c17 (2/2)

“You shouldn’t underestimate Black Maria’s information network. Something like changing your name means nothing to us, Natasha”

Natasha.

It had been a year since the last time somebody called her by that name.

The name she went by when her parents were still alive was a nostalgic sound.

Ludmila released s.h.i.+zuru’s neck she was holding and took a few steps back.

“Revenge against the n.o.bles who killed your parents. That was your reason for wanting to be a.s.signed to the fourth squad in charge of the n.o.bles’ west ward”

“… what … Are you telling me to give up on revenge!? Is that it!? That’s none of your business! You’re a murderer yourself!”

“Eh? No, I’m not saying that. It’s alright, I think, revenge. Wanting to kill someone out of a personal grudge is proof that you have something you care about. It proves you’re human more than anything”

s.h.i.+zuru said with a faint smile and an att.i.tude as if he had nothing to do with it.

However, he continued.

“People with righteous reasons, like revenge or changing the world, aren’t fit for this kind of job. Those who can kill mechanically, or kill because of a habit, have a greater mental suitability”

“Like us,” he said with a somehow sad look.

The man who had been dragged around by the hand by the blind woman and walked the same path explained his theory.

“You don’t need conviction to kill. Skill is all it takes. If intent intervenes with your work, your outlook will suffer for it”

For Black Maria, killing is no more than business.

It doesn’t matter if they’re good or evil, all are equally, without distinction, without discrimination, potential targets.

To kill anyone so long as there’s someone to pay for it.

It was exactly because they took that stance that they thoroughly conduct intelligence gathering and background checks.

“Ludmila, I think if you continued you can someday get your wish to transfer to the fourth squad granted. But I’ll tell you this for your own good, you should quit now while you can”

“Haah…!? What’s this about? I’m not getting what you mean! The fourth squad gets lots of n.o.ble targets, right!? Then I ――”

“Because the customers of the fourth squad are the n.o.bles you hate so much, you know?”

hyu

Ludmila’s agitated voice stopped as if she forgot what she was about to say.

Black Maria doesn’t choose its customers.

n.o.bles who pay a large amount in retaining fees and hush money were in fact the best business partners.

“Of course, they do get a lot of requests to kill n.o.bles, but jobs against n.o.bles tend to be highly priced, so people who could pay for it were mostly n.o.bles themselves. To the wealthy merchants, those n.o.bles are VIP customers, so as long as they don’t do too much they won’t come with requests to kill them”

In any case, that doesn’t change the fact that they were treated as p.a.w.ns of the n.o.bles she hated.

That was why Richelieu continued to reject Ludmila’s requests.

And Ludmila knew that she could not hunt down the n.o.bles alone, so she joined the organization.

Outside of joining Black Maria, she had no way of carrying out her revenge.

Ludmila finally understood why s.h.i.+zuru told her to leave while she could.

But even so.

“… But I can’t turn back. I’ve already killed people with these hands. I can’t just leave after all this. Besides, I have no idea what to do other than this … !”

“I see …”

Disappointed, anxious, relieved.

s.h.i.+zuru watched Ludmila with a vague expression.

He put the knife in his hand back into his sleeve.

“―― thank goodness. Now I don’t have to kill you”

“E … eh!?”

s.h.i.+zuru said the line with a smile, there was a pause, then Ludmila took a big step away.

The magic eye that could see temperature.

Despite having such a thing, she had not noticed that he had a knife and was prepared to use it.

To s.h.i.+zuru, the act of killing a person was that kind of a routine act.

In the seven years since he became an a.s.sa.s.sin.

Virtuous behavior had all been eroded away.

“Policy is to kill dropouts in order to preserve information security. Though thanks to that I couldn’t quit, either”

“y … you, you’re a scary person after all”

“Just an inhuman being who could kill a person with ease. In the end, the only one I care about the most is myself”

He said with a shrug.

s.h.i.+zuru then gently offered his hand to Ludmila”

“So, once again ―― Welcome to Black Maria. I haven’t had any juniors who stayed since Elizabeth, but I’d be happy if you would stay long”

The young man with a peculiar look with three moles in a line underneath his right eye, who had a sweet air around him despite being male.

— Born and raised in the lawless slums, knowing nothing but violence, Casca.

— Not having the sensibilities of a human for being a beast, one who does not feel any guilt from taking something away, Lady.

— Having two personalities in one body, yet both of them were serial killers, Elizabeth.

And the beautiful flower with thorns that kill if one touches it.

Posessing both gentleness and cruelty in a union, s.h.i.+zuru.

Thinking back, Ludmila had ended up in a ridiculous workplace with a contingent of crackpots.

Muttering inwardly, she finally took s.h.i.+zuru’s hand listlessly.

“… I’ll be in your care”

“Yes, me too”

Underneath the white moonlight, a sweet, gentle smile was directed at her.

Thank goodness it was nightttime, Ludmilla thought in relief.

By negligence — her face had turned just a little bit red.

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