On the stone bridge inside the cavern, the group had set off again, though the atmosphere among them had grown rather awkward...
"Ah! See, why couldn't we all just cooperate? Our little friendship boat capsized without warning. After a mess like this, how are we supposed to bond as coworkers? It'll be so awkward whenever we see each other!" Lao San sighed as he walked, his arm draped familiarly around a "Hunter's" shoulders.
Then he turned toward the visibly reluctant Hunter beside him and grinned. "Don't you think?"
With this overly familiar "coworker" hanging off its shoulders, the Hunter's scarlet eyes brimmed with murderous intent. But its ability to attack seemed to have been forcibly suppressed. It opened its fang-filled maw, yet ultimately did not bite down.
It wasn't that the poor Hunter newly added to their group didn't want to escape. Rather, Lao San's grip on its shoulder was like a vise. It had tried several times to wrench itself free with all its strength, to no avail. Its entire body was practically being dragged forward by force.
Princess Rose, who was walking ahead, stumbled at his words. Her full chest heaved, and she clenched her fists until her knuckles nearly turned white. In the end, however, she could only lower her head and pretend she hadn't heard.
There was nothing she could do. They held all the cards! The Princess, who had originally felt some guilt over being the first to break their agreement, now felt the profound malice reaching her from beyond the stars...
Even within the Twin Stars, the All Things Unity Society was unquestionably an utterly evil, villainous organization. Rose had known this for a long time, but she now felt she had still overestimated how low they would stoop.
*They actually installed super self-destruct