Chapter 21 (1/2)
Volume 1
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 room .
Servants normally had shared rooms, but using her status as a minor noble, I’d gotten her her own room that made it easier to engage in some of our private rendezvous .
No one in the mansion had a clue as to when exactly Sori had disappeared .
(No, calm yourself, Yumis . Think back, we slept together in the same bed just last night . I distinctly remember Sori succumbing to exhaustion first and falling 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 impression .
But it might be my only lead in finding dear Sori .
Expecting the worst, I opened the letter .
Inside, there was my home’s specialty light blue paper .
It was an audio letter .
“Hello, my dear Yumis nee-sama . The show starts tonight, the stage is set right after sundown . If you desire Sori’s return, I highly suggest you come prepared . I shall have an escort waiting 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 fraudulent mother and sister I’d made, it was of a living, breathing person .
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 my logical mind had denied it every time .
Impossible . How in the world could that frail little girl survive after losing all her magic?
Perhaps that demon, it aided her in this and… … No .
There are many conditions needed before one could form a demonic contract . Even if the demon found itself wanting to, Shuria couldn’t have forged a contract as she was .
And a demon is unable to do anything for anyone unless stipulated through such a contract . Conclusion: the demon wasn’t helping 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 me .
(No, that doesn’t matter right now . I need to find Sori first and… !!)
“… Call in Ronbert”
After a short while, a large man with a rather vulgar feel to him appeared before me .
“You called, Miss?”
Among our 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 men were chosen from amongst 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 my affairs . I had also used them to take Shuria’s old village off the map .
They worked well enough, granted I provide the gold, and were especially useful for emergencies 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 man you have . Now quickly, go get 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 them at most . All other times, they were employed as my intelligence network .
But despite me knowing that 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 miscreants right then and there, now could I? I would fucking tear them limb from limb right now if I could”
I replied in a narrow eyed glare, dense mana exuding from me as if spurred by my fury .
“Just ready the strongest team possible . By tonight”
“Roger that, Miss”
Ronbert, who now showed prime example of the phrase, ‘silence is golden,’ exited the room .
Now alone, I thought on my objectives .
“… … …”
I didn’t know too much .
Why was Shuria alive . What were those dreams .
No doubt the two were related, but Sori had acted perfectly normal even yesterday . I even made sure there weren’t any signs of the supposed torture .
Outside, it was yet noon .
Various feelings gnawing at me, I carefully prepared to slaughter 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 my special forces were gathered on the road outside the eastern gate .
The cover story would be that we were 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 irregular might’ve spawned .
Since we would be facing such a level of unknown danger, no one should find fault in me having every member of the subjugation corps equipped with the strongest full plate armor available .
Some time after, a certain thing 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 ominous letter . It arrived at a walking pace from the road due north-east that led to the aforementioned forest .
“Khshishi”
It stopped a ways away, and mockingly beckoned us over with a finger, before dashing off .
“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 enemy’s strength, and further had an important hostage held against us . On top of that, there suddenly appeared a self-moving doll that may or may not be some new breed of monster .
My dealings with the underworld had taught me that death was closely linked to the amount of information one had, and thus I’d cautioned the troops to be on guard for a surprise attack from anywhere .
We’d reached the forest, and walked further deep for another 1 hour . There, we saw them .
“Good evening, Yumis nee-sama . And also the rest of you gentlemen, 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 proclaiming its designation 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 something like a black one-piece dress . It was that sinisterly smiling girl 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 made her seem a complete stranger .
Her facial features and voice had seemed familiar before, but as I now saw her in person, I could tell that those too had changed ever so slightly .
The way she looked under this moonlit night, with a finger 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 moon we have tonight . But let us end the intermission here, we can enjoy the moon on another occasion . But I must admit, the red of blood will go splendidly with tonight’s cobalt sky”