"Thank you. I'm truly very grateful."
"There's no need to be so excited. With your ability, you more than deserve this treatment."
Staring at the contract she had just signed, Yukina Himeragi still felt as if she were dreaming.
She had been worrying about how to deal with the Lion King Organization, yet suddenly an elf appeared, brought her here, and offered her a part-time job perfectly suited for an Attack Mage. The conditions were extremely relaxed. In fact, they were almost absurdly generous.
Looking at the black-haired beauty calmly sipping her tea, Yukina Himeragi gently bit her lip. Even though she was afraid of losing this job, she still asked the question that had been lingering in her heart.
"Um… President Gamma, I want to ask why you chose me to sign this contract. You should already know my identity."
She knew who the black-haired woman in front of her was. The President of Mitsugoshi Company.
According to what Cid-senpai had once told her, some people in the school already knew her identity, and the woman in front of her was definitely one of them.
Mitsugoshi Company had come from another world. After the worlds merged, it launched price wars under the banner of the World Battlefield. It clearly intended to use that banner to maintain its original position in its old world and possibly grow further into a commercial giant of the new world.
It maintained good relations with Netheril and was the first force to stand with them when Netheril was established. Perhaps because of that, Mitsugoshi Company did not stir chaos everywhere like Netheril did, but it still had a faint tendency to enjoy watching the turmoil from the sidelines.
All of this had been mentioned in the limited information the Lion King Organization gave her, especially information about the woman sitting in front of her.
Thinking about the intelligence report from the Lion King Organization, Yukina Himeragi's eyelid twitched slightly.
She knew this was not the time to think about such things, yet she could not help wanting to complain. She may have grown up in the mountains, but that did not mean she was stupid.
They even provided her with detailed information about the President of Mitsugoshi Company, someone clearly unrelated to the Fourth Primogenitor. Yet they refused to give her any information about the Fourth Primogenitor himself.
Did the Lion King Organization really think she was that naive?
"Hmm... why would I help you?"
Gamma seemed slightly puzzled by the question. She set down her teacup and lightly rested a finger against her chin as she thought.
"Ah, if it's inconvenient, you don't have to answer, President Gamma. I'm already very grateful that you're willing to accept me."
Noticing Gamma's hesitation, Yukina Himeragi quickly spoke to ease the atmosphere.
"Hehe, it's not a difficult question to answer. The reason I helped you is probably because we are quite similar, and we were both saved by the same person."
"Saved by the same person?"
Yukina Himeragi tilted her head, not quite understanding.
Seeing her confusion, Gamma took another sip of tea. A trace of memory appeared in her eyes, and her expression softened with nostalgia and admiration. She spoke gently.
"Yes, we were both saved by the same person.
He is a man who brings hope to others simply by standing there.
I believe this time will be the same. He may or may not know the difficulties you are facing, but the moment he sees you, he will notice your troubles.
I only solved it in advance before he could."
"That person... who is it?"
Yukina Himeragi already thought of someone.
But that could not be possible, right?
"You already know the answer in your heart, don't you?"
Gamma smiled faintly.
"Alright. From now on, you will be a member of my faction at school. Considering the nature of the organization behind you, they will probably agree... no, they will tell you to join. Unless you truly intend to become their enemy.
Of course, I am not forcing you. I dislike doing that. If you want to change your mind after graduation, that is also fine. You have already read the contract. I did not place any restrictions on it.
I hope that the next time we talk, you will have found the meaning of your life.
Goodbye."
After saying that, the black-haired elf stood up. She left the room together with the others who had been standing nearby, leaving Yukina Himeragi sitting there alone in a daze.
"What exactly did she mean? The person she mentioned... was it really Senpai?"
She placed the contract into her backpack and thought about the conversation again, beginning to wonder if she had overthought things.
"Forget it. As long as they don't do anything illegal or attack the Lion King Organization, I'll do whatever they ask."
She took out the contract again and read it carefully.
Even from Yukina Himeragi's perspective, the contract was unbelievably simple.
Until she became an adult, they would provide her with enough money to support her daily life without conditions.
In return, she only needed to occasionally handle security work for Mitsugoshi Company, and she even had the right to refuse for any reason.
Once she became an adult, she could choose whether to renew the contract or decline it. If she chose not to renew, Mitsugoshi Company would help her obtain an Attack Mage qualification certificate or provide her with a letter of recommendation for another job. On top of that, they would also give her a permanent Netheril magic usage license.
It was practically a contract that just gave away money as long as the signer was willing, yet there really was an employer bold enough to offer it.
And even if someone dared to offer it, would anyone really dare to sign it?
But Yukina Himeragi no longer cared about that.
As an Attack Mage raised by the Lion King Organization, she should not, in theory, have been thinking about something like, "If I leave the Lion King Organization, how am I supposed to survive?"
But for someone like her, who already knew why the Lion King Organization had sent her to monitor the Fourth Primogenitor and had no intention of obediently following their arrangement, the thought of leaving the Lion King Organization kept surfacing in her mind whether she wanted it to or not.
Yet only after seriously thinking about it did she realize just how naive that idea of leaving really was.
She was an orphan. Her parents had sold her when she was very young.
After being rescued from human traffickers and sent to the Lion King Organization, she spent her entire childhood training deep in the mountains. Everything she learned was about how to become an Attack Mage. Her understanding of modern society came entirely from books and written material.
In other words, all of her personal connections came from the Lion King Organization. She had no one in society who could help her, and she was not even familiar with modern machines and devices.
Yes, she possessed the skills the Lion King Organization had trained into her, but what use was that? If she left the Lion King Organization, her Attack Mage license would be revoked. Without an Attack Mage license, injuring someone with spiritual power was a serious crime.
The Anti-Demon Attack Division might not be able to control other factions, but it could definitely deal with someone like her after she left the Lion King Organization.
Now that she could be employed by Mitsugoshi Company, she no longer had to worry about what to do in the future. At the same time, she could give the Lion King Organization an explanation and avoid becoming their enemy.
"This is really... wonderful."
With that thought in mind, Yukina Himeragi walked out through the school gate.
In the school building facing the gate, Gamma watched Yukina Himeragi's figure grow more and more distant, then drew the curtains shut.
"What is it, Nu? Are you confused?"
Noticing the puzzled look on the brown-haired human girl standing beside her, Gamma spoke first.
"...Yes, Gamma-sama. I cannot understand Shadow-sama's intentions."
"Yes. When I first read your report about Shadow-sama's actions this time, I could not understand what Shadow-sama was thinking either. It was only after I saw another report about the Lion King Organization that I finally understood what Shadow-sama intended to do."
Gamma picked up a document from the desk and handed it to Nu, a teasing expression on her face.
"Nu, before joining us, you were also a noble's daughter, and you once had a fiancé. So let me ask you this. What do you think about nobles raising their children for political marriage?"
"It is only natural. Noble status gives them a privileged life, so once they grow up, marrying for the sake of the family's interests is only to be expected, even if they do not personally like the other person."
Nu took the document from Gamma's hand, carefully opening it as she cautiously answered the question.
"Then when did you come to understand that truth, Nu?"
A cold smile appeared on Gamma's lips, and her voice gradually rose.
"Since childhood, Gamma-sama. Most nobles are taught, or rather, informed of that from a young age..."
Nu's indifferent voice abruptly stopped.
The hand holding the document began to tremble. Her face went blank, and her pupils shook violently.
"That's right. Most nobles are told this truth from childhood so they will not refuse political marriage once they grow up. But this Lion King Organization..."
Gamma pulled out another file and held it in front of herself. Sitting on the edge of the desk, she revealed a mocking smile.
"They actually teach justice to their disciples. An organization whose real business is human trafficking, something so shameful it cannot stand the light of day, actually teaches justice to its disciples. It's enough to make me laugh."
"Is their idea of justice sending their disciples to the beds of the upper class under the name of personal bodyguards, currying favor with them in exchange for resources?"
"Tch... hahaha..."
Gamma laughed in contempt, while Nu remained silent, reading the file over and over again.
By the time Nu finally suppressed her emotions and calmed down, Gamma had stopped laughing, but the mockery on her face had only deepened.
"Nu, that is why I said we are very similar to her. We originally had bright futures, but because of the Cult's experiments, we were abandoned by our families, exiled by our own countries, and hunted down."
"As for her, she was betrayed by the only home she had. The justice she had been taught since childhood was nothing more than a tool used by the people who raised her. The moment she realized that truth, she had already been abandoned by her own organization, just like us."
"What she is doing now is merely running away. She is using her feelings toward the Lion King Organization to avoid facing reality."
After saying all that, Gamma looked up at the still-silent Nu and asked calmly,
"Nu, do you know why I am telling you all this?"
"This subordinate does not know."
Faced with Gamma's question, Nu dropped to one knee and lowered her head, admitting her ignorance.
"You are a numbered member of Shadow Garden. Although I do not know whether Shadow-sama will return in the future, I have a duty to help you understand Shadow-sama better."
Nu suddenly raised her head.
"This subordinate is deeply honored."
Gamma gently shook her head, a trace of self-mockery appearing on her face.
"There is no need to feel honored. I am the one who should feel ashamed. Even though I am one of the people who has spent the longest time in contact with Shadow-sama's wisdom, I still have not comprehended even a fraction of it."