Volume 2 Chapter 24 (1/2)
<i class="fas fa-text-width fcc" onclick=”cyclewidth()”>・<i class="fas fa-font"><i class="fas fa-plus fcc" onclick=”changefontsize(1)”>・<i class="fas fa-lightbulb fcc" onclick=”toggledarkmode()”>Chapter 24: The Hero and Shuria, Raise the Curtain
We looked through every nook and cranny of the mansion, all to no avail as to Sori’s whereabouts She wasn’t even in her specially granted personal roo her status as a otten her her own rooe in some of our private rendezvous
No one in the mansion had a clue as to when exactly Sori had disappeared
(No, calether in the saht I distinctly re asleep before myself…)
“… … My only clue is that damnable letter”
I still had that sealed envelop in hand
The red dyeing the paper put off an awfully sinister i dear Sori
Expecting the worst, I opened the letter
Inside, there was ht blue paper
It was an audio letter
“hello, e is set right after sundown If you desire Sori’s return, I highly suggest you co by the road out the eastern gate Yours truly”
That jovial tone was undoubtedly that of Shuria’s
That natural intonation was dissimilar to the fraudulentperson
This instantly proved that Shuria was alive, and that those dreams weren’t merely dreams
“! WHY, why, is she alive…!”
I had a feeling about this But ical mind had denied it every time
Iirl survive after losing all her ic?
Perhaps that demon, it aided her in this and… … No
There are many conditions needed before one could for to, Shuria couldn’t have forged a contract as she was
And a de for anyone unless stipulated through such a contract Conclusion: the de her
Which implied that the demon wouldn’t have not taken her soul
But the reality was that Shuria was alive, and had even had the gall to challenge ht now I need to find Sori first and… !!)
“… Call in Ronbert”
After a short while, a large ar feel to him appeared beforeour land’s military, I had 50 people under my direct control A Special Forces unit, if you will, that took care of the dirty work
These st retired mercenaries and adventurers who had previous experience in warfare, and were all adept to a certain degree and all convenient tools for narrow situations
I used them to eliminate people who’d prove bothersome for my research, and also those who snooped into e off the ranted I provide the gold, and were especially useful for eencies like today
“Ronbert, I have a job for you”
“Aye aye, and about the pay…”
“You needn’t worry, I have 1 gold for every et all of them”
“All of’em?”
Ronbert’s eyes shot open in surprise
Most dirty work didn’t require gathering everyone, assassination jobs needed 5, 6 of theence network
But despitethat my actions could be described as overkill, I wasn’t in a state to consider bothering
“Indeed, all of them This job won’t be your usual assassination Sori’s been kidnapped, we need to get her back”
“Why us then? Can’t you get the guard corps to help with that?”
“If I did, I couldn’t kill those ht then and there, now could I? I would fucking tear theht now if I could”
I replied in a narrow eyed glare, densefrom est teaer that, Miss”
Ronbert, who noed priolden,’ exited the rooht on my objectives
“… … …”
I didn’t know too much
Why was Shuria alive What were those dreams
No doubt the tere related, but Sori had acted perfectly norns of the supposed torture
Outside, it was yet noon
Various feelings gnawing at hter Sori’s captor, who I’m led to believe is Shuria, and anyone affiliated with her
Fully geared and ready for action, I, along with athered on the road outside the eastern gate
The cover story would be that ere conducting a military exercise in the forest further east As there had been reports of Redcaps appearing in the area, in addition to a number of mutilated monster corpses, there were already talks that a powerful irregularsuch a level of unknown danger, no one should find fault in ation corps equipped with the strongest full plate ar approached our location
“That’s the…”
It was the very same stuffed animal that’d disappeared from my home as suddenly as it left that o pace from the road due north-east that led to the aforementioned forest
“Khshi+shi+”
It stopped a ways away, andoff
“Chase it”
“Aye”
We so ran after the accursed doll
I felt the air prickling like needles on the skin of my face But this was less the weather and more my utter lack of calm that must’ve been clearly reflected on my face and expression
We hadn’t a clue on the eneainst us On top of that, there suddenly appeared a self- doll that may or s with the underworld had taught me that death was closely linked to the amount of inforuard for a surprise attack from anywhere
We’d reached the forest, and walked further deep for another 1 hour There,the, Yuentlemen, one and all, welcome to this wonderous show”
A voice, clear as a bell
Like how the horizon separated land and sky, the forest suddenly gave way to a large circular plane, it’s surface bearing neither grass nor weed, as if proclaination as the field of battle
At the center of this arena, there was a withered tree devoid of any leaves and upon a thick branch of that tree sat 3 individuals
One of those 3 was a little girl Her silver hair swayed in the night wind and she had on so like a black one-piece dress It was that sinisterly sirl that’d spoken
“Shuria… Are you Shuria?”
“That I am, Yumis nee-sama It appears I hadn’t quite died, and have been reborn wonderfully as you can see”
‘kusukusu,’ laughed the little girl exceedingly unlike the one I’d known
Her cherubic expression and the distinct air around her er
Her facial features and voice had seemed familiar before, but as I no her in person, I could tell that those too had changed ever so slightly
The way she looked under this er on her lips to emphasize her words, she appeared to exude a charm like that of a succubus
She had not a speck of her previous bright innocence in those eyes
“Such a clear blue ht But let us end the intermission here, we can enjoy the moon on another occasion But I ht’s cobalt sky”
I felt a severe chill as if a tongue of ice licked up the back of my neck