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"...You're going to hunt that monster?"
Turncoat Rook asked again, needing confirmation of what he'd just heard.
That was how insane the idea of hunting the Bone Lord sounded to anyone who knew better.
More than anything, Turncoat Rook knew exactly what kind of monster the Bone Lord was, so his reaction was completely understandable.
"Yeah."
"...You're insane. How do you plan to catch that thing with this little force? Confidence is one thing, but this is pure bravado."
Me, Horus, Turncoat Knight, and Turncoat Rook.
Even considering both inside and outside of Ark, this was certainly a powerful lineup—but not nearly enough to bring down a real monster like the Bone Lord.
Turncoat Rook knew that too, which explained his agitated response.
"I never said we'd do it alone."
"...Don't tell me you're thinking of dragging the Order into this? Forget it—Arthur won't approve. And even if he did, unless the Commander steps in personally, we're still severely underpowered."
That implied he believed that if Isabel and the full force of the Shadow Order joined, they might actually be able to take down the Bone Lord.
Shadow Order versus Bone Lord.
It was a matchup that had never actually happened, which sparked a bit of curiosity in me—but either way, the Shadow Order wasn't going to be involved this time.
"It's not the Shadow Order."
Turncoat Rook's expression twisted into something strange.
He'd finally realized what I meant.
"...Carl Marcus, this hunt wasn't your plan, was it?"
"No. Strictly speaking, I received an invitation."
The Bone Lord isn't an ordinary monster.
Among the countless unclassified monsters outside Ark, it's one of the strongest—easily top-tier.
So, who would be crazy enough to accept all the risks and initiate a hunt against the Bone Lord?
Turncoat Rook already had a good guess.
"...You're out of your mind. Don't tell me you're thinking of pledging yourself to the King. I've misjudged you."
"It's a temporary alliance. You know as well as I do that what we gain from this is far from trivial."
"That's nonsense. You don't actually believe you can cooperate with those things, do you? They're monsters."
"So are you."
Turncoat Rook's voice rose sharply.
Though I had subjugated him, I hadn't broken his will—so some resistance was only natural.
"What if it's a trap? We'll be walking right into their mouths."
"I trust I can pull out when needed. Same goes for you, doesn't it?"
"You—"
Turncoat Rook glared at me.
He clearly wanted to refuse, but he couldn't.
His free will now depended on me and Janus.
"You can sit this one out if you want. I won't stop you. Will you?"
Which made my words nothing but a calculated lie.
"..."
Turncoat Rook stared at me, as if watching a storm churn inside himself.
It didn't take long.
The answer had already been decided.
"...If I feel it's getting too dangerous, I'll back out without hesitation."
"That's what I want, too."
"..."
He glared at me again, clearly still frustrated.
But it was settled.
All that remained was to act.
"Where are we headed?"
"They'll reach out to us."
I glanced at Horus and Turncoat Knight.
Naturally, neither of them showed any signs of resistance like Rook.
'So that's the difference between submission and loyalty.'
Either way, it worked in my favor.
["Ugh… I'm back."]
Esther had returned after finishing her duties with the Shadow Order.
Everything was now in place.
'You told Isabel about this, right?'
["Yeah, but seriously—what were you thinking saying something like that?"]
Per my instructions, Esther had given Isabel a vague explanation of our current mission.
That should be enough to avoid most suspicions later.
'Who knows? We'll see soon enough.'
["...I really want to peek inside your head sometimes. Would you let me, maybe?"]
'Don't be ridiculous.'
["And also—huh?"]
Esther had been about to say something else, but then suddenly fell silent.
Something was happening underground.
["Be careful!"]
She shouted urgently.
Something shot up from beneath the earth.
Turncoat Rook, Turncoat Knight, Horus, and Janus all instantly raised their bony spines and armor, ready for combat.
But no attack came.
"..."
A brief silence.
Then, from below, an uninvited guest emerged before us.
The Turncoat Queen.
That's who it was.
"Didn't keep you waiting, did I?"
"...Quite the entrance."
Sure, appearing out of the ground made sense in the middle of a desolate plain like this, but for someone usually so dignified, it was an odd way to show up.
"There are too many eyes watching. Humans included."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Pawn, you should already know—there are human eyes outside Ark, too."
She was right. Even now, teams dispatched from Ark were operating beyond its walls.
Their goals varied, but gathering intel on outside developments was usually a key mission.
In other words, the Turncoat Queen had used this method to avoid their gaze.
'She probably didn't just hear about White and Red Line secrets... more likely she actually encountered one of the field teams herself.'
Of course, a monster like her could have access to internal Ark information—but details on outside teams were classified and not easily obtained.
Clearly, the Queen intended to allow no unexpected variables in this hunt.
"For someone trying so hard to conceal information, you're sloppy. Do you trust me that much?"
"Who knows?"
She smiled, unfazed.
But there was no way she didn't know what that implied.
'It's not that she trusts me… she just knows I can't afford to expose myself to Ark.'
If I leaked anything about this Bone Lord Hunt to Ark, I'd risk exposing the truth about Turncoat Pawn.
Even if I kept my identity hidden, it'd be a serious gamble.
"Well, it looks like everyone's here... Shall we go? His Majesty is waiting."
The mention of His Majesty, referring to the Turncoat King, made Turncoat Rook flinch.
Even the usually composed Turncoat Knight showed a subtle reaction.
"..."
Watching this, the Turncoat Queen smiled softly.
"No need to be so tense. His Majesty is very generous to his retainers."
"...Retainer, my ass."
Rook muttered, but his nervousness was obvious.
"No need to be modest. Once you meet His Majesty... all your petty views will change."
"Don't make me laugh."
His voice lacked conviction.
"Well then, let's go. The path is long."
As the Queen stepped forward, a tremor cracked the ground open, forming a small sinkhole.
It looked like some kind of entrance.
"...What the hell is this?"
Turncoat Rook asked, and as always, the Queen smiled.
"Too many eyes watching. We can't exactly walk there, can we? And I doubt Pawn would let me ride that friend of his."
She was right.
If she dared ride on Horus and tried anything, she might actually seize control of him.
That's how powerful the Turncoat Queen was as a Skull Turncoat.
"Let's go."
"...You sure about this?"
"Yeah."
"Damn it."
Despite his distrust, Rook had no choice but to follow after I stepped in behind the Queen.
"Horus, follow from the air."
[Screech!]
The Queen chimed in.
"Oh, but we could all go together. The path is wider than it looks."
"Not happening."
If things went south, Horus would be our emergency escape route.
Assuming the Turncoat King and Queen allowed it.
'Still, it's better than all of us going underground.'
With that, I followed the Turncoat Queen into the sinkhole.
"Watch your step—it's deeper than it looks."
She wasn't lying.
As we dropped, I extended Janus's bone tendrils around us to slow the descent.
The drop was longer than expected.
When we finally landed, something strange greeted my feet.
Firm, yet vibrating.
Like standing on the back of a living turtle.
"...What is this?"
Rook furrowed his brow.
"What are we standing on?"
"Think of it as a kind of train. Though underground, so... maybe call it a subway?"
"...Subway?"
Rook looked aghast at the massive, unidentifiable creature beneath us.
Its vast back was covered in white bone.
We were standing on top of a massive creature once devoured by a bone parasite.
'Hmm…'
Eventually, I identified what it had once been.
"A Sand Devourer?"
"It probably has a new name now."
As expected of the Turncoat King and Queen.
They'd infected a Sand Devourer—one of the disasters of Ark—and turned it into a pet.
As a transport.
"..."
Rook was at a loss for words.
Even Turncoat Knight, normally emotionless, looked shaken.
The Queen, pleased by their reactions, smiled cheerfully.
"Hold on tight. This one... gets a little rough."
And she wasn't kidding.