Episode 185
* * *
“Hey, you little McGee.”
“Yep, bro!”
“Am I funny?”
“No, brother!”
“Then is the shadow court funny?”
“That’s not it, brother!”
Master Baro spoke, and the Shadow Court judge and high-ranking assassin ‘McGee’, who was lying on the floor, repeated. The rest of the assassins were no exception.
“Yes, what are you doing in the high court? Is there a reason why you have the kids under you?”
“That, that, because there are so many organizations under it, there is a need to distinguish between them in various ways… … .”
“You’re smart.”
Hearing that, Dale intervened.
“There are organizations hanging like oysters under an organization, so it’s not bad to have an upper organization instead of a head. Isn’t that more efficient?”
“Go, thank you!”
McGee hurriedly shook his head, and Master Baro snapped back in disbelief.
“Oh, you little shit. Where the hell are you going to stand, throwing your head out of the courtroom where you should be and leaving it all to Harlem?”
“That, that’s not possible! Moving the court to Harlem was a decision of the Supreme Court! In the process, the children who were placed below… … .”
McGee said, and Master Baro took a deep breath. Putting the pieces of the puzzle together wasn’t as hard as he thought.
“Master Baro, who is the boss of the Shadow Court?”
“Haha, isn’t that the Shadow Lord standing before me?”
Dale continued speaking immediately after asking.
“Then, that means one of the judges of the Supreme Court was plotting something without telling our boss.”
“Are there any other suspicious things happening in this city?”
Dale asked back. McGee held his breath at those words.
“Haha, our little McGee kid says some really weird stuff is going on.”
It wasn’t difficult to figure out the answer from that one action.
“I, I just did as the Supreme Court said… … .”
“What did the Supreme Court order?”
“Don’t worry about ‘things’ that happen in a certain area of this city and keep quiet… … ”
At those words, Dale’s expression froze for a moment.
“Okay, so what’s going on in this city?”
“This is a call to silence regarding the crimes taking place in the Whitechapel area of East Harlem. There have been mysterious murders of prostitutes and disappearances of young boys. There have also been similar orders from the Free Cities League in the area… …”
“You were ordered by the Supreme Court to remain silent about those crimes.”
“Yes!”
“What exactly did you say it was for?”
“I only said that it was an offering for some kind of ritual.”
Murder of a prostitute, disappearance of a young boy, sacrifice.
Dale frowned. After all, the Shadow Court is a descendant of a pagan sect that worships the Shadow Goddess, and while it calls itself an assassin’s guild, it is also a cult. That is why the Shadow Lord wanted to distance himself from the evil practices of the old days by claiming to be the new leader of their organization.
At least outwardly, no one among the high-ranking members of the Supreme Court was defying the Shadow Lord’s will. For the moment, the two leaders of the Shadow Court, Salgeom and the Shadow Saintess, were loyal to Dale.
However, this does not mean that the Shadow Court, or even the Supreme Court, will all agree with the Shadow Monarch’s will.
Just as the hardliners of the Black Tower had once resisted Dale’s father, the Black Duke, I finally understood my father’s grievances a little.
“I knew it.”
It was nothing new.
“Master, you said you didn’t like the fanatics of the Shadow Court?”
“Haha, you call that a horse?”
“Now is the time to root out these fanatics.”
It is a huge organization whose scale is unknown to even the most sophisticated people, and in this world where information and communication are underdeveloped, it is not surprising that there are beings who utilize the organization.
“Oh, hearing that makes me feel so motivated. By the way… … .”
“You don’t have to worry about the Shadow Saint. When you’re away, there are Grave Guards you can trust to guard her.”
“Heh heh.”
Master Baro smiled awkwardly and turned his head away.
“Come on, little McGee.”
“Speak, brother!”
“This guy’s going to do some trash cleaning, so you don’t want to get put in the bag with him, do you?”
“That’s exactly what you said!”
McGee answered, desperately shaking his head.
“Then, within five seconds, tell the Supreme Court everything you guys have ever come into contact with.”
“Well, not long ago, when the family of the Count of Wallachia was annihilated and his relatives disposed of the land, there was a nobleman from Britannia who bought it!”
McGee answered. At those words, Dale’s shadow twitched. The Earldom of Wallachia. It was the Earl’s fiefdom not far from Harlem.
“There was a man named Gilles de Rais, who claimed to be the standard-bearer of the Virgin during the war of independence for the Kingdom of Britannia. Fortunately, he must have had a very powerful position within the Kingdom, so after his defeat, he was released without charge in exchange for fully cooperating with the Empire.”
When the name was mentioned again, Dale’s shadow stirred again. Master Baro asked back without paying attention.
“Yes, so why are you bringing up that noble lady from Britannia?”
“The order comes down from the Supreme Court to carry out the orders of Count Gilles de Wallachia!”
“What else did he order?”
“The order was to kidnap the city’s devout children and secretly transport them to his domain!”
“Oh my, the kidnapper bought the empire’s territory, so now he’s the Count of Wallachia. Is there a past you want to wash away?”
A nobleman’s surname is derived from the land he owns. In addition, if he owns multiple lands, it is common to use the name of the most powerful and influential land as his surname.
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For example, the ‘Duke of Saxony’ had several baronies and counties within the Empire in addition to the Duchy of Saxony, and held multiple titles as barons and counts there.
“Furthermore, it is not an ordinary thing that the count’s family was annihilated and the relative who was supposed to inherit the countship immediately sold the land.”
“It would not be something a single noble from Britannia could undertake, unless there was a line in the Empire.”
And those who watch over them are those of the Shadow Court.
“I caught a bigger fish than I expected.”
“Haha, that is indeed true.”
After hearing the story, Dale answered, and Master Baro shrugged his shoulders as if he agreed.
* * *
At that time, the Count of Wallachia.
There was a man there, Gilles de Rais, now known as the Count of Wallachia.
Along with the demon sorcerer Prelati and others from the organization he came into contact with in the Empire called the ‘Society’.
“Haha, I never thought we’d meet here again.”
There was also a comrade of the resolute who smiled at the Count of Wallachia.
“… … !”
“Yesterday’s enemy is today’s comrade. That’s truly wonderful.”
She was a witch with blood-red hair. How could I forget her? Along with the Bloody Duke, she was said to be the real power behind the Red Tower, and was the most influential person in the empire. She was a villainess who, when she and the Holy Virgin started the war of independence for the kingdom, brought down an unforgettable hellish flame on her homeland.
“Oh, Lady Scarlett… … .”
“It is a pleasure to meet you again. Oh, should I call you the Count of Wallachia from now on?”
The true nature of the decision that Gilles de Rais encountered there was something far beyond his imagination.
“Well then, let us raise a glass to the newest member of the group.”
As she said this, Lady Scarlett tried to lift the glass.
“Jack hasn’t joined yet.”
The sorcerer Prelati blocked her way, but Lady Scarlett paid no attention and sipped her goblet.
“I see he’s probably busy pursuing his hobby in the back alley right now. Well, shall we start eating together?”
She said, and the servants standing by their side opened the plates of food.
“Gyaaaah!”
A maid screamed and fell to her knees. Lady Scarlett smiled regardless, showing off her sharp fangs that jutted out past her lips.
There were dishes.
Each dish had the shape of a human being still intact.
“After all, drinks served in glasses taste less good. Isn’t the same true for food?”
At the same time, the members of the resolution all kicked their chairs and stood up.
Towards the maids who were screaming and terrified, they finally revealed their horrifying appearance. Blood was splattered. It was a carnival of beasts without any trace of the dignity or manners of the nobility. A scene of predation, with heads buried in human stomachs and entrails torn out.
“Ah, ahh… … !”
The madness of the devil, Gilles de Rais trembled in horror before that scene.
“Why are you doing this, forsaken knight?”
Lady Scarlett asked back with amusement as she watched the sight, and Gilles de Rais’s shock did not last long.
“No, no… … .”
Disgust, an indescribable ugliness, but that feeling never arose from their evil.
“──It’s not elegant!”
Gilles de Rais shouted, kicking the table and rising. The meat-eating sect’s movements were wet, and Lady Scarlett smiled silently.
“There is no dignity, no integrity, no grace! It is neither beautiful nor elegant! I absolutely cannot tolerate this kind of behavior that ruins my meal!”
At those words, Lady Scarlett snapped her fingers, and the men of determination bowed their heads with smiles.
“It is as you said, Your Majesty. Please forgive our shameful behavior.”
One of the members of the group smiled politely. I finally understood. This was their test.
“Très Bien! With this, your Majesty, you have proven that you are worthy of our association.”
“I speak again, Prince of Wallachia. A knight abandoned by God and seeking the devil.”
Lady Scarlett opened her mouth, sipping the blood-red wine in her hand.
“We sincerely congratulate you on joining our organization.”
* * *
After leaving the Shadow Court behind, Dale heads to ‘a certain place’ in the eastern district of the city.
There have been some suspicious happenings here for some time now, and some unexpected names have been involved.
Gilles de Rais, the rider of the virgin Aurelia, who was left alone after being reduced to ashes.
It was information that he had purchased noble estates in the lands of the Empire, and that he had set up shop around Harlem, where crime was rampant.
“… …Lady Aurelia.”
Dale called her name from the shadows. There was no answer.
Just then, a cool sensation ran down my spine.
In the back alleys of the city, where moonlight was shining, in the winding maze, there was a smell of blood. Dale raised his head at the screams that could not even be heard, not even a scream.
“… … !”
Dale raced into the darkness, and the man was there.
In front of the torn to pieces corpse of a male prostitute, there was a neatly dressed gentleman.
“Oh, who is this?”
The gentleman turned his head. There was not a drop of blood on his body. Except for one thing: the blade in his hand.
“Who are you?”
To Dale’s question, the gentleman answered politely.
“My name is Jack the Reaper.”
