Chapter 411: You scratch my back...
Zombie found himself in the basement of a certain entertainment establishment - in a room that none of the clients knew about and the way to access it was only known to girls working there for a few years.
"Welcome to my home away from home. It should be safe enough here."
Banana dusted off a chair by the equally dusty desk and sat on it crossing her legs and leaning back on it.
She looked a lot more composed and the blue undead read it as a sign that this was indeed a safe spot, at least for her.
"First of all..."
Banana furrowed her brows and spoke...
"First of all, my compensation."
Zombie interrupted her, reaching out his hand.
"Eh...?"
The woman frowned and looked between the blue hand and the blue face.
"Don't 'eh' me, as the guild master, you of all people should know that everything requires compensation."
Zombie scoffed and repeatedly folded and unfolded his fingers.
"Precious stones and or metals are welcomed."
He added without even blinking.
"You said that you have a business with me!"
Banana scoffed back and glared at the blue undead after straightening her back.
"Indeed. A business that will be beneficial for both of us, that's why there's no need for any debts of gratitude between us - so compensation, please."
The blue undead snorted and tilted his head, smirking mockingly, and didn't even budge or break the prolonged eye contact.
"Hmph."
Whether she was really okay with that or not, Banana turned towards the desk and opened one of the drawers, then she put her hand deep inside it and...
*click*
...a hidden compartment opened on the opposite side of the desk.
Then the black-haired woman reached there and pulled out a small pouch and tossed it to the blue undead without checking its content.
"See? Was it that hard?"
Zombie giggled and took off his golden snake earring, he opened the pouch and dropped the earring inside.
*gulp* *gulp* *gulp*
"...?"
Something moved vigorously inside the fabric accompanied by the sounds of rather unceremonious swallowing, making the woman lean away with a rather concerned expression.
After a few seconds, the blue undead reached inside, took out the golden snake attaching it back to his ear, and tossed the pouch aside - where it fell on the dusty floor, empty.
"Now, about the business, I have with you."
Zombie leaned against the wall, not addressing what just happened at all.
"I will not play around and use those silly secret passwords and whatnots so forgive me if I am breaking some sort of secret club rule you have. The queen sent me to investigate the main branch of the Envy family..."
"WHA-GH...! Ughe! Ughe! Ghh!"
His explanation was interrupted by Banana shouting on top of her lungs in disbelief - or rather at her attempt to scream interrupted by her choking on her own saliva in a rather embarrassing manner.
"...and she told me that you will aid me as long as I mention her as your old, very influential acquaintances and say something about escape through the rose garden. Now calm down, and breathe."
The blue undead finished his sentence anyway, and only then did he approach the choking woman and patted her back.
"It looks like either that information must have leaked or in a rather outstanding coincidence you managed to anger the Envy family on your own - considering that they have already sent out someone tailor-made to finish you off."
Zombie said and pulled out both the ring and the pendant that he took off the disguised man that tried to kill the black-haired woman and who would succeed if not for the timely intervention by the blu undead.
"A ring imbued with the passive defensive skill against charms, a pendant with a skill that points to the target's location despite however many stealth skills one might use, and even a sword that had the automatic defense skill that would assure that none of your offensive skills would land."
Zombie smirked, putting the two artifacts on the desk next to the woman who managed to regain her composure, and was glaring at him with a death stare.
"Seriously - they came prepared - it's says a lot since an early middle-tier nobody backed a late middle-tier assassin like you into a corner."
He smiled, sliding both artifacts towards her.
"..."
Banana didn't say anything, and just grabbed the ring and put it on her finger.
"...!"
...and flinched when she saw the system message that popped up for her.
"System damn it... So it's because of that greedy idiot - I should have never helped her that night."
The black-haired woman took off the ring and threw it back on the desk - after which she hid her face in her hands and lowered her head all the way to her knees.
"...I need to make one thing clear too..."
She added without getting up.
"The thing about the rose garden - SHE is the one who owes ME a favor, not the other way around."
She declared moving her head enough so that she could glare at the indifferent undead.
"Alright. It doesn't change the fact that Envys want you dead now, though. But, helping me is the best option for you to solve that problem - or at least the best option that doesn't require you to escape the territory and probably the kingdom itself, leaving behind everything you worked so hard to achieve."
The blue undead shrugged his shoulders and took back both of the artifacts.
"..."
Banana sighed and slowly straightened her back.
"And why is that? I am more than certain that whatever that woman wants you to do will only benefit her and her position while leaving me in the dust."
She frowned and pushed her jaw forward as if she was trying to start a fight with the undead in front of her.
"Oh, yeah, for sure - trusting her is just suicide."
"...eh...?"
Instead of trying to deny or convince her otherwise, Zombie nodded his head vigorously which actually threw Banana off completely.
*WHAM*
"Then why the hell are you trying to convince me to help you?!"
She gasped in disbelief, slamming her fist against the desk.
"I have never said that I want you to comply with whatever the queen wants us to do - since to begin with I do not have any intention of listening to her either."
Zombie confessed with a soft smile and spread his arms as if showing that he has nothing to hide.
"...!"
Banana's eyes widened as she leaned back on the chair, staring at the blue undead oozing with a trustworthy aura of a born leader.
"Let's help each other out."