The Reunion Movement.
An organization composed entirely of the Infected.
The world of Terra was built upon a universal energy source—Originium.
The so-called Infected were patients who had been harmed by this energy source, contracting a disease known as Oripathy.
People infected by Originium.
The disease has a theoretical 100% mortality rate, and upon death, the body becomes a source of infection and a potential biohazard.
For these reasons, the Infected are reviled by society.
The members of the Reunion Movement are extremely xenophobic, harboring a deep hatred for the society of “normal” people who once oppressed them.
They proclaim that “the Infected should be proud of their identity, and actively seize and use the power that belongs to them.”
In short, they were a mob of thugs.
However, in its early days, the organization did not harbor such strange ideas.
It was even a rather progressive group.
They were friendly to the Infected, friendly to serfs, and hoped to gain the approval of the petty bourgeoisie and middle-class peasants.
But unfortunately—Russell’s current class status was that of a noble mine owner.
He was completely outside the scope of their solidarity.
No, it was more than that.
He was the kind of person whose demise would have the Infected cheering “Good riddance!
Time to pop the champagne!”
Gazing at the swarms of Infected outside, Russell sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.
Holy shit!!
Are they here to raid my home?!!
“…What’s happening?” Raiden Mei seemed to notice that something was wrong with Russell’s expression.
—Because of her experience with being isolated, she was very adept at sensing changes in others’ emotions.
Megumin and Naruto also had a knack for observing others’ moods, but those two were genuine paupers who had never seen much good food.
Right now, they were face-down in their plates, completely oblivious to their surroundings.
At this moment, the young lady quickly perceived that a small problem had arisen with Russell’s state of mind.
“It’s nothing, just a minor change of plans,” Russell said, trying his best to remain calm and force a smile.
A true warrior must face the life of being hanged from a lamppost and stare into the dripping blood of the basement.
So—let’s see who the enemies outside are.
Russell stood up and looked outside.
In his field of vision, a silver-haired beauty in a military dress uniform stood at the front of the ranks.
Beside her was a chubby, beautiful girl.
Behind the chubby girl stood a monster as colossal as a mountain.
Flanking that monster, heavy shieldguards who looked like iron towers were arrayed in formation, their presence as overwhelming as a landslide.
I’m screwed.
Russell quickly came to this conclusion.
The heir of the Black Snake—Talulah.
The leader of the Yeti Squadron—FrostNova.
The last pure-blooded Wendigo—Patriot.
Ignoring the chubby girl who was just there to make up the numbers, the other two were legitimate heirs of royal bloodlines.
In this world where bloodlines clearly mattered, this meant they were exceptionally difficult to deal with.
Especially Patriot.
In his prime, that old man only needed two of his kinsmen as cover to conquer an entire city.
Although he had no kinsmen with him now, behind him were the shieldguards who had defected from the Ursus army alongside him.
“…Boss, you don’t look so good.”
Even Megumin, who had been focused on eating, sensed the unusual atmosphere.
She wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, her slightly chubby cheeks looking utterly adorable.
“We’re just surrounded by an armed force capable of laying siege to a city,” Russell stated frankly.
Raiden Mei: “!!”
Megumin: “?!!!”
Uzumaki Naruto: “??”
They all turned to look at Russell in unison, their faces filled with disbelief.
Seriously, what kind of heinous crime did you commit to have an army strong enough to capture a city come to besiege your property?
Did you violate the laws of heaven?
Or did you tear up the Book of Life and Death?!
“Should we run?”
A mage’s thinking is always swift.
Miss Megumin immediately struggled to lift the pot full of stew, packaged it into a red packet to send to herself, and then sent a travel guide to the Crimson Demon Village to all the group members.
When in doubt, run.
As long as I run fast enough, no difficulty can ever catch up to me!!
Russell wholeheartedly agreed.
To hell with this stupid mine, and to hell with the beast-eared girl club!
I’m out of here!!
I’m going to the Crimson Demon Village!!
[Great Lord!
And here we have a Talulah of the Reunion Movement.
This is the Crown Princess of the Kingdom of Victoria.
Quickly recruit her!
If you recruit her, you will gain the qualifications to become the Prince Regent of Victoria!]
[In addition, you will receive one gacha pull!!]
So this Surplus Value Detector also had a quest-giving function.
Russell was shocked, and then immediately clicked the ‘X’ button.
What the hell.
I’m about to be nailed to a church by Patriot’s spear and turned into Jesus, and you want me to go play Lü Buwei?
If you want a new host, you can just say so.
You don’t have to emulate the Ming Dynasty and their “accidental drowning” succession method.
[Oh, my friend, I’m just saying, is it possible that…
they don’t actually have any desire to fight?]
?
Russell froze.
The Reunion Movement was mostly comprised of pitiful souls who had been squeezed dry of all their assets by the nobility and then casually discarded.
Wasn’t his status as a noble mine owner enough to draw their hatred?
[No.
Your class status is not within the Reunion Movement’s scope of attack.]
The detector stated a certain fact.
?!!!
[You bought an Originium mine at a sky-high price, only for it to suffer a massive explosion before you could even begin development.
Your tragic story has already become a legend in the Ursus business world.
Everyone loves to see a high-and-mighty person fall into the mud, don’t they?]
[You are a noble and a great merchant, yet due to one accident, you have incurred a debt equal to Chernobog’s GDP for two years.
You are simply too perfect as a laughingstock.]
[The Reunion Movement is only here because they think you’re so poor you might need to sell off your assets.
They’re probably hoping to buy some cheap grain from you at a low price—they aren’t so bored as to go after a super-debtor, let alone the head of the Digimon Four Dark Masters.]
Russell: “…”
His expression could no longer be described as merely grim.
So, they were saying he wasn’t even qualified to be denounced as a class enemy?
As a noble, a mine owner…
he didn’t even have the qualifications to be struggled against.
What kind of humiliation was this?
Damn you!
Damn you to hell!
Russell pointed a finger to the heavens, silently cursing the old bastard in the sky for giving him such a clownish identity.
“…Boss, aren’t we running?” Megumin’s voice interrupted Russell’s tirade against the heavens.
She tugged on his sleeve, signaling him to get a move on.
“We’re not running.”
“Are we going to fight?” At this point, Skadi, who had been relatively silent, spoke up.
“The enemy’s main combatants are a Wendigo, a red dragon, a unit of shieldguards, and a rabbit.”
“Have Megumin use her magic for a bombardment.
It should be able to take out the shieldguards and weaken the remaining three…
I can handle the injured Wendigo and the rabbit.
Russell should be able to handle the injured red dragon.”
“If we strike before they have a chance to spread out and attack, victory will be ours.”
Was this to be expected of an Abyssal Hunter?
Skadi’s combat sense was incredibly high.
She had calmed down quickly and already formulated a basic tactical plan.
If she had said this a minute ago, he would definitely have considered it.
After all, he was a capitalist; he had to protect his assets.
But now, there was no need.
After all—he had just discovered he didn’t really have any assets that needed protecting.
“No, there’s no need to fight.” Russell rubbed his face forcefully, trying to make his smile as gentle and approachable as possible.
Megumin: “???”
Skadi: “???”
“We’re not fighting?” Skadi was confused.
“Who am I to fight?
I’m just a bankrupt mine owner,” Russell said through gritted teeth, already formulating his future plans for mining and interdimensional trade in his mind.
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west!
Do not bully a mine owner for being poor!!
—o—