Arthur stared at Ruby. Her golden eyes seemed to spark within the darkness of the café, bright and unwavering, like those of a great lioness patiently observing prey that had wandered into her territory. There was no urgency in her expression, no visible hostility, and yet Arthur felt more threatened by her calmness than he had by William's crimson stare. His thoughts began to blur together. Questions collided with one another inside his head, each one leading to another, until even the simplest conclusion seemed impossible to grasp. He slowly shifted his gaze toward William, who remained seated behind Ruby, watching him in silence. Arthur then turned toward the rest of the café. Empty tables. Empty chairs. No customers. No staff. Nothing but the dim lights and the quiet hum of the room. He looked back at Ruby and released a slow sigh.
"It seems you've been controlling these incidents for quite some time."
A smile immediately appeared on Ruby's face.
Arthur continued, his eyes never leaving hers. "You told me about Liam because you wanted me to kill the Austins, didn't you?"
Ruby's smile widened.
"As I expected…" Her voice carried a hint of amusement. "You're quite smart, Arthur~."
Arthur ignored the teasing tone.
"Can I ask why you wanted to eliminate them? From what I understood, the Austins were valuable assets to you."
Ruby laughed softly.
"Yeah. You're right."
She leaned back slightly, resting comfortably in her chair.
"But you see, the Austins had begun seeing everyone else as nothing more than pigs. To them, those people were merely something to be consumed. So, in their minds, eating them wasn't really cannibalism at all." Ruby paused, her expression becoming more serious. "And that superiority ideology of theirs kept growing stronger and stronger. They stopped seeing themselves as people who belonged beneath us and started believing that they were above everyone else."
Her golden eyes remained fixed upon Arthur.
"Except for Liam, of course."
She folded her arms.
"We were losing our grip on the Austins."
Arthur's expression remained still.
"So realistically," Ruby continued, "if we wanted to preserve our influence, eliminating the Austins was in our best interest."
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
"And you used me?"
Ruby didn't answer immediately.
"Why me?" Arthur asked. "Was it simply a coincidence that I happened to appear before you that day?"
Ruby laughed again.
The sound irritated William almost immediately.
"Stop laughing," he said from behind her. "Where are your manners?"
Ruby slowly turned her head toward him.
"Shut up, red-eyed moron."
William's expression went blank.
Ruby turned back toward Arthur as though nothing had happened.
"Please ignore this idiot."
William muttered something under his breath, but Ruby paid no attention.
"Anyway," she continued, "let's get back to the topic."
Arthur waited.
Ruby looked directly into his eyes.
"So, Arthur… it seems you still don't understand the point."
Arthur's brow furrowed.
Ruby's smile disappeared.
"Did you forget who gave Liam the order to kidnap Susan?"
The words struck Arthur like a sudden blow.
His pupils widened.
For several seconds, he simply stared at Ruby.
The memories began rearranging themselves in his mind. Liam. Susan. The Austins. The information Ruby had given him. The events that had seemed disconnected until now suddenly began forming a single chain.
Arthur's expression hardened as he fought to remain calm.
Ruby watched every change in his face.
"Exactly," she said quietly.
She leaned forward.
"By doing this, we gained two benefits."
Her voice was almost conversational.
"First, the Austins were eliminated."
She raised one finger.
"And second…"
A faint smile returned to her face.
"We tested your potential."
Arthur said nothing.
His gaze dropped toward his calf.
For the briefest moment, his mind produced another possibility.
Attack.
Run.
He could reach the weapon. He could strike before either of them reacted. Perhaps he could make it out of the café before they had time to stop him.
The thought remained in his mind for only a moment.
Then he discarded it.
Too many uncertainties.
Too little information.
And, most importantly, Ruby still knew far more about him than he knew about her.
Arthur slowly raised his eyes again.
Ruby was still watching him.
"So…" she said, almost casually. "Anything else you want to ask?"
Arthur stared at her for several seconds.
Then a small smile appeared on his face.
"Yes."
He leaned back in his chair.
"A lot."
Ruby frowned slightly. She leaned forward, placed her elbows on the table, and rested her cheek against one hand as she studied Arthur. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Arthur watched her carefully before finally breaking the silence.
"As I've already decided to join you, I want to understand something." His voice was calm, but his eyes remained cautious. "What exactly are you people? And what is it that you want?"
Ruby's expression immediately softened into a smile.
"Oh, you see, we actually have no name—"
"I already told him that."
William's voice came from behind her.
Ruby's head snapped toward him.
"What?"
Her expression darkened instantly.
"Why?! That was the best part! Who told you to do that, you stupid bastard?"
William raised both hands defensively.
"Okay, okay, sorry! Don't worry. I'll buy you a cake after this."
The anger vanished from Ruby's face almost instantly.
Her eyes lit up.
"Okay."
She said it with such genuine excitement that Arthur was left completely speechless.
He stared at the two of them, trying to reconcile the terrifying organization he had just agreed to join with the bizarre conversation unfolding in front of him. Ruby seemed completely oblivious to his confusion. She turned back toward him and rested her chin against her hand.
"Anyway, Arthur…"
She paused.
"Can you guess how many people we have in our group?"
Arthur thought for a moment.
"Thirty?"
He glanced around the empty café.
"Maybe fifty?"
Ruby smiled.
"Over a hundred."
Arthur's expression changed.
Ruby continued casually.
"Roughly one-third of the population of this town."
Arthur's jaw dropped.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
A hundred people.
An entire network operating within the town, hidden beneath ordinary life.
Ruby watched his reaction before continuing.
"I know that probably gave you even more questions. I can't explain everything to you yet, but I can tell you quite a lot."
She straightened herself.
"First, William answers directly to me. You could call him my lieutenant. Beneath him are three other elites whom we call the Bishops. None of the Bishops knows the identity of the others, and they aren't even aware of the existence of every Bishop."
Arthur listened carefully.
"Each Bishop has five lesser members assigned to them. We call those members Jokers. Again, no Joker knows the identities of the other Jokers. Beneath each of them are seven more members. Those members are called Pawns."
Arthur's expression became increasingly serious.
"Most of the time, the Bishops themselves give orders to the Pawns. The Jokers merely deliver them. Even then, the orders aren't always given directly."
Ruby paused.
"You already know about the letters."
Arthur nodded slightly.
"This way, there is almost never any direct contact between the higher and lower members. Even if a Joker or a Pawn betrays us, the amount of information they can expose is extremely limited. At most, they might be able to reveal one or two people."
She smiled faintly.
"It's much safer that way."
Arthur remained silent, absorbing everything she had told him.
"And there is one more thing."
Ruby's expression changed slightly.
"All of us worship a divine entity."
"A divine entity?" Arthur asked. "What?"
Ruby shrugged.
"Nothing. Just some nonsense the other members—especially the lower ones—talk about. They believe some divine entity is ordering them to do all of this."
Arthur narrowed his eyes.
"Do they actually believe that?"
He paused.
"Or do you make them believe it?"
Ruby smiled.
She didn't answer.
Instead, she continued as though Arthur had never spoken.
"We have one ultimate goal."
Her tone became quieter.
"Or at least, that's what the members say."
Arthur watched her carefully.
"We're supposed to carry it out on the thirtieth of August."
She leaned back.
"That's it for now."
Arthur immediately frowned.
"Wait."
Ruby looked at him.
"What's the ultimate goal?"
"I think that's already enough information for you."
Her voice was calm, but firm.
"Arthur, I've given you a rough explanation of our structure and what we're involved in. If I go any deeper, things become considerably more complicated."
She paused.
"And, most importantly…"
Ruby's golden eyes met his.
"We don't trust you yet."
Arthur said nothing.
He simply sat there in silence.
Minutes passed.
The café had become strangely quiet again. Arthur's mind continued turning over everything Ruby had told him—the hierarchy, the Bishops, the Jokers, the Pawns, the letters, the mysterious divine entity, and the unknown objective that was supposed to take place on the thirtieth of August.
Eventually, Arthur broke the silence.
"Why do you kill people?"
Ruby's expression remained still.
Arthur continued.
"Why do you do all of this?"
His voice became quieter.
"Why do you brainwash all these people?"
Ruby didn't respond.
Her face became completely expressionless.
It was unusual.
For the first time since Arthur had met her, there was no amusement in her eyes, no teasing smile, no casual remark waiting behind her lips. She simply stared at him.
For several seconds, she seemed lost in thought.
As though Arthur's question had reached somewhere he wasn't supposed to see.
Then something seemed to occur to her.
Ruby slowly raised her eyes.
She looked directly into Arthur's.
"Is there a need to have a reason?"
Arthur froze.
A chill ran down his spine.
It wasn't the threat in her voice that frightened him.
There wasn't one.
It was the complete absence of one.
For the first time, Arthur felt something he had not expected to feel in this room.
Fear.
Not fear of being killed.
Something stranger.
Something almost alien to him.
Before Arthur could respond, William suddenly spoke.
"Ruby, you forgot to give the man his job."
Ruby blinked.
"Oh, yeah."
She looked at Arthur.
"Thanks for reminding me."
Her expression returned to normal almost immediately.
"We don't trust you yet, but you're a member now. So, if you want to earn our trust…"
She leaned slightly toward him.
"There's something I need you to do."
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
Ruby smiled.
Arthur considered her words for a moment before asking,
"Do I have to kill someone?"
Ruby immediately shook her head.
"Oh, no, no."
She almost laughed.
"Murder is hardly part of our commands."
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
Ruby continued.
"We need you to keep an eye on some girls."
Arthur's expression changed slightly.
"Who?"
Ruby's smile remained.
Chapter ends
To be Continued