Eridius stared at the Lantern glowing with golden light. His expression was anything but pleasant.
[Kuro]: I can't believe there's another version of you who actually sacrifices himself for others.
[Eridius]: I can't believe it either.
[Kuro]: He built an entire city, gathered people around him, and eventually gave his life to save them.
[Eridius]: Yes. I was there. I saw it.
[Kuro]: He sounds like a rather admirable person.
[Eridius]: He sounds like an idiot.
[Kuro]: An idiot?
[Eridius]: He had a city, wealth, power, loyal followers, and an entire family waiting for him. And what did he do? Threw all of it away.
[Kuro]: To save people.
[Eridius]: I KNOW WHAT HE DID!
His voice came out louder than intended. Kuro blinked but didn't seem particularly intimidated.
[Kuro]: You seem rather upset about him.
[Eridius]: I'm not upset.
[Kuro]: You look upset.
[Eridius]: I'm annoyed.
[Kuro]: Because he sacrificed himself?
[Eridius]: ...
[Kuro]: Would you have done the same?
[Eridius]: No.
[Kuro]: Not even to save your employees?
[Eridius]: That's different.
[Kuro]: Your friends?
[Eridius]: Kuro.
[Kuro]: Your family?
[Eridius]: Kuro.
[Kuro]: What about me?
Eridius slowly turned his head towards her.
[Eridius]: What exactly are you trying to accomplish here?
[Kuro]: I'm curious. You seem to dislike that version of yourself so much. I wonder whether it's because he's different from you, or because he's the sort of person you refuse to become.
Silence.
Eridius looked back at the golden Lantern. His expression darkened.
[Eridius]: Because I know kindness kills you faster.
He clenched his fist.
[Eridius]: And I have no luxury to be kind. Unlike that idiot mage, who lived in freedom and threw it away, I have to weigh whatever I can live with in this cursed city every single day.
He looked down at his hands.
[Eridius]: Here, being kind to the wrong person can get you killed. Trusting someone can get you killed. Trying to save anyone can leave you with nothing but a grave.
He paused.
[Eridius]: And if you think I hate him because he's everything I never got to be, then congratulations. You're absolutely right.
[Eridius]: That idiot got to live a better life than me. He got to build his dreams while I spend every waking moment thinking about survival. He got to have a loving family while I was born as a discarded humanoid experiment, something that isn't even fully human.
[Eridius]: He became an overpowered mage capable of shaping reality, while I had to choose between the Austrian Painter and a broken, scrappy system assembled from someone else's leftovers!
[Eridius]: He became a legend remembered by millions across two worlds, while the most famous thing about me is my fucking pretzels!
His voice grew louder with every sentence.
[Eridius]: SO YES! I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM ALMOST AS MUCH AS I HATE BARNEY! WITH ALL OF MY HEART!
He stopped, breathing heavily.
For a moment, he simply stared at the golden Lantern.
[Eridius]: ...
[Eridius]: Although, I'm not entirely sure how much of that heart I have left.
Silence.
[Kuro]: ...What?
[Eridius]: No, seriously. My last medical scan only registered thirty percent of a heart. The remaining seventy percent was classified as unknown.
[Kuro]: ...
[Kuro]: I don't think that's how hearts are supposed to work.
[Eridius]: Neither does the doctor. Apparently, I'm an ongoing medical dispute.
[Kuro]: Have you considered getting a second opinion?
[Eridius]: I did. The second doctor refused to examine me after looking at the scan.
[Kuro]: Why?
[Eridius]: Apparently, he wanted to keep his life. Unfortunately, the next day, someone broke into his clinic. They found nothing left of him except a pool of blood.
Eridius hung the Lantern from his waist and headed for bed.
[Eridius]: Anyway, let's get some sleep. We've got a job in about twenty hours.
[Nineteen hours later]
Eridius sat down with his team, looking at the now-silent Kuro.
He waited a moment before placing a document on the table.
[Eridius]: Listen, all of you. Our client's name is Jia Baoyu. He's a young, sheltered kid, and he's our ticket into a Nest.
[Kuro]: But don't we already have A Nest identities? Why can't we just open a shop? We can enter a Nest normally.
[Eridius]: Because those identities are suspicious, and entering a Nest is not the same as being allowed to live there.
[Eridius]: First, our identities were manufactured. They're legally recognized, yes, but that doesn't mean they're flawless. A Nest's security systems can verify more than just a name and an identification card. Employment records, financial history, residential records, tax information... the whole package.
He tapped the documents.
[Eridius]: If someone decides to investigate us, they'll find inconsistencies. And if a Wing discovers that we've been using fabricated identities to establish a business inside its territory, we'll have a problem.
[Kuro]: How serious?
[Eridius]: Anywhere between having our business confiscated and being dragged into a laboratory. Possibly both.
He paused.
[Eridius]: Second, we don't know enough about H Corp's internal rules. Every Wing has its own policies, regulations, and Singularity-related security measures. Something perfectly legal in A Nest might be a serious violation here. I don't intend to find out the hard way.
[Kuro]: We could simply ask.
[Eridius]: And announce that we're outsiders who know nothing about the place? Wonderful idea. I'm sure they'll welcome us with open arms.
He gave her a tired look.
[Eridius]: Third, opening a business requires more than a shop and a business license. We need a location, suppliers, permits, employees, and a financial history that doesn't look like it was invented yesterday. We also need to understand the local market. I don't want to invest our money only to discover that H Corp has some ridiculous regulation that makes our entire business illegal.
He leaned back in his chair.
[Eridius]: And finally, there's the matter of protection. Our café has already attracted attention. If we establish another business in a Nest without understanding its politics, we could end up attracting the wrong kind of attention from the Wing, its affiliated corporations, or people who think we're easy prey.
[Kuro]: So the young master is our solution?
[Eridius]: Exactly. Jia Baoyu is a legitimate client with connections and, more importantly, a reason for us to be there. We're not sneaking into the Nest to establish a business. We're entering as his protection detail.
[Kuro]: And after the job?
[Eridius]: We observe. We learn how things work, establish contacts, and figure out which doors we can safely knock on. If everything goes well, we'll have a legitimate foothold in H Nest.
He looked around the table.
[Eridius]: Remember, we're not here to conquer the Nest, rob a Wing, or become the next big Syndicate. We're here to do a job, earn money, and hopefully avoid becoming another interesting incident in someone's report.
[Kuro]: You make it sound dangerous.
[Eridius]: We're in the City. Breathing is dangerous.
He picked up the document again.
[Eridius]: Now, let's discuss our client. I want everyone to understand exactly who we're protecting, what he wants, and what we're allowed to do. Because if this young master gets himself killed, our first proper introduction to H Nest might be a funeral.
[Kuro]: And if someone tries to kill him?
[Eridius]: Then we kill them first. That's what we're being paid for.
[Eridius]: Now, before we go any further, there's something you need to understand. Jia Baoyu isn't just some rich kid whose parents have too much money.
He turned the document around, revealing a family name and several pages of information.
[Eridius]: The Jia family is one of the influential households in H Nest. Their wealth, connections, and political influence have been woven into the Nest for generations. They have business interests, relationships with important figures, and enough influence that even people who dislike them have to consider their reactions.
[Kuro]: Then why hire us instead of a couple of Color or Grade 1 Fixers?
[Eridius]: Because that's exactly what they don't want.
[Kuro]: Explain.
[Eridius]: Think about it. If the Jia family sends a Color Fixer to accompany their young master, everyone will know something important is happening. People will start asking questions. Their rivals might assume the family is expecting an attack, or that Jia Baoyu is carrying something valuable.
He leaned back in his chair.
[Eridius]: And Grade 1 Fixers aren't exactly subtle either. A couple of them following a sheltered young master around the Backstreets would be like putting a giant neon sign over his head saying, "IMPORTANT PERSON HERE. PLEASE DON'T ROB."
[Kuro]: But wouldn't stronger protection be safer?
[Eridius]: In a straightforward fight? Obviously. But this isn't a battlefield. We're supposed to accompany a young man who wants to explore the Backstreets without making a scene.
[Kuro]: So they want someone discreet.
[Eridius]: Exactly. We're relatively unknown; we don't have a reputation that would attract unwanted attention, and we're capable enough to handle most ordinary threats. At least, that's what our client believes.
He paused.
[Eridius]: There's another reason. Jia Baoyu himself apparently requested a less intimidating protection detail. He doesn't want a squad of heavily armed Fixers breathing down his neck every time he takes a step.
[Kuro]: And his family agreed to hire us?
[Eridius]: They agreed to a compromise. We get paid, the young master gets his little adventure, and his family gets people responsible for keeping him alive.
[Kuro]: What if someone genuinely dangerous appears?
[Eridius]: Then we deal with it. If it's beyond our capabilities, we retreat and call for reinforcements. I'm not interested in dying just to preserve someone's pleasant afternoon.
He pointed at the document.
[Eridius]: Remember, our job isn't to prove we're stronger than a Color Fixer. It's to make sure nobody realizes how important our client is until we've already taken him home.
[Kuro]: ...That's a rather difficult task.
[Eridius]: Welcome to professional Fixer work.
[Thirty minutes later]
A young boy arrived, wearing a bright smile. One of his eyes was black, while the other was a beautiful shade of blue.
Eridius froze for a brief moment.
He knew that face.
He could recognize it anywhere.
Hong Lu.
Or, as he was known in this time, Jia Baoyu—the young master of H Corp.
He looked considerably younger than the Hong Lu Eridius remembered. Of course, this was before he ever joined Limbus Company. Before becoming a Sinner. Before all the events that would eventually bring him into contact with Dante and the others.
For now, he was simply the young master of the Jia family. A sheltered boy from an influential household, beloved by his grandmother... and, if Eridius remembered correctly, her favourite little trauma tool.
Well, this is awkward.
Eridius quickly composed himself, stood up, and gave the young master a polite bow.
[Eridius]: Eridius of the Ragnarock Office, reporting to the young master.
He silently prayed that this job would be less troublesome than he expected.
He was already regretting accepting it.
[Somewhere else in the City]
[Index Base]
A group of Proselytes stood in silence as their Proxy unfolded a newly received Prescript.
The instructions were short.
Simple.
And, as always, not to be questioned.
{Find Eridius of the Ragnarock Office. Take the lamb hanging from his waist and deliver it to the Messengers.}
The Proxy folded the paper.
[Proxy]: Prepare yourselves. We're leaving.
The Proselytes immediately began gathering their equipment. More members were contacted along the way, and before long, the group had grown considerably.
Eventually, they reached a junction and divided into two groups.
One would head towards Ragnarock Café.
The other would proceed to H Nest.
Each group was placed under the command of a Proxy. Their instructions were identical.
{Kill Eridius.}
Neither Proxy questioned the order.
Neither did the Proselytes.
They simply accepted the Prescript and continued their preparations.
Meanwhile, elsewhere within the Index's territory, a Messenger received another piece of paper.
Unlike the others, this one was addressed to them personally.
They unfolded it.
{Hand the lamb to a Weaver.}
The Messenger stared at the words for a moment before carefully folding the Prescript.
[Messenger]: ...A Weaver?
They tucked the paper away.
Whatever the Prescripts had planned, it was already in motion.
[Chapter end]
[Note1: Finally finished with Eridius's E.G.O. welcome.
[Eridiuslessd: The Burning Hope]