# Chapter 17
Contrary to my expectations, Ben provided the answer as easily as if he were giving directions. My expression crumbled for a moment. I quickly composed myself, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling of bewilderment.
“…Are you sure it’s okay to tell just anyone about that?”
At this point, I was suspicious it might be a trap. It was clearly information that anyone would want to keep secret. Ben was especially known for his strong loyalty to Peace. Yet he was handing over such crucial information to me, someone he hadn’t known for long.
Maybe Ben didn’t know the true nature of the underground 11th floor? Or perhaps the information about the 11th floor didn’t matter even if it was revealed?
But that couldn’t be right. If that were the case, they would just be open about it. It made more sense that he simply didn’t suspect me, an ordinary employee.
“…”
I felt strange. What would happen if he found out I was Peace’s enemy? He would eventually become someone I’d have to face if I succeeded in rescuing Alice.
The idea that someone I could now talk to so casually would become an enemy gave me an unfamiliar sensation.
For Boss, I should be able to kill anyone. But I couldn’t be certain I could kill him instantly. I kept hesitating. Could I really twist that neck? Such foolish hesitation.
“You’re not just anyone. It’s because you’re Hans. I can trust you.”
Was it because he said things like this?
In the organization, executives would occasionally show me such favor, but they were people I didn’t need to kill. They would never betray the organization.
But Ben was different. I should be ready to kill him even tomorrow if needed. Personal feelings shouldn’t interfere with that.
“I thought you were just around me because I was interesting.”
I barely managed to form a sentence by moving my tongue, which had gone stiff and immobile. My complicated feelings made my words come out sharper than intended.
But Ben didn’t seem to mind at all and just smiled brightly.
“It’s a first for me. Meeting someone interesting.”
His kindness was overwhelming. It easily shattered the resolve I thought would never waver.
“Maybe it’s because I’ve always met boring people, but with Hans, I want to do anything for you.”
All I could do in response to this unbearable kindness was to say one thing.
“…Thank you.”
Those words, sullied with all sorts of emotions, reached him. Did he understand what they meant?
“I should be thanking you. Thanks to you, every day has been enjoyable lately.”
He probably didn’t. That’s why he’d probably resent me enough to want me dead later.
I looked away from his bright smile. My mouth tasted bitter. I thought I could do anything for Boss.
Why was I feeling like this? And for someone I didn’t even particularly like. Shouldn’t I be able to kill without a moment’s hesitation?
Though they were my own feelings, even I couldn’t understand the reason.
* * *
Boss entered the ‘Alice’ headquarters after leaving Kay at Hans’s apartment. After organization members bowed to him, he boarded the elevator and let out a small sigh.
Today had been truly precarious. Falling asleep due to the warm body temperature had been a mistake.
Fortunately, he had woken up mid-sleep; otherwise, it could have been troublesome. Kay, with his keen sense of smell, would know that Boss had visited him, but he wouldn’t know that Boss had transformed into a wolf and sought him out on his own.
Boss didn’t want Kay to know that fact.
If Kay found out, he would certainly do everything to prevent it. He would suppress his instincts even if it meant restraining his own body.
Kay hated inconveniencing others to an extreme degree. If he knew this fact, he wouldn’t just leave it be.
Boss didn’t like that. Until now, Kay had been coming due to instinct, but if he were to block that instinct, who knows what might happen.
In that case, there was a possibility that Kay might show that form to someone else. The thought of someone other than himself seeing that form—what could be more unpleasant?
With a slight frown, Boss walked down the long corridor. His figure was caught in Alex’s sight, who happened to be walking down the same corridor.
As it happened, Alex had something to say to Boss. Seeing Boss, Alex quickly approached him.
“Boss!”
Recognizing Alex’s voice immediately, Boss turned around.
“What is it?”
Since no one else was around except for Alex and himself, Boss used informal speech as usual. Walking in step with Boss, Alex also asked casually.
“Is Kay doing well?”
This was Kay’s first infiltration mission. Though he always performed his tasks perfectly, this time was bound to cause concern. Alex thought Kay’s social skills were lacking.
It was understandable since Kay had lived on the streets before joining the organization. Although he had developed some social skills by now, they were still far below those of an ordinary person.
In the organization, there were matters that could be resolved by killing someone, but that wasn’t the case in society. Alex hoped Kay understood that point well.
Although Kay was typically calm, Alex couldn’t help but worry. Noticing Alex’s concern, Boss nodded calmly.
“He’s fine so far.”
Alex didn’t need to worry about Kay. Contrary to his concern, Kay was actually quite skilled at controlling his emotions.
If Kay had acted on his emotions, half of ‘Alice’ would already be dead. Boss could guarantee that. That’s how few people in ‘Alice’ were friendly toward Kay.
The reason was probably because Kay was the only executive who had entered as a non-ability user. There was bound to be a difference in how people viewed those who always had abilities versus those who developed them later.
There had been significant resistance to him becoming an executive, and it must have been even worse in direct interactions. It would have been enough to break Kay.
But he hadn’t broken. As long as it didn’t harm the organization, he had kept his emotions in check. The proof was in the organization members who were still alive today.
Though he could have killed them without saying a word, he was such a foolish child. Sometimes Boss couldn’t understand that foolishness, and sometimes it made him sad.
Though he didn’t know the reason for that sadness.
Alex’s expression relaxed at the clear answer. Boss never lied. If Boss said it was fine, then it must be fine.
Having set aside his worries, Alex brought up a different topic instead of ending the conversation.
“Why did you think Kay was the right person for the job?”
It was something he hadn’t asked before. At that time, he had been too surprised by Boss’s words to think about their meaning.
“His ability isn’t suited for infiltration.”
Thinking about it later, the description of “right person” didn’t seem to fit Kay. His ability was specialized for combat.
When he swung his fierce claws, enemies instantly shattered into pieces on the ground. When he bared his sharp teeth, necks snapped like twigs. Kay left pools of blood wherever he went.
It was so bad that even the corpse disposal team reportedly gave up on handling bodies Kay had created. The corpses were certainly brutal. But Alex couldn’t look away from Kay in combat.
He dealt with opponents with quick and flexible movements. Kay, covered in blood with a glint of madness in his eyes, seemed like a being born for the organization.
That’s why, although he found Kay eerie, Alex couldn’t help but watch him.
Perhaps because that image was so vivid in his mind, Alex couldn’t imagine Kay infiltrating, nor did it seem to suit him.
Therefore, Alex couldn’t understand why Boss had chosen Kay. What had he seen in Kay to judge him as the right person?
Receiving Alex’s questioning gaze fully, Boss found his answer. After hesitating briefly, he gently opened his mouth.
“I became curious.”
It was a question that had suddenly occurred to him. Could Kay continue to see only him?
“Whether he would change after experiencing a normal life.”
The question of whether he might change.
Boss knew Kay was blindly devoted to him. If not, Kay would have killed him long ago.
But he couldn’t be satisfied with just that. He needed something more certain.
Meanwhile, an infiltration mission came up. Infiltration was a mission Kay had never done before. There was nothing better than this to gauge Kay.
“So that’s why you said he was the right person?”
Alex looked at Boss with an expression of incomprehension. It wasn’t like Boss to make decisions about important missions based on personal feelings.
Reading Alex’s look, Boss shook his head. It wasn’t just that. He couldn’t determine the right person for an important mission based on mere curiosity.
“Even setting aside personal feelings, Kay was the right choice for infiltration.”
Boss was confident Kay would succeed. While Kay’s ability was specialized for combat, that didn’t mean it wasn’t suitable for infiltration.
Rather, his sensitivity to sensations allowed him to detect things others couldn’t, and his abilities gave him an advantage in escaping if discovered.
The reason Kay hadn’t been assigned to infiltration until now was because it was much more efficient to assign him to combat, not because he wasn’t suited for infiltration.
“Besides, Kay is the one who needs to retrieve Alice. He needs to become familiar with the building structure.”
Furthermore, he would eventually have to extract Alice. By infiltrating Peace, he could understand the structure in detail, so there was no one more suited for this infiltration.
Alex slowly nodded at his words. Certainly, it wasn’t wrong. But there was one particular word that bothered him. Alex, who had been listening quietly, frowned.
“Still, she’s your sister. Aren’t you treating her too casually?”
‘Retrieve’ as if Alice were an object. Boss had even created the organization to find Alice. But his attitude just now hardly seemed like he was dealing with something precious.
At Alex’s comment, Boss exclaimed as if he had realized something he’d forgotten.
“Ah… That’s right.”
