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At the edge of the Hollow.
"Ugh~~ If it weren't for you guys… ow, ow, ow!"
Arden was bandaging the wound on Bellum's occipital area.
Out of everyone present, only Arden, Yiji, and Belle were completely uninjured—and every single injured person had been hit on the back of the head. Bellum felt that something was off, but whenever he tried to think too hard about it, a sharp pain shot through his skull, so he gave up thinking altogether.
"You three wanted Overlord Pompey to back you up, so that's why you're trying to join The Vanquishers, right?"
Based on the trio's earlier "performance," Bellum had already developed a great deal of trust and gratitude toward them.
"Yes!"
"That's right!"
"Mm… more or less."
Yiji and Arden answered openly, with absolutely no awareness that they themselves were the true "culprits." Only Belle, with the thinnest skin among them, looked a bit embarrassed.
Of course, by normal standards, her skin wasn't that thin.
All of this is for justice… That's right, I stand on the side of justice!
Belle firmly reinforced her belief.
"That makes sense. You eloped from the city, unfamiliar with the place and way too eye-catching."
Not just in the Outer Ring—anywhere, two beautiful girls like Yiji and Belle together would draw attention.
"Only the Overlord of the Motor League can keep you safe from ill-intentioned people. I believe that with your abilities, you'll definitely be valued."
As he said this, Bellum had absolutely no awareness that he himself was one of the "ill-intentioned people" he was talking about.
"However, I can only bring you to Lucius. Pompey's whereabouts are very secretive—basically only his second-in-command knows."
After brushing past death earlier, Bellum had already decided to introduce the three of them to Lucius. As for what happened afterward, that was no longer within his control.
"Big Orangutan, you're really a good person!"
"I already told you, I'm not Big Orangutan—I'm Bellum!"
Receiving Belle's "good person card," Bellum voiced his displeasure, but the smile on his face betrayed his true feelings.
...
What followed went very smoothly.
With Bellum leading the way, the trio arrived at one of The Vanquishers' camps.
There were dozens of such camps scattered around, large and small. The Overlord's sphere of influence was enormous, and the resources he enjoyed were the greatest—no wonder so many people didn't want Pompey to lose.
Here, Arden finally met Lucius.
He was a man with curly blond hair, looking not even thirty, deliberately using his hair to cover the right half of his face and eye. Arden vaguely caught sight of what looked like a scar beneath the hidden half of his face—likely an old injury.
Lucius sat on a chair made of stacked tires, watching Bellum enter the camp with three unfamiliar faces.
"One look and you can tell he's not a good person," Yiji whispered into Arden's ear.
"Shh—we're here undercover, not to start a fight," Arden reminded her.
Killing Lucius would be easy, but Arden wanted to know who was backing him.
Whether it was TOPS, the Rebels, or the Exaltists—any extra intelligence would benefit him.
Besides, whether Lucius lived one more day or two didn't matter to Arden in the slightest.
"Bellum, when did I ever allow you to bring outsiders in here?"
Lucius shot Bellum an irritated look. He had an almost pathological obsession with power and authority, and absolutely would not tolerate disobedience from his subordinates.
More importantly, there were things he did behind Pompey's back that couldn't be known to outsiders. If those leaked, it would be a disaster.
And this big gorilla in front of him clearly wasn't very bright. If he'd known, he wouldn't have used Bellum for this kind of work.
"Lord Lucius, here's the situation. These three wish to pledge their loyalty to you, and they've demonstrated sufficient strength and loyalty, so I brought them here."
Bellum lowered his posture completely.
In the Outer Ring, dignity couldn't fill your stomach. Knowing what posture to adopt in what situation was something Bellum understood very well.
"Pledge loyalty to me? Demonstrated strength and loyalty? Go on—let's hear it."
Lucius's expression shifted slightly. This was the first time he'd heard of someone joining The Vanquishers specifically to side with him, rather than the Overlord Pompey. It almost sounded like he was planning to break away on his own.
Still, his vanity was lightly stroked.
"Here's what happened…"
Bellum recounted everything Arden and the others had done, from start to finish.
Crossing the Death Fault.
The bar fight.
And protecting their brothers at the critical moment against Lucy and Lycaon.
"Really?"
Lucius looked shocked.
"Absolutely! I saw it all with my own eyes!"
Bellum thumped his chest in assurance.
"Hmm…"
Lucius stroked his chin, seemingly deep in thought.
The big gorilla might be crude, but he wouldn't lie to him for the sake of strangers.
Still—if they were really that capable, wouldn't it make more sense to pledge loyalty to Overlord Pompey instead? They could rise just the same!
Why choose me, the second-in-command?
So, Lucius asked bluntly,
"Why did you choose to side with me?"
"Because compared to Overlord Pompey, I prefer your ruthless, anything-goes way of doing things."
Arden met Lucius's gaze directly, a strange gleam flashing in his eyes.
"..."
Lucius froze for a moment, then quickly recovered. When he looked into Arden's eyes again, all he saw was calm and indifference.
Unpleasant memories surged up from deep within Lucius's heart, and his emotions began to spiral out of control.
"Bastard! I hate you—I hate your eyes! Believe it or not, I'll dig your eyeballs out!?"
Lucius suddenly jumped to his feet and roared at Arden.
As The Vanquishers' second-in-command, everyone in the Outer Ring trembled when they saw him.
Who did this city punk think he was, acting superior just because he had some skill?
The way Arden looked at him—it was as if Lucius didn't even exist. And he'd even brought along two beautiful girls. It was mockery—blatant mockery!
"Ah~~ I believe you."
Arden replied perfunctorily.
Whether he believed it or not was one thing. Whether Lucius dared to act, or even could, was another matter entirely.
The plan was to go undercover and extract intelligence—but switching to an on-the-spot arrest followed by interrogation wasn't off the table either.
It all depended on Arden's mood.
"Damn it! Are you here to pledge loyalty—or to humiliate me!?"
Lucius put on a vicious expression.
Damn it.
Even if he saw a ghost, he wouldn't believe Arden had come here sincerely.
Yet a voice deep inside warned him not to act rashly—otherwise, the one who'd suffer would definitely be himself.
"Sigh~~ I said I'm here to pledge loyalty to you. Why won't you believe me?"
Arden sighed helplessly. His patience was running thin.
"Do you know how many people from the city die every day trying to make it in the Outer Ring? You'll be the next one!"
Lucius didn't bother hiding his threat. But while his words were aggressive, his actions betrayed him—he quietly stepped back and waved his hand, signaling his subordinates.
Even if something went wrong, he could use them as cannon fodder and escape himself.
"Awooo~!"
With a threatening howl, a gun-wielding Wolf Thiren leapt out of the shadows.
He looked similar to Lycaon—but with pitch-black fur covering his entire body.
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