Chapter Text
“Boss… don’tcha think sendin’ little ol’ me alone is a bit cruel?”
In a dimly lit room, a young man sat alone. His desk was full with reports, credits, and shipment programmes. He had snow-white hair and terrifying eyes. His dark cloth made him nearly part of the darkness. Nearly, if not for his bright orange scarf.
''Your sleep schedule is not part of my concerns, Hal.'' the white-haired man said, pressing his palm to his forehead as if trying to massage away a migraine.
One, two, three seconds.
That's how long the silence was before a darkness rose from the shadow of the man. It was as if the shadow gained a body and took all the nearby ombres with it. Soon arms and legs took shape, and what appeared was wearing a dishevelled black kimono and biting on a gold-coloured kiseru pipe with its sharp teeth.
It was a wolfman. Halibel, the Admirer.
''Ah, but tellin' me to wipe out a thousand troublemakers ain' what I signed up f--'' The wolfman leaned against the wall on the side of the room, clearly ready to start complaining, but his employer raised his free hand, making him stop.
''Your work is to deal with troublemakers. Not staying drunk till the end of the night in the resting area.'' the employer's voice was strained, probably from a long untreated injury. Yet his tone didn't leave space for useless whining.
Why did this drunk start complaining at his first task of the week-- no, month?
''Uhu huhu. I miss when the princess is here. At least she respects my needs!'' Halibel wiped a fake tear as he moved to the middle of the room. His size making it feel cramped and full.
The room had a window behind the desk currently occupied by the young employer and a luxurious purple sofa on the side with a table in front of it. Both right in the line of sight to anyone who would be in the area where the desk was.
Halibel eyed a plate of neatly sliced onions and greens with a side of meat that had gone cold on the table along with a cup of water. It was obviously prepared with good intent, and yet it remained on there. Untouched.
''Aint'cha gonna eat this? The princesse ain't gonna be happy with this.'' the wolfman commented as he took a puff with his kiseru.
''That is none of your concern," the answer came swiftly, but it also came with a consequence.
CoughCoughCough
''Tch'' but the coughing only got worse until blood started coming out.
Halibel quickly grabbed the water and gave it to the young man, who immediately grabbed the cup and drank it, easing the pain and the tension in his throat. The youth tried to force a thank you but was cut off by his employee.
''Told ya. The princesse 's always right. But where's she? 'ts rare to not see her with you.'' in other words:'Where is your daughter/life support?'
''Wandering in the mansion with the emperor.'' the white-haired man answered and put the cup down. It was cold, and she was right...again.
''Oh! Vincent 's here. That mean-''
''Yeah, it's no longer just our problem but his too. His supply got delayed which prompted him to take a visite… that sloth of an emperor. As if he didn’t have an empire to manage.'' the younger one sighed then stood up from his desk and picked up some papers with him and added.
''Take those with you. It should help you with your mission and try gaining some information out of them before the self-proclaimed main character is sent.''
The young man stood right in front of the shinobi and passed him the papers. The beastman let out a puff of smoke before turning to leave, taking a little bit of meat with him. An action that caused his employer’s eye to twitch.
He stopped at the doorway and turned his head, flashing a grin to the young man.
''And don'tcha die before I come back, little Su. This ol' wolf don' plan on changing his boss.''
''And you... don't die and make me see a colourless corpse, or I'll bring you back and kill you again.'' his employer, Natsuki Subaru, smiled back as he retorted to him. This sight would have been inconceivable if it had happened one year ago. At that time, Halibel's words would likely have been met with a cold glare and some killing intent.
He has truly grown since that time.
''HAHAHahaha....'' the Admirer's laugh disappeared as soon as the door closed, leaving Subaru alone.
He walked to the door and opened it... nothing behind and no trace of there even being someone.
''Truly worthy of the greatest shinobi.''
The ex-knight then closed it… and moved to the sofa and sat. He pulled a petite crown far too small to fit in his hand and posed it beside him.
Subaru looked at it for a while… He could almost hear the words that his ears oh so wished to hear and yet they never came.
Shaking his head. He turned to the plate, pulling his sleeves and taking the fork and spoon with shaky hands. The neatly cut vegetables kept on moving and falling out of the utensils. It was as if Subaru was learning to eat from the ground up.
Soon he gave up on using them… It seem only she could feed him using these tools. And so with his fingers he, with difficulty cut part of the meat and wrapped it with the onions before taking it to his mouth.
One bite, two bites, three bites.
The food was tasteless. Not that he expected it to have any kind of flavour, but the thought of his little girl making the food warmed his heart, making him finish the cold meal.
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CrackCrackCrack. The sound of teeth smashing against each other could be heard throughout the road.
''Damn it.''
Mark didn't like these people.
The outsiders had appeared with honeyed words and poisonous ideas, inciting the village against the merchant guilds. As a young guard, he’d been foolish enough to listen.
But now that he was walking in this cold, burnt forest and each step was like walking into a death trap, it makes one truly wonder how they had managed to get in such a situation.
The young guard followed a group of ten men led by one of the outsiders. They wore grey clothes while the rest wore normal clothes. Well, as normal as wearing leather protections and swords can be.
They were supposed to "annoy" the merchants. They weren't supposed to seize a mine belonging to the Pleiades Group.
A group well known by even the most uneducated of peasants.
Mainly for the rumours surrounding them. One where the once-raging underworld entered an era of quiet and silence, not like one of peace, no. More like when one is covering their mouth to not get the interest of a predator, or the one where an entire river was painted red with blood, but such rumours tend to be exaggerated, like for all the commerce that possess ties with weaponry and the dark side of society.
"Curse it..." Mark's curse went with the wind and ashes. So no one heard it, and while he adjusted the sword at his waist, a shadow moved in the corner of his eye.
Quickly grabbing the hilt of his sword and turning in that direction, he found... nothing?
Weird. He definitely saw something, or are his eyes playing with him again? The only thing different is the shadows being in a darker shade of black. Probably because it's burnt wood.
"Shit!" The group already advanced without him, moving to a place where the fire didn't reach.
Who's the sicko who thought to burn an entire forest? Guess that he'll never know.
''Haaaa...''
As Mark reached the group, something felt off. Like something that is supposed to be there is not.
He scratched the back of his bald head before finally tapping the shoulder of his colleague in front of him.
They should be able to ease his unfounded worries.
‘’Hey, did you—‘’
His hand phased through...that definitely shouldn't have happened.
Before he could even warn the others, his eyelids felt heavy, and as swift as the wind, he fell to the ground. His throat kept letting something warm out of his body and then nothing.
Mark's life ended.
''An' one to go. Gotta finish before dinner.'' from nothing to something, Halibel stood above the corpse of the young man, a bloody kunai in hand.
As soon as the first blood droplet fell from the weapon and reached the ground, the wolfman was gone, and a trail of corpses stretched throughout the remaining parts of the forest began.
''Krk!''
''Ahh!!''
''What?!''
Their voices muffled as their bodies fell without anyone noticing, not like they could do anything if they knew.
Soon only the leader remained. Since only the last and most important member of the scouts is left, there is no need to keep the illusion going. The image of a solid group that followed without complaining shattered.
Immediately, the grey-clothed individual turned on edge, unsheathing their sword and surveying the area. They were alone. A group of ten men, all gone. Their corpses littering the ground like trash.
"It seems we got ambushed. Tch, knew they were useless.''
"Not like ya coul' do anythin' either.''
A voice they didn't recognise spoke, making their skin crawl. They couldn't move or do anything from the neck. Quick, the protocol—they must—
"Ah ah ah, that ain' gonna work on me.''
A pair of fingers entered their mouth, tearing something that looked like a tooth. The owner of the voice threw it to the ground.
"You really thought somethin' as cliché as a poison pouch was gonna work?" Halibel stepped into the light, his kiseru pipe puffing a lazy cloud of smoke. "You're out of your league, little spy. The boss doesn't like amateurs."
The spy's eyes widened. A wolfman with incredible skills and a golden kiseru. They were barely able to spit the words out of their mouth, feeling as if their tongue were chained.
''T-The Admirer...''
''Oh? Ain'tcha a smar' one? Ol' wolf claim present." The one who wiped out the entire scouting part grinned as he looked down at them. Cold sweats formed as he closed the distance little by little, until he towered over them.
"Already got a guess on who you folks 're, just need a confirmation and you'll give it won't y--'' His voice got cut off as their view tilted, becoming even with the floor.
Even more so than when they were kneeling to the bishop, the ground had suddenly grown closer―― And that was the last they felt.
Tdum. And like a ball falling, a head fell.