In the southeastern corner of Babel stood a dilapidated mansion. Several students from Ouboro Academy, including Padde, knocked three times on its front door. Before long, the door creaked open to reveal a man in black wearing a black mask over his face.
"Please, step inside," he instructed in a low murmur.
Glancing nervously at their surroundings, Padde and his companions entered the building. Contrary to expectations, the interior was meticulously maintained—a stark contrast to its weathered exterior. They had heard this place was once a vacation estate belonging to a prominent high noble from the Holy Amelia Kingdom. The fact that the noble still retained the property without selling it and kept the interior so thoroughly renovated suggested the mansion served as a staging ground prepared specifically for handling troublesome requests of this nature. It was also an unspoken testament to the close ties between the person running these illicit operations and that powerful aristocrat.
The man in black guided Padde's group to a great hall, gestured for them to sit on a leather sofa, and quietly withdrew from the room.
A few minutes later, the door to the adjacent room opened. A burly man with short hair and a rugged, square jaw strode in, flanked by several men in black.
The large man took a seat opposite Padde and the others. He accepted a cigar offered by one of his masked subordinates, placed it between his lips, and waited for it to be lit.
"So these young masters want to hire us?" he asked, turning his gaze toward a frivolous-looking man with a blonde buzz cut and a hat standing behind him.
"Yup-yup. I took their consultation at the tavern the other day. These young masters are aristocrats from the Holy Amelia Kingdom, and they wanna hire you and the Black Stake, Boss."
"And the job?"
"Punishing an incompetent!" Padde blurted out, laying bare their purpose without hesitation.
"An incompetent? What's that supposed to mean?"
The large man, evidently the boss, glanced back at his subordinates, but they only exchanged puzzled looks.
"He's a Gift Holder known as the single most incompetent person in the world!"
"I think I've heard of him. Was he that talentless human forsaken even by our God Ares?"
"Ah-ha! You mean the world's weakest human! Kai Heinemann—he's a famous brat back in my hometown of Lamoor," one of the subordinate men in black piped up, nodding in sudden realization.
"Exactly. That bottom-tier incompetent went and dragged the pride of us Holy Amelia Kingdom nobles through the mud!" Padde interjected, rushing to justify their grudge.
"Hmm, don't see the problem. If he's such a worthless incompetent, can't you young masters just put him in his place yourselves? Why bother coming to us, the Black Stake?" the boss asked, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
"Because the coward is doping himself with a ruin-class magic item!"
"Hah! In other words, this incompetent is strong because he's using some special artifact, and since you can't beat him on your own, you want our muscle?"
Snorting with blatant derision, the boss spelled out the obvious without waiting for an explanation.
"That's right..."
As things stood, they were no match for that incompetent. Though nearly trembling with rage at having to admit it, Padde forced himself to nod.
"We don't come cheap. Got the coin?"
"We have five hundred thousand Aul!"
"That's nowhere near enough—is what I'd like to say, but since you're acquaintances of Tel, I'll make an exception this time. On one condition."
"W-What is it?"
"You move strictly according to our orders. As long as you young masters do that much, we'll take care of all the groundwork."
"R-Really?!"
"Yeah. I'm from the Holy Amelia Kingdom myself. I wouldn't go lying to noble gentlemen."
"W-We're in your debt!"
Padde leaned forward, bowing his head in grateful relief.
"Don't mention it. That makes you young masters our official guests. Hey, you lot, bring out some food for our guests!"
At the boss's command, the subordinates bustled to life, and the lavish reception for Padde's crew got underway.
◇◆◇◆◇◆
Once Padde and the other students had departed...
"Tel, you're as nasty as ever. Going after a nobody like that incompetent by taking a young girl hostage first, then having those spoiled noble brats do the killing. That way, they'll never be able to defy us, and you can bleed their parents dry of every coin they own, right?"
"Come on, Boss, you love this kind of work too, don't you?" Tel, the man with the blonde buzz cut, replied with an unapologetic grin.
"Damn right I do! And knowing your tastes, that brat Lumine you're targeting for the kidnapping is quite the looker, isn't she?"
"Oh, absolutely. She's easily one of the top beauties in all of Babel."
"You sure know how to pick 'em! Mind if I have my way with her first?"
"Be my guest. But in the end, I'll be claiming the girl for myself. No objections, right?"
"Fine by me. I'll get bored of her after a few rounds anyway."
"Then we have a deal! I'll be on my way, then!"
"Yeah, beat it!"
Turning his back on the boss, who lazily raised a hand while sipping his drink, Tel slipped out of the room.
Under the glow of the night moon, Tel spun on his heels, practically dancing with delight.
"Now everything is set♪ All that's left is to pull the trigger♬"
As he hummed merrily to himself, a man dressed in foreign white attire materialized in the shadows behind him.
"Colonel Teltel. Lord Tartarus demands a progress report."
"Securing one of the Singularity candidates is only a matter of time."
"Lord Tartarus's orders are absolute: you are not to draw attention under any circumstances."
"I know, I know. It's a Singularity, after all. If the Heavenly Army catches wind that we snatched it without reporting in, even Lord Tartarus won't walk away unscathed."
"As long as you understand. See to it that you do not fail."
Leaving those parting words, the man in white melted back into the darkness.
"This is getting good. If Lord Tartarus absorbs the Singularity, he'll stand head and shoulders above the rest of the Six Heavenly Gods. And with that kind of achievement under my belt, I'll finally replace Thanatos at the very top of Tartarus's faction!"
Colonel Teltel threw his arms wide to the night sky, letting out a breathless cry of pure ecstasy.