Members of the [Thirteen Stairs] are not a unified front either, and they operate from this neon-bright city as a base for the great [Light King].
However, they are currently facing a certain challenge, and they are troubled about how to eliminate it.
“Damn, you disgusting knight. Durandal’s bearer, Lux wright…”
A certain man mutters.
It was a man who had sent assassins after Lux multiple times.
No, to be more precise, he had been dispatching assassins to various places in order to exterminate the remaining lineage of knights that barely survived in Neon City.
However, yet
At some point, all of that was hindered.
“What is he, to begin with? Apparently, there’s no mention of him in any prophecy, so where did he really come from?”
“The capture of Leviathan failed, and even the elimination of Fleur, the last knight of the Knight family, was obstructed. We can no longer ignore this. We know his background, but what on earth is the source of his power?”
“I don’t know. At the very least, the holy sword of the Wright family is in our hands, and it’s certain that it’s being used in the production line of the demonic swords.”
“What is that holy sword then?”
“It’s not clear.”
As of now, Lux has not clearly shown any hostility towards the Thirteen Steps.
He’s simply been defeating anything that opposes him.
But that’s undeniably an act of hostility towards the ‘Thirteen Steps,’ and it would be troublesome if he were to take significant action against them.
There’s a risk of stepping on a tiger’s tail, and the potential for that tiger to cause significant harm to the ‘Thirteen Steps.’
They don’t understand anything.
That’s why it’s bothering them.
Seriously, what was that thing that suddenly popped up?
“What are you talking about?”
And then, appearing late, a man in a suit appeared.
In that group, he holds the lowest rank, yet his position allows him to give orders to the underlings, such a man.
One person, with annoyance, says towards that man.
“Ah. We were talking about a man named Lux Wright who might become our opponent.”
Hearing those words, the man tilted his head.
“Our part-timer, what about them?”
◆◆
The company I work for isn’t exactly blacklisted, but I’ve been pondering what to do about the low pay that doesn’t allow for much luxury in my personal life.
We have a two-day weekend and we’re compensated fairly for overtime.
But the salary, you know…
My boss is crap, should I change jobs?
However, in this Neon City, without abundant savings, changing jobs is scary.
So let’s save up some money before considering that.
…And so, today, like any other day, it’s part-time work.
As I stepped out of my apartment, I coincidentally ran into my adorable neighbor, as if it were perfectly timed.
“Hello, sir.”
“Are you off to work again today?”
“Oh, Livia-chan, Thanatos-chan. Hi there.”
The two girls who resemble the chapter bosses that I know from the Thirteen Steps, who will eventually become antagonists to the protagonist due to being utilized by the Thirteen Steps. Strangely enough, they’re twins.
More precisely, among them, Thanatos was slain by the hands of the Thirteen Steps, while Livia, having lost half her soul, is ensnared by the demonic sword, undergoing a transformation into the chapter boss, Leviathan.
At first, despite my initial insensitivity, I was overjoyed to finally meet the main characters, and in my excitement, I endeavored to protect them by making changes to the original story.
However, no matter how long I waited, the Thirteen Steps’ grasp never reached them, and I was left feeling disappointed.
And upon closer inspection, I realized that these twins are quite different from the two I know in several aspects.
They had a close relationship and literally wanted to become one entity.
But the twins in front of me often quarrel, and their use of “I” as a pronoun is different.
In the original work, Leviathan referred to themselves as ‘we,’ so it seems these two are just identical doppelgängers with the same name
“Are you looking forward to the meal Thanatos and I made today?”
“Yes. I put more effort into making it, so please look forward to it.”
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
I stroked their heads and then headed to the workplace.
My part-time job is security work.
It’s a factory, but I don’t know what they’re currently producing.
The salary is good, and the clients are nice people, so I suppose there’s probably nothing bad going on, but.
And basically, even though it’s security, there’s never any dangerous people trying to break in ━ or so I thought, until today, when an intruder showed up.
“Damn it, damn it. Damn it!”
I cautiously approach with a baton and a taser gun at the ready.
The intruder, for some reason, was strikingly handsome. He gave off the vibe of a resistance leader and glared at me with annoyance.
“Why would someone like you be here…!?”
“Because I want money, isn’t it obvious?”
“You scumbag!!”
Being talked down to like that, just because I’m working a part-time job!
Well, I mean, it’s true that the company I’m working for now prohibits side jobs, so it would be bad if I got caught.
Oh well.
For now, I’ll just apprehend him casually ━
“We can’t afford to stop here!”
“Ah”
And then, a man engulfed in a clearly ominous red flame, likely with some kind of cost involved.
In the next instant, the figure turned to ash and vanished.
It doesn’t appear to be suicide, so perhaps it’s a form of teleportation?
Well, whatever.
My job is security.
I should report that there was an intruder.
…I wonder if not catching him will result in a pay cut?
◆◆◆
“Anyway, that’s the part-timer for you.”
“…No, don’t give me that nonsense. There’s no way that part-timer is that Lux wright guy.”
The man trembles at the words of his superior.
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll make sure he gets a pay cut!”
“Just fire him.”
