Dark Fantasy’s Extra – Chapter 174

Author: Dawn

I returned to my instructor duties immediately after the welcome party.

Thanks to others taking turns covering my secondary weapons training, there hadn’t been a major gap.

However, without someone dedicated to it, the trainees’ proficiency was relatively lower compared to other areas.

“Trainees 17 and 28.”

“Yes!”

“Well done. Everyone else, watch and learn from what these two did.”

I didn’t try to push the trainees hard to make up for my absence.

Suddenly cracking the whip wouldn’t guarantee good results.

After being gone for over a month, I needed to start slowly, beginning with reconnecting with the trainees.

And in reality, quite a few of the trainees who survived that day on the hill showed decent potential.

Those who decided to stay and fight even after returning alive from that chaos had already been tested mentally or become stronger.

I could tell from their eyes and demeanor.

Comparing them now to who they were before I collapsed, they had become different people.

“Is that person…?”

“He looks kind of scary…”

But there were also new recruits I’d never seen among the trainees.

A considerable number had left the Order after Vile and Jabberwock’s attack.

It’s not strange they’d break after encountering such catastrophe before proper training.

Plus with this endless moonlit night continuing without sunlight, they might become psychologically depressed or withdrawn.

They run away because they’re scared.

It’s not something anyone can criticize.

It’s natural for ordinary people to try to distance themselves from fear.

Not everyone can find the courage to fight.

Unless they have an absolute reason they must fight, most just came to earn money.

No matter how well you might earn, death is the end of everything.

“That’s all for today. Good work everyone.”

I ended today’s training early after generally checking the trainees’ condition and basics.

It’s better to keep a moderate intensity on the first day.

After all the trainees dispersed, I was left alone on the training grounds.

“…”

I drew a dagger with my left arm and threw it at a wooden post I’d chosen as a target.

The dagger flew straight and stuck precisely in the middle of the target.

I looked down at my left hand.

My left arm that had been damaged fighting Pinocchio.

It had gradually improved with Maia’s help and was quite recovered.

But that was just improvement – it wasn’t fully healed.

Yet that dagger throw just now was too perfect.

…Too perfect, as if it wasn’t my own skill.

As if it wasn’t my body…

“No…”

Not yet.

I’m still human.

“Nice skill.”

“Sir Ulysses.”

I turned my head toward where the voice came from.

Mid-ranked hunter Ulysses approached while lightly clapping.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes, it has. I’m glad to see you seem to be in good condition.”

“Thank you.”

“That was impressive skill for a lower-ranked hunter. I mean it sincerely, not sarcastically.”

The praise doesn’t make me very happy.

“What brings you here?”

“The branch commander would like to invite you. As you’re returning after a month, he probably wants to encourage you as the overall commander here.”

“…”

Jarkoff wants to see me?

Though there’s nothing strange about what Ulysses said…

To be honest, I doubt Jarkoff thinks of me positively.

Hilde, his father…

In the end, I’m involved in all of Jarkoff’s problems.

Though I didn’t particularly want it to be that way, it couldn’t be helped…

…But the excuse that it couldn’t be helped doesn’t accomplish anything.

“And I heard from Marcus. When Vile said he’d spare one person, you two competed to sacrifice yourselves first?”

“Ah…”

That did happen.

“There aren’t many people in this world who could do that. Since we couldn’t properly recognize your merit then, he probably wants to do something proper this time. I’d really like you to come.”

“…Yes.”

There’s no way I could refuse when both the branch commander and mid-ranked hunter ask together.

And as Ulysses said, maybe Jarkoff is purely calling me out of responsibility as branch commander.

Jarkoff was originally a kind and responsible person.

At least as far as I knew.

Though in Blue Paper Moon there were frequent hints suggesting he completely fell to ruin and killed himself…

The current situation hasn’t gone that far, so he should be psychologically better than that.

I followed Ulysses to take a carriage to Bluebeard territory.

Since I ended training early today, we should be able to return before the day ends.

“…What do you think about that?”

Ulysses pointed at the moon in the sky.

“It’s been several days since daylight stopped coming. There was a lot of chaos during that time, but places with the Order have more or less gotten things under control.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“Yes. But… what about places without the Order? With all the strange superstitions, everyone must be anxious.”

“…”

It wouldn’t end with just anxiety.

Places without the Order’s influence are generally targets for witches and Beasts.

It wouldn’t be strange if a dozen or more villages had already been attacked.

Things only seem relatively peaceful because I live at the Order where such problems are resolved with force, and not much time has passed yet.

Once more time passes and information about the outside situation starts coming in…

“So going back to my earlier question, what do you think about that moon?”

“Well… it’s pretty, being so big and round.”

“Is that so? I suppose you could see it that way. But I… am scared.”

Ulysses turned away from the moon.

“It’s creepy somehow. Just looking at it makes me feel like… like something is trying to devour me. Like some huge, terrifying monster is constantly watching me.”

“That’s not strange. Something this impossible suddenly happening…”

“You seem less surprised than expected. That moon. Almost like… someone who knew it would end up like this from the beginning.”

“…”

“That thing on your neck… could it be related somehow?”

“What?”

My neck?

“Yes. I can see it. That… sacred mark-like thing on your neck.”

“Ah…”

Ah, right.

They said I had something that almost became Belle’s Mark on my neck?

Though most people including me can’t see it, it’s not strange that some people can.

Come to think of it, there was a trainee named Alri among my first group who seemed to notice something looking at my neck.

Wonder what he’s doing and where he is now.

I don’t think I’ve seen him at headquarters at least.

“Usually someone with something like that isn’t treated as a lower-ranked hunter… but you seem to be an exception. Plus it doesn’t seem to be a proper sacred mark either. Still, I thought you might have heard something… about it.”

“Heard what?”

“About that moon. There’s something… strange about it. Of course it’s naturally strange, but it’s not just that night continues and the moon grew larger. It definitely seems like it will affect people somehow too.”

Come to think of it, Ulysses was a hunter with excellent detection abilities.

Even if he hasn’t heard about the magical phenomenon, he might sense something.

“I haven’t heard anything specific about the moon. This sacred mark-like thing is also… just something that happened by accident.”

“I see…”

…No, thinking about it, I had something that almost became Belle’s Mark on my neck before too.

But Ulysses showed no sign of noticing then.

He couldn’t see it then, but can see it now?

Why?

…Is this also because of the magical phenomenon?

I knew the magical phenomenon affected the earth, but most effects were on people directly related to curses.

In Blue Paper Moon, ordinary people weren’t greatly changed just from being exposed to that moonlight.

At most, Red Hood Karen’s curse spreading on earth made it easier to turn into Beasts…

To begin with, why did the magical phenomenon appear now?

In the game it clearly happened after finding Vile’s stronghold, but now it started without that.

Though we can’t exactly compare game and reality, it feels like it started much earlier than it should have.

Was Hilde’s version of the story originally like this?

…No, let’s stop thinking in terms of protagonist differences.

There must be some other reason.

For example, someone affected by my changes to the original story intentionally caused the magical phenomenon…

Could it be… Vile?

Vile is the only one who seems capable and likely to do such a thing.

Or maybe that crazy frog princess awakened early and did something…

No, since witches’ seals breaking happens after the magical phenomenon starts in terms of causality, it can’t be the frog princess.

Then indeed…?

“Did you think of something?”

Ulysses asked.

“Ah, well… I was thinking Vile might be capable of it…”

“Vile? That behemoth?”

“Yes. Since I’m part of headquarters’ Behemoth Tracking Special Department…”

“I didn’t know headquarters had such a department. Sounds quite impressive. Anyway, Vile… but could even a behemoth do something like this?”

The magical phenomenon occurs when some protective barrier between the moon and earth weakens, letting moonlight leak through, according to the setting.

Vile might be able to somehow break even a part of that barrier.

It wouldn’t be easy of course, but if Vile staked everything on attempting it, it might not be impossible.

“Maybe… it could be possible…”

* * *

“You… could do it…”

Ozwald spoke in a dark cave.

Though his clothes were completely in tatters and his body had no uninjured parts, his voice was more desperate than ever.

“Please… I beg you. Help me…”

Ozwald knelt and bowed until his forehead touched the ground.

The person called Great Mage begged so earnestly.

“…I’m sorry. Go back.”

A voice came from within the deep darkness.