The Enemy

When they returned to the Ubaz Merchant Company, a group of people carrying torches was just about to spread out and search the surrounding area.

A large, red-haired man who had been directing the group noticed Tōru and the twins and shrugged with a wry smile.

“Well, well, look who decided to stroll back like nothing happened. Sorry for dragging you all out so late, guys. You can go home and get some sleep.”

After dismissing the group, the large, red-haired man glanced at Harran, who was standing beside him.

Harran stood with his arms crossed, visibly irritated, before marching toward the twins. His shoulders were raised aggressively, but when Tōru stepped between him and the twins, he raised his voice.

“Euphie! Mary! What do you think you’re doing, going out without permission!?”

The twins hid behind Tōru’s back, peeked out at Harran, and stuck out their tongues.

“You have no right to address us so familiarly.”

“And we have no obligation to ask permission before going out.”

Harran grew even more irritated as the twins voiced their objections in turn.

However, before Harran could speak again, the large, red-haired man placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

“Boss, we’ve already caused quite a commotion. We can’t afford to let word of the company’s internal disputes spread any further. You know that, right?”

“But Wenz, these twins—”

“Hold it. Calm down, will you?”

Laughing off Harran’s irritation, the large, red-haired man named Wenz continued.

“Boss, I’ll give you credit for being good at planning things out, but you really need to stop losing your temper whenever something unexpected happens. That’s why you hired guys like us in the first place—to deal with unforeseen situations. Just relax and leave it to us.”

Tōru watched their exchange while stifling a yawn, only to feel two pairs of eyes on him. The twins were looking up at him from either side.

“That’s Wenz, the clan leader of Demon Centipede.”

“Figured as much. Still, that’s a little surprising. It looks like Harran is the one making the decisions.”

If Wenz wanted to silence Harran, it would probably be easy enough. Instead, he was merely trying to calm Harran down and bring the situation under control.

The twins made complicated expressions.

“Since you’ve only seen Harran when he’s angry, Tōru-san, you probably think he’s a petty little man. But he’s actually fairly quick-witted.”

“He’s a control freak who makes a fool of himself whenever things don’t go according to plan, but that doesn’t mean he’s incompetent.”

“Hey, you two, that’s a pretty harsh assessment. At the very least, you’re making him sound like someone who shouldn’t be in charge of anything.”

From their description, Harran sounded like the sort of person who would be better suited to being third in command, managing day-to-day operations while leaving the final decisions to someone above him.

“At the very least, he’d need someone in a position to respond immediately to unexpected situations without consulting him first.”

“Harran fired all those people, and that’s how the Ubaz Merchant Company ended up in its current state.”

“He could have at least left our positions untouched, but he’s a control freak whose ego has grown completely out of proportion.”

“Ah, I see. So he’s brought this on himself.”

After hearing the circumstances, Tōru wasn’t sure whether Harran deserved any sympathy.

While Tōru and the twins were busy discussing Harran’s personality, Harran and Wenz appeared to have reached an understanding of their own.

After watching Harran shoot the twins one final glare before returning to the merchant company building, Wenz turned toward Tōru.

“So you’re that bodyguard I’ve been hearing about. You’re pretty young.”

“I may not look it, but I’ll be turning forty soon.”

“Whoa, seriously? That makes us practically the same age.”

“Of course, I’m lying.”

“…Yeah, I figured. Young ladies, you really shouldn’t go around worrying the people at your company like that.”

Apparently deciding that a sensible conversation with Tōru was impossible after hearing his joke, Wenz turned his attention to the twins instead.

“Rather than relying on some mysterious pretty boy like this, you ought to be asking us at Demon Centipede for help. Next time you go out, let us know. Even if you insist on taking that pretty boy along as your bodyguard, having more guards can’t hurt, right?”

“Wouldn’t that just mean more people for me to protect?”

When Tōru interjected, Wenz fixed him with a menacing glare.

“Are you saying my men would be nothing but dead weight? If you were Red Thunder, ranked seventeenth, or Hundred-League Piercer, ranked nineteenth, that’d be one thing. But don’t get cocky when you’re just some loner Rank B adventurer.”

“You didn’t even notice when I took the twins out of the building right under your noses, did you? That pretty much answers the question, doesn’t it? Understand what I’m saying? Want me to spell it out for you?”

“If you’re trying to provoke me into throwing the first punch, don’t bother.”

“Ah, you caught me.”

Tōru’s scheme to make things easier for himself down the road by taking out Demon Centipede’s leader right there had ended in failure.

Realizing that it would be difficult to get the Adventurers’ Guild or the town guards directly involved, Tōru gave up and let the twins handle the conversation.

The twins had been standing on either side of Tōru, observing the exchange. Apparently realizing that he had no intention of dealing with Wenz any further, they simultaneously pointed toward the window of their second-floor bedroom.

“If you’re finished talking, let’s go back inside.”

“Young ladies, are you just going to ignore my advice?”

“Advice? You’re giving us advice?”

The twins looked at Wenz as though they were observing some strange, unfamiliar creature.

“We hired Tōru-san precisely so we wouldn’t have to listen to that sort of thing.”

“Don’t change the subject. I’m saying we can provide guards from Demon Centipede in addition to that pretty boy Tōru or whatever his name is.”

“You’re going to guard us with those shoddy Magical Prosthetic Arms and Magical Prosthetic Legs? Surely you’re joking.”

“Shoddy? That’s a bit harsh. We’re doing our best to make sure everyone can keep working, even on the meager wages we’re getting.”

“And you intend to add guarding us to your duties when you can’t even pay your people appropriate wages?”

“Well, you’ve got me there. But all you young ladies have to do is refrain from going out unnecessarily.”

Before Wenz had even finished speaking, the twins were already smiling brightly and gesturing toward Tōru.

“We’ve hired our own bodyguard. And we have absolutely no intention of paying any of you.”

“After all, none of you possess enough ability to make us think you’re worth spending money on.”

Having delivered those venomous remarks with radiant smiles, the twins clung to Tōru’s arms.

“Now then, let’s go back inside.”

“H-Hey, hold on! We’re not finished talking—”

“Yes, we are.”

Rejecting Wenz’s protest outright, the twins looked up at Tōru.

Tōru pulled the twins close, activated his body-enhancement magic, and kicked off the ground, leaping toward the second-floor window that had been left open.

After jumping into the twins’ room, Tōru set them down and looked out the window.

His eyes met Wenz’s, who was staring up at the window with a bitter expression.

Tōru gave him a casual wave and called down.

“We’re both hired hands, aren’t we? Might as well follow our employers’ wishes without making a fuss.”

“Sometimes, speaking your mind is an important part of being employed. It’s how you make sure you’re someone who chooses to work for others, rather than someone who simply gets used by them.”

Tōru hadn’t expected to receive life advice from Wenz, but he found himself agreeing so strongly that he nodded vigorously.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Yeah, you do that.”

Wenz gave a halfhearted wave before disappearing into the merchant company building.

As Tōru closed the window, one of the twins spoke up.

“If you keep offering pointless opinions, people will start thinking you’re incompetent.”

“And don’t forget that some employers will ignore your opinions and then force you to take responsibility when things go wrong.”

“Ah, you’re making me hate the world more and more.”

Tōru hated himself a little for finding the twins’ brutally realistic advice so convincing.