"Huh...?"
Isaac let out a bewildered cry, his face twisting in confusion as he stared at the man who had suddenly lunged into the fray, positioning himself between the swordsman and the skeleton horse.
Spreading his arms wide to shield the monster, the crimson-haired youth—Hugo Clay—pleaded with him desperately.
"I’m begging you! This guy isn't evil! Can you leave this situation and this horse to me?"
"...Are you an idiot? Do you even hear yourself? You’re telling me to just let a monster go? That’s unbelievable."
"It’s true he might be a monster. But he's a friend who saved my life yesterday. I can’t just stand by when a friend is in trouble. So please. For my sake, sheathe your sword."
"A friend...? Haha! I wondered what you were going to say, and it turns out to be this...!"
Isaac sneered, mocking Hugo as the youth bowed his head in entreaty.
For a man who lived by the creed of solo play, Isaac found Hugo’s talk of valuing a friend bizarre. But beyond that, there were parts of Hugo's speech that he found utterly moronic.
Whether it was a mere game character like Hugo prattling on about friendship, or the sheer absurdity of a human claiming a monster was his friend, Isaac found the whole thing ridiculous. He stared down at Hugo with pure disdain.
(Is it because they’re both villains that they feel some kind of connection? Well, even so, I don’t have the slightest intention of listening to him!)
Seeing Hugo bow his head was an entertaining spectacle, but it wasn't enough to make Isaac grant his request.
Refusing the plea of a man he despised as "Scum Hugo" was a given. Furthermore, his goal was the drop item he would receive for slaying this monster. There was no way he was going to walk away from that.
If Hugo chose to be a nuisance, he could just cut him down and be done with it.
Though Hugo's fate had shifted because Zenon ignored the scenario, Isaac figured it wouldn't be a problem to retire the character here and now... However, just as he reached that conclusion, something happened that changed his mind.
"Brother! Brotheeer!!"
"Hugo, what are you doing?! That's too dangerous!"
"Hmm...? Wait, that's...!"
Hearing the desperate voices calling out, Isaac turned his head. His expression shifted instantly when he saw the figures approaching.
There was Hugo’s younger brother, Fee, and Melt—a popular character from Luminous History whom he hadn't been able to recruit because of Zenon’s reckless actions. And then... there was the beautiful girl with orange hair wearing coveralls.
It was the Magic Item engineer Isaac had been dying to encounter: Anhel Amber.
Isaac rejoiced at finally meeting her, but a question immediately followed: why was she traveling with these two, who were essentially Hugo’s party?
Watching Anhel and the others run toward them, Isaac noticed the silver bracelet in her hand. While questions swirled in his mind, he took a moment to re-evaluate his strategy.
(I don't know the connection, but Anhel seems to be an ally of Hugo's. In that case, if I earn Affection Level with Scum Hugo, won't Anhel's go up as well...?)
He didn't care if Hugo liked him, and he had no desire to spare the skeleton horse just because Hugo asked. But with Anhel watching, the situation was different.
If he refused Hugo’s request and slaughtered the horse now, he might ruin her mood. If that happened, his dream of making her his exclusive engineer might never come true.
On the other hand, if he sold Hugo a favor now, he could use that leverage to request work from Anhel later.
As for the item he wanted, it wasn't as if he could only get it here. As long as he eventually cleared the quest, he’d get his hands on it one way or another.
Isaac had initially prioritized killing the horse for the sake of efficiency, but Anhel’s arrival shifted the variables in his mental chart.
His focus shifted from simply obtaining an item to a more profitable route: securing the item while simultaneously grinding her Affection Level.
"...Fine. I’ll allow it. I’m pulling out of this fight."
"R-Really?!"
"Yeah. That monster isn't even attacking you, even though you’re wide open. It’s not attacking me while we talk, either. I’ll leave it in your care for now."
"Thank you! Seriously, thanks a lot!"
Having pivoted his strategy, Isaac accepted Hugo's plea and yielded the skeleton horse to him.
He dismissively dealt with Hugo, who had grabbed his hand in gratitude, and then approached Anhel as she watched the scene unfold. As he passed her, he gave her a light pat on the shoulder.
"I’m glad we met, Ann. Let's find some time to have a proper chat. See ya."
Exuding what he hoped was a mysterious and cool aura, Isaac left those words behind and departed.
His plan was to present himself as a mysterious, high-level swordsman to pique Anhel's interest, but...
"...That guy was strangely over-familiar. Calling someone by a nickname the first time they meet..."
The plan missed the mark entirely. Even the usually composed Anhel looked visibly repulsed.
She found it suspicious that Isaac had pointedly spoken only to her, ignoring Hugo and Melt entirely. However, she decided it didn't matter for the moment and called out to Hugo, who was attempting to communicate with the creature.
"I came all the way out here to deliver the Blaster... and what do I find? You're being reckless even without your Magic Item, Hugo."
"She’s right! You might have your reasons, but standing in front of a monster without a weapon is suicide!"
"...No, it was because I didn't have a weapon that I had to stand before him. As a friend, I had to show him I trusted him with actions, not just words."
"......"
As he spoke to Anhel and Melt, Hugo looked back at Skull. The creature had changed again since the previous night, now appearing exactly as his name suggested—a horse of pure white bone.
Receiving those words and that gaze, Skull stared back at him, standing perfectly still.
"Come with me, Skull. Let's go talk at the ranch. It’s okay, I’ve already cleared it with them."
"...Whinny."
With a soft, consenting neigh, Skull began to follow behind Hugo.
His companions watched the sight in disbelief, exchanging glances before following him toward the ranch.
"...U-Um, Captain? The fight kind of started on its own and then just... ended?"
"H-Hmm...?"
Meanwhile, the Security Force had been watching the entire exchange in silence, utterly perplexed by how the students had taken control of the situation.
The Captain, realizing he had been a complete bystander because he couldn't grasp what was happening since Isaac’s arrival, let out a grunt. To save face, he barked out orders to his men.
"F-For now, keep that monster and those students under surveillance! The rest of you, maintain alert status and stand by for anything! Understood?!"
He nodded as his subordinates scrambled to follow his plausible-sounding instructions. Unfortunately for him, his display was perfectly reminiscent of a comic relief mob character within the grand narrative.