Chapter 90 85 - Two Sides of Conflict

With Phaethon Siblings

"Ah, Master Proxy, you're finally here," Lycaon says as he looks at Wise, who is slowly approaching him. "We, the Victorian Housekeeping, are honored to be your acquaintance. As a partner and esteemed guest of the Victoria Housekeeping, we will make every effort to ensure your Hollow Journey is comfortable and safe."

"Thank you, the honor is mine," Wise replies before glancing around. "Do you know where Eous is?"

"Rina is currently accompanying your companion, Eous. It has come to our attention that Master Eous is feeling uncomfortable in the moist environment. Rina has kindly carried out a deep circuit massage to alleviate fatigue," Lycaon explains, causing Wise to chuckle a bit nervously, which didn't go unnoticed by the butler.

"I-I see..." Wise says as he silently tries to remember the price charged for a Bangboo massage.

"Rest assured, this massage is free of charge. As for our Hollow Journey, it shall be treated as a commission from us." Lycaon says reassuringly, causing Wise to widen his eyes in surprise.

"You're joking...?" Wise mutters in disbelief.

"I have no use for lying to our esteemed guest," Lycaon responds. "This partnership is beneficial for both of us. We get to find your friend and find the intruder who hid inside my master's building. You can think of this as a possible future partnership between you and our master."

"G-got it..." Wise says with a sweat drop. The way Lycaon casually says the Ballet Twin to be his master's building feels a bit weird, perhaps mostly due to him not being rich and all...

Speaking of rich, he had never felt so relieved hearing the service was free.

"If you seek your companion, you'll find them near Sunken Courtyard. Corrin wishes to say thank you for helping the heroes of Canvas Street herself," Lycaon pauses for a moment. "Speaking of which, may I ask if you knew his whereabouts? Corrin wishes to see him to thank him for keeping her safe."

"Well, I don't know his address, but I do have his contact number in case we need help from each other," Wise says as he pulls out his phone. "I could try and ask him if he's busy or not?"

"That would be appreciated. I owe him for shielding Corrin from the Butcher's attack with his own body..." Lycaon says, causing Wise to almost drop his phone.

"He what?!" Wise asks in disbelief, causing Lycaon to blink.

"You don't know?" Lycaon asks in confusion.

"No, he didn't tell me he recklessly shielded an attack from a powerful Ethereal!" Wise exclaims before he starts calling Caelus, and both of them slowly walk towards the Sunken Courtyard, where the rest of the Victoria Housekeeping is minding their own business.

Rina can be seen giving massages to Eous, while Corrin can be seen sitting on the bench, shakily guarding Ellen, who's sleeping on the bench. Upon noticing Wise, Corrin tilts her head in confusion.

"Mr. Lycaon, is this Sir Phaethon?" Corrin asks curiously as Lycaon nods. "N-nice to meet you, Mr. Phaethon. T-thank you for helping Mr. Caelus and the people of Canvas Street..."

"I-it's okay. Also, I didn't do much to help Caelus; it was mostly the Cunning Hares," Wise replies.

"O-oh, but still, y-you were able to help the citizens, Master Proxy," Corrin points out. "So, thank you for helping them."

"Of course," Wise says with a slight smile.

"S-sorry if I come across as rude, but may I ask why d-does someone as capable as you want to be a Proxy?" Corrin asks curiously.

"There are a lot of reasons," Wise replies with a sad smile, which didn't go unnoticed by Corrin.

"O-Oh, sorry for prying," Corrin apologizes.

"No need to apologize, Corrin. You're simply being curious," Wise dismisses him as Corrin nods. Suddenly, Wise and Corrin hear a familiar voice from the phone.

"Wise? Something's wrong?" Caelus' voice can be heard from the phone, causing Corrin to freeze slightly.

"Hey, Caelus," Wise greets. "Sorry for the sudden call, but are you busy?"

"A bit. I'm keeping an eye on a revived Intelligent Construct, making sure his logic core is working properly," Caelus explains. "I have confidence in my skills, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Ah, got it. Hope you don't mind, but my new acquaintance seems to want to say something for you," Wise says before he passes the phone to Corrin, who yelps in panic.

"Huh, Corrin, is that you?" Caelus asks in surprise.

"H-hi, Mr. Caelus," Corrin says shyly. "I-I want to say thank you for saving me back then..."

"Ah, no problem, kid. Glad you are safe and sound." Caelus says a bit cheerfully. "You're okay, right? No injuries or anything else? You made us worry by disappearing all of a sudden."

"I-I'm sorry." Corrin apologizes, earning a chuckle from Caelus.

"Well, it's good to know that you're okay. Make sure to take care, kid." Caelus says before Wise offers the phone to Lycaon.

"Hello, Mr. Caelus." Lycaon greets. "My name is Lycaon, and I'm Corrin's guardian. I would like to thank you for saving Corrin."

"No problem. Although maybe make sure to keep an eye on her, or always stay by her side," Caelus says. Wise swore he could hear a slight scowl coming from the grey-haired boy.

"...of course," Lycaon sweatdrops before Wise took the phone back.

"So, any other things you would like to discuss?" Caelus asks as Wise hesitates for a moment before glancing at the Victoria Housekeeping.

"...so far, none," Wise says, deciding to keep Caelus out of this problem.

"Ok, just call me if you have any issues," Caelus says.

"Yeah," Wise nods before hanging up the call. Wise takes a deep breath before he starts the discussion on how to get through the Ballet Twin Hollow.

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With the Cunning Hares

"Oh, no...what should I do, what should I do, what should I do?!?"

"Is...she okay?" Zhu Yuan sweatdrops as she watches Nicole bite her nails nervously.

"Don't worry too much; she just had to deal with the fact that her main client may find another squad to be far better than the Cunning Hares and possibly stop hiring her for commissions," Anby says blankly, earning a plain stare from Zhu Yuan.

"All of you are finally able to get a stable income, and yet you guys still choose to be Hollow Raiders?" Zhu Yuan asks.

"Selling best-selling novels could only earn so much," Anby explains.

"Why not try to get a proper job?" Zhu Yuan asks.

"Neither of us has proper citizenship," Anby admits.

"...you just admit that casually?" Zhu Yuan asks her incredulously.

"You have a mind-reader with you, so it's useless to lie," Anby says blankly. "We have our own reason for not having citizenships. Both Nicole and Nekomiya are orphans living on the streets; Billy is from the outer rings, and both he and I prefer it if no one uses us as weapons."

"Weapons?" Zhu Yuan asks in alarm.

"...it's personal, please understand..." Anby mutters, earning a sympathetic look from Zhu Yuan.

"...very well," Zhu Yuan concedes, earning a grateful nod from Anby. Meanwhile, Qingyi can be seen sipping her tea while Billy is chugging down his oil.

"Woo! Airship services are truly the best!" Billy exclaims excitedly. "I can refuel myself as much as I want!"

"Indeed, they knew how to make tea," Qingyi responds. "Of course, no one could beat Ms. Meilian at making drinks."

"Yeah, I gotta agree, she somehow managed to make oil taste so good," Billy agrees.

"I usually avoid drinking oils due to my unique taste buds and simply drink teas, but she managed to make the oil fit for my taste," Qingyi says. "The lady's a true miracle..."

"So, what's your story with her?" Billy asks curiously.

"She was simply one of my friends I tend to visit whenever I have free time," Qingyi explains. "A kind lady who didn't care for earthly attachments and has wisdom akin to an old sage. She always has good advice every time she comes to visit."

"Ah, got it," Billy says with a nod.

"...are your leaders going to stop acting like that anytime soon?" Qingyi asks as she glances at Nicole, nervously biting her nails.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Billy waves it off. "Trust me, she will recover quickly once money gets involved."

"...she cares about money that much, huh?" Qingyi sweatdrops.

"With how we used to live, it's normal," Billy explains. "Boss is really good at managing money, and despite the debts she had, she still managed to get enough money to pay our monthly salary without cutting a Denny. It's just that most of her money is used to donate to the orphanages."

"Oh..." Qingyi had to admit she was surprised by the fact. So far, Nicole had shown to be a woman who loved her money so much that she is willing to get them with any means necessary.

Who could've imagined a money-hungry, ugly-looking goblin with a pair of useless meat bags attached to her chest would have that side of her? But then again, she did risk her life to beat the butcher even though no money was said to be involved.

"...you don't believe me, do you?" Billy asks in a deadpan manner.

"I do believe you," Qingyi says honestly.

"...say, what's with the new get-up?" Billy asks curiously. "Don't the cute loli get-ups feel right for you?"

"I prefer if you keep your mouth shut," Qingyi deadpans as she launches her foot into Billy's face. Meanwhile, Nekomiya can be seen eating as many canned sardines as she can while Nicole continues to bite her nail anxiously.

"Hey, boss, you should try some," Nekomiya says cheerfully.

"Get that awful smell away from me," Nicole says in disgust. "I would prefer not to smell like a marketplace during the court."

"Aww..." Nekomiya whimpers, her ears floop down as she eats her fish while sulking. Nicole continues to bite her nails anxiously, which concerns Nekomiya.

"What's making you so nervous, boss?" Nekomiya asks.

"Our main client is going to choose other groups to help them with their commissions," Nicole exclaims. "Victoria Housekeeping, from what I've heard, provides excellent services to their clients! If they find Victoria Housekeeping to be far superior to us, then we're cooked!"

"Oh...you don't have to worry about that," Nekomiya says with a smile.

"How can I not worry!?!" Nicole asks in disbelief.

"Well, Victoria Housekeeping may be good, but they're hella expensive," Nekomiya explains as she slurps a sardine. "Unless you are some super rich person, I doubt you could hire them for Proxy's daily commissions. It didn't help that Fairy also increases their electric bills."

"...praise the Fairy!" Nicole lets out an unhinged laugh, startling the officers and the Cunning Hares. Neither of them notices Perlman quietly grin as he gently taps his suitcase, nor do some of the flight attendants suspiciously glances at Perlman.

Except for Qingyi, of course.

To be Continued