"Ah—ah! Y-yes, that’s right. They’re all my—urk!"Seizing the chance, the count blurted his answer in a hurry. But before he could finish, he let out a scream. A savage killing intent had crashed over him without warning."...Is that so?"Golden eyes flashed coldly. Noce wordlessly tightened the hand resting on his sword hilt.Shhrrk— As the blade slid out slow and smooth, the count panicked, shouting for dear life."N-no! They’re not mine! I swear it’s my first time seeing them today! They’re yours now!""...All right."Noce blinked slowly. The same words—“All right”—but the feeling was entirely different.In an instant, the suffocating bloodlust that had pressed on everyone vanished, and his sword slid back into its sheath.N-not a monster for nothing...His reactions were impossible to read; trying to keep pace with him was exhausting. Still, the count forced a cringing smile and pressed his hands together."Th-then, if you’ll excuse me... I’ll just take my leave...""Go on."Noce put the pipe back between his lips."I’ve no interest in pigs.""Ah...!"Instead of feeling insulted, the count’s face flooded with relief. The guards were the same. They roughly shook off the women clinging to them and bowed over and over."Th-thank you. Thank you! We will never forget the mercy you’ve—"Thup!It happened then. Mid-sentence, Count Jebanon blinked blankly at the bolt of pain in his neck.W-what... is this...?While he stood there uncomprehending, a glint stirred in Noce’s golden eyes behind the veil of smoke.At last the count understood. The demon hadn’t been staring at him this whole time, but at—Slide— splurt!"Ghkk!!"The blade lodged in his neck slid free, and a fountain of hot blood leapt out. The count clutched his throat on instinct to staunch the wound, but no amount of pressure could stop the spray.He made only the wet rasp of a dying breath, then dropped to his knees and toppled over."C-count... ?!""Kyaaa!"The guards spun around too late and leveled their swords.Behind the collapsing body of the count stood a woman—the same dancer who had been sobbing and begging for her life moments ago—holding a dagger that dripped blood.She let out a small sigh and wiped the flecks on her cheek with the back of her hand.Then, looking at Noce and the pirates watching her with interest, she spoke."Hello there, pirates.""…?""I’m Assassin A, just passing through. Times are murderous; we’re all working hard out here.""…?"Every eye—even those of the women who had been shaking—turned to her as if she were raving mad.***…Was that not it?Aquila had thought she’d chosen the most polite greeting possible to avoid provoking their guard, but the chill in the air left her at a loss.Troublesome. I really don’t want to make an enemy of the pirates—of Noce Mostro, at least.Truth be told, she wasn’t concerned about the hostility of the guards. From the moment she killed the target, conflict with them had been a given.Yes, the target.Count Jebanon, though he hadn’t known it, had been under attack long before the pirates’ raid.By an assassin.Now then, what next...With her black hair neatly coiled up, her body shown off by a dazzling dancer’s costume, she paused to think. Above the translucent veil covering her lower face, her languidly gleaming red eyes swept the room, taking the measure of things.The count who had been quivering in front of her mere moments ago had already stopped breathing.One target down. I still need to confirm the other two have had their throats cut.Count Jebanon was part of an illegal organization running a banned slave trade in the kingdom. Aquila’s mission was to extract information from three members aboard this ship—including the count—and then kill them.Assassins did their work quietly, in silence. That was the rule.Her original plan had been to get them dead drunk, lure them to their cabins, and finish them without a sound—if only the pirates hadn’t shown up out of nowhere.Even in the moment she was forced to flee from the raid, Aquila had been serene.I already squeezed them for information. I figured I wouldn’t need to lift a finger—just verify the targets died and be done.Unexpectedly, the infamous pirate captain had been ready to spare the count. In exchange for taking the women—including her, disguised as a dancer.He must have sensed something.Even his fellow pirates had been surprised by the man’s fickleness, which, to all appearances, had everything to do with her.While she clung to the count’s hem and pretended to cry, she’d felt that prickling gaze fixed on her the whole time.I hid my killing intent perfectly, though.So he really is the monster captain of a monster crew.At any rate, with things refusing to go her way, Aquila abandoned the optimistic hope that the problem would solve itself and decided she would have to move personally."Assassin A, you say."Slicing through the cold silence, the man—Noce Mostro—spoke for the first time."So I should call you A?""...""...Suit yourself. I’ll call you Mr. Mostro.""Noce is fine.""Mr. Noce.""Noce.""...Yes, sir."The looks people gave him—and then her—shifted back and forth like they were watching lunatics. Among the pirates, the only woman, with green hair and eyes like a cat’s, let out a loud, incredulous snort.Whatever. Titles weren’t the point for Aquila."Sorry to intrude on your busy schedule, but I’ve ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) still got two targets on this ship I need to take care of. May I go first?""You—""Where do you think you’re going!"Cutting Noce off, the captain of the guard leveled his sword at her."You rat-bitch! You kill our employer and then you have the gall to—!""It’s not gall. It’s called being forthright.""What?"Aquila looked at him, bored."I did my job. And weren’t you just now forthrightly trying to sacrifice these women? Because your job is to protect your employer by any means necessary.""O-one speech and you think—gkh!"Enraged at her being right, the captain lunged at her—only for his head to part from his body before Aquila even lifted a hand. It spun through the air.Aquila’s eyes went wide.Thud—roll...The severed head hit the floor and only stopped when it bumped against the count’s corpse. His face, even in death, wore the expression of a man who never realized he was dying.Quietly—and in an instant—it was done. The room sank into a stunned silence. Through it, a sigh of annoyance drifted."Rude. We were talking.""...""Where were we?"A spotless blade slid back into its sheath. Forgotten fear surged in again; the hands gripping the remaining guards’ swords trembled, and the women fainted.Under his gaze returning to her, Aquila answered slowly."...I asked if I could excuse myself to do my job.""Ah, right. ...Hey, you."Nodding as if nothing had happened, he narrowed his eyes."Do you know who I am?""Of course, Mr. Mostro."Aquila smiled and made her tone a shade more polite."Even on land, your inf—no, your fame is quite something. To be honest, meeting a celebrity unexpectedly like this has my heart all a-flutter."In truth, her thoughts were nothing of the sort.I didn’t even see him draw.I knew he was a monster, but he’s beyond anything I imagined.If I fight, I lose. If I bolt, he catches me. I have to extract myself as amicably as possible.Whether her desperate efforts were paying off or not, a gleam flickered in Noce Mostro’s golden eyes."Yeah? Fluttering, huh?""Yes... in that spirit, Mr. Mostro."Moistening her suddenly dry lips without showing it, Aquila spoke in a gentle voice."I’ve already disabled the naval branch’s communications net in this sector and made the ship’s signal flares unusable, but a patrol ship is due to pass this stretch of coast soon.""And?"His face went instantly indifferent. Without letting his flip of mood throw her, Aquila added calmly:"Of course a measly patrol means nothing to you, but I figured you dislike hassles. I’d also like to finish off my remaining targets before then. With that in mind... how about we cooperate?"Aquila lifted the veil from her face and offered Noce a friendly smile."No need to search one by one. I’ll give you the locations of the rooms holding the most valuable treasures on this ship. Take everything. I just need to eliminate my targets.""The two you mentioned before?""Yes.""If you hand over their lives, you won’t interfere with me taking this ship’s treasure?""Exactly."Noce’s golden eyes rested on her, then curved in a slow smile."A proposal to my liking. Fine.""...Huh?"A breath sucked in among the pirates at the gentleness on his face.So he’s more reasonable than I thought?Aquila, too, was taken aback by that unexpectedly soft expression, but she dipped her head with only the faintest hint of it. Then she rattled off the treasures the count had boasted of and their locations."In that case, I’ll be on my way..."She made to vault cleanly over the count’s corpse and past Noce—then halted. He had caught her by the wrist."You said it."He tipped his head toward her; a deep scent of smoke drifted over. It wasn’t acrid—if anything, it cleared the head in a strangely pleasant way—but Aquila kept her breaths shallow. Inhaling an unfamiliar scent was never wise.Into her ear, he murmured softly:"That you’d give me everything.""...Of course."Pirates and their greed.Aquila clicked her tongue inwardly, but answered without a fuss. Noce slowly let go of her wrist. She, in turn, slid the slim poisoned needle she had eased from her bracelet back into its place.Then she passed through the pirates’ suspicious stares and stepped out of the cabin.She was sorry for the others left inside, but there was nothing she could do for them. The man disliked impolite people and seemed to like treasure; all she could hope was that they handed over everything they had and bought their lives.Aquila gave a small shake of her head, then pushed off lightly and sprinted down the slightly canted corridor.Rrroooomble— From the sky beyond the hull came a peal of thunder, as if rain were about to break.

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