Chapter 45: Euphemism

"Talk to him."

"You talk to him! You literally have the fucking No. 1 on your name."

"It's just a number, you're the one driving. So, you're the leader. And besides, I need to talk to the civilians we rescued."

"W—"

"Perhaps if I may offer some advice? I think it would be best for No. 2 to talk to him, he is our mascot, after all."

"W–the fuck? You're our mascot, you obese fuck. Have you seen yourself? No. 4, you talk to him."

"But he's literally deaf and mute. No. 2, you talk to him. Unless you want to be the one cleaning this mess?"

"Damn it!"

The Faceless crew's mission was pretty much a wrap, with No. 1 assuring the women that they are now safe, and No. 4 and 5 cleaning all the bodies and putting them in one place. Rhys was actually also collecting the bodies, but he was removing the ones that were in the back of the truck… the ones that he killed.

"Ehem, No. 6," No. 2 carefully approached Rhys, clearing his throat with his hands behind his back as he practically slid toward him, "Are you okay? Must have been a tartarus of a first mission, no?"

Everyone was worried about Rhys. How could they not, when they just found him covered in blood just moments ago and surrounded by mangled and dismembered corpses, and even carrying a decapitated head of a young hissyr?

"Oh… Yes. I don't really have that much combat experience yet." Rhys, on the other hand, seemed completely fine as he just casually wiped the blood on his face with the back of his hand, "I hope I wasn't that much of a burden."

"What…? No," No. 2 once again stuttered as he heard Rhys's words, "I'm talking about how you had to kill women and children in your first mission. Of course, they weren't exactly human, but they could easily pass as one. And as you have already seen… they are trying to pass as one."

"Oh," Rhys blinked a couple of times as he glanced back at the remaining mangled corpses behind him,

"Well, we're on the side of justice, right?"

"Jus…tice?" No. 2 tiptoed so he could glance at the sorry state of the bodies Rhys left behind, "I am sure they don't see it as that."

"I guess so…" Rhys's voice turned quiet as he sighed, "...I do feel sorry for the children, but they were a part of it too."

"...Right," No. 2 squinted his eyes as he patted his frilly dress, very subtly walking away as he did so, "I'll leave you to it, then. Good… good job."

"Thank you, No. 2."

"Hm," No. 2 nodded as he quickly went back to the others, "Dudes, there is something seriously wrong with that guy."

"I believe all of us are flawed in more ways than one, that is exactly why we are here. You're literally clothed like a little miss, No. 2." No. 5 breathed out as he threw another body on top of the mound of corpses, and No. 4 nodded in agreement.

"Fuck that euphemism, I am serious. I do not want to deal with that guy anymore," No. 2 whispered loudly before kicking No. 5 on the leg, "That No. 6, I am telling you…

…something is very, very wrong with him."

***

"..."

"..."

"So… how's life, No. 6?"

"Oh. Getting better? I don't really know how to answer that."

"...Right."

After the Faceless crew were done disposing and burning the bodies of the hissyr, they took the truck they were using to bring the survivors along. And as they were still completely shaken up with everything, they needed someone to guard them just in case.

And so, No. 2 was left with Rhys in the jeep, while the rest were on the truck following behind them.

"You… said you didn't have combat experience before." No. 2 did not really want to talk to Rhys, but he would choose that as he did not like silence even more, "But you seem to know how to handle yourself out there, like… for real real."

"I have a lot of experience being beaten up."

"Pft, fuck you. You? You're like what, 6'6"?" No. 2 almost burst out in laughter.

"6'3"," Rhys also tried to force out a chuckle as he scratched his chin.

"Well, you'll be 6'6" by the time you stop growing," No. 2 snorted as she waved her hand, "Beaten up, pft. Classic."

"I am a Lowborn, No. 2," Rhys then let out a small sigh as he looked up at the Helios, "It's not until recently when I awakened that I was actually able to fight back."

"Lowborn…" No. 2 glanced at Rhys's hair, "...Figures. I guess you lost it when you saw your people being caged like animals. I mean, not your people… I mean—Ah, fuck. Why is it so hard to talk to you, No. 6?"

"I… don't know," Rhys closed his eyes.

"I know why. It's because of that soft, sultry voice. Stop it."

"But this… is my voice."

"Stop it, giving me goosebumps, ack," No. 2 stuck out his tongue as he stepped harder on the gas, causing the convoy behind them to press their horn.

"...This isn't the way back to the base, is it?" And as Rhys glanced back at the truck, he finally noticed that the forest region the Underworld Corps was on was behind them.

"No. Why would we go back to the base?" No. 2 raised an eyebrow, "We're bringing the women back to their home."

"...Home?" Rhys blinked, "In the Underworld?"

"You don't know?" No. 2 glanced at Rhys, "They have several settlements here, an entire village, even. I guess you still lucked out, huh? You have rich parents or something?"

"..."

"They can't survive up there on the Surface since no one's giving them any jobs and no one gives a fuck," No. 2 sighed, "And so they try their luck down here."

"But there are monsters down here."

"And there are monsters up there, you said so yourself, Rhys — you were beaten up," No. 2 looked Rhys in the eyes, "At least here, they are free to do whatever they want. They could farm, there are resources… and the monsters don't discriminate. But of course, sometimes, classist Commoners still find their way and make trouble."

"...I didn't know that," Rhys looked at the moving ground.

"Well, you do now. And you're going to learn more from now on, No. 6…

…that's their village right there, if you could call it that."

Rhys looked ahead, and there it was, the so-called village of the Lowborns...

...their only defense, walls made with scrap metal and barbed wire.