"Lucius… has been taken by the Sons of Calydon?"
Pompey shot to his feet. The chair behind him screeched as it was dragged violently backward.
The sudden noise stunned everyone in the room. No one had expected Pompey to react so strongly.
Especially Phaga.
He frowned deeply, reassessing Lucius's weight in Pompey's heart.
From their earlier conversation, Pompey had shown clear foresight. He understood that blindly opening up the Ether industry would bring the Outer Ring nothing but harm. Yet he hadn't frozen in the face of those risks or given up outright. Instead, he'd carefully worked through the problem and devised countermeasures.
A cake mixed with arsenic was still a cake. Break it apart, remove the poison, and eat what remains.
That was Pompey's way of doing things—measured, decisive, and worthy of an overlord.
And yet now, at the news of Lucius being seized, Pompey's expression had changed instantly. Clearly, Lucius held no small place in his mind.
"My apologies. I lost my composure," Pompey said, forcing himself to calm down. "Lucius is the second-in-command of the Vanquishers, and he's still young. His sudden capture… understandably angered me."
He gave a slight bow.
"I'm very sorry, but today's discussion will have to end early."
With that, Pompey turned and headed straight for the door, not pausing for a moment as he waved his hand.
"Summon the Vanquishers' people—no, just a few guards will do. Unless absolutely necessary, don't let this escalate. And make sure our friends from New Eridu are properly hosted. All expenses will be covered by the Vanquishers."
He left the private room and the restaurant in one stride, heading straight for his motorcycle.
Key in. Helmet on. One kick to knock up the side stand. A twist of the wrist to awaken the machine's heart.
The sleeping beast roared to life.
"Wait!"
A shout from behind cut him off. Pompey turned to see Phaga and Ellen approaching, a hint of surprise crossing his face.
"Director, you—?"
Phaga adjusted his monocle. With the hand behind his back, he signaled Ellen to get in the vehicle, then said calmly,
"I'll go with you. We came in a bit hurriedly, and I haven't had the chance to properly meet the Vanquishers' second-in-command. I'd like to see what kind of person he is."
"Is that so?" Pompey nodded. "Then I hope you'll drive fast. The situation is urgent—I won't be slowing down."
Seeing that only Phaga and Ellen had followed, while the little boss and his classmate remained behind in the restaurant, Pompey assumed the director was the true business representative, and that the little boss was little more than a figurehead.
It didn't matter. Business was business.
As for Phaga wanting to meet Lucius, Pompey didn't doubt it in the slightest—he only asked that they keep up.
"No problem," Phaga said with a laugh as he opened the SUV's passenger door. "My assistant's an excellent driver. Most of the time, she's the one at the wheel."
Hearing that, Pompey's last trace of concern vanished. His left foot pressed down hard, straightening the motorcycle from its lean.
"In that case, I'll go all out. Please floor the accelerator!"
Vroooom!
The motorcycle shot forward, leaving behind a long, piercing howl.
Once they left the city limits, the twenty-mile restriction was gone. Freed from its restraints, the overlord's ride roared ferociously. With a thunderous blast, Pompey surged ahead like a bolt of lightning.
The two bodyguards following him hurriedly started their vehicles and chased after him.
"Ellen, go!" Phaga fastened his seatbelt, his voice sharp with command. "Let them see how fast a vicious deep-sea shark really is on a sea of sand!"
Ellen shot him an annoyed glance. With no one else around, she was clearly more relaxed. She even used her tail to shift gears, while her free right hand reached over to pinch Phaga's cheek, puffing her lips in displeasure.
"You talk way too much. You think you're funny, huh? Why are you dodging? Move closer—I can barely reach you. If you keep backing off, I'll just have to use my tail."
"Tsc. Suddenly I really want to stay back at the restaurant and slack off with the Class President and Ruby."
"You're not even driving. You can touch whenever you want—no, forget I said anything…"
...
Inside the restaurant.
"Hey, go tell the server to bring out the food. No tripe or duck intestines—I'm sick of those from the city. Bring us some Outer Ring specialties."
With Pompey and Phaga gone, no one was left to rein in the Class President's appetite.
Manners? Formalities? Whether the dishes were 'refined' or not? Just bring everything.
My ancestors spent millions of years evolving me to the top of the food chain. What is there I can't eat?
"Understood. I'll go tell them right away."
The Vanquishers' lackey quickly left the room and gently pulled the door closed behind him.
Ruby watched his retreating figure until it disappeared, then finally remembered to wipe the drool from the corner of her mouth. She turned to the Class President, eyes full of anticipation.
"Is Outer Ring food good?"
"I don't know. This is my first time trying it too," the Class President replied. "When I used to meet with Pompey, he never ordered these kinds of dishes."
He speared a beef ball with his fork and popped it into his mouth. Then, as if recalling something, he turned and asked curiously,
"By the way, now that Phaga and Ellen are gone, aren't you scared? We're in unfamiliar territory."
He blinked, genuinely curious.
Ruby, however, raised her brow and proudly held up the black-and-white doll in her arms.
"What's there to be afraid of? Black-White Doll will protect me, right? Come on, Black-White Doll—see anything you like, just eat it. Don't be shy."
"With that, she picked up a piece of meat with her fork and held it up to the doll's mouth."
[Pfft! Pfft! What kind of cursed thing is that?! Keep it away from me! Black-White Doll can't handle this!]
The fork edged closer, the sharp smell making the Black-White Doll recoil. It hurriedly pushed them away, planting its hands on its hips.
[Listen up! You look pretty cute, little girl. I guess I wouldn't mind protecting you—but there's one condition!]
"What condition?" Ruby asked, tilting her head.
The Class President leaned over as well, listening intently.
[Hmph! After finally getting away from that teeth-grinding, blood-sucking duo, no one's controlling Black-White Doll anymore. So for the next few days, I'm going to have fun. You two—are in charge of planning my itinerary. Got it?!]
"Yes!"
The Class President and Ruby answered in unison, eyes lighting up.
Free bodyguard for the next few days.
Even Hollow exploration was on the table.
In an instant, countless exciting plans flashed through the Class President's mind.
Still, one lingering concern remained.
He turned to Ruby with a serious expression.
"Ruby, your commission completion rate really is one hundred percent so far, right? No casualties."
"Of course!" Ruby declared, patting her flat chest proudly. "I'm a future legendary investigator. Talent like mine is natural!"
"Good."
The Class President lowered his head in thought. That opened up a lot of possibilities.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps and turned instinctively, thinking something had happened.
Instead, a Vanquishers lackey walked in carrying several plates, his face flushed with excitement.
"Hey, little boss! Your grilled cactus, grilled scorpion, grilled rat, and cold tumbleweed salad are here!"