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Gilbreth sat in the lobby of the New York Templar Knights headquarters, his mind completely blank.
He had only been home for a few hours when a phone call summoned him here and informed him that his contract was complete.
Complete.
Gilbreth stared at the photos in his hands.
They showed several bodies.
Each one had a bullet hole between the eyes.
Some faces were twisted in panic.
Some in fear.
Some in rage.
Yet as a police officer, Gilbreth felt a quiet sense of pleasure.
Even after all these years, he recognized them instantly.
From the moment his parents were killed, he had never forgotten those faces.
And now, after a simple, almost curious attempt-
It had worked.
Just like that.
Gilbreth couldn't quite believe it.
But the photos were real.
So was the result.
The emptiness that followed felt familiar.
Like pulling an all-nighter for two exams and finally finishing both.
Exhausted.
Empty.
Done.
"Mr. Gilbreth."
Charon walked over with a folder, sat across from him, opened it, and placed a document on the table.
"Once you sign this confirmation, your contract will be officially completed."
"Is this..." Gilbreth snapped back to reality. "Is this really real?"
"I'm sorry... I feel a little dazed."
"It's absolutely real," Charon said with a gentle smile.
"You've already seen the photos."
"Since this was our first order and it happened so recently, we completed it very quickly."
"...It's really true..." Gilbreth murmured.
"Sir," Charon continued, still smiling. "I understand you may be emotional, but could you please sign and fingerprint the document?"
"We need it for our records."
"Ah... yes."
Gilbreth signed and pressed his fingerprint.
Charon closed the folder, nodded, and stood.
"It was a pleasure serving you."
"I wish you a pleasant life."
"If you feel tired, you're welcome to rest here for a while."
He turned and walked toward the front desk.
"...Sir."
Gilbreth rubbed the cross in his hand, hesitated, then called out.
"Yes?" Charon turned back.
"There's something I'd like to ask."
"Can I join the Templar Knights?"
"I don't have any special abilities. I'm just a small police officer."
"For years, I was obsessed with revenge, but I never saw even a trace of hope."
"I thought I'd live my whole life without achieving it."
"But today..."
"You helped me fulfill my wish."
"You helped me eliminate my enemies."
"You fulfilled the dream of my entire life."
"So if possible..."
"Please let me join the Templar Knights."
"I want to contribute my strength and protect order."
"...If you're that determined," Charon said after a pause.
He lowered his head, checked Gilbreth's file, then nodded.
"Please follow me."
Gilbreth followed Charon toward the elevator.
Before Charon could press the button, the elevator began descending.
Someone was coming down.
The doors opened.
"Mr. Morin. Mr. Winston."
Charon nodded politely.
"Good evening."
"Good evening," Winston replied.
His gaze shifted to Gilbreth.
"And this gentleman is...?"
"This is Mr. Gilbreth," Charon explained.
"He has requested to join the Templar Knights."
"Hello," Gilbreth said instinctively.
As he looked at Morin, a strange sense of familiarity surfaced.
Europeans often struggled to distinguish Asian faces.
Just as Asians struggled with European ones.
"You're Gilbreth?" Morin raised an eyebrow.
The first contract the Templar Knights completed had been his.
Of course Morin remembered him.
"Yes."
"Very good."
Morin patted Gilbreth on the shoulder and continued walking.
"The first person to issue a contract."
"The first completed contract."
"The first to actively apply to join."
"I believe in you."
This guy was collecting every possible "first" for the Templar Knights.
"Th-thank you?" Gilbreth watched Morin and Winston walk away, then turned to Charon.
"Who was that?"
"Why do I feel like I've seen him before?"
"That's the leader of the Templar Knights," Charon said with a smile.
"And the one who spoke publicly for the Knights today."
"Mr. Morin."
-
The news of the first completed contract spread online almost instantly.
All evidence and files were made public.
Words meant nothing.
Facts proved everything.
With the first successful order completed, the rest would follow like falling snow.
Soon after, a pinned announcement shocked the world again.
A contract worth $2.2 billion.
Transferred directly into the Templar Knights' account.
The objective:
Destroy the remaining eleven Continental Hotels worldwide.
The staggering amount.
The terrifying target.
And most of all-
The identity of the client.
[An eager citizen who found $2.2 billion on the side of the road]
The comments were filled with jokes.
"To be honest, $2.2 billion feels a bit low," Morin said over the phone.
"How about we add a little more?"
"We're facing a lot of internal resistance," Anderson replied with a sigh.
"The people you're targeting have dirt from the High Table."
"They didn't reach their positions cleanly."
"Two hundred million per hotel isn't a small sum."
"Alright," Morin said. "Then I can't take a loss, can I?"
"We'll only eliminate each hotel's manager and destroy the location."
"Any assassin casualties along the way are a bonus."
"How does that sound?"
"...Fine," Anderson said after a pause.
"We accept."
Morin's terms aligned closely with Anderson's goals anyway.
Kill the managers.
Destroy the hotels.
Wasn't that destroying a Continental Hotel?
The Continental's true power lay in its rule:
No bloodshed on hotel grounds.
Once that rule was broken-
Once its reputation collapsed-
Its status would follow.
And once it fell far enough...
The High Table wouldn't even need to act.
The backlash from their own dissenting subordinates would keep them occupied.
"Excellent," Morin said as he got into his car.
"Our agreement is settled."
"I'm leaving now."
"Wait-you?" Anderson caught the last word.
"Yes," Morin looked out at the streetlights passing by.
"I'll handle all eleven Continental Hotels myself."
Against a thousand men-
I advance alone.
After all-
That $2.2 billion was his.