Spider Banking.

“Say, could you tell me what you’re doing?”

Pearl was in her usual office at the bank. She was sitting around her desk looking at the person relaxing in one of her couches while playing a game.

“What you ask? I’m playing a game.”

Rory responded. He was currently in his original form as Rory and not as Aniket.

“I can see that, but what I want to know is why you’re playing a game in my office like it’s the natural thing to do?”

“That’s because I’m bored. My companions have become independent and are living their own lives, and I’m mostly active at night. So my day schedule is free.”

“And you decided to hang out here?”

“Yeah. I get to relax and look at a dark-skinned beauty. What more does a man need?”

“Leave.”

“Come on, I’m bored.”

“No. Having you here will bring nothing but trouble.”

“I promise on the Sacred god’s name that I won’t cause any trouble.”

Rory places his hand on his chest and said.

“Aren’t you a famous blasphemer in the eyes of the Sacred Church?”

“……If I say yes, can I stay?”

Pearl held her head and looked like she wanted to scream.

“I’ve never met someone this annoying.”

“You should meet Adonis. He’s a natural at annoying people.”

“I can barely handle you. Do you think I want to meet any more Pandemonium members?”

Pearl sat up.

“Alright. What’s your deal? What is it that you truly want?”

“I want in on the fun.”

“You want in? On what?”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t realized that tensions are growing in the city.”

Rory smirked.

“A War is gonna break soon. A big one. I want in on it.”

“I thought you were on vacation?”

“I am, that’s why I’m asking for your permission. If I wasn’t I would’ve gone ahead and kicked off the war myself.”

“You really are a warmonger. I’m starting to regret ever meeting you.”

“Ouch. That hurts my heart.”

Rory said with a painful expression.

“So, the fact that you’re asking me is because you want to fight on my side?”

“Bingo. I don’t know the others, and I owe you one so why not fight for you? It isn’t a bad deal right? Enlisting someone like me as your help.”

“That’s true. However, you’re a demon in human skin. I can’t just take your help so easily.”

“Then let’s do this. If war happens I won’t get involved unless you ask for my help. If you do, I will destroy any enemy that stands before you regardless of who they are.”

“……Deal.”

Rory smiled.

“I’m pleased that you could trust me enough to believe I’ll keep my word.”

“What’s in it for you Anyway? Do you really enjoy war that much?”

“Actually, I don’t particularly enjoy war itself. I just enjoy a good fight. It doesn’t necessarily have to be anything grand scale. A simple spar would do. My reason for entering this war is because there are two people I want to mature from it. They will most likely end up on separate sides from me, but that would be ideal.”

Rory showed a gentle expression.

“That way they’ll be forced to experience the true hardships of walking this path.”

Griselda’s, later that same night.

“Oh? You’re back.”

Reina and Amelia were greeted by Ming the bouncer for the popular night club, Griselda’s.

“Yeah. After thinking about it for a while, this place is where we enjoyed ourselves the most.”

Amelia answered. She was dressed in a yellow slit dress, a pair of white heels, and a beautiful necklace around her neck.

“Since we’re bored, I hope that you guys can entertain us.”

Reina added. She was dressed in a white hoodie with some tribal marks on it, a pair of denim jeans, and a pair of sneakers. Again, she disguised herself as a man.

“Don’t worry. The madam has already declared you important guests. We’ll do everything in our power to make sure you enjoy yourselves.”

Ming bowed and said.

“Griselda did?”

The girls looked at each other in confusion. They knew that this wasn’t because of the incident the other day. It must’ve been for a different reason. The problem was that they couldn’t figure out the reason.

“Honored Guests, you may enter.”

Ming made way for them to enter and spoke with a respectful tone. The girls decided to not think about it too much and entered the club. Their goal for the night was to enjoy themselves and just that. After they entered, Ming took out a communicator.

“Mr. Shancai, the guests that you asked about has returned.”

Inside the back room of the club, Shancai was leaning on a wall with a communicator in his hand.

“I see. Good work, Ming.”

He spoke into it and looked at the two women in the room. One was Fraus who was dressed in a white buttoned-up blouse, white jeans, and white stilettos. She looked pure in her full white outfit. The other was Griselda who dressed in a black spaghetti strap dress.

“Fraus, you’re up. Since you said that you could convince them, you better produce some results.”

Shancai said.

“Leave it to me.”

Fraus smiled and headed outside the office. Shancai looked at Griselda who had a bright smile on her face.

“You look like you’re enjoying yourself. That’s rare.”

“You make it sound like I’m a boring woman who can’t have fun.”

Griselda was obviously displeased by Shancai’s tone.

“Well, it’s not far from the truth.”

Shancai casually moved his head to the side and a black feather passed his head and lodged into the wall. Griselda who still had her hand in the air from throwing the feather like a dart looked at him with a grudgeful glare.

“You know, you’ll never become popular with that attitude.”

“Say that to my fan club. I hear that there are over 500 members. Wouldn’t you call that being popular?”

Shancai spoke with a mocking tone.

“Tsk. Women really have bad taste in men.”

Griselda turned her attention away from him and mumbled.

Meanwhile, in the club, Amelia and Reina were at the bar counter ordering drinks.

“Give me a Manhattan cocktail please.”

“I would like a Bloody Mary.”

The two ordered their respective drinks and took a seat at the bar.

“A Manhattan and a Bloody Mary, huh? So that’s what you two like.”

They heard a voice and looked beside them.

“Fraus?!”

They immediately sprung to their feet.

“Wait.”

Fraus lifted her hand and stopped them.

“I know what you wanna say, but is this really the right place?”

She smiled.

“Shancai will get made if we wreck the place you know.”

“…….”

At the mention of Shancai, the two calm down. They had to admit that they had no confidence towards being able to beat him if he got angry.

“Come on, sit sit. This is a bar, have a drink and be merry.”

Fraus gently slapped the counter and said. The girls looked at each other and nodded.

“We’re leaving.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because you let a group of suspicious men break into where we were staying and point guns at us.”

Amelia replied.

“But can you blame? I had no choice. You saw it didn’t you? I was being threatened by Lord Aniket. I was the victim.”

“Victim? You had them stationed there. Meaning that you were planning to use them to do something.”

Reina said.

“I was only protecting myself and you guys as well. I was on the run from one of the Three Dons. Even though lord Aniket was there, I couldn’t trust him. Can you blame me for arranging some insurance?”

“……..”

“Besides, if it was up to me I would’ve stayed with you all there at the mansion. It’s just….Lord Aniket had other plans.”

Fraus had a complicated expression on her face.

“Aniket was indeed acting odd then.”

Reina suddenly said.

“He isn’t the type to lust after things. I mean, he obviously doesn’t care about vanity, yet he wanted to rob Fraus. I don’t get it.”

“Here’s your drinks. Please enjoy.”

The bartender put down two drinks in front of the girls and turned to Fraus.

“Lady Fraus, What will it be tonight?”

“I’m in a bad mood so I’ll take something a bit heavy. Give me a White Russian.”

“Coming right up.”

The bartender then turned around to get what he needed to prepare the drink.

“Lady Fraus? It looks like you’re a respected person here.”

Amelia asked.

“Well, I work here.”

“What?”

This came as a shock to the girls. Who would’ve thought that they accidentally came across where Fraus was hiding.

“Then Griselda?”

“My boss.”

The bartender finished making Fraus’ drink and gave it to her. She took it and immediately took a sip ignoring the girls’ shock.

“I knew she wasn’t normal from the way she spoke about blocking one of the Three Dons for us.”

Amelia said.

“Well, she’s far more dangerous than the Three Dons.”

Fraus swirl her drink in her hand with a smile.

“Aren’t you two going to drink? Liquor doesn’t taste as good if you’re not drinking with someone.”

The girls looked at each other and retook their seats. They were a bit interested in Griselda. She had Fraus, who could steal from one of the Three Dons and Shancai who was incredibly strong. She couldn’t be anyone simple.

“Speaking of bosses, how’s yours?”

“You still want to know about him after he practically chases you out?”

Reina asked. She realized that Rory might have purposely chased Fraus away back then. As for why, she couldn’t figure out the reason.

“Well, he did save my life. He might be a brute, but at least I’m alive because of him.”

“Hmph. He really is a brute.”

Amelia frowned and took her drink and practically poured it down her throat. This caused the other girls to widen their eyes. Reina looked at her drink and soon did the same with a frown. The two looked very upset about something.

“What’s wrong with you? Having relationship problems?”

Fraus asked with a bitter smile.

“That bastard has been acting strangely cold lately. Bartender, another but make it stronger!”

Amelia shouted at the bartender.

“Yes.”

The bartender calmly nodded.

“C-Cold? I find that hard to believe. It looked like he couldn’t love you two any more than he does already.”

“Tsk!”

Reina suddenly looked irritated.

“Bartender, give something stronger! Like she’s having!”

She pointed at Fraus and said.

“Coming up.”

Bartender still remained calm. Looks like he had experience with dealing with these kinds of situations.

“That bastard hasn’t talked to us in over a week. He only gave simple replies whenever we asked him something. It pisses me off.”

Reina complained.

“Not only that, he’s barely home too. I mean he normally hangs out at night but he isn’t even home in the day anymore.”

Amelia nodded. The two took their drinks from the bartender and chug it down like the first ones.

“I see.”

Fraus had a troubled look on her face.

“You guys kinda sound like wives who believe that their husband is cheating on them.”

“Huh?!”

The two of them stood up and came up close in Fraus’s face.

“Who would marry that guy?!”

“That insensitive bastard!”

They shouted. They then turned around and again.

“Bartender!”

“Yes, Yes. I have some new drinks right here.”

The bartender placed the drinks on the counter with a smile.

“Oh, good job.”

The girls took the drinks with flushed faces and was about to drink but stopped and looked at Fraus.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why aren’t you drinking?”

“Ah, no. I was just busy watching you two.”

“Huh? What’s up with that?”

“Aren’t you the one who told us to drink?”

The girls approached Fraus with menacing looks.

“Now that I think about it. That idiot’s attitude suddenly changed after you left.”

Amelia said.

“Now that I think about it, you’re right. Could it be that you’re the cause?”

“Huh?”

The girls surrounded Fraus.

“As punishment, I think you need to spend the night with us.”

Reina said as wiggled her fingers. She looked like a rich young master who wanted to play with an innocence woman that caught his eye.

“That isn’t a bad idea.”

The two of them approached Fraus with an intoxicated look in their eyes.

“Oh no! They’re drunk!”

Fraus caught on what was going on, but she was too late. The two pounced at her and started pouring their drinks down her throat.

“Hahaha! Drink! Drink!”

“Feel our pain!”

The two laughed and said. The bartender stood behind the counter placing more drinks on the counter every time the girls ran out of liquor to drink. He was all smiles as if he was amused by the scene.

“Hahahaha!”

The girls laughed as they played with their victim getting more and more drunk together. Fraus had long lost track of how many glass of liquor she was forced to drink. Surprisingly enough, she didn’t mind it for long and started drinking with the girls willing.

They poured each other drinks down the other’s throats and even started sharing drinks mouth to mouth, and would laugh immediately after. As if they had forgotten everything, the three of them went on to enjoy themselves in the club becoming the life of the party.

They danced, laughed, and sung together while making sure to get a drink in occasionally.

“………”

Someone was standing in a corner of the club looking at them without much expression on his face. He was Shancai. He looked at the bartender who gave him a thumbs up.

(No. I know I told you help them loosen up with some drinks, but don’t you think you overdid it?)

Shancai thought to himself. The girls were on the dance floor, dancing seductively with each other. After watching them for a while he turned around and walked back to Griselda’s office.

“How’s it going?”

Griselda immediately asked when he came in.

“….Alcohol is a hell of a thing, isn’t it?”

“Huh?”