“Hmmm.”
Inside the headquarters of the Seventh Death Squad, Five, casually leaned against the counter.
“Boring.”
The headquarters is quiet.
The headquarters was quiet. Naturally, an assassination group’s base is expected to be silent, but the Seventh Death Squad had handled quite a few tasks lately.
Assassinations were primarily handled by One through Four, while miscellaneous tasks were taken on by Six and Seven.
Five, caught in the middle, usually had the role of lazily lounging by the counter, guiding guests when necessary.
Well, “guiding” was just a term.
In reality, it involved extracting information, identifying weaknesses, and even resorting to brainwashing or administering drugs as needed—essentially managing everything related to client control.
“Lately, there haven’t been many customers either.”
The situation changed when One brought in a particularly profitable client.
Claire Harold.
One of the three heroes and the de facto owner of one of the most prominent trading companies on the continent, the Harold Trading Company. Rumors had spread that even her father, the official head, was planning to retire soon, so it wouldn’t be wrong to call her the true owner.
It started with a simple request.
The Harold Trading Company, unable to disclose the origins of certain goods, required help in their distribution.
The fact that they needed to involve an assassination squad suggested it was an extremely secretive matter.
‘They probably don’t want to dirty their own hands. Moving the goods isn’t the hard part—it’s taking responsibility if caught.’
One had explained.
‘So make sure not to reveal your identity and handle the transportation with care. If this request is handled well, we’ll have Claire in our grasp.’
And just as One had said, Claire, impressed by the Seventh Death Squad’s efficient work, gradually entrusted them with more and more tasks, growing increasingly dependent on them.
One was bold.
The fees were raised to two or three times the usual amount.
Before long, the Harold Trading Company’s requests outstripped those of all other clients by a significant margin.
“It was such an easy job.”
There had been a recent incident where Six and Seven went missing.
Though support was dispatched immediately, the area had been thoroughly cleaned up.
There were signs they had evacuated safely.
If all went well, they would return by tomorrow or, at the latest, within the week.
For assassins who had to wait for the perfect moment, this wasn’t uncommon.
“Especially with those two cowards handling it.”
Muttering to himself, Five straightened his crooked shirt collar.
After all, the true leader of the Seventh Death Squad was One.
And One was a predator.
A predator who never spared wounded prey.
‘We’re going to devour the Harold Trading Company.’
One day, after Claire had left following another request, One calmly declared, as if she were simply going grocery shopping, that the plan to seize the Harold Trading Company had begun.
“If Three succeeds in the assassination today…”
Rumors were already circulating that Claire had gone mad.
The plan was to assassinate her and make it look like she died of an illness.
A puppet would be placed in charge, and the company would be absorbed.
“It’s certainly too dangerous to live as an assassin, hehe.”
Just as Five chuckled to himself, the chef brought out the meal.
The counter.
This was where Five, ranked fifth, handled most of the work.
“Here is your steak, cooked as rare as possible, just as you requested.”
The chef’s hands trembled as he placed the plate down.
Five frowned.
“Who’s going to eat it if you can’t even set the plate down properly? Just put it down.”
“I… I’m sorry.”
“If you can’t even set a plate down right, how do you expect to cook? Tsk.”
Five clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes. In any case, he decided to enjoy the meal.
The steak, with blood dripping from it, seemed to be cooked to his liking.
Crunch, crunch.
The sound of the knife slicing through the meat echoed coldly in the spacious room.
The chef flinched each time the knife cut into the meat, his hand trembling, revealing scars from previous knife wounds.
Gulp.
Five nodded as he swallowed the meat.
Was that a sign of satisfaction?
“If the food is to your liking, I’ll take my leave.”
Just as the chef bowed and began to step back.
“Wait.”
With a grin, Five raised his hand, holding the knife between his index and middle fingers.
“If something’s wrong, I’ll remake it immediately. Please, forgive me.”
The chef knelt, as if accustomed to this routine.
But Five just shrugged his shoulders.
“No, no. It’s just that it seems a bit too well-cooked.”
“I’ll make it again.”
“Hey, chef.”
“Yes…”
Whirlll.
The knife spun in his hand, forming a perfect circle.
“I must have told you at least four times by now. How is it that nothing’s improved? At this point, it’s like you’re not even listening to me.”
“No, I… I’ve been trying…”
Thud.
The knife, meant for cutting steak, plunged into the chef’s hand.
His eyes widened in shock.
“Aaaahhh!”
A scream burst out, reverberating through the room.
Five frowned.
“Yes, that’s the level of scream I want to hear. The meat should be tender, with a bit of a bounce to it.”
“Ahh… Yes… Grrrrk…”
“How many times has it been now? I’ve told you at least four times just recently. Try to do better, will you?”
“I’m… so… so sorry… Aaaahhh!”
Another knife mark was etched across the chef’s hand.
Five, savoring the blood on the knife, grinned.
“It has to be this fresh to make it worth eating.”
Swish.
He wiped the knife on the bloodied steak and continued his meal.
“Well, I’ll take my leave then.”
The chef said, bowing his head, blood dripping down.
Five shook his head.
“No, stay there. I need the scent of blood to keep my appetite going. You need to take responsibility for your mistake.”
“Y-yes…”
“But it’s still a bit weak. Come here.”
“…Yes?”
“Come here, so I can sharpen my appetite.”
Five’s eyes gleamed with malice, as his knife pointed at the chef’s throat.
“Hnn…”
The chef began to walk forward.
No matter what path he chose, death was certain.
But maybe, just maybe, if he pleased this man, he might survive.
That was the hope he clung to.
“Don’t have such ridiculous expectations.”
With a swift motion, Five’s expression turned cold as he swung the knife, aiming precisely at the chef’s carotid artery.
But then—
“…?”
Five was startled, and the chef closed his eyes tightly.
The knife stopped just a millimeter from the chef’s neck, frozen in place.
The scene stood still, as if paused in a moment of time.
Amid the tense silence, a somewhat laid-back voice broke through.
“Hello. I’m here to see One.”
It was Lloyd.
◆
“Did… did you stop time?”
The village chief muttered, looking at the frozen people.
Lloyd sighed deeply.
“They’re just frozen in shock. I only stopped the knife. Now, hurry and secure the passage according to the plan. Yulia, village chief…”
“Understood.”
Yulia nodded coldly and led the village chief down the corridor behind the counter.
It was only then that the butler, who had been dazed, turned to face Lloyd.
‘Quite the vicious aura, deranged eyes, and the worst taste in steak. That must be Five.’
Lloyd surmised the situation based on Claire’s description and stepped forward.
“Hey, how long are you going to keep pretending to be frozen?”
Creak.
Finally, the man’s body moved.
At the same time, the knife that had been poised to strike the chef’s carotid artery dropped to the floor with a thud.
Lloyd spoke again.
“If you want to live, you’d better run away now.”
“Ah… Ahh!”
The chef bolted toward the entrance, disappearing quickly.
Watching him go, Five turned his attention back to Lloyd.
“And who might you be?”
Even in this situation, the man spoke politely.
Lloyd couldn’t help but be impressed.
This guy knows how to gauge strength.
Most would underestimate me because of my young appearance.
“Oh, I’m here to make a request.”
“What kind of request?”
“That’s a secret, of course. It’s something very serious, so I’d like to meet with One.”
“One does not accept just any request. Do you have the money?”
“How much are we talking?”
“The minimum is 1 billion Krone.”
“Ah.”
Lloyd scratched the back of his head.
“My body is worth 1 billion Krone. I don’t think I can do it. I don’t have that kind of cash.”
“We don’t accept anything other than cash.”
“Troublesome.”
Lloyd grinned slyly.
The man opposite him finally mustered an awkward smile.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d just leave.”
“But my companions have already gone ahead. I’m afraid that’s not an option.”
“Allow me to guide you properly.”
“And how would you do that?”
“Well…”
A moment of silence passed.
Lloyd bowed his head slightly.
A hidden weapon flew past, just missing him.
When Lloyd looked up again, the knife that had fallen earlier was now in his hand.
“Seems like someone left a utensil lying around.”
“Indeed.”
Five replied calmly.
Lloyd grinned, stepping toward the counter.
He held out the knife’s handle toward Five.
“Here, let me return this to you.”
And with a swift motion, he reversed the knife, driving it straight through Five’s hand.
“…?!”
Caught off guard by the speed, Five let out a belated scream.
“Argh…!”
He quickly tried to distance himself, but Lloyd accelerated once more, driving the knife’s handle even deeper into Five’s hand.
“Gaaahh!”
Even a trained assassin feels intensified pain when ambushed.
They might react mechanically to danger, but the pain remains real.
Five, now in agony, swung his hand at lightning speed, aiming to retaliate.
—Swish!
The knife grazed Lloyd’s cheek, leaving a stinging cut.
Sensing the poison in the blade, Lloyd halted the time around the wound, stopping the toxin from spreading and paralyzing his facial muscles.
“Damn it!”
Five cursed loudly.
Lloyd, smirking, quickly closed the distance between them.
“…?”
No. He pretended to close the distance.
Five looked down, bewildered, at his feet.
His ankle was no longer attached to his leg but was instead lying severed on the ground.
“Oh, that’s something I’ve been practicing lately. When I stop the entire body, skilled fighters often notice. But if I only stop a part of the body, they usually don’t catch on. It’s all about freezing it very carefully.”
Lloyd’s grin widened as he toyed with the knife, now slowly advancing toward Five.
From Five’s perspective, this was nothing short of a nightmare.
