“The man who served Luzer, you said. Is he the mastermind?”
“That’s right. He was skilled at running the organization, but his goals were very different from Wahash’s.”
“Meaning?”
“If my father Wahash aimed to raise fighters, Dolf was after money.”
Jared thought the conversation had suddenly become rather vulgar.
Dolf’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather might have been obedient to Wahash. However, Dolf seemed different.
No matter the era, no matter the human or organization, money corrupted everything.
“Waalthe has changed. By the time I was born, their methods of gathering personnel became crude, and disposable assassins increased. Do you remember the people from the organization led by Pfeil at the Alway Ducal Family’s villa the other day?”
“There’s no way I’d forget.”
They had intended to capture them, but they committed suicide right before their eyes. They couldn’t forget even if they wanted to.
“They are a prime example. Wahash would never allow suicide. He would order them to return, even if it meant killing them, if they had the chance. However, those raised by Dolf, not Wahash, prioritize the organization. No, they prioritize Dolf himself, not the organization.”
“Dolf Ein has been entrusted with its operation by Wahash, so he can eliminate us in Wahash’s name. Even I didn’t want to witness their suicide back then, as it happened.”
“Pfeil, you…”
He couldn’t help but feel that Pfeil, with his hidden emotions, didn’t suit being an assassin.
He was different from the Pfeil they had first met, with him saving Jared and their casual conversations in daily life. Jared had initially thought him to be a cold person, but he quickly realized that wasn’t the case. However, he was confused by Pfeil’s ability to calmly witness the death of his comrades—it was good to know that it wasn’t his true intention.
“How does your leader not get angry at someone doing whatever they please?”
“No, Wahash was not pleased with Dolf’s wasteful use of talent and they argued frequently. You might think it would be simple to just kill him, but due to the large number of people loyal to Dolf, Wahash reluctantly tolerated it to avoid internal strife that would result in many deaths.”
The more Jared heard, the more Wahash deviated from his imagination. He had thought him to be a far more cruel and ruthless man, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“However, Dolf trampled on even Wahash’s sentiments. When the tolerance of those like myself and Pfeil, who followed Wahash, not Dolf, reached its limit, Wahash decided to purge Dolf—but he was a cunning man. He revealed his ambitions before his father could act.”
Dolf Ein’s ambition was to seize the position of the foremost assassination organization on the continent, built by Waalthe, for himself. He had successfully lured away three of Wahash’s five successors into an organization he had been building in secret, and then revolted.
“His full-fledged actions began only recently. As soon as Wahash finally began to stir, Dolf managed to disappear effectively. Even disgraced, he is still Waalthe. He is difficult to find. Therefore, he was waiting for someone to appear who would follow him.”
“Is that why you went after Luzer?”
“No, that’s not it. We were waiting for Flames. He, along with other successors who betrayed Wahash, has something in common.”
“What’s that?”
“They dislike being successors alongside me and Pfeil. They believe there should only be one successor. But, regrettably, including myself, we lack the strength and ability to become Wahash’s successor. Therefore, specific fields were assigned to each successor, but some are not satisfied.”
If Rosa’s story was true, Wahash’s strength was such that it would take five Pfels or Rosas. Jared was inwardly aghast at how extraordinary he must be.
“What’s Luzer’s position? You’re not going to tell me he’s a successor, are you?”
“Regarding that man, it’s unclear. He seemed to have been active under Dolf for a while, but nothing he did was public. All we knew was that he was an exceptionally skilled fighter. I never imagined he’d be an acquaintance of yours.”
“I’m the most surprised. I wish you had remained a member of Waalthe. Of all people, to serve someone like that… What happened to Luzer?”
As Jared gnashed his teeth in frustration, a sudden recollection surfaced.
“Speaking of which, from what Luzer said, the containment facility we were in seemed to be owned by the assassination organization. Does Waalthe have such facilities to secure personnel?”
“That’s not it. Wahash would take in orphans and raise them, but he never created a facility with the primary intention of making children into assassins. Moreover, those raised by Wahash become fighters. Children lacking talent are often fostered out or raised by trustworthy individuals.”
Once again, Wahash proved to be different from Jared’s assumptions. He had many thoughts, but he seemed to possess a benevolent side as well. Perhaps the image of Wahash that Jared held was actually that of Dolf Ein.
“Although Waalthe wasn’t directly involved, there were unclear aspects regarding where Dolf was gathering his personnel. Perhaps that facility was where he recruited his people.”
“Jared, what happened to that organization?”
“I destroyed it a year ago.”
“…Come to think of it, Dolf stopped bringing in new personnel about a year ago. So it was your doing, Jared Murphy.”
“Honestly, I’m surprised. It seems we’ve had a connection for quite some time.”
“Indeed.”
Pfeil and Rosa seemed equally surprised. Jared never dreamed that by destroying that dreadful facility a year ago, he had inadvertently hindered Dolf Ein’s recruitment efforts. At the same time, the thought that he might have ended up serving under Dolf, had luck not been on his side, sent a chill down his spine.
“Jared Murphy, what are you going to do? We will kill Dolf Ein and the traitors. Dolf is a man who will do anything for money. We cannot let him run rampant.”
“To be honest, I don’t care about your organization. However, I cannot stand idly by while someone important to me serves such a man. Leave Luzer to me. There is something I absolutely must convey to him.”
“Can you fight against someone who is your benefactor?”
“If necessary, I will fight him next time. Whether it’s a misunderstanding or if Luzer betrayed me in a way I’m unaware of, if I have to fight to talk to him, I won’t hesitate next time.”
He didn’t want to fight if he could avoid it, but he understood that he needed to be prepared to convince someone who had declared revenge. To do that, he would have to fight, even against his benefactor.
“I might not need to worry about you, having easily defeated Flames, but don’t die.”
“…I never thought Rosa would worry about me. But thank you.”
Jared, feeling a mixture of confusion and tenderness, thanked her, receiving concern for his life from the person who had once kidnapped his cousin and pursued him.
