"I'll have someone bring you the Originium inhibitor later."
His tone was calm, but in Talulah's world, it was like endless thunder crashing down!!
This guy—
He had known about what had happened to her all along?!!
Talulah: I Completely Understand Now!!
The last pure-blooded Ya Zi stood there.
He was dressed simply, without a monarch's magnificent robes or a divine child's ceremonial garb. His build was merely average as well.
He possessed neither Patriot's mountain-like majesty, nor that white-haired woman's tide-like pressure, nor the black serpent's cunning that seemed to calculate everything under heaven.
Yet that calm presence made Talulah feel as if an unknown hand had gripped her heart tightly, leaving her unable to breathe.
Almost the instant she had confirmed that the attack had stopped, she had come to seek help.
Rushing here at full speed.
Yet the person before her already knew everything.
"How did you find out about our situation?!"
Before Talulah could speak, Frostnova at her side had already spoken. As she did, the temperature in the air began to steadily drop...
Originium Arts.
Non-Infected people like Russell needed to carry casting tools with them to use Originium Arts. If he lost his Originium, he would go from an elegant Mental-type to a shameless wheelchair-bound idiot who mindlessly spammed combat skills like Thousand Years of Death.
But Frostnova was different.
Because of her ever-worsening Oripathy, her body itself was the best casting material, granting her tremendous power.
But that power was not easy to control, especially when she was stressed.
"Guys, how would you rate this? I just stood here and said two sentences, and the rabbit across from me looks like she's about to have a stress response."
There was no reaction on Russell's face.
But in the world of consciousness, his fingers flew across the keyboard.
"I'm not entirely sure what's going on, so I'll reserve judgment."
Skadi stood in Londinium's Oaktri district. This was the very heart of Victoria's core, where Victoria's wealthy and politicians gathered.
Russell had asked her to find a villa suitable for holding a party. Well, the more prosperous the location, the better.
Preferably somewhere with powerful military forces nearby.
That way, some stalking creeps could feel the enthusiasm of land-dwelling races.
And there was no need to worry about those powerful forces nearby causing trouble.
When it came to strength, Russell might not have been much, but when it came to stirring things up, he was never inferior to anyone.
So she had come here.
The place where the Sarkaz Regent King confronted Victoria's Eight Great Dukes.
"That really is an answer fitting the stereotype of an engineering student. Rational enough."
Russell sighed.
Yes, this beautiful orca girl had been an engineering student before becoming an Abyssal Hunter.
Well, considering how she compared water flow intensity to a water jet cutter, she was probably a mechanical engineering nerd.
"The boss definitely isn't wrong. The problem must be on the other side."
Unlike Skadi's objective remark, Huihui's words were full of subjective initiative.
She had tried asking Megumin to buy some things.
Then she had horrifyingly discovered that the purchasing power of that box of money was enough to support the entire village for quite some time.
One week of work, and she had directly reached modest prosperity.
Her financial future was bright.
"...Brother Russell really is kind of scary, isn't he? Compared to Grandpa Third Generation, Brother Russell really has that... what was it called... an oppressive presence, right?"
In sharp contrast to Huihui was Naruto, who had returned to Konoha.
The kid was nothing if not honest.
Russell smiled faintly at that, then added another entry to Naruto's work schedule.
Honest, huh.
Then next week, you're going back into the mines!
"Oh, right. Today, an old man claiming to be Grandpa Third Generation's friend left a letter and asked me to pass it on to the person selling supplies to me. Um, Brother Russell, could he be a bad guy?"
Unaware that he might already have been categorized as livestock, Naruto sent Russell a red packet. Inside was a letter, a standard calling card. An elderly man from Konoha wished to meet Russell.
Well, damn. Shimura Danzō had shown up.
Shimura Danzō, known as the man who was Konoha's Root♂, was the ultimate scumbag. Whenever anything happened in the ninja world, people could basically curse, "Damn Danzō!" He held authority in Konoha that came infinitely close to that of a Kage.
But this great conspirator had his own troubles. The Konoha he dearly loved was actually a military base. It belonged to the Land of Fire, and most of its funding was provided by the Land of Fire's daimyo.
But the daimyo was not Boiling Sheep. He could not possibly give Konoha whatever it wanted, so Konoha also faced shortages of funds.
Naruto returning to Konoha with a large quantity of supplies obtained from Megumin had clearly caught that old bastard's attention.
Do not go looking for Shimura Danzō. Once that guy confirms that you have the ability to control a large amount of supplies, he will not hesitate to use Kotoamatsukami on you—a ninjutsu capable of directly invading someone's mind and altering their will without them noticing.
"Oh? That old guy wants to loot my gold?"
Faced with the Prompt Device's warning, Russell could not help narrowing his eyes. After a long while, he suddenly laughed.
"Then we really do have something in common. I also want to loot that old bastard's gold."
After looting the gold of the Holy Lord and Raikou Ryoma in succession, Russell had set his sights on the next old bastard whose gold needed looting.
No, that was not quite right.
Before thoroughly looting Shimura Danzō, he still had to get the black serpent's gold first.
The black serpent definitely did not have as much gold as Shimura Danzō, but that guy had come looking for trouble on his own. If Russell did not properly deal with that old bastard who was neither man nor woman, he would not be able to sleep.
Russell poked his number one lackey and extended a hand for free stuff.
"Can someone in your village make me a kunai? Um, the kind that can seal spirit bodies. The price is negotiable."
Among all the group members, Megumin was the richest, but Huihui was still the most useful.
As a mental Victorian, Russell naturally had to uphold Victoria's tradition of using anything useful until it was worn to death.
"Yes. Um, after the Shadowkhan masks were reforged, there happened to be some scraps left over. Making a kunai to restrain souls... Wait, why does it have to be a kunai?"
"...I just like kunai."
Russell blinked innocently and lied through his teeth.
Huihui looked at her boss's profile picture and fell into deep thought. Naruto liked kunai because he was a ninja. Russell liked kunai...
Huihui shuddered.
"I'll give it to you together with the magic tool in a week."
With that, Huihui logged off as if fleeing.
Russell shook his head. What was this kid thinking about?
Then he went to ask Valmont the American how to throw a party so extravagantly decadent that anyone could see its corruption at a glance.
Talulah stood stiffly where she was. In her vision, the chess player named Russell leaned casually against the main gate, silent and unreadable.
Russell was having a lively chat in the group, but the dragon girl across from him was in an entirely different atmosphere.
"Yelena, calm down."
Talulah immediately grabbed her friend. Unlike her usual gentleness in camp, Frostnova now resembled a rabbit in the midst of a stress response.
Talulah could understand Frostnova's state.
Russell...
He had practically made no effort to hide the fact that he was watching the Reunion Movement!!
This was clearly not something Frostnova could accept, nor was it something Talulah could accept.
It was practically a unilateral declaration of a break with them.
But why would he do this?
The dragon girl only felt her head aching, like a struggling student being pressed against a blackboard by a math teacher and forced to solve an Olympiad problem.
The only thing of any real value to this Ya Zi within the Reunion Movement was the legitimacy of Victoria's royal lineage.
Then why would he break with her...
It made no sense at all!!
She raised her head and tried her hardest to observe the youth who sought to ascend Victoria's heights, only to find that his expression remained calm.
Frostnova had clearly displayed hostility.
Yet he offered no explanation and assumed no defensive stance.
Though his eyes were looking at her, his gaze seemed fixed on somewhere farther away.
As though...
He wanted to see something else through her body...
Wait, something else!
A flash of insight crossed Talulah's mind.
The incomprehensible math problem had been solved.
Yes.
He was not watching the Reunion Movement. He was watching the black serpent!!
Win—Win, a Double Victory!!
Yes.
There were only two people in the Reunion Movement worth Russell's concern.
The first was herself.
The second was the black serpent.
This guy...
This guy knew of the black serpent's existence.
Talulah felt her thoughts become more agile than ever before. Yes, that was it.
There was an irreconcilable conflict between herself and the black serpent.
Even knowing that helping her meant becoming Koschei's enemy, he had still chosen to provide her with assistance.
In other words...
There was a conflict between him and the black serpent.
Everything had become clear.
He was Koschei's enemy, and had been her potential ally from the very beginning.
Only...
Before you continue