said.
My eyes moved around the restaurant.
Mary was already watching me.
The atmosphere was tense.
Not openly hostile.
Just tense enough that anything unexpected could turn into a problem.
"We can go now."
Mary looked at me.
I shrugged.
She gave the smallest nod.
We stood.
Then a loud voice came from behind us.
"Are these your friends? You kept your lady friends waiting!"
The man laughed roughly.
I turned.
He was shirtless, with a knife hanging at his side.
That immediately made me reconsider several aspects of our evening.
"Ha-ha. Something came up," I said. "We'll have to postpone our visit to the sea."
"Oh, what rubbish."
His eyes moved toward Megumi.
"Your friend seemed very eager."
Megumi looked as though she wanted to disappear.
"Well, you know how it is—"
"The supervisor wanted to see you."
He cut me off as if I had not spoken.
"He thought you were here on an excursion and had been preparing for you."
He grinned.
"You could at least say hello, no?"
His attention shifted past me.
Toward the others.
"Greeting and saying thanks should be quite all right," Anaita said.
She calmly sat back down.
I stared at her.
Then sighed.
"I guess you're right."
I glanced at Megumi.
Her eyes were darting around the room.
She looked considerably less comfortable than she had a moment ago.
That was probably because she had noticed what I had.
There were too many people watching us.
"That's a really nice vehicle you've got there," the shirtless man said as we began walking.
Then, as if remembering something important, he added casually,
"Ah, the name's Gorou."
Nobody responded.
He didn't seem bothered.
We continued toward the docks.
The area was strangely quiet.
Workers moved between buildings, carrying equipment and crates. From a distance, everything looked ordinary.
Too ordinary.
Eventually, Gorou led us to what appeared to be an office.
He knocked once.
Then opened the door.
"Ah. They are here."
The man inside wore a suit and tie.
At first glance, he looked like any other respectable businessman.
If one ignored the location.
And the men standing around him.
And the fact that his business appeared to involve inviting strangers into an isolated dockyard.
"It would seem we have caused you a lot of worry," he said.
He gestured toward the seats.
"I heard you made arrangements because you thought we were on an excursion."
"Yes."
He smiled.
"But even if that is not the case, I have a good heart for people."
He poured himself a drink.
"And I thought it would be a great idea to share a drink and have a little chat."
Another man sat opposite the couch he had directed us toward.
He had not said a word since we entered.
Mary raised a hand in greeting.
The man acknowledged her with a small gesture.
"So," the suited man continued, "what has attracted you here?"
He chuckled.
"Were you looking to buy an old dockyard?"
"Oh, no. I haven't the funds for such a thing."
I gave a small laugh.
He seemed amused.
"Haruto, put some drink out for our guests."
The quiet man stood.
"Ah, my manners."
The suited man looked toward us.
"The name's Naoki."
He picked up his cup.
"I hope you are all right with sake, Mr.—"
He paused.
His eyes settled on me.
Waiting.
"Kenneth."
I smiled.
"And sake is all right."
I glanced briefly toward Mary.
She was murmuring something under her breath.
"So, Mr. Kenneth," Naoki said, "are you in Twin Spirit on business?"
I considered the question.
"Yes."
"Ah."
He smiled.
"You must travel a lot."
His eyes shifted toward Minato.
"I am just a humble businessman myself."
I lifted my drink.
Haruto stepped out of the room.
Megumi had a panicked expression on her face.
Mary, meanwhile, remained perfectly composed.
"That car of yours must have cost you a pretty penny."
Naoki looked toward Mary.
"Are you guys from Verdania?"
He smiled.
"How could you tell?"
Mary calmly took over the conversation.
"I have had a few business dealings with people from there."
Naoki's smile widened.
Then he glanced toward the door.
There was a knock.
Everyone looked toward it.
Something about the sound made the room suddenly feel much smaller.
I couldn't explain why.
I only knew that whatever was waiting on the other side felt like something that could kill me.
Naoki's hand moved beneath the desk.
"You lot are with the Concord."
He pulled a knife from the drawer.
The door opened.
A man stepped inside.
Behind him were several others.
"Boss," Minato said from outside, "they are alone. We had the perimeter checked."
My grip tightened around the cup.
I looked toward Mary.
"Mary, what are we dealing with?"
I was not particularly knowledgeable about the eldritch side of things.
Her eyes narrowed.
"I don't know."
She stood.
"But definitely not the Bloodied Eclipse or the Nebular Shroud."
That information did remarkably little to improve my situation.
I looked toward Anaita.
"What would you like?"
She was already watching the men entering the room.
The man at the front stepped forward.
"Maybe it was a bad idea having this happen in my office."
His voice carried from somewhere behind the others.
Mary shifted in front of Megumi.
"A polearm."
She looked toward me.
"A war scythe, if you know what that is."
I did.
I reached for the weapon.
The moment the man in front charged, I moved.
His sword came down.
I raised the polearm.
Steel struck steel.
The impact rang through the office.
For a moment, everything stopped.
The man's expression changed.
Confusion.
Surprise.
Then excitement.
I glanced toward Anaita.
Her firearm was already in her hand.
I immediately shook my head.
"No."
I took a step backward.
"That's too much paperwork."
The man grinned.
And suddenly, despite everything, I had the distinct feeling that my evening was about to become considerably more expensive.