金瓶梅第2部

Tycondrius crossed his arms in contemplation. He pursed his lips to the side as he gazed up at the hellsworn sky, full of swirling steel.

He observed Lulu at a distance.

The barefoot woman was nearly as tall as he was. With her soft, pink skin, her white, patterned robe, and her paper parasol, she looked more suited to a summer picnic out than slogging on, in the heights of a dungeon.

The demon-woman exuded a terrifying swell of power, drawing from the mana-rich atmosphere of the Wizard Tower and likely also from the hellscape upon which they stood. Her eyes shone like they were going to emit concentrated beams of heat energy and she was poised to crack the mana-sheathed tip of her umbrella against Tycon's skull.

All things considered, Tycon should have been horrified, pissing himself, and begging for mercy.

However, he was stuck in an obstinate state of general annoyance.

Lulu appeared to have found out that Tycon wasn't... Tycon. But for all the demoness' posturing, she had granted him the opportunity to explain himself, instead of just attacking outright.

Granted the privilege of thinking on how to answer... First that came to mind were flowery motivations that dodged the question. Or he could provide a series of pleasant-sound half-truths...

But Tycon realized that he didn't really care for deceit.

He trusted Lulu, as a person and as a fellow member of Sol Invictus.

The notion was similar to how Tarquin Wroe drew power from the unknown beyond-- while Tycon might worry about the Warlock's magical mishaps, he never once questioned Wroe's loyalty.

Empty night.

Tycon's survival instincts rebelled against even standing so many paces away from Lulu... He needed to recruit Invictus members that didn't come with horrifyingly cursed or literally hellish baggage.

...Anyroad, Lulu, being a cunning demoness, would likely see through false words.

Tycon shrugged and offered Lulu a simple truth... "I'm your friend."

"Wrong," Lulu countered, "I'm your ally. I'm your guild member. I'm not your friend."

Tycon raised an eyebrow... "Ally and guild member, yes... But who would say we aren't friends?"

"Y-you did... You did, Boss," Lulu frowned.

Did her bottom lip just quiver? ...And was he supposed to care?

Tycon placed his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes, "Alright, then. We'll go with--"

"Am I really your friend??" The demoness had appeared just in front of Tycon, and he took an involuntary step back in surprise.

Was that... a movement technique?

Lulu's eyes were no longer glowing with destructive intent and instead were sparkling with expectation.

Tycon narrowed his eyes... "Y-yes... W...why?"

Lulu sighed in relief as she hugged Tycon's arm, "I like the new you soOOoo much better!! We're friends!! Yay!! ~♥"

...It seemed that Lulu's morale had been improved. That was good.

High morale improved the guild's efficiency and effectiveness.

Anyroad, Tycon never doubted for a moment that he and Lulu were friends of a sort.

The System had displayed her name with a blue color. Lulu trusted Tycon completely.

...Circumstances would dictate just how much Tycon would trust Lulu with a task.

She had a very particular set of skills. She was a powerful Third-Circle caster and... she was also... a whore? ...which he was certain had its uses... not that he could think of any, at the moment.

The remaining members of Guild Invictus leisurely approached the exit.

"Hey, Boss," Lone greeted. "What's with the uh... kneeling demons?"

Tycon gently peeled off Lulu's grip and glanced over at the seven demons with their foreheads against the floor, "New recruits. Their fate is yet to be determined. What's with Mister Wolfrider?"

Wolfrider had appeared more frustrated than usual, crossing his arms and walking a distance away from Lone, Margeaux, and Sasha.

Lone scratched his head, "I dunno, Boss."

...

Levi Wilfried was continuously surprised at how much of an idiot Lone was.

How could that guy trust that Margeaux woman-- someone he JUST met!?

He didn't trust her. He didn't trust her, at all.

What if she was the Tower Wizard? And this was all a part of her insidious plan?

He'd had enough of her! He decided to bring it up with Boss Tycon.

"Boss! Could you do something about this dumb woman?"

The green-haired noble narrowed his eyes at him. That was Boss' usual look, so Levi had learned to more-or-less ignore it.

"How is your... body, Mister Wolfrider?"

"What?" Levi rolled his shoulders, making sure not to let go of his halberd, "I'm fine. I'm a little sore from using all that mana, but I'm good. Thanks!"

"...Right. And what would you have me do, concerning Miss Margeaux?" Boss Tycon asked.

Levi smirked. He felt his tail wagging, "I thiiiiink~ we should kill her!!"

Boss put his face in his palm. Oh. He didn't seem to think that was a good idea...

Arrrgh!!Levi needed to find a way to make Boss Tycon understand his reasoning... He cleared his throat, "I don't trust her at all, Boss!"

"I am aware of that, young man." Tycon calmly addressed Levi.

It was one of the greatest things about Boss. He was always cool, calm, and collected...

Tycon shook his head, "We can't just kill civilians as we please-- not without reasonable suspicion."

"But she's--" Levi looked back to Margeaux. She was hiding behind Lone, using her powers of sluttery to seduce the Warrior into feeling bad for her!

Levi felt his ears flatten as he grit his teeth and growled. Why was that two-bit whore touching his friend?! She thought she was soooo important, getting so friendly with everyone.

He'd been traveling with Invictus for weeks and weeks and he was just barely on speaking terms with Lone.

It wasn't fair! The maid girl might have used a magic spell-- that's it.

She had pink hair! You can't trust people with pink hair!! It's unnatural!!!!

"Mister Levi, I've had quite enough of this."

Eh? Who said that? Levi looked around for a woman's voice.

Margeaux walked up in a huff. Slow and clumsy, she nearly tripped over a rock.

"Aha! The bitch finally shows her true colors!" Levi grinned.

He elbowed Boss. It was funny.

Tycon glared quietly in response, but Levi knew they understood each other.

The pink-haired maid girl turned to face Boss, "Sir Tycon, on the top floor, there is a private room belonging to the Tower Wizard. With your permission, I'd like to have a short, personal conversation with Mister Levi."

"YEAH! Sounds good!" Levi yelled.