Chapter 40: Major Hit

The system screen remained suspended in the air before him for several seconds. He stared at it, then carefully placed a hand on his chest.

His heart was, indeed, beating faster than usual.

"...Traitor."

How could he not be happy?

’Three Andeens...’

He thought about it in quiet bliss.

He quickly adjusted the weapon case on his shoulder and took a deep breath, but as he took a step away from the house, his gaze fell on the car parked in front of it.

He frowned slightly.

’Do we really need this?’

With everything going on, a car was the least of their needs.

He needed a new place, he thought as he walked past the car and onto the road leading away from the area they lived in.

A place large enough to house three possible S-Rank women, each with their own preferences.

’Andeen could stay with me in our room, but she’d need somewhere of her own eventually. And so would I.’

’Six rooms? Seven?’

He frowned.

Nina looked like the type who’d complain if the house was too small, while Olga would probably prefer somewhere quiet where nobody bothered her.

’Andeen...’

Cashel sighed.

Andeen would probably be happy as long as there was a kitchen, and he would be the one worrying about everything else.

Then he remembered what had happened that morning.

’Ah... Kitchen privileges revoked.’

But if they eventually moved, he would definitely miss the locals, especially the man who owned the shop he always bought from.

That meant twenty thousand dollars would not be enough for them, and definitely not enough for a small place.

’A training or gym room too,’ he thought, raising his hand to hail a cab.

---

The first dungeon Cashel had stepped into sat at the edge of the city, surrounded by forests. And just before that area stood one of the largest insurance companies in the city, partly sponsored and funded by BMM.

A twenty-five-story building stood before him, its name displayed boldly across the top.

INX INSURANCE COMPANY.

Cashel stared at the building. It had taken him around five minutes to get there, and he couldn’t have been happier. He still hadn’t properly tested his physical abilities after his awakening, and there was no better time to do that than today... after his meeting with Amia and Lionface

He checked the address on his phone again, then looked back at the building.

"This is definitely the place?"

He couldn’t help but wonder.

’BMM runs an insurance company?’

Then again, considering the kind of people they dealt with, insurance probably wasn’t the worst business to own.

He hummed, narrowing his eyes at the building as he crossed the road.

"How many companies do they even have?"

He mummured as walked up to the building, pushed the doors open, and was immediately hit by the cold air inside.

He slipped his phone into his pocket and walked in.

There were men in black suits standing around with all kinds of expressions: murderous, utterly exhausted, calm, excited, and others that looked downright depressed.

The floors were polished to the point that they looked like glass. Huge doors lined the walls, with multiple elevators spread throughout the building. Five people occupied the reception desks, attending to everyone who walked in.

Everyone else was dressed casually, almost as if their clothes had been personally customized.

Cashel stood there for a moment, staring at the interior.

’You could tell someone this was an insurance company, and they’d believe you.’

It was, in fact, an actual insurance company, but it was reserved for people linked to BMM and ARM, as the two organisations were partners.

Then, a woman at the nearest reception desk looked up.

Her cheeks reddened when she saw the man wearing a spiral mask and carrying a huge case. So, she smiled beautifully and tilted her head.

"Mister Bishop, How may I help you?"

Cashel slipped his hands from his pockets and leaned against the desk with both hands, smiling behind his mask.

"I’m looking for Amia."

The woman muttered an, "Oh," and opened her mouth to say something.

Then her gaze dropped, landing on the ring on Cashel’s finger, and the smile vanished instantly.

It landed on the ring on Cashel’s finger.

Her smile disappeared instantly.

The colour drained from her face, and her fingers began moving restlessly across the desk.

"A... Amia?"

Cashel gave a small nod.

She immediately picked up a key card and slid it across the desk.

"The last floor, sir."

Cashel picked up the card, bowed respectfully, and walked away without hesitation.

He passed the guards without a single person stopping him.

Nobody asked for his identification.

Nobody asked about the weapon case.

Nobody even gave him more than a passing glance.

He liked that.

For an organisation built around murder, BMM was surprisingly good at minding its own business. As long as you wore your mask, nobody cared what you carried.

The elevator doors opened when he scanned the card. He stepped inside and pressed the button for the upper floor.

As the doors closed, Cashel caught his reflection in the metal walls and smiled once again.

When the elevator opened, he was met with a large, wide floor.

There was no reception here.

The people up here were different.

Hunters wearing gold masks stood around the room, some carrying weapons that immediately caught Cashel’s attention.

His eyes lingered on one particularly strange weapon before moving on.

Then he spotted Amia almost immediately.

She was sitting on a large desk at the far end of the room, scrolling through something on a tablet.

She wore a fitted red satin dress, her hair swept over her shoulders and her mask in place, leaving only her red-painted lips visible.

Her eyes lifted.

For half a second, her lips curved into a frown as though she was wondering who the person staring at her was.

Then Cashel waved and her expression immediately changed.

"You actually came."

Cashel raised a brow behind his mask as he walked over.

"Why wouldn’t I?"

Amia’s gaze dropped to the weapon case hanging from his shoulder, then returned to his face.

"I wasn’t sure you’d survive leaving the house."

"Why wouldn’t I?" He repeated the question.

"Your wife."

Cashel blinked.

Amia smiled sweetly.

"She looked like she wanted to keep you within arm’s reach the other day."

He nodded with a smile, "She does that, and you’re getting brave about talking about her like this."

"I’ve always been brave."

Before Cashel could reply, a deep voice came from behind them.

"Or stupid."

Cashel turned, while Amia rolled her eyes and adjusted herself on the table.

Lionface approached them with the same intimidating presence he always carried.

His massive frame was wrapped in an expensive dress coat, a golden staff resting casually in one hand, his mask hiding most of his face.

Cashel’s gaze lingered on the staff.

For some reason, Andeen immediately came to mind.

He smiled.

"I only said to come for a meeting," Lionface said. "Not to start a war."

He slid into the large seat at the head of the table.

Cashel shrugged.

He pulled off the case and set it on the ground beside him before taking a seat. Amia simply remained on the table, legs crossed while her fingers worked over the tablet.

"Was I supposed to come empty-handed?"

"Depends on the job, but..."

"That’s what I’m here to find out."

Cashel interrupted him, earning himself a keen look from Lionface.

Lionface nodded toward the room behind him.

"Come."

The word had barely left Lionface’s mouth when chairs began scraping against the floor.

One by one, the hunters moved toward the table.

Five, six, eight....and None of them said a word.

Lionface sat up straight.

As though taking the signal from his movement, Amia got off the table, tapped the screen, and a display flickered to life above the table.

Various names and factions appeared.

Cashel’s eyes moved across the list.

BMM...

BMM.

Unaffiliated.

Unaffiliated.

Unaffiliated

His eyes narrowed.

Only two others besides Amia and himself were listed under BMM.

The rest were unaffiliated hunters.

’Odd.’ Odd indeed

Lionface folded his hands on the table, "The next contract is a group job."

Cashel’s attention sharpened, "Group job?"

Lionface tapped the table with his gloved hand and the screen changed. Displaying a large name on the desk with a few words written underneath it.

CLIENT: SHELLY JONES

"The offer came directly from the president of A Group Limited."

A few of the hunters shifted, but Cashel just stared.

Why? The name was painfully familiar.

Lionface continued, "Shelly Jones is a former S-Rank hunter, retired anyway."

The room went quieter.

"She’s also the wife of the missing," he dragged the last word, casting a glance at Cashel, "....deputy commander of the First Division of SAMD."

Lionface tapped the screen again, then a company profile appeared.

"She wants us to perform a little cleanup."

Cashel looked at him, "Cleanup?"

Lionface smiled beneath his mask, "A competing company, and they are currently under the protection of the SAMD."