The World Is Mine For The Taking

"Fufufufu…" Marie let out a low, almost mocking chuckle, her voice carrying a sly tone that seemed to linger in the air. "Well, I guess as long as it has a hole, you'd go for it, huh? That's the kind of man you are. Honestly, I find myself baffled by your way of thinking—completely absurd, really—but at the same time… I can't exactly say I dislike it." She tilted her head slightly, her smirk sharpening as she studied me.

"Don't make me sound like some kind of degenerate," I shot back. "I'm not so much of a horndog that I'd try something with just anything that happens to have a hole in it." My words came out firmer than I intended, and I caught myself narrowing my eyes at her, though I couldn't stop from glancing at her face again, trying to read what was really behind those expressions.

"You really are persistent," she continued, her eyes narrowing with amusement, "trying so hard to peel away at me, to get to know me. But you should understand one thing—I won't give you anything that could be useful for James. No matter how much you push, you're not going to get it."

"Like I said already," I told her, leaning back slightly, "I'm not that desperate to know about James. And even if I was, there's no way I'd get anywhere with you clamming up like that. So, instead of wasting my breath, I'd rather just ask about you."

Marie's expression shifted—softened, almost. She let out a small, dry laugh before speaking again. "There's nothing interesting about an old woman like me," she said flatly. "I've lived my whole life alone, never tied to anyone. I never felt sparks with any of the men I met. The concept of love, of falling in love—it's something I've never come to understand. And truthfully… I don't think I ever will."

Her words hung heavy in the room, a mix of confession and dismissal.

"So, what you're saying," I said slowly, trying to keep the sarcasm out of my tone, "is that there's absolutely nothing about you that's worth noting, and even something like love—a basic thing everyone else feels—completely slipped past you?"

That's what it sounded like anyway. Either she truly had no interest in the subject, or it was because she never bothered to care that love had never taken root in her life. Whichever way it was, I still felt there was more beneath the surface—something Marie was deliberately keeping tucked away.

"I don't have anything worth your time," Marie replied calmly. "So if you're trying to use me as some roundabout method to get at James, you're wasting your efforts. It's not going to happen."

I already knew that. She was iron-willed, the type who could be tortured, threatened, beaten within an inch of her life, and still not say a damn thing. If there was anyone capable of taking secrets to the grave without flinching, it was her.

I exhaled, long and tired. "Well then… looks like I'll just have to come back again another day," I said. "And if I want to pry something out of you, maybe I should lean on your so-called wisdom. You've been around long enough, after all—you're old enough to have something useful buried in there."

Her lips curved faintly, as if she found amusement in my jab. "Well then, I'll be looking forward to seeing you again," she said, her voice calm and steady.

With that, I turned and stepped out of the cell.

That's when I noticed Elise waiting for me outside.

"Here you are, Leon," she said, relief in her tone. "I've been searching all over for you. You told me you needed me for something."

"You're the leader of an organization, right?" I asked directly.

"Yes," she answered without hesitation. "I'm the leader of the Arachnid Sisters."

That admission made things much simpler.

"Earlier this month," I began, my tone sharpening, "an assassin was hired. The job was some kind of theft—I don't know if it was production goods or company secrets—but she was caught by the shadows before she could get far. That assassin just so happens to belong to the very organization you lead."

Her eyes widened instantly. Shock spread across her face. The idea that someone under her command had the nerve to move against me clearly rattled her.

We made our way to where the assassin was being held.

When Elise finally stood in front of her subordinate, her gaze sharpened. She looked down at the woman's wrist, and there it was—the unmistakable mark of her organization.

"I would've never expected someone from my own group to have the audacity to target you—my brother," she said, her voice cold. "I guess I never made it clear enough just how important you are to me."

"Did they even know I'm the leader of the Leonamon?" I asked.

"I didn't tell them," Elise admitted.

"Then it's not really their fault for not knowing," I replied. "Still, we should question her. Since you're her leader, you should have more sway over her than whoever hired her."

Right then, the woman stirred, her eyes fluttering open. The moment she registered Elise, her body tensed.

"L-Leader?! W-What are you doing here?!" she cried, her voice panicked.

"You should be the one answering that," Elise shot back, her tone razor sharp. "What are you doing here, trying to steal something from my brother?"

"B-Brother?" The woman's eyes widened even more, her head snapping toward me. "H-He's your brother?!"

"That's right," Elise said.

"Eeek!"

A shrill cry tore out of her as realization slammed into her. Her whole body trembled, fear written all over her face.

"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't know!" she babbled. "I was just following the job my employer gave me, nothing more!"

I looked at Elise, and she only shrugged, as if to say she wasn't surprised.

"Unfortunately, I don't keep track of who employs my subordinates," she explained. "I have no clue. Our policy allows them to take jobs anonymously. But we don't accept jobs that would endanger us or the entire organization. So—tell me. Who's your employer?"

"I… I don't know his real name," the assassin stammered. "But he told me to call him J.M. That's what he went by."

For anyone else in this world, those initials would've been meaningless. But for me, who carried knowledge beyond this place, the answer was clear. J.M. could only mean one thing.

James Moriarty.

The elusive bastard himself.

And now… that man had made his move against me.

As my thoughts turned heavy, piecing together what that meant, a sharp sound suddenly cut through the silence.

Beep.

"Kuh…!"

Instinct jolted through me. I didn't even know what was about to happen, but my body reacted before my mind could catch up. Guardian wrapped around the woman's body like a shell—

And a split second later, her body convulsed violently.

She exploded from the inside out.

The sound was deafening—blood, flesh, and heat bursting into the air like a grotesque firework.