161 AGAINST THE K.G.B.
[In the Court la Mood]
"You're crazy for working with the Deacon of Death. Do you even know what kind of demon he is?" Grangya snapped at Leo, her anger flaring.
"Well," Leo said with a faint smirk, "he's almost as bad a demon as I am."
Grangya's expression darkened further. "I didn't want to tell you this before because I didn't want to scare you,…. but the Deacon of Death has been watching you for a very long time."
Yun-Yun's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that?" Her suspicion came true. Grangya was really a spy from the Temple of Assassin.
Grangya hesitated, her gaze flickering between them before she let out a resigned sigh.
"Damn it, you can't tell anyone. The Assassin Workshop ordered me to observe you and Court la Mood. I had no choice. Nobody refuses them in this city—they're too powerful."
Leo crossed his arms, his voice calm but firm. "You could've told us."
"And what would you have done about it? Resisting them will only make things worse," Grangya shot back. "I thought it was better to keep quiet, and make sure I didn't implicate you or the Court but fulfils the mission at the same time..win-win."
"Did you report anything about what we did to the Koresh Brothers and the C.I.A. to them?" Leo asked, his tone sharp.
"No, I didn't," she replied quickly.
"They already know," Leo replied, his words landing like a stone.
Grangya cursed under her breath. "Shit."
"So, there are other spies here?" Yun-Yun asked.
"See what happens when you try to handle everything alone? Most probably you are already being monitored too," Leo said, his voice laced with mild reproach.
"I thought I could manage it," Grangya muttered, though there was regret in her tone. "Damn, will the Deacon of Death punish me for not telling them about the KGB?"
"You will be punished for not reporting us",Yun-Yun added.
"We are cooperating now. The Temple of Assassin would leave our people alone", Leo replied to calm them down.
At first, Leo assumed Grangya was betraying them to the Temple of Assassin. Looking back, though, it became clear she was simply naive.
She believed she could safeguard both her job and her friend by staying silent, trying to balance her loyalties in a way that would keep everyone happy.
But life doesn't work like that. Sooner or later, her actions would come to light, and the fallout would be far more devastating.
Yun-Yun frowned and asked Leo, "I still don't understand why you're partnering with the Temple of Assassin."
Leo leaned back slightly, his expression thoughtful. "At first, they targeted me because they suspected I was a demon practitioner. I proved them wrong. Then we launched Court la Mood and used its methods to neutralize the K.G.B., boxing them into irrelevance. The Temple shifted their focus—they're more interested in what Court la Mood can do for them than in me."
"How did you know the Deacon of Death is interested in Court la Mood?" Grangya demanded, narrowing her eyes.
"Because," Leo began, his tone calm but sharp, "he insisted you stay here to monitor Court la Mood even after it was proven that I'm not a demon practitioner. There was no reason for that unless his true focus was Court la Mood, not me. It's clear he's eyeing this place for a long time already."
Grangya's face flushed with discomfort. "How did you know what the Deacon asked me to do?" she asked, her voice faltering.
Yun-Yun smirked. "Because we were there when you had your little meeting with Death and overheard everything."
Her eyes widened in shock. "You were both there? Spying on me, how is that even possible?"
"When Bara tried to forge your token," Leo explained with a shrug, "I created another one. Except mine works, and hers doesn't."
That day, Leo and Yun-Yun followed Grangya to the Assassin Workshop and stealthily entered the Temple, trailing her every step. Hidden in the shadows, they overheard her reporting on Leo to the Deacon of Death.
Grangya's glare burned with humiliation. "Fuck you," she snapped, her voice cutting through the air.
Then, after a tense pause, she demanded, "If you knew I was working for the Deacon and monitoring you, why did you leave the control of the Dungeon of Lust to me?"
Leo leaned back casually, his expression calm yet calculating.
"First, we weren't entirely sure whether you'd betray us or not. If you really intended to, you'd have told the Deacon a lot more than what you did. And second, if you had an ulterior motive against me, it could only have been about the dungeon. So, I figured if I gave it to you willingly, you wouldn't feel the need to plot against me—and we'd avoid unnecessary harm. It turned out you were not coveting the dungeon."
Prior to this Grangya returned control of the Dungeon of Lust to Leo voluntarily.
Grangya could only remain silent to grasp his meaning.
"So, you went into the interview with Death with the understanding that he covets Court la Mood's operations?" Yun-Yun asked, and Leo nodded.
"So, are we merging with the Assassin Workshop?" Grangya asked hesitantly.
"Yes," Leo said firmly. "We don't really have a choice. But it's not a loss. Partnering with the most powerful underground force in Sodom City strengthens us too."
Grangya and Yun-Yun exchanged uncertain looks, but Leo's confidence was unwavering.
"Do we have an assignment?" Grangya asked, her tone cautious.
Leo nodded. "Yes. Our first mission is to cleanse Sodom City of the unruly gangs operating outside the Assassin Workshop's control."
"The Koresh Guild of Brothers?" Yun-Yun guessed, her brow furrowing.
"Exactly," Leo confirmed. "It seems we'll have to deal with the K.G.B. after all."
Grangya folded her arms. "They're not weak. The K.G.B. has a lot of human players in their guild, and they've been extra cautious lately and gathering forces for a major fight."
"Precisely why the Assassin Workshop wants them eliminated," Leo said.
Yun-Yun leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. "So, what's the plan?"
Leo smirked faintly. "I might have a few ideas."