“You’re saying something ridiculous!”
“No, let’s go with that.”
“Olivier-sama!?”
Jared protested Olivier, who had agreed with Pfeil’s opinion. It was far too reckless. In the worst-case scenario, Jared could be killed, and there was no guarantee Yeny would return safely. Furthermore, if Jared were gone, the target would shift back to Olivier and Hannelore. Jared, more than anyone, wanted to save Yeny, but he didn’t want to do anything rash.
“But don’t we have any choice other than to fight and defeat them? If Yeny is saved but Jared dies, I will loathe you for the rest of my life, just as I promised the other day.”
“I don’t want to be killed easily either, but would someone who’s taken a hostage intentionally try to fight?”
“No, we’ll provoke them.”
We all turned our gaze to Pfeil, who had interrupted Jared’s conversation.
“Provoke them? What do you mean?”
“We, including Rosa, have received direct instruction from the leader, Waalthe. However, we have also inherited Waalthe’s bad habits. For example, as you may have noticed, I’m talkative. It’s not that I like to chat, but I just start talking naturally. Rosa is the same. Furthermore, she is proud and easily angered.”
Pfeil’s statement that he received direct instruction from Waalthe, the leader of Waalthe, was surprising enough. But the unexpected talkative side of him, which I had always noticed, being a bad habit inherited from the organization’s top leader, left me dumbfounded. Olivier seemed to be in the same state, covering her mouth in disbelief.
“…Are you really people from an assassination organization?”
“We’re often told that.”
The image of the organization called Waalthe shattered with a clatter. However, to face Rosa, who was comparable to, or even surpassed, Pfeil in skill and had received direct instruction from the organization’s top leader, required considerable resolve. Moreover, Jared was already exhausted from fighting Drew. His condition was worse than when he fought Pfeil.
“So, you mean if Jared can provoke them skillfully, we can fight?”
“Precisely. If you call them cowards who can’t even confront you directly without taking hostages, they’ll definitely demand a one-on-one fight. Rosa’s pride is immense. She’ll do anything for efficiency, but it often ruins her personality. Nevertheless, Rosa Roen completes every assignment. There’s no guarantee we can win by fighting.”
“But if we don’t win, Jared will die, and so will Yeny.”
“That’s right. But we have to choose.”
Their gazes turned to Jared.
“Isn’t it a bit cruel to ask me to choose?”
“But only you can meet Rosa.”
“Pfeil, won’t you cooperate with us?”
“At this point, I am cooperating with the understanding that I may face punishment. Rosa does not trust me regarding this incident. That’s why I was used as a messenger. And – because I considered the possibility of me fighting alongside Jared Murphy, she demanded a certain outcome by taking a hostage.”
In fact, Pfeil was cooperating so much that Jared worried about him. He claimed it was so he could defeat him himself, but he was trying to push his own will, even if it harmed the organization.
“I’ll ask just in case, but are you intending to cooperate?”
“I don’t mind cooperating, but I plan to repay you in a more significant way.”
“Repay me?”
“As a loser, I couldn’t provide you with useful information. I told you the other day that Rosa seemed to be taking things easy, but then this situation arose. I feel responsible.”
“No, you don’t need to feel responsible for that. It was our own carelessness, really.”
Jared had received advice and warnings from Pfeil and had been constantly vigilant. However, his vigilance hadn’t extended to Yeny. In other words, it was Jared’s mistake, not Pfeil’s. It was naive to think he could protect only the people he wanted to protect from an organization calling itself an assassination organization.
“Excuse me for interrupting, but how do you intend to repay Jared, Pfeil?”
“It’s simple. Until Jared Murphy fights Rosa, defeats her, and brings back the hostage – I will protect Hannelore Alway and Olivier Alway.”
“—!”
Olivier herself, who had once been targeted, gasped in surprise. She had never dreamed that Pfeil of Waalthe would offer to protect her and her mother.
“Do you think I, Jared, would say ‘I’ll leave it to you’ and entrust my precious people to you?”
“I don’t think so. But you must be considering the possibility of an emergency. Given Rosa’s personality, she won’t lay a hand on the Alway mother and daughter until she’s dealt with you. However, if the client hired someone else, there’s a high chance of an intruder appearing at this now-unguarded mansion.”
“Even so, there’s no way I can entrust Hannelore-sama and Olivier-sama to the very person who’s attacked us before!”
If Pfeil had intended to kill Olivier and Hannelore, he would have had several opportunities. But he hadn’t. From their interactions, she knew he wasn’t the type of person to do something cowardly. However, the thought of a potential one-in-a-million chance terrified her. If he managed to go to Rosa, rescue Yeny, and return, only to find Olivier and Hannelore dead, Jared would never forgive himself.
“What you’re saying is perfectly reasonable. In that case, let’s do this.”
Pfeil took out two small bottles from his pocket.
“These contain a poison that can kill even us, who have developed resistance to poison through training. It’s not an instant-acting drug, but one that brings a slow death. I will drink this.”
He tossed one of the small bottles to Jared.
“This is the antidote. I will die if I don’t drink the antidote within approximately three hours.”
“So you’re saying you’ll put your life on the line to promise you won’t harm Olivier-sama and the others?”
“That’s right. I have injured someone on a mission before, but I don’t like unnecessary killing. However, as a member of Waalthe, I have no choice but to make you believe me with my life.”
“Why are you going this far?”
“As I said, it is this Pfeil who will defeat Jared Murphy.”
Jared hesitated. The desire to believe and the inability to believe clashed. For one, he didn’t know if the poison was real. There was also the possibility that Pfeil’s actions were all an act. Furthermore, within three hours, he could have Olivier and Hannelore killed and receive the antidote from his comrades. The possibilities were endless.
“I will trust you.”
“Olivier-sama!”
Olivier accepted Pfeil’s proposal before Jared, who was still struggling with his doubts, could.
“It’s all right, Jared. If it weren’t for you, we would have been killed by Pfeil. And more importantly, if you don’t return, we’ll end up killed by that woman, Rosa, anyway.”
“Then I’ll defeat Rosa and come back for sure. Olivier-sama, please ask Duke Alway for help. I’m sorry, Pfeil, but I absolutely cannot entrust Olivier-sama and the others to you.”
Pfeil’s expression remained unchanged. He had likely anticipated this outcome. Olivier, however, was different. She glared at Jared, showing her displeasure.
“Look, Jared, I’m not stupid. I’ve considered the possibility that Pfeil might have some ulterior motive, that the poison might be fake, or that he might try to harm us in your absence. Despite all that, I’ve decided to trust him.”
“Why…”
“Because, while you may be worried about various things, don’t you want to believe Pfeil?”
Jared was surprised that she had read his innermost thoughts.
“I am worried too. But I don’t sense any malice from Pfeil. My intuition, which has been fighting unseen enemies for so long, tells me I can trust him. If it turns out to be wrong, it will be my responsibility. I will protect Mother, even if it kills me.”
If even Jared was on the verge of being crushed by anxiety, Olivier’s own burden must have been immense. Yet, she managed to smile. “I’ve been strange lately. Until now, Mother was my top priority. And I only thought about Trane and myself. But now, Jared is just as important to me.”
“—Olivier-sama.”
“Moreover, if anything happens to Yeny, I will never forgive myself. Of course, if anything happens to you, I will never forgive you. But I won’t just forgive you; I won’t forgive myself either. It’s because I dragged you into this.”
Jared had vaguely realized that Olivier felt a sense of guilt for involving him. But he hadn’t known it ran so deep.
“As you said, I’ll rely on Father too. So, for now, please just focus on saving Yeny, okay?”
