You'll Tell Me, Right?
"One of our guys ignored orders, went off to terrorize the amusement park, and got himself killed."
That was the first thing her subordinate said the moment he burst through the door.
"……."
Ordinarily, Yeris would have punished him on the spot for barging in without even knocking… but she simply didn't have the energy for it right now.
Even if Bind was still a fledgling organization that hadn't fully coalesced, a full eighth of them had died in the span of a single week.
"…Was it the Witch again?"
"No. It's… well…"
When her subordinate trailed off, Yeris's face twisted into a sharp scowl.
"Spit it out properly. Who was it?"
"The Mors Family… they say."
"……."
Yeris, who had been tapping the desk with her fingertips, closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. A series of cracks sounded from her back with that small movement—proof of just how much strain she had been under lately.
"…Get out."
"Yes, ma'am."
The door clicked shut behind her subordinate, the sound echoing quietly through the room. Yeris kept a blank expression for about five seconds after hearing it.
Then—
"Aaaagh… This is so annoying…"
She covered her face with both hands and whined like a child. No one who saw her like this would ever connect her to the usual Yeris, the boss of Bind. Even if Bind was a rising power whose strength wasn't yet overwhelming, she was famous for being merciless and ice-cold.
Confirming she was alone, Yeris shot to her feet and started stomping around the floor in a full-blown tantrum.
"This is so fucking annoying! Getting harassed by the Witch is bad enough, and now what? The Mors Family?!"
If it had been a small organization, she could just charge in and wipe them out. Even against a group of similar size, a single threat that one more incident would mean war would usually make them back off.
But the Mors Family was different. They were in a completely different weight class from the start.
No matter how carefully you gathered materials to craft a powerful handgun, there was no way it could beat a giant robot firing insane beams, right? That was exactly how vast the power gap between Bind and the Mors Family was.
If Bind so much as got on the Mors Family's nerves even a little, they would melt away without a trace, like winter snow in spring. Yeris had no desire to melt away so meaninglessly just yet.
"Should I run? Should I just bolt right now? If I move the branch somewhere far away and start over from there…"
It would be impossible…
Korea's current situation was abnormal to begin with. Three of the world's three great guilds and two great families were based right here. Unless she fled the country entirely, escaping their notice was impossible.
And… if she had truly gotten on the Mors Family's bad side, even leaving Korea would be impossible.
Yeah. They'd just show up out of nowhere and try to kill her, just like… huh?
Yeris, who had been kicking wildly at the air to vent her frustration, froze and looked toward the seat she had just vacated.
The window that should have been closed was open, letting in a cool breeze that made the curtains flutter. And sitting in her chair as if she owned the place was a woman casually flipping through documents.
"…Who are you?"
Yeris dropped into a ready stance so she could react the instant the other party attacked, her voice laced with wariness. A terror far greater than the shame of having her earlier tantrum witnessed washed over her entire body.
The woman before her was no ordinary human. Aside from the occasional soft rustle of papers being turned, she gave off no presence at all—even though she was right in front of her. As if she weren't a living person at all.
Ash-gray hair that called to mind the remains of a fire. Lifeless eyes. And an unpleasant smell like something burning. Her frame was slender, so she looked weak, yet for some reason Yeris couldn't imagine winning if they fought.
If someone were to give form to Death—to Mors—it would probably feel exactly like this. The scent of death had approached right under her nose without a sound.
Resist, and you die. Don't resist, and you still die.
The woman's gaze, which had been on the documents, pierced straight through Yeris. That icy stare froze her heart and stopped her breath. The only thought circling her mind was that she didn't want to die yet.
Should she at least try to run? With her ability for high-speed movement, it wasn't completely hopeless. If she survived, she could always find a chance to rise again.
But Yeris stopped dead in her tracks.
"Stop."
It wasn't the voice that stopped her, though.
"Hah… hah…"
In the blink of an eye, a massive gray palm had stretched out right in front of her face. What had stopped her was that hand. If it had halted even a fraction of a second later, that gray arm would have crushed her head without the slightest hesitation.
A single drop of sweat fell from Yeris onto the floor, the only sound quietly echoing through the room. Having glimpsed the gates of death for an instant, Yeris gasped for breath, sweat pouring down her face.
Then conversation reached her ears.
"Why?"
"We're not here to kill her."
"Then what?"
Is she talking to someone?
So it wasn't one person who had broken into the room from the start—it was two? More than that, the fact that someone could control a powerhouse like this was astonishing.
In that moment, Yeris's mind began racing. The ash-haired woman sitting in her seat was strong enough to kill her in the blink of an eye. But if there was someone who could stop her with a single word, then that person held Yeris's life in their hands.
From their conversation, it seemed they hadn't come to kill her in the first place… but the fact that she'd been ready to attack made it clear: even if they weren't here to kill her, they could do so anytime if she displeased them.
Soon the massive palm blocking her vision vanished as if sucked away somewhere. Then the ash-haired woman looked at Yeris and spoke.
"Sorry. I almost killed you because of a misunderstanding."
"N-No, it's fine."
"What do you mean, 'it's fine'?"
The woman smirked and jerked her chin toward a tall, slender figure standing in the darkness. The tall woman stepped forward, her face revealed by the moonlight.
"Ah…"
Only then did Yeris realize who the two women before her were. No—it was stranger that she hadn't recognized them until now.
Luna, boss of the Mors Family, and her twin sister and secretary, Rina.
The moment she realized it, the strength drained from Yeris's legs and she collapsed to the floor. But Rina paid it no mind, striding over, dropping to one knee, and locking eyes with the seated Yeris. With eyes just as painfully cold as Luna's, she stared at Yeris for a moment before speaking.
"Yeris, head of Bind. Correct?"
Yeris, staring blankly into Rina's eyes as if her soul had left her body, nodded belatedly.
"Y-Yes. That's me."
"Hmm."
Rina tilted her head as if something didn't sit right with her.
"Among Bind's executives… there's a guy named Kaid, right?"
"Y-Yes, there is."
Kaid. Yeris knew him very well. An executive of Bind, and one of the strongest in terms of raw combat power within the organization. Because of that, he had a considerable number of followers, which was why Yeris had always kept a wary eye on him. If a rebellion ever broke out, there was a very high chance it would be Kaid's doing.
So why was the Mors Family looking for him?
Are they trying to recruit him to their side?
Given Kaid's skills, it wasn't out of the question. And if it was the Mors Family, Kaid wouldn't even dare dream of rebelling, so there was nothing to worry about. That place was overflowing with people stronger than Kaid.
Still tilting her head as she peered into Yeris's face, Rina spoke again.
"We're looking for Kaid… We'd like you to tell us where he is."
"B-But… for what reason are you looking for Kaid…?"
"Why would we need to tell you that?"
Faced with those blade-sharp, freezing eyes, Yeris involuntarily bowed her head low. A pressure like chains tightening around her throat. Terror so intense her hands and feet wouldn't stop trembling madly.
Rina watched the trembling Yeris for a moment, then smirked.
"Fine. Since you're the boss of Bind, I'll tell you."
Rina straightened the knee she'd bent and rose to her feet. Then she began neatly adjusting her clothes.
"We've received information that this Kaid has made contact with an organization we're hunting. So we'll find him and interrogate him, and if we don't like the answers we get…"
Rina drew her thumb across her own throat in a cutting gesture.
"We'll kill him."
Rina slowly stroked the cheek of Yeris, who was looking up at her with eyes drowned in terror.
"So I'd like you to tell me…"
"You'll tell me, right?"