Round Two: Shirek’s Shadow

That crystal pendant really was problematic!
Ignoring the questioning gaze of Forty-Seven, Moriel’s knuckles turned slightly white from gripping the table so tightly. How had she overlooked it? She hadn’t even thought much about why it appeared mysteriously around her neck before giving it to Kayro! A surge of anger at being deceived filled her, and the even worse omen related to Kayro made her even more uneasy. Toward this little girl who always smiled at her and clung to her, Moriel went from being wary to helpless, then developed affection for her, until they eventually became friends… What would happen to her now due to her own negligence—or rather, being exploited? Would she really be swallowed by the mist and completely erased?
“Red Hood in trouble?” It seemed Forty-Seven was good at reading expressions too.
“That’s right. I’m afraid it’s serious trouble.” For some reason, seeing Forty-Seven’s metallic face suddenly eased the pressure in her heart.
Forty-Seven seemed surprised. “Don’t exaggerate. Red Hood’s only problem is the wolf!”
He stretched out his index finger, with his thumb also extended perpendicular to it, mimicking a shooting gesture. “Once Uncle Hunter arrives, everything will be fine!”
“What Red Hood! Stop talking nonsense!” Moriel pushed away Forty-Seven’s hand, as he was aiming at her. “If we’re going to look for Kayro… do you know what kind of people we might be dealing with?”
“And so what?” Forty-Seven looked at Moriel across the table. “Who am I? I’m Forty-Seven!”
Someone was knocking at the door.
Moriel reached out and swept the powdered, shattered disc on the table to the ground—before it hit the floor, the fragments turned into dust.
“What are you waiting for? Go open the door!”
The woman outside the door looked familiar. Forty-Seven quickly recognized her from the magic whip dagger wrapped around her muscular waist. “Oh? Mary?”
“Ha… I didn’t expect you to really come back.”
Mary sat opposite Moriel, looking somewhat despondent. Time had left faint lines around her eyes, which didn’t detract from her wild beauty, but such changes after just a few years showed she must have gone through a lot.
“You seem to be doing well.” Moriel examined her magical leather armor.
“Not bad, of course not bad.” There was a hint of resentment in Mary’s voice, whether directed at Mishima or Moriel herself. “Mishima, with Agus’s support, crushed the warrior guilds and other groups, turning Rain City, a free town, into his backyard. Adventurers are subject to strict restrictions, and even the loot brought back from the swamps must be approved by him. Plus, most of the less dangerous but profitable areas are controlled by Mishima’s guild. Fewer people come, and more leave. Those who stay are mostly lackeys of Mishima…”
Mary suddenly laughed and raised her hand to tidy her hair. “Thanks to you, I’m one of them too.”
“There was no other choice. I was forced to do it back then.” Moriel met Mary’s brown eyes. “So… you didn’t come to see me just to catch up, did you? Did Mishima send you?”

“Yes…” Mary stretched lazily like a cat. “Agus is completely finished, right?”
“Not exactly finished.”
“It’s the same thing. Anyway, no one will back Mishima from now on.” Mary suddenly lowered her voice, resting her large chest on the table and leaning in. “Although Mishima has tightly controlled information in the city, how can he suppress such a big deal? But since Rain City used to be a lawless place, he has indeed managed his influence well over the years. So far, the town remains firmly under his control…”
“But now you’re back.” Mary looked at Moriel with a half-smile. “How can he not be extremely worried? Naturally, he sent me to gauge your reaction—he also wants to invite you to a dinner party, saying he’ll hold a grand welcome banquet for you!”
Moriel pondered for a moment.
“You can go back and tell Mishima that it’s over, and I have no intention of pursuing anything further. I don’t want to go to any banquet of his either. If he’s free, he can come see me; I have something to ask him.”
Before leaving the room, Mary turned back and gave Yonjiro a deep look.
“I can’t believe it. You’re the same tattered construct from back then… I really envy Moriel.”
Yonjiro shrugged—finally able to do so. “It was just a few system upgrades.”
“What now?” Yonjiro closed the door. “Are you sure that guy will come to see you? Do you want me to bring him here?”
“You? Forget it… I doubt greatly your chances of bringing him alive,” Moriel joked, putting the small bottles containing magic materials from the table into her arms. Yonjiro was curious about how she managed to hide them without anyone noticing—did she have a pocket like Doraemon?
“Mishima will come. Even if he doesn’t care that I used to be the commander of Agus’ mage army, he should still want to ask me about Agus’ situation… After all, he’s just an insignificant figure. If it weren’t for him possibly knowing Kairo’s last whereabouts, I really wouldn’t be interested in meeting him.”
“Hmm, okay.” Yonjiro seemed indifferent. “Anyway, Singh is also… I’m not interested in revisiting old grievances with him either.”
Mishima arrived soon.
He made a big show—when Yonjiro opened the door, he saw that the mage, who had clearly gained weight, was accompanied by a large entourage that filled the hallway, with people even guarding the stairway.
Mishima was slightly surprised to see Yonjiro, but didn’t show any particular reaction. Mary, behind him, gave Yonjiro a barely noticeable eye signal—seemingly not having told Mishima that Yonjiro had returned with Moriel.
Moriel was also surprised, as Mishima was wearing a white mage robe embroidered with golden runes—a garment reserved only for a few high-ranking mages in the Supreme Council. But Moriel quickly understood; as a local tyrant far from the center of power, no one would care if he did this—after all, proof of being a grand mage wasn’t something as trivial as a robe.

“I really didn’t expect you to become the commander of the Empire’s Battle Mage forces…” Noticing Moriel staring at his clothes, Mishima’s expression turned somewhat embarrassed. “While I can only manage this small place with great difficulty… I suppose this is what they mean by fortune being unpredictable.”
“Oh? So I should actually thank you for tipping me off back then?” Moriel didn’t spare Mishima any face. “Besides, I’m no longer a commander either—the Council has been disbanded, and I’ve left Agus. Surely you must have heard something about what happened in Agus?”
“Yes, Agus is in complete chaos.” Strangely, Mishima didn’t seem to react as he should to the upheaval in Agus. Perhaps he hid his emotions well, or maybe he was confident he had Rain City firmly in his grasp. Anyway, his tone sounded as if he were talking about something completely unrelated. “I really didn’t expect the Emperor of the Empire to have the audacity to attack the Supreme Council. Nor did I expect the Council to go from having the upper hand to suffering a complete defeat due to the sudden loss of control over the super-armored weapons. Even Council President Singer lost his life unexpectedly…”
Moriel didn’t correct his mistakes. After all, aside from the few who actually fought and a handful of Night Elves, even the people of Agus believed the Seven Sins Tower crashed by accident. “You’re still well-informed… It seems you can handle a situation without Agus’s support with ease?”
“I wouldn’t dare claim that,” Mishima waved his hand. “If Miss Moriel plans to return and settle in Rain City permanently, I must step back—although it’s still hard to accept emotionally, I have to admit you’re far beyond me now.”
“You don’t have to worry about that.” Moriel decided to stop this pointless reminiscing. “I’m just here to take a look. After all, I’ve always been just a passerby in Rain City… Actually, I’m mainly here to ask you about someone—Kairo, the little girl who sells magic items and potions on South Street. Do you know where she went?”
Mishima’s reaction once again surprised Moriel.
“Oh, you mean Kairo…” He smiled confidently. “I happen to know a few friends who might be able to give you some information.”
The door opened, and three people walked in. They were all dressed in ordinary black clothes, looking quite ordinary—typical people you’d forget once you saw them—but their expressions carried a strange fanaticism.
The four-seven with pupils constricted, who had been silent against the wall, his red eyes sharp as needles.
Mishima stepped aside and joined Mary. Mary stared at the three people in a daze, not quite understanding where they came from or why she hadn’t noticed them at all during the journey to Blade Tavern with Mishima.
“Mishima’s friends?” Moriel tapped the table gently. “I’ve never seen you before.”
“Hehe… You’ve been away from Rain City for some time now, haven’t you…” The middle-aged man in black let out a sinister laugh. “We’ve also heard of you, beautiful Prophet Mage Miss Moriel.”

“One of the things I dislike the most is not knowing those who are around me. Well, what news do you have for me about Kayro?”
The man in black spread his hands, looking like Moriel’s most trusted friend. “Don’t be so sensitive, female mage. We don’t know any more about that little girl than you do. We’re here merely to give a piece of advice to any potential friends: leave that little girl alone. As a young mage with a bright future, you have more important things to do, don’t you?”
Moriel’s gaze turned icy.
“Who are you?”
The man in black didn’t answer right away. Instead, he drew his finger across the table—along with his movement, a faint skull pattern flashed and disappeared.
“The Dark Day? Are you from the Church of Xyrik?” Moriel recognized the symbol. All the pieces fit together now.
Upon hearing that name, the man straightened up instantly, as if it held some strange magic. “That’s right! All glory to Xyrik!”
“What do you want then?” Moriel asked in a hostile tone.
“Miss Moriel, that’s none of your business,” said the cultist, leaning forward with a hint of threat. “You can travel or stay in Rain City, as long as you don’t interfere with our—”
Moriel snapped her head sharply. The head of the once-boastful cultist burst open like a watermelon trampled by a mammoth, completely ruined, with blood and brain matter splashing everywhere—luckily, the rainproof spell on Moriel still held.
47 swung his warhammer, smashing the cultist’s head and knocking down a wall before it flew into the next room—fortunately, there was no one there.
“Why are there only idiots looking for death today?”
“Can’t you wait until someone finishes speaking before acting?” Moriel complained, but she wasn’t ready to fight.
“Dareful!” The other two cultists immediately drew their weapons—inscribed with Xyrik’s sacred symbols: a white skull without a lower jaw at the center of a purple sunrise, emitting an evil glow. The fourth cultist, who had been waiting outside, rushed in as well, raising a crossbow at Moriel, its arrow tip glowing with a deadly black light.
They were well-prepared, but it was like trying to fight a dragon with sharp claws. Before they could pull the trigger, 47 snatched the arrow away with a swift step and thrust it into the archer’s eye. The potent poison was useless, as the arrow tip had already come out through the back of the head. Then he grabbed the skull sword thrown by another cultist, twisted it into a spiral with one twist, and kicked that cultist into the next room, where he crashed into a wall adorned with warhammers—causing that wall to collapse as well.
The remaining cultist seemed to be a priest. He raised his hammer high, calling upon Xyrik’s holy name for strength, but before he could receive a response from The Dark Day, 47 punched him in the mouth. He flew backward, all his teeth flying into the ceiling, and one of his eyeballs was also ejected by the force.

Mishima was stunned by this swift and brutal massacre, so shocked that he didn’t react even when Yonjiro lifted him by the neck. It wasn’t until he was thrown faceup onto a table covered in blood and brain matter that he showed an expression of utter disbelief and terror.
“Mr. Mishima,” Moriel signaled Yonjiro to loosen his grip, as Mishima’s face had turned purple. “You’ve always been a smart man… but sometimes I think you’re too smart. When did you start associating with Hierarchy’s church?”
“Moriel, let me explain…”
“Go on, I’m listening.”
From Mishima’s slightly distorted narration, Moriel learned that Hierarchy’s followers also arrived here only after Kayro left. Realizing they had come too late, they secretly contacted Mishima, the ruler of Rain City, to gather information and seek his support. At first, Mishima kept his distance from this notorious church, but after learning of the collapse of the Augustus Empire, he immediately changed his stance and tried to get close to Hierarchy’s church, hoping to find a new ally to maintain his rule in the crisis-ridden Rain City. However, since they seemed to think there were few useful clues left in Rain City, the high-ranking members had left a few days ago, leaving only a few people hiding within Mishima’s merchant guild. Today, Moriel’s search for Kayro had caught their attention. Though they believed Moriel knew nothing, out of their arrogant and chaotic pride, they decided to give this former Augustus commander a warning—otherwise, they would resort to murder. “I prefer massacres,” Yonjiro thought as he listened.
“I’ve told you everything… Miss Moriel,” Mishima gasped. “It really has nothing to do with me. I don’t know why they’re looking for Kayro, and today’s incident wasn’t my idea either…”
“I know. Let him go.” Moriel waved her hand. Mishima was now useless and posed no threat to her. She could let him mess around in Rain City; she had more important things to do.
Yonjiro pulled him up but still held him by the collar. “You’re lucky. Better pray you won’t cross my path again—do you know? I already disliked you before, and now your foolishness makes me dislike you even more.”
“Hm?” Mishima was a bit confused. Though he noticed Yonjiro’s metallic skin, he still didn’t recognize him and continued to think of him as one of those humanoid constructs Moriel had brought from the Augustus Empire. “Yes…”
Mishima never got the chance to recognize Yonjiro, as he was already dead. Taking advantage of the moment while Mishima was listening to Yonjiro, Mary moved behind the mage, drew her short sword, and stabbed it into his heart from behind, twisting it around.
“Can’t you wait until someone finishes speaking before attacking?” Yonjiro dropped the lifeless Mishima and used exactly the same words Moriel had used to scold him on Mary.

“If we don’t act now, are we going to let him continue to wreak havoc after you leave Rain City?” Mary lifted one foot, wiped her short sword on the sole of her boot twice, then sheathed it back at her waist. “Everyone in Rain City wants him dead as soon as possible. If we miss this chance, who knows when we’ll get another one.”
She bowed to the two of them, turned, and walked out of the room. Then they heard her giving orders to Mishima’s subordinates, who were still waiting outside in fear: “Mishima is dead! From now on, the Rain City Warriors Guild will break away from Mishima’s Merchant Guild and become independent! I’m fed up with Mishima’s stupid and harsh rules!”
“Actually, you were right before,” Forty-Seven said, hearing the sounds of the crowd leaving after the brief chaos. “She’s finally going to become the queen.”
“If you like, you can stay and help her.” Moriel stood up, carefully avoiding the corpses and bloodstains.
“Oh? Can I take that as an order?”
“Shut up, let’s go! Look at the mess you’ve made!”
It was still drizzling in Rain City at night. There wasn’t a soul on the streets, and the houses in the shadows of the fortress walls seemed even more desolate in the darkness. But that situation would soon change—the White Blade Inn behind them had raised its drawbridge, and adventurers who didn’t want to get involved in the fighting that night were hiding inside.
“Going on a night walk… Don’t you need to rest? Where are we going now?”
“Since Kayro disappeared wearing that necklace, and now Hryek’s followers are searching for her… I think we should go back to the Temple of the Lady of Mist. Maybe there’s some clue there.”
No way, we’re going to the swamp again.