"Should we remind Sampo about something?" Pela quietly said to Bronya.
"Heh, what's there to say? If we say it, it won't be a surprise anymore."
"?"
The voice didn't come from Bronya—it came from behind the three of them.
They turned their heads.
A gray-haired bastard was silently squatting there, casually fiddling with a yellow cube-shaped object in his hand.
It looked like a pack of Furong Wang.
"It's you, you bastard! How... how are you here?" Pela's pupils dilated in shock.
She glanced around—almost entirely Silvermane Guards.
How the hell did this guy slip through all the heavy encirclement and sneak right behind the three of them without anyone noticing!
"Why is it you!"
Facing the guy who had once beaten him senseless, Gepard immediately tensed up. The cast on his leg even made cracking sounds as if it were about to shatter.
"What are you doing here? Don't tell me... you're with them too?" Gepard frowned.
"He's not," Bronya said quietly.
Zeig smiled, pulled out a Furong Wang, and stuffed it into the seam of Gepard's cast at his crotch, politely saying:
"Everyone, have a smoke—don't be shy."
Pela stared in shock at the yellow cube-shaped object in the gray-haired guy's hand, suddenly remembering something. She began repeatedly scrutinizing his eyes.
"Holy shit... you—!" Pela pointed at Zeig in astonishment.
She had already figured out who he was.
The only person who could knock Gepard so hard he couldn't get out of bed—who else could it be??
Holy crap, so he came back after all!
"Hehe, beautiful lady, just know it in your heart—no need to say it out loud." Zeig smiled.
"Damn, no wonder Bronya said we didn't need to worry about those Underworld guys for now. So it's because you're here!"
"Sigh, don't put it like that. We still need to handle them—I just wanted to hear those people's voices, that's all. Besides, without me, could you guys have directly clashed with those... things that aren't even human anymore?"
What Zeig was referring to, of course, were the monsters in the basement.
Not to mention Zeig didn't know at first—even Bronya had seen them for the first time back then.
As for Cocolia... she might have known something.
"What are you all talking about?" Gepard narrowed his eyes, silently staring at the thing stuck in the seam of his leg cast—it was wedged in there uncomfortably.
Bronya seemed to think of something and asked Zeig:
"...Since you're here, doesn't that mean that red-haired broom-head woman..."
"Oh, she's my son."
"..."
Seeing things getting lively in the back, Sampo also walked over slowly with his arms crossed, full of confidence.
He questioned:
"What are you guys doing? Did I tell you to rest? Get up and work—watch out or I'll fire all of you!"
Pela looked up disdainfully and sneered:
"Are you getting cocky? You even dare to boss us around now?"
"Hah? Say that again!" Sampo angrily pointed at Pela:
"You're fired right now—pack your shit and get out immediately!"
Pela: "..."
But unexpectedly, several Silvermane Guards walked over and apologized to Pela:
"Sorry... Miss Pela, this blue-hair is the captain now. By the rules, we have to follow his orders. Sorry about this."
"Huh?"
Pela was lifted up in complete bewilderment and forcibly dragged away.
"???"
In her last glance at Sampo, her eyes still carried disbelief.
"o.O?"
After Pela was dragged off, Sampo put his hands on his hips and laughed wildly at the sky:
"Hahahaha... now the entire Belobog is under my, Black Magic Fairy Little... Sampo Koski's rule! Hahahahaha—!!"
Gepard also muttered disdainfully:
"You're getting way too full of yourself."
"Then... you're fired too!" Sampo pointed at Gepard, and several Silvermane Guards moved in again.
"?"
After Gepard was also escorted away, only Bronya and Zeig were left.
Sampo first swept a glance at Bronya and said smugly:
"Lady Supreme Guardian, you don't want to get fired like those two, right?"
Bronya pursed her lips, gave Sampo a look, and said gravely:
"You'd better watch yourself tonight."
"Heh~ Don't worry, tonight if I see you guys I'll turn and run... wait, no—I can just call the Silvermane Guards to protect me! Hahahaha—!!"
Then he turned to Zeig.
"And you... you! ...Hm?"
Sampo stared at the guy squatting on the ground casually tossing the yellow cube-shaped object, rubbed his eyes in shock, and said:
"Holy crap, it's you? How dare you come here—aren't you afraid we'll swarm you and beat you to death?"
"To be honest, I'm pretty scared." Zeig put away the Furong Wang, silently raised both hands, and smiled:
"But right now I've already been captured by Lady Bronya. You have to treat your prisoner well!"
"Prisoner? You?"
Sampo narrowed his eyes and pointed toward the nearby prisoner wagon, saying gravely:
"That's the treatment a prisoner should get!"
In the direction Sampo pointed, inside the prisoner wagon, all those once-high-ranking dukes, counts, viscounts were locked up like death-row inmates.
They were shouting loudly, mostly proclaiming their status and the importance of the various domains of Belobog they oversaw.
But Sampo didn't care—as long as they were dressed fancy, in his eyes they were death-row criminals!
"You look like no prisoner at all—I think you're more like a tourist!"
"You mocking me?"
"Yo, what if I am mocking you? I'm mocking you!"
"You're that cocky, huh?"
"So what?!"
"..."
Bronya silently stepped a bit farther away, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.
"Hey hey hey, how are you so cocky?!" Sampo rolled up his sleeves, looking ready to beat Zeig to death.
"I'm cocky—so what? You mocking me?!" Zeig also pulled out an iron bat, looking ready to take on Sampo.
"You two, stop fighting... don't make people laugh at us." Bronya tried to mediate.
"?"
Sampo looked at Bronya in disbelief and said gravely:
"What do you mean by that? You defected? Taking the enemy's side? You want to get fired too?"
"..."
"Not talking, huh? Fine! You're fired right now!"
"..."
After Bronya was also taken away by the Silvermane Guards, Sampo turned back to Zeig, cockily putting his hands on his hips:
"How about that? Am I cocky or what?"
"Cocky."
"Then you're fired too!"
"Sure, but I don't have a position yet—how about you give me one first?"
"..."
While Sampo was stunned, Zeig suddenly lifted his clothes in a flash, revealing the hilt of a massive fire-red greatsword, shy and bashful:
"Look, do I still have a chance?"
"...!"
Sampo practically dropped to his knees in that instant, rubbing his hands together, face piled high with fawning smiles.
"Hahaha... Big Bro... no, no—brave hero! Haha... you coming here is truly my, Sampo's, greatest honor."
"Not cocky anymore?"
"I didn't take my meds today—cockiness gone."