Unification of the South

by Hyougetsu

  “This really is a labyrinth...”

  Though there were buildings everywhere, I hadn’t seen a single door. While a few of them had windows, they were fitted with metal bars and were only on the upper floors. Because of how narrow the streets were, it would be impossible to deploy troops effectively here. Cavalry would be practically useless.

  We spotted no one on our way, but I could tell there were people here. Their scents, voices, and footsteps were all over the place. Airia smiled ruefully and said, “This is the labyrinth that earned Zaria its moniker. No bandits or monsters have been able to harm this city’s residents in decades.”

  “Makes sense.”

  Small groups of monsters or bandits wouldn’t stand a chance here. They’d keep running around in circles and get picked off. However, if an army brought catapults with them, they’d be able to devastate the city with ease. Maybe that’s what Meraldia was really after by forbidding Zaria from building walls. This way they can crush the city if it tries to revolt. No wonder Zaria’s viceroy has such a hard job. One of the city’s officials came out to greet Airia, and led us to a small staircase hidden between alleys.

  “This way, please.”

  The official took us to what looked like a normal house’s back entrance. As I stepped inside I realized it really was a back entrance, and that we were inside a kitchen. A series of pots could be seen hanging from hooks on the wall. The official picked up a wooden pestle and banged the pots in a specific order. Once he was done, a part of the stone ceiling slid away, and a voice called out from above.

  “Who goes there?”

  The official glanced back at us, then replied, “The Blue Lily Flower and the Black Half Moon. Two by eight.”

  After a moment of silence, a ladder dropped down.

  “Lady Airia, Lord Vice-Commander, please ascend.”

  Just in case, I asked Hamaam to go up first. As he climbed the ladder I smiled to Airia and said, “I guess that earlier exchange was some kind of secret code. In which case, I suppose you’re the blue lily flower?”

  “Meaning you are the black half moon.”

  She smiled back, and the two of us climbed the ladder after Hamaam. The ladder led to a small room filled with doors. In a quiet voice, the official said, “The fake doors are booby-trapped. Be careful not to touch them by mistake.”

  “Understood.”

  I felt like I’d walked into some kind of secret base. The official led us through a series of doors until finally we arrived at what I assumed was the viceroy’s manor. The stucco walls had complex patterns painted on them in bright colors, and the manor’s furniture had a west-Asian flair to it. Unlike the other buildings we’d walked through, this one didn’t smell of people. Meaning it wasn’t used often. I guess they only come here for meetings. I eased into a sofa and murmured, “I see Viceroy Melgio is as cautious as the rumors claim.”

  The official bowed respectfully and replied, “Lord Melgio changes the location of his office at regular intervals. It is customary for Zaria’s viceroys to keep their location a secret.”

  “Understandable.”

  Though if you’re that secretive, isn’t it hard to get anything done? The official stepped out of the room and returned a few moments later.

  “My lord wishes to speak with the demon army’s representative before negotiating with Ryunheit. Vice-Commander, if you would please follow me.”

  That’s odd.

  “Are you sure it’s not Lady Airia he wishes to speak to first?”

  “No, my lord’s orders were clear. He wishes to first meet with the famed demon general Veight.”

  “My apologies, but I will have to refuse. The demon army and Ryunheit are one and the same now. Please inform him that we decline to negotiate separately.”

  The official’s request struck me as unnatural. But even if it hadn’t been, I didn’t want to leave Airia alone. The official hesitated, and Airia took the opportunity to say her own piece.

  “Seeing as this is an informal audience, I would like to be present as well.”

  “I’m not sure...”

  Before the official could refuse us, Airia added, “Or do you mean to imply that there would be a problem with me, the Demon Ambassador Airia Lutte Aindorf, being present for a negotiation meeting between the demon army and Zaria?”

  “Perish the thought.”

  Overwhelmed by Airia’s forcefulness, the attendant shook his head.

  “Very well, Lady Airia, Lord Veight. I shall inquire if the viceroy will be willing to receive you for an informal introduction before we begin official negotiations.”

  Airia and I exchanged glances, then got to our feet.

  “Guards, attendants, remain here. ‘Relax, and take this time to rest.’”

  Hamaam saluted me and replied, “As you wish, ‘exalted vice-commander.’”

  You guys aren’t the only ones that use secret codes. We do, too. “Relax, and take this time to rest,” was code for “Assume we’re in enemy territory. Remain vigilant. I grant both squad commanders the authority to engage hostiles at their discretion.” Hamaam’s reply meant that he understood and would obey. No one had made any overt moves, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that that official was suspicious somehow.

  Airia and I were led down a long, narrow corridor. The official stopped before the door at the far end and turned to us.

  “Lord Melgio awaits.”

  The official bowed and made to take his leave.

  “Hold a moment.”

  “Is something the matter?”

  I grabbed his shoulder as he turned around and said, “I smell blood and vomit up ahead. Just what state is Lord Melgio in?”

  The official whirled around and tried to dash away. You won’t escape me! I transformed into my werewolf form and tightened my grip on him.

  “I believe I asked you a question.”

  I dug my claws into his shoulder. I was still holding back, but my grip was tight enough to hurt now. The official screamed in pain and shouted, “Gaaaah! I-Intruders!”

  Loud footsteps thudded down the hallway. That was the sound of armored soldiers. So that’s how you want to play?

  “Alright, I understand what’s going on now. For now, let’s put you to sleep.”

  I socked the official on the jaw, knocking him unconscious. A few of his teeth were knocked loose from the force of the blow, but I had no obligation to hold back anymore. While I could fight here, the hallway was too narrow for me to move freely, and I was still worried about whatever might be behind the door the official led us to.

  “Lady Airia, stick close to me.”

  “Okay.”

  Airia nodded nervously and drew the saber at her waist. Realizing the hallway was too narrow to swing it in, she got into a thrusting stance. I howled to my werewolves, telling them to attack, then kicked down the door behind me.

  Inside the room a man lay on the floor, covered in blood. His three guards lay next to him, also bloodied. Considering how much blood there was, and the fact that it was dry, it was clearly too late. They were all dead. I sniffed around for assassins, but smelled no one else.

  “That’s Sir Melgio,” Airia declared as she looked down at the man. Remaining vigilant of my surroundings, I knelt next to the corpses. The viceroy and his guards had all had their throats slashed. There were also a number of parallel gashes on their chests. The assassins had wanted to make it look like a werewolf’s claws had killed the men.

  “It appears these assassins wish to use your reputation against you, Sir Veight.”

  Sighing, I got to my feet.

  “It irks me that they’re trying to make such a shoddy job look like my handiwork. I won’t let these guys get away.”

  My guess was the Senate was behind this. Meaning that Meraldia had judged Zaria’s viceroy a foe. The only reason I could they would want him dead was because he’d been planning on allying himself with us. It’s a shame he had to die. Though we’d never met, it pissed me off tha
t someone I could have forged a bond with had been killed. For his sake too, I’d send these assassins to the afterlife.

  Unfortunately, I couldn’t be sure if the soldiers the official had called were on the viceroy’s side, or his. If they’d been bribed by the Senate, or were Senate soldiers disguised as the city garrison, I could kill them without reservation. But if the assassins had wanted to make this look like I’d done it, it was possible the soldiers were still loyal to the viceroy. In which case, the last thing I wanted to do was kill them. Though I had no hints to go off of, I couldn’t afford to get this wrong.

  Maybe I should just take Airia and run? No, that won’t work either. I needed to secure the crime scene, or the blame for killing the viceroy would automatically fall on me.

  “Lady Airia.”

  “What is it?”

  Though she was pale, Airia tried to put up a brave front. In my gravelly werewolf voice, I said, “Sorry, but I’ll need to carry you for a bit.”

  “Huh!?”

  I apologized preemptively, then picked Airia up.

  A few seconds later, a knot of soldiers burst into the room and discovered Melgio’s corpse.

  “Lord Melgio!”

  “M-My Lord!? Someone, call a doctor!”

  “The captain’s been slain too! Raise the alarm!”

  The soldiers drew their swords and scanned the room.

  “Where is the demon army’s vice-commander and Ryunheit’s viceroy!?”

  “Are they the ones who did this!?”

  “Look, those wounds look like claw marks!”

  Well, I guess that’s the natural conclusion. Judging by their reaction, I doubted they were the Senate’s soldiers. Just then, a young girl flanked by a brace of guards strode into the room. She had short hair and a boyish face. A jeweled dagger hung at her waist, and she was dressed in fine clothes, so I assumed she was a noble of some sort.

  “Lady Shatina, you mustn’t be here!”

  “It’s too dangerous!”

  The girl called Shatina shook off her guard and ran to the viceroy’s corpse.

  “Father!? Father!”

  Crap, she’s the viceroy’s daughter. I’d heard that Zaria’s viceroy had a single daughter who was his heir. And it looked like this was her. Because she was in public she held back her tears, but I could tell the death of her father had hit her hard. She clenched her fists and choked back a sob. It would take a lot of courage to show ourselves now, but I needed to solve this misunderstanding fast, or it’d be too late. Still holding Airia, I soundlessly leapt down from the roof beam I’d been hiding on.

  “Who’re you!?”

  “A-A werewolf!?”

  In my most dignified voice, I said, “I am the Demon Lord’s Vice-Commander, Veight, and this is Ryunheit’s viceroy, Airia. I swear to you that we were not the ones who killed Zaria’s viceroy.”

  The men readied their weapons, but Airia leapt down from my arms and stopped them from attacking.

  “Please wait! We’re innocent!”

  Airia’s sharp glare caused the soldiers to falter. But then Shatina got to her feet and glared at us, her expression a mixture of fury and sorrow.

  “As if I would ever believe a werewolf!”

  The loss of her father was causing her to act rashly. Considering how young she looked, I couldn’t blame her. Though she didn’t seem the least bit interested in hearing us out, I really did need her to. I wasn’t the greatest of mediators, so I decided to defuse the situation the only way I knew how. Using intimidation. I gathered my mana and howled, casting Soul Shaker. The air in the room crackled from the force of my shout.

  “Eeek!”

  “Uwaah!”

  “Kyaaa!”

  My howl penetrated their souls, striking fear into their hearts. It also shattered the vases lining the wall and the mirror off to one side of the room. Sorry about that, guys. I walked over to the paralyzed soldiers and brought my face close to Shatina’s.

  “Shut up and listen.”

  Though she was trembling in fear, the anger in Shatina’s gaze was as strong as ever. However, she was directing her hatred toward the wrong target. I shook my head and said, “If I was the culprit, I would have killed the lot of you already. Besides, look at your father’s corpse.”

  “What do you...”

  “I’ll admit that Zaria is an arid place. But even then, would a person’s blood dry this fast?”

  As I said that, a gust of hot wind blew through the room.

  “Well...”

  Shatina faltered, and I pressed further.

  “Besides, if all of those wounds had been inflicted on the viceroy while he was alive, his blood would have splattered the walls. However, it’s all pooled here, underneath him.”

  If a living person was cut deeply, their blood spurted pretty far. But if their heart had already stopped pumping, then the blood just dripped out.

  “Someone cut your father’s corpse after he was already dead to make it look like a werewolf’s claws had killed him. You can see traces of vomit in the blood, so it’s clear he’d been poisoned to death, not slashed. And I’ll have you know, werewolves don’t use poison on people,” Airia added, supporting my case.

  “Sir Veight is a ferocious warrior, it’s true, but the rumors about him are mistaken. However, the assassins used those rumors to their advantage and attempted to frame him as the murderer.”

  Airia frowned apologetically.

  “You’re still young and lack experience, Lady Shatina. Because of that, the assassins underestimated you. They believed you would mistake us as your father’s murderers, and thus destroy any possibility of an alliance between Zaria and the demon army.”

  Shatina exchanged a silent glance with her guards.

  “So then, you aren’t the ones who killed my father?”

  “Naturally.”

  I heard a faint noise coming from one of the walls, and walked over to it.

  “There’s one other, very big discrepancy. You see, humans killed by a werewolf’s claws don’t end up looking like that.”

  Shatina gave me a puzzled look.

  “They don’t?”

  “That’s right.”

  I nodded and laid a hand against the wall. Right about here, I think.

  “Watch closely. This is what happens to people shredded by a werewolf’s claws.”

  I cast strengthening magic on my arm and raked my claws across the wall. There was a huge puff of dust as I sliced the wall apart.

  “GRAAAAAAAAH!”

  Blood sprayed everywhere. A second later, something thudded to the ground.

  “Someone was hiding in the walls!?”

  I nodded in response to Shatina’s question and looked down at what I’d slashed. The corpse of a man, cut in half by the force of my claws, lay on the floor. Half of the rope he’d been hanging onto dangled from the ceiling, swaying slightly. From the looks of it, he’d been trying to eavesdrop. I ran my hand across the section of wall I’d cut up, then turned to Shatina.

  “I heard people jumping across the rooftops, so I destroyed the entire wall to stop them from coming.”

  Of course, my claws alone hadn’t been long enough, so I’d created mana blades that extended further out from them. I’d seen Master use a similar spell before, so I’d wanted to try it out. But man, I didn’t think it’d make my claws hurt so much. I think I’ll only use this when I need to show off. I ignored the pain and said quietly to Shatina, “I understand that losing your father must be painful for you. But those who stand in positions of power must be able to remain calm even when people close to them die.”

  As I said that, I thought back to when the old Demon Lord had died. I certainly hadn’t acted very calmly back then. Honestly, I had no right to be saying this. So in return for saying such irresponsible things, I decided to protect Shatina.

  While Shatina still hadn’t sorted out her feelings, she was slowly coming to understand that I wasn’t the culprit. As the effects of my Soul Sh
aker wore off, I held out a hand to her. She hesitantly took it and got to her feet.

  “So then you really aren’t my father’s... my enemy?”

  “That’s for you to decide. But whether you believe me your enemy or not, I’ll protect you.”

  “Protect me from what?”

  I moved so that both Shatina and Airia were behind me, then said, “There are still plenty of assassins left.”

  “Th-There are!?”

  “Since they failed to trick you, they’ve likely decided to kill you.”

  There were a few people on the roof above, and a few others coming in from the hallway. Furthermore, there were a few people running around the adjacent buildings’ rooftops. Shatina seemed too shocked to think, so Airia started giving out orders.

  “Soldiers, protect Lady Shatina! Keep an especially close eye on the door and windows!”

  Just then, I heard a commotion from the hallway.

  “Enemy attack!” Someone shouted, then another group of soldiers spilled into the room. The moment Shatina’s guards saw the soldiers’ faces, they began to attack.

  “Imposters!”

  “Do you truly believe you can pass as part of the garrison!?”

  Personally, I couldn’t tell them apart at all, but it was obvious there were two factions since the garrison troops were fighting amongst each other.

  “How dare you wear our honorable uniform!”

  “Be careful everyone, the enemy has disguised themselves as part of the regular garrison! Don’t let anyone suspicious near Lady Shatina!”

  “Cut down anyone who tries to enter this room!”

  From the looks of it, Shatina’s guards were able to tell apart the intruders by sight. Unfortunately, I’d just gotten here so I had no clue.

  With how muddled things had gotten, I had no way of telling who was friend or foe. It was far too dangerous for Airia and Shatina to stay here. Just as I thought that, another three assassins dropped in through the open window. They were wearing masks and carrying daggers. I pushed Shatina behind me, kicked the first assassin out the window, and sliced the other two in half using my claws. While the assassins were clearly dexterous, they had little skill with the blade.