What is the difference between giving up and accepting one's defeat?
To never give up - this is a quality which is viewed as admirable, respectable, and something which makes us wish to cheer a person on as they continue to try no matter how impossible the odds.
Giving up, on the other hand, is viewed as a sign of weak will.
We view those who give up as pathetic and weak hearted, not worthy of taking the central role.
But what of the person who gracefully accepts their own defeat?
Is this not the same as giving up?
When one understands that the opponent before them is too much for them to possibly handle, this should be applauded - praised - and encouraged.
For it is only in understanding our own limitations and accepting our loss that we can truly move towards an obtainable victory.
----
'And... there.'
In similar fashion to before, Eclaire had bribed a woman to distract Gerard.
This allowed her the time she needed to prepare the office for her act, which she did with haste.
'And now... I wait.'
She was prepared to die - this time.
As a matter of fact, she almost wanted to die.
If she was killed in the way she anticipated, her theory would be further proven, and she would be able to declare victory on the next attempt.
Death was not something that she could ever welcome, but after experiencing death after death with seemingly no end, the fact that she was this close to victory meant that she was willing to accept a few more.
After all - with each death she was a step closer to victory.
Thus, she waited.
She waited and waited, half an hour passing before the door finally opened.
"Ahh... well, that was fun."
Into the room, Gerard entered once again just as before.
"Oh... Eclaire? What are you doing here?"
"Yakov told me to come here, but when I arrived the two of you had left."
Everything was proceeding just as last time.
"Is that so? Ah... well, I could use a drink. Pour me one if you will."
"Certainly. Is there any particular one that you'd like?"
The moment she asked this question, Gerard glanced up at the shelves.
"Third shelf, 4th from the left. Get me that one."
"Of course."
'Yakov should have been tipped off... right now.'
This was the thought that Eclaire had as she walked over to the shelf, taking the poisoned wine into her hand.
Of course, she had only poisoned this one. Not a single other bottle in the mix was poisoned.
Eclaire could feel the penetrating eyes of Yakov watching her, however she merely grinned in victory.
'You're going to stop me... right before I hand it over. Isn't that right?'
As she finished pouring the liquid, the woman headed over to the man's desk, however just before she did so she was blocked.
"Please wait just a minute. Eclaire. How did you know which bottle Gerard would choose?"
"Hm? What are you talking about?"
Eclaire looked up to Yakov, playing dumb as the man investigated her.
"You know exactly what I am talking about. Exactly one bottle of alcohol in that collection has been poisoned, and it happens to be the exact one that Gerard selected. How did you know which one to poison?"
"Poison!? Why... why would I do something like that!?"
"That's right, Yakov. Are you accusing her of trying to poison me?"
As Eclaire denied the notion, Gerard spoke up, thinning his eyes as he looked at both people with suspicion.
"Exactly so, Sir. I'm not quite sure how she knew which bottle you would choose, but that bottle alone has been poisoned."
"Are you certain of that?"
"Yes."
Suddenly, Gerard became lost in thought, irritation clearly filling his expression.
"Eclaire, what is your defense to these accusations?"
"I haven't done such a thing! Even if this bottle happens to be poisoned, do you have any proof that I was the one-"
"Eclaire, you were here alone waiting for us. Nobody else has a key to Gerard's office and is allowed to come here. You are the only one-"
"What about you, Yakov?"
Eclaire fired back with a solid counterargument, however this was met with a sigh of disappointment.
"I was with Gerard all day, except for the times that I was tending to business. At those times, Gerard was here in his office. The only person who was ever in his office alone was you."
"I see. But even so, you don't know that this is actually poisoned."
With a smile, Eclaire held up the wine, as if suggesting that someone try it to see.
"Then prove it. Drink that wine."
"Hmm... oh! I see. Since, by your logic, I am the only person who could have poisoned this wine, that would mean nobody else could have - meaning if I try it myself, I'll prove my innocence. Right?"
Looking back and forth between Gerard and Yakov, the two both nodded in agreement.
"That's correct. If you can prove your innocence by drinking that wine, then there is no issue.", Gerard stated.
"Understood!"
And with a cheerful smile, the woman downed the wine without hesitation.
"Ahh! It was very tasty! See? There's no poison."
"Wait."
Immediately, Yakov held up a hand, confusion filling his expression.
"Wait just a minute."
He seemed to be running calculations in his mind, however no matter which way he thought, he couldn't come to a solution.
Of course he was confused.
He had been given information which had been proven to be wrong.
Or so he thought.
'I've got a few minutes left. I didn't expect this development... but this is even better.'
Yakov was almost certainly wondering whether Eclaire had actually poisoned the wine - after all, she had drunk it without any hesitation.
Even if it was a slow acting poison, would someone who had set a trap willingly allow themselves to die to prove their innocence?
Of course not.
No sane person would do such a thing.
If they died, what was the purpose in killing someone else?
Even if they were someone mad with a desire for revenge, could they plan so cautiously?
It was impossible.
"What are you thinking so hard about, Yakov? She drank the wine and there's nothing wrong. If there was any poison, she wouldn't have drank any in the first place. Isn't that obvious?"
Gerard too was becoming impatient now, but Yakov stood his ground.
"No. Without a doubt, there is a slow acting poison in that wine."
And then, Eclaire found herself face to face with Yakov.
"What are you planning?"
"Planning? I was planning nothing."
And with a grand smile, the woman looked up to the man with an expression which made his very heart stop.
"Except my own death, perhaps."
At that moment, Eclaire's heart stopped.
She fell to the ground, hitting it with a thud, her eyes bloodshot from the fluid that flowed through her veins.
For a second time, Yakov could do nothing more than watch in horror, confused and unable to process the thoughts of this woman.
'Just why... would she do such a thing?'
He would never know.
----
[A betrayal will occur today]
The time was 3 AM.
It was a day like any other - or it would have been, however Yakov was rudely awoken with this message.
Shooting up from his bed as soon as the robotic voice uttered this message, Yakov immediately prepared himself for the day.
'A betrayal? This is... quite troublesome.'
He had slept in his clothes, as he always did, in case an emergency occurred so that he would be prepared to react at any moment.
'Who will betray who?'
Asking this question within his mind, the robotic voice spoke up in response.
[This information is to be determined.]
'To be determined?'
At this response, Yakov widened his eyes in surprise.
Never before had he received such a response.
Reveal - this was the ability that had been bestowed on him from the moment he had awakened in this ruined world.
This ability would reveal information to him based on his desires and goals - particularly when an effort would be made to hinder such goals.
If an enemy appeared, or if someone was going to succeed in harming Yakov or those he worked for, he would be made aware of it.
'What should I do?'
However, revealing the actions of others was only one part of his ability.
[Best possible course of action: Return to sleep]
[Nothing you do at this point will impact the results. Suggestions will be altered at a later time.]
For his ability - Reveal - would also reveal the most effective way to achieve his goals.
'Is that so? I suppose I must simply wait until the right moment. Very well. I will return to sleep for now. I'm sure I will need the rest to deal with the events of today.'
Thus, Yakov returned to sleep - one eye open.
And so began his day - a day that he would live over and over again without his own knowledge.
Yet right as he closed his eyes, the man was interrupted by a message which left him speechless.
[You will die today]
----
'I will die today... eh?'
Having been given such volatile information, Yakov found himself calmly laying in his bed that morning.
Never before had his ability been incorrect.
Every time it had revealed something, that thing had come to pass - however there was one critical difference this time.
Never before had it said something with such certainty.
'If nothing is done, this will happen.'
'In order to avoid this, do this.'
This was what would typically be revealed to Yakov - solutions.
Exact instructions on how to avoid a crisis, exact precautions on who he should be suspicious of, who he should keep his eyes on, where he should be, when, why, how - everything had been revealed to him.
This, combined with his own combat strength, had been enough.
He was a person who was capable of fixing many issues on his own - so long as he knew how to fix them, and where he should be at any given time.
His ability had given him exactly that - the ability to be in the right place, at the right time.
'So why then... today of all days...'
Would he be unable to avoid death?
Was this something that had no solution?
Something that was fated, written into the world like a code that couldn't be bypassed?
'Regardless... I must ensure Gerard's well being and safety - even at the cost of my own life.'
However, unlike Eclaire, Yakov quickly accepted his own death.
He did not fret, nor did he complain about such a thing.
He accepted it with grace, and instead focused his effort on a single goal.
'I will root out whatever betrayal shall occur... and I will ensure that it will never happen again - even if I no longer exist in this world.'
----
The day progressed in a strangely peaceful manner until mid morning, when Yakov had received a message.
[A betrayal has occurred.]
[An attack will be carried out on the hotel within the next few hours.]
'An attack, eh?'
Among the five branches of the Stirling Family, only one had reached out to Gerard since the beginning of the Calamity.
Whether the leaders of the other branches were still alive, even Gerard didn't know. However there was only one person outside the hotel who could possibly have betrayed him.
'Isabella. Is this the person in charge of this betrayal?'
[That is correct.]
The robotic voice responded quickly to Yakov's inquiry, at which he immediately sprung into action.
'I see. So this is the betrayal that will occur today.'
The information he was given was never perfect, but he would always be given just enough to allow him to succeed in whatever endeavors he took part in.
Exactly what was necessary and nothing more.
'Then I will prepare the executives for battle.'
As such, Yakov had gathered the four executives - Eclaire, Melissa, Valerie, and Celia.
They had held a meeting at around noon, and Yakov had received information through his ability about exactly where to station each person.
[Eclaire shouldn't be allowed to run free. An eye must be kept on her at all times.]
With this suggestion, Yakov had assigned Eclaire to come with him to guard Gerard, and he was tipped off about her potential betrayal.
Even so, there was no message saying that he should kill her - or at least not yet. For this reason, he would do exactly as he was suggested by his ability.
For his ability would always reveal the best possible action in every scenario.
If he was not told to kill her, he should not kill her. If he was told to do so, he would do it without hesitation.
This was how Yakov had lived from the moment he had awakened in this world.
However it was not something as simple as blind trust in this strange voice - it was far more than that.
Yakov had become one with the very concept of revelation. He understood within his very existence that the things revealed to him were not mere logical statements, but essential truths.
Yakov left to tend to Gerard, as he had been told to stay by Gerard's side at all times. Perhaps something would have happened to Gerard had he not done so.
It was after he had arrived in Gerard's office that things became strange.
'Why hasn't Eclaire shown up? Should I leave Gerard's side to find her? Or should I stay by his side?'
[If you do not stay by Gerard's side, he will be in danger.]
Thus - the question was answered.
Was Eclaire after his life? Or was it someone else?
This question, Yakov had yet to confirm.
However as he waited in that office, a knocking was heard.
'Is that her?'
"Come in."
Gerard had immediately spoken up, glancing over to the door as he took a puff of his newly lit cigar.
However the one who entered the room was not Eclaire - but rather another woman.
"Er... Master Gerard... Please forgive my intrusion!"
Immediately, the woman fell to her hands and knees as she begged for forgiveness upon entering the room.
Gerard sat up, clearly amused by the woman as he let out a lustful chuckle, yet Yakov merely thinned his eyes in suspicion.
'What are this woman's intentions? Does she mean to harm Gerard?'
[This woman is currently seeking financial gain and an elevation in her position by appealing to those above her.]
'That's all? If that is the case, there is no need to be concerned.'
Those who were motivated by base desires such as greed and lust for power were nothing to speak of. They were easily predictable, and they shattered easily.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
If they ever became a nuisance, Yakov could take care of them without any issues.
It was those whose intentions lay elsewhere - those who weren't motivated by such simple things - that Yakov had to concern himself with.
"What are you apologizing for, girl?"
Gerard looked down on the girl with a combination of intrigue and disgust, as if he was both delighted by the fact that she was bowing before him and appalled at her bold yet degrading actions.
"Forgive me for having the gall to even approach you, Sir! To think that I could even be present in your office..."
"Haha... well, it's not like I don't understand."
Standing up with a smile, Gerard strutted towards the girl, now standing in front of her as he placed a hand upon her head.
"But that isn't a position for a woman such as yourself."
"It... isn't?"
Looking up, the woman found her gaze locked with the man.
"No. You're going to need to raise your head just a bit."
"I... I see."
And with a deceptive smile, the woman caught on to the man's insinuation.
"You want something from me then? That's the only reason you would have come here."
"You see, Sir... there are some other girls who don't exactly like me. I was hoping that you would be able to show them... the errors of their ways."
"Haha... is that so? Well... I might be able to do such a thing. I am quite a gracious ruler, and I would love to extend a hand to my loyal subordinates. You will prove your loyalty to me of course, no?"
"Of course! I'll do anything you please!"
"Very well then. Come this way."
This interaction took place, and Yakov merely watched from the sidelines.
Gerard was a degenerate, for certain.
A man who Yakov couldn't possibly respect.
Even so, Yakov would serve and protect this man to the end of his life - for he had given his loyalty to this man, and to his vision.
For even if it meant he had to dirty his hands and sell his soul, Yakov would never break his promise to serve this man.
----
Yakov found himself waiting outside the bedroom as Gerard took the girl away for his own pleasure.
'This is quite complicated. Gerard is completely defenseless while alone in this room with that woman. I suppose I can't leave this post until he's finished.'
Yakov's ability had explicitly informed him that leaving Gerard unguarded would result in a negative outcome - potentially in the taking of his life.
As such, Yakov had no option but to remain, and unless his ability told him that something else needed to be done, he would do exactly that.
Eventually, the door opened, and Gerard exited the room, his hand on the shoulder of the girl and a sly grin on his face.
"Hahaha... hey, Yakov. This one might need to be promoted to an executive soon enough. The others... they haven't been giving me enough recently."
"Is that so? I'll look into it."
The woman seemed to slide off, nodding as she winked at Gerard.
"Come on. I'd better get back to my office."
With a waddle, the man led Yakov, who closely followed behind without complaint.
"Understood. I will accompany you."
The two made their way through the halls, and eventually to the office.
Upon entering the room, Yakov immediately sensed that something was off.
[Someone has been in this room.]
[The next person to arrive at this room will attempt to kill Gerard.]
[If this person is allowed within this room, Gerard's death will be guaranteed.]
[A suspicious person has appeared within the building]
[This person must be encountered and fought, or the death of numerous executives and Gerard will result.]
And right as he entered the room, Yakov was flooded with information.
'This... I see.'
----
"Sir. It would appear that a number of battles are currently occurring outside."
"Huh? Wait just a minute, Yakov. Who in their right mind has the balls to be attacking us directly? Is it those bloodhounds? I thought we sent those five off with Isabella to eradicate them... did they let them escape? Or maybe their real base was somewhere else and the mall was a trap?"
"That isn't the case. Unfortunately... it would seem that we've been betrayed."
"Betrayed!? By who!?"
"The third branch has betrayed us. The bloodhounds never existed in the first place. That entire mission was in order to draw out some of our more capable members to slaughter them without resistance. Fortunately, I had predicted this beforehand and ensured that our executives were not sent out for such a thing."
"Hmm... I see. Well done, Yakov."
Balling a fist, Gerard seemed to be filled with rage.
"But even so... that Isabella betrayed me..."
Looking up to Yakov, the man spoke with hatred seething in his voice.
"Even if she's family, I won't forgive this. And at the end of the day, she isn't even related by blood."
"I understand perfectly. However, right now, your safety is my utmost concern."
"Do as you need."
"I appreciate your cooperation. There are numerous worms and rats crawling about... and it would appear that there has been an infestation."
With these words, Yakov placed his hand to his heart as he pledged his loyalty once more.
"Therefore... even though I may be a mere Janitor... I will do my best to eliminate the filth."
And with this, the man turned to leave Gerard behind - at the direction of his ability.
"Sir. Please do not allow anyone into this room while I am gone. Do not touch anything. Do not do anything. Do not trust anyone who tries to come into this place."
"What's with the sudden serious orders, Yakov? Did you notice something?"
"Not much has been revealed yet... however I know two things."
Pausing for a moment just before he left, Yakov turned to face Gerard once more.
"The first is that if I do not go right now to meet a certain opponent, that you will become a casualty of our battle."
"That's a pretty big revelation. You're saying I'd die so easily?"
"Sir, I do not take these things lightly - and I'm sure you understand that I would never say such things if it were not revealed to me."
"And the second thing?"
"If you allow someone into this room, then without question you will be killed by that person."
Such went the conversation between Gerard and Yakov - in the final moments before Gerard died.
For the first and only time.
----
"So you've decided to betray me, Eclaire."
From within that room, without opening the door, the man spoke these words to the girl standing outside the door.
"I knew that you were always irritated with me. You hated me for a lot of reasons. But I didn't think that you'd betray me now, of all times."
Looking up to the ceiling, the man grinned with pleasure.
'She can't touch me.'
"I order you to not lay a single finger upon me. I order you to not attack me in any way, shape, or form. I order that you not move a single muscle unless I directly order you to do so."
With these words, the man sat up at his desk, smashing his cigar as he gazed upon the door.
"I order you to enter, and to stand six feet in front of my desk."
In that instant, the door which was locked was forcibly opened, the metal lock breaking as the girl entered.
Her white hair was disheveled from having smashed her body into the door, blood now dripping down her face. She looked to the man without moving, only breathing as she awaited his orders like a doll.
"You were going to kill me, but I've now ensured that you absolutely cannot kill me. You can't even move without my permission. Which is why it makes absolutely no sense that you would choose now - after I've obtained such an ability - to try and betray me."
Standing up, the man looked Eclaire directly in the eyes, staring into her soul.
"Just what is going on inside your head? Just how could you have possibly imagined defeating me when you have absolutely no means to do so? Or perhaps the next person to arrive will be the one to kill me? Repair the door and barricade it for me."
Without speaking a word, the girl immediately sprung into motion, first fixing the door to the best of her ability as she pried the metal back into place.
Her hands were cut as she did so, however this did not stop the girl who then proceeded to pick up chairs and eventually a table and other furniture, stacking them such that no intruder would be allowed to enter.
After completing this, the man spat out another order.
"Now stand in front of me once more and do not move a muscle."
And as soon as he uttered such words, she did so.
Everything he said was law.
Like a King, he ruled over her - incorporating this girl into his absolute reign.
"Actually... pour me a drink."
As the man said this, the girl walked over to a nearby cabinet, opening it up to reveal a fine selection of wines.
As the girl reached for one, the man held out his hand to stop her.
"Wait. You might have planted some sort of poison. Therefore I'm not going to allow you to choose which one it is. The fifth one from the 2nd row. Pour me that one."
As the man spoke this order, the girl did exactly as he said, reaching for that particular bottle as she headed over to his desk.
Taking the man's wine glass, the woman began to pour as she filled it, placing it upon his desk.
"And in case you somehow poisoned all of them... I'm going to make absolutely certain."
Sliding over the glass, the man glanced up to the girl.
"This is NOT an order. This is merely a suggestion, and you are free not to obey me in this case. Test this wine for poison."
Thus - the man gave the ultimate test to the girl.
If the wine had been poisoned, it might have been a slow acting poison - one that might not kill its target initially.
If this were the case and he ordered the girl to drink, then she would be forced to do so. This would prove nothing as to whether or not the poison was actually present if she didn't die immediately.
So instead, he forced her to choose of her own will to drink or not.
If she chose not to drink, it was poisoned. If she chose to drink, it was not.
However, without question, the girl took a sip.
There was not a second of hesitation. She took the sip immediately, as if to prove her loyalty to the man.
"Then... it wasn't you who was trying to kill me? Is there going to be someone else who comes to this place? Put the glass back on my desk. And don't spill it."
The girl followed orders once more, placing the glass down.
"This is an order. You are permitted to speak, and you must answer with honesty. Are you the one who will try to kill me?"
"Yes."
Widening his eyes, the man looked at the girl with shock.
"So it is you... how did you intend to kill me?"
"Poison."
"So it was poison after all. And I assume that there was some specific bottle in there that you picked out, then? You thought that I wouldn't specify which one to pick, so when I ordered you to use a specific one you ended up losing to me. Haha! Now that's ironic."
Grabbing the glass with a grin, the man stood up as he took the wine bottle, pulling out another glass from a drawer.
"Without question, if the poison were in the one you selected, you would have refused to drink it, so this one is alright. I suppose I'll have someone test all the others later, just to be safe."
Reaching into his drawer, the man pulled out a small bag with a white pill.
Placing this white pill into the 2nd glass, the man then poured the wine into it, taking one glass into each of his hands.
"Now isn't this ironic? You're going to die the same way you tried to kill me, Eclaire. Was it worth it?"
Handing over the poisoned glass, the man grinned with pleasure, handing over the glass to the girl.
"Take this and toast with me."
And as the girl took the poisoned glass, the two clinked them together - performing a light toast as they both took a sip.
"So now you're going to die... and I'm going to live. But it truly is a shame, Eclaire. I had so much hope for you. I had so much trust in you. And yet you've gone and betrayed me like this. It truly shatters my heart."
Placing his glass down, the man walked around the girl with lust in his eyes.
"This hair of yours... it was always so beautiful. That was why I let you live and gave you another chance. Because even if you betrayed me before, I didn't want to give you up. But now that you've done it again... I can't very well let such a thing be forgiven a second time."
Clicking his tongue, the man ran his hand through the girl's hair.
"You didn't learn your lesson."
At that moment, the girl spat up a volley of blood.
Falling to the ground, the girl was unable to obey the order of the man as her limbs failed - now moving her body as she hacked and coughed.
"I'll permit you thrashing and heaving in your death, but do not allow it to harm me in any way."
Looking down upon the girl as she threw up the blood, this was the only thing the man said as coldness filled his eyes.
"I'm disappointed."
And with this final statement, the man watched as the girl ceased her struggling and her eyes became cold.
"Your death... was pointless."
[Just how many times has this girl died? Do you believe this to be the first one?]
Suddenly however, a voice spoke up from the dead body of the girl.
Stumbling back, Gerard looked down as the pale corpse stood, and the woman took to her feet.
"You... stop moving. Immediately."
[I am not your subordinate. She is currently dealing with her own death.]
At that moment, the man felt a sharp pain as he grabbed his chest.
'Wha...'
[You should have listened to Mr. Janitor. After all, if you weren't so confident in your control over this girl - then perhaps you WOULD have been alive.]
As the woman spoke such harsh words, her expression suddenly became gentle - as if she were a teacher glorifying the achievement of a student.
The man fell to his knees, his breathing becoming heavier as the poison spread through his veins, and he felt his own consciousness fading as the pain erupted within him.
[But I'm quite proud of her.]
And as he fell down to the ground, the woman continued to speak, looking down upon the man with those horribly condescending eyes.
[Just how many times has she died trying to bring this assassination to fruition?]
Thus, Eclaire succeeded in her assassination.
On her 12th attempt.
----