* * *

Drugs were widely popular among villains. The villain from that faction who had said last time that they would get rid of every last drug was more than strange—they were an outright oddity.

"... That's correct. We took it over during a turf war."

Seungyu answered in surprise. How had he known?

「Surprised?」

"To be honest, yes."

Seungyu soon smiled. The expression seemed to say, Of course.

Hyeonyul wasn't fooled by that expression. These people weren't human. They weren't Black Eagles, either. They were beings with whom he couldn't rely on something as flimsy as trust.

"I was planning to tell you when you visited, actually. On your orders, we have decided to stop dealing in drugs."

「Are you following through?」

"Of course. We're currently collecting all of them. We have a considerable quantity, so we've set up several separate warehouses to store them. Naturally, we'll check again to make sure everything has been collected properly."

「Including what's in the drug production factory?」

"Yes. There was a little friction, but nothing we couldn't handle. We took care of it all."

「Raid them.」

"We were already preparing to do so."

Hyeonyul was quite pleased with Seungyu's answer. At least he was good at his job.

「Seungyu.」

"Yes."

「What happened earlier wasn't great.」

「But do you know you're really good at your job?」

"... N-no, not at all. I'll work harder. Didn't I make a very serious mistake today?"

Seungyu immediately bowed his head. Praise. It had been so long since he'd received anything like it that he could hardly remember. It hit him with overwhelming force.

「No. You're good at your job.」

Hyeonyul held out his phone so Seungyu could see it. Seungyu bowed his head even lower. His body was trembling.

'Praise really does work.'

Seeing its effect, Hyeonyul thought he ought to buy a book. He needed to know how to handle people.

"... A-an offer came in today."

「What offer?」

"It was from a faction even I had never heard of. They said they knew we were collecting drugs and strongly demanded that we destroy them."

Seungyu raised his head slightly. He looked somewhat irritated. But Hyeonyul heard something different in those words.

'... It's that faction.'

The villains who said they would eradicate drugs. He hadn't expected them to make contact like this.

"I was going to eliminate them, but I remembered your instructions and stopped. Could you tell me how to handle this?"

「Tell them to meet me.」

"... Understood."

Seungyu answered for now, but hesitated. Was there really a reason to meet them?

「What did I say about drugs?」

"You said you wanted to eradicate them."

「Then that's what we'll do.」

「That's why I'm meeting them.」

「Do you need any more reason than that?」

"No."

Only then did Seungyu's expression relax. If his master wanted to do it, then it had to be done. That was the right path.

「Seungyu.」

"Yes."

「You have to look ahead.」

"Ahead, you say?"

「Yes. Far ahead.」

Seeing Seungyu waver, Hyeonyul wanted to bring him back into line. He had seen all sorts of situations while killing villains. In particular, watching those who professed cultlike beliefs had taught him that even nonsense and bizarre statements could sound quite convincing if delivered seriously. He had yet to achieve his goal, so he still needed to use this place, didn't he?

「The Black Eagles are watching us.」

"Yes. I'm fully aware of that, so we never engaged them. We chose to flee."

「And what was the result?」

Seungyu's eyes went blank for a moment. The result? He had never thought about that. Of course, quite a few people had looked at him with contempt the moment he mentioned fleeing.

Their leader had changed in an instant, so naturally order wasn't fully established yet. But why should he accept that as natural? Didn't opposition mean death here? If they didn't like it, they shouldn't have set foot here. There was only one voice allowed to speak: his master's. If they disliked that, they should never have crawled in here in the first place.

So he had swept them all away. He disposed of them, no matter who they were. There were plenty of people coming over to their side, so he didn't care whether they were talented or anything else.

As a result, interference from the Black Eagles had decreased considerably. The Black Eagles had faltered.

'... The Black Eagles are hesitating.'

Seungyu looked at Hyeonyul as though he'd realized something.

「Do you understand now?」

"I...only just understood. Only now have I realized how dull-witted I am. I've barely begun to understand how far ahead Your Majesty has looked. Reproach me for my stupidity."

Seungyu's voice trembled.

「Some will laugh and call it running away.」

「Some will point fingers and call us stupid.」

「But look at who's really stupid.」

You.

Hyeonyul wanted to say that, but his fingers typed something else.

「Someone is pulling our strings from behind the scenes.」

It wasn't completely wrong. Wasn't there actually someone behind the Poison King? He had greatly inflated a small fact, but even bullshit sounded plausible when presented seriously.

「They're my enemies.」

「I'll say it again. Don't touch the Black Eagles.」

「Don't touch civilians, either.」

Hyeonyul issued the warning once more.

"We won't touch them. I'll be certain to keep that in mind."

Seungyu answered readily, without the slightest hesitation.

「If anyone disobeys my orders.」

「Kill them.」

"Naturally. This faction belongs to its king. Whatever lies in the path you walk, I will deal with it."

「Then let's call that person in.」

Hyeonyul sat on the sofa.

"Understood."

Seungyu bowed his head, then glanced back briefly while leaving the room.

"Feel free to look at anything you wish. I apologize if that was presumptuous."

Hyeonyul waved him away, telling him to hurry along.

'Two surveillance cameras.'

They weren't anything to worry about. He had checked on his way in, and their angles missed only the desk over there. In other words, if he sat at that desk, the cameras wouldn't be able to record what happened.

He didn't know whether that was intentional or there was some other reason, but Hyeonyul readily took a seat. Nothing happened. He raised his head and checked the cameras again. There were only those two.

'Why isn't anything happening?'

Instead of checking the computer, Hyeonyul checked on Seungyu. Right now, following that bastard's trail was the right move. Since he wore a mask, he didn't need to cover anything. His eyes and ears melted away. He quickly followed after Seungyu.

Seungyu entered a different office. All the villains there rose to their feet as though under strict discipline.

"Contact this number and tell them the king is waiting. They'd better get here within five minutes."

Seungyu took out a business card and handed it to a subordinate who approached.

He took out his phone and called someone.

"Yeah. It's me. Tell everyone to gather."

After that brief instruction, he took the elevator downstairs.

Only a few minutes had passed since the order, but a large crowd had assembled. Their extraordinary coordination might have been surprising, but Hyeonyul wasn't surprised. He was used to it. Day, night, or dawn, you had to come running when called. That was the norm over there.

Everyone standing in that mass looked utterly soulless.

'Did I look like that, too?'

It struck Hyeonyul anew.

"You."

Seungyu walked among them and pointed at someone.

"And you."

He singled them out one by one. Everyone he named turned deathly pale. Hyeonyul had a gut feeling about what he was going to do.

"Step forward."

At Seungyu's command, all those he'd singled out came forward as though someone had shoved them from behind.

"Kill them."

With that crisp instruction, Seungyu waited quietly.

Everyone standing there rushed at them, without exception. It was an act meant to share the sin equally and ease their guilt equally. Seungyu said nothing until the victims stopped breathing. Only after dark blood flowed and flowed across the floor did he speak.

"Remember our master, who visited us just now. We exist because of him."

He issued the warning quietly.

"He alone is our master."

It was difficult to find any pretense in Seungyu's expression as he stared murderously at them.

'He's saying this even when I'm not there?'

Hyeonyul was puzzled. Did a figurehead president have any reason to go this far? Despite the unexpected development, Hyeonyul didn't abandon his suspicions. That bastard was a villain, after all. He kept watching until Seungyu returned.

"Have you been waiting long?"

Seungyu approached with a smile. Hyeonyul watched him with his chin propped on his hand.

「When are they coming?」

"They'll be here soon. Isn't the mask uncomfortable? I'll have a more comfortable one made for you."

「Don't bother.」

"Understood. Would you like something to eat? I'll get you anything."

Seungyu asked eagerly. Now that he had killed the nuisances, he finally felt at ease.

「Are you curious about my face?」

"Wouldn't it be a lie to say I wasn't? But until you show me, I won't do anything."

「I look human.」

「It's a hassle if people know your face.」

"You're absolutely right. The surveillance cameras don't reach that spot. If there's anything you'd like to eat, please tell me. I won't let anyone in. I'll wait outside myself."

Seungyu stated the facts. Had he anticipated that Hyeonyul would already have searched the place? Hyeonyul rose calmly.

「Why do you think I left them alone when I could just smash them?」

「Just organize the documents I need to see and give them to me.」

He started to sit on the sofa, then lay down instead.

"Understood."

Seungyu beamed. He hoped Hyeonyul would stay here for a long, long time before leaving. It felt as though this room had finally found its master.

TAP TAP.

Seungyu turned at the sound.

「You changed the decor?」

"... Oh, you noticed?"

Seungyu's voice trembled. He had redone everything.

"Do you...like it?"

「Where did you have it done?」

"I did it myself. Before I entered this line of work, I worked in interior design."

As Seungyu smiled, Hyeonyul nodded.

「It's nice.」

His current home was nice, too, but he also liked the decor here.

* * *

Seungyu looked at the woman. Her short hair made her already large earrings stand out. The upturned corners of her eyes gave her a sharp appearance.

"What the hell are you staring at?"

The corners of her mouth rose. It was closer to a sneer than a smile.

"You're not the one who's supposed to be here."

"I'm going to take over, so I came to play successor. I should be qualified enough."

The woman looked at her nails as she answered, sounding annoyed.

"Sending you instead? Sounds like someone got scared."

"Not a chance. I don't think you lot have any right to talk, abandoning your own leader and switching to another in no time. What should I call you?"

"... Ha."

The corners of Seungyu's eyes lifted. A fierce wind blew around him.

"The Poison King is not my master. I have only one master. So shut your mouth."

"Why? Did I hit a nerve?"

As one corner of her mouth rose higher, Seungyu drew a deep breath.

"I'd like to rip your throat out right now, but my master wants to see you. So watch your mouth."

"You shut your mouth and open the door."

The woman made her displeasure clear.

Seungyu hesitated again and again. He wanted to kill that arrogant woman. Whether it sparked a faction war or not, he was confident he could win.

'... He said he wanted to meet her.'

Then he had to let them meet. Suppressing his killing intent, Seungyu opened the door.

The woman started inside, then faltered at the sight of Hyeonyul lying on the sofa.

"... What the hell? It really is a rabbit?"

She'd heard talk of Rabbit Mask or whatever, but she'd thought it was a joke. What faction leader in the world would put on a tacky rabbit mask?

'The mask itself isn't tacky, but still, this is a bit...'

「Hello.」

"Can't you speak?"

The woman looked at the words on the phone and spoke in apparent disbelief.

"... I told you to watch your mouth."

A blade-like gust rushed toward her throat.

TING!

The instant it touched her skin, it bounced away and gouged the wall instead.

CRRRUNCH.

"Oh dear. What a shame."

The woman sneered, and Hyeonyul observed.

'The air suddenly changed direction.'

On the surface, it looked as though she had blocked it, but in reality its direction had changed.

'Does she redirect attacks? Or can she reverse any direction?'

Considering that raw ability and imagining how he could kill her, Hyeonyul slammed his hand down on the desk.

BANG!

「Enough.」

He moved his phone.

「Come here.」

"... Yes. I will."

Seungyu ran to Hyeonyul, and the woman mocked him.

"Just like a little puppy."

「Woof, woof.」

Hyeonyul barked for her.

「There.」

「Satisfied?」

The woman burst out laughing at that.

"That is pretty funny, but you see, there's something I'm curious about."

The woman blinked. Rabbit Mask had vanished from in front of her. As she turned her head, her gaze dipped slightly to one side. Instead of a sword, she saw a phone.

「Something like this?」