Leanbox has been in a state of crisis lately. In the last month alone, at least twenty noble family heads have been murdered in their homes. There is no calling card, no clear motive, and no evidence left behind. In fact, some of them were some of the most generous nobles in the Medieval District. What possible reason could there have been for murdering them and not their families as well?
Each victim was found with the same wounds… deep triple slashes as if mauled by an animal of some sort. The cuts were far too clean to simply be an animal though, and no animal could claw their way to a window that's a good 35 feet from the ground. This was the work of a very adept assassin, but the thing that baffled Leanbox authorities is how there wasn't a single fingerprint or calling card at any of the scenes. There is an ongoing rumor that the government had labeled as pure fiction though, and it seems to gain more and more popularity with each consecutive murder.
The rumor goes as such… hidden in the nooks and crannies of the city is a number. Call it and say the name of the person you want dead. Within the next three days the person will be killed. The number can only be found by one person at any time, and can't be found again until the kill has been made. Authorities continuously patrol reported areas where it could be found, but never have such luck. At first Vert left it to Chika, but that all changed one night during a ball. In the middle of the party a single scream shattered the fun. In a far corner of the ballroom a noble had been mauled, and the window was wide open with the curtains flapping in the night wind. Blood stained the windowsill. On the far wall of the compound, Vert saw a black silhouette. Their overcoat flapped in the wind, and eyes filled with joy were staring back at her.
Since that day she's been more proactive in looking to find this mystery assassin's identity. Security in all noble homes were beefed up, and the same was done for the commoner's layer just in case they were hiding out there. She wouldn't have another killing if she could help it. In fact, she saw to taking care of many important tasks that she'd been procrastinating on due to excessive gaming. Chika adores it when Vert goes into workaholic mode, and did everything in her power to be as helpful as possible. Whoever this murderer was, they would be apprehended and locked in a cell to rot for willful manslaughter.
One stormy day Vert was making her way to a board meeting walking underneath the cover of a covered bridge over a manmade river. Then, she heard a second set of footsteps following behind her. She quickly whirled thrusting her spear, but no one was there despite the footsteps continuing to come near her. Then it clicked as they stopped above her… they were on top of the bridge. She rolled backward as the roof was slashed wide open. Nothing came through, so Vert transformed into Green Heart unleashing a harsh gale blasting the roof apart… nothing but debris fell. She quickly realized that she'd been tricked and rolled forward narrowly evading an X attack.
She looked and saw a young man wearing black combat boots, slightly baggy black cargo pants, a buttoned up dark brown overcoat bearing a hood, and upon his face was a Noh-Mask. Through the eye holes she could see murderous eyes… completely different from the ones she'd seen that night. On his hands he wore black gauntlets with three three-foot long claws on each. At the tips they morphed to be arrow-like in shape, likely for hooking onto prey that would try to escape. This couldn't be the same man that had killed the noble at the ball.
He moved like the wind slashing at her forcing Green Heart onto the defensive. His hooked claws made it increasingly difficult to counter him. Without a doubt he knew what he was doing. He wasn't actively trying to wound her though, and it showed…
"Vert!" Chika cried charging with a spear.
The masked man back flipped over her thrust hooking her shoulder to land on his feet making her cry out in pain as three bloody slashes were made. Chika continued swinging in a rage fit, and he easily dodged her without swinging. He then dropkicked her wounded shoulder making her cry out rolling around holding the wounded shoulder. Green Heart charged back in and their fight continued.
"You bastard! How dare you hurt Chika!?" Green Heart scolded angrily.
"She got in the way of my little display, and she got hurt because she didn't know her place. You should really train her to keep a more level head." he spoke continuing to go on the offensive.
"Display?! You infiltrated this place and are attacking me!" Green Heart continued to scold while blocking.
"Contraire… I'm displaying my skills to you… and showing you how I carry out my assassinations. I did not build a reputation cleaning up the filth of this country to be made a mockery of by a lowlife copycat killer who doesn't even compare to half my skill." he shot back before knocking Green Heart's spear away and promptly kicking her down.
"You reveal yourself because of a copycat? You're still a murderer!" Green Heart accused.
"I have only murdered the corrupt nobles who have ties to local drug trades and gang rings. Without someone in a high place to pay off the guards, they don't have protection against smuggling charges and the like anymore. That is the purpose I took up my claws for. The copycat kills indiscriminately, not caring who as long as they're a noble." he explained.
"So why the attack then?" Green Heart asked.
"Otherwise you wouldn't hear me out, now would you? You'd throw me right in a prison cell to rot." he replied.
"You're damn right I would… and I still will." she shot back gritting her teeth.
"Call me a murderer if you want, it is the truth, but eventually the copycat will tire of nobles and set their eyes on a higher prize." he warned.
"They'd come after me? A fool's death." Green Heart smirked.
"Think of their methods. They strike when nobody suspects it. Watch your back, Lady Green Heart. I will if no one else does." he warned again before easily vaulting the perimeter wall as guards charged forward.
"Lady Green Heart, should we pursue?!" one of the guards asked.
"No, make sure Chika is treated above all else. I refuse to have her become ill or worse due to infection." she ordered, and they carefully carried Chika away.
That same evening, Vert discovered her butler had become ill in his old age, so she had no other choice… she'd go through with her plan to have shirtless butlers! The advertisements flew out Leanbox wide. Only one would be chosen as her ultimate shirtless butler. With Chika injured, making sure they were intelligent was also of the utmost importance. She didn't like altering what she'd planned, but had to shoehorn in some intelligence tests. Next came setting up where the tryouts would take place. In one week's time, she would have her new butler.
When the time came, many "promising" candidates showed up. All but one showed up with their shirt and coat already gone. He was a rather sleek young man with a slight tan and long braided white hair. His eyes were a dark red, and he wore half-moon eyeglasses with his uniform. He had a serious demeanor to his expression as he stood in line.
"You haven't removed your shirt yet?" Vert asked hiding her pervy grin with a folding fan.
"I feel it unnecessary to remove it as of yet, My Lady. To remove ones uniform before even being given the evaluation tests is a cocky maneuver and makes you look like a fool when you don't get it." he replied.
"Very well…" Vert sighed disappointedly.
The tests began not long after introductions. The contestants didn't know it, but they were being evaluated on those as well. The categories were Manners, Loyalty, Problem Solving, and Meal Etiquette. In each one, the slightly tan contestant seemed a few bricks above the rest. Never once did he speak out of turn in Manners, and in Loyalty he only disobeyed the order to kill his master which naturally was the trick order. In Problem Solving he certainly thought outside the box a lot. He knew how to solve the Wi-Fi problem, which was literally just a joke thrown in by Chika's suggestion. In Meal Etiquette he could have easily been mistaken for a noble. Vert couldn't take it anymore, and would have each given their results individually. She had to see under the uniform.
He was the last the come out, and his expression hadn't changed at all. Vert was slightly red in the face by now and breathing a little heavily. Her "cool" knob had completely broken.
"Before I give your results… let me see your body." Vert ordered, and he sighed doing it. His body was sculpted like an ancient statue, not for display but showing pure muscle strength on his part.
She couldn't handle the sight and a nosebleed erupted from her nose making her spin through the air startling him and Chika. Vert lay on the ground with a wide monkey grin with blood still flowing from her nose.
"He wins… he wins…" Vert giggled.
"What was your name again?" Chika asked.
"Azazel S. Jameson, Lady Chika." he replied with a respectful bow making her blush a bit.
From that day forward Herald, Vert's elderly butler, would show Azazel his duties around the Basilicom. He was to keep it strictly 80% germ free, and make sure that any clothes Lady Vert left lying around was taken to the laundry room immediately. They didn't want a repeat of the Bidding War Incident. He would also see to it the chefs prepare a healthy diet for her, and would always make sure the food wasn't poisoned. He would also see to Chika's duties should she fall ill or require recovery leave from an injury. Vert was disappointed that he didn't remain shirtless at all times, but nevertheless she understood why. Blood is a bitch to get out of the rugs.
The next morning Vert was sleeping after an all-nighter in a raid boss when the blinds opened letting in sunlight. She groaned and turned over, only for those blinds to also open.
"It is time to wake up and attend to your duties, Lady Vert." Azazel spoke bowing respectfully.
"I pulled an all-nighter… so… let Chika handle them, okay?" Vert asked.
"I'm afraid that Lady Chika is at a revisit with her doctor to check up on her recovery. She said that she will be given painkillers, which will make her understandably high, so I must attend to her duties today. Therefor you must pull your weight as the goddess." Azazel explained.
"Do I have to…?" Vert groaned.
"Yes, My Lady. Please get dressed." Azazel replied, and Vert covered her head with a pillow groaning.
Vert was understandably irritable that day, but Azazel would head her off every time she tried to sneak back to her room to sleep. At noon, after having lunch, Azazel permitted her a four hour nap but no longer. She enjoyed the hell out of that nap, and almost cried when she had to get up again. Once night had at last come, Azazel saw to it that she was in bed and not gaming. Azazel also turned off the Wi-Fi to be extra sure she couldn't sneak online in the night.
When morning came again Vert woke up with a pouting face. Azazel sighed and knew exactly why she was pouting. All the same he had her get dressed and go to work yet again. He promised her three hours of gaming after lunch, just as when he'd permitted a nap the day before. Vert felt like she was a child being babied, but she couldn't bring herself to scold him because he was just doing his job as a butler. Scolding him would be very irresponsible.
One day though, power to the entire Basilicom had been cut. An emergency system kicked in that turned Vert's office into a one-room fortress. An alarm began to blare as soldiers rushed through the building attacking the staff of the Basilicom. They'd even rendered defenseless Herald unconscious. The soldiers used night vision goggles to spot Azazel, but he was moving oddly. It looked like he was dragging something… and he was… ten bodies all tied together with their heads sliced off. Azazel's eyes were glowing in the dark instilling fear in them.
On the opposite side of the building, soldiers were trying to break into Vert's office. With them was a young woman with short red hair in a similar outfit to the assassin's with gauntlets bearing catlike hook claws rather than modified claws. Her grin was ear to ear, and her eyes matched the one Vert saw at the ball.
"Come on, come on, come on get it open! I wanna spill a goddess's guts before the day is out!" she roared hysterically.
Sure enough, the doors eventually gave in to the explosives they used. She waltzed in and saw Vert's evident fear. She'd totally forgotten her spear in the bedroom!
"Hi… ready to die?" she giggled.
"You'll have to go through… through… my butler first." Vert bluffed nervously.
"Your butler? He's out for the count, sweetie." she laughed.
"You found Herald, so what… but what about Azazel?" Vert continued to bluff.
"Who?" she asked, and down the hall sounds of horrified screams could be heard startling both.
From the dark, scratching on the wall could be heard. The scratching sound was coming closer.
"Total slaughter… total slaughter… I won't leave… a single man, alive… your bodies fall in genocide… left behind is a flood… an ocean of blood… let's begin… the killing time." Azazel's voice sang in a tenor pitch as he came into view covered in blood wearing his Noh-Mask.
The soldiers trembled in absolute fear as the woman began to laugh uncontrollably. The soldiers charged him and he made very short work of them without even getting a scratch on him. That stopped her laugher altogether as he reached the doorway.
"Azazel…?" Vert asked, and he took off the Noh-Mask showing his face.
"I knew you'd come copycat. Only a moron would attack the goddess." Azazel remarked pissing off the copycat.
"Shut up! Nobles are scum! That's why you kill them!" she roared.
"I only kill the corrupt ones. Do you see the family members crying over the loss of the ones I killed? No. That's because they knew they were corrupt, and say good riddens to them." Azazel pointed out.
"Bullshit!" she roared charging him and he easily blocked her attacks letting her wear herself out.
"Look at yourself. You're a mockery of what I stand for. In fact, you don't even pass for a parody. In other words, you aren't worth killing." Azazel lectured, and pure rage came to her as she screamed swinging at him.
A loud clang rang out, and blades flew into the air. Azazel had effortlessly broken her claws, exposing them as nothing but cheap knockoffs of his claws. She tried to continue attacking, but with one head butt he knocked her out. Azazel simply glared down at her.
"You're… the assassin…?" Vert asked shaking.
"I told you, I will watch your back if no one else will. Please, allow me to clean up and turn the power back on." Azazel stated bowing before lifting the unconscious copycat onto his shoulder.
Later that day Vert called Azazel to her office as the rescued staff cleaned the blood from the walls and floors. She was still shaken by the events of that day, but she couldn't ignore the fact he'd saved her life.
"You called for me, Lady Vert?" Azazel asked.
"Yes. You not only revealed yourself as the murderer of several nobles… but you also personally saved my life from the copycat killer. I don't know what your motives are… but I want to keep you around to see where it goes." Vert replied with his arms behind her back as she stared out the window.
"Lady Vert. My intentions are to make Leanbox a great nation again… to restore it to the days when I was a small child, before corruption turned it into hell on Gamindustri. I cannot do this without first eliminating the cause of the corruption." Azazel told her.
"Then when you kill, it will be declared in the name of Leanbox's best interests. I too would like to see the people happier than they have been. I can't stand it when someone gives me a fake smile. I want to clear the dark clouds over this nation." Vert spoke.
"I'm honored." Azazel spoke bowing.
"Henceforth you shall be known as the Assassin of Leanbox, tasked with quickly and covertly cleaning up the filth in the upper circles of our society. You will still daylight as my butler though." Vert smiled turning around.
"I accept this responsibility, My Lady." Azazel replied with a smile.
"Good. Then you can take the contacts out and stop using the spray on tan, too." Vert laughed.
"Was I that obvious?" Azazel sighed.
"I didn't want to say anything, in case it was a sensitive subject. Now I know it was so I couldn't recognize you." Vert giggled.
The following day, the staff were in disbelief. Azazel now had pale skin, his hair now had dark brown at the roots, and his eyes were ice blue as they were when he confronted Vert on the bridge. This was the real Azazel's look. He was still just as attentive to Vert doing her work, much to her dismay. Vert did feel safer though… because just like he'd said on that bridge, he had her back. He loves this country, and has accepted that if bloodshed is necessary to save it from itself then so be it.
End Chapter 4