Inside Yein Village—
The atmosphere felt completely different from Lorum.
The streets were crowded, yet strangely quiet.
People walked with lowered heads.
No laughter.
No cheerful conversations.
Only nervous eyes watching from corners.
Saito slowly looked around while walking beside Kaito, Bomb, and Takeru.
Several villagers quickly moved away the moment they saw armed gangsters nearby.
Saito frowned slightly.
"…This place feels terrible."
Bomb quietly nodded.
"…People here are scared."
Takeru's ears twitched constantly from all the distant arguments and threats around them.
Meanwhile Kaito calmly observed the streets.
"…This is what happens when a gang rules through fear instead of respect."
As they continued walking—
Suddenly shouting echoed from a nearby stall.
"Come on old man!"
A gangster had pinned an elderly seller against his own food cart.
"Where's the money?"
The old seller trembled badly.
"P-Please…"
"Give me some more time…"
"I promise I'll pay…"
The gangster grinned cruelly.
"…You won't."
He slowly raised a knife.
Several nearby villagers looked away immediately.
No one dared interfere.
Then—
"…Hey there."
The gangster paused.
Saito stood nearby calmly.
The gangster turned toward him.
"…What do you want, kid?"
Saito didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
Yellow auris slowly flowed around his body.
The air itself became heavier.
The gangster's expression immediately changed.
"…Tch."
He slowly stepped backward.
The other nearby gangsters also tensed.
"…Let's leave."
Without another word, they quickly walked away from the stall.
The old seller nearly collapsed from relief.
"…T-Thank you sir…"
Saito smiled gently.
"…No problem."
The old man quickly wiped his eyes before gesturing toward the stall nervously.
"P-Please come in…"
"The meal is on the house."
Inside the small food stall—
Warm smoke drifted through the air from the nearby grill while the old seller hurriedly prepared food for them.
Despite the poor condition of Yein Village—
The food smelled surprisingly good.
Soon—
Large plates were placed across the table.
Steak.
Grilled smoked chicken.
Fresh bread beside them.
Saito immediately looked impressed.
"…Whoa."
"This actually looks amazing."
The old seller laughed nervously.
"I-It's the least I can do after helping me…"
Bomb quietly cut into the steak while Takeru focused on the grilled chicken.
Kaito calmly drank tea beside them.
For a moment—
The atmosphere felt oddly peaceful despite being inside enemy territory.
Saito took another bite before speaking.
"…After this…"
"We head to Joshua."
Kaito gave a small nod.
"…Yeah."
The group continued eating quietly.
Outside the stall window—
Several nervous villagers secretly peeked toward them.
Probably wondering why outsiders were openly walking around Ash Rat territory unharmed.
Saito noticed them briefly.
Then looked back outside thoughtfully.
"…And if this works…"
"…maybe we can encourage Joshua to change how he leads."
Bomb raised an eyebrow slightly.
Saito continued while resting his chin on one hand.
"Maybe make him softer toward his people."
Kaito looked at him for a long second.
Then calmly answered—
"…If that works out."
Saito leaned back slightly after finishing his meal.
"…Blurp."
Bomb slowly looked away.
Takeru covered his mouth slightly to hide a laugh.
Kaito sighed.
"…You really are the least intimidating gang leader I know."
Saito ignored him completely and stood up happily.
"…Thanks for the meal, old man."
The seller smiled warmly for the first time since they arrived.
"…Please come again soon."
Saito nodded brightly.
"We will."
The group stepped out from the stall together.
Immediately—
The heavy atmosphere of Yein Village returned around them.
Gangsters watched from corners.
Villagers lowered their heads while passing by.
Far ahead—
The large abandoned building stood silently behind the village like a giant shadow.
Broken windows.
Rusting metal.
Dark entrances.
Ash Rat headquarters.
Saito stared at it quietly.
"…There it is."
Kaito rested a hand near his knife.
Bomb cracked his knuckles once.
Takeru focused his hearing again.
Without another word—
The four walked directly toward the abandoned building.
Several Ash Rat members stood guard outside the abandoned building entrance.
The moment they saw Saito and his group approaching—
One of them smirked.
"…Heh."
"Look at these weirdos."
Another gangster spat to the side before stepping forward.
"…What do you want here?"
Saito calmly stopped in front of them.
"We're here to meet your leader."
The gangsters exchanged looks.
Then suddenly—
One member's eyes widened slightly.
"…Wait."
"That blue scarf…"
He pointed toward Saito.
"…That's Blue Scarf Saito."
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
Several nearby members straightened up carefully.
One of them quickly forced a polite smile and gestured toward the entrance.
"…P-Please come inside."
Kaito quietly glanced toward Saito.
"…Your wanted poster really works."
Saito scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"…I still hate that picture."
Bomb smirked faintly.
Takeru stayed alert while observing the upper floors carefully.
The massive metal doors slowly creaked open—
And the four of them walked deeper into the abandoned building.
Soon—
Saito and the others arrived at the highest floor of the abandoned building.
Compared to the messy exterior, this office looked strangely organized.
Bookshelves.
Maps.
Stacks of documents.
A large desk near the center of the room.
Beside it stood a woman wearing glasses.
The secretary adjusted them slightly before smiling politely.
"…Hello."
"Blue Scarf Saito."
"Nice to meet you."
Saito gave a small nod.
"…Pleasure to meet you too."
The secretary placed one hand toward several chairs in front of the desk.
"Please."
The chair behind the desk slowly spun around.
A young man faced them with a faint smile.
Joshua.
"…Wow."
"You finally came here, rookie."
"How thoughtful of you."
Saito immediately frowned slightly.
"…Joshua."
Joshua laughed quietly.
"No need for that expression."
Then his eyes shifted toward Kaito, Bomb, and Takeru.
"…And you even brought your best men."
"…Scared?"
Saito crossed his arms.
"I'm not scared of you."
"I'm here to negotiate."
Joshua leaned back comfortably.
"…Sure."
"What are the terms?"
Saito spoke directly.
"Leave my village alone."
"If you want to expand your territory…"
"…Do it somewhere else."
Joshua nodded casually.
"…Okay."
"And?"
Saito hesitated slightly before continuing.
"…I'd also prefer if you built a better relationship with your people—"
BANG!
Joshua suddenly slammed both hands onto the table.
The room instantly froze.
"…Now that…"
"…is going too far, Blue Scarf."
The pressure in the room sharply rose.
Even Bomb narrowed his eyes.
Then suddenly—
Joshua calmly sat back down again.
"…Sorry."
"Not sure what happened there."
He looked toward Karina.
The secretary simply nodded calmly like this behavior was normal.
Joshua smiled again.
"…Fine."
"We have terms."
Saito slowly exhaled.
"…Good."
"And if you want maybe we can—"
Takeru quietly leaned closer.
"…Are you sure this guy can be trusted as an ally?"
Saito whispered back calmly.
"…We won't know unless we try."
Joshua smiled wider slightly.
"…How cute."
"But I'll have to resist the offer."
Saito scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"…Oh."
"Okay then."
Joshua folded his hands together.
"…Is there anything else?"
Saito thought for a moment.
Then shook his head.
"…No."
"Thank you for having us."
Joshua smiled pleasantly.
"…We'll meet again."
"…Maybe."
Saito nodded once before turning away.
Kaito stayed suspiciously silent.
Bomb and Takeru followed close behind.
And the four walked out of Joshua's office while Karina quietly watched them leave from beside the desk.
Outside the abandoned building—
A blue carriage already waited near the entrance.
The horses shifted nervously while a young driver sat stiffly at the front.
The moment he saw Saito's group exiting—
He immediately straightened up.
"…P-Please hop on, gentlemen."
Saito blinked slightly while looking around.
"…Oh."
"I thought you were Herion."
The young driver quickly shook his head.
"N-No sir."
"I was assigned by the boss to escort you back to your village."
Kaito narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…Joshua assigned this?"
The driver immediately nodded nervously.
"Yes sir!"
Bomb quietly looked at the carriage carefully before entering first.
Saito climbed in after him while Takeru followed calmly.
Kaito stared toward the abandoned building one last time.
Then sighed quietly and entered too.
Soon—
The carriage began moving away from Ash Rat headquarters.
Inside—
The atmosphere stayed strangely quiet for a while.
Then Kaito suddenly spoke.
"…Am I crazy…"
"…or did that negotiation actually go well?"
Saito leaned back against the seat with relief.
"…Yeah."
"I'm glad it worked out."
Bomb however stayed quiet.
His eyes remained focused outside the window.
"…I still feel something unusual."
Takeru nodded slightly.
"…Same."
Kaito looked toward Saito afterward.
"So what are we going to do now?"
Saito stayed silent briefly.
Then looked upward toward the carriage ceiling thoughtfully.
"…Well."
"For now…"
"…let's just hope he follows the terms."
Back inside the Ash Rat headquarters—
The blue carriage slowly disappeared into the distance beyond the broken roads.
Karina, the secretary, stood quietly by the window.
She adjusted her glasses.
Then calmly clicked a small remote in her hand.
CLICK.
At that exact moment—
Joshua, sitting in his chair inside the office, suddenly froze.
His body jerked once.
His glowing presence vanished instantly.
The chair creaked as he slumped forward.
THUD.
Joshua collapsed onto the floor.
A faint mechanical sound echoed from his body.
"…System… shut… down…"
Silence.
Karina stared at him for a second.
Then—
She smiled.
"…Heh."
She let out a small laugh.
"…Didn't know they'd fall for that so easily."
She walked closer and crouched slightly, looking at the "Joshua" on the floor.
The skin-like layer on his face cracked slightly, revealing mechanical structure underneath.
A broken humanoid unit.
"…Looks like we'll need to pay Metal Rod for repairs."
She sighed lightly.
"…Tch. Expensive toys."
Then her expression softened into satisfaction.
"…Still."
"Our plan worked, boss."
At the same time—
Lorum Village.
People continued walking peacefully through the streets.
Children played near the stalls.
Merchants shouted calmly.
Guards patrolled without panic.
Everything looked normal.
At the edge of the village—
A man wearing a hoodie stood watching the scenery.
He quietly observed the village with calm eyes.
"…Nice place you've got…"
"…Blue Scarf."
A faint smile formed under his hood.
Slowly—
He reached up and lowered it.
His face was revealed.
Joshua.
The real one.
He looked across the peaceful village.
Then smiled slightly wider.
"…Let's see how long you can protect it."