Night of the Marionette

"Then… what should we do first…?"

Lucy was quick to read the situation, but her mind struggled to produce an actual plan. Then again, if she were the type to excel at that sort of thing, she never would have been stuck managing an outer branch. The main reason she had climbed as high as branch manager was most likely her mid-level Expert cultivation.

"We've caught the tail. Time to track it down."

"Like a hunter?"

"Hunter…."

The word summoned Serin's face to mind, and he pressed hard against his temple. Lucy noticed and realized her slip of the tongue; her mouth snapped shut with an audible gasp. Had she not closed it, he would have assumed the remark was deliberate and beaten her on the spot.

"Yeah, well, it's not exactly wrong. Let's move out immediately."

"What? M-me, personally…? I have a mountain of work piled up."

"Don't you usually order someone else to handle it?"

"…Didn't the hero knock everyone out?"

How had she known? He had merely tapped the chins of those fools who didn't know their place and put them to sleep.

"If they're not even making noise, you probably didn't injure them too badly… but this is still an Ashen Scales branch."

It was true that Ashen Scales was not an organization to be dismissed lightly. Its roots stretched back two hundred years to one of the great guilds of old; its history carried real weight.

"…This is the last time I indulge your whining."

He turned his palm upward and extended it lightly.

Leon was not as gifted with holy arts as Airen had been during her days as Saintess, but as the chosen Hero he possessed considerable skill nonetheless.

The more I think about it, the more disgustingly overpowered this body is.

"Huh…?"

"Ugh… Branch Manager! An intruder, there's an intru—aaargh!"

The woman standing just outside Lucy's office regained consciousness and burst inside. The sight of Leon made her shriek; she promptly fell backward onto her rear.

"M-Mirna! What did you do?"

"I turned the whole building into a sanctuary for a little while. It doesn't possess the true power of a genuine sanctuary, but the ones I knocked out will all wake up now."

"…Do you even understand the concept of waste?"

"Oh? Getting bold now, are we?"

"Mirna! Sorry, but it looks like I'll have to step out for a while. Can you act as branch manager and handle the paperwork?"

The woman named Mirna darted her eyes around, clearly struggling to keep up. Her gaze finally landed on Leon's face; only then did realization strike. Her mouth fell open.

"Y-You’re the He—"

"Shh! Shhhhh!"

Had Lucy's reaction been even a fraction slower, his fist would have flown again. He felt satisfied that it had been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stopped in time, yet strangely disappointed. With Sanctuary active, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠any beating he gave now would heal in moments.

"Contractus."

A parchment wreathed in purple flame materialized in the air. The moment the document finished burning, the glittering ashes clung to Leon, Lucy, and Mirna.

"Do you consent?"

The two women exchanged glances before nodding. With the binding oath in place, a sense of relief washed over him and he found himself nodding along.

"Good. Then let's move."

Late that night, Serin and Vincent lay together in the farthest room of a shabby inn on the capital's outskirts rather than the extravagant lodging the empire had provided. It had all been Vincent's idea. Serin had resisted at first, but he persuaded her by claiming the place held precious memories.

The pair panted roughly, eyes locked on each other. The heavy air between them made it obvious what they had just finished doing.

"I'm so happy… Vincent. Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. Truly."

"…Me too, Serin. But… weren't you in love with Leon?"

At those words Serin bit her lip, her eyes clouding with momentary sorrow.

"I didn't mean to hurt you. I swear."

"I know. It's just… I don't think I've completely forgotten him yet."

Deep inside, Serin pictured Leon's face and felt her heart ache. First love. Long-held unrequited affection. A dear attachment she still could not erase. She knew Leon had harbored feelings for her as well; that knowledge had let her remain at his side, dreaming of the day they would finally be together.

If only he hadn't gone to the front lines… if only he hadn't become the Hero… what would our lives have been like?

But frontline life had changed everything little by little. Leon, herself, even the Saintess and the Archmage; everyone grew exhausted and warped inside. Strangely, the strongest emotion Serin had felt on those battlefields was jealousy.

The Hero and Saintess who looked like a fated pair. The continent-renowned genius Archmage girl. And then there was her, who had only joined through special treatment because she was the Hero's childhood friend. The comparison gnawed at her.

"…But now I'm right here beside you. Stop imagining things. I'll give you a reality far happier than anything you can dream."

"…Yeah."

Serin burrowed into Vincent's chest and smiled brightly. The real reason she had slept with him tonight was jealousy. She had known that Airen and Leon occasionally shared a bed, and that those nights coincided with the new moon. The new moon would rise again soon after their return to the capital. All the jealousy she had bottled up had twisted together until she thought she would lose her mind.

So she had gone to Vincent, the man who had somehow become the most dependable figure in the entire party. He was outstanding. He filled the part of her that craved recognition, both physically and verbally.

"By the way, Serin, do you have any idea what Leon's been up to lately?"

"No, I don't know either. There are only vague rumors… Airen left for the Holy Kingdom… Tei probably doesn't know anything."

"…I see. It's late. Let's sleep."

Vincent had asked her many questions about Leon before. What bothered him most, what kind of personality he had, what he hated. At first she had dodged the questions, but as trust grew she answered more freely. There were even times she revealed things Leon had only ever told her, such as the trauma of failing to protect a child or details about their next destination.

Recalling those memories, Serin realized she had grown closer to Vincent far earlier than she had noticed.

I still love Leon… but I'll try my best with Vincent.

Once she had fallen asleep, Vincent rose carefully so as not to wake her. He always burned a special incense when they stayed together, one that plunged her into deep slumber. Having long since trained himself to be immune, he never dozed off.

"She's getting stupider by the day, that bitch."

Exceptional skill with a bow. Childhood friend closest to the Hero. Vincent had approached her for those two reasons alone. That was the exact purpose for which the dark mage guild Black Night had raised him.

"I wonder where the next contact point is~"

He stretched languidly and walked to the window. When moonlight struck the glass, a demonic spirit would arrive with new orders. Changing their lodging to the outskirts had been necessary for smooth communication and movement; staying near the imperial palace carried too many risks.

"Let's see—huh?"

The instant he pushed the window open, he froze. The spirit was dead, clutched in the Hero's hand. Worse, the Hero himself was hanging upside-down from above the window, upper body visible.

"H—"

He tried to scream. Leon's fist was far faster. With a dull thud, Vincent's body collapsed silently to the floor.

"…No wonder I didn't hear any fighting. You did the same thing to our people, didn't you?"

"You want to experience it yourself?"

"I want to learn. This is incredible. So this is what a Hero can do?"

"Sigh."

Leon and Lucy slipped through the window and landed inside. They had been listening to the entire conversation from the ceiling directly above the room the entire time.

"You said you were going to tail him quietly. Why use your fists…?"

"……."

In truth, Leon had planned to keep following Vincent. But after watching him cozy up to Serin, he could no longer hold back. Beating the man first had simply felt necessary.

Lucy stared at the silent Leon, then sniffed the air.

"Hm? This is sleeping incense. The Divine Archer… ah, I mean that bitch won't be waking up anytime soon."

"Hmm. I see."

Impressed for a moment by Lucy's competence, Leon spread his hand with renewed resolve.

"No, that's still not enough. Silence Field."

A soft white mana radiated from his palm, erasing every sound in the room. Lucy's mouth opened in what was clearly a shout of amazement, yet no noise emerged.

Now then—

Leon seized the collapsed Vincent by the throat and forced him awake with a surge of holy power.

"…? ?!"

Vincent's eyes flew open in terror. The moment he saw Leon's face he gaped as if beholding a ghost. Though he clearly screamed, the magic ensured no sound escaped.

In the suffocating silence, Leon's fist flew. Shoulder. Pelvis. Knee. Three sets of bones were crushed like dry twigs. Holy power poured in at the same time, letting Vincent feel every ounce of agony while preventing him from fainting.

Lucy trembled as she watched. Vincent, now unable to control his limbs, was dragged across the floor. Leon tossed him onto the bed beside the peacefully sleeping Serin, rolled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his shoulders once, then clenched his fist again.

"-!! -!!!!"

Vincent thrashed his head desperately, tears streaming. But Leon could not stop.

My fists are already beyond my control.

Forehead shattered. Chest caved inward. Thigh ripped open. Would this world's genre have been different if not for Vincent?

No. He was merely the accelerator pedal.

Having harbored too many dark thoughts for too long, the Hero called Leon was already worn thin and broken. Countless more injuries followed, each one indescribable. Yet the damned holy power refused to let Vincent lose consciousness.

And at the very end, Vincent lost his manhood.

When the Silence Field finally dissolved, Leon gave a satisfied nod.

"……."

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Because you're so handsome…."

Lucy had never intended to rebel, but now she looked ready to worship Leon as a god. The feeling did not stem from admiration; it was born from a fear so deep it had no bottom.

Ignoring her, Leon cleaned the scene with cleansing magic and restorative holy arts. The pulped Vincent returned to his former appearance as though nothing had happened.

"Wait, why didn't you heal that last blow?"

"Why should I?"

"…Fair point."

With his anger vented, it was time to get to work. Leon placed a hand on the unconscious Vincent's forehead and murmured.

"…! That's…"

"It's not black magic. Though I did borrow the concept."

"…What a convenient spell."

"It's not that easy to use. The target must be completely incapacitated and harbor overwhelming terror toward me."

"I see."

The persona Leon implanted was simple: the pure, upright young man Vincent had been before his true nature was revealed. The Vincent Leon had once imagined.

"Why not just kill him? Why go through all this trouble?"

"Because for now I need him to stay unnoticed."

Wait for me, Serin.

I will show you the greatest revenge of all.

Leon retrieved a slip of paper from the cold corpse of the demonic spirit.

"Hah."

The contact location written there was so absurd he nearly laughed.

"Let's go, Lucy. From now on I'm Vincent, and you're my slave."

"…Setting aside the roleplay, where exactly are we going?"

Leon pulled up his hood and smiled with dark ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠amusement.

"The underground beneath the old imperial palace."

Just how deeply had this world rotted?