"I'll follow Nicole's lead."
Billy chimed in from the side.
Nicole hesitated, and Eous remained silent. But just then, Anby spoke softly.
"There's no choice to make—we don't have a choice anymore."
She gazed into the distance, her expression calm.
"Spectators sitting in the audience… after enjoying a good show, aren't you going to step out and say hello?"
Zane stood amidst the wreckage of the battlefield, his voice drifting toward the hiding place of Hare's House.
Hearing his words, Belle decided there was no need to stay hidden any longer. She was just about to have Eous step forward when a hand suddenly pulled her back.
"Hey, hey, hey, aren't we supposed to be investigating? If we meet him directly…"
Nicole hesitated.
"Who said an investigation has to be done in secret?"
Belle's voice came through Eous with a hint of amusement. Then she added,
"Relax. He's already spotted us. Just like Anby said, we don't really have a choice anymore."
Nicole sighed softly and let go of her hand.
She had been considering a temporary retreat.
After all, that Ethereal—Zane—couldn't be fully trusted just yet. No matter how things looked, he was still an Ethereal, and she wasn't ready to put her faith in him.
And with his overwhelming strength, taking any risks now seemed like a bad idea.
More than the commission, Nicole cared about the safety of her team.
"Nicole?"
Anby, following closely behind Eous, glanced at her with a questioning look.
"Alright, alright, let's go."
Nicole stretched her arms before stepping forward, reluctantly following the group.
Proxy had a point—escaping wasn't really an option anymore.
...
Meanwhile, Panta had already bolted toward Zane, now standing by his side, chattering about its time with Hare's House.
While Zane was occupied with the Bangboo, Eous and the rest of the Hare's House crew approached him as well.
"Lord Phaethon, I assume you've come here with a purpose?"
Zane turned to Eous. He hadn't expected to see them again so soon—he figured their next encounter would take a bit longer.
"That's right. I received a commission to investigate you and gather as much detailed information as possible."
Eous took a few steps forward, looking up at Zane.
"Uh, Anby, is it really okay for the boss to just say that outright? Investigating someone… doesn't sound very polite, does it?"
Billy was startled by Belle's directness. He raised a hand to partially cover his speaker as he whispered to Anby.
"Mm. Honesty is always a killer move."
Anby nodded, speaking seriously.
Nicole, meanwhile, wasn't focused on Zane. Since Belle was handling the conversation, she left the negotiations to her.
Her attention was on the two massive "metal scraps" lying on the battlefield.
Suddenly, something clicked in her mind, and her eyes lit up.
"Anby, Anby, aren't those mechs really expensive? If we haul these intact wrecks back, could we sell them for a good price?"
Nicole's eyes gleamed as she gazed at the two massive machines.
Hare's House was already treading in the gray market—naturally, they had the means to offload stolen goods. They didn't do it often, but they could handle something like this.
"Well… the production cost for these things is indeed high, and their scrap value is significant. But right now, the only ones who'd be interested in buying them are the rebels outside New Eridu."
Anby examined the mechs carefully—she was well-versed in their worth.
"Then let's sell them to the rebels."
"Nicole, I really wouldn't recommend that. Selling high-grade military war machines to rebels? If that gets exposed, it's way worse than just prison time."
Anby shook her head. The military had extremely tight control over these assets.
"Then… what if we take them out of the Hollow and return them to the military? Their pilots are still inside, right? The reward should be pretty good…"
Nicole hesitated before suggesting an alternative.
"That could work. The military does have a reward system for this kind of thing."
Anby nodded. Nicole immediately pressed further.
"How much is the reward?"
"For two mechs—500,000 Dennies, a ceremonial banner, and a nomination for New Eridu's Outstanding Youth Award."
"500,000?!"
Nicole's excitement flared. That kind of money could fund Hare's House for months.
"But, uh… Nicole, these aren't our spoils of war. Can we really just claim them for ourselves?"
Billy, who had been listening in, glanced over at Zane—who was still talking to Proxy—and voiced his concern.
"Oh, come on, don't worry! I wouldn't just take them without saying anything," Nicole assured, patting her chest confidently.
"Besides, it's not like an Ethereal has any use for this stuff. We can let Hare's House handle it and just split half the Dennies with him."
"If he doesn't want Dennies, we can compensate him in other ways."
...
On the other side, Zane had already pieced together the situation.
"A visit? I don't mind. But I have one condition."
"What condition?"
Belle, seated in front of the HDD system, asked curiously.
This was her first proper face-to-face interaction with Zane—last time had been more of a forced confrontation, so she didn't count it.
Zane had left a good impression on her. If she ignored the fact that he was an Ethereal, he could almost be considered an exceptional individual.
"I need you to help me locate the core Ethereal within this Hollow. You can do that, can't you?"
Zane's calm words piqued Belle's curiosity even more.
Why was he searching for the core Ethereal?
As the name suggested, core Ethereals were the ones sustaining the deepest layers of the Hollow. Their numbers were uncertain, but they were all incredibly powerful, dwelling far within.
These Ethereals were the Hollow's foundation. Only by eliminating them entirely could the disaster of the Hollow be truly suppressed—but that was easier said than done.
The fact that Hollows still existed was proof of how difficult it was.
"Fairy?"
"Of course. Tracking a core Ethereal within a Hollow is extremely difficult, but as the most advanced AI, I can do it."
With that confirmation, Belle agreed to Zane's terms.
Not because of the commission—she had already wanted to learn more about him.
…
Just as their agreement was settled, Nicole approached as well. Unlike earlier, when she had spoken with such confidence, now she seemed noticeably more reserved.
She laid out her plan for them, then lowered her gaze, nervously waiting for a response.