Chapter 185

“Hey, McGee, you bastard.”

“Yes, boss!”

“Do I look like a joke to you?”

“No, boss!”

“Then do you think the Shadow Court is a joke?”

“That’s not it either, brother!”

Master Baro declared, and ‘McGee’—the judge of the Shadow Court and senior assassin, who had his head pressed to the floor—echoed the statement. The other assassins were no exception.

“Right, so what’s the point of arbitrarily calling it a High Court and bossing around the kids below? Is there even a reason for that?”

“W-well, it’s just that… the organization we oversee down below has grown so large that we needed to distinguish between them in various ways…”

“Smart.”

Hearing that, Dale interjected.

“Organizations are strung together like dried fish, but having a higher-up organization acting as the head isn’t necessarily bad. Isn’t that actually more efficient?”

“Thank you!”

McGee hastily bowed his head, and Master Baro shot back in disbelief.

“Hey, you little bastard. You dumped the court you were supposed to be at into Harlem without a word, and now you’re trying to act like you’re in charge?”

“N-No way! Moving the court to the slums was the Supreme Court’s decision! During the process, the kids we have under us…”

MacGhee spoke, and Master Baro quietly swallowed. Putting the puzzle pieces together wasn’t as difficult as he’d thought.

“Master Baro, who is the boss of the Shadow Court?”

“Heh heh, why, it would be none other than the Shadow Lord standing before me.”

Baro continued in response to Dale’s question.

“So one of the judges of the High Court was scheming behind our boss’s back without a word?”

“Are there any other suspicious events happening in this city?”

Dale countered. At those words, McGee swallowed hard.

“Heh heh, our McGee says he’s been noticing some seriously suspicious things happening.”

It wasn’t hard to figure out the answer from that one action.

“I, I was just following the High Court’s orders…”

“What did the High Court command?”

“To pay no mind to the ‘things’ happening in certain districts of this city and to keep silent…”

At those words, Dale’s expression froze for a moment.

“Right. So what exactly is happening in this city?”

“It was an order to maintain absolute silence regarding the crimes occurring in the Whitechapel district of East Harlem. You see, these days, murders of unknown prostitutes and disappearances of young boys were happening as regularly as eating meals. Beyond that, similar orders were issued throughout the Free City Alliance…”

“So the High Court ordered silence on those crimes.”

“That’s right!”

“What specific purpose did they cite?”

“They only said it was an offering for some kind of ritual.”

Prostitute murders, boy disappearances, sacrifices.

Dale frowned. After all, the Shadow Court was the successor to a heretical sect that worshipped the Shadow Goddess, calling itself an assassin guild while being no different from a fanatical cult. That was why the Shadow Lord had declared himself the new leader of their organization, seeking to distance himself from the evil practices of the old era.

At least outwardly, none among the High Court’s upper echelons defied the Shadow Lord’s will. After all, the twin pillars of the Shadow Court—the Sword of the Shadow and the Shadow Saint—had pledged their loyalty to Dale.

That said, it wouldn’t be accurate to claim the entire Shadow Court, or indeed the Grand Court as a whole, agreed with the Shadow Lord’s intentions.

Just as the hardliners of the Black Tower once resisted Dale’s father, the Black Duke. Only now did I begin to understand my father’s struggles, even a little.

“I knew it.”

It was hardly surprising.

“Master Baro, you said you weren’t too keen on those fanatics from the Shadow Court, right?”

“Heh heh, you call that saying anything?”

“The time has come to root out those fanatics once and for all.”

It was no surprise that such a massive organization existed in this world, where information and communication were underdeveloped, and that beings would exploit it—even if they themselves couldn’t fully grasp its scale.

“Ah, hearing that makes me feel incredibly motivated. Anyway…”

“You needn’t worry about the Shadow Saint. While you’re away, trustworthy Grave Guards will protect her in your stead.”

“Heh heh.”

Master Baro chuckled awkwardly and turned his head away.

“Now then, McGee.”

“Yes, sir!”

“This big brother here is going to do some trash cleanup. You don’t want to end up stuffed in a bag with the rest of it, do you?”

“You’re absolutely right!”

McGee answered, desperately bowing his head.

“Then spill everything about that grand court you bastards made contact with—in five seconds flat.”

“Ah, not long ago, when Count Wallachia’s entire family was slaughtered and his relatives disposed of the estate, there was a noble from Britannia who purchased it!”

McGee answered. At those words, Dale’s shadow twitched momentarily. The Count of Wallachia’s domain. It was a count’s estate not far from here in Harlem.

“His name was Gilles de Rais. He was said to have claimed the title of Standard-Bearer of the Virgin during the Kingdom of Britannia’s War of Independence. Fortunately, perhaps due to his exceptionally strong standing within the kingdom, he was released without charge after his defeat in exchange for his full cooperation with the Empire.”

When that name surfaced again, Dale’s shadow stirred once more. Master Baro, paying no heed, pressed further.

“Right, so why bring up this nobleman from Britannia?”

“An order has come down from the High Court to carry out the command of ‘Count Gilles de Wallachia’!”

“What else did he order?”

“It was an order to kidnap the city’s devout children and secretly transport them to his estate!”

“Good heavens! Since the kidnapper bought imperial lands, he’s now become the Count of Wallachia. Did he have some past he wanted to launder?”

A noble’s surname originates from the estate he holds. Furthermore, when possessing multiple estates, it is customary to adopt the name of the most powerful and influential estate as one’s surname.

For instance, just as the ‘Duke of Saxony’ held multiple baronies and counties within the empire beyond the Duchy of Saxony, possessing multiple titles as baron and count in those domains.

“Moreover, it’s no ordinary matter that the entire count’s family was wiped out, and the relative who should have inherited the county suddenly sold off the land.”

“Unless one has connections elsewhere in the Empire, this is not something a single Britannian noble should undertake.”

And backing him up are those of the Shadow High Court.

“A bigger fish than expected got hooked.”

“Heh heh, you’re quite right about that.”

After hearing the story, Dale answered, and Master Baro shrugged his shoulders in agreement.

At that moment, at the Count of Wallachia’s castle.

There was Gilles de Rais, now known as the Count of Wallachia.

Alongside the demon sorcerer Prellati and others from the organization known as the ‘Secret Society’ whom he had contacted within the Empire.

“Heh heh, I never imagined we’d meet again here.”

Additionally, one of the Commencement’s comrades was there, smiling at the Count of Wallachia.

“……!”

“Yesterday’s enemy becomes today’s ally—truly a splendid saying.”

She was the witch with blood-red hair. How could anyone forget her? Alongside the Crimson Prince, she was known as the true power behind the Red Tower, wielding the most formidable influence within the empire. The villainess who, alongside the Holy Maiden, ignited the kingdom’s war of independence, raining unforgettable hellfire upon her homeland.

“Le… Lady Scarlet…”

“It is a pleasure to see you again. Ah, should I now address you as Count Valkaria?”

What Gilles de Rais finally confronted there was the true form of the organization, something that far surpassed his wildest imaginings.

“Well then, let us gladly raise a toast to the new member of the guild.”

Saying this, Lady Scarlet raised her glass.

“Jack hasn’t joined us yet.”

The demon sorcerer Prellati blocked her, but Lady Scarlet ignored him and took a sip from her glass.

“I suppose he’s still busy indulging his hobby in some back alley. Well then, shall we begin our meal among ourselves?”

She said, and the servants standing by them opened the plates of food.

“Kyaaaah!”

A maid screamed and collapsed where she stood. Lady Scarlet smiled indifferently, revealing the sharp fangs protruding from beyond her lips.

The dishes were there.

Each dish retained the exact form of a human being.

“After all, drinks served in glasses are less flavorful. Wouldn’t the same be true for food?”

At that very moment, the members of the secret society simultaneously pushed back their chairs and rose to their feet.

Screaming in horror, the maids witnessed them finally reveal their utterly monstrous forms. Blood spattered everywhere. It was a beastly spectacle, devoid of any noble dignity or decorum. A scene of gluttony, with heads buried in human bellies, tearing out and devouring entrails.

“Ah, ahhh…!”

Before that scene of demonic madness, Gilles de Rais trembled in horror.

“Why do you react so, knight forsaken by God?”

Lady Scarlet asked, seemingly amused by the sight, and Gilles de Rais’s horror did not last long.

“No, no…”

Disgust, an indescribable ugliness—yet that feeling never stemmed from their evil.

“──It’s not elegant!”

Jill de Leguar leaped up from the table and shouted. The movements of the carnivorous cultists froze, and Lady Scarlet maintained her silent smile.

“No dignity, no restraint, no grace! Neither beautiful nor elegant! Such an act that ruins my meal is absolutely intolerable!”

At her words, Lady Scarlet snapped her fingers, and the members of the cult bowed their heads with smiles.

“You are quite right. Please forgive our disgraceful behavior.”

One member of the guild smiled politely. At last, he understood. This was their test.

“Très Bien! This proves you possess the dignity befitting our order.”

“Allow me to speak again, Prince Wallachia. Knight forsaken by God, seeking the devil.”

Lady Scarlet spoke, sipping the blood-red wine in her hand.

“I sincerely congratulate you on joining the brotherhood.”

Leaving the affairs of the Shadow Court behind, Dale headed for a ‘certain place’ in the city’s East District.

For some time now, suspicious events had been unfolding there, and an unexpected name was involved.

Jil de L’E, the knight who was left alone after the Virgin Aurelia was reduced to ashes.

The fact that he had purchased noble estates on imperial lands, and had settled near this very Harlem district where crime erupted almost daily, was information that could not be overlooked.

“…Lady Aurelia.”

Dale called her name from within the shadows. No answer came.

Just then, a chill sensation ran down his spine.

In the moonlit back alleys of the city, within the winding, twisting maze, the scent of blood hung heavy. Unable even to scream, unable to make a sound, the muffled cries made Dale lift his head.

“……!”

Dale sprinted through the darkness, and there he was.

Before the mangled corpse of a male prostitute, stood a neatly dressed gentleman.

“Ah, who might you be?”

The gentleman turned his head. Not a single drop of blood stained his body. Except for one thing—the blade held in his hand.

“And who are you?”

To Dale’s question, the gentleman replied politely.

“I am Jack the Reaper.”