Black and Mask II

Shizue, the Conqueror of Flames, traveled to the Kingdom of Filtwood in response to an urgent request: to defeat a revived demon.

"Hello and welcome to Filtwood Castle. I can't tell you what an honor it is to meet the famous Conqueror of Flames in person. Follow me inside; this way, please. I'll show you to the reception hall."

As Shizue stepped inside, whispers and murmurs followed her.

"She's here, the Conqueror of Flames. I'm so glad," an onlooker whispered.

"Wow, they've managed to gather quite a few adventurers," another voice chimed in.

"Hey, long time no see," a voice called out, breaking through the murmurs. "It's been a while, Cougar."

"Guess this means you answered the request." a man named Cougar asks.

"It's not as if I could refuse," Shizue replied curtly.

"Come on, you're always so serious, Shizue. I'm sure if you wanted, you could have found a reason to ditch it, and yet here you are, talking to me."

"Whatever, we both know I'm only here for the money, although I'm already starting to regret it. Supposedly, ten adventurers have already died and 3 village has gone missing,"

"How unfortunate," Shizue replied.

"But hey, now that we've got a champion on our side, there's nothing to worry about." Cougar said in an encouraging manner.

"I wouldn't go that far," Shizue muttered, her eyes narrowing.

The minister's voice rang out, commanding attention. "Thank you all for coming. I have some unsettling news. We have just received word that our champions, the two Silver Wings, have passed away."

"What? Are you serious?" a shocked adventurer exclaimed.

"It appears their bodies were devoured, leaving behind only their clothes. Along with the citizens of three villages that were used as an outpost by the hunter-gatherers near the forest. The request given to you is to defeat the resurrected demon. A similar account was found in a century-old text. The champion Orthos successfully sealed the demon away, but it does not mention how he did it. We have no choice but to rely on you to defeat this demon."

"That's not enough information. We're not throwing our lives away!" one adventurer protested. "The Silver Wings were heroes strong enough to have titles. If they failed, there aren't enough lives between us to survive this mess."

"He's right. Sorry, but this is too dangerous. You can count me out," another adventurer added, backing away.

"Please wait. We need help from everyone in this room if we're going to defeat this demon," the minister pleaded, his voice growing desperate.

"I don't care," someone muttered defiantly.

"Let's try to keep a cool head," another voice interjected. "Besides, we do have some good news. We know what the demon is after. The remains laid to rest here in the castle's underground reception hall are not human but the demon's body. We believe his objective is to recover what's left of his body and complete his resurrection."

"Why is that the famous Shizue Izawa I see? I will gladly answer your questions," a new voice interrupted. A figure emerged from the shadows, his presence commanding and unnerving. "If it's true that the demon nearly drove this kingdom to the brink of ruin and defeated the two Silver Wings, it's possible we might be dealing with an archdemon."

"Which brings me to my question," Shizue interjected, her eyes locking onto the newcomer. "I was wondering if this demon has a name. When a monster is granted a name, it becomes more powerful. Any capable adventurer knows this fact and would choose their next move accordingly."

"No, there are no accounts indicating that the demon had a name. If he doesn't have a name, then he can't be an archdemon. Still, it's hard to imagine the Silver Wings losing otherwise," the stranger responded.

"So what is your intention? Gather all the adventurers together and then wait for the demon to arrive?" Shizue asked, her tone skeptical.

"Yes, with the Silver Wings now gone, this strategy is our only hope of defeating the creature. Except at the moment, we're being treated more like enemies than potential allies," the minister replied.

"Well, screw that. You guys can't force us to serve this stupid country," someone shouted defiantly.

"See you," another adventurer muttered, turning to leave.

The sudden sound of a body hitting the floor shocked the room. "He's killed him! What the hell? Why'd you do that?" someone cried out.

"Quiet. Stop your whining and take a good look at this so-called man. You see this?" the minister said, revealing the fallen adventurer as a lesser demon.

"The reason we've isolated all of you here is because there's a possibility that you too have been possessed by a demon. I suggest you do as we say and cooperate. Should you choose to do otherwise, we'll have no choice but to see you as a demon and cut you down."

In the tense silence that followed, the air in the reception hall grew heavy with fear and uncertainty. The battle against the revived demon had only just begun, and the stakes were higher than ever.

"Things are getting ugly. This isn't good," Shizue muttered, eyes scanning the tense crowd. "Looks like these guys are starting to panic. Anyone in here could be a demon, even us."

"That's true. Are they wanting us to fight each other to figure out who the demons are?" another adventurer replied, voice edged with fear.

"Who is that? I've never seen him before," someone whispered, eyes fixed on a figure laughing softly to himself.

"Kufufufu…" the stranger laughed creepily, wearing a dark veil that obscured his face.

"What's with him?" a voice murmured. "I don't know, but he's strong. I think he's a mage, but I can't detect any weaknesses."

"Who is this man? I didn't sense his presence at all before," Shizue said, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"You think you're so clever, but I'm onto your little game," the stranger said, stepping forward with a smirk. "You accuse us of being demons to sow seeds of distrust. Just what are you insinuating?"

"Please excuse me," the stranger continued, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "It seems the request is about to be completed far more easily than anticipated, and I find it quite amusing. Captain of the knights, you said if we do not cooperate, we'll be seen as demons and cut down. So go on, then. I'm saying I have no intention of cooperating with you, nor will I partake in this charade."

"This is not a charade. It is—"

"I already know that you were the one who summoned the lesser demon," the stranger interrupted.

"Shut up! You dare accuse me of such a thing?"

"You can deflect this whichever way you like, but I must say your efforts are pathetic." 

"Do you think you can just ignore our laws?"

"No, if anything, you've just saved me a great deal of effort. The request stated we needed to slay a revived demon. However, as you've so aptly demonstrated, there's no restriction saying we cannot kill others. I find this nation's laws quite agreeable, though I don't believe we are the only ones who should face consequences."

"Hold on, are you saying you're planning on slaughtering everyone here just to find that demon?" an adventurer asked, voice trembling.

"That's the idea," the stranger replied calmly. "My name is Shizue Izawa. Now tell me who you are."

"Well, I go by Noir. It's a sort of nickname given to me by an old acquaintance," the stranger answered, a dark smile spreading across his face.

"Noir, I will not stand by and tolerate your actions," Shizu declared, stepping forward with determination.

"In that case," Noir replied, eyes gleaming with malice, "I suppose you'll have to be the first to go."

In a heartbeat, the tension in the room exploded into violence.