“I know. We’ve got a tough enemy on our hands. I have to raise the bar for myself.”
“Right. That’s the spirit.”
“And we have to find other descendants of heroes and protect them.”
“Uh, erm, yeah. All in moderation.”
It would be fun to play shadowbroker with more people, since that’d make it feel more like a legit organization. But I don’t need that many people. I honestly wouldn’t have a problem if it just stayed the two of us.
“Well, for now, let’s just focus on getting stronger,” I suggest, readying my wooden sword.
I block Alpha’s attack, which has an unexpected bite to it. To think she was only a novice until recently. Alpha has a good feel for things and plenty of magical energy, which means I can make good use of her.
Under the moonlight, I swing my wooden sword as these thoughts run through my mind.
Chapter 1
Starting the Shadowbroker Tutorial!
It’s been three years since the establishment of the Shadow Garden—give or take. Alpha and I turned thirteen years old, and my older sister Claire, fifteen.
There isn’t anything special about turning thirteen, but fifteen is another story. That’s when aristocrats begin their three-year education at a school in the royal capital. As the bearer of the hopes and dreams of the Kagenou household, Claire had a crazy farewell party thrown for her, which was organized by our mother. Like, wow, you can’t get more clichéd than that.
And that’s fine. Well, it was fine until she vanished the day of her departure. Read: All hell broke loose in the Kagenou household.
“The room was like this when I came in,” explains my dad in a low, suave voice. His face isn’t bad, either. “No signs of a struggle. But it looks like the window has been pried open. The culprit must have been skilled to do this without me and Claire noticing.”
He touches the windowsill and stares wistfully at the sky. A glass of whiskey would complete the scene.
Now, if only he had hair…
“And?” replies a chilly voice. “Are you saying we’re out of luck since the kidnapper was skilled?”
That was my mom.
“Th-that’s not what I’m saying. I was just stating a fact…,” answers my dad as cold sweat drips down his cheeks.
There’s a pause.
“Shut it, baldyyyyyy!!”
“Eep! I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry!!”
By the way, it’s like I’m invisible. They don’t expect much from me, and I don’t cause any trouble. I’m trying to keep this up to lie low in the background.
It’s really too bad that my sister disappeared, since she was cool and all. But they nabbed her in the middle of the night when I was out training in the abandoned town, which meant I couldn’t do anything to stop it. After watching with a concerned expression while my parents bicker, I sneak into my room and roll into bed.
“You can come out now.”
“Okay,” replies a voice accompanied by the sound of the curtains swishing gently.
A girl in a black slime bodysuit steps out from behind them.
“Oh, it’s you. Beta.”
“Yes,” says a girl, an elf like Alpha.
But while Alpha’s hair is blond, Beta’s is silver, framing her blue feline eyes and the mole right under one of them. She’s the third member of the Shadow Garden, after me and Alpha. I know I told Alpha to do things in moderation, but I swear, she keeps taking people in like they’re stray cats or something.
“Where’s Alpha?”
“She’s searching for signs of Miss Claire.”
“Dang, she’s fast. Is my sister alive?”
“Most likely.”
“Can we rescue her?”
“It’s possible…but it requires your assistance, Master Shadow.”
Oh, I have them call me Shadow. It’s fitting for the leader of the Shadow Garden, right?
“Did Alpha say that?”
“Yes. She said we must take every precaution in a hostage situation.”
“Huh.”
If I’m being honest, Alpha is plenty powerful on her own. If she’s asking for backup, we must be dealing with a big shot.
“It makes my blood boil…,” I say, compressing the magic in my hand down further. In a flash, I release it, causing the air to quiver around us.
There’s no particular reason for that. I just love to put on a good show.
Plus, it startles Beta, who even murmurs, “Incredible.” Nice.
As of late, I haven’t run out of training partners with Alpha, Beta, and Delta around, but I do like switching things up every once in a while. And I’m obsessed with playing the part of a mastermind, which makes this a perfect opportunity.
“It’s been a while since I’ve showed my true strength…,” I mumble.
At this point, I’m used to giving off a mysterious vibe. And with Alpha and Beta creating an optimal environment for pretend play, I’ve been very hyped up lately.
“As we’d expected, the perpetrator is a member of the Cult of Diablos—presumably one of their highest-ranking officers.”
“A high rank, huh…? But what do they want with my sister?”
“They must suspect that she’s one of the heroes’ descendants.”
“Well, those bastards guessed right…”
And that’s how she thickens the plot.
On top of that, she takes out a pile of documents and starts saying all kinds of cryptic things.
Like “Your story was true after all…”
And “The Children of Diablos from one thousand years ago have…”
And “This monument may be a sign of the Cult…,” but I don’t know for sure, ’cause I can’t read ancient texts. I have a feeling that Alpha can’t even understand them.
Y’know, I bet the two of them scrounged up some paperwork that looked appropriately suspicious to feel as if we’re getting closer to the truth. Yeah, that sounds about right.
“Take a look at this report. According to our most recent investigation, Miss Claire seems to have been brought to this hideout…”
Beta begins laying out a huge heap of files. It’s complete gibberish to me. The majority is written in an ancient alphabet, and the others are a series of nonsensical numbers and symbols. Dang, they really have a knack for creating fake reports. In this regard, they’re way better than me.
I ignore her explanation and chuck a small knife at the map on my wall. I aim for wherever feels right or something.
Zing. It sinks into the map.
“There.”
“There? What are you…?”
“That’s where my sister is.”
“But there’s nothing… Wait. No way…!” She balks, hastily rummaging through her reports as if she’s realized something.
Erm, ah, it’s really just a random throw. But Beta is a great actress.
Lemme take a guess. You’re gonna say the secret hideout is located right at the tip of the knife, right?
“After cross-referencing my reports, it appears the hideout is at that location.”
See? What did I say?
“To think you instantly interpreted these documents and uncovered hidden details… You never cease to amaze me.”
“Beta, you gotta train more.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Bravo! I know it’s all an act, but whew! It pulls on my heartstrings. Oh, Beta! You’ve got me on the edge of my seat.
“I’ll report to Alpha right away. Will we attempt our rescue tonight?”
“Yeah.”
Beta bows to me and leaves the room with eyes all sparkly. Like, I can almost feel that you totally respect me.
Cheers to her Academy Award–winning performance!
A man walks down a dimly lit underground tunnel. Appearing to be in his late thirties, he has a piercing gaze and a well-built body, and all his gray hair is slicked back.
He stops at the end of the tunnel, where there’s one door flanked b
y two soldiers.
“The daughter of Baron Kagenou,” he orders.
“In here, sir,” one soldier pipes up, bowing to Grease and unlocking the door. “We’ve got her restrained, but she’s extremely hostile. Please proceed with caution.”
“Hmph. Who do you think I am?”
“M-my apologies, sir!”
Grease pushes through the door and enters the stone dungeon, where a girl is shackled to the wall with magic chains.
“You must be Claire Kagenou.”
When she’s addressed by her name, the girl looks up at Grease in response.
She’s stunning, wrapped in the dainty negligee she wore to bed. It lightly veils her voluptuous breasts and shapely thighs, and her silken black hair is cut straight across her back.
Claire glares defiantly at him. “I’ve seen you around the capital. You’re Viscount Grease, aren’t you?”
“Oh, well, I used to be a royal guard…or you saw me at the Bushin Festival.”
“Right, the tournament. Princess Iris really tore you a new one.” Claire smirks.
“Hmph. We’re bound by tournament rules, which makes that an exception. I would never lose to her in a real battle.”
“You would lose then, too, Viscount Grease…you first-round flunker.”
“Shut it. A brat will never know the struggles of getting to the finals.” Grease scowls at Claire.
“I’ll make it in a year.”
“I hate to break it to you, but you don’t have a year left.”
The chains that bind her clang loudly as she closes the distance between them, snapping her teeth a hairbreadth away from the nape of Grease’s neck.
Chomp.
If Grease hadn’t slightly turned his head, she would have severed his carotid artery.
“Which of us won’t see another year? Want to test it out?”
“You won’t be testing anything out, Claire Kagenou.”
Claire is howling with laughter when he punches her in the jaw, slamming her against the stone wall. But her glare remains unchanged and locked on Grease the entire time.
His next punch doesn’t land.
“Jumping backward now, eh?”
Claire smiles fearlessly. “Oh, I assumed you were trying to hit a fly.”
“Hmph. I guess you’re not letting your strong magical powers overwhelm you.”
“I learned that it’s all about how you use magic, not how much.”
“Your father taught you well.”
“Baldy didn’t teach me a thing. I’m talking about my brother.”
“Your brother…?”
“He’s a cheeky one. I win every time we battle, but I’m the one learning from his techniques, not the other way around. Which is why I make life hard for him.” A playful grin splays across her face.
“My condolences to your brother. I guess this makes me the hero who saves him from his wicked sister. Enough chitchat…” Grease pauses, observing her intently.
“Claire Kagenou, has your physical condition…felt off recently? As in, has it gotten harder to use and handle magic? Have you experienced any pain when you use it? Is your body starting to turn dark with rot? …Do you have any of these symptoms?”
“Did you abduct me to play doctor?” The corners of Claire’s glossy lips lift to a smile.
“You know, I used to have a daughter. I don’t want to knock you around more than I already have. Answering honestly would benefit us both.”
“Is that a threat? When I feel threatened, I tend to get hostile…even when I shouldn’t.”
“Are you saying you won’t tell me the truth?”
“We’ll see.”
Grease and Claire glare at each other for a while.
She’s the one to break the silence. “Fine. I’ll answer your dumb question, since it’s no big deal. What was it? About my condition and magic, right? Well, everything’s fine now. If I wasn’t chained up, I’d be doing pretty darn good.”
“What do you mean by ‘now’?”
“Well, I first noticed the symptoms a year ago.”
“What? Are you saying it got cured—on its own?” Grease has never heard of a case where it healed on its own.
“Yeah, I didn’t do anything to… Oh, right. What was it? A ‘stretch’? I don’t know what that means, but my little bro asked me to stretch with him, and I felt better after that.”
“Stretch? I’ve never heard of that before…but if you had symptoms, that means I wasn’t mistaken in thinking you’re compatible.”
“Compatible…? What does that mean?”
“Nothing that should concern you. Either way, you’re going to break soon enough. Oh, and I’ll make sure to look into your brother…”
Before he can finish his sentence, he suffers a blow to the nose.
“Wha—?!” he barks, stumbling back to the door and glowering at Claire. He holds his bloody nose. “Claire Kagenou, you wretch…!”
All four limbs should have been bound, but she somehow managed to free her right arm, where blood trickles down her wrist.
“You scraped off your own flesh and dislocated your finger…?!”
These are no ordinary chains. They’re sealed with magic. In other words, she unleashed the full extent of her physical strength to slice the flesh off her hand, break her own bones, and slide out of the chains to punch Grease. This rattles him to his core.
“If you do anything to my brother, I’ll never forgive you! I’ll kill you, your loved ones, your family, your friends… Ngh…?!”
Grease clobbers Claire in the gut with all his might. There’s no way she can defend herself from his spells, especially when she’s strapped down by chains.
“You bitch…!” spits Grease as she crumples to the ground.
On the floor, there’s a pool of dark-red blood fed by a trickle from her right hand.
“Well, then. I’ll know when I’ve used this…,” he murmurs, reaching out to touch her blood when a winded soldier flings the door open.
“Viscount Grease, we’re in trouble! Intruders!”
“Intruders?! Who the hell are they?”
“We don’t know! There are only a few of them, but we don’t stand a chance without you!”
“Ugh, I’ll take care of it! The rest of you, stay on guard!” Grease clicks his tongue in irritation before turning on his heel and making his way from the cell.
By the time Grease arrives on the scene, the area is already smeared with blood.
The soldiers who protect the major facility aren’t weak by any means, and some even rival the royal guard.
“Why? This can’t be…!”
Illuminated by a single light streaming in from the outside, countless dead bodies litter the ground of the underground hall in the facility.
Each bears a single slash—sliced by an unimaginably destructive force.
“Son of a bitch…!”
Grease glares at a group of figures dressed in black bodysuits. From their curves, he can guess they’re petite girls—seven in total. Under the dim light of the moon, they’re stealthy enough that it’s easy to lose sight of them without a concerted effort. These women are using a rare technique to control their magical presence, and Grease recognizes this group might just rival him in strength.
There’s one who’s drenched in blood, eyeing him under the moonlight.
“Nnr…!”
In this moment, instinct overtakes Grease—not for any explicit reason, but he can sense danger.
Blood drips down her bodysuit and onto the floor, and she lets her katana drag behind her apathetically, creating a trail of gore.
“Who the hell are you? What’s your purpose?” he asks, attempting to suppress his unease.
But he’s faced with seven rivals as powerful as him. To fight would be asinine. Grease curses his bad luck as he searches for a way out.
The blood-splattered girl isn’t listening to him. She laughs, snickering from behind her bloodied mask.
She’s go
ing to hunt me down…! Grease thinks, just as he hears another voice.
“Back off, Delta.”
The girl halts in place before retreating without resistance. Grease lets out a huge sigh of relief.
Another girl walks forward to take her place.
“We are the Shadow Garden.”
If they were anywhere else, her angelic voice would have entranced him.
“I’m Alpha.”
He realizes she’s revealed her face at some point, and her pale skin gleams under the moonlight. She steps forward.
“Nn…!”
He sees she’s an elf with golden hair and beauty that leaves him gasping for breath.
She takes another step.
“Our purpose…is to eliminate the Cult of Diablos.”
He doesn’t take notice of her black sword until it slices through the air and parts the night sky. Or at least, it seems to create that illusion, and Grease is overcome with intimidation by the force of her swing and the wind that follows it.
How did she acquire such power at this age? He trembles with jealousy and fear—but more than anything, he’s petrified by her declaration.
“How…how do you know our group?”
The Cult of Diablos. Grease is one of the few people in the facility who knows the name of this organization.
“We know everything. We know all about Diablos the demon, his curse, and the heroes’ descendants. And…the truth about the possessed.”
“H-how did you…?”
Grease was only recently informed of this top secret information, which couldn’t— No, shouldn’t have been leaked.
“You’re not the only ones after the Curse of Diablos.”
“Ksh…!”
He knows he can’t forgive them for getting access to classified information. But would slaying them prevent it from spreading?
No, no good.
Which means he needs to live—to survive to inform headquarters about the girls, which is why Grease moves forward.
“Aaaaaaaaagh!!” he shouts, unsheathing his sword and swiping at Alpha.
“How reckless,” she notes, dodging and countering it with ease.
Her blade grazes his cheek, where blood pours from the fresh wound.
The Eminence in Shadow, Vol. 1 (Light Novel) Page 3