A dog's howl echoes through the night sky of a desolate city. Having reached my destination, a slum in the country, I looked back at the companion beside me, map in hand.
EMMA : Our bounty’s supposedly hauled up in a building on the outskirts of the slums..... What do we do? We don't have a lot of information, so we're going to have to get a place to stay and do some more digging.
DASTE : What the hell are you doing? How many days are you going to spend sweeping up garbage? I'm going to the safe house. You stay at the inn.
EMMA : No, that's not allowed! I've been asked to go with you to learn first-hand about the work of a hound sweeper!
*FLASHBACK*
Half a day ago.
DASTE : What? You want me to take her out on a sweep?
SHIHARU : That's right. Emma seems to be getting used to working here, so I thought it would be a good idea to give her a taste of what it's like out in the field.
DASTE : Hey. You can't be serious. You can't expect me to take this punk━
SHIHARU : What was that, Daste?
DASTE : ....Tsk...I can't believe you're pushing this pain in the ass onto me...
*END FLASHBACK*
EMMA : I'm still learning the bare minimum of self-defense now that I'm in charge of a military guild, I promise I won't get in the way if things get rough.
EMMA : (Since the day I was assigned to this place, I've felt there was a wall between us, or maybe he's just wary of me)
The Hound Sweeper Guild is a guild that primarily targets and captures criminals who are beyond the control of the public authorities. It’s a mysterious guild that very few people even know exists.
For whatever reason, ever since I was assigned as the keeper of this guild, Daste has been in this state of mind.
EMMA : (For now, all I can do is show him my work ethic and earn his trust in working with me.)
DASTE : Hah .... I ain't helping you if something goes wrong.
EMMA : Okay--oh, wait, Daste!
DASTE : You still got something to say?
EMMA : If we go that way, we'll be heading in the opposite direction of the building we're looking for.
DASTE : Shut up, I know where I'm going without you telling me what to do.
EMMA : (He changed directions......)
I hurried to catch up with Daste, whose pace quickened.
DASTE : So this is it. What a dumping ground for garbage.
EMMA : Yeah. Ten guards just outside the building ...... Looks like a pretty big organization.
The targets seem to have their own connections in each country, and to hide themselves from police officers and bounty hunters, they fled to the local crime syndicates.
EMMA : (It seems we'll end up just scouting today. As expected, there's no way the two of us are going to get in head-on.)
DASTE : Hey, what have you been yammering on about? I'm leaving you here.
EMMA : What? Do you have a plan?
DASTE : I don't believe in slow and steady. I'm gonna hit 'em head on and drag 'em out.
EMMA : That sounds way too reckless! We don't know how many more people there are besides the lookouts.
DASTE : Doesn’t matter how much they flock together, they're still a pack of scum.
Not remotely heeding my words, Daste approached the building with absolute confidence.
DASTE : Yo. I'm here!
LOOKOUT 1 : What's up, man?
LOOKOUT 2 : I didn't hear anything about guests coming tonight.
DASTE : Ha ha, that's right! What kind of idiot would invite a bounty hunter!?
LOOKOUT 3 : A bounty hunter!?
The men, all of whom were ready to kill, picked up their weapons one after another. I caught up with them right behind Daste, and the hopeless sight sent chills down my spine.
DASTE : Hahaha, all the trash has gathered. Now that you’re all together, I’m gonna blast ya clean!
Daste threw something at him, and it sparked faintly in the darkness.
EMMA : Eeeeee―!?
A cloud of smoke billowed out from around Daste and slowly dissipated. As it did, I saw that the ground had been completely destroyed, and the guards had been knocked unconscious by the impact of the explosion.
EMMA : Daste, what did you just throw?
DASTE : Oh? A pipebomb. You ain't never seen one before?
Daste held a long, thin tube between his fingers and waved it at me. A short fuse extended from the tube, reeking of gunpowder. I wondered where he'd been hiding it.
EMMA : (That is definitely a bomb!)
EMMA : I wish you'd tell me about these things ahead of time so I can be prepared for it.
DASTE : Be prepared? That's something a pussy would say. If you wanna stick around then you're going to have to learn to do things my way.
EMMA : All right. I get it. I'll try.
CRIMINAL 1 : What the hell was that noise!?
CRIMINAL 2 : This place is wrecked!
DASTE : Ugh! Great. More garbage is coming outta the woodwork! Bombs away!
EMMA : Whaaa...!?
Once again, the projectile exploded, and the wind rushed past us, knocking the men off their feet.
CRIMINAL 3 : Gahahah....!
DASTE : Dude, this is so annoying. Ain’t there a single challenge among all you guys?
EMMA : (This is no time to be impressed. I need to do what I can, too!)
Daste was in charge of subduing the enemy and I was in charge of capturing them; A process we repeated until the hideout of the criminal organization had been completely cleared out.
DASTE : Argh! I can't find the bounty anywhere!
EMMA : That's weird. I’ve searched everywhere in the building. There’s no other place he could hide.
DASTE : So, you're saying the intel the federation gave you was wrong? If so, you're gonna have to pay me for the trouble.
?? : Ugh...
DASTE : Oh? Ha ha, seems that one’s getting up!
?? : Oh, you...
DASTE : Dude, where's that bounty you guys are hiding?
LEADER OF CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION : Sorry to say, but you're a little late. He already left the country yesterday AND changed his name! Hah!
DASTE : Tsk, I guess we're in the wrong place. Hey, say, where do you think he’s goin'?
LEADER OF CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION : I don't fucking know--Ggh!?
DASTE : The sooner you tell me, the better off you'll be. If I break your neck, no doctor in the world is gonna be able to save you.
LEADER OF CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION : Ow! Please stop! I really don't know!
DASTE : ............
EMMA : Daste! I don't think this guy is lying!
LEADER OF CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION : Really...It's true...Please believe me!
DASTE : Tsk.
LEADER OF CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION : Ahh. Hahh. I've heard rumors about you. You're a notorious bomber and a total dirtbag, aren't ya?
DASTE : Gah, I'm not proud to be known among the trash.
LEADER OF CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION : Trash? Heh, yeah I guess you're right. I dunno why you're hunting those guys, but we're on the same side!
EMMA : (On the same side...?)
DASTE : The hell is that supposed to mean!?
LEADER OF CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION : Argh!
Losing interest in the man who had once again fainted, Daste spun on his heel.
DASTE : Let's get the hell out of here. I ain't got no use for this place anymore.
EMMA : Umm... Yeah!
