Chapter 14 - Duel

"So that's why she acted this way. She's still unstable… But then again, that's your fault, Gregory. It's the Hunter's responsibility to monitor his Hounds' Estronitus levels."

"I was careless…"

Sitting on the couch, talking to Juliette who was sitting in the armchair with her notebook in her hand, Gregory explained in detail what had happened since the previous night. He also explained the reasons for Monique acting that way and what Freud had demanded as payment.

"No, you were irresponsible. Knowing the kind of relationship you two had, it was obvious that she wouldn't accept it easily. You confused work with romance, Gregory, which ended up confusing Monique too."

"Don't you have any advice? Are you just going to judge me?"

"I could… But you've already done what was necessary. Of course, you should be careful so that this doesn't happen again with other Hounds that you've temporarily hired. But I think you've learned your lesson."

Standing up, Juliette went to the table and put away her notebook and pen. She then sat on the table and crossed her legs sensually, while lightly reprimanding Gregory's careless behavior.

"Okay, okay… Now let's get to the most important matter, is there any Hound that fits the profile I mentioned?" Gregory said, avoiding looking at Juliette's exposed legs, who was wearing only a pencil skirt without pantyhose.

"Let's say so… But it's a very complicated mission, Gregory."

"I also thought this mission would be complicated, Julie. That's why I started thinking of some alternatives to make it easier, and one of them was to come here and talk to you… I was hoping you would comply with my request."

"It's a Level 4 classified mission, Gregory, with Urgency status. A simple S-class Hound wouldn't do it…" At this point, she picked up a kind of semi-transparent electronic screen, with which she began to search several Hound files.

"Monique is extremely well trained, Julie. She wouldn't have any trouble executing the mission, but I need to go with her personally, so she doesn't have the confidence to protect me and fight at the same time. With another Hound, be it a Buffer or an Attacker, we can execute the mission easily."

"Yes, you're right, but S-Class Hounds are difficult to deal with, Greg. They rarely pair up unless they have compelling reasons or a very strong friendship. Besides, this mission requires a very high payment."

"Money isn't the issue…" Confidently, Gregory got up from the couch and approached Juliette, near the table.

"I'm not talking about Money, Gregory…" Hearing Gregory's confidence, Juliette looked at him with a mischievous smile before lowering her gaze discreetly…

"… Testonitus??" Noticing Juliette's glance, Gregory frowned and scratched his head in concern.

"Fresh and straight from the source…" Julie's smile grew even more explicit as she was amused.

"I don't know if I agree with that."

"You are not in a position to bargain, Gregory. Besides, the mission requires urgency and secrecy, two extremely expensive aggravating factors. From what you said, Freud will only erase the footage after he completes the mission." She said, gently poking Gregory's chest with her index finger.

"Yes…"

"Today is the 12th, you have until noon on the 15th to deliver the results. It is possible, but only if you reach an agreement with a Hound today and make arrangements to leave by noon tomorrow. You will need about 1 day to find the mission location and some time to rest."

"If I had been more professional, this would not have happened… I would not have had to go through this situation." Taking heavy steps, Gregory walked over to the armchair and collapsed tiredly on it…

"That is no longer the point, what is done is done."

Julie said, as she followed him closely to the armchair. Now without the electronic device, she sat on Gregory's lap and hugged his neck lovingly. Snuggling comfortably, she was supported by Gregory's arms around her waist.

"No need to despair, dear, I already know who can accept the mission, but they will demand an almost extortionate payment…" She said, as she rested her head on Gregory's shoulder.

"Heh, and why wouldn't they…" Looking into space, worried and a little sad, Gregory replied sarcastically.

"Is the quality of your Testonitus still the same?"

"… That's personal, Julie. Even though we're good friends-"

Gregory was a little irritated that she wanted to know this right now, so he didn't want to answer. But he was cut off before he could continue his complaint...

"Don't you trust me?" She asked, pulling away a little and looking straight into his eyes.

"Sigh. S+."

"Ohhh, you got better in less than a year? It's no surprise that Monique is so attached to you. House, food, clean clothes, brutal sex and luxury Testonitus… I'm jealous… I want to live with you too."

"…" He was speechless, trying to understand if she was serious or not…

"Hahaha, let's settle this matter later. I want to see if they've arrived yet."

She didn't explain anything else… She just got up and walked to the living room door, where she waited until he got up so they could leave together.

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"And what am I getting into?? Just because you're big, you think you're strong, girl? A child raised in a greenhouse and fed with medicine and supplements to grow, thinks you know what it's like to fight to the death?"

"…" Clenching her fists in anger, Monique felt her claws about to pierce her own skin as she tried her best to control herself.

"You wouldn't even last 3 minutes in a fight against a real Mutanide. You play hunting with these docile Level 2 and 3 animals, but you would pee yourself in fear when you were facing a deadly Level 4 beast."

"You look like a cockroach…" Faced with the insults, Monique couldn't keep quiet, so she spoke in a cold voice with her head lowered.

"What?" Caught off guard, Vivian was confused for a moment.

"I said you look like a cockroach. A disgusting and sneaky animal, disgusting and treacherous. A worm that takes advantage of the darkness to eat the leftovers left by others…"

Responding in the same cold voice, Monique raised her head and stared at Vivian with hatred and disgust. She then slowly stood up and continued speaking:

"An annoying creature that makes everyone want to crush it under the sole of their shoes so they don't run the risk of having it running around freely… You look like a cockroach, you shitty half-breed, and I feel the same urge to crush you right here and now…"

With her height and robust physique, Monique's presence was intimidating and made Vivian seem fragile and delicate. Even their voices had very different tones, which made the scene even weirder for those watching.

"Hahahaha… Let's go downstairs."

With a cold and frightening laugh, Vivian's eyes, previously gray, turned a completely red color. Her voice was calm and low, but her hair was starting to shine like real flames.

"Leyla, it's a duel." Turning around, Vivian looked at the blonde secretary with a stylish haircut and said loudly.

Everyone around became serious and tense for the second time… But this time they started to act differently. One of the secretaries, a tall, dark-haired woman, picked up a small screen and started to look up some things.

"Room 12 is empty." The tall, dark-haired secretary said to the blonde secretary who was next to Daira.

"Very well, Aria. I'll go to Manager Nora and explain the situation, you and Teresa accompany the two of them. Can you help Daira?" the blonde secretary, Leyla, asked.

"Of course… I have no choice." Daira replied, without enthusiasm.

"Thank you. In the meantime, Patricia…"

"Yes…" The red-haired secretary with glasses replied.

"You and Beatriz stay here and take care of everything. Explain the situation to Juliette when she gets back. Okay?"

"Okay…"

"Do you understand, Beatriz?"

"Perfectly." A woman with platinum blonde hair cut in a straight bob that highlighted her round face with delicate features, blue eyes and small lips answered. Her white skin, almost like porcelain, matched her small and delicate, but elegant body.

"Right… Let's get to work." After quickly organizing the functions, Leyla quickly grabbed her own electronic screen and walked quickly to the corridor that led directly to the main building.

After Leyla left, Teresa, a secretary with long, straight, dark brown hair, came to Vivian and Monique to explain the situation.

"I have to warn you that the use of force within the perimeter of the Superintendence is strictly prohibited. Any act of physical violence is subject to serious punishment. Duels must be carried out within specific areas. Therefore, I ask that you remain calm and follow me calmly one at a time," Teresa said.

"Miss Wynne, Miss Creer, follow me." After Teresa finished, Aria quickly led Vivian and Daria to a corner of the Hall, where there were two elevators. The trio entered one of them and pressed the button to go down.

"Miss Daryan, follow me." Teresa did the same with Monique and went to the elevator to go down to the underground floor.

Finally, after they left, the atmosphere in the Entrance Hall returned to normal. With all the other secretaries preparing to finish their shifts and finishing the service of the people and Parahumans who were still there.

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