This is a Beta Test?! - A Literally Broken System

At my not-so-subtle command, Shade began to recount the reason why he even offered them asylum with us in the first place. And barring the fact that he didn't even explain why exactly he felt like he owed this family that much, I could safely say that I was pretty impressed with what I've heard.

"So let me get this straight... You two are-"

"Traveling merchants," Carbuncle quickly cut me off before I could even speak. "And yes, we offer a lot of services in exchange for our safety."

I raised an eyebrow at the woman that had just spoken to me like I was about to uncover some kind of military secret. Looking at the family in question, I noticed the Carbuncle's hands almost seemingly trying to cover Gem's ears. Alcian on the other hand almost oozed with killing intent, aimed squarely at me like I was about to do something stupid.

Well, thankfully, I was kind of used to being wanted dead by some people, so it didn't really work. But I could also see the need as to why they obviously didn't want their kid to know what exactly they did for a living. It would seem that these parents really didn't want Gem here to live a life of politics and war.

"I see," I nodded in understanding, letting the two know that I caught their drift. "Perhaps we can talk in a more professional setting to has out our terms?"

Carbuncle nodded to her husband before she turned her gaze back to me with a small smirk. "Of course. Shall we go outside the bridge for a moment then?"

With a nod of my own, we both left the bridge without so much as a word. Closing the door behind us, I leaned on the nearest wall as I took in the supposed top diplomat's changed posture. The atmosphere quickly changed as her motherly eyes took on a dangerous glint, not unlike any cutthroat CEO would do back in the old world. I wasn't facing Carbuncle, Gem's mother now. I was now facing the supposed negotiator that supposedly once worked for Vestyge... according to Shade, at least.

"Now that you know what my husband and I can do, I can only assume that you have some things in mind for us?" she neutrally asked, clearly probing me for my true thoughts.

Well, jokes on her, I've always had a hard time lying through my teeth anyway.

"Actually, I currently have nothing in mind in terms of utilizing your services," I truthfully declared. "And you do know that you're gonna have to work for Kattleyna if you want to stay with us."

Carbuncle didn't even so much as flinch as she promptly replied, "Understandable, and we are amenable to these terms."

"That also means you'll have to fight against Vestyge," I warned her. "From what Shade had told me, you both still have sympathies with the Republic."

Shade also mentioned to me that they were close to selling government secrets to Marquee just so they could have asylum there. I could've assumed that they no longer cared about their homeland, but it was better to be sure anyway. Who knows? They might just backpedal, especially if they regretted even trying to sell Vestygian intelligence to what they've always known were the enemy.

"We do, but our family comes first," Carbuncle insisted, her eyes telling me that she was being genuine. "We don't care how or where we need to live. So long as our daughter gets to live a normal life, then we'll take that chance."

I hummed in acknowledgment of her demands. They were obviously her demands, seeing as I could see them running amok in this [Rig] the moment we told them no. And the fact that their daughter also wasn't just a normal kid only added to the danger of taking them in in the first place. Their loyalties won't be guaranteed. Then again, so was Nicole's, but that crazy woman was predictable and easy to mitigate enough so long as we could keep giving her stuff to do.

This family on the other hand... Their loyalty was clearly going to go to the winning side. They didn't care who won, just that they survived with their lives intact. It just so happened that we inadvertently caught them in such a bad time that our presence actually helped them escape an awkward situation.

"I'll take that as your admission that you'll want to live in Kattleyna proper then," I called her out. "You won't be staying with us for long, correct?"

"That is the plan," she nonchalantly admitted. "You are with the Princess of the Kattleynan Empire, correct? If we can curry favor from her, we won't have any problems."

"Understandable," I nodded.

Offering out my hand, the diplomat gave me a short look before giving me an appreciative smile while shaking my hand. Her grip had been tighter than I expected, but that was to be expected from a supposed legendary negotiator.

"Oh, and make sure that our daughter knows nothing about our roles," Carbuncle smiled, though her tone once more temporarily took an icy feel. "To her, we will remain traveling merchants pairing up with a few sellswords."

"You two must really love her," I casually remarked.

"My husband and I have burned bridges and allegiances for her. And we won't hesitate to do so again," she pointedly warned through her smile. "Don't worry. So long as our conditions are met, we'll do our best to help your cause."

I returned her smile as I nodded at her demands. With our conditions hashed out, we returned to the bridge bearing some relatively good news.

"I can see that you two hashed things out relatively quickly," Shade complimented from where he stood, Gem casually running circles around his legs as if he didn't even exist. "I'm assuming we'll be entering a deal of mutual benefit?"

"Of course. Anything less would be an insult to both parties," I chuckled as I turned to Carbuncle. "Don't you agree?"

"We've come to a satisfying conclusion, yes," Carbuncle smiled at me before returning to her husband's side. "As of now, we'll be under your employ until we come to shore at Kattleyna."

"Yep," I shrugged with a scoff. "And with that out of the way, we kind of have some time to kill until we either convene for a party meeting or we encounter something of relative importance again." I turned to the family of three and offered, "For now, feel free to do whatever. Maybe even get situated in one of the many empty rooms we have."

"Thank you," Carbuncle nodded along with Alcian. "We'll be in one of these rooms until we're needed then."

And with that, I could only watch as they left the bridge to Shade and I's usual care. Giving each other a look, Shade shrugged before then leaving me to my lonesome. It had only been a few hours since we set off, after all, and everyone was still understandably still out of it. We might as well get some rest while we can, especially with how unpredictable this stupid world could get.

"All alone... All in my lonesome..."

Whistling a tune, I gave the main console one last look just to see if we were about to hit something decent. Zooming out the map, I made sure that we were right in the middle of nowhere before I adjusted our heading towards Port Sendoff of Kattleyna. Again, it wasn't exactly our objective, what with Vestyge proper still being our end goal, but with everything that had just happened, I figured that Shizu wouldn't be averse to going back to home base and recuperate. God knows she was out of it the moment she realized just how many people she killed.

"Really... A pacifist battle junkie..."

It was a paradox of epic proportions. Shizu wasn't like that back when I first met her, and she certainly wasn't a manic combatant before she first stated the thrill of battle. Then again, people changed. She might be a peace-loving princess, but her acquired tastes were possibly some of the hardest things to shake off.

After finalizing our heading, I leaned back down on the nearest chair and kicked my feet back up on the console itself. Placing my hands behind my head, I relaxed at the relative silence of the bridge. No explosions. No fighting. No dangers or responsibilities beyond keeping this [Rig] afloat.

Truly, this was the life... and wasn't that a sorry thought...

Then again, why was I even hating the thrill of an interesting life? Didn't I ask for this in the first place? Why reject it? Why even think about how much I missed the silence and predictable path of a normal life?

"Huh... I guess the grass really is greener on the other side..."

I shrugged at my own thoughts. I'm sure they'll pass after a few hours anyway. For now, I'll just take advantage of this relative peace. God knows it won't last with the way our luck was going.

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