Chapter 74: Waiter Assassin

There was silence… However, the person that broke the silence after the announcement was Reona.

“You’re Onii-chan’s wife?” She raised an eyebrow at the words. ’I thought I told Onii-chan that Mio-chan was a better wife material… Why did he marry when he was still young enough to find a good soulmate? What’s honestly going on…?’

“Yes, I have the papers too. I don’t like celebrations so he kept it a secret but we’ve been secretly meeting each other and going on dates… However it’s a contract marriage, if the other girls still want to chase him, be my guest. It doesn’t really matter much to me… I’d like it if Koya-kun had several wives.” She said, all she wanted to do was to learn and bear his children… Why would she stop him from getting with other women?

In the end, what if the child he had with the other women inherited more skills, she could hire them into the order as well.

Reona bit her lip.

’Okay then… I’ll make sure Onii-chan gets with Mio-chan then.’ She thought with a pump of her fists.

“You all are standing… why don’t you get in? Walter.” A head butler with a singular red zigzag line angling down his face came out and bowed at the girls. “Please tour them around their living arrangements and the different places, they are my in-laws.”

Under Hakai’s gaze, the girls followed Walter upstairs and vanished into the mansion… disappearing from Koya’s line of sight and almost immediately, Hakai appeared next to him.

“Don’t worry… I already have a moving truck handling their stuff. They’ll be here in a few minutes. I’ll also handle the apartment issues with the owners. That’s not much of a big deal for you.” She said while hugging him from behind, her hands caressing his abs that could be felt through his shirt. “You’re dressed so nice… did you go out or something?”

“I was on a dat- Ouch.”

“May I ask who is this girl you went with?”

It would take some getting used to… She didn’t like the fact that there were women flocking around her test subject, but it wasn’t like she could do much about it.

He had proved himself and she also wanted to teach him how to have sex… so… she would try for the time being.

“Victoria, the silver haired girl there.” He said and took a deep breath. “We’re married as well, just not officially.”

“I see… then you have two wives.” Hakai said, sounding uninterested all of a sudden… He could see this was the real Hakai, not the fake one who was grinning all the time. “I understand, now let’s go to my office.”

Before Koya’s very eyes, the ground below them lit up and he found himself in an office… he was standing while Hakai was already seated.

“Like we discussed in the contract with the clause you made me add… despite being a Co-Leader and my official husband, you’ll be tasked on Order Missions. It’s the least you can do for your wife.” She said, motioning for him to sit down. “Facing up against Top 7 was great and all… but I want to see if I married someone with brains. Besides, you actually want to work for these benefits… I’ll give you head later.”

Koya sighed as he looked into her pink eyes, she had turned to her joking self, the woman’s mood swings really needed to be studied.

Besides the only reason he had made this clause in the first place was because he needed to do something other than training.

“As it happens, I do have something but it’s politically complicated.”

“Explain.”

Hakai stood and activated a holographic display. It showed a photo of a heavyset man in his fifties wearing expensive rings and formal robes.

“Are you familiar with the Merchant Council?”

’Oh right… they were in the novel.’

“Vaguely, they control trade between Supercities right?”

“Correct. Twelve council members, each representing a different trade guild that are spread across the whole supercities. They have significant political power… enough that even the White King has to negotiate with them rather than command them.” She tapped the display. “Three days ago, this man was murdered… Council Member Takeshi Yamada, the head of the Smithing Guild.”

Koya studied the image. “And?”

“The Merchant Council is demanding the White King find the killer within a week. If he doesn’t, they’re threatening to embargo critical resources… mana crystals, refined metals, healing supplements, things the military needs and it would destabilize the entire city’s economy.”

It sounded crazy to order the White King around but who was he to judge?

“What’s this have to do with the Order?”

Hakai swiped the display and brought up another photo. A beautiful woman in her forties with sharp eyes, wearing an elegant dress with the Supplement Guild crest embroidered on the shoulder.

“Because we already know who killed him… Council Member Saeko Mizushima, head of the Supplement Guild.”

Koya raised an eyebrow. “Why did she…?”

“Yamada discovered she’d been diluting healing supplements sold to the military by cutting them with 30% filler powder to increase profit margins. Crest soldiers were dying because their field medkits weren’t working properly. He was going to expose her at the next council meeting.” Hakai’s pink eyes were cold. “So she had him killed before he could talk.”

“And you know this how?”

“Because she hired us to do it.” Hakai’s expression didn’t change. “One of my Top 10 carried out the contract… It was a clean assassination and she made it look like a heart attack. The Order was paid 500,000 crowns for our discretion.”

Koya absorbed this. “So the Order caused this political crisis.”

“Technically, Saeko caused it by committing fraud and murder. We were just the tool she used.” Hakai closed the hologram. “But yes, our involvement is the problem.”

“Why not just tell the White King it was Saeko?”

Hakai shook her head. “Because that would require admitting the Order carried out the assassination of a Merchant Council member. The White King tolerates us because we’re useful… we handle problems quietly in the shadows. The moment we’re officially connected to killing someone that politically important, we become a liability he can’t ignore. He’d be forced to crack down on us to appease the Merchant Council and maintain his authority.”

“So you need Saeko dead without it being traced back to the Order.”

“Exactly.” Hakai pulled up another display showing financial transactions. “And here’s where it gets interesting. Saeko knows the Order has evidence linking her to Yamada’s death… our operative kept records as insurance. So she’s hired another assassination organization called the Crimson Hand to eliminate the Top 10 member who carried out the original contract.”

“She’s trying to kill the witness.”

“Yes and she’s paying them 800,000 crowns which is more than she paid us.” Hakai’s eyes were absolutely cold now. “I don’t appreciate clients trying to kill my people after we’ve fulfilled a contract. It’s bad for business and bad for the Order’s reputation.”

Koya thought for a moment. “You want me to kill her and frame the Crimson Hand for it.”

“Precisely.” Hakai looked impressed; he’d figured it out so quickly. “Saeko Mizushima dies tonight. Make it look like the Crimson Hand did it… they’re known for messy, brutal kills. That way the Merchant Council will assume it’s gang warfare between rival organizations and won’t pressure the White King further. The embargo threat disappears, the Order stays clean, and I send a message to the Crimson Hand about what happens when you target my operatives.”

“What’s in it for me?”

Hakai smiled.

She genuinely appreciated that he asked. “Aside from proving yourself on your first Order assignment? Access to Saeko’s personal vault. She manufactures supplements for the entire city… her private reserves contain rare ingredients, experimental formulas, and completed high-grade supplements worth more than money. Healing Accelerators and many others… things you can’t buy anywhere.” She paused. “And I’ll consider it excellent foreplay for our wedding night.”

Koya ignored the last part. “I’ll need information. Where does she live, security detail, schedule, her abilities as an Awakened.”

Hakai slid a tablet across the desk. “Everything’s compiled here. She’s a four-liner with Water affinity… specializes in poison mist and acid techniques. She has six bodyguards, all three-liners with various combat specializations. Her mansion is in the Merchant District, two miles from here. Tonight she’s hosting a dinner party for other council members… trying to secure political allies before the investigation intensifies.”

“You want it done during the party?”

“I want it done before midnight… The timing and method are yours to decide, as long as she’s dead and it looks like the Crimson Hand’s work.”

Koya studied the tablet, scrolling through the information. “I’ll need to know the Crimson Hand’s signature. How do they usually operate?”

Hakai looked genuinely impressed that he’d thought to ask. “Throat slitting, decapitation, or immolation. They prefer to leave graphic messages. They also always leave a crimson handprint somewhere on or near the body… usually painted in the victim’s blood.”

“I can work with that.” Koya sighed, assassination was a way to train his skills… he guessed.

“One more thing.” Hakai’s voice stopped him at the door. “If you’re caught or identified, the Order will disavow any knowledge of you. You’ll be on your own against both the Merchant Council and the White King’s forces.”

Koya looked back at her. “Then I won’t get caught.”

Hakai’s smile widened. “I’m starting to see why Pale likes you so much. Report to Bobby on the first floor for the disguise and transport… I’m very interested to see your performance today.”

And then she willed him to vanish back up.

’Don’t worry… even if you fail, we already have a back-up plan in place.’ She thought with a slight smile. She wanted him to understand that Order missions were not as easy as they looked… that there was a reason she had Top 10 operatives who’d trained for decades.

And honestly? A small part of her wanted him to fail and wanted him to come back frustrated and realize he needed her guidance, her experience as well as her resources.

’His only job should be staying at home and fucking me senseless… once I teach him how to properly use that body of his. I do hope he has a big dick though. The genetic profile suggests he should, but you never know for certain until you check personally.’

She pulled up a monitoring screen showing the tracker she’d embedded in his disguise face changer which Bobby would give him.

’Let’s see what you’re capable of, Koya-kun. Impress me or disappoint me… either way, I win.’

…

Koya stood in the catering van as it pulled up to the service entrance of the venue, it was evening and the sun was setting behind the Merchant District’s skyline, casting everything in orange and gold.

’It’s just like those Mercenary manga.’ He thought, he was the mercenary and he was going to kill someone for money and benefits… He’d done so before and besides, the death of this person held the key to receiving a whole reservoir of supplement materials which he could use for more pills and growth.

A necessary sacrifice for his development.

The van stopped and he along with four other workers… two men and two women each began unloading crates from the back, carrying them through the service entrance into a large preparation room.

Soon it was filled up with different supplies, bottles of wine, trays of food, and their equipment.

One of them turned to address the whole group… a woman in her early thirties with her hair tied back severely, wearing the same black and white uniform as everyone else but with a red armband marking her as head server.

Her name tag read “Marina Kobayashi.”

“Listen up everyone.” Marina clapped her hands together. “This is a high-profile event for the Merchant Council. We are talking about some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in this entire Supercity. One mistake and we’re all blacklisted from ever working premium events again. Got it?”

Everyone nodded, including Koya.

“Good. Now, I know what you’re all thinking—” Marina grinned, clearly trying to lighten the mood. “You’re thinking ’What if one of us is secretly an assassin impersonating a server to get close to the target?’ Right? Like in those thriller movies?”

A few people laughed nervously. Koya joined in with a small chuckle, keeping his expression neutral and relaxed. The face-changer he’d been given by Bobby was high-grade technology… required a specific mana signature code to detect.

There was absolutely no chance he’d be found out through casual observation.

“Well lucky for us,” Marina continued, “the council members have their own security doing background checks and mana scans at the entrance. So unless you’re some kind of master spy with Order-level disguise tech, we’re all clean. Now let’s get to work before the rival catering team shows us up.”

She handed out assignments. Koya was given wine service… red and white, circulating through the main hall which was perfect.

It meant he could move freely, observe everything, and get close to Saeko without raising suspicion.

He picked up his tray… twelve glasses of wine arranged in a precise pattern and followed the other servers through the door into the main venue.

The mansion’s grand hall was breathtaking.

It had a three-story ceiling with a massive crystal chandelier hanging from the center. The walls were decorated with tapestries showing historical trade scenes. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked manicured gardens lit by mana-powered lanterns and a string quartet played softly in one corner.

About forty people filled the space… Merchant Council members, their spouses, high-ranking guild representatives. Everyone wore formal attire worth more than most people’s life savings.

At the center of the room was the main table… a long mahogany piece that could seat twenty.

Twelve seats were occupied by the council members, easily identifiable by the guild crests embroidered on their robes.

Saeko Mizushima sat near the head of the table at the fifth seat from the right. She was exactly as her photo suggested with sharp eyes, elegant features, wearing a deep blue dress with the Supplement Guild crest prominently displayed on her shoulder.

Her black hair was done up in an intricate style with jeweled pins and she even looked calm, confident.

Six bodyguards were positioned around the room. Three pretended to be guests, standing near windows with drinks they never sipped and three more were stationed near exits.

All of them had the telltale posture of trained fighters.

Koya activated Sensory to its maximum range. He could track all forty people simultaneously, map their positions, and predict their patterns.

He circulated with his tray, offering wine. They took it but no one looked at his face, after all, to them, he was furniture then he saw the rival catering team on the opposite side of the room… five servers in slightly different uniforms with a different company logo.

They were doing the same job, moving through the crowd with trays of drinks and appetizers.

Koya was watching one of them approach Saeko’s table when it happened. A young male server from the rival team offered Saeko a glass of dark red wine with a respectful bow.

She reached for it then stopped.

Her hand froze mid-air and her eyes narrowed. She looked at the glass, then at the server’s face, then back at the glass.

The room’s ambient noise seemed to drop.

“What,” Saeko said slowly, her voice cutting through the music, “is in this drink?”

The server blinked, confused. “Madam? It’s wine, imported from—”

“Are you trying to POISON me?!” Saeko’s voice exploded through the hall.

She stood abruptly, grabbed the glass from the server’s tray, and hurled it to the floor where it shattered spectacularly.

Red wine splashed across the marble in a pattern that looked disturbingly like blood.

Every conversation stopped, the string quartet faltered and forty pairs of eyes turned to watch.

The server went pale. “N-no, Madam, I would never—”

“Security!” Saeko snapped her fingers. Two of her bodyguards materialized beside her immediately. “Remove this man… Search him! Check every drink the rival catering team has brought. I want their entire company investigated for attempted assassination!”

The bodyguards grabbed the server roughly.

He was protesting, saying it was a misunderstanding, that he was just doing his job but they dragged him toward a side door anyway.

The head of the rival catering team was trying to apologize profusely, promising it was a mistake, that all their drinks had been sealed meanwhile Marina, Koya’s team leader, looked at him and the others with wide, panicked eyes.

Koya stood perfectly still, tray in hand, watching Saeko return to her seat.

’She’s paranoid.’ He realized immediately. ’Of course she is. She just had someone killed three days ago. She knows she’s being investigated. She knows people might be gunning for her. She’s not going to accept drinks from anyone she doesn’t personally trust.’

The mission just became infinitely more complicated. He’d need to think like an actual assassin, not a server with a convenient vial of poison.

“Fuck…” Koya muttered under his breath, keeping his face neutral while his mind worked through alternative approaches.

’Or… do I need one? I can do the same thing, just tweak it up a bit.’ He thought.

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