Chapter 71
“…Call when the Married Woman Hunter is free? Who is that about?”
At Ellen’s muttering, Max swallowed hard without realizing it.
Then the speed slowed.
The truck came to a dead stop on the empty plain.
“Let’s make the phone call now.”
Ellen’s eyes narrowed at Max’s stiff voice.
Flora was on the side, just staring blankly, unable to grasp the situation.
“Oppa. About that name, Married Woman Hunter.”
“We shouldn’t keep her waiting. Make the call.”
“Hmm…”
Faced with Max’s attitude of avoiding mentioning a specific word, Ellen decided to back off for now.
It was true that no good would come from Max keeping the Family Head of a Magic Noble Family waiting.
When Ellen called her mother and handed over the phone, Max immediately stepped out of the vehicle.
“I’ll be back after the call, so wait here.”
He instructed the two and closed the Driver’s side door.
Max walked slowly, distancing himself from the vehicle. He could feel Flora and Ellen’s gazes piercing his back.
Ring - Ring - .
The monotonous dial tone continued.
Max’s mind was a tangled mess.
‘Was I investigated because I’m with Ellen? Or to check if I’m suitable for the request?’
Either way, it was astonishing to think his brief stint at the Fight Club right after his regression had become known.
Just how far did a Magic Noble Family’s influence reach?
‘At this rate, they’ll even dig up my regression.’
The moment his astonishment was about to turn into grumbling, the call connected.
─ daughter?
“This is Max Steiger of Max’s Mercenary Office. Greetings to Bella Clements, Family Head of the Clements Family.”
Pushing aside the embarrassment caused by the alias Married Woman Hunter, Max braced himself against the tension that was only now rushing in.
From this moment on, a slip of the tongue would absolutely not be tolerated.
“I need to focus.”
Unlike Eisen Crimsonhowl, the Family Head of Clements, Bella Clements, had an absurdly small amount of information associated with her.
Despite being the Family Head of a Magic Noble Family and a pillar of the MegaCorp known as Genesis Bio, she never exposed her face or activities to the media. With nothing known other than her name and the characteristic of being an Archmage, she was a Person surrounded only by rampant speculation.
─ Oh my, since you’re the Married Woman Hunter, I expected a profound voice or a tone that stimulates maternal instincts, but you’re quite different from my expectations.
“There is a significant misunderstanding associated with that title. I would be truly grateful if you could give me a chance to explain, even for just a moment.”
─ Hehe, I don’t want to.
“…”
Max was left speechless by the playful laughter.
However, her gesture showing that she knew the whole situation also put his mind at ease.
─ I didn’t request this call for any grand reason. I just figured there would be a lot of inconveniences with my daughter and Eisen Crimsonhowl’s granddaughter being together.
“I am mediating so they don’t argue with each other. I plan to observe them carefully going forward as well.”
─ I don’t mean them; I mean that the Mercenary named Max Steiger who is taking this call right now would be inconvenienced.
“…”
─ During this request,
if the children of a Magic Noble Family
get even a scratch, their Family might hold you responsible and take your head, so you should risk your life to protect them from any injury and ensure they don’t feel any discomfort. You might be thinking something like that, right?
He had indeed thought that. Anyone would have thought of it in the first place.
Regardless of that, it was a truly difficult question to answer directly, so his mouth did not open easily, as if it had been sutured shut.
“…As the Mercenary who accepted the request and the Supervisor leading the interns, I intended to do my best.”
─ Keep that stance, but as long as they don’t die, it doesn’t matter, so make them work properly. Don’t give them unnecessary preferential treatment regarding eating or sleeping. Having fun is fine, but I didn’t send them to the Wasteland just to play around, you know?
“I will keep the Family Head’s words in mind.”
─ Ah, and this is something Crimson Howl agreed to as well.
The Family Head was telling him to roll Flora and Ellen through the dirt.
If she told him to do it, he had to do it. What other choice did he have?
─ That’s all I had to say. Since I’m a married woman myself, I’m looking forward to the day we meet in Person.
“Family Head. That is──.”
─ Ahahaha!
Just then, Max tried to explain himself somehow.
Bella Clements let out an amused laugh and, click!, hung up the phone.
“…”
Max stood in the Wasteland, staring blankly at the disconnected phone.
Whoosh!
He snapped back to his senses due to the sandstorm and headed toward the vehicle where Flora and Ellen were waiting.
He pondered as he walked.
“She was more energetic than I thought.”
He felt something new through the phone call.
Ellen’s unique way of speaking didn’t seem to come from her mother’s side.
However, in terms of personality, there were quite a few similarities.
Clack!
As soon as Max got into the Driver’s seat, questions poured in.
“Oppa, are you okay…? Was it a serious conversation?”
“What did mom say? Did she say anything weird?”
Max started the engine and handed the phone back to Ellen.
He answered lightly, acting as if nothing much had happened.
“Since I’m in the Supervisor role, the direction of our actions is important, right? She clarified those kinds of issues.”
Saying it was a truly welcome thing, Max stepped on the accelerator.
Flora made a puzzled face and vaguely accepted it, but Ellen quietly glared at Max’s profile.
There was a gaze that seemed to have a lot to ask. Max gave an awkward smile and drove forward, keeping his eyes on the road.
“…”
He didn’t want to mention that vulgar alias in front of Flora, who was Family. In the first place, telling the truth would only leave a lingering suspicion that wouldn’t be resolved anyway.
Did Max’s desperation get through to her?
Ellen mumbled, her lips moving while looking at Max, as if her mouth were itching to speak, but she didn’t ask her questions directly.
It continued at least until their first destination came into view.
[Chili Oasis]
The signboard finally appeared.
Max checked the dashboard and turned the steering wheel toward the restaurant.
“Let’s get gas at the shop and fill our stomachs before we go.”
“Okay. Good job driving, Oppa.”
“Yay~ It’s food!”
Chili Oasis was a local restaurant made by converting buses and RVs.
Inside, customers dressed similarly to Max’s group were seated here and there. Motorcycles and trucks were parked haphazardly near the shop.
Max parked the car in a spot where he could see it while eating and headed toward the restaurant.
Flora and Ellen followed behind with their faces covered.
Ding! Ding!
As they opened the door to Chili Oasis and entered, the murmuring of the existing patrons welcomed them.
And the gazes that inevitably pierced them.
The eyes of the customers in the restaurant were directed not at Max, but at Flora and Ellen.
Perhaps it was because, given the characteristics of the two, they couldn’t hide the fact that they were women even if they wore clothes that covered their entire bodies and hid their faces.
“Or is it?”
Max’s gaze swept across the restaurant.
To say his group drew attention simply because they were women is to overlook that the Customer wearing a studded leather jacket and chugging from a bottle was also a woman.
That Customer with a mohawk and black-painted lips was also a woman.
Even the wild dog that had crawled into the shop and was sleeping was female.
‘Being women isn’t the point. Is there something about them that innately catches people’s eyes?’
Max took the lead and sat at an empty table.
Flora and Ellen, seemingly perfectly accustomed to Persistent stares, showed no signs of disturbance and sat at the same table as Max.
Flora sat next to Max, and Ellen sat in the position facing them.
Seated in their respective spots, the three cast their eyes on the menu placed on the table.
Admiration for the cheap meal prices that couldn’t be found in the Upper Class of Haze came first.
“First, let’s order a glass of water each and a Cactus Salad. As for the rest, hmm…”
“Pizza! I want to eat pizza!”
Ellen’s vehement demand.
Of course, Max wanted to order it for her too. But there was something he had seen in the materials Domingo handed him.
Since he absolutely couldn’t recommend the pizza, he subtly pointed his thumb at a table of people eating pizza.
Ellen’s eyes followed Max’s finger to the other table.
“!!!”
Ellen’s pupils shook violently as if she had seen a ghost.
For the Upper Class, a ghost might actually be preferable.
What they sold here was pizza topped with grasshoppers and lizards.
“I-I’ll have the Cactus Salad too… Oppa, you order the rest…”
She might challenge the drinks of the Lower District, but it seemed that was still a no-go.
Max held back his laughter at the weak side Ellen was showing.
“What about you, Flora? Is there a menu item you want to eat?”
Flora pondered Max’s question.
Ellen petted the wild dog that was prowling around for something to eat while she waited for the order.
“The pizza is a bit much, but the Hamburg Steak is described as cultured meat, so I think I can eat it. Probably…”
“Cultured meat doesn’t taste much different once you actually eat it. It’ll be fine.”
Perhaps relieved by Max’s words that he would eat it for her if she couldn’t, Flora decided on her menu.
Max pulled out a notepad placed on the table and wrote down Cactus Salad, water, Hamburg Steak, and Spicy Rice, which was rice fried in chili oil.
Ellen took the notepad on behalf of Max, who had somehow ended up sitting on the inside.
“Do I just go and give this to the man cooking over there?”
“Please do.”
Ellen left the table, accompanied by the wild dog she had already befriended.
Max was left alone with Flora.
“Oppa, aren’t you tired from driving?”
“Don’t worry. I’m actually finding it quite fun.”
“That’s a relief…”
Flora fidgeted with her fingers as she answered, revealing an attitude that suggested she had something she wanted to say.
“No way. Please.”
Max had never felt a moment as ominous as this one today.
“It’s a curiosity I’ve had since you came back from your phone call…”
“Yeah. Is something wrong?”
Max answered, pretending to be as nonchalant as possible.
However, the end of his voice cracked slightly.
Flora wiggled her fingers for a long time before asking.
“…Oppa, are married women your type, by any chance? They aren’t, right?”
Max’s heart sank with a thud.