Chapter 39

Madam Anne flew toward the Imperial checkpoint, Amon still trussed behind her.

While she studied the scorched patch on the ground, Amon thought in silence.

‘This is the road we took to the red-light district. Mago died around here? Then they let her die even though they were close enough to stop it...’

“Hmm.”

Madam Anne folded her arms and pondered.

“This black burn is the first spot. When the kill failed here... they must have set off another firework.”

She paced slowly, arriving at the same conclusion the Anakonda head chef had reached.

“But why is there only one mark? If both shots missed, we should see two.”

Her face twisted.

She seized the rope tied to Amon and took off, heading for the town.

From high above, she could see something had changed.

The brewery she traded with had its roof smashed in.

She landed inside.

“Madam Anne...”

The brewery owner’s face drained of color.

“What happened?”

“M-Madam, I—”

“I asked what happened.”

The torch slipped from his shaking hand; his clothes were dusted with ash.

“Been burning something?”

“W-well...”

“Answer me. Now.”

“V-vampires... thirty of them...”

He shook his head.

“No, thirty beasts...”

“What...”

Madam Anne was momentarily speechless.

“They were vampires living hidden in this city!”

“Out of my way.”

She brushed past him into the half-ruined brewery.

The sweet scent of spilled wine could not fool her.

She knew at once: every one of her kin in the basement was dead.

“All of them... by my own arrows...”

She realized just as quickly who had fired the fireworks.

“What’s going on?” Amon asked.

She didn’t answer.

Her eyes, sharp as a hawk’s, found the brewery owner; she strode over and grabbed him by the collar.

“Ghk...!”

“Tell me what happened here.”

“I don’t know! They burst in without warning and left just as suddenly—”

“Did you help them?”

“I’m a victim too, Madam! The whole place was wrecked...”

“Hah...”

With a sigh she loosened her grip.

“M-Madam Anne, there’s a strange rumor going around... about a sword...”

“A sword?”

“You’d better see for yourself.”

She left at once for the spot he described.

“Oh.”

Amon was first to react.

A crude blade jutted from a cleft in the rock, wedged in upside-down.

Carved into the stone were the words:

[Whoever draws this sword]

[shall become a hero]

Madam Anne wrapped her hand around the hilt.

When she lifted it, the sword came free with almost insulting ease.

“Some idiot’s idea of a joke...”

“This is the rumor?” Amon clicked his tongue.

“Someone’s trying to make a point.”

“Then show me. Don’t just let gossip do the work.”

“Answer me.”

“No idea. You pulled it out, so I guess that makes you qualified to be a hero. Congratulations, Madam Anne.”

He tried to clap, but bound as he was it looked like a baby bird flapping clumsy wings.

“Think that’s funny?”

“The whole situation is ridiculous.”

“You, me, all of us...”

“Still don’t get it, do you? I staged an air-raid to make you look clever. Madam Anne, you’d better run home.”

“Where?”

“Where else? Your turf. Sword in the rock, words on the rock—none of that matters. The point is the blade’s stuck upside-down. First Training Center’s emblem is a single inverted sword.”

“Emblem...”

“Still not clicking? Mago and I graduated First Center, class of sixty-six. That mark says Mago’s still breathing.”

Madam Anne pieced it together in a heartbeat.

“Mago...!”

* * *

“Mago! You came to rescue us!”

Belle’s face lit up like sunrise.

“Nope, I got caught too.”

I sliced the rope coiled around Belle, then freed the rest of the Special Task Force.

“You’re captured too...”

“Madam Anne, who knew you’d flip civilians to your side? You’ve hit the Imperial Army where it’s soft. Might as well be snared in the red-light district. Belle, where’s Kinjo?”

“Kinjo left for Demon King Castle with Marcello—he’s got the eyes.”

Belle tapped the corner of her own eye.

“No Kinjo, huh... mm.”

“Long time, Mago.”

Back when I’d been napping in the Red mansion, this man had dragged me back to the Center, vacation over.

Close-cropped hair.

“Karasma Ken. I’m leading the rookies on this op.”

“Thanks for the assist, Captain. First, let’s ditch this boring warehouse.”

I cut his ropes last.

“Task Force...!”

“When Madam Anne gets back, you’re finished,” someone beside the warehouse spat.

They’d been nabbed by two thieves and five hybrids.

“Mago hyung, hurry,” the right-hand man urged.

“Yeah, back to the inn, fast.”

We all returned together.

“Mago, Amon was hauled off by Madam Anne. She said she’d show your corpse as proof.”

“Saw him fly away.”

“We have to save Amon.”

“Madam Anne’s not in the red-light district right now—this chance won’t come twice.”

“So we abandon Amon...?”

“Not abandon—trust. If anyone can handle it, it’s him.”

“Since when do you trust Amon that much...?”

“Any other day, maybe not, but against vampires he’s the sturdiest ally we’ve got. The more he bleeds, the stronger he gets. Any vampire stupid enough to attack him signs his own death warrant. Madam Anne might be different, but still.”

“Even so...”

“Her being far away at night is a once-in-a-lifetime opening.”

“Mago, what about her weapon?” Karasma asked.

“About to find out.”

I opened the inn-room window.

According to Belle, Madam Anne went into town to find my corpse.

By now she’ll know I’m alive.

Once she does, she’ll ask: where next?

I had to answer first.

“Time to end this.”

I touched a match to the firework fuse.

A moment later the rocket burst, orange light scattering wide.

The relic holds seven shots.

I’d seen six.

At best one left.

We waited; no lightning fell.

Either she’d spent them all, or she was saving the last.

Either way, she wasn’t firing now.

“We can stop worrying about that lightning for a while.”

“No need to worry? You’ve no clue what that relic can do...?”

“I set off a flare and no bolt came. Flares mark the target—still nothing.”

“Why?”

“Simple: she can’t shoot.”

I turned to the Task Force.

“No Madam Anne, no sniper. This is our shot to flatten Anakonda. We wipe out the remaining vampires.”

Karasma nodded slowly.

“But I need Kinjo. Belle, he’s really not coming?”

“Uh-huh. Left ages ago.”

“Hey, First Center grads—nice reunion, but brief us already. How do we crack Anakonda?”

A voice came from Unit 43.

“Civilians trust her and her vampires now—worship, almost. Spot an Imperial uniform and they’ll kill on sight. That’s our biggest headache.”

I answered.

“Can’t we just say ‘official business’ and push through? No injuries, just a little pressure.”

“Won’t work.”

Karasma cut in.

“No. We can’t.”

I added a little more.

“If we treat civilians like that just because we’re in a hurry, once becomes twice, and soon it’s dozens of times. It might feel easier now, but the moment the public stops trusting us, disasters like this will keep repeating. If the nation stops believing in us, we’re nothing.”

“Then what are we supposed to do...?”

“We avoid them. We have to. Madam Anne is using civilians as shields, so we go back and wait for an opening.”

“So how, exactly!”

Every eye turned to me.

“First of all, Kinjo’s absence wasn’t in my plan.”

“Damn, and they call you Top Ranker of the First Training Center. You’re no better than—”

“I’ll think of something else. Give me one minute.”

“Hey—”

“One minute.”

I lifted an index finger.

“Shut up and wait.”

* * *

“It’s doable.”

I pointed at the Anakonda building.

“Took you exactly one minute,” Belle muttered, exhaling hard.

“Madam Anne will come back eventually. When she does, I’ll kill her for sure—before she can stand again.”

No one answered.

They just stared blankly.

I took that as agreement.

“So, looks doable?”

“Suddenly it’s doable just because you’ll handle Madam Anne? I swear...”

The Second Training Center graduate was still grumbling.

“First, we go in.”

“We can’t just sit here wasting time. We have to enter Anakonda, even if it’s the enemy’s den.”

“Right, Belle.”

“But it’ll be packed with civilians. How do we deal with that?”

I’d already told her: we avoid them.

“Inside the building?”

“We move unseen. We...”

Every member of the Special Task Force except me glanced at the bows slung across their shoulders.

“We’ve got bows. We can kill the lights from outside. If we’re clever, we can keep the civilians from noticing.”

“Belle.”

While I spoke, she raised her hand.

“What now?”

“I have no idea how we’re supposed to get to the first floor.”

“We walk.”

“Walk? There’s a sea of Anakonda civilians and other vampires out there, and you say ‘walk’?”

“Belle, every vampire here has red eyes. Not the exact same shade, but all in the crimson family.”

“I know that!”

“Then you know yours are red too?”

“Ah—uh—right...”

She gave a small nod.

“Belle, you’re the one who has to do this.”

“I get what I have to do.”

“And Anakonda is a tavern—liquor everywhere, stacked high. A lot rides on you.”

“Ah... fine, I got it.”

“Liquor? What’s liquor got to do with anything?”

One of the Unit 43 guys looked lost; he’d understand soon enough.

“Belle. Pretend to be a vampire, go upstairs, and smash every pane of glass on the third- and fourth-floor terraces.”

“Smash? I like the sound of that.”

“Without those panes, we can shoot out the ceiling lights from outside. We’ll black out the third and fourth floors.”

“Hmm? Don’t vampires like the dark?”

“So do we.”

Belle pointed her thumb at me and grinned.