"Heh..."
Zhao Da let out a dry laugh and licked his chapped lips.
Then, steeling himself, he took a small step forward and plastered on a fawning smile. The scar on his face twisted even more grotesquely as his muscles moved. Only then did he speak, doing his best to make his voice sound sufficiently deferential.
"Um..."
"Immortal, you see, when you gave us our assignment, you... you promised us that once it was done..."
"Um..."
"Would you..."
He spoke haltingly and evasively, but his meaning was already obvious: it was time to pay the balance.
Sure, they'd already made a fortune this time, and they'd received most of the reward they'd originally agreed on. But there was still a balance due, and they certainly weren't going to pass it up.
"Hm?"
-
(゜゜)
Annie blinked, her clear green eyes full of innocence and sincerity.
Only then did she ask in surprise:
"Promised what?"
(.)
"Did I promise you anything?"
"..."
"..."
At that, Zhao Da, the scar-faced man, and Zhou Hou were both utterly dumbfounded, their mouths hanging open wide enough to fit a duck egg.
"I—"
Behind him, Zhou Hou scratched his head in a panic, wanting to say something but not quite daring to. All he could do was keep glancing at his Senior Brother Zhao.
"..."
Zhao Da's expression was quite a sight, too. The grotesque scar on his cheek seemed to twitch.
It was only natural!
The two senior and junior brothers had run themselves ragged for days—following people, gathering information, and keeping watch. They'd nearly lost their lives several times, only for this little ancestor before them to... forget something so important?!
"..."
()°
Just as the two of them were utterly despairing and on the verge of tears, unsure whether they should remind