The third floor of this old factory was quite smaller than the rest. Originally, it was designed to act as a place for anyone sick to rest. Why would a factory have a designated place for sick people to rest, you ask?

Well, people working in factories would often get injured or sick due to not much of a safety precautions being taken. After WWIII due to the de-stabilization of worker rights, many factories and companies abused their employees, cut corners on important safety precautions which were there to prevent accidents from happen.

However, the factory had gone to ruins, it was no longer in use and thus this third floor was abandoned and in a poor state. With rusted pipes hanging around, broken and filthy looking beds that could have easily been used by pests as nests and dust covering every spot.

After the blood wolf's had finished their business on the second floor, they had began a search for the stairway to the third. It didn't take them long, it was in one of the hidden corners behind machine's for reasons only god knows.

The steps leading up to the third floor looked like something that could break with a simple pressure from someone's feet. It was old wood and had begun rotting and molding. The wooden steps creaked every time Taguchi stepped on them, with each creaking sound he winced as if he was scared the whole thing would just break under him.

They had to be quiet, in case there was anyone above — which according to their info, should be atleast ten men guarding their target.

That's why, after hearing the sound coming from Taguchi's feet, Saul had to remind him.

"Be quiet."

Taguchi flinched, and stopped.

"Yeah, sorry."

"It's alright. They won't hear us from this distance."

Saul replied, as he saw Taguchi trying to step lighter. However, the stairs continued to creak and it didn't take them long to reach the top. Lucifer, not being affected by bullets was the first one to exit the stairs, peeking around the wall covering them to see inside the hallway.

It wasn't a big hallway, more like it acted as an entrance into the third floor. Beyond the hallway was what looked to be an abandoned medical facility.

There were broken and rusted machines lying against the walls, along with cabinets and broken doors hanging from them like curtains. There were no lights inside, only the light coming in from the windows at the end of the hallway. There was a faint scent of rust and dirt.

Everything was covered in dust, there didn't seem to be anything of use in there. Perhaps the ward room, which was at the end of the hall, might be the best place to look through for anything and where their target must be being kept.

"It's clear."

Lucifer said before jumping in the hallway, hearing him, Saul, Nomi and Taguchi followed suit.

The third floor was completely clear of people, aside from three rooms on this floor. One room was the restroom, the second was the doctors office and the third was, obviously, the hospital ward.

Walking slowly, Nomi went up to the restroom, opening it to see if anyone was there, but thankfully there wasn't anybody.

"All clear here."

She said in a whisper.

Then, Saul went up to the door for the doctor's office, opening it up and nobody was there too.

"Nobody's here too."

The only place where their target could be in was the ward room.

The ward room was the final room in the hallway, right beside the doctor's office and as soon as they approached the door they could hear faint noises. It sounded like someone was pacing around the inside.

Nomi was about to open the door, but Saul stepped in front of her and held his hands up, signaling them to wait.

"It seems someone is here."

He whispered, as his eyes stayed trained on the door in front. Putting his hand in his back, he took something which was hanging from his belt. It was a thermal camera, which would allow them to confirm the number of mercenaries inside.

He pressed a button and the device came to life. After that, he slowly held it up in the direction of the door and waited as it took in the heat signature's.

It took a few seconds, before the small device in his hands vibrated letting them know it was done. Saul glanced at the screen and he narrowed his eyes.

"There's eleven people in the room..one seems to be sitting on the ground at the very back..the other's are sitting on beds, presumably, not on guard."

They all exchanged glances, it was a bit more than what they expected but still was within the expected estimate.

Taguchi opened the door while Nomi and Saul loaded their guns, as soon as it opened they both went inside, guns blazing.

Lucifer followed them, the sound of groans and shouts, alongside gunshots fillings his ear's.

The room was quite big, with white painted walls, around fifteen beds lined up on each side, and some cabinet's.

The people who were sitting on the beds probably weren't expecting anyone, and thus they all got finished off without any resistance.

The gunshot's alerted the only one who was sitting down on the floor, he was an old man who was hunched over due to age. There was a piece of cloth tied around his eyes, but he was clearly awake. His head snapped up in the direction of the sound, a gasp could be heard coming from his mouth.

Matsunaga Fuji.

The one kidnapped by the Kusonoki Conglomerate and the one whom they had been send here to free.

He seemed to be in his fifties, he had wrinkles on his skin along with white hair, just looking at his appearance made him look like a wise old man of some sort.

His feet and arms were tied with metal chains to the wall, only granting him a limited amount of freedom so he could eat and relive himself. Hearing his gasp, Saul put away his gun and walked up to him, kneeling infront of the old man and grabbing his shoulder, he spoke.

"Matsunaga-san?"

He flinched in surprise.

"Wh— who's there. Who's with you."

He asked, his voice was hoarse and hoary due to crying and probably due to other reasons as well.

Saul didn't hesitate, he didn't want to make the old man panic.

"It's us, Matsunaga-san. We're a mercenary team hired by your daughter to rescue you, I'm Saul Griffin. Her friend."

He couldn't just outright say that they were the blood wolf's because it may cause him to panic, so this was the safest option.

"I..I..You're— you're here to rescue me?"

Saul nodded his head, but realizing Matsunaga couldn't see him, he responded verbally as well.

"That is right, we have come here to rescue you."

As soon as he heard that, a wave of relief hit him, the knot in his chest got released.

"Oh..god, finally."

He exhaled, his face relaxing in relief.

Saul first took off the blindfold covering Matsunaga's eyes, so he could see them.

Matsunaga's eyes took a while to adjust to the light, having been in the darkness for days.

Once his vision came back to him, he looked up at Saul, only to find him kneeling infront of him, his face filled with concern and care.

"Matsunaga-san."

Saul repeated his name, which caught the old mans attention.

"Can you stand up?"

"Yes, I think so.."

He replied, it was clear Matsunaga still had his strength left.

Saul tried his best to help the old man stand up, he grabbed his arm and raised him up with a bit of a struggle, as he had to make sure not to hurt the older man.

Once Matsunaga was fully standing with Saul supporting half his weight, the old man was able to take a better look at the team who had saved him.

Taguchi and Nomi were checking the bodies of the men they had killed, while Lucifer had closed the door and had come to where they were. When he saw the old man, he moved forward, coming to stand beside Saul, while his hand reached for the other arm which Saul wasn't supporting.

"You're my daughter's friend, correct?"

Matsunaga asked as he looked at Saul.

"Yes, I am. She is paying us ¥5,000,000 for this."

Matsunaga's face shifted in disbelief, it was such a low amount.

"No, no. It's too low, I'll give you an additional 5 million yen. Even if I am not on the same level as those corporations, I can't let you just go with such a low amount. You saved my life."

Saul shook his head and denied his offer.

"There's no need, we've already completed our task."

Matsunaga's sighed, a bit disappointed.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Alright, then."

He replied before glancing at Lucifer who was holding onto his other arm and helping to support him.

"And who may you be?"

Lucifer looked at him, scanning him.

"I'm Sato, just a mercenary who teamed up with them."

"I see."

The old man then glanced at Taguchi and Nomi, his eyes going back and forth between the two before he asked.

"And who are those two?"

Saul looked at him before answering.

"My friend's. Don't worry, everything is safe now. Let's get you home."

They had spent a night outside on the way to Neo-Tokyo. And thus, their journey of two days and two nights came to an end. It was almost nightfall by the time they returned to the capital city of Japan, Neo-Tokyo.

The main roads were lit by streetlamps which cast white-colored illumination, while the nature of the pedestrians had changed as well. There were no young women and children to be seen, but instead working men returning home after they were done for the day. The rows of shops on either side emitted cheerful and pleasant sounds.

Lucifer looked around him.

The city had not changed much in two days. Or rather, it could simply be that he did not have much basis for comparison. Still, he felt that the peaceful streets remained the same.

They turned off the main road, and then Lucifer and company came to a halt.

Obviously stopping in the middle of a busy thoroughfare would be a big hindrance, but nobody dared complain. This was because nobody dared go near Lucifer.

Lucifer' shrugged tiredly, and then peeked at the people around him.

Just about everyone walking past on the street seemed to be looking in his direction — no, they were staring at him — and whispering to each other.

The sounds of their chatter filtered into his ears, and he felt like they were mocking him. However, that was just a mistake on his part. If he strained to listen, he would realize that everyone was discussing matters in tones of praise, surprise, or outright fear.

Even so, he could not find it in himself to be relieved.

Lucifer silently lowered his head and looked at the pearly white fur beneath him.

It was there because he was riding the King of the Radiated Forest.

The people around him were surprised by the King of the Radiated Forest's majestic — Lucifer wanted to dispute this choice of words — form, and they were discussing how that warrior could ride such a fearsome yet dignified beast, and so on.

"I should be able to take pride in that… right…?"

This reaction was entirely understandable. The people were praising the King of the Radiated Forest as a mighty creature, but to Lucifer, it was more like a form of public humiliation. For comparison, it was like a middle-aged bachelor with no family or girlfriend proudly riding a merry-go-round by himself.

Naturally, riding the King of the Radiated Forest was not Lucifer's idea. It had taken not only the Blood wolf's and the King of the Radiated Forest itself to persuade him, but also Oxy's humble submission that "a ruler should not be walking." That made him think that perhaps riding it back would be a good idea, but it had ended up like this.

"If I'd known this would happen I would have refused. Could it be someone was trying to set me up and arranged for this?"

Riding a oversized cat was something one would hear about in a child's fairytale. However, those creatures were best suited for boys and girls. At a stretch, it might be all right for a woman to ride one. A rugged warrior in full plate armor was right out.

However, the surrounding folk all seemed to think that Lucifer was the one with the strange reaction.

The King of the Radiated Forest was a creature that did not like to move very fast. He was also incredibly vain — the type to strut around and display his full radiance. Thus, whenever Lucifer urged him to hurry up, the beast leisurely responded in a leisurely manner.

"I'll need to train him...."

He mused internally before continuing:

"Could it be that my aesthetic sense is at fault, or that they have weird taste, or is it that this world's sense of aesthetics is completely messed up?"

Of course, the answer went without saying. As long as the majority of people felt that it looked good, then it was Lucifer's aesthetic sense which was at fault. This was why he could not protest riding the King of The Radiated Forest too vigorously. In addition, if riding it made Sato the mercenary that much more memorable — which would help in finding his feet here — all the more reason to do so. All the same—

"This feels like I have a self-shame kink."

He muttered. Despite Lucifer's earlier misgivings, the beast had not protested his presence too much.

Of course, the King of the Radiated Forest was no pet.

It was as though it could read the atmosphere and understood that the ride itself was to help Sato the mercenary. After all, the King of the Radiated Forest was an extremely smart creature. It was simply hard to reconcile its intelligence with the reality of its appearance.

"I don't feel anything though..Am I a masochist?"

Lucifer's psyche automatically suppressed most of the emotions he experienced which exceeded a certain magnitude, but this was not happening now, it probably was.

"I did always like older and dom women..."

"Since we're back in the city, it seems the assignment is over."

As Lucifer's compared the images and videos he had watched in the past, he lowered his head down in embarrassment due to his sexual fetishes.

"Yeah, we did it."

Taguchi responded as he too was staring at the street. Unlike Lucifer, he was in high spirits because he had just completed another assignment, and not just the money he could get, either. It was also very satisfying in other ways.

"I'm feeling really good."

Taguchi stretched his neck as he said this.

"Indeed, you're right, the request is at an end. Then… while my daughter has already prepared the arranged remuneration, I still have to pay the bonus I promised in the forest. Could you come to my family's store with me?"

Matsunaga said to Saul as he was smiling, riding a rented wheelchair, which he could control with his thoughts as it connected to his neurochip.

Saul turned to look at Matsunaga, and spoke.

"Your store should be around here, no?"

"Ah yes, it's not far away. We can walk there. Actually, before I started making medicines, I used to sell herbs there which I would go myself to pick from the jungles but after everything that happened — as the forest's died out, I stopped. Instead, I started making and selling medicines for cheaper, mostly to homeless people and those children in district Z who're dying everyday."

"I see… So you're like a doctor, right?"

Saul asked in a curious voice. And as expected, Matsunaga nodded while adding in the last part.

"Well, yeah."

Nomi then looked at Matsunaga and spoke.

"Don't worry, you're doing good things. If they try anything else, just call us."

Matsunaga gave her a nod.

"Your help today is deeply appreciated, and I will not forget this. My family's store is named 'The Blue Leaf', and if you guys are ever in need of good medicines, then you can buy it from me at better prices."

Taguchi then replied with a grin.

"Well take you up on that."

"Sato-san, you should go to the Mercenary Company first!"

"Mm, indeed. Since I brought a monster into a city, I need to register the King of the Radiated Forest with the company."

"It's troublesome, but it can't be helped."

"Well, we wiped out those werebears and other monsters too, so how about it? Want to all go to the Company together?"

"Hmm — no, I think not. Sato-san basically did all the heavy lifting for this job, so we should go to Matsunaga's house first to make sure he gets there safely, I also need to talk to his daughter. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to accept getting the same fees as Sato-san."

The Blood wolf's nodded as Saul spoke, and Matsunaga politely added:

"There's no need to trouble everyone…"

"Well, you did agree to pay us a bonus, so consider this a free service on our part."

After hearing Saul's light-hearted statement, Matsunaga politely replied:

"Well, Next time to come to my shop I'll give you an extra discount."

"Nothing would please us more. Then, Sato-san, please head to the Mercenary company first, and meet us at Matsunaga's home afterward. We'll proceed directly to his home, take care of everything else, and then go to the company to take care of paperwork. Unfortunately, we'll have to trouble you to come again tomorrow because we can only claim the bounty on the Werebears and the children of the forest then… we'll meet at the same time as the last time we met you."

"Understood."

Lucifer nodded in response to this suggestion.

Since he could simply register by nonchalantly asking the company receptionists, he did not want to go to the company with them. He would have to pretend that he knew how to read this and write that, and it might well cause all his hard work over the past few days to go up in smoke.

"Then, we'll let you take care of business."

Lucifer nodded slightly, and then he and Oxy parted ways with Saul and the Blood wolf's. At this point, Oxy leaned in and asked:

"Can we trust them?"

"…It's fine. Even if they betray us, the most we'll lose is the bounty for the werebears. If we fixate on that measly amount of money and end up with a reputation as penny-pinchers, it'll do more harm than good to our cause."

Lucifer had come to this city to make a name for himself. Gaining a reputation for pettiness would impede his future plans. He would simply have to pretend that he really was that big-hearted. As he thought of that, he idly reached for his laced-up money pouch. His fingertips pressed it flat almost immediately — a sign that there was not money inside.

He didn't really mind it though. However, he had the night's lodgings to worry about.

It might not be enough if he included the costs for food and drink, but Lucifer was a demon, while a ring on Oxy's finger was imbued with magic that removed the need for him to eat or drink, which helped a lot in cutting costs. Since, Oxy was a summoned monster — Doppelganger below level 50, he could wear and use two rings, and one of his ring slots was allocated to this one. Initially, it had been chosen to protect against consuming something poisonous, but it had proved unexpectedly useful in this situation.

However, as he glanced at the King of the Forest Radiated beneath him, he mused,

"This guy has got to eat at some point."

Then Oxy cut in:

"Indeed… it would be strange for the almighty Lucifer-sama to be concerned

About such a small sum. My apologies for my rudeness."

"Umu."

Lucifer patted his money pouch again, and he felt what seemed like a stream of sweat on his back, which should not have been to produce sweat. He silently currsed himself for handicapping himself for no reason. And also—

"Lucifer-sama… don't call me that anymore, Oxy. At least nobody was around to hear you…"

As Lucifer sighed internally, Oxy happily continued:

"Those inferior lifeforms (house flies) should prostrate themselves before your awesome power, Lucifer-sama."

"Well, maybe not to that extent…"

"Lucifer-sama, you are being too modest. Although Werebears must be less than insects in your eyes, your sword skills are still first-rate. I am truly amazed, Lucifer-sama."

Lucifer felt a strange trembling through his waist from the King of the Radiated forest, but he paid it no heed, and instead told Oxy:

"…I was merely swinging my swords using sheer brute force."

Though killing werebears in one stroke sounded quite impressive, this was not

Actually the case. A few days ago, he had asked Hiroshi to show him a video of the strongest person he knew fighting. Thus, Hiroshi had shown him a video of Setoshi hellosch — The leader of the Black Rose's which are basically the best of the best private soldiers employed by the Conglomerate for their safety.

He is also known as The Tokyo Butcher.

When he watched that man fight, Lucifer had seen the man's fluid movements and technique, but when he reflected on his own moves, he was reminded of a child flailing around with a stick. It shamed him to realize it.

What the Blood wolf's admired was only the destructive power born of his superhuman strength. It was completely different from their praise of a real warrior like Him.

Of course, Setoshi was heavily augmented with implants which boosted his strength and always wore a mechanical suit around him which also probably boosted his power but still — Skill was Skill.

"It would seem it's very difficult to move and fight like a real warrior."

"…Then what about using magic to transform into one?"

There were seven spells Lucifer could use while wearing this skin, and one of them allowed him to convert his class from magic caster/omen mage into that of a warrior. In other words, by using that spell, he could temporarily become a level one hundred warrior.

Although it also carried the benefit of being able to use certain pieces of arms and armor that would normally require specific classes to access, there were many drawbacks to that spell. The first weakness was that he could not cast other spells while the magic was in effect. In addition, he would not gain any special warrior skills from the spell, and his stats would be lower than an actual warrior. In other words, it was a spell that turned him into a half-baked level one hundred warrior. Of course, it was enough when matching blades with second-rate combatants like priests and the like, but he would have no chance of winning against an opponent who was a dedicated warrior.

Even so, Lucifer would be much stronger in that state than he was now.

The problem was—

"There's too many drawbacks to that spell. If I'm ambushed by an opponent of my level, I won't be able to use magic for a while, and defeat is certain. I could use scrolls or certien gems to cast spells, but it would take too much preparation time and those gems only carry spells upto the 2nd tier. It's still a major flaw in the spell."

There was no reason to turn into a half baked warrior, He was strong enough as is.

"As expected of Lucifer-sama."

Lucifer could only nod at Oxy's words. He was just a quarter baked warrior, there was no way to get around that fact.

He looked down at his mount, which seemed to be trembling and then began speaking, in its own language which Lucifer could comprehend.

"Your humble servant asks what are spells, my Lord?"

"The spells are what people call magic."

Lucifer replied without looking at the beast.

"And can you do magic, my Lord?"

"I can. However, I also know how to fight with my bare hands."

A shiver of excitement spread from the King of the Radiated Forest, which Lucifer could feel through the mount's whole body.

"How strong are you then, my Lord?"

Lucifer looked down at the mount and pondered for a bit and then spoke, singing his own praises.

"Enough to sunder the heaven's and shatter the earth."

Of course, to some it would seem like an exaggeration but he really did know spells which could do that.

He didn't know if their power had increased or would've been increased now that he's in the real world, but they could still do these things, taken with a grain of salt since he hadn't tested them of course.

"Wow. The tales of your prowess truly are accurate, my Lord."

"…That isn't something worth bragging about."

Lucifer said before shutting up, silently lowering his head as people stared at him, Oxy walking down on the road, next to him.

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