“I see.” I can’t even be bothered to come up with a pithy retort, so I decide to nod along, too. “Ohhh… He despises me… He’s looking at me like I’m a bug…,” Pi whines. “I’m really not.” Now that I think about it, this seems to happen a lot with therianthropes. I guess Yukime and Zeta are just the exceptions. “Whyyy? Did I do something wrong? I’ll never survive in this pack if the leader hates meee…” “Do you not think Pi’s fit for the pack, Boss man? I know she’s not very bright, but I promise she’s a good girl!” “I’m sure she’s fine.” I literally just met the chick. “Hooray! Boss man accepted Pi!” “You really, really mean it? I’ll work hard for you, Master!” Pi leaps to her feet and wags her tail to and fro. “Sniff, sniff.” Then she rushes over to me and begins picking up my scent. “I know your smell now, Master!” “Pi’s incredible, Boss man! She’s kinda dumb, but her nose is even sharper than mine!” “Dang, that is incredible.” Incredible that Delta managed to find someone dumber than herself, that is. “And also, she’s pretty strong!” “Yeah, I know.” The way she masked her presence when she first showed up was really something else. “Tee-hee-hee.” She laughs innocently, but smarts aside, she seems like a force to be reckoned with. “When are you going to take over the world, Master?” Pi asks me. “I wasn’t planning on taking it over at all.” “So not yet? But Miss Delta and I spend every day thinking up plans to build the strongest pack ever so we can rule the world.” Well, that’s ominous. In a rare display of alarm, Delta quickly cuts her off. “The plan’s not ready yet, Pi! We still haven’t figured out what we’re gonna do after we have Boss man make ten thousand babies!” The two of them steal glances at me as they share a covert exchange. “Whaaat? Is ten thousand not enough to take over the world with?” “Alpha said we couldn’t! But it’s okay. We can just have him make more and more, like a million. Then Alpha will definitely agree!” “Whaaat? But that’s so many!” Delta gesticulates wildly as she explains herself, and Pi gesticulates wildly in surprise. “That’s why I said we should wait until later to tell Boss man about our perfect plan for world conquest!” Yeah, that sounds ominous as hell. All I can do is pray that this plan never gets enacted. “Then we’d better hurry up and finish revising it, huh?!” “We can’t! We’re in the middle of a mission to catch Felid!” “Oh yeah, that’s right… But I’m allergic to cats!” Then I sense Alexia approaching. “Hello?! How long exactly do you intend to keep us waiting for?!” she demands. “Ah, sorry. I’ll be right there.” I shoot Delta and Pi a signal with my eyes, and they quickly make themselves scarce. It’s a shame how dumb they are, but it’s nice how quickly they can pick up what I’m putting down. I guess it’s their dog traits at work. After I rejoin Alexia and the others, I apologize and come up with a fake explanation for the whole thing. “Princess Alexia has arrived at the front door, Earl White.” On hearing the White estate butler address him, Earl White looks up. “What’s Princess Alexia doing here?” “She insisted on being present during the Jack the Ripper attack.” “What a pain…” Earl White lets out a sigh. “Don’t allow her onto the property. She can stay, but only if she waits outside the gate with the Knight Order like a good little girl.” “Are you certain, sir? This is Princess Alexia we’re talking about.” “That title of hers has no real power behind it. Once we’re through with Jack the Ripper, I’ll invite her to the dinner party to humor her.” “As you wish, sir.” The butler bows and takes his leave. “I swear, it’s just one thing after another these days,” Earl White grumbles, then goes and grabs his seat at the round table. Counting him, there are already six Nightblades present. “I do apologize for the wait, and I thank you all for lending me your aid today,” he says, offering the others a small bow. “Think nothing of it. This is a matter that affects all thirteen of us.” “The lowlife took out Earl Haushold Hedd, Viscount Shinobi, and Marquis Jet, too. There’s no one left of the Nightblades but us six and Marquis Despoht.” “This is going to take a toll on our strength. It will probably take a good five…no, ten years to train their successors.” “That’s a problem for another day. Our top priority right now is putting this Jack the Ripper fellow in the ground.” “I can’t imagine that will be much of a problem. Not only do we have the Nightblades’ finest gathered here, but we’ve spared no expense in assembling an elite fighting force. That fool of a clown won’t know what hit him.” Once the rest of the top-ranking Nightblades have chimed in, Earl White inquires about their absent colleague. “Does anyone know where the esteemed Marquis Despoht is?” “Still negotiating with the organization, it would appear. There’s no sense counting on the Fenrir sect any longer, but he thinks he can get his discussions with the Loki-sect power players all wrapped up.” “If the talks go well, I believe they’ll be sending over a powerful ally to help us.” “This is a single man we’re up against. Surely, this has to be overkill.” “It’s the greatest crisis the Nightblades have ever faced. A little overkill is exactly what’s in order. After all, we still don’t even know who Jack the Ripper is under that mask.” “He’s an idiot clown hitman. Do we seriously not have any leads yet?” With that, the topic of conversation shifts to Jack the Ripper. Earl White crosses his arms and frowns. “I assumed he was an assassin hired by the Hope family, but the odds of that seem low. They don’t have the pull to land an assassin of his caliber.” “Hmm, then perhaps he’s from some rival organization. The Shadow Garden, maybe?” “They would never use such roundabout methods. They aren’t the kind of group that would dress up like a clown, use playing cards as weapons, or leave cryptic messages.” “Jack the Ripper kills for sport. He might not be part of a group at all but just working alone. Either out of sheer lust for murder, or because he holds some sort of grudge.” “A lone wolf? He must not think much of the Thirteen Nightblades, if he’s taking us on solo.” “We need to show this whelp. Show him just what happens when he underestimates us.” The Nightblades rise from their seats. “Our dark knights are ready,” says Earl White. “Now, follow me. Tonight this underground arena will be Jack the Ripper’s grave.” With that, the butler lights the room’s fireplace. The fire flashes blue, coiling into ancient runes and transforming the fireplace into a stairway leading downward. “No matter how many times I see it, it never fails to impress. Is that an artifact from the ancient land of the elves?” “You have a keen eye. Elven artifacts, elven books, elven weapons, elven slaves. Elves are a profitable business.” Earl White takes the lead and heads down the stairs. The stairs are wide and adorned on either side with unsettling display items. “Ah, I recognize that sword. It belonged to the rabbit therianthrope swordsman, the one who lost a few days ago.” “That match was a brilliant one. It’s amazing how ferocious therianthropes can get when you take their families hostage.” “They say that even among therianthropes, the rabbit ones hold their families especially dear. I must say, watching him fight to rescue his loved ones brought a tear to my eye.” The Nightblades point at the broken, bloodstained sword and the battered set of armor accompanying it as they talk. “I’m having his body taxidermized. Once it’s finished, I’m planning on hanging it up alongside the sword.” “Ooh, you’ll have to invite me over again once it’s finished. Out of curiosity, what became of his family?” “I’m having them stuffed to hang up beside him, of course. Who am I to separate them?” “Now we’ll be reminded of that glorious bout every time we walk by here. I love it.” The Nightblades continue chatting as they descend past more and more sets of bloody arms and stuffed bodies, and eventually, they reach the door leading to the arena. The space beyond the door is shaped like a dome. It’s dim inside, and the circular arena’s perimeter is lined with torches, grisly stains, and the scars of battle. This is no Bushin Festival, and there’s no glory to be found here. Only ugly, rancid death. “Right this way.” The butler bows and leads Earl White and the others over to the specially installed spectator seats. “This section is protected by a powerful artifact barrier. Even if Jack the Ripper comes, he won’t be able to lay so much as a finger on you.” The Nightblades begin shuffling into their seats and looking down at the arena. “Now, the skilled dark knights you’ve gathered from across the land are waiting in the back of the arena. I have the full list here,” the butler says, then begins handing out dossiers on the dark knights to all the Nightblades. “Excellent.” Earl White flips through the list and gasps. “My goodness… I’m amazed we were able to get this many.” “Ha-ha-ha. This is what happens when we Nightblades pull out all the stops.” “A master swordswoman from Velgalta, a demon from the city-states, a living legend from the Lawless City… It’s no wonder we were calling this overkill.” “Jack the Ripper is just one guy. If we send all of our forces in at once, they’ll vaporize the poor sap.” “Well, that’s where Earl White comes in. I trust he’ll make sure to show us a good time.” When the Nightblades look through the star-studded list, the confidence returns to their faces. “But of course. I have a system in place for that very reason.” Earl White gestures at the arena’s entrance. “That there is the only way to get into the arena. I’ve sealed all the other ones off, so if Jack the Ripper wants to come after us, he’ll have no choice but to go through there. When he does, I’ll activate the barrier.” The earl waves his hand, and a glimmering dome materializes over the arena. “As you can see, if Jack the Ripper wants to escape, he’ll have to defeat every last dark knight we send at him.” “But there’s no way he’ll ever do that.” “Precisely, so we can gauge his stamina and choose appropriate opponents for him. We’ll start by sending our forces one at a time, and as things progress, we can gradually turn up the heat. It’ll be a show like no other,” Earl White boasts. “We get to choose who he fights? Now, that does sound like fun.” “Ah, so despite being in the audience, we still get to participate. I hear Mitsugoshi’s been popularizing that lately.” “Damn those Mitsugoshi bastards, meddling with our concessions…” “There’s a lot we could stand to learn from the way they do business. We should be looking to work with them, not against them. Who should we send in first? The Lawless City legend, perhaps?” “No, he’s too strong. Just imagine how anticlimactic it would be if Jack the Ripper went down in the first bout.” The Nightblades delightedly get to work choosing their fighters. Once they have a loose roster worked out, Earl White offers a few quiet words. “I’m told the sun has already set aboveground. The question now is, Will Jack the Ripper actually show?” “He’d have to be a monumental fool to stroll in here with all the dark knights we have lying in wait…but I guess if he doesn’t, we’re in for a pretty boring night.” “Hey, if he doesn’t come, then it means he ran off in fear. Once we’re done spreading rumors about what happened, our reputation will be safe.” “And his will be in the gutter. I mean, running away after sending a calling card? He’ll be the laughingstock of the capital.” “No matter which way things go, we don’t stand to lose a thing.” “Aside from the hefty retainers for those dark knights, that is.” Their crude laughter echoes through the subterranean arena. “Are you sure about this, Princess Alexia?” Alexia, Christina, and Kanade make their way down a dark underground corridor. “Absolutely. I know the capital’s underground passages like the back of my hand,” Alexia declares confidently as she walks at the group’s head. “But surely, the story about the White estate having a secret underground section is just a rumor,” Christina says. “Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” “You wouldn’t?” “Yeah, bad guys’ houses always have underground lairs.” “…Ah.” Sounding altogether unconvinced, Christina turns back to look concernedly at Kanade, who’s bringing up the rear. Kanade mumbles something as she trembles. “It’s fine. I just have to stay near Princess Alexia… If worse comes to worst, I can use her as a shield…” “Is Cid going to be all right?” Christina asks. “I know we left him with the Knight Order, but still.” “I swear, Fido always does this. He wusses out just when things are getting good. That said, his swordplay is mediocre, so what choice did we have? It doesn’t seem like the Nightblades are going after him, so I’m sure he’ll be fine.” “That’s true. All they care about right now is Jack the Ripper. They’ve even stopped surveilling Kanade.” Kanade’s eyes sparkle. “Hwuh, they have?!” “Uh-huh. That’s how big of a threat they view Jack the Ripper as. I imagine they want to focus all their strength on him until the case ends.” A wicked grin spreads across Kanade’s face. “Then let’s hope it goes on forever.” “Don’t you worry,” Alexia says confidently. “Once we pull off this plan I thought up—the one where we sneak into the White estate while the Nightblades are busy dealing with Jack the Ripper’s attack so we can collect loads of proof on all their misdeeds—it’ll fix everything.” “But didn’t you only come up with it on the spot when Cid happened to find that sewer entrance?” Christina asks. “Planning is all about being flexible enough to deal with the situation as it presents itself.” “Just…” Christina pauses for a moment. “Just who really is Cid?” “What do you mean? He’s Fido.” “He’s the one who found the tunnel leading underground, and he’s the one who actually decoded most of the messages Jack the Ripper left. You would think he’d be too scared to do any of that.” Alexia can’t help but agree. “Y-you, uh…have a point there, actually. Fido can be weirdly perceptive.” “His ability to reach the truth from just the simplest of clues is really worthy of mention.” “I—I was almost done decoding them, too, for the record,” Kanade mumbles. “And what’s more, I get this odd feeling like I’ve met him before,” Christina goes on. “Considering the mysterious vibe he gives off, perhaps he’s secretly…” “A-are you saying Fido’s hiding something?” Alexia says worriedly. “I think he might secretly be a brilliant detective.” “I’m sorry, a what?” “And a skilled veteran, at that. Maybe an evil organization forced him to take a drug that made him young again, like in Natsume Kafka’s Case Clawed novels. Now he’s disguising himself as a student to infiltrate our academy.” “All right, that’s a cute theory and all, but Fido isn’t a detective. He’s as ordinary as they come. Now, look here. It’s the White family crest. Everything’s going exactly according to plan.” Sure enough, the spot on the tunnel wall that Alexia is pointing at has the White crest emblazoned on it. “No way,” says Christina. “Another one of Cid’s deductions came true…” “Well, well, well.” Alexia begins proudly examining the wall. “I said it would all work out, didn’t I?” “So what do you intend to do here?” “Well, places like these generally have secret doors hidden somewhere.” “Maybe, but I can’t imagine it will be easy to find—” “Found it!” “Seriously?!” When Alexia pokes at the crest, a heavy clunk follows, and the wall swings open. “The hidden doors in the castle are built the same way. The rich and powerful basically all think alike.” Looking quite smug, Alexia heads down the dark, narrow corridor. “Eugh, there’s cobwebs everywhere. This place probably hasn’t been used in forever,” says Kanade. “Do be careful, Princess Alexia. It could be dangerous,” Christina cautions. “I am being careful. Compared with Claire, at least.” “I don’t think that’s a healthy point of reference.” Christina and Kanade follow her. After continuing down the corridor for a while, Alexia comes to a stop. “…It’s a dead end,” she says, feeling the wall. “The wall seems thick, but I can sense people on the other side.” “Oh, hey, there’s light shining through the crack at the bottom,” Kanade says. She’s right; a faint glow is visible along the ground. “The material is different there, too. If we just…” They push and pull on the wall and discover that they can lift it barely enough for a person to pass under it. “All right, let’s do this,” says Alexia as she immediately begins crawling through the opening. “Please be careful, Princess Alexia.” “The safest thing here is to go second…,” Kanade mutters. “The third person can get crushed if the wall comes down on them, or a magical beast could come eat their legs…” “It’s dangerous, Kanade, so you should stay behind me.” “Hweh?!” As Christina crawls forward, Kanade looks at her in horror before frantically shooting a glance back over her shoulder. “I—I guess I don’t sense any magical beasts, and I don’t think anyone’s following us…” After double-checking to make sure the wall is safe, she crawls along after Christina. “Eek! Can you please not push me, Kanade?! That’s my skirt!” “Nope, nope, nope, nope.” “What the heck, Christina?! I know my butt is attractive, but that doesn’t mean you’re allowed to squeeze it.” “I—I promise I’m not trying to. It’s just that Kanade is shoving me…” “Faster, faster, faster, faster.” After getting crowded forward by Kanade all the while, the three of them eventually emerge beyond the wall. “Finally… What even is this place?” When they do, they find themselves in a dark, dome-shaped space. “Princess Alexia, look over there!” Christina points over at where the Nightblades are gathered. They’re a short distance away, and because of the dim light, the Nightblades haven’t noticed them yet. “Six Nightblades? What’s going on here?” Kanade gulps audibly. The girls mask their presences and duck for cover. After looking around again, they realize they’re in some sort of stadium. “Is this an arena?” Alexia says. “I could have sworn we were beneath the White estate.” “There are some nasty rumors floating around about the earl,” Christina replies. “Stories about how he forces slaves to fight so he can gamble on the matches. Could that actually be true?” Kanade lets out another audible gulp. As the three of them try to get a read on the situation, a dim glow overtakes the arena. “Something’s happening…” With that, they turn their gazes to the light’s center.
Chapter 95
17 min read