Thanks to Kasumi's sewing job, my uniform underneath was looking more than a little 'fancy,' but I didn't feel like getting into some sort of war of endurance. I stood up and took off my coat.
"We could wear it together if you'd like. Then we could snuggle up together real nice and..."
"I'll pass, thanks."
I made my stance clear and stuck the coat on her.
"Yeah, that's better. You sure are nice. What about you? Are you cold?"
"I'd be lying of I said I was warm."
"No need to be shy, then. Come on, there's room for two."
Himuro flapped the hem of the coat, gesturing for me to join her.
Did she just want to screw with me like this all day long?
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
"So you're just going to ignore me, huh... Well, whatever. First off, congratulations on being discharged. I take it Ayase's already told you that?"
"Yep, she made sure to do so yesterday, thanks to you."
"Then you went on a date?"
"Yep, more or less, thanks to you."
"I see. That's good."
Exactly what part of that was "good" was completely lost on me.
"Anyway, it isn't much, but here you go. Eat up."
She offered me an egg sandwich. What was I, a dog being rewarded for a trick?
"You'll never grow big and strong if you don't get your nutrients. And we wouldn't want that, right? They say a healthy mind dwells in a healthy body. So hurry up and become an honest man."
She was really laying it on today. Apparently I didn't even qualify as a real human being.
Sorry, but I felt confident that I was better at this whole "human" thing than she was, at least.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Come on, speak your mind. That attitude is why you get into fights. That's how it went down between you and Yusa, I just know."
"..."
"Are you going to eat?"
"I guess."
I opened up the egg sandwich and gave it a few bites, offering a flippant reply in the process.
"Was that all you wanted to tell me?"
"Would you leave if I said 'yes'?"
"That's a tough one."
I knew that wasn't a great answer, but...
I gazed up at the sky.
Why was everyone trying to lecture me like this as soon as I got out of the hospital? Was what I did really that worrying?
Like, okay, I was sure most people would consider my scuffle with Shirou to be far more than a mere "fight", but it wasn't like I had been singled out for violence by a group or anything.
I could understand people who I wasn't particularly friendly with going out of their way to avoid me or getting an earful from Kasumi, but I never expected Himuro, of all people, to go at it too.
"It feels way too unnatural to have you lecturing me, you know? I get enough of that from Kasumi, and I think it should stay that way. I'd get an ulcer if there were two of her around."
Hell, the main reason I came up here was to get away from her bitching.
"You sure have been through a lot, haven't you?"
"Yeah, thanks to you."
I dropped my shoulders and sighed. Himuro resumed eating her sandwich as if nothing had ever happened.
I guess that was about what I expected from Himuro. If I had to try to describe her, she was like a ghost—she possessed a certain indefinite nature, like she wasn't concerned with the events of the world around her. At the same time, she would occasionally act up, as seen earlier.
The way she kind of kept her distance was similar to my own position on things, so I did get along with her better than I did Kasumi. That's why the two of us had managed to become friends.
"What you witnessed just now was me trying to imitate Ayase. You always look just a little pleased underneath the annoyance when she does it. So I gave it a shot, figuring you might be into that sort of thing. But if it seems too unnatural for me, maybe I should stop. Did you think it was weird?"
"Yes, very."
How were you supposed to react when the person lecturing you seemed like they were talking to thin air?
"So what'd you really call me here for? It wasn't just so you could imitate Kasumi, was it...? Wait, that's actually not as implausible as I think."
"Well, it's not particularly important, but I do have a question."
She cast me a sideward glance, her tone as flat as ever.
"Who won: you or Yusa? It's become a big topic around school. 'Tsukino High's Strongest Title Match', as they call it. Right now, it's 6 to 4 in Yusa's favor. But you're the only one who came back to school, so that number's shifting. Who was the actual winner, anyway?"
I didn't take Himuro for the type to get in on fads like this.
Who won, me or Shirou? Well, if you took that to mean "who was stronger", then...
"Me."
"Really?"
"You think I would lie about this?"
"Don't know. It's just that I think Yusa would say the same thing if I asked him."
Yeah, he might have. No, scratch that—he definitely would have.
"That's quite the scary look you've got on your face. This is what I don't get about you men. Is it really that important who won and who lost? Doesn't that pressure get overwhelming or anything?"
"Weren't you the one who asked?"
"Yes, but... No, you're right. I'm sorry. Okay, let's try a different question. Why did you and Yusa fight?"
"..."
"You don't want to answer that?"
"Guess not."
It wasn't something I was willing to discuss with others. Himuro was the one who had found Shirou and me passed out here and called an ambulance for us, so in that sense I was indebted to her, but... That didn't really apply to this.
Himuro sighed.
"Well, I can tell it wasn't something as simple as you two getting caught up in a love triangle. You and Yusa just aren't the right characters for that genre. And Ayase doesn't seem like the popular type."
She didn't exactly mince words with that one. I figured it would be best not to try to argue, though—Shirou and I weren't the type to get into fights for "wholesome" reasons like that.
And indeed, Kasumi wasn't popular... At least not with us.
"I guess all your misfortunes stem from the fact that, for whatever reason, the two of you were friends in the first place. Truth be told, I had a feeling things would end up this way for a while. Don't you think God can be more than a little cruel sometimes? I'll make sure to throw Him a sucker punch for you next time I see Him. Don't be shy, I'm saying this out of the goodness of my heart."
"Uh, sure."
Not exactly the sort of thing someone who lived in a church should be saying, but I didn't exactly feel obligated to stop her. If she wanted to punch out Jesus, then she could be my guest—as long as I wasn't the one receiving divine punishment over it, anyway.
"Besides, you're not suited for fights to begin with. No one wants to see you hurt. I'm sure the Sister would faint for sure."
"Sister?"
Did she mean the nun at the church?
I had only met her a few times before, but she was really something else.
To say that she had model-like proportions would be an understatement.
To put it simply, someone like her working as a nun was a great loss to the world.
I wouldn't mind giving Jesus a sucker punch or two myself over that one.
"What was her name again?"
"Sister Lisa. Blue eyes, huge F-cup boobs."
"..."
"By the way, I'm a B-cup."
Uh, TMI.
"Though maybe they'll grow bigger in time."
I kept quiet. There was no sense in crushing her dreams.
"So? How's Ms. F-cup doing?"
"You're not interested in B-cup?"
"I'm not gonna comment on that one for now."
I rolled up the wrapping paper for the sandwich I had been eating and tossed it into the pocket of the coat Himuro was wearing.
Not missing a beat, she proceeded to hand me a tomato sandwich.
"She's resting in bed right now. Want to see her?"
"Did she catch a cold?"
"No, that's not it."
She took out another sandwich. Where the hell was she keeping those sandwiches, anyway?
And then, with the same unwavering blank expression on her face, she dropped a bombshell.
"It's because she witnessed a murder. Have you seen the news? There was a murder in the park. Their head was cut clean off, blood everywhere. Scary, isn't? Makes you lose your appetite."
She said, happily chowing down on a tomato sandwich...
Whatever, that wasn't the issue here.
"By 'witnessed,' you mean she saw the culprit?"
"No, not them—the one who bit it. In other words..."
"The body?"
"She was the first to discover the body. I was there, too."
She nodded casually. If this was true, we were talking about some serious shit. This was the sort of thing that could traumatize someone for life.
"The police questioned me the whole night thanks to that. Lisa was sent back home because of her condition, but I wonder if she's okay. I'm a little worried."
"Are you doing okay?"
"Me? Yeah. Just a bit sleep derived, that's all. I was looking forward to seeing the police put on the whole 'good cop, bad cop' act, but I guess that only happens on TV. Kind of a disappointment. What's wrong, Fujii? You have a weird look on your face."
She was the weird one here! I mean, I had always thought she was a little off, but...
"Wait, could this be what you actually wanted to talk to me about?"
"I wonder. I brought it up because our conversation reminded me of it, but maybe you're right. It wasn't fun being treated as a suspect and all, so maybe I did want to complain a bit. Hey, mind if I complain?"
"Well... Sure, go ahead."
A murder case... There were few topics less suitable for mealtime.
Honestly, it wasn't really something I wanted to hear about either.
Unfortunately, I couldn't avoid feeling curious about the matter.
I couldn't seem to rid myself of thoughts about that dream. I decided to go ahead and listening to what Himuro had to say.
"I think it was... Right past 11. I like how the skyline looks there at night, so Lisa and I go there often. There's always lots and lots of couples there and even a molester or two from time to time, but for some reason, the place was completely deserted last night... Now that I think about it, something just felt 'off.' There was this weird atmosphere, like, somehow it felt oddly earm despite how cold it was outside. I made a mistake not turning around and going home right then. Can't help but regret that."
Himuro began her story, an uncharacteristic hint of self-derision in her voice.
The park she was talking about wasn't the sort of place housewives took their kids to.
It was a seaside park that offered a view of the opposite shore and its various attractions, like the sky-high tower, the amusement park, shopping mall, resort hotel, and so on.
As such, it was generally utilized as a date spot, teeming with people late into the night. It would seem that was not the case last night, however.
"You know that area right near the bridge? The one where you and Yusa often rode your bikes? It gets real dark around there, right? Not even most people living here really know about it... Maybe you could call it a blind spot? Anyway, that's where it happened. Lisa was the one who noticed it first. At first, she thought it was some sort of spray paint. There's a lot of graffiti in that place, you know. But that couldn't be farther from the truth. In fact—"
A wall dyed in red paint. A sticky, gelatinous torrent of foul-smelling—
"My first impression was that it was like a champagne bottle whose cork was just removed. Like the stopper had just been let loose. We found it lying a little ways from there, just flopped on the ground. I didn't know heads flew off like that. I was surprised by how much blood there was too."
Blood made up about 8-10% of a person's total weight. For an adult male, that would have meant around 5-6 litters. It was no stretch to say that they had come across a literal sea of blood.
"I'm surprised you didn't faint."
"Women are better at handling blood than men. We're better at dealing with extreme situations, too. Anyway, we couldn't just leave it like that, so I called the police, thinking they could give us a ride home..."
"Let me guess: they wanted your statement and had you questioned until dawn."
"Yes. Quite rude, don't you think? It should've been obvious that two unarmed women could never have pulled that off."
She meant cleaving off someone's head in an instant like that. According to the news...
"Apparently they think the murder weapon was a katana or a similar blade."
"Yeah, so I heard. They must be coming through the museum as we speak. Probably wondering if there's any exhibits that are missing... Or if any have blood on them..."
I wanted to laugh that idea off, but the circumstances made it difficult.
"That reasoning sounds like something right out of a TV show..."
"But there's a lot of blades just sitting there in the same city where a murder happened. I don't think they can just ignore that."
She had a point.
"What do you think about that? Weren't you there yesterday afternoon?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, does anything come to mind? Like, did it feel like there was some legendary magic sword mixed in with the other exhibits?"
"..."
Even overlooking the ridiculous example, I couldn't tell if she was being serious or not.
"Fujii?"
"No, not really."
"I see. That's a little disappointing."
As ever, her disinterested tone was at odd with her words. Himuro resuming eating. I simply looked up to the sky.
A grisly decapitation. This was the sort of abnormal, gruesome event that would give you goosebumps just thinking about it.
Anyone living in Suwahara must have been scared out of their wits.
After all, murders this bizarre rarely ended with just one victim. For all we knew, another body could turn up tonight.
And I might have been involved.
"Everyone's been on edge today. They're probably going to shut down clubs for a little while, so we can get home ASAP and all that. If people seem to be keeping their distance from you, that's part of the reason. Try not to freak out about it."
"That doesn't really bother—"
"You sure? Then why are you so down? Seems kinda odd, if you ask me. Oh? Maybe you got into a fight with Ayase?"
"No."
"You're such a liar."
She threw the coat she had been wearing over my head.
"Listen, you need to treat the girl you like with more care. It's dangerous out there, so you need to be there for her. Bye now, Fujii. Thanks for the coat. And for hearing me out. To tell you the truth... I was a little scared. But you helped me get away from things."
Himuro gave me a rare grin. She seemed just a little embarrassed.
If she acted like this all the time, she'd establish a fanbase in no time.
Well, that aside...
"Could you not go deciding who it is I like by yourself? It's not like I have a thing for Kasu—"
"And there's another lie. Anyway, you need to learn to step up to the plate more often. Yusa's not here anymore, you know. See you."
With that, Himuro left the roof behind. I heaved a sigh.
In the end, I really was just lectured the whole time.
I was kind of miffed.
It was cold as hell on the roof, but I had lost the will to return to class, so I decided to just skip.
...
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"Mmm..."
Apparently I had fallen asleep at some point. I opened my eyes to see...
"You shitting me?"
I couldn't believe myself; it was already completely dark outside. I was lucky I didn't get sick—maybe it was true what they said about idiots not catching colds.
I rose from the bench I had been lying on.
I checked the time on my phone—6:30 PM. It wasn't terribly late, but seeing how it was winter, it was already pitch black outside. In the distance, I could still see lights on in the school offices.
The idea of being caught by a teacher wasn't appealing. I had enough lectures for one day.
I headed back to the classroom to pick up my stuff, only to find...
"You moron! Go and get held back a year for all I care! Gaaaaah!"
...a lovely note from Kasumi taped to my desk.
But she had no reason to be concerned—my grades were better than hers. Since this was a collage prep school, they were willing to turn a blind eye to most things as long as you did well on tests.
That said, the incident with Shirou might not have fallen under "most things," but...
Setting that aside.
I tore the note off the desk, rolled it up, and launched it at the trash can.
I totally sunk the free throw.
I left the classroom after paying my respects to Kasumi's rancorous missive.
The school was more than a little creepy at night. No wonder so many people reported ghost sightings during the summer months.
I wasn't a fan of ghosts myself. If I had to say why, it was because they were immune to physical attacks.
You could try punching them, kicking them, whacking them with a bat, whatever, and it wouldn't do a damn thing. Meanwhile, they were able to mess with us all they wanted. You could hardly call that playing fair.
Surely, I wasn't the only one who found that a bit unsophisticated.
As I was walking down the hall, entertaining myself with silly ponderings on ghosts, something outside the window caught my eye.
"The kendo hall...?"
The lights were on. Himuro had said that club activities would probably be suspended, which meant...
"Kasumi?"
I couldn't think of any other explanation. Surely she wasn't trying to develop some new technique to take on the murderer on the loose, right?
Unfortunately, I couldn't just leave her here now that I knew.
What Himuro had told me earlier was still on my mind too, I guess.
Setting aside the issue of whether or not she really needed me escorting her, we took the same path back home anyway.
I found just the person I was expecting to find in the dojo, but...
"..."
'Maybe this was the wrong call.'
I had come here thinking we'd go through our usual routine, with me giving her a hard time and sidestepping her subsequent scolding. Kasumi, however, was clearly not in the playful mood right now.
When it came to kendo, she didn't cut corners or make compromises. She handled her bamboo sword with a quiet dignity, with nary a trace of her usual rambunctious demeanor to be found.
Staring at her steadfast expression, I found myself starting to understand why the younger girls swooned over her.
It felt like it would be wrong, somehow, to call out to her, so I just leaned against the shoe rack and watched her practice.
I wasn't familiar with kendo, but if memory served, that pose was the Seigan Kamae, one of the most basic techniques.
She sure was diligent. Here was someone who placed in national tournaments staying late in order to practice their fundamentals.
Well, I guess that was probably part of why she was so strong.
I had been watching her for a few minutes now—she had probably been practicing for much longer, of course—but her form hadn't wavered a bit. It came to mind the image of a Buddhist priest mediating—was this what they called clearing one's mind?
As I watched her, I suddenly wondered if she had some specific reason for going out of her way to maintain a steady presence of mind like this. I mean, that was kind of the idea of martial arts in general, but...
"The really strong ones are the guys who are strong without doing a damn thing."
I recalled what Shirou had once said while watching one of Kasumi's matches.
"People who are strong to begin with don't need to rehearse or practice. Martial arts is a way for the weak to try to become strong, which is why the idea that 'you can do it if you put your mind to it' is so influential. The match starting and ending with a bow—that's all part of it. People born weak don't know how to deal with having strength. So they end up putting top priority on trying to discipline themselves, because they'll break down if they don't... Poor bastards. Well, I guess they can't help it, though. In other words, Kasumi is in that group. It's cute that she's trying to go beyond her ability, but she wasn't born strong, so she's really just pushing herself. Unlike a certain someone. Man, how did things end up like this, anyway? Who decided to dangle a carrot in front of the little bunny? Well, Renny?"
I still remember the grin on his face as he nudged me with his shoulder. In retrospect, maybe I should have decked him right then and there.
"Take some responsibility, man. It's because you did that in the first place that—"
"..."
Oh, give me a break.
Where the hell did he get off trying to lecture me about this?
Whose fault did he think it was, anyway?
It pissed me off hearing that sort of thing coming from the mouth of a risk-obsessed psychopath like him.
He needed to realize he was nothing more than a fucking dumbass who liked complicated things for the hell of it.
That was why I...
"..."
"Huh? R-R-Ren?"
"Ah..."
Shit. What the hell was I doing?
"U-Um, what's wrong? No, wait, first question: how long have you been there?"
"...Sorry, it was just a little hard to find the right timing to speak up."
I had to be out of my mind, suddenly going on a trip down -that- particular memory lane.
I pulled my fist out of the shoe rack, my gaze wavering. This was beyond embarrassing.
"Um, let's head home together. It's dangerous to be walking around alone outside right now."
"Huh? W-What's going on? This isn't like you at all. I never thought I'd hear you say something like that..."
"No, you've got it wrong... The streets are scary at night, so I figured you could keep me safe."
"O-Oh, is that right... W-Wait, so you're saying you want me to guard you because you're scared? You're not the one protecting me...?"
"Exactly."
Kasumi snapped.
"Y-Y-You spineless coward! Have you no shame as a man!? Oh right, and now I remember: you skipped afternoon classes, didn't you!? Where the hell did you run off to!?"
"I fell asleep on the roof."
"The roof? Seriously? I mean, are you out of your mind? Okay, that's it, I'm done! You're just wearing me out! Fine, I get it, whatever. I'm gonna go get changed, so wait there a bit."
Kasumi stomped off into the changing room, and I could've sworn I heard the earth shake. She poked her head back out.
"Peek and you'll get to experience my kendo techniques firsthand!"
Bam! She slammed the door shut.
Sigh.
Well, I guess this had turned out more or less how I originally envisioned it.
It seemed Kasumi was back to her usual self, if nothing else.
Now I just needed to stop worrying about the stuff in the past myself.
"Well then, thanks for everything, as usual."
Kasumi thanked the dojo, locked it, and then headed my way.
"Sorry for the wait! So? Have you eaten yet?"
"No, since we're going home together, you make something."
"Huh? Isn't it late for that?"
"I don't really mind. No other cooking suits my taste like yours, I guess."
"Really?"
"Really. I barely had anything for lunch, so I'm starving. I don't want to eat something I'm not used to. So I'd like something from you."
"Mmm, but I'm all out of ingredients."
"Am I asking too much? If so, I guess I could make do with eating out."
"Ah, no, that's not it. Um, it's just kinda embarrassing, y'know? I'm at a loss. When you put it like that, I feel like I can't make anything half-assed, or something like that."
Kasumi squirmed about for a bit, but soon collected herself.
"Alright, then I'll do my best!"
"Thanks."
Thank god she was so simple-minded.
Afterward, we picked up some groceries at the supermarket and headed home together.
It couldn't have been much later than 7 PM, but there were surprisingly few people still out and about on the streets.
"I guess we aren't the only one on edge."
"Naturally."
You'd have to be crazy to want to go strolling about in a city where there had been a brutal murder the previous day. The smart thing to do would be to stay inside with your doors locked tight.
Thinking about it this way, Kasumi and I were being pretty careless going out at night like this, even if we were together.
"The teacher said we should all go straight home until the murderer's finally caught."
What else would they say?
"Then why did you stay behind?"
"Ah, well, you see... It's just, y'know, a part of my daily routine, that's why. Didn't feel right to skimp on it now. Besides, I figured I might be able to capture the murderer. Hey, what's with that face? You're thinking I'm an idiot or something, aren't you?"
Was she psychic or something?
"Look, just leave this to the public officials. Why should a female student have to go the extra mile?"
"Don't you know? It's 'cause I'm a champion of justice."
Good for her.
"I've suspected as much for a while, but you're not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, huh?"
"Excuse me?! Now that was rude, even from you!"
"Anyway, keep that sense of justice of yours in moderation, okay?"
I didn't know what sort of person the murderer was, but it was probably safe to say that he was out of his mind if he was going around decapitating people. The average person would almost certainly struggle to maintain their cool when confronting a psychopath like that.
"I'm kinda doubtful you could manage to pull off your kendo techniques against an opponent that comes lunging at you with a bloody knife and a creepy smile. What about you?"
"Hmm, good question. Yeah, I guess that might be kinda scary."
"I know, right?"
Most people have never had to fight for their lives, so it would be only natural to freeze up when thrust into a situation like that. Only experience or a natural predisposition for this sort of thing could help you there.
Not that being experienced with or possessing a gift for life-and-death struggles would be a good thing, mind you.
"Anyway, just try not to play the hero, okay? If you're gonna keep up your practicing, I'll stay with you."
"Oh gosh, you're actually worried?"
"Of course I am. I'm seriously scared about going home alone."
"Oh boy... I see, so that's your angle. Well, glad to see you being honest, at least... But still... Seems like you've taken big steps back to being your old self again. When you first got into the hospital, you were almost like a ghost or something. So..."
Kasumi smiled softly, her expression feeling somehow mature.
"Next time something happens, be sure to tell me about it, okay? Don't leave me in the dark and pull a reckless stunt like you did last time, you hear? Promise me."
She stuck out her pinky.
"C'mon!"
"What are you, my mother?"
"It's nothing like that at all. You want me to protect you, right? Right?"
"..."
I wondered if it might not be better to just go along with her.
"I'll see what I can do."
"Mmm, good enough."
Kasumi grabbed my hand and forcibly intertwined our pinkies.
Never thought I'd be engaging in a pinky swear st this age...
"Next time something happens, be sure to tell me about it."
I didn't want more stuff that I felt uncomfortable talking about to happen myself, I was more than over that sort of thing.
Unfortunately, I always seemed to have bad luck keeping these sorts of promises.
So this pinky swear instead seemed ominous to me; like it was a portent of some misfortune to come.
I couldn't shake that feeling for the rest of the night.
After eating dinner, I headed straight to bed. And as soon as I fell asleep, it began.
The crimson dream of the guillotine.
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...
Indeed, the night was red. A beast lurked in the city.
Most beasts were of a nocturnal nature, so it was only natural the hunting of this one took place during the night.
And thus the night was stained crimson.
With fountains of blood.
With dripping pieces of meat.
With shattered bones.
With the fading embers of life.
Thus the beast satisfied its hunger—slaked its thirst—in an endless cycle of limitless gluttony.
It continued devouring its prey.
However...
There were also those that hunted such beasts.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to describe this kind of phenomenon as mutual predation instead.
"They're here."
A beast in the form of a young woman spoke, a grim expression on her face.
She was one of the "hunters," but she was fundamentally no different from her prey.
Indeed, they were one and same.
They both have become beasts through the same obscene method, took to the hunt for the same reasons.
Two beasts of the same forest.
If there was a difference to be found between them, it was her youth.
But in this case, youth did not equate to inexperience—she had killed far more than the older beast before her.
Thus, she had no intention of pursuing her prey at the current time.
For now, he would simply step back and observe the situation, waiting for her prey to build experience and mature. She yearned for the day her prey's fangs would grow sharp enough that she could no longer manage them.
Let it be said that she was not overestimating her own strength; this was her earnest desire.
The hunt would be but a mere farce if her prey was feeble enough to fall to her alone.
After all, every one of the "hunters" was a monster, forged in the flames of hell.
Her prey needed to be strong enough to hold its ground against all of them together.
"Well... It doesn't seem likely, unfortunately."
Her words earlier did not speak of her prey's arrival.
Her comrades—the "hunters"—had arrived instead.
And thus she understood.
The odds of the prey managing to reach their level were so low that they might as well have been zero.
There was no one to be seen in the area.
Her comrades hadn't made their presence known through sight or sound.
But she could feel them there.
Even if one is asleep, he or she is likely to awaken if several people enter the room, simply from sensing their presence. This was a similar phenomenon.
The "room" that was Suwahara City suddenly felt very cramped.
If we posited that the "density" of a normal person's existence was a 1, then the density of the two who had just arrived was more than 1000.
There could be no doubt that these monsters had devoured more than one thousand human souls.
These were man-eaters far beyond the level of any mere serial killer.
They could no longer be called "human" in any sense of the word.
Ah, but this was perhaps to be expected. It meant only that they had come prepared. They had made effective use of the past sixty years, it would seem.
She had no trouble telling exactly who had arrived. Who could forget such tainted, such utterly abominable souls as theirs?
"God..."
Before the words "these two are the absolute worst" could pass from her lips, the girl remembered that the descriptor 'absolute worst' applied to all of them just the same and held her tongue.
"Anyway, welcome to Shambhala."
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"Welcome. I have been awaiting you two."
A man garbed in a priest's cassock offered his greetings.
"First Lieutenant Bey, Warrant Officer Malleus, it truly has been a long time. You haven't changed at all. A common expression, yet true nonetheless."
His voice was calm, even comforting. In contrast, the two beings receiving his greeting emitted a presence that could only be likened to that of a natural disaster.
The sick stench of blood hung in the air.
The pungent aroma of gunpowder filled the area.
The entire world around them reeked with the rotten stench of murder.
These were the odors of madness.
These were the odors of calamity.
These were the odors of demons.
The beings gathering atop this bridge were without exception utterly removed from the constraints of normalcy.
"Hah!"
One of the two "guests," a young man, sneered at the priest's words.
"So what you're really saying is that we haven't improved at all since last time, eh, Christof? You'd better watch your tongue or you're gonna end up dead in a ditch, ya bastard."
The man's language could hardly be called refined, but he spoke with a grin. The priest returned his own faint smile.
The man's skin was fair—too fair, to the point of being inhumanly pale, as if he was cut from wax.
However, he did not give off an aura of weakness or sick illness—far from it. He possessed a certain limber poise, almost reminiscent of a python or other great reptile.
In contrast...
"A pleasure to see you, Father Christof. You really haven't changed a bit, have you? You must have been slacking."
The sweet voice that resonated next belonged to a young woman every bit as charming as her voice would suggest.
She looked completely unfit to this sinister place.
In that sense, she could have been said to give off the strongest impression of any of the creatures gathered atop the bridge.
She served as an excellent example of the old adage that "every rose had its thorns."
"I have been leading a secluded life for a while, you see. It is true that I am perhaps not the most proactive, but I do have my reasons. If you seek to hold me accountable, I can provide an explanation."
"Hell no, we've known you long enough. Enough with the formalities. All I wanna know is one thing: who's in Shambhala right now?"
"Leonhard, Sonnenkind, Babylon, and Tubal Cain... Including the two of you, that makes six. I myself will not move for another four or five days."
"Why?"
"I've been told that the elderly should mind their own business, you see."
"Huh?"
The man's pale visage twisted in confusion. The girl, on the other hand, seemed to understand what the priest had meant.
"Christof, you mentioned Leonhard, didn't you? Is she the replacement for Valkyria?"
"Yes. You two are acquainted with her already, yes? She has become quite the force to be reckoned with."
"Oh?"
"That's right?"
The two of them broke out into broad smirks.
Fascinating. Most fascinating. A force to be reckoned with? Then by all means...
"Listen, you two."
The priest, perhaps sensing the building uneasy atmosphere, continued with an authoritative tone.
"I am certain you are alright well aware of this, but we cannot allow for any vacancies in the Obsidian Table. Not unless we desire a repeat of eleven years ago, that is. She may be a novice, a greenhorn, an inferior yellow monkey, yes, but her existence is a necessity. Are we clear on that?
"Why yes, of course. Why wouldn't we be? Always such a worrywart, aren't you? We girls need to watch out for each other, so why don't you just leave her to me?"
"..."
"Don't worry about her. You got no time to be lookin' after hee yourself, right? So this just leaves Spinne. When's he coming?"
"He will probably take a bit longer. I sent him to look into something."
"Oh? What is it? Now I'm curious."
"Hey, Malleus. Didn't you hear me? Don't worry about it. Let him take care of the dirty work, it'll save us the trouble. All we've gotta do is take out the trash."
"'Taking out the trash?' Don't you mean hunting? That bastard Mercurius was supposed to be sending in a substitute, wasn't he?"
"Warrant Officer Malleus, I cannot say I approve of the disrespectful way in which you refer to His Excellency the Vice Commander."
The priest reproached the girl's choice of words, but his tone made it clear he was doing it out of no more than mere formality.
This "Mercurius" was clearly rather unpopular, but at the same time, it did not seem as if they were making light of him.
Quite the opposite, in fact. They spoke of him with disgust, with even a hint of fear. This was a man so despised that even his comrades shunned his very existence.
"In any case, His Excellency the Vice Commander should have dispatched his agent already, in accordance with the covenant. Your first task will be tracking 'him' down. I am sure you will have no difficulty with this."
"What about Leon? Isn't she going to help?"
"Rather, I have entrusted her with full dominance over this matter. Please try to ensure that she maintains face—think of it as helping a new recruit gain experience on the battlefield."
"I see."
"Roger. Looks like things will get fun around here."
"Now then—"
The priest's tone shifted. The two new arrivals knew it was time to cease with the charades.
The look in their eyes grew serious, grim. The very atmosphere around them took on a grave intensity.
These were no mere thugs, no mad dogs of war lost in their own power.
These were soldiers.
The Obsidian Round Table would tolerate no less.
The priest spoke.
"Thou art bound not by evil, shackled not by sin—thou art free from chains, above taboo. Thy Lord and Master hath guided thee to this battlefield so that thou can lay waste to His enemies with steel in hand. Kill the men, kill the women, kill the children and the aged, kill dogs and horses, cattle and asses and goats—leave none alive. Waver not. Discard thy fear. Strip thyself of doubt, and so shalt I. Thy Lord forgives all. Ye who pride thyselves as the Golden Beast's Fangs and Claws, proudly declare thy names."
"Wilhelm Ehrenburg."
"Rusalka Maria Schwägelin."
"Thy honor shall be thy loyalty."
"Our honor shall be our loyalty."
"I bless thee in the name of Valeria Trifa, Christof Lohengrin, Number III of the Longinus Dreizehn Orden's Obsidian Round Table."
After a brief pause, the ceremony had drawn to a close. The three of them spoke in unison:
"Sieg Heil, Viktoria."
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Chapter I: L'enfant de la punition - End
Word count -20,302
Next - Chapter II: Xenophobia