Chapter 10

10

The Dream

Demon Realm Lescatie…

"So I take it that Miss Spherica is disappointed that she could not interview Natsume?"

Seras muttered an expletive to herself and then regarded the Baphomet sitting at her dinner table with a sullen frown. Runya was not a rude guest, not at all. But she tended to be overly curious. At least she was more helpful than the other one, the White Goat was not a very social creature and thus had no social skills.

"I slammed the door in her face." Seras said with no hesitation. "My daughter is not some walking encyclopedia to just skim through whenever you need it." The underlying threat in her tone was enough to discourage a lot of the monsters who had come to her home. She had, in fact, had nearly come to blows with another monster over this. A Dark Mage had accused her of hiding away potential research to herself. Seras had threatened the other monster that if she was ever seen at her home again, Seras would gut her herself.

It was enough for Greilia to tell her to work from home for now, as a consultant whenever healing was getting a bit complicated. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be but as always, Natsume painted in her room. If anything, Seras was glad that she was getting better… now if only she would stop painting such otherworldly horrors that would appear in her dreams. And the Hunter that would kill them… all of them painted in reds, blues and black.

Masterpieces for those who were of the macabre bent, the paintings depicted strange locations never seen before and the utterly horrific beings that existed in them; vile, tentacled monstrosities that were defied explanation. Seras was sad to see such budding artistic talent tainted by madness. But the theme was always the same, for standing in front of those monstrosities was the Moon Scented Hunter facing it down like a deranged hero of some obscure legend. All of it rendered in gruesome detail.

On the other side of the spectrum, Fina was training with Wilmarina Noscrim herself and that was something that greatly irritated Seras as it was an edict from Arthur. Why was all of this was happening to her daughters, that was a question that Seras asked herself constantly these days. Was Wilmarina being sent with as many warriors as possible on a hunt for the Moon Scented Hunter? A task that was doomed to fail, and only guaranteed the death of those involved?

"I can't even face Fina." Seras said, her voice a low growl. "Instead of staying here where it's safe, she's training up to fight the most dangerous opponent we will probably face. Not even the Order's heroes are as fierce as that-that thing that wears human skin."

To her credit, Runya Runya the Sleepy Magical Archive, did not shy away or rage at the threatening tone that Seras affected. The Baphomet reached out with her paw and held the vampire's hand with a soft expression. Her objective in all of this was not to find out the Hunter's weakness, it was a fundamental desire to know how the man functioned in this world of theirs.

And there was a serious amount of work to be done, of course. Runya had nothing but a description of his abilities. The capacity for slaughter scared her, for how could someone inflict so much pain and suffering to another creature without hesitation? Runya Runya was born long after the age of the former demon lords who ruled with pain and fear, and this man certainly acted like someone who came from that mythical, terrifying age.

She had already dismissed that theory with extreme prejudice: That the Hunter was a former Demon Lord reincarnated to walk the earth as a merciless slaughterer, it was easy to do so because Greilia had been able to reason with him, and if she hadn't well she would not be here any longer would she? That meant that he had a sense of honor, that he was willing to show mercy. The former lords of the monsters were killing machines true, but they were unreasonable. They acted purely on strength and will, hence why so many followed them into battle against the Order of Humanity.

Secondly, it was his nature. He had no mana to speak of, and that both intrigued and scared her. All creatures in this world had mana, some had a little and some a whole lot. That was the general rule… and yet here was someone who had no mana when they should. In the simplest terms, the Hunter shouldn't be alive. At all. Thirdly, Mamono were generally better at manipulating mana into spell-craft, and yet this Hunter had no trouble taking on mamono in single combat when any ordinary human with no spell-crafting talent should always lose to a monster.

Even veteran heroes should have been utterly crushed when they faced off against someone of Druella's caliber. Lillims were fundamentally at the top of the food chain in Royal Makai. The fact that someone who had no mana, no talent in magic, could lay Druella the Fourth Born low in single combat had caused ripples in the Sabbaths of Royal Makai. Shirokuto had frantically canceled almost all of her research and had pointed every resource she had into finding out about this anomaly, this freak of nature as some of the mamono here were prone to call him. Bapho-sama, the Overlord of Sabbath itself, was also requesting for research to be done. It was just fortunate that Momonika and Marune weren't involved. The poor girls would be even more disheartened at what had happened in Lescatie. As of now she and Greilia had agreed not to speak of what was happening in Lescatie.

She was still troubled with Kuroferuru, who took the incident with Druella as a personal slight on her honor. Oddly enough Ropurotto, the Sorcerous beast, had made herself scarce during these dark times… and none of her Sabbath knew what was going on with her.

"One man…" Seras's wistful tone shook Runya out of her thoughts. "That was all it took to cause chaos here. Sorry, Lady Runya I haven't exactly been able to relax since I have to deal with… you know." Her eyes looked up briefly at where Natsume was probably sleeping now. Her room was filled with paintings, so much so that Seras had to clean it up by putting them in another room. No way was she going to sleep with such imagery hanging around her.

She didn't take all of the paintings out though, the first and last time she did that Natsume had gotten violent it took Seras, Fina and Greilia who had been visiting three hours to calm the Kunoichi down and sedate her before there were worse injuries. That was the first time Seras had seen Fina cry, and the bitter memory hurt still.

"Does Natsume leave her room?" Runya asked head turned to the side, her eyes wide.

"No… why?" The two words were barely out of Seras's mouth when the vampire rocketed out of her chair as she saw the figure of Natsume sleepwalking. She was singing, no humming a tune to herself. Why was she…

Seras and Runya followed Natsume as she walked out of the door.

Seras shivered at the sound of Natsume's voice. They kept walking down an empty street, into the slums. Runya hadn't been here, hence why she was surprised that she saw Seras drawing the blade that never left her side.

There was a reason why the mamono avoided the slums of Lescatie. It was where the Hunter had slaughtered both Order and monster forces in his rampage to get out of the city. Nobody could reliably explain why it was considered bad luck to go wandering about in there. Some say that those slaughtered by the Hunter died in such pain that they didn't really leave this world whole, leaving only their pain and regrets to stay here for an eternity.

There were stories that you could hear screaming and moaning and sobbing at night here, seemingly from nowhere… As if the dead did not rest fully in their graves and their spirits were doomed to return to the place where they died. It was a nightmarish area to be in, especially if you were alone. Seras smelled the coppery tang of blood and swallowed the lump in her throat as she cast a spell. Light dismissed the shadows in their way but it was only a temporary thing. She caught sight of the purple hem of Natsume's kimono.

"Seras…" Runya whispered. "Why is it so cold?"

Seras didn't answer. It was cold.

The vampire stopped as they saw Natsume kneeling in the street. Runya gasped as she saw skeletons, bloody corpses that were soundlessly crying out in agony and then blinked as they were suddenly gone as if they weren't ever there. Why was she seeing things?

"M-Mother?" Natsume's eyes opened and she began to tremble. "Mother!? Where are you!?"

Seras approached her daughter, hugging her close as she began to sob.

"It's okay… It's okay Natsume…" Seras whispered as she lifted her daughter in her arms. "I'm going to bring you home."

"I… I can't go back… I can't go back…" Natsume sobbed. "They're waiting for me! An unsightly beast! A great terror looms!"

In the castle, where Order rulers had once decreed their laws, where the mightiest priests sat with the most venerable of generals the Fourth Born stirred in her bed. Her eyes snapped open, dilated, and she began to scream. Months of sleep and all she had seen… all she had seen was blood, so much blood that she had drowned in it.

She kept screaming as Greilia Little rammed the door down with a single blow to get to her charge.

She kept screaming as her father held her by the shoulders, desperately asking her what was wrong. Druella howled in anguish, she shoved her father back forcing Arthur to call for guards to hold her down. Even more rushed in as the hysterical Lilim smashed aside a succubus holding down one of her arms.

Meanwhile, far away from the Demon Realm of Lescatie… the Hunter stops briefly and turns his head to the sky with a frown, his dark eyes narrowing. A spine tingling chill had hit him. The sky was blue and clear, but the Hunter does not feel so reassured. His hands clench into fists but kept walking, keeping his eyes on the caravan that he was escorting.

Further still, in a Dream where flowers were white asphodels a Plain Doll who was the steward of her Dear Hunter's workshop looks up and ceases her ministrations to his grave. The old connection that once held them together grows slightly stronger. The Doll sighs as she stands up.

"Good Hunter." She says softly as she looks down at his grave. It had been so long since she had seen him. While it was true that he had long since left the Dream behind, it still reached out to him. Gehrman too rested in this place finally at peace.

Was it truly happening once more? Was another dreadful Night approaching? Would that herald the return of the Good Hunter to his duties? To take the mantle of his old mentor?

To guide humanity back to its senses before it was too late?

Sheffield.

One of the foremost territories of the up and coming Oberon League, the largest collective of neutral states on the continent. Its leaders were a collective, but it was not known whether they were men or monster of high repute. What was apparent was their wish for men and monster to coexist in peace, and the laws here were a reflection of that desire. No monster may take a man without his consent, and no man may harm a monster as an aggressor, that was the highest tenet the Oberon League upheld in all of its territories. Because of this tenet, the League was seen as an oddity and it was a wonder that the Order had not launched a crusade against the League and neither had the monsters.

As Cyril looked up at the high walls of the city that had the same name as the territory around it, he felt a sense of foreboding. But he made it into neutral territories at least, that meant no hostile encounters with monsters. No zealots wanting to recruit him into their ranks. Honestly, he had considered changing his plans. Perhaps… Perhaps he could stay here, he just had to find someplace peaceful and isolated.

"Well, Mister Tennstedt! We made it!"

Laurence approached with a boisterous smirk on his face. "Despite all of our misfortunes, we made it back to Sheffield!" He was glad to be back, judging from how light his movements were. Strangely enough… the Hunter was amused with the sight. It had been an eternity since he felt such amusement. And it honestly scared him because he had never felt like that before.

"Happy to be home?" Cyril asked the portly merchant.

"Yeah, yeah I am!" Laurence grinned. "And it's all thanks to my ever dependable bodyguard, Klaus Tennstedt."

Cyril inclined his head. It was just a job, why did he think that he was doing this for charity? The Hunter looked up at the gates briefly as the caravan passed through the checkpoint at the gate. Laurence spent a few minutes with the guards, sorting out paperwork. The merchant was familiar with the guards and the conversation was pleasant.

"Oi, Mister Laurence." One guard gestured at Cyril who waited patiently. "Where did you hire this guy? He looks mean."

Well, that was pretty rude. Cyril didn't rise to the bait however.

"His name's Klaus." Laurence introduced the stony faced mercenary. "And I wouldn't have returned from Order territory without him. He's real good with a blade, and I am not kidding. He took on a Wurm and an Ogre solo."

"Whoa…" One guard said, eyes wide underneath his helmet.

"Must be one hell of a swordsman." The other added, turning to Cyril. "Welcome to Sheffield, stranger. There isn't much for a monster slayer to do here but it's home enough for anyone looking for a fresh start."

Cyril would have to see it to believe it. Lescatie had been a mistake, but he couldn't dwell on that night anymore. There was a chance here to start fresh and he was going to take that chance. The Hunter exhaled. "Well… we'll see." He said to the guard. "But thank you for the welcome."

The guard smirked under her helmet. "You sound tired mate, you should head to the inn when you're ready." She told him. "It's called the Prancing Pony ."

Not only was Sheffield the center of the Oberon League, it was also the center of trade in the region. Cyril had never seen such a sight like this. The market district was sprawling and filled with crowds of merchants advertising their wares to curious onlookers and buyers.

Men and monster living in harmony with each other. Sure, there were Order preachers here as well but judging from the way most couples, monster and human, ignored the old men it seemed that they had no sway over the morals of the populace. Most were more attentive to the town criers who were making announcements about taxes, new plays by the Sheffield Entertainment Company, and new products making their way to Sheffield not just from faraway Zipangu but that of the Mist Continent.

And, of course, he saw Succubi who were prancing around in highly revealing outfits. Succubi who belonged to brothels that were in the Red Light District. Cyril made a point of avoiding eye contact with them and continued meandering through the market, noting that this place also had an Adventurer's Guild. He guessed that it was a neutral faction as well, which would make sense. If the Order decided not to include the Guild in their territories then he supposed that the monsters would have an even bigger advantage in that conflict.

Too bad that he wasn't about to go by there, however. As far as Cyril knew, he was still registered under his real name with the Guild in Lescatie, which meant that the branch still had his information. He could be listed as dead but it was probably better to err on the side of caution. He made a note about finding more discreet work.

The Hunter sighed and adjusted his hood. The Prancing Pony. He had to see if the inn was worth its name in the meantime, he wasn't about ready to look for another job just yet. He could worry about that later.

As it turned out, lunch had just ended but Cyril wasn't so miffed about that, he was fine with whatever was left. The Hunter walked into a boisterous, but welcoming atmosphere. It was a two story place, Cyril just hoped that the rooms were clean.

"Don't be a stranger! Come on in!"

Cyril blinked and turned his head towards the voice. The bartender was an Elf, female. She had raven hair and bright green eyes. Her hair was kept away from her face by a cloth wrap but a few strands got through. The Hunter approached the bar at a slow pace, ignoring the stares. Hooded and cloaked, it was clear to the patrons that a foreigner had come into the place. It was a brief moment and then the atmosphere reverted back to its usual boisterousness.

Cyril sat at the bar and placed a handful of coin down. "A tankard of ale, and whatever food you have left please." He said, quietly.

"Of course. Unfortunately baked beans are all I have left." The Elf said to him, apologetically.

"That's fine." Cyril murmured already counting out more coin. "It was my fault for coming in late, anyway."

"A-Ah!?" The Elf looked at the stack of coin the Hunter had pushed towards her. "Th-That's w-way too much!"

"It's fine." Cyril said softly. "Again, you have to heat food up because I decided to come in late."

Hesitantly the Elf took the coin. There was a reason for her nervousness, however. "U-Um… are-are you a mercenary of sorts? What's your name?"

Cyril blinked underneath his hood. "I am Klaus Tennstedt." He said quietly. "I just got finished escorting a merchant here, but I'm trying to get some rest. Why?"

"Um… Mister Tennstedt I need your help," The Elf fidgeted. "It's because… someone's trying to… well…"

Cyril had a bad feeling about this. "Trying to what? What is this theoretical person trying to do?" He asked.

"Well, he's infatuated with me."

Good grief. Cyril sighed. "Do you want me to kill him?" He asked bluntly.

"E-Eh? W-What? No!" The Elf shook her head violently. "No! I just… need someone there when I tell him to go away! He's very stubborn."

Cyril crossed his arms.

"Fine, I'll help." Cyril said quietly. "And who am I going to be helping."

"Sierra. My name is Sierra Underhill." The Elf bowed her head. "I apologize but this man who believes himself to be my suitor has been making it hard for me to do work… and my friend Molly has guard duty at the gates this month so I…"

"It's fine." Cyril shrugged. "It's not the worst job I've taken."

"I-I also don't have much to give you." Sierra whispered in shame. "I-"

"You asked for help." Cyril told her. "Simple as that, and I can tell that whoever this person is he is really troubling you."

Sierra put her head down. Molly was so going to tease her for this.