**Chapter 27: The King of Shadow②**
“Ku ku ku… foolish. How foolish you are, Alba. To fall for such an obvious trap.”
“…”
“The weakness of the Order of the Final Knights lies in their nobility. They are… strong against enemies, but far too lenient with their allies.”
Master Beast chuckled, a cruel smile playing on his lips. Alba, walking beside him as if to accompany the staff-wielding Master Beast, remained silent.
The sun had set, and the sky was enveloped in twilight. Immortals became more active at night. While there were no beings that turned to ash upon exposure to sunlight like vampires, the difference in abilities between day and night for most demonic creatures was significant.
A werewolf had appeared during the day. Its behavior was clearly a trap. The moment it fled without launching a proper attack, it was evident there was no intention to conceal its motives. It was blatant.
With the death of the Beast King, the source of the curse that birthed werewolves, the existence of such demonic beings had become quite rare. The fact that someone was controlling one indicated that they were a considerable entity within BaN/Aku.
However, Rufuri and the others did not pursue it. Instead, they disregarded the night crystal and focused on responding to the Eclipse Knight, whom the werewolf had mentioned as an ally of the vampires.
Everything was falling into the enemy’s hands. The fact that they were aware of this made it even worse.
Master Beast continued to chuckle as he recalled the young man he had once fought.
“Ku ku ku ku ku… The enemies of humankind are truly… troublesome, End-FormeN/A. To think they would be treated as nuisances even by their own kind.”
“…I will kill them.”
There were few Eclipse Knights who allied with vampires. Alba spat out the words in a hushed voice, suppressing her anger as she glared at the grinning Master Beast. Why was she in such a place? Although the circumstances were unclear, it was likely that she had followed the night crystal eight or nine times out of ten. What a strange twist of fate.
End was strong. The rationality of a vampire was not something that the previous Seolii could handle. Moreover, that young man was still—immature. Now, after some time had passed, he would have surely amassed even greater power. Senri-Sylvis was—exceptional. From Master Beast’s perspective, he was not a favorable match, but even after having defeated countless demonic beings, Master Beast could only manage to stall him. Furthermore, to observe a vampire radiating a negative aura opposite to Blessing and Sei required an iron will.
Yet, no matter how powerful a pair they were, they were still just two individuals. They had too many enemies.
“It seems we will be busy.”
“I will kill them.”
The numerous demon kings sought powerful subordinates. The werewolf was merely a stepping stone to capture End. For a vampire possessing human rationality, it would be unbearable. While he would not offer help, he could at least feel a twinge of sympathy.
Alba frowned and looked up at Master Beast.
“Lino, let’s go as well.”
“…I would like to, but… the target of our work this time is not him.”
“…”
“Let those who wish to fight it out do so. We are… human, after all.”
Alba grimaced in discontent but said nothing more, silently following Master Beast.
By some twist of fate, the combat strength of the Master Beasts, stripped of their curses, had significantly diminished. Alba’s resentment towards vampires had not faded, and she was undergoing new training, but she could not exhibit the combat abilities she once had as a mere human. Therefore, all she could do was wrack her brain for wisdom.
They leisurely walked through the city and arrived at the town hall, a place they had also visited during the day. Although night had fallen, the number of guards standing at the gate had not diminished. In the light of the Investigation street, Master Beast let out a small sigh.
“Indeed… they are hiding something.”
The town of DeSen/Aldoro was not particularly large, and the mayor had not garnered much resentment from the surrounding area. There should be no reason to keep guards on standby at all hours. Yet, it appeared as if they were watching over something in fear.
Master Beast’s instincts, honed over many years, whispered to him that something was amiss.
It was a painful blow that Rufuri and the others had stormed the castle. No matter how foolish the actions of their employer, they could not be stopped; that was the plight of hired hands. If the werewolf had not come to lead them, Rufuri and the others would not have recklessly charged into the suspicious castle alone. They would have waited for reinforcements.
How utterly detestable.
Cautiously avoiding the gaze of passersby, they circled around the town hall. The guards stood watch, but they seemed unmotivated. It was likely a peaceful town. The last incident had been an earthquake that caused part of the old castle to collapse, and nothing else had occurred since.
—At least, on the surface.
Master Beast tapped the wall with his staff, chuckling to himself.
“Well then, let’s pay the mayor a secret visit… shall we?”
—
They had been watching closely. The Eclipse Knights were devising strategies, but the vampire hunt was escalating even further.
Humans who bore a grudge against the AdN/Aldoro and were allies of the Order of the Final Knights were all on the side of Master Beast and his companions. Moreover, there were likely more of them than the Order of the Final Knights anticipated.
Information gathering had begun quietly since the night crystals started circulating. DeSen/Aldoro was a town that had once battled the King of the Dead. It was no coincidence that there were collaborators here.
They climbed over the wall and broke a window without making a sound, carefully infiltrating the town hall. They entered a corridor illuminated by a faint light. There was no one inside the town hall.
The eerily clean and well-furnished town hall, devoid of any sound, felt unsettling.
“Alba, can you smell anything?”
Alba, crouching low to the ground, wrinkled her brow and shook her head.
“I smell… the scent of the dead… but I can’t tell.”
Alba’s abilities had diminished after losing her curse. While her physical capabilities and sense of smell had been honed during her long period of cursing, making her stronger than an average human, she could not compare to the powers she had when she could transform into a dog.
Master Beast shrugged and pulled out a blueprint of the mansion from his pocket.
This town had numerous suspicious points.
The significant earthquake that caused part of the old castle to collapse. The sudden, almost pathological shift in strategies against vampires. The hiring of mercenaries from outside to defeat the newly emerging AdN/Aldoro.
And—despite the mercenaries not returning alive, DeSen/Aldoro maintained its silence.
Mercenaries were essentially rootless wanderers. If mercenaries who traveled seeking work suddenly disappeared, most humans would not find it suspicious.
However, if one paid attention, the story changed. According to the investigation of collaborators, more than ten mercenary teams had visited DeSen/Aldoro to be hired for the extermination of AdN/Aldoro. Some of them likely vanished without completing their contracts. Yet, there were usually signs when a party left after successfully fulfilling their requests.
What on earth had happened to the mercenaries who vanished without a trace?
They proceeded cautiously, careful not to make a sound.
AdN/Aldoro were powerful. With their high immortality and repeated mutations, some possessed intelligence far beyond that of humans. However, even such beings would find it difficult to completely blend in with humans. There were limits to acting without drawing attention or causing discomfort.
In a town of humans, one had to abide by human logic. Master Beast was a professional. He knew where to look.
What he held was a copy of the blueprints used during renovations of the town hall several years ago. The contractors who had performed the work were long gone, but the map obtained by collaborators clearly indicated the newly constructed basement.
“Why do they wish to hide underground… is it some instinct to return to the underworld?”
“…”
Vampires prefer coffins. Other AdN/Aldoro may not enter coffins, but they often lurk in damp, lightless basements.
There should have been ordinary humans in the town hall during the day, yet it seemed that no one was present at night. However, the mayor had not come outside. He should still be inside.
The mayor was undoubtedly human. This meant that someone was manipulating him from behind the scenes. Whatever that entity was—it was outside of vampires. And that entity was afraid of a vampire’s arrival.
They had infiltrated for the purpose of gathering information. Since the Eclipse Knights, Rufuri and Nebira, had come, the mayor was likely to take some action.
That said, the likelihood of the town hall itself having fallen into enemy hands was not particularly high. The situation was being handled with extreme caution—so quietly that the Order of the Final Knights would not notice.
It was unlikely that they would need to rummage through each room. While remaining alert, they headed toward the underground room created during the renovations.
Then, along the way, Master Beast suddenly stopped.
“…”
“The scent of blood…”
Alba drew her silver dagger from her waist and took a defensive stance. Master Beast furrowed his brow.
“…Too late, then. They act quickly… have I provoked them too much?”
Master Beast did not possess the ability to sense negative energy like the Eclipse Knights. However, his experience spoke volumes.
He pressed onward, descending the stairs leading to the basement without hesitation. The chilling air brushed against his cheeks, but his feet did not falter.
They were already—gone. The remnants of their presence lingered. They had certainly been there just a moment ago, but now they were absent. Was this fortune or misfortune?
In a room in the basement, amidst a pool of blood, pieces of flesh were scattered.
In a dimly lit underground chamber, the only furnishings were the bare essentials. The walls were smeared with remnants of flesh, as if something had exploded from within—likely the result of a powerful offensive spell. Such devastation could only leave marks of this magnitude.
Alba surveyed the room with an impassive expression, her eyes scanning every detail. Among the puddles of blood, she picked up a tattered piece of cloth—a remnant of clothing—and the Master Beast frowned at the sight.
This was the aftermath of their initial discussions. The dark familiar’s natural enemy. They should never have brought the Eclipse Knight along. The Master Beast would do anything to corner the dark familiar, but it was better for a person to remain alive than to face death.
A dead person cannot speak. To extract words from the deceased, one would have to resort to forbidden magic.