Ever since they'd gotten that handsome cut from Phaethon, several days had passed.
Nicole and Anby went out early every morning, saying they were still chasing leads on the missing safe deposit box, often not returning until late at night.
Billy, still injured, had been waiting for a call from the repair shop—but since no one had contacted him after several days, it seemed his parts were proving difficult to source.
This kind of idle peace was something Ignis found oddly disorienting.
No battles, no drills, no forge work to keep his hands busy—he felt almost too unoccupied.
He'd wanted to take a walk outside, but Nicole had warned him against wandering. After all, he had no legal identity here; if the sheriff caught him, that would be quite a hassle.
The neighbors had already gotten used to him. Whenever they saw him sitting beside the car, they'd wave and greet him warmly.
Even the children were no longer afraid of him. Some would tiptoe up to his side, pat the plates of his power armor, then burst into giggles and run away.
He'd pretend not to notice, playing the role of a good-natured adult—one who didn't spoil the fun.
He sometimes wanted to tell them stories, but given the sort of stories he had to tell…
Well, most would count as not suitable for children. After all, not everyone was as hardened as a Cadian Veteran.
Still, his favorite part of the past few days had been dozing off against the van each afternoon. Even though a Space Marine's modified neural nodes allowed for partial rest of the brain, a full, proper sleep was a luxury beyond words.
It was bliss—though having a real bed would make it perfect.
And as it happened, the issue of a bed was settled that very evening over dinner.
Nicole announced that their landlord had recently acquired a detached house on the outskirts of New Eridu.
Because the previous owner had gotten tangled up in some financial disputes and didn't want the property left unattended, they were letting the Cunning Hares move in rent-free—on the condition that they "watch over" the place.
"We're moving first thing tomorrow," Nicole said excitedly after finishing her ramen. "Anby, Billy—pack your stuff tonight."
The two called out by name were equally thrilled; a change of residence was always welcome.
As for the "financial disputes," none of them seemed too concerned. A few petty thieves weren't much of a threat to the Cunning Hares.
Ignis, on the other hand, had been preoccupied with something else—ever since he'd heard that the ramen shop's chef was a robot.
If a robot pulls noodles by hand, he wondered, does that count as handmade noodles or machine-made?
The next morning, the Cunning Hares packed up and began their move.
The rented light truck finally came in handy; the clothes and belongings of three people filled half the cargo space, leaving Ignis crouched inside with his knees drawn up.
Maybe to keep him from getting bored, Nicole had handed him Amillion to hold.
She drove the team's little sedan up front, while Billy followed with the truck.
Ignis listened as the city's bustle faded away, replaced by a creeping stillness.
Occasionally, an unpleasant sound broke the silence—shouting, a scuffle, a curse.
Beyond the embrace of civilization, order began to rot. It reminded him of the underhives—places where the Emperor's light never reached. Absolute black zones.
He couldn't shake the uneasy feeling about this "property."
And when he climbed out of the truck and stood in the yard, the sight before him only confirmed his instincts.
Who in their right mind had three- or four-meter-high walls topped with razor wire and surveillance cameras pointing in every direction?
"Uh, Boss Nicole, this looks kinda sketchy," Billy said, pointing at the barbed wire. "You sure all we're guarding against are thieves?"
"What's wrong, Billy? Getting scared?" Nicole teased, her pink hair gleaming as she made a throat-slitting gesture with her thumb.
"The landlord said if anyone comes looking for trouble…"
She grinned. "You know what to do."
"Still, Boss Nicole, this really doesn't look like our usual style," Billy muttered, though his hands never stopped unloading boxes.
"No choice," Nicole sighed. "We already owe the landlord several months' worth of rent. This deal wipes the debt clean—plus we get to stay here for free."
"Besides," she added, turning to Ignis, "we can't keep you sleeping next to the van forever. Today we'll get you a medical checkup and start setting up an identity for you."
Ignis, still holding a stack of crates, paused mid-step.
"A medical exam? I don't think I'd pass that," he said, following Anby through the open door.
Inside, a spacious foyer greeted them, bright and open with high ceilings.
Paintings from the previous owner still hung on the walls, adding a touch of art. The furniture was sleek and modern yet comfortably lived-in.
In one corner of the living room stood a small bar—perfect for an evening drink.
The kitchen gleamed with stainless-steel counters and high-end appliances. The utensils looked oversized, suggesting the last owner had been a large-frame Thiren—perhaps even a Bear-Thiren.
"This place is way bigger than our last one," Anby said, her poker face unchanged but her tone betraying quiet joy.
"Oh-ho-ho! Now this is awesome!" Billy exclaimed, carrying a mountain of boxes—belts and Starlight Knight merch poking out from the gaps.
"Not bad," Nicole said casually, then turned to Ignis. "Come on, let me show you your room."
A door on one side of the foyer led into the garage—large enough for three or four vehicles. Most striking of all, several mechanical arms hung from the ceiling.
"The previous owner was apparently really into vehicle modding," Nicole explained as she tapped a control panel on the wall. "So, they installed a Three Gates Military Tech Automated Service Rig."
The arms descended, one of them immediately locking onto Ignis and sweeping him with a blue laser.
"This setup's expensive," she said proudly. "I even had a hacker patch it so it doesn't upload local data. It's got an industrial AI—full auto-scan, 3D modeling, the works."
On the holo-display, Ignis's power armor appeared—every bolt and joint neatly labeled.
"You said before it's hard to get into your armor without assistance, right?" she pointed to the projection. "This AI simulates the entire process. If anything looks off, you can adjust it manually."
Ignis leaned in, and only then realized the console could be adjusted vertically when Nicole pushed it upward.
He studied the disassembly animation carefully. Most of it looked accurate, but a few joints were slightly wrong. He wanted to fix them—but ran into a problem.
He couldn't read the text.
Clearly, it was time for lessons with Teacher Anby. He'd need to learn this world's language soon.
A Space Marine's body did include the Omophagea—the 8th gene-seed that allows an Astartes to absorb memories through consumption of organic matter.
But Ignis was a loyal son of Vulkan, not some barbaric Chaos traitor. Bone-crunching for knowledge was off the table.
He'd just have to rely on his enhanced brain and learn it properly. Shouldn't be too hard.
A Chaos Marine, though, would've probably eaten someone by now—"for research purposes."
Fortunately, Nicole was nearby. After some back-and-forth, they managed to fix the sequence.
"This AI's something else," she said while typing. "Must've taken apart a ton of machines—look at that precision. Ahh, rich folks really can buy anything."
"Is the Cunning Hares' financial situation that bad?" Ignis asked.
"Of course," Nicole groaned. "Getting you a legal ID isn't easy. You're a total blank—no data, no history. I'll need to grease both the sheriff's office and the hospital."
"And if we want to bring you on jobs, that tiny sedan won't do. The rental truck's due back soon, so we'll need to buy another. Anby and Billy's paydays are coming up, and we owe a few fixers…"
Her voice trailed off, and her head drooped lower and lower. "If I weren't worried about damaging the Cunning Hares' reputation, I'd just film some borderline fanservice videos or gravures to make ends meet."
Ignis blinked. Nicole doing that? He had to admit—it'd probably sell extremely well. She was, after all, a stunning woman.
He hesitated, wondering if he should offer encouragement—like mentioning he knew some smithing skills, could handcraft weapons, forge armor, or make simple explosives.
"Ah…" Nicole sighed again, then straightened up, shaking off the gloom. "No time to mope. Still have a ton of work to do—gotta find middlemen, check for new jobs."
She looked him dead in the eye. "You better start pulling your weight, big guy. I owe the landlord a huge favor for your sake."
"In Vulkan's name, I won't fail your expectations," Ignis said, thumping his chest—the Imperial Aquila on his armor glinting under the light.
Nicole patted her own cheeks, banishing the last of her bad mood. The confident smile returned.
"I got you a set of clothes—biggest size I could find. Change later. We'll handle your checkup tonight."
"Anby, Billy," she called, collapsing onto the sofa. "To celebrate the move—we're having hotpot tonight!"
"Oh hell yeah!" Billy shouted. "Long live the boss!"
"Nicole, I want to watch a movie," Anby added.
"Sure! Two movies!" Nicole declared, waving dramatically.
"Thanks, Nicole. You're the best."
She really is something else, Ignis thought. Can't let her get buried by debt.
He made up his mind.