Extra's Descent

Brandon's two weeks of preparations were done.

Now, it all relied on his execution.

The auction was scheduled to start in four hours.

With such thoughts, Brandon stepped out of his room after checking he had brought everything he needed.

Clank—

Closing the door, his gaze lingered on Amelia, who was currently fixing her hair.

Scanning, she wore the standard Imperial Army combat military uniform.

On her chest embedded three gold stars.

It was the first time Brandon had seen her wearing it.

She….

"Looks good on you."

Looked good.

Really good.

"Thanks, and you look the same."

"What can I say?"

Brandon scoffed.

After all, his wardrobes were mostly the same.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes. Me and Belle are about to meetup after this."

"Okay."

He walked towards Amelia and said,

"Amelia."

"Hm?"

"I have a gift."

Amelia's brows raised at his words.

Then, Brandon crouched down on one knee and retrieved something from his pocket.

Amelia cocked her head in confusion.

"Uh…?"

Brandon gently grabbed her hand and slowly slid a ring in her finger.

"Ah."

Amelia couldn't help but let out a gasp.

"...."

However, Brandon didn't respond as he stared deep into her blue eyes.

Amelia's face was in disbelief as her eyes widened and she covered her mouth.

"Brandon…. I…. I don't know what to say. This…. Haaa…."

"...."

Yet again, Brandon didn't respond.

Amelia didn't pull away as her fingers rested on his palm.

"I…. But we're still…."

She stammered.

"Can't we wait? I…. I don't want to rush into this, I mean…. We aren't even…."

However, it was then when Brandon cocked his head in confusion.

What is this girl talking about?

He scoffed.

He knew exactly what he was doing. However, he pretended to be dense about the entire thing.

"....?"

Amelia seemed to notice the grin on his face as she tilted her head as well.

"What are you…."

"We've got matching ones."

"Ah."

Once again, Amelia gasped in shock.

"You…."

"Hm?"

Brandon looked at her in confusion.

By now, her face was flushing beet red as she held his hand.

It was enough. Sooner or later, Amelia would burst out of embarrassment.

"It's that."

"That?"

"This ring will give you specific access to the syndicate entrances. The same portal my friend uses."

The portal would lead them to a more secluded area, something that Zed had configured specifically for the Imperial Army to use.

"Ah…. Ah…. Haha. Of course."

As the realization dawned upon her, she squeezed his hand tightly and her brows furrowed.

"That hurts."

"Does it? Does it? It does, doesn't it…?"

"You're cute."

"Haaa…. Fine."

Brandon stood up, still holding her hand.

"Let's go."

***

Amelia, Bell, and the rest of the taskforce had gathered.

It was a small task force, composed of six members in total.

And though their firepower might've been considerably lacking, especially as they were about to undergo an important mission, there was no helping it.

They were the first to have known about Brandon's entire plan in the first place.

Bellion couldn't risk any potential leakage, especially knowing there might be potential spies inside the Imperial Army.

For that reason, they had to rely on each other.

But that aside, they had all averaged the A+ to S ranks.

And for assurance, they had the presence of Evelyn Cessna. One of the few 40 rankers that had broken through the SS ranks.

Turning around, Belle's gaze lingered on each one of them.

Though she was the leader, she wasn't the strongest present, only in the A+ ranks, but slowly she had felt like she was about to break through.

But there was a missing factor to it.

For everyone, the missing factor was varied.

She had to find it out on her own.

Then, she nodded her head.

"All of you ready…?"

Thump!

"Yes, General."

"Yes, General."

"Yes, General."

"Yes, General."

"Yes, General."

They all spoke in unison as they stomped their feet on the ground and flashed her a respectable salute.

"Amelia."

Belle spoke, looking at Amelia.

Amelia nodded her head in response and stepped forward.

Extending her hand forward, the ring glowed and a portal gradually emerged.

They braced themselves for what was to come as they entered the portal.

Whiii—

***

The grand auction.

The event that everyone in the blackmarket had been waiting for.

The only ones invited were the people who had made a name for themselves in the blackmarket.

Regardless of their status, they all sat in common seats, as the heads all sat in their appropriate chambers above.

Brandon and Evelyn stood on the corner of a specific chamber. The chamber where Lancelott was currently in.

In the middle, Lancelott sat on his chair, glancing down from the railings.

Chatter and murmurs echoed throughout the entire auction hall as all the guests engaged in conversation.

Brandon's gaze lingered down. There, he could see the familiar sight of the dwarf he had recently met.

It was Ironaxe.

And in his pocket was his phone. Currently he was on a call with a specific person.

Matthew.

All the puzzle pieces were now on the table.

And now, all he had to do was move those pieces, completing the puzzle.

All of a sudden, Lancelott's voice reached both Brandon and Evelyn's ears.

"What do you two think about the current affairs of this country?"

It was a question Brandon hadn't expected from him.

And so, he pondered. He had to be careful of what he planned to say.

As he arrived to an answer, he went on to say,

"It's complicated. With the borders closed, Holy Britannia had cut off possible supplies from other neighboring continents."

Then, it was Evelyn's turn.

"I have the same thoughts as him. Ever since Lucian Frost's death, it seems like this continent is afraid of the outside."

"Right."

Lancelott nodded his head.

"But what Holy Britannia truly lacks is a leader. The ones who took the mantle are too unqualified for the position. They know of it, and yet no one refuses to step up."

Lancelott stood up and drummed his finger on the railings. Not looking back, his gaze continued to linger down.

"What this country needs is a reform."

Brandon couldn't deny Lancelott's statement.

All the points he had made were accurate.

However, it was bullshit.

'Reform my ass.'

Then, Lancelott turned around, taking a good look at the two.

He spoke.

"Do any of you know how to play chess?"

Fixing his masquerade mask, Brandon stepped forward.

"I do."