—One hour after the raid on Ket Nya, deep within the forest.
"Why hasn't anyone come back?!"
She stamped her foot on the ground in pure frustration, voicing the question for what felt like the hundredth time.
"Either they've been wiped out, or..."
Before her longtime female aide could finish the timid reply, Sado grabbed her by the collar.
"Wiped out?! The enemy is just a bunch of cat monsters! Why the hell are you even talking about losing?!"
She hurled another volley of furious demands.
She had never heard of sheep cats possessing any real combat prowess. On top of that, her side had a mage. There was zero chance of them losing. That was how it was supposed to be!
"Taking your anger out on others is so unseemly. Even if they were wiped out, it just means the other side had the upper hand, doesn't it? Besides, you really should hear the poor girl out. Most likely, your underlings betrayed you. Hey, you there—isn't that what you were trying to say?"
Emerging from the depths of the forest was Sugar, an elegant man with asymmetrical blue hair that hung long on the left and short on the right. He posed the question to the aide with a mocking drawl.
"..."
Her collar still firmly clutched, the aide nodded vigorously despite the chokehold.
"Don't give me that bullshit! Those bastards have served since my old man was in charge!"
Every single one of them was an orphan her father had taken in as a child. They owed him an immense debt of gratitude; turning on Sado was utterly unthinkable, and something she would never forgive.
"And your point is? Watching you makes it obvious enough. You've never treated your underlings like human beings, have you?"
"So what if I haven't?! Subordinates are loyal pawns and tools for me, the boss!
I hold the power of life and death over them!"
Sugar shrugged, a sneer curling on his lips.
"You really are beyond saving, aren't you? Well, whatever. Whether they were wiped out or betrayed you, you don't have any pieces left on the board besides that aide. Isn't that right?"
"What's your point?!"
She spat the words, though deep down, she already knew all too well what Sugar was getting at without needing to hear it. Sado was out of options.
"I will step in. If they betrayed you, I'll kill them. If the enemy is strong, I'll kill them too. Isn't that what you hired me for? Am I wrong?"
He wasn't wrong. Either way, there was nothing Sado could do on her own. No way in hell would she run away with her tail between her legs over a bunch of small-fry monsters like sheep cats. And letting her underlings pull one over on her was completely out of the question.
Above all, she had hired Sugar precisely as an insurance policy for emergencies like this. Now was the time for him to earn his keep.
"Fine. I'll leave it to you."
"I want sixty percent of whatever we get for selling the sheep cats. Deal?"
Damn it! Taking advantage of my desperation! But if she alienated Sugar here, she would lose everything. Even forty percent would still amount to a fortune. In the worst-case scenario, simply selling the shivering little sheep cat brat beside her would be enough to fund a clean start.
"Fine. I'll leave everything in your hands. We're falling back to the rear."
Her crew included a mage along with several seasoned killers. Mohi and Koukin in particular had survived plenty of bloodbaths. At worst, Sugar might have to go up against them. While his skills came guaranteed by a trusted broker, there was no promise he could take down both Mohi and Koukin. If that was the case, she would gladly watch the show from a safe distance until the dust settled.
"Dumping the whole mess on me and scurrying off with your tail between your legs—must be nice to be in charge."
"Say whatever you want. Isn't that your job?"
"How pitiful..."
Sugar shrugged once more. He turned his back on Sado, took a few leisurely strides toward the settlement, and abruptly vanished into thin air.
"If Sugar isn't back by the agreed-upon time, we grab this brat and clear out!"
"Y-Yes, Boss!"
With her aide's hurried response, Sado turned her back on the settlement as well, marching off into the woods to put some distance between them and the fight.