Chapter 57: The Organization
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 57: The Organization
“Hey, you... what do you think you’re—!”
—Crack!
“Aaaahhhhhhhhh!!!”
Colonel Hayter’s leg twisted at a grotesque angle under the weight of the boot. He let out a scream so piercing it seemed to vibrate through the very walls of the darkened room.
“Hush now.”
“…! ….!!”
Isaac Adler silenced him instantly, planting a sharp kick into the Colonel’s abdomen with a smirk.
“…No matter how many times I see a scene like this, I just can’t get used to it.”
The Colonel, trembling and writhing on the floor, rolled his eyes back in terror at the sound of Adler’s eerie, calm voice.
“As I thought... being a programmer really was the most suitable career for me.”
“Uggh…”
“…Can’t be helped now, can it?”
The glow in Adler’s eyes was chillingly cold, his face already flushed from the influence of alcohol.
His usual gaze—the notorious, libertine look that had recently made him popular among the ladies of London—was gone. In its place was something strikingly different. Something predatory.
“Given the circumstances, it’s understandable…”
“I—I was just… acting under the orders of Professor Jane Moriarty…”
“I really don’t want to know that.”
“Uh…”
When Adler placed his hand on the Colonel’s head, the man began to froth at the mouth. His pupils rolled up until only the whites of his eyes were visible to the world.
“…No, now that I think about it, I should have asked just how far the Professor had planned this…”
“………”
As the Colonel lost consciousness and slumped to the ground, a heavy silence pervaded the room.
“Celestia… did you say your name was Miss Moran?”
In that silence, Isaac Adler rose, his eyes glowing with a faint red hue.
“What a cute little lady you are…”
Shiver, shiver, shiver…
He looked down with a smile at Moran, who was shivering violently while clutching her sniper rifle against her chest.
“How old are you?”
“I-I’m twelve years old.”
“Hmm…”
Adler tilted his head to the side, studying her.
“The youngest design among all the character designs I’ve reviewed for the game.”
“…….?”
“Alright, I like it.”
A satisfied expression crossed his face, and his tail began to sway behind him.
“There’s no way the curse of this body would reach a child this young.”
Witnessing that peculiar, eerie sight, Moran hugged her rifle even tighter and trembled with renewed intensity.
“Is that an heirloom from your father?”
“………!”
“It’s constructed with an artificial circuit made from mana stones, firing compressed air as a lethal projectile instead of traditional bullets. Impressive. It’s a unique mechanism, unlike anything else in the world.”
“How do you know that?”
Her mouth hung open, her voice trembling as she responded to Adler’s penetrating insight.
“Who knows, really…”
“Are you the devil?”
“Maybe it’s because you’re just a girl, but your questions are truly innocent.”
Seeing her wide-eyed, youthful appearance, Adler couldn’t help but burst into laughter. He squatted down to meet her eyes.
“No one on this earth has ever dodged my sniping twice.”
“………”
“And you’re still alive even after a headshot… and that tail…”
“I’m not a devil, but I can grant you a wish if you want.”
Moran, who had been muttering and stepping back with fearful eyes, went blank at his words.
“Mr. Devil.”
“I told you, I’m not the devil.”
She murmured, her eyes dark and hollow.
“Please take my soul.”
“…Why?”
“I want to go to hell.”
Adler smirked quietly.
“I killed people…”
“I see.”
“I will probably be arrested and sent to prison very soon.”
“………”
“So, I have already given up on going to heaven.”
Moran continued in a faint, hollow voice, gazing into the distance.
“And my father always said he was going to hell because he killed so many people in his life.”
“Hmm…”
“If I go to hell, I can meet my father again.”
Her dark gaze fixed blankly on Adler.
“And then I can kill him one more time.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“I was the one who killed my father.”
A bombshell slipped from the lips of the girl—a child who looked youthful yet appeared as worn out by life as any adult.
“You’re the one who killed Colonel Sebastian Moran?”
“…When my father was drunk, he always became a monster.”
“Ah…”
“I had no choice. I had to kill him to avoid being devoured by that monster.”
Adler gazed at the girl, who had become so twisted at such a tender age. With a look of slight compassion, he reached out toward her head.
“…….!”
She flinched, her face turning pale as she instinctively closed her eyes…
Swish…
“…….?”
But Isaac Adler only wore a gentle smile as he stroked her small head.
“Miss Moran is a bad girl.”
“…Yes, I’m a bad girl.”
At his words, Moran tilted her head, her voice tinged with a strange expectation.
“So, Mr. Devil, please take my soul…”
“But, what to do…”
Adler shook his head, interrupting her.
“Upon checking just now, I can see there is still a pure corner left in your soul.”
“That’s impossible. I’ve killed countless people…”
“But when you’re a child, the soul doesn’t darken or corrupt quite so easily…”
“…Huh.”
Moran’s mouth fell open, a bewildered expression crossing her face.
“So, if I take your soul as it is now, you might end up in heaven instead.”
“Ah, no…”
“Would that be okay with you?”
She shook her head urgently in denial.
“Um, then what should I do…?”
Adler’s eyes softened as he looked at her, though they began to shine with an eerie light.
“…There’s only one thing we can do, really.”
He gently stroked her cheek with his finger.
“Give me your soul, and become mine.”
“………..”
“Then, I shall defile you forever.”
Moran’s pupils dilated.
“Become a shadow that loyally serves only me. An existence that severs every danger that approaches me.”
“………”
“Naturally, you will be stained with blood. And it won’t end there. If you stay with me, you will be entangled in all sorts of filthy, vile matters from here on out.”
Adler’s soft voice whispered into her ear, sounding every bit like a devil’s temptation.
“Perhaps for a lifetime…”
“………”
“A tamed hunting dog that serves and obeys its master, executing every command without hesitation. Because that is what I want…”
Looking into his dark gaze, Moran began to quiver.
“Can you, Miss Moran, become such a being for me?”
Gulp…
“If you can, I will gladly defile your soul.”
Suddenly, a contract summoned by Adler hovered quietly in mid-air.
“You’ll have to decide quickly.”
—Isaac!!
“People are coming…”
Moran’s hand, which had paused in mid-air, slowly reached forward.
“…Will you feed me?”
Her timid question rang in Adler’s ears as she reached for the pen.
“You’ll have to eat well if you’re going to hunt well, won’t you?”
At Adler’s natural response, her hand began to move.
Zzzzzzzz…
After a moment, the familiar shape of a golden seal began to etch itself onto Moran’s being.
“An excellent choice.”
Moran gazed absentmindedly at the seal as she lifted the hem of her top to inspect it. She stared blankly at Adler as he leaned closer to her face.
“I will raise you with the utmost care.”
“…Mr. Devil.”
She tilted her head and opened her mouth.
“Shall I kill the people coming here now?”
“Haha…”
Adler let out a mischievous laugh and snapped his fingers.
Zzzzzz…
“…If you don’t want to die, leave this place first.”
Moran’s body began to turn transparent in real-time.
“I’m the only one who can handle those people.”
Adler gazed into the distance at the silhouettes of Charlotte Holmes and Jane Moriarty. A corner of his lips lifted ever so slightly as he muttered to himself.
“…Perhaps.”
[Celestia Moran has pledged her allegiance to you!]
The notification floated before his eyes.
[3 or more Regular Characters have now become your subordinates.]
[The 《Organization》 has been established!]
.
.
.
.
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Several days later.
In a back alley of London, where night had descended with the setting sun…
“…..Ugh.”
A girl with a fierce expression, tenderly holding a bundle wrapped in newspaper, walked through an alley that even the most violent criminals would hesitate to enter.
“It’s cold…..”
She murmured gloomily, rubbing her hands together.
The rainfall was heavy, and the girl was drenched like a drowned rat, walking without so much as a raincoat or an umbrella.
“Hey, kiddo…”
“Can you stop for a moment?”
As she gritted her teeth and pushed forward, mischievous voices echoed from the shadows of the alleyway.
“…Why?”
“You’re brave, little one.”
“Hand over everything you have.”
Two thugs stepped into view, each brandishing a knife.
“I have nothing on me.”
“Then you’ll just have to pay with your body.”
“Are you serious? No matter how you look at it, she’s just a tot!”
“Idiot, I’m talking about organs. The younger they are, the higher the premium.”
Listening quietly, the girl raised a finger.
Fwip…!
A moment later, two bodies fell soundlessly into the puddles.
Thud, thud…
Gazing indifferently at the scene, the girl stepped over the corpses and continued her trek.
“I found it.”
Though her body was soaked with blood and rainwater, her eyes began to sparkle in the darkness.
Knock, knock, knock…
She began to knock on the door of a shabby house.
Creeaak…
The door opened, and the girl—her head shaved, dripping blood and rain onto the floor—stepped inside.
“Mr. Devil.”
After scanning the interior, she found the blonde-haired boy she had been searching for. The girl was none other than Celestia Moran.
“As you commanded, I have escaped my pursuers.”
She spoke with a pure, innocent smile on her face.
“……..Yes?”
However, Isaac Adler looked at Moran with a look of utter bewilderment.
“Who are you?”
As he spoke, seemingly genuinely confused, Moran’s beaming face stiffened instantly.
“You promised…”
Tears began to pool in her eyes.
“…You’d defile me.”
The languid words oozed from her mouth, and an eerie silence enveloped the room.
“Master?”
“Adler?”
From behind Adler, Silver Blaze—wearing a maid’s outfit, her ears and tail twitching—and Princess Joan Clay—looking like a vampire with a collar around her neck—both fixed their gazes on Isaac Adler.
“…It’s a misunderstanding.”
“”……….””
The atmosphere grew chilly at a frightening rate.
“So Master had that kind of preference…”
“Go die, you piece of trash.”
“No, this is really a misunderstanding!”
The first meeting of the three executives, who would later become Adler’s closest confidants, was not off to a good start…