Volume 3 Chapter 54: The Assassination Target【Assassination Organization Arc】

She is Number 2.

She has no name.

That number is the only means by which she is identified.

A name is something bestowed by a parent upon a child.

It is one of the most important elements of one’s identity, but naturally she has nothing so grand.

Because she has no parents.

Well, at the time she was born there were those one might call her biological father and mother, I suppose.
But by the time she became aware… no, even before that, her parents were never by her side.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter, meow.”

Wagging her legs unsteadily, Number 2 murmurs.

She has no interest whatsoever in the absence of parents.

That’s largely because everyone around her is in a similar situation.

Had she been in an ordinary environment—like that of regular people in mainstream society where having parents is taken for granted—she might have cared a bit about it.

But she belongs to the underworld, an assassination organization.

Having parents and being raised with love would actually be considered abnormal.

The norms of the surface world are the aberrations of the underworld, and vice versa.

Therefore, she never gets overly excited or despondent about whether or not she has parents, and she accepts her place in the assassination organization without complaint.

“Were you here, Number 2?”

“Ugh!”

“…Let’s refrain from openly showing your dislike at the sight of someone’s face.”

Even the man is thoroughly put off by the genuinely repulsed look on her face.
He is, frankly, shocked.

“The boss was angry. Said you were slacking off too much.”

“Eh? I’m doing my work just fine, so what’s the big deal?”

The man admonishes her purely out of goodwill.

In this underworld assassination organization, there is an absolute hierarchy, and the world is far more ruthless than mainstream society.

It is taken for granted that if you displease the boss, you’ll be killed on the spot.

Desperate to avoid being disliked by the ultimate authority, they do everything in their power to keep the boss happy and earn his favor.

But that is something the woman known as Number 2 simply refuses to do.

She is capricious.

It’s hard to predict where she might be at any given moment, and the fact that the man is speaking with her right now is largely due to chance.

If she were to seriously go into hiding, he would never be able to catch her.

That, in turn, makes her extremely difficult to manage within the organization.

Even if they decide to call her in for a mission, if she isn’t caught, there’s nothing they can do.

That’s why Number 2 understands all too well that the boss doesn’t hold her in high regard.

“Conversely, if you weren’t an ace with a 100% completion rate, you’d have been disposed of long ago.”

“Then it’s thanks to that ‘myaa’ power, huh? Thank goodness, thank goodness.”

Number 2 giggles gleefully.

Her refusal to ever deny anything might be seen as insolent, in a way, but it isn’t wrong at all.

In this assassination organization, if you’re judged to be even a little bit worthless, you’re eliminated.

Despite living free and unbound by the organization, the reason Number 2 hasn’t been purged is simply that she’s an exceptionally talented assassin.

She has so many accomplishments that her everyday conduct is overlooked.

If a man were to do the same thing, he’d already be a corpse dumped in some back alley.

It is precisely because Number 2 can effortlessly complete assignments that many in the organization have failed at that she is able to survive like this.

“…Even if the boss sets his sights on you, nothing good will come of it. If you think about the future, you should do better…”

But it’s clear that this is not the best course of action. The boss certainly doesn’t like Number 2, and if he deems her useless, he’ll discard her in an instant.

So, even when warned to be more loyal to the organization… to the boss, Number 2 snorts with laughter.

“The future? Do we even have time to worry about that, myaa?”

She gazes up at the blue sky. Whether from the pristine surface or the grimy underbelly, if you look up, the same beautiful sky stretches overhead.

“If we keep doing work like this, it’s guaranteed we’ll end up dying a miserable death. We might as well live leisurely and happily until then—or else it’s a loss.” “…………”

The man doesn’t answer. In this conversation, you never know who might be listening.

Even if Number 2 is allowed to speak freely, if the man happens to agree, he might end up being killed. Not seeking an answer, she immediately turns away.

“Well, looks like I’m being called, so myaa, I’m off.”

◆

“Assassinating a noble, huh.”

Number 2 wanders along, muttering to herself. Assassinating a noble. Among the requests that come in from the underworld, it isn’t all that rare—requests targeting the privileges of the nobles or asking for the murder of a malicious feudal lord. The reasons vary, and there’s nothing particularly jaw-dropping about it. This time, what Number 2 was ordered by the boss was the assassination of a young noble who was granted territory following the recent death of the former feudal lord. While noble assassinations aren’t that uncommon, if you ask whether such a request is easy to accomplish, the answer is no. Even in the underworld, assassinating a noble is no easy feat. If it were that simple, nobles would be getting killed and replaced all the time. Naturally, the nobles understand that they are always targets. For that reason, not only do they have bodyguards, but they also secure their whereabouts thoroughly. Overcoming that and successfully carrying out an assassination is no easy feat. In most cases, failure results in capture and execution. Therefore, even in the underworld, few take on noble assassinations, and even fewer actually succeed.

Such a job was assigned to Number 2. She has a proven track record in noble assassinations, and her abilities are trusted.

“Assassinating a noble is such a hassle, myaa.”

Number 2 lets out a deep sigh. She’s not saying she can’t do it. But it’s endlessly troublesome. Even she knows that if she acted too carefree, she’d end up getting caught and sent straight to the execution platform. Unless she prepares meticulously and gets serious, a noble cannot be killed. She’s been griping about the boss who assigns such work.

“And on top of that, the assassination request came from the noble’s younger brother. It’s just utterly absurd, myaa.”

It’s one of those noble family feuds they specialize in. To be honest, this sort of thing happens often. It isn’t unusual for relatives to request that one of them be killed. It’s a hallmark of nobility. Hearing this, Number 2 is fed up. Though she has no family, if things turn out like this, there’s really no need for one.

“Um, so the name of this assassination target is…”

She recalls the information she was given. It isn’t handed over on paper or anything tangible. If it were to be confiscated upon failure, it would endanger the organization. It is communicated verbally and must be memorized. Though she is forgetful, she certainly remembers the target’s name. Yes, that person’s name is…

“Was it Balor Apophis?”