Chapter 246: Tekkadan IV
After Dexter helped count and organize everything, he handed a tablet containing the financial summary to Orga.
"All remaining funds and assets are listed here. Almost all the cash was taken by Maruba… though it's all ashes now. If we include the materials salvaged after the battle and the payments we're expecting soon, the total comes to this amount."
Nobliss leaned over to look at the numbers on the screen and let out a loud exclamation.
"Whoa! I've never seen that much money in my life!"
But Eugene immediately poured cold water on his excitement.
"Idiot. It's a company. Without that kind of money, we can't even keep it running."
"Not exactly. Wait a second." Dexter took the tablet back and adjusted some of the figures.
"After we deduct the severance pay for those who quit, the repair costs for the mobile workers, and facility maintenance expenses… this is what's left."
Eugene stared at the pitiful number on the screen and sighed helplessly.
"What can we even do with that little?"
Biscuit shook his head.
"Even if we pinch every penny, this won't last us long."
Dexter pushed up his glasses and explained coldly,
"At best, we can sustain operations for three months."
Hearing that the company could only survive for three months, everyone's morale plummeted. They had just taken control of the place, and already it was on the verge of collapse.
Still, Orga refused to give up.
"So basically, if we don't land a new job fast, we're done for."
But Dexter threw another splash of reality in their faces.
"Even if we do find work, in our current state, we'll just be taken advantage of."
Then Todo, filing his nails idly, spoke in his usual sly tone.
"Hey, you guys seem to have forgotten something. You beat the crap out of the Gjallarhorn troops. They've had their eyes on us ever since."
Eugene groaned in frustration.
"Ugh, yeah… that's true. We really did give them a beating."
Nobliss suddenly realized the bigger issue.
"Oh right! Forget finding work—we should be worrying about that! Gjallarhorn could attack us any time!"
Todo watched their growing panic and smirked.
"Which is why I've got a brilliant idea. Gjallarhorn came after us because of that 'cargo' we were escorting—Lady Kudelia, right?"
Orga saw where he was going but asked anyway, unimpressed.
"And what about it?"
Todo grinned nastily.
"If we call Gjallarhorn here ourselves and trade the lady for some cash…"
His tone grew more animated as he went on,
"…we can just blame everything on Maruba! That way, none of this comes back to us."
Eugene frowned, thinking it over.
"Well… when you put it that way, we were just following orders. It's not like we did anything wrong."
Nobliss, completely lost, looked around in confusion.
"What's going on? What are you all talking about?"
Todo, smug and confident, turned to Orga.
"So? You get it too, right, boss? With that lady here, we'll never be able to do business."
Eugene looked anxiously at the still-silent Orga.
"Orga, what's there to hesitate about? This is our only option, isn't it?"
Just then, the base's alarms started blaring.
Biscuit tensed.
"Is it Gjallarhorn again?"
The office intercom crackled to life.
"Report from the monitoring team—two Gjallarhorn Grazes have been sighted. One of them has a red flag tied to its arm and is heading this way."
Outside, two Grazes approached the CGS base.
A few hours earlier, Crank had made up his mind to fight alone and ordered his men not to mobilize. He was ready to die.
But Ein had insisted on going with him—no longer injured, with no excuse to stay behind.
Unable to dissuade him, Crank agreed, on the condition that Ein obey all his orders.
From the lookout point, Takaki peered through his binoculars at the Graze with the red flag, which stood motionless outside the base.
"What's that red flag for?" he asked.
Yamagi replied, "It usually means they're challenging someone to a duel."
"A duel?"
Then Crank climbed out of his cockpit and shouted toward the CGS base,
"I am Crank Zent, of the Gjallarhorn Combat Division! I request a one-on-one duel with your representative!"
Nobliss blinked in disbelief.
"A duel? Seriously? They can do that?"
Nadi, more experienced, explained,
"Before the Calamity War, most major disputes were settled through duels like this. I just didn't think anyone still did that today."
Crank continued,
"If I win, you will hand over the captured Graze and Lady Kudelia Aina Bernstein to us."
Todo smirked again.
"See? Told you. Gjallarhorn's after the lady."
Crank's voice carried across the field.
"Once the duel is settled, and you've handed them over, I give my word as a soldier of Gjallarhorn that our forces will no longer interfere with CGS."
Nadi frowned.
"What kind of deal is that? What if we win?"
Eugene shrugged.
"Then we lose anyway. We hand over Kudelia, and that old man cleans up our mess for us, right?"
Biscuit protested anxiously.
"But if we do that, Lady Kudelia will be in danger! We can't just decide her fate like that—it's too—"
Before he could finish, Kudelia appeared in her dress, her face set with firm resolve.
"I'll go. There's no need for a duel. If my going with them will settle this, then that's what I'll do. We must avoid any meaningless fighting."