Gold Dust clutched his forehead in pain, stumbling through the streets of Penacony.

"You look terrible. Or is this just another one of your acts?" Dr. Ratio couldn't help but mock.

Despite his pale face, Gold Dust forced a smile. "I didn't think you'd have the nerve to show your face to me."

"I thought this was the outcome you wanted, after all, I 'faithfully fulfilled my duty' just as you said," Dr. Ratio said. "If you can't hold on, remember to let me know first."

"The genius from the Institute of Human Knowledge plans to collect my corpse? Oh, heavens... what an honor."

"Everyone in the Strategic Investment Department would also be very eager to receive news of your death in a timely manner. Don't forget, you won't be able to see them again. This task now falls to me."

Gold Dust adopted a more relaxed tone. "Alright, go ahead and deliver the message now. Tell them, 'Gold Dust has made all necessary preparations and will be ready to enter in seventeen system hours.'"

"Such bragging. How do you plan to complete the mission while being restrained by The Harmony?"

"My conversation with Sunday confirmed that there's a traitor within the Family, and Penacony's secret lies in their hands... Taking this opportunity, I also placed all the Cornerstones where they belong."

Gold Dust's tone was quite confident and joyful; if one disregarded his current tired and weak state, he would probably have raised his voice even higher in triumph.

"And now I've successfully recovered the gift money. Things haven't gone this smoothly since I stepped foot into the The Reverie Hotel... Just watch, I'm only one step away from victory."

— —

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

"Huh?? No, Gold Dust, he... *cough cough cough*..."

Inside the tavern, upon hearing Gold Dust declare himself one step away from victory, Hestia nearly choked on her drink, coughing violently. Bell gently patted her back, urging the Upper God to take it easy.

"He he he... He's crazy? What kind of trump card does he have to support such a statement? His own Cornerstones were confiscated, and Miss Topaz's are gone too. Where does he get such confidence?"

She looked at the bag of gift money in Gold Dust's hand, utterly incredulous. "He's not actually planning to use the gift money to win hundreds of billions of credits at the casino and just buy Penacony, is he?"

Hestia might not believe it if it were anyone else, but Gold Dust... she couldn't say.

In her eyes, Gold Dust was far crazier than any god in the Celestial Realm... No, to be precise, if any god had even half of Gold Dust's mental state, they'd be locked up as a lunatic.

Liliruca was equally curious. "Could he be planning to use a more forceful method? Like contacting Stelle and having her relay a message to Topaz, telling the Company fleet to bombard Penacony..."

"The Family isn't a pushover either. Sunday alone can directly use the power of The Harmony. It's hard to imagine the Family wouldn't have other trump cards. What if the Family is hiding one or two Emanators? Then no matter how many fleets come, it wouldn't matter," Bell shook his head.

"I still think Gold Dust won't use external forces—at least not now. Once the Company fleet arrives, it's unclear if the Family will die, but Gold Dust himself definitely won't survive."

— —

"Sounds like you're just repeating your misery, but in an extremely stubborn way."

"That's all I can say. Did you forget? You've already betrayed me, Professor." Gold Dust spread his hands. "Go where you need to go. I can't wait to see the Company fleet surround Penacony. You got what you wanted, didn't you?"

Dr. Ratio didn't deny it. "Indeed, but what about it? Is there a beacon for calling orbital support hidden in that bag of gift money of yours?"

Gold Dust smiled meaningfully. "Perhaps? Maybe that's why I'm still thinking about giving out money even when I'm about to die."

Dr. Ratio gritted his teeth. "...You're completely insane, you damned gambler."

"Maybe I've been crazy for a long time, who knows?"

"......" Dr. Ratio took a deep breath, but soon he pulled a sealed metal container from behind him and handed it to Gold Dust. "Forget it. Take this. Open it when you're on the verge of death. You'll thank me."

"What is this... a medical directive?" Gold Dust curiously examined the small object in his hand, but when he looked up, Dr. Ratio had already vanished.

He always disappears as if he'd evaporated into thin air.

Gold Dust tucked it into his embrace. "...Heh, you understand drama, Professor."

— —

Akame ga Kill!

"What is this? A medical directive? I think a secret pouch would be more fitting, wouldn't it?"

Tatsumi couldn't quite understand Professor Dr. Ratio's actions. If he was going to betray Gold Dust, why would he help him? His stance was completely mysterious, leaving Tatsumi at a loss as to what this man was thinking.

What was even more incredible to him was that even after such a betrayal, Gold Dust could still speak to him calmly. If it were him, he would probably transform on the spot and immediately send this traitor back to reality.

...Even if he didn't transform, he'd at least give that face of his two hard punches.

"Perhaps the Professor didn't truly intend to betray Gold Dust?"

Mine looked worriedly at Gold Dust, who was suffering from The Harmony. Perhaps due to her childhood experiences, she couldn't bring herself to dislike this initially arrogant Company executive. Instead, she now felt an aversion towards the handsome Sunday.

Najenda shook her head. "It's probably not that simple. If Gold Dust dies, this difficult task falls on him, and if he can't reclaim Penacony, he won't escape responsibility, will he? Or perhaps... he chose to help Gold Dust again out of guilt from the betrayal?"

— —

"You want me to investigate, but you don't give me any clues... You really are something, you winged bastard." Gold Dust pressed hard on his temples, trying to alleviate the effects of The Harmony with physical pain. "But the way you're on pins and needles about that stowaway confirms my 'conjecture.' Next... let the Company's rain of wealth fall equally on everyone's heads."

Gold Dust walked to a stage and found an unremarkable woman who was promoting pure beauty. Without a word, he pressed a gemstone into her hand.

The woman's eyes widened instantly. She looked at the noble young man before her in disbelief. "Wow, what a beautiful gemstone! But why would you casually give such an exquisite gift to a stranger?"

"Because I... can't stand to see anyone poor in a beautiful dream."