Ch.148[Chapter 148] Tank Union

“I know what you’re thinking.”

Pandemonia shrugged her shoulders.

The armor attached to her shoulders moved up and down, making a dull sound.

“You think there’s not much of an age difference, right?”

Sir Dominic unconsciously nodded.

Indeed, Pandemonia’s appearance, even considering the pus and fluid, looked close to someone in their twenties.

“Well, how should I put it… It’s actually quite simple. My uncle got married rather late, so there’s hardly any age difference between us.”

Sir Dominic blinked his one remaining eye as he looked at Pandemonia.

Getting married late? Is that a thing?

In Feralant, there was a custom of early marriage, so he had rarely seen such cases…

Ah.

Sir Dominic smacked his forehead.

Come to think of it, there was someone here who had missed the marriageable age and remained unmarried.

That person was Sir Dominic himself.

“Then your surname must be Muscleman as well, correct?”

Sir Dominic awkwardly blurted out any question.

“That’s right. Pandemonia Muscleman.”

The two, no, three of them continued their conversation as they left the alley and stepped onto the main road.

“Gachabucks is this way.”

Pandemonia gestured and started walking.

With each step, there was a rattling sound and unpleasant fluid dripped down, but no one considered it dirty or strange.

This was Gachaland, where physical defects or negative elements could manifest depending on one’s characteristics.

Above all, Pandemonia was quite a beautiful woman even including the fluid and pus.

Sir Dominic stroked his chin as he carefully observed Pandemonia.

Had he fallen for Pandemonia’s beauty?

“Your gait is quite confident. You must be confident in your abilities.”

As if that would be the case.

Sir Dominic was analyzing each of Pandemonia’s actions.

It was one of the habits he had developed from learning techniques over the shoulders of knights from noble backgrounds who were territorial.

“Is that so?”

Pandemonia scratched her hair where fluid had dried up.

The door opened with a jingle, and the sound of wind chimes echoed.

Sir Dominic and Pandemonia entered the Gachabucks store and chose a seat in the corner.

Sir Dominic looked around.

The store was so neatly decorated that he thought it might be a bit burdensome for knights to come here, given its modern sensibility.

“What would you like to drink, Sir Dominic? I’m going to order a Gachalatte.”

“I don’t know much about coffee. I’ll have the same. Ah, let me pay—”

“No need. The head maid will cover everything.”

Pandemonia sprayed hand sanitizer on her hands from somewhere and rubbed vigorously.

Then she took out antibacterial wipes and started wiping off the remaining alcohol.

Sir Dominic was puzzled by this series of actions but thought it was just her personality and looked around the store again.

Wait.

Sir Dominic counted the number of people sitting at this table.

Just Sir Dominic and Pandemonia, two people.

Then where did the third one go?

“Where did Rook go…?”

“Ah. Don’t worry. She’s probably parking.”

“Parking?”

“You didn’t think that machine was her actual body, did you?”

“Here. Delivery complete.”

A cold female voice was heard right next to Sir Dominic.

There stood a sharp-featured maid with a prosthetic hand, holding a tray with three Gachalattes.

“And this is…?”

Sir Dominic remembered that Pandemonia had just referred to her as the head maid, but he asked to make sure.

“L-003. My nanny, bodyguard, and head maid. Ah, thanks for the drink.”

“Confirmed. My pleasure.”

Pandemonia took the Gachalatte that Rook handed her and sipped it through a straw.

Sir Dominic still didn’t understand the situation and looked back and forth between Pandemonia and Rook.

Sensing his gaze, Pandemonia raised her Gachalatte and said,

“Sir Dominic, you have a characteristic related to mounts too, right? It’s like that.”

Ah. Sir Dominic understood.

“Ah. Thank you.”

Head maid Rook handed Sir Dominic a Gachalatte.

Sir Dominic thanked her and then sipped the Gachalatte through a straw, just like Pandemonia.

The Gachalatte had a rich, slightly burnt sweet taste.

Rook picked up the last remaining cup and sat down next to Pandemonia.

And she too began to sip the contents through a straw.

A moment of silence.

During this silence, Sir Dominic silently sipped this sweet liquid a couple more times.

Then, as if he could no longer bear the confusion, he asked Pandemonia.

“Come to think of it, your timing seems quite opportune. As if you were monitoring me.”

“Well, I was monitoring you.”

Pandemonia said as if it were obvious.

“No, rather than monitoring… more like protection? Observation?”

“From the perspective of the one being watched. Monitoring.”

When Pandemonia asked Rook, Rook answered her.

“Well, let’s call it monitoring then.”

Pandemonia readily acknowledged her actions and took a sip of her Gachalatte.

“Actually, our Tanker Union… you know about the Tanker Union, right?”

“Senator Muscleman explained it to me before.”

“Good. Let me explain a bit more—the Tanker Labor Union, which strives for the rights of tankers, has been keeping a close eye on you, Sir Dominic.”

Pandemonia opened her hand and pointed at Sir Dominic.

“Uncle Big Muscleman has been going around saying that the hope of tankers has appeared, to the point where there’s no one in the Tanker Union who doesn’t know about you, Sir Dominic.”

“Affirmative. Little Sir Dominic. I also possess.”

Rook, with an expressionless face, pulled out a Little Sir Dominic from between her skirt.

Little Sir Dominic seemed uncomfortable with the suddenly brightened world and was shaking his head, trying to regain his senses.

“So maybe that’s why? Actually, observing you was supposed to be someone else’s job. But I became too curious about you, you know? So I switched. By my own will.”

“Warning. Content may go off-topic.”

“Ah, right. Anyway, we’ve been watching you.”

“Why have you been monitoring… no, observing me like that?”

Sir Dominic took a slightly more relaxed attitude in response to Pandemonia’s sincere demeanor.

Pandemonia seemed to notice this and smiled as she placed both arms on the table.

Of course, since she had just wiped them with alcohol and wipes, nothing rubbed off on the table.

“The Tanker Union needs you.”

“Me…?”

Sir Dominic pointed at himself with his finger and tilted his head.

He felt like he had heard something like this before.

It was probably what Senator Muscleman had proposed.

“…Why are you trying to get me to join the Tanker Union?”

“Uncle Big Muscleman just wants you to become a Star, but I think a bit differently. No, our faction does.”

Pandemonia made eye contact with Sir Dominic.

“Big Uncle thinks that for the revival of tankers, the Tanker Union should be a means to an end. And he has the support of tankers who think the same way.”

“In Uncle’s faction, they are supporting characters. Supporting characters who make the main character stand out.”

“But we’re different. Young tankers think differently. Why should we be supporting characters? We can be the main characters and lead the way.”

“Yes, I know. I know what happens to people who fall into supremacy about certain jobs. Trom was like that.”

After speaking rapidly up to this point, Pandemonia, feeling thirsty, gulped down her Gachalatte.

“I don’t deny that you, Sir Dominic, are our hope. And I don’t deny that with the help of Uncle’s faction, you’ll rise even higher.”

“But why shouldn’t we be there? Why should we just be supporting characters? …That’s what many people think.”

“Sir Dominic is hope. But we want to be hope too. The conclusion we came to might sound a bit foolish. Don’t laugh when you hear it, okay?”

“It’s to get Sir Dominic to join our Tanker Union.”

Pandemonia briefly examined Sir Dominic’s expression.

Fortunately, seeing that Sir Dominic didn’t show any signs of mockery, Pandemonia continued with relief.

“That’s good. At least you didn’t laugh.”

“So… what’s the connection between all that long explanation and me needing to join the union?”

Sir Dominic asked.

Pandemonia had a blank expression in response to Sir Dominic’s question.

Sir Dominic simply hadn’t understood what Pandemonia was saying.

“…So, it’s about moving forward together.”

“When you put it that way, it makes sense.”

Sir Dominic nodded and gulped down his Gachalatte.

In fact, although Sir Dominic had been living without remembering it, he still wasn’t affiliated with any organization.

Of course, he was a security guard at System Industries, but that was just a job.

And because he had forgotten this fact, Sir Dominic was unknowingly missing out on small benefits.

Remembering this fact, Sir Dominic now felt the need to belong somewhere.

Sir Dominic continued to ponder a bit more and then raised his head.

In front of such a Sir Dominic, Pandemonia asked with an anxious expression.

“Will you join?”

Sir Dominic moved his head according to the decision he had made.