A Fool's Nightmare and an Unfortunate Plan
The banquet hall sparkled with the lavish brilliance of a scene torn from a fairy tale for fools. Yet amid all that splendor, Ellyse Bertman could focus only on the dour, rigid face of the man before her. She had no time to feel bored. Her heart lurched every time his expression shifted even slightly.
“Haven’t we met somewhere before?”
Ellyse clasped her hands tightly, pulse fluttering with excitement as she waited for his answer. After a long silence the man gave a faint smile and replied.
“Are you in your right mind?”
There’s no way I would ever have met the likes of you. The contempt in his gaze landed like a death blow.
“Foolish Ellyse.”
Demian Cloud’s retreating back as he left the hall overlapped with Ashily Dolores. Brow furrowed, Ashily drew close and whispered.
“This is why you’ve been single for twenty years.”
Foolish Ellyse. Muttering the words, Ashily linked arms with Demian and promptly dragged him away. Left utterly alone in the grand hall, Ellyse stared after them in a daze.
“No… it wasn’t supposed to be this bad.”
Her eyes snapped open.
Ellyse Bertman bolted upright and scanned her surroundings. The bedroom she had tried for years to redecorate still looked like a princess’s suite, thanks to her mother’s stubborn interference. Sitting on the frill-laden, curtain-draped bed, she pressed a hand to her face—dark circles and all—and dragged it slowly downward.
A pained groan escaped her.
“……What kind of ridiculous dream was that?”
Yesterday’s memories seemed to have burned themselves into her mind with unnatural clarity. Or perhaps they had become a history she wished to erase forever.
Rain hammered the window as if in cruel welcome. After the party ended, the next day dawned under a leaden sky. And it was Monday.
The rain that seeped through umbrellas, the cloying humidity, and the puddles that splashed underfoot made everything wretched. Perhaps that was why her normally cheerful commute now felt so heavy and lifeless.
Ellyse Bertman reflected on it with fresh clarity. The moment she reached the office she collapsed onto her desk and groaned like a zombie.
“Ughhhhhhh.”
Ellyse was in terrible shape that day, in both body and mind. If zombies ever appeared in Central City, her haggard face and deathly moans would have served as a perfect example. Still, she ranked among the prettier zombies. The weather was foul, it was still early, and thirty minutes remained before work began. The other officers simply decided the rookie who had just returned from leave was finally showing her dread of the daily grind.
“Good morning, everyone!”
Yet in this world there were always seniors who could not possibly ignore a subordinate’s distress.
Ellyna Bastard, second-in-command of the Special Affairs Division and an Inspector, was surveying the office when she spotted Ellyse face-down on her desk. The ever-diligent princess showing laziness for once? At the rare sight, the generous superior’s lips curved upward.
“Whoa, what is this! Why is our adorable little rookie so down in the dumps? Who bullied you? Was it you?! Or you?!”
She jabbed a finger at random and shouted before dashing over. Grinning, she patted the struggling Ellyse, who had forced herself upright to see what the commotion was about.
“What happened? Is this because I said I’d put you on probation if I didn’t finish the answer key? Come on, as if I’d ever actually discipline my cute junior! Cheer up! Cheer up!”
Meanwhile Ellyse Bertman blinked quietly and thought, That’s right. There was that. Last night’s events had been so shocking she had completely forgotten her original purpose. But Ellyse soon relaxed. Judging by the atmosphere, keeping her mouth shut would let the matter pass peacefully. Fortunately her hunch proved correct.
Senior Ellyna, who was beginning to tire of comforting her direct subordinate, eventually clapped her hands once regular hours began.
“All right, those of you without critical tasks today, please gather in the conference room. We have something very important to convey.”
In the assembled conference room, Ellyna spoke with a bright smile.
“So, we’ve received new orders from the authorities today.”
Ellyna Bastard scanned the room, smiled quietly, and added,
“Our job is to capture a demon.”
It was a new case. And a misfortune.
……In the underground waterways beneath Central City’s industrial district.
Bang! Bang! Occasional gunshots echoed through the sewers. Splashing water mixed with the desperate gasps of someone fleeing for his life. The metallic clank of armor rang out as well.
The knight of the underground waterways was hunting criminals. He was tracking down the trash who had kidnapped a daughter of a prestigious family and demanded ransom. The child was safe. The kidnappers would not be.
Clank, clank, clank, clank. The knight quickened his steps.
“Hiiiiiiik!!”
The last kidnapper screamed and swung his gun backward. Bang! Bang! The frenzied bullets never touched the combat suit; they buried themselves in the walls and currents and vanished. A thoroughly worthless result. And exactly the punishment the man deserved.
Clank, clank. The kidnapper pulled the trigger again, but nothing happened. The magazine was empty. No rounds remained. Even if any had, they would have been useless, yet the realization still filled him with despair.
Sobbing, he kept pulling the useless trigger until he finally noticed the shadow covering him. Clank. The kidnapper looked up at the giant—twice his height—staring down at him. For a fleeting moment he wondered if he could win in a bare-fisted fight. After finishing that obviously futile thought, his face crumpled as though he might cry at any second and he began to beg.
“……Please spare me!”
He dropped to his knees and slammed his forehead into the filthy sewer floor. Crawling forward, he rubbed his body against the giant’s boots, pleading desperately.
“I’ll live honestly from now on! It was just a momentary mistake because life is so hard! Please! If you spare me I’ll live with dignity even if I have to roll in the dirt like a dog! I’ll bark whenever you command, sir! Woof woof! Please believe me! I will always serve society for the grea—!”
“Enough.”
A firm voice cut him off. The inorganic tone was heavy with unshakable conviction and delivered a chilling premonition. The kidnapper cautiously raised his head. Holding what little breath he had left, he looked up at the knight.
“You should have lived honestly from the beginning.”
The knight spoke calmly.
“Not from now on.”
He pronounced the death sentence upon the sinner kneeling before him. The kidnapper squeezed his eyes shut. The steel giant clenched his fist and struck the villain. With a sickening crunch, the insect was crushed.
After collecting a small blood sample from the kidnappers’ corpses, he walked along the waterway. The area was normally off-limits to civilians, so only the clank of his armored steps and the gurgle of water broke the silence. The return path was long after chasing the desperately fleeing men, and the environment was perfect for other thoughts.
That makes seven. They must have invested real effort since they were targeting a child from a noble house—the number of kidnappers had been unusually high. The vehicle handler, the one on the phone, and the extra thugs hired for courage. All of them pathetically weak. Their fighting skills were laughable, and they were fools who had managed to obtain only a single pistol. Even that hard-won pistol had gone unused while they ran for their lives.
Of course, catching cowards who fled was more annoying for him. But the real problem was that even these idiots could kidnap the child of a prestigious family if they set their minds to it. They could just as easily commit indiscriminate terror on the streets. Lately pistols were easier to find in the back alleys than high-denomination bills. Even without a gun, stabbing someone with a kitchen knife or snatching a newborn and running away was simple enough if one possessed the malice. And the world was full of scoundrels who would do anything as long as they were certain of the reward they would receive.
Just how many do I have to kill? How many deaths until a clean society arrived? He counted vaguely and shook his head. A paradise without vermin could never be achieved in the first place. Besides, the vermin would simply reappear someday, so it could not be maintained. The goal had to remain realistic. Although he had a demon who wielded magic as an ally, the creature refused to listen properly, so it was best to exclude it from anything beyond technical advice. Operating at a level he could control was the wiser course.
Yes, for example…….
Creeeeak——. When he opened the entrance door that should have been locked, a figure waiting outside came into view. You must have waited a long time. After staring at the man silently, he said bluntly,
“The goods?”
The scoundrel in police uniform immediately produced a file from his coat.
“This is the blueprint for the current operation.”
To be precise, it was the plan to subjugate the demon at the western harbor. An operation aimed at you.
“Demian Cloud.”
I gladly accepted the warning delivered by my comrade and betrayer. I accepted my own subjugation plan as well. This, too, was a misfortune I would accept with open arms.