The Eminence in Shadow, Vol. 3 (Light Novel) Page 3

  “Come on, we’re going.” Claire grabs me by the scruff of my neck and drags me off.

  As she does, someone else calls out to the shopkeeper.

  “Hey, Shopkeep. If you were serious about sellin’ those two for thirty-seven mil, you’ve got a deal.”

  “Oh, I’m always serious about prices! Pleasure doing business! Hmm? Wait, you’re…”

  “Mmph, mmph!”

  “Rngh, rngh!”

  I guess the two of them got sold after all.

  I was kinda worried ’cause I felt like I’d seen their faces somewhere before, but all’s well that ends well.

  Wait a minute…

  If they just got sold, that means that the stand has at least thirty-seven million zeni on hand. All I have to do is attack it, and…

  No, no. I can’t let myself be distracted by chump change.

  It’s better to dream big.

  “Come on, pick up the pace.”

  “I can walk just fine without you dragging me, you know.”

  “If I don’t haul you along, I’m sure you’ll find some way to get yourself lost.”

  “What? No, I won’t.”

  As we walk, I gaze up at the three towering skyscrapers.

  One red, one black, one white.

  Eenie-meenie-miney-mo…

  When we arrive at the Dark Knight Association’s base, my sister immediately gets called into a meeting. Apparently, they’re getting all the notable dark knights together to have some sort of discussion.

  I don’t get an invite.

  Claire tries desperately to get me in, but her efforts are in vain.

  “Wait here like a good boy and don’t move an inch,” she commands me, then joins the assembly.

  The moment she does, I decide to go for a stroll. Like a good boy.

  When I get outside, I find the sun has already set. The sky is still bright from its afterglow, but the reddish moon has begun making its heavenly ascent to the east.

  With each passing day, the moon seems to get even redder, and I’m pretty sure I’m not just imagining things. I guess the moon in this world really is different from the one back on Earth…

  The people of the Lawless City pay the moon no heed as they mill about on their business. They focus on the things they need to get through the day—for some, that’s their next customer, and for others, their next mark.

  To honor that spirit, I mark the occasion by crossing paths with ten different pickpockets.

  I leave my wallet in a super conspicuous pocket, so it keeps getting snatched, but whenever someone steals it, I make sure to return the favor.

  In other words, I take my wallet back, and theirs along with it.

  Survival of the fittest, baby.

  Remember, getting revenge is fair play.

  Just today, my wallet’s contents have swelled from forty thousand zeni to a hundred and ten thousand. What a strange world we live in.

  Maybe my true calling is to become Background Resident A in the Lawless City.

  As far as I’m concerned, any city where you can make money just by going on a stroll is basically paradise.

  As I walk along, struck by the urge to start humming, I hear a scream.

  “A ghoul! There’s a ghoul!!”

  Huh. And pretty close to where I am, it sounds like.

  The Lawless City’s residents react quickly. The people who can’t fight immediately flee the area.

  However, a bunch of the stalls continue doing business as if they didn’t even hear the shriek. Another group of people even head toward the direction it came from with grins on their faces.

  “Ghouls, huh? We’ve been getting a lot of those lately.”

  “Perfect. I need to relieve some stress.”

  One guy cracks his knuckles, and another draws a knife.

  Yeah, I feel that. I like to rubberneck whenever stuff’s going down, too. I stealthily tail them to the scene.

  When we get there, the ghoul’s already been captured.

  Looks like someone broke its legs. It’s rolling around on the ground.

  Someone kicks it. “Take that! That’s what you get for biting my arm!”

  Someone stomps on it. “Dammit! I lost big on my bet!! And it’s all your fault!!”

  Someone snaps its bones. “I gave Marie a million zeni, but she dumped me anyways!! And you’re to blame!!”

  A pool of blood spreads across the ground.

  Ah, I get it. Ghouls are hard to kill, so they make for satisfying punching bags.

  The ghoul groans, completely at their mercy. That’s the Lawless City for you.

  Stuff like this probably happens all the time around these parts.

  A city drenched in blood and slaughter—I like the sound of that.

  “Heh-heh-heh.”

  I lean against the wall with my arms crossed as I let out a low chuckle. Being in the Lawless City is getting me in the mood to do my “mysterious young man” shadowbroker routine.

  Eventually, the ghoul collapses lifelessly to the side, and the mob gets bored.

  Guess the show’s over.

  Also, it’s gotten pretty dark.

  The moment I start thinking about heading back, though, I sense the ghoul regain its strength.

  “Ahh!! N-no!”

  A man’s scream and a spray of blood fill the air.

  The reanimated ghoul drives its teeth into one man’s neck and rips out his trachea.

  “Wh-what’s happening?! They aren’t supposed to do that!!”

  Another victim falls.

  However, despite their agitation, the other men draw their swords.

  The risen ghoul is…red.

  Its skin and eyes are both as red as blood, and it bares its jagged fangs and claws as it roars. “GROOOOOAH!!”

  Then, it launches into a bestial leap.

  Its claws cleave through one man’s neck, slicing it clean off.

  “R-run!!”

  That’s enough to make even people from the Lawless City start to scramble.

  The ghoul sinks its teeth into one of the corpses and begins chewing. I grin, lean against the wall, and chuckle. “Heh-heh-heh…”

  Now what?

  Should I flee like all the other background characters? Or should I continue playing the part of the mysterious young man?

  I’m probably never gonna run into any of these people again, so I do have the option of not pursuing an NPC lifestyle this time around.

  “Heh-heh-heh…”

  Hmm.

  As I ponder my choices, I sense a presence overhead.

  No sooner do I look up than a slender warrior comes swooping down on the red ghoul from above. Upon landing, the warrior brings their sword down and bisects the red ghoul starting from the head.

  The blow is clean.

  Having slain the red ghoul in a single strike, the warrior swings their sword to shake it clean of blood.

  Our eyes meet.

  She’s a thin, attractive redhead dressed all in black and wearing a wide-brimmed hat. We stare at each other for a little while.

  “You should leave…” Her voice is surprisingly cute. “The rampage is beginning…”

  With a tormented look on her face, she gazes up at the red moon hanging in the sky.

  “The moon is red… There’s no time…”

  She’s trying to say her bit and leave, but I stop her. “Who are you…?”

  “I’m Mary, the Ancient Vampire Hunter… And I’m here to hunt Elisabeth the Blood Queen…”

  And with that, she vanishes into the night.

  What’s…what’s with this feeling?

  It’s like my chest is throbbing.

  “Heh-heh-heh…”

  A grin spreads across my face as I look up at the red moon.

  Looks like it’s gonna be a little longer before I make it back to the base… I hope Claire doesn’t get too mad.

  When night falls on the Lawless City, the most crowded area is invariably the red-light district.


  Scantily clad women saunter up and down the streets, trying to entice male passersby.

  Suddenly, a scream echoes through the air.

  “Ghoul!! It’s a ghoul!!”

  However, little troubles are just a part of life. The brothel’s bouncer heads outside and makes quick work of the creature.

  On any other day, that would have been the end of it.

  “Ah! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

  One of the girls screams as the bouncer is mercilessly ripped to shreds.

  This ghoul is redder than usual. It tears through the bouncer with ease, then makes its way toward the shell-shocked girl.

  “Marie!!” one of her friends calls out to her, but it’s too late.

  However, the red ghoul is suddenly split in half.

  “Huh…?”

  Rent in two, it topples over, revealing a swordsman wearing a jet-black longcoat standing behind it.

  He swings his ebony blade to clear off the blood, then looks down at Marie.

  His eyes gleam red beneath his deep hood.

  “Eek…”

  Scared by those inscrutable eyes, Marie shrinks back.

  “If you want to live, then flee…” The jet-black man’s voice echoes like it’s coming from the bowels of the earth.

  “…the rampage is starting.”

  As he murmurs, he looks up at the scarlet moon. It feels like there’s a deep sorrow hidden within that form of his.

  “The Red Moon… There isn’t much time left.”

  For some reason, the moon’s been red as of late.

  Marie had thought it strange, but none of her sex-worker friends had paid much attention to it.

  The moon being red doesn’t change anything, they’d all thought.

  “W-wait… Who are you?” Marie calls out to stop the jet-black man from leaving.

  He looks like he’s busy, but he did just save her life. She needs to at least thank him…

  “The name’s Shadow. I lurk in the darkness and hunt down shadows…”

  And with that, Shadow vanishes into the night.

  “Wait…I need to thank you…” Marie looks around, searching for the suddenly missing man.

  “Marie!! Are you okay?!” Her coworker wraps her in a tight embrace.

  “Y-yeah. I’m fine…”

  “Thank heavens… This kind of stuff’s been happening all the time lately. I dunno if it’s the Blood Queen or what, but…”

  “Sh-shh! You can’t say stuff like that…”

  “Hmph. Who’s gonna stop me? More importantly, that was Shadow just now…”

  “You know him?!”

  “Yeah, but only the rumors. They say he attacked a school, blew up the Sanctuary, and runs a gang of hooligans.”

  He was a little scary, but Marie doesn’t think he looked like a bad person.

  “Shadow can’t be that bad…”

  “What’re you talking about? He’s as big a villain as our three rulers. But what’s a big shot like him doing in the Lawless City…?”

  “He said something about a rampage starting. That the moon was red and that there wasn’t any time…”

  He must know something.

  He must have noticed the red moon that nobody else paid attention to, then deduced the reason behind it.

  Marie gets the sense that he’s doing it to protect them all.

  “What’s up with that?” her friend rants. “The Blood Queen’s been on a tear recently. Is she gonna team up with Shadow and start another war? C’mon, gimme a break! It’s always us little guys who get caught in the cross fire.”

  “That’s not it. Shadow… He’s here to stop something from happening.”

  “Oh yeah? Like what?”

  “It’s… I don’t know what it is, but it’s definitely something bad.”

  Something’s begun.

  Marie looks up uneasily at the red moon.

  However, she’s sure Shadow will do something about it.

  “Thank you, Shadow…”

  She looks out to where Shadow vanished into the night and whispers to herself.

  Cid is missing.

  Claire dashes through the darkened Lawless City in search of her brother.

  “That idiot! I told him not to move an inch!”

  When she heard that he’d left the base on his own, her mind went blank.

  One of the other dark knights laughed, saying Cid was probably being sold as a slave as they spoke. Claire decked him, then immediately rushed out.

  The Lawless City is dangerous at night.

  It isn’t just an ordinary slum. A dark knight student like Cid would be chum in the water for some of the people who lived here.

  “Has anyone seen a kid who looks about fifteen with black hair and dark eyes?!” she asks the passersby as she frantically scans the streets.

  There are some who take that as an opportunity to attack her, but she dispatches them all. Her skills are no joke—she did win the Bushin Festival, after all.

  She’s following an eyewitness’s lead, then finally spots the raven locks she’s looking for.

  However…the young man in question is currently being devoured by a ghoul in a back alley.

  “N-no!!”

  She draws her sword in a flash and minces the ghoul to pieces. Her rage only serves to accelerate her blade, and the sound of her tempestuous slashes hums across the alley.

  Once she’s done, she kneels in front of the mangled dark-haired boy.

  “No…this can’t…”

  His black locks are drenched in blood. And it’s just about the same length as Cid’s.

  The corpse is too disfigured to properly identify. However, this was the only eyewitness account that matched her description.

  “Cid, I’m so sorry… I never should have brought you here…”

  There’s no guarantee that the boy in front of her is Cid. Even so, she embraces his bloody black hair and sobs.

  It feels like the regret and remorse are going to crush her.

  As she’s being racked by emotion, someone approaches her from behind.

  “…What?” she barks, still holding the body.

  “Were you the one searching for a boy with black hair and eyes…?”

  “…Huh?”

  Hoping against hope, she turns around and looks at the redheaded swordswoman.

  “Who are you…?”

  “I’m Mary, a vampire hunter. I’ve seen two kids that match that description.”

  “—?! Where?!”

  “I saw the first one a little bit ago. He was standing across from a rampaging ghoul and going ‘heh-heh-heh’ with a grin on his face.”

  Claire pictures it, then immediately dismisses the possibility.

  “That’s not him. My brother’s laugh isn’t nearly that creepy.”

  “Noted. The second was a dark knight. One of the Blood Queen’s minions attacked him and carted him off.”

  “—! What did he look like?!”

  “He was kind of plain. Nothing about him really stood out.”

  That has to be Cid. Claire is certain of it.

  “Oh no… Cid…”

  “I’m sorry. I tried to save him, but I was too late.”

  “…B-but if they carted him off, that means he’s still alive, right?!”

  “…He’s probably…” Mary wavers, unsure if she should say it.

  “What?! You know something?!”

  “He’s probably…going to be sacrificed. The Red Moon is starting soon. If you don’t save him before then…”

  “Please, tell me! Where did they take him?! How can I rescue him?!”

  Mary’s gaze wanders as she thinks. It chances upon the shredded ghoul.

  “Did you do that?”

  “Huh? Ah, yeah. That was me.”

  “If we work together…there might still be a chance… My target is Elisabeth the Blood Queen. Your goal is to save your brother. We just might be able to work together.” Mary offers Claire her hand. “If you agree
to help me, I’ll tell you everything I know.”

  Claire takes it without hesitation. “Done. I’ll do anything to save Cid.”

  “Follow me.”

  Mary proceeds deeper into the alley.

  Claire rises to her feet and casts aside the bloody, dark-haired corpse. Upon closer inspection, his hair doesn’t look anything like Cid’s.

  “Hold on, Cid. Your big sister’s coming to rescue you…!”

  She clenches her fists, then vanishes deeper into the alleyway after Mary.

  Claire follows Mary to a rundown building. For whatever reason, it’s practically buried under a thick layer of sediment.

  Mary takes a lamp and illuminates its interior. It reeks of dust and mold.

  “There’s a chair over there…,” Mary says, still standing.

  “I’m fine.”

  The chair looks to be on the verge of collapse anyway.

  “Fair enough. Claire, was it? Now, your brother’s probably in the Blood Queen’s castle, the Crimson Tower.”

  “What did you mean when you said he was going to be sacrificed?”

  “To explain that, I’d need to start by telling you about Elisabeth the Blood Queen. She was a Progenitor Vampire, and she and the other Progenitors used to rule the night. This story took place over a thousand years ago…”

  Mary gets a distant look in her eyes as she speaks.

  “The vampires used to rule the night, but that came to an end when the humans learned of their weaknesses. As soon as that happened, the roles of hunter and prey were reversed. Vampires have three weaknesses. First, they die if their hearts are destroyed. Although they’re feared for their immortality and incredible regenerative powers, they can no longer revive if their hearts are destroyed. Learning that fact was a great boon to the humans, who lived in fear of them. Second, they lose their powers if they fail to drink blood. Any vampire who goes too long without blood becomes no stronger than an average human. Thus, they’re biologically forced to coexist with humanity, unable to ever exterminate them fully. Third and finally, they turn to ash if they’re struck by the sun’s light. No matter how strong they are and how weak we are, all a human has to do to kill them is find a way to hit them with sunlight. They can employ traps, destroy their dwellings… The possibilities are endless. Because of that, the daytime came to serve as their execution grounds.”