Chapter 227: Interview. 09:26
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Gray clouds that look like they could start snowing at any moment are spreading.
Sunlight extending straight from the eastern sky, slipping through the gaps, illuminates the inside of the ruined chapel.
This is a deserted village that was once attacked and destroyed by a large group of monsters and has been left abandoned.
Almost no one remembers what this village was called in its heyday... and the chapel, whose walls were once painted a beautiful white and kept clean, now only allows itself to decay.
...That should have been the case.
The morning sun, barely shining through, illuminates the interior decorations of the chapel that were recently made by human hands.
Yes, in the chapel of the deserted village where there should be no inhabitants, there are certainly traces of human presence.
However, despite being a chapel, those decorations are not the kind of things like flower arrangements or wooden statues symbolizing gods.
They are picture frames.
"Growth," "Labor," "Motivation," "Gratitude"... and "Summit."
Those picture frames contain calligraphic works with extremely positive words that make one's heart dance and motivation surge just by looking at them, hung on the walls in an orderly manner, and near the walls, cute, twisted ornamental plants add color to the room with their fresh greenery despite it being winter.
In the center of this space, where a truly lazy person who hates labor would go insane within 5 seconds if thrown in, three men and women in their own attire were facing each other, surrounding a square table.
"...So, would you mind telling me? What is... assassination to you?"
One of them... a slender man with well-tanned skin, white hair, and narrow white-rimmed glasses, asked that question with a gentle smile while resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands in front of his face.
This man is wearing a jacket, shirt, and slacks, giving the impression of a businessman from our world.
However, it is worn casually, giving more of a frivolous impression rather than a serious one.
His hands are adorned with several silver rings, sparkling and shining.
"Yes! It is the act of killing people! ...But it's not just that. I believe that assassination is an opportunity for growth!"
The one who answered the question was a tall, long-haired, handsome young man sitting across from the white-rimmed glasses man.
He is wearing a long coat that reaches the floor when he sits on the chair, and his slightly rolled-up arms are wrapped round and round with bandage-like cloths with patterns that seem somehow cool but whose purpose is unknown.
He is answering with a smile on his face and in a clear manner, but it is quite obvious that he is tense, with his shoulders stiff.
His fists, clenched on his knees, are drenched with sweat.
Now, you must have already figured it out.
What is being conducted here, at this place, is a job interview.
Of course, the relationship is that the white-rimmed glasses man is the one hiring, and the coated young man is the one being hired.
However, it is not a job interview for a legitimate organization.
This is a job interview for... an underground organization formed by gathering assassins!
Whether it is a normal organization or an underground organization, it is natural and the principle of nature to recruit talented individuals without relying on personal connections and try to gather a wide range of talents...
Therefore, it is not strange at all for an underground organization to conduct job interviews.
"Oh, an opportunity for growth! Could you tell me more specifically what you mean by that?"
"Yes! No matter what kind of assassination request it is, I believe it is not something where you can simply kill the target! In order to reliably assassinate the target, I think it is necessary to thoroughly understand the target's behavior patterns, hobbies, human relationships, etc., and to make detailed preparations in advance! For that reason, I think there will be situations where it is necessary to deepen one's knowledge and improve oneself, and more straightforwardly, if the opponent has high combat ability, I think it is necessary to deepen one's training and become stronger!"
The young man answered the prepared response in one breath, albeit slightly faster than usual.
And here, he takes a single breath.
"And above all, my magic sword 'Soul Devourer' raises my power by killing the opponent and sipping their soul. This is precisely the reason why I think assassination is an opportunity for growth, the number one reason why I aspired to be an assassin, and the biggest selling point to everyone at 'Purple Dual Rings'!"
Glancing at his beloved sword leaning against the umbrella stand at the entrance of the room, the young man said that with a smile.
"I see, in other words, you... kill people to improve yourself, is that right? Kill more and more, and become stronger and stronger. That is your career plan."
"Yes!"
The white-rimmed glasses man summarized it like that while smiling and wrote something down on a memo pad on the table.
Next to him, a giant woman over 3 meters tall, covered in massive muscles and half-naked, is eagerly taking notes while uncomfortably curling up her huge body so as not to miss the young man's words.
Due to her monstrous strength, the giant woman frequently breaks pencils.
Sara sara sara... Snap... Sara sara sara... Snap...
Only those sounds echo in the now quiet room.
However, they do not reach the young man's ears.
All he can hear now is his own heartbeat, beating faster than usual... and nothing else.
"I understand very well."
Glancing sideways to confirm that the giant woman had finished taking notes, the white-rimmed glasses man said that and straightened his back.
"Let me tell you one thing."
And he stopped the gentle smile with unreadable intentions, put on a serious face, and began to speak.
Seeing that, the long-haired young man also gulped and straightened his posture again.
"If you join us, the 'Purple Dual Rings,' in the future and work together with us... there is something I want you to remember."
"Something you want me to remember...?"
What could it be?
The young man had no idea and unintentionally repeated the previous words.
"Yes, it is my philosophy. I believe... that 'assassination is a contribution to society.'"
"Eh...!?"
Assassination... is a contribution to society!?
The long-haired young man widened his eyes upon hearing the unexpected opinion.
The white-rimmed glasses man spread the fingers of both hands wide in front of his chest and leaned forward to speak.
"That's right. Assassins are not mere murderers. They receive the anguished thoughts of the client who 'wants someone killed,' fulfill them, and receive money. By doing so, they serve the world and the people... contributing to society. That is what we assassins are. Therefore, our organization is different from the so-called common third-rate 'evil organizations.'"
"I see...!"
The white-rimmed glasses man calmly said that.
However, the young man felt that there was power in his words.
He felt that his firm beliefs were oozing from every part of his words...
"Hey, how many people have you killed so far?"
And here, a sudden change of topic.
The young man hurriedly began to appeal his background.
"Yes! First, I massacred my family, my father, mother, and sister! And the uncles and aunts living in the same village, all of them... It was a small village, so I've killed about 20 people in total! Then I wandered around big towns, killing little by little... I think I've killed about 40 people in total!"
The long-haired young man proudly puffed out his chest and spoke of his hideous deeds!
These demonic deeds that would make an ordinary person turn pale and immediately want to call the guards are one of his important selling points.
"I see, is that to improve your own power?"
"Yes! 'Soul Devourer' whispers to me every night to gather souls!"
"I see, I see! That's amazing. You're quite something despite being young. You've been putting in effort with an eye on the future."
"Thank you for the compliment!"
The young man unintentionally blushed.
This interview is proceeding with a good impression!
He clenches his fist in his heart and shouts with joy!
"But"
However, as if seeing through the young man's thoughts, the white-rimmed glasses man suddenly tightens his mouth and narrows his eyes.
The air in the room becomes heavy and stagnant.
The chapel window rattles from the cold winter wind.
[Umbrella Stand]
This author has never taken a job interview while carrying a magic sword, so not knowing the correct etiquette, they decided to have the magic sword leaned against the umbrella stand for now.
By placing the weapon out of reach, it demonstrates trust in the other party and lack of hostility.