Number 7

[Try Number 2]

"Huff... huff... huff... huff..."

Shooting up from her bed, Eclaire realized that her sheets surrounded her.

Panting as she glanced around her with a tint of madness in her eyes, the woman slowly regained her sanity as she calmed her breathing.

'Shit...'

With trembling hands, she fumbled out of bed as she threw the covers aside, wobbling towards the mirror as she gazed upon herself.

She was in a wretched state.

Her hair was messy, her eyes reddened with veins, and her complexion that of a mongrel.

'I... I'll never get used to it.'

Grabbing the mirror, the woman laid it aside as she revealed what was behind it.

'No matter how many times... I retry... how could I ever get used to it?'

Opening one of the drawers, the girl reached underneath her socks as she pulled out a screwdriver - to which she pressed into the wall.

For on that wall, hidden behind the mirror, was an array of tallies.

Scratch. Scratch.

As she chiseled another one onto the wall, the woman frowned with hatred, her eyes glancing back and forth as she counted the number with her eyes.

On one side, atop the first group of tallies - there was a label with a single letter.

R.

And on the second, which she scratched and scribbled now, the letter D was etched above it.

'109 Manual Resets.'

'138 Deaths.... forcing a reset.'

This was the wall which allowed Eclaire to maintain her sanity.

'Progress....'

Grabbing the mirror to replace it, the girl whispered to herself as she spoke within her mind.

'If I keep on filling this wall... if I keep on increasing the tallies... then surely, I must be making some sort of progress.'

As she laid the mirror down, the girl once more hid the screwdriver, her hands shaking as she glanced once more at herself in that mirror.

'And if I keep on adding to them... if I keep on RETRYING... then surely, I'll succeed.'

----

'I tried to do something too flashy.'

'I underestimated his physical abilities.'

'I left too many openings for him to figure out my intentions.'

People grow stronger due to their mistakes.

Through failure, humans recognize how to better prepare themselves for similar situations in the future.

By analyzing what went wrong, and why it went wrong, we use experimentation to determine the best possible path that we should take - and this path can only be found through trial and error.

Yet the enemy which Eclaire faced was a man who needed not to make any mistakes - for the path before him was always revealed.

She had to try, and try, and try again - continuously failing and learning from her failures as her opponent never failed to do exactly as he needed in order to defeat her.

'Was he mocking me?'

Why didn't Yakov kill her on the stairs when he had first seen her?

Did he know at that point, or perhaps he wasn't aware yet?

Did he confirm his suspicions after taking care of the bombs downstairs? Did he speak with the inhabitants of the basement and believe their word over Eclaire?

Too many questions were left unanswered.

'Why is it that no matter how many times I retry, these questions still remain?'

She didn't know.

She didn't understand a thing about his ability. She didn't understand a thing about how he received the knowledge that he somehow had access to, or how much was revealed to him.

All she knew was that he knew things that he shouldn't have - and that he always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

First and foremost, Yakov's goal was to protect Gerard. Even at the cost of his own life, he would ensure that no harm was done to his boss.

Of course, Yakov's life had never so much as been in danger. Nothing that Eclaire was capable of could even scratch this man, whose physical ability and combat prowess was far beyond the realm of humanity.

The fact of the matter was that in order to kill Gerard, Yakov was the greatest obstacle.

'How can I get around him?'

If she could somehow manage to be alone with Gerard without Yakov present, then perhaps Eclaire would stand a chance.

Perhaps she could kill him.

The fact of the matter was, however, that she could never find such an opportunity.

Whenever Gerard was in his office, Yakov patiently waited outside.

'Wait a minute.'

Suddenly, an idea sprung into the mind of the girl as she exited her room that morning, ready to greet the new day.

'Have I been thinking about this all wrong?'

Placing her hand to her chin as she thought, the girl evoked a number of stares from some of the people she had brought into this hotel, however none of these people dared to interrupt her thoughts and speak out to her.

Many men passed by, hoping to earn even the slightest glance - however, lowering their heads in defeat as they realized that they wouldn't even be able to obtain such a thing.

'Who ever said that Yakov needs to be somewhere else?'

As a smile crept upon the face of Eclaire, a light filled her eyes as a plot formed once more.

'Who ever said that it's impossible to assassinate Gerard right in front of his eyes?'

[You seem to have been inspired. Did you think of something?]

The passive voice of Number Four resounded within the mind of Eclaire, who nodded lightly as she responded through her thoughts to the being who had maintained a completely neutral position throughout her attempts of assassination.

'That's right, Four.'

And with a smile, the girl pressed forward, looking around her to ensure that nobody was watching.

'I've got something that I'm going to try.'

----

'I need to find the right moment... I need to find the time where Yakov and Gerard are both outside of the office.'

As Eclaire made her way up the stairway to the very place where she had just moments before been killed in an explosion, she plotted her actions without restraint.

'First, I need to meet with them to find out his schedule for today. I guess I should have done that first. With those clients gone, security is limited to just his bodyguards and the executives, but that doesn't really decrease it much.'

As she made her way throughout the hallway however, Eclaire turned a corner as she was met with the very two people that had entered her mind.

"Well if it isn't Eclaire. I was just looking for you."

The overweight man who stroked his mustache with a lecherous glare stared down Eclaire as she entered his sight, at which she stopped herself from squirming with discomfort.

"Good morning, Sir. How are you doing today?"

With a bright smile, the girl closed her eyes as she faced her master - the one who reigned over her each and every action with absolute power - Gerard Stirling.

"Not too good, given the events regarding Isabella... but I'll manage. We'll destroy those damn bloodhounds and focus on doing business once this is dealt with."

"I see. As expected of you, Sir. Your domain is expanding nicely."

Eclaire held back an urge to vomit as she openly praised the very man who she despised with every cell of her being.

"Part of that is your work. I have to praise you on the way you can control the nearby straggling groups. By taking them under my command, they've accepted my reign and can no longer leave."

Stepping forward, the man placed a disgustingly hairy hand upon Eclaire's shoulder.

"Well done."

"It's nothing, Sir. If it's for your goal, I would do anything to serve you. Bringing in the ignorant masses and having them unknowingly accept your reign... that's the best way to increase the number of pawns we control. Is it not?"

"Haha... you get it. This ability I've gained... it's wonderful. Perfectly fitting for someone destined to rule like myself."

Soaking up the praise like a sponge, Gerard fixed his belt as he looked forward with a disturbing grin.

"Just make sure that no outsiders find out about it. Obviously, I've given our new members orders to never leave or speak of my ability, so nobody will ever find out until it's too late for them."

"Of course. I would never dream of allowing anyone to find out about your ability. If that were to happen, then people could OPPOSE you."

With a sly smirk, Eclaire huddled up to the man as she whispered in his ear.

"And we certainly wouldn't want that."

Yakov seemed to keep a piercing eye on the woman, however he didn't make a single move, as his master appeared to enjoy the deceptive nature that she displayed.

"Just keep this up, Eclaire. If you do, then I'll be the King and you can be the Queen. And together... we can reign over this world."

"Your generosity is abounding, Sir. I'll do everything I can to meet your expectations."

"Sir. I believe it's time to give the people an audience. Should we have Eclaire attend as well?"

With a humble interjection, Yakov spoke up with a smile, at which Eclaire stopped herself from forming veins in irritation.

'I could sneak into his office if I don't have to go...'

"Oh... that's a great idea. Come, Eclaire. Let's go greet the people, shall we?"

'Geh.'

"Of course, Sir! I'd love to!"

Having been strung into something unpredicted, Eclaire had no option but to comply.

After all, if she were to keep up her facade and prevent Yakov or Gerard from finding her true intentions, she had to play the part of the obedient - and even infatuated - executive.

'Shit... I'll have to figure out how to kill him later.'

The two now walked through the halls, Yakov tailing behind them at a respectable yet cautious distance.

"You know, Eclaire. I've really been thinking about who to make my Queen. Obviously, I don't want to be partial to any of my executives. I want to give each of them a chance. And I'm sure you understand that you in particular will have to work hard to regain the trust that you once lost."

Speaking in a nostalgic tone, the man looked forward with pride in his eyes as he gazed upon the halls of this place that he had built.

"If I am to be a King, then there cannot be four Queens. There has to be one. The other three... well, they can settle for esteemed concubines. But your efforts recently have been above and beyond."

"I understand that I once betrayed you, and I regret that with every fiber of my being. I was merely a thoughtless girl at the time. I thought that I was doing the right thing, when in reality I was merely following a delusion. I've grown from then, I can assure you."

Responding with confidence, Eclaire spat lies which rattled her very being as she wondered just how she could say such things without rotting from the inside.

Or perhaps she already was.

"And I can see that in your results. I'm not a man so callous as to throw aside the facts over grudges from the past. The fact of the matter is that you're obedient now. That you're my subordinate now. And most importantly, that you're under my reign now."

With a grand smile, the man fixed his tie with pride, preparing himself for a presentation.

Eventually, the two had reached the floor which opened up to the grand scene of the hotel, at which the two witnessed a number of workers tirelessly toiling to get everything operational and clean once again.

These were the people from small survivalist groups who Eclaire had gathered and brought to this hotel with the promise of food, shelter, order, and luxury.

"Good morning, people of paradise."

With this single phrase, each and every person immediately stopped their work - for the bellowing voice of the large man resounded through the halls.

However it was not just the loud voice, but rather the particular man who it belonged to that caused each person to jolt to attention upon hearing it.

"Now, now, be at ease. It would be no paradise if you were so nervous upon seeing your leader that you couldn't control yourselves."

With these words that should have been calming, the people seemed to clam up even more, straightening themselves as they held their breath - and a choking atmosphere enveloped the hall.

"I suppose I can overlook a little tension. At any rate... I'm sure you all are aware that we are planning for a grand opening. And as you can see from the state of this place, there is MUCH work to be done. For this reason, I would like to remind you all of your orders."

Suddenly, the tone shifted and the man's kind demeanor switched to a demanding one.

"If this place isn't in operation by the time we find a worthy set of clients, I will be selecting those who contributed the least to be sent to the basement with the rebels."

With these words, fear was instilled into each and every person present as this man stood before them with absolute power.

For with every order that flowed from his mouth, such an order would come to fruition.

If he ordered a man to kill themselves, they would do so.

If he ordered a man to kill his own daughter - they would do so.

Not of their own will, but of a strange force that would take control of their bodies.

"With that being said, I have an announcement to make."

Waving his arm, the man beckoned for Eclaire to step forward, which she did gracefully as she presented herself with a smile.

"Your savior who brought you to this paradise hotel has made numerous achievements during her time here. Truly, she is an invaluable asset to this place, and it would not be what it has become without her. Therefore... I would like to make an announcement."

Eclaire looked at the man with surprise, wondering if he was about to say what she thought he was.

"Eclaire shall become my Queen... and together we will rule alongside one another."

Thus, a wave of jealousy spread in an instant.

However this wave was one which the men of this place could not allow to surface on their expressions.

'How can a filthy pig like that be with a saint like her?'

'So in the end, he's going to control every action she makes?'

'Is she even going to have any freedom?'

'We... we have to save her...'

[They're enamored with you. Isn't this what you wanted, Eclaire?]

Suddenly as she witnessed the shock within the expressions of the people, Number Four decided to make her comments.

'That... is good.'

[Heh. You seem reluctant.]

"Therefore... I shouldn't have to explain what will happen to anyone who dares to lay a hand upon my Queen."

With this statement, Eclaire had obtained protection - from the very man she was attempting to kill.

'This is... very good.'

However, it was not enough.

For even with such protection, there was but a single man who stood outside of any rule that Gerard could possibly place upon his people.

For the man known as Yakov - whose loyalty exceeded any other - would never be doubted by Gerard.

Even if he were to be killed by Gerard himself, he would remain loyal to the very end.

"Continue your work. I expect to see things running and in place very soon."

With these words, Gerard motioned for Eclaire to follow him.

"Come. I think this announcement deserves a celebration."

----

'His niece is in mourning from the death of so many of her subordinates, and this is how he acts?'

Just a day prior, Gerard had been furious.

Yet now, he walked with a smile - celebrating as if the events of the previous day were long forgotten.

'Perhaps he truly didn't care? No, maybe he's the type of person who gets emotional all at once, but is able to forget those emotions after a short period of time?'

Without a doubt, the fury in his expression after hearing of the betrayal was real.

Yet at this moment, Gerard exuded none of that malice.

'That doesn't matter - or rather, maybe it does.'

Eclaire understood that coming to know her target was an important piece of assassination. As a matter of fact, it gave her of all people an edge which no newcomer could possibly hope to find.

She had known this man and the people of this hotel for years.

She understood them better than any halfhearted assassin could ever. Even someone who invaded this hotel for a couple of months on a long term job couldn't hope to compare to Eclaire in this field.

Yet even so, she had failed.

Time and time again she had failed, and time and time again she might fail in the future.

Gaining information and acting upon it - this was the only weapon she had.

Unlike an assassin, whose physical abilities were outstanding, Eclaire held no such thing.

She was a standard human - a young woman at that. Her physical strength couldn't even match up to one of the bodyguards under Yakov.

She could use a gun. She had learned how to fight - living in this world undead had forced her to do so.

It wasn't as if she were completely helpless in this manner, but at the end of the day when faced with the monster known as Yakov, she couldn't possibly hope to defeat him.

Even if she surprised him, even if she snuck up on him in his sleep, no matter what she did - he always seemed to be one step ahead.

'But... all those times have been physical attacks.'

Indeed - every attempted murder that Eclaire had tried upon Gerard was a physical attack.

The use of weapons, bombs, and all other sorts of things. Time and time again, Eclaire had learned that she couldn't defeat Yakov on the field of battle, no matter how deceptive her methods were.

'So if I can't defeat him on the field of battle... then I'll instead defeat him in my own field.'

Thus, Eclaire walked arm in arm with the man she intended to kill - her greatest threat following behind.

If she were to pull out a knife and aim for Gerard's throat, Yakov would grab her before her blade reached.

She would be killed within moments, and the day would reset - and she would chalk another scratch onto her death counter.

This, she had learned from painful experience.

If she pulled out a pistol, it would be turned around and fired into her very head.

If she rigged a bomb on herself, her own body would be contorted and used as a shield - and she would die in the place of her target.

And if she used an even bigger bomb, then it would be discovered and diffused before she could even approach her target.

'How many times did I try such things... knowing that they wouldn't work?'

She had deluded herself.

She had deceived herself into thinking that she was capable of killing this man herself, with her own two hands.

Time and time again she failed, continuously throwing herself at the man in the hopes that something would change.

'If there's any chance in the world of him making a mistake, then I just have to keep trying.'

'Over.'

'And over.'

'And over.'

'Until he makes a mistake - and I win.'

This was what she had told herself as she tried the same method, used the same tricks, changing the location, the position, the interaction, everything that she could think of.

And after having done so more times than she could remember, Eclaire had come to a single conclusion.

'To try the same thing over and over again and expect a different result... is nothing less than madness.'

'But I am not insane.'

'I have become the very definition of insanity.'

----

"Come in, Eclaire. Ah, pour me a drink, will you?"

"Of course, Sir."

Without diminishing that bright smile for a second, Eclaire found her chance.

'I'm going to try something different.'

It was a method that she should have come up with before - however she was too focused on conventional methods that she hadn't even tried such a thing.

As she walked over to the cabinet where the wine bottles and glasses were stored, the woman grabbed a random one before looking back at the man.

"Is there any particular drink you'd like?"

"Any will do. Surprise me."

Right now, Yakov stood at the door, his hands folded behind his back.

Gerard sat leisurely at his desk, reclining as he looked up to the ceiling while rolling his eyes with his hands.

'It doesn't seem like there are any suspicions yet.'

Taking a bottle of scotch, the girl reached into her pocket, placing a pill into the glass before beginning to pour it.

The poison dissolved within the drink, at which the girl placed the bottle back into the cabinet.

'Is he going to kill me now?'

However as she turned around, expecting death around the corner, she was met with a strange situation.

Yakov had not moved a muscle.

Gerard had no suspicions in the slightest. The two merely stood, oblivious to the concoction that Eclaire had just come up with.

'He's not moving? Does he not know?'

Eclaire could hardly believe such a thing.

Every time she had attacked Gerard in the past, Yakov had immediately attacked her the moment she pulled out a weapon. Yet before she did so, he had never laid so much as a finger on her.

It was as if he was waiting to confirm that she was trying to kill Gerard before he counterattacked.

'So he doesn't know until I try to kill him... but he always manages to stop me regardless. Is it truly just his instinct as a fighter?'

Was such a thing really possible?

Was it really just human instinct which had been honed through years of work as a bodyguard?

Was this really not linked to a reawakening?

Eclaire refused to believe such a notion.

His abilities were superhuman. His intuition was insane. Something had to be telling him things that he otherwise couldn't have known.

And that something had to be an ability.

What were its conditions?

Was it linked to battle?

If so - would something like poisoning evade its range of detection?

Eclaire was about to find out.

"Here you are, Sir. I hope it's to your liking."

'I hope you choke on it.'

The man took the glass with a beaming grin, raising it with a smile.

"This won't do. We need a toast for something like this. Pour yourself one, will you?"

"Understood."

Returning once more to the cabinet, Eclaire followed orders as she poured herself a glass as well.

"To Paradise."

And with the clink of their glasses, the man brought it to his lips.

Smash!

However just before he brought it to his mouth, the glass was slammed out of his hand, shattering into pieces as the liquid covered the floor.

"Huh? What the hell, Yakov!? Why did you just spill my drink like that!?"

Standing up in fury, Gerard looked to the gentleman with indignance, who flicked his hand as the liquid trailed off his gloves.

"Forgive me, Sir. I will begin cleaning immediately."

"Cleaning!? You were the one who made that mess in the first place!"

"No."

And at that moment, Eclaire came to a realization.

'He knew?'

"This mess was created by someone else."

Before she knew it - a sharp pain erupted within her chest.

'Eh?'

Spitting up blood, she realized what had happened.

The hand of that man had shot straight through her chest - tearing a hole into her very heart.

"What a mess."

"Yakov... I trust you. So tell me. Why did you do this?", Gerard asked as he thinned his eyes in suspicion, not moving from his seat.

"Do you not see for yourself, Sir?"

Removing his hand from the girl as her body became cold, Yakov allowed Eclaire to fall to the ground in a pool of her own blood as he wiped his tainted hand with a handkerchief.

"There was a rat which needed to be exterminated."

----