Fweeeet...!Under a sky dyed with twilight, a large ship was gliding leisurely across the vast sea.Sailors who had been busily coiling the ropes strewn about and hauling heavy cargo crates looked up at the sky and muttered among themselves."Is that it for today?""Wouldn’t you say so? The sun’s about to set.""Wanna bet on it?""Did some ghost of a gambler who died frustrated drop by... I’m in!""Ahaha!"As the sailors traded jokes and laughter, a sharp cry of a bird rang out above their heads.Gliding down from the high sky to land on the mast was none other than an eagle.An eagle, not a seagull, in the middle of the ocean.It was an absurd visitor, but the sailors, busy moving about the deck, only flicked their eyes upward once as if they were used to it and left it at that.Only one man was different—the one lounging lazily against the bow."Whoo..."Exhaling a long stream of smoke, he stared fixedly up at the eagle. His black hair, tied low and loose in a single bundle, stirred in the sea breeze, and his skin, gleaming under the light of the setting sun, was a deep bronze.The muscles that a simple vest could not hope to conceal were packed to the point of looking almost vicious. One leg stretched out, the other bent with his arm resting on it, a long pipe was held in his hand.Contrary to that menacing build, his face was nothing if not delicate. Eyebrows as if drawn in ink, a straight nose, a sharp jawline. Every time he brought the mouthpiece to his lips, his long lashes fanned out, no less impressive than a woman’s.Flap!At the beat of wings, the man, who had been exhaling smoke, narrowed his eyes.In his golden, inhuman pupils, the mast came into view—empty, with no sign of the eagle anywhere.Above the drifting white feathers descending through the air, a pitch-black shadow moved. The corner of his mouth curled upward."That’s more like it."It happened in the very next instant.Thwack!Throwing knives flew in and buried themselves where he had just been."It’s started again!""Oooh!"At the sudden assault, the sailors stopped what they were doing and fixed their eyes on the bow.The man who had been lounging there dodged with a swiftness that belied his earlier languor, then tilted his head lightly. A dagger with a black blade skimmed past his cheek by a hair’s breadth.In his golden eyes, which rolled along the trajectory of the blade, a head of snow-white hair flashed. Between the strands that fanned and scattered, a pair of vividly glowing red eyes."Ha-ha."The man’s mouth stretched into a wide grin. The face that had been bored only moments ago now held a spark of life.Did she know? That only when those eyes were on him did he finally feel he was alive in this world.Whish—!Though to her, he was nothing more and nothing less than a target.He used his deflected attack as momentum to spin once and aimed a roundhouse kick at his side. It was a sharp, unexpected strike, but the man blocked it easily by catching her ankle.Without a moment’s hesitation, the woman swung her other leg at his face. The attack, nearly acrobatic in its motion, drew whistles from the sailors who had, before anyone realized it, begun watching their exchange.The man managed to dodge the ensuing blow by a narrow margin as well, but he staggered slightly.Her eyes glinted, and she hooked both legs around his neck, squeezing. It was the exact moment she was about to ride up his body in a tightening coil and slit his throat with the dagger in her hand in one swift motion."Kh...!"At the decisive moment, the woman faltered. A hand had clamped around her neck in an instant as she spun.If he tightened his grip and cut off her windpipe, her strength would give out halfway through drawing the blade.Then it would be pointless.The woman’s lashes trembled.Realizing there was no salvaging anything from that position, she released the strength in her legs.Thump. Sliding down from his body, she dropped lightly to the deck. Her eyes flicked to the pipe lying on the floor.Should I be pleased about this...?The first time she tried, that man had kept hold of his pipe and dealt with her one-handed.Now he was using both hands, so if that was progress, it was progress.It couldn’t be helped. Their innate talents were on different levels.She accepted that fact cleanly. Her opponent was Noce Mostro, the monster pirate whose skill was both the best and the worst among all the outlaws of the sea.There was no need to get hung up on the gap between their abilities. Her objective was not to defeat him, but to kill him.By any means necessary.The royal family’s secret intelligence unit, commonly called the Crows. Among them, Aquila—an elite agent with the nickname White Crow—specialized in one thing above all else: assassination."Whew, that’s really it for today, right?""Another win for the boss. That woman’s amazing too, the way she keeps coming at him without getting tired.""You’d think by now she’d realize she hasn’t got a chance of winning~""Then why don’t you tell her?""No thanks. I’d get assassinated.""Khaha, honest bastard... Huh? Isn’t that thing yours?""Huh? Huh? It is! Damn it, when did she...!"Aquila confirmed that the throwing knives she had first attacked Noce with belonged to one of the sailors, and brazenly endured their dumbfounded stares.Thanks for the loan.Would a cowardly professional assassin, who started with a surprise attack and finished by erasing the evidence, feel any such thing as pangs of conscience now?At that moment, the hand that had been resting at her neck slackened slightly. Perhaps he thought she had given up.The woman tightened her grip on the dagger in her hand without letting it show.Then, one more time...!"Young lady."A voice sweet as honey slipped into her ear."You’re running a fever.""Ah..."His hand hadn’t let go to release her; it had simply changed direction at some point. It slid upward, creeping to the nape of her neck. The sensation of his fingertips burrowing into her hair was both teasing and chilling.Aquila flinched reflexively and lifted her gaze to the sky. The red sun had spent its last light and vanished beyond the horizon.Already time, alre—Her vision suddenly grew blurry, and her body heavy. As she swayed precariously, he drew her gently into his arms."Time-out. Right?""...Right."There was no way she could attempt a surprise attack in this condition. Aquila swallowed a sigh and, as she’d done many times, let her head rest against him.Noce just as naturally slid an arm under her knees and lifted her up in a clean sweep.His lips brushed the corner of her eye, where her vision had begun to swim, satisfaction written all over his face."You worked hard again today.""...Shut. Up."At the words that automatically translated in her head as, So you failed again today, Aquila ground her teeth.But soon she let her head droop onto his shoulder. Heat scorched her skin to the point of pain, and wounds that had long since healed began to throb. At the same time, her body felt as heavy as soaked cotton, leaving Aquila unable to move as she endured the pain."What should we start with? Food? A bath? Or detox?""...Don’t ask. You’re going to do whatever you want anyway.""Really? I can do as I please? Keep going?""...""Young lady?""I really am going to kill you tomorrow...""Mm. I really like you too."Aquila squeezed her eyes tightly shut, as if she didn’t even have the will left to argue. Noce gazed down at her lovingly, then spoke in a dry voice."Siobhan.""I’ll have the meal sent up to your room. As always, no one will go anywhere near it.""You’d better."The burly sailor who had, at some point, approached to stand within arm’s reach handed him the fallen pipe as he spoke. Noce took the pipe [N O V E L I G H T] and answered indifferently.His attitude was completely different from when he was dealing with Aquila—so detached it almost seemed uncaring—but Siobhan only bowed his head as if he were used to it.Holding Aquila in his arms, Noce headed straight for the cabin. The sailors quickly stepped aside to clear a path, careful not to get in his way.Once Noce and Aquila disappeared from the deck, the sailors, who had unconsciously been holding their breath, shook their heads."I still can’t get used to the boss making that kind of face...""Tell me about it...""What does he even like about a woman who’s constantly trying to kill him?""Why bother trying to understand it? Just accept that that’s how it is.""That’s how it is..."As they muttered in a tone of enlightened resignation, a flapping of wings sounded overhead. The eagle that had flown off somewhere earlier returned to the mast and began preening its feathers.It was another peaceful day, no different from yesterday.Drip, drop...At the sound of water falling, Aquila opened her eyes.Her damp lashes lifted, and she saw steam curling up in lazy wisps.Slosh. Soaking in a broad tub filled to the brim with warm water, Aquila furrowed her brows.The stabbing pain that had pricked at her skin weakened, and the hot water gently eased the fatigue from her body. It was an extremely comfortable state, and yet she was in no good mood."Awake?""...""Cold of you. Even though I’m taking such careful, devoted care of you."It was because she was not alone in that tub.She was in the exact same position in his arms as when she had lost consciousness—but now, their bodies pressed together were both completely bare.Whether she had undressed herself or he had done it for her, she understood perfectly well that the result was the same. That didn’t stop the irritation.Perhaps he noticed the displeasure in her eyes, because a low chuckle came from above her. His already pleasant voice echoed more deeply, as if in a cave."Bathing together saves time. Isn’t that nice?""And I know that’s not the only reason."Feeling the heavy, scorching presence against her backside, Aquila answered curtly and bumped his chest lightly with her head.Her condition was better than it had been a short while ago—but only just. The pain had faded, yet her body was still heavy.If she were to be separated from him, her state would worsen again.That was why she had no choice but to stay quietly in his arms, even in the face of this man’s impure antics.

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