It’s Already Been Cured

Dinner was over, and we were walking through the Royal Capital at night.

I’d tried to hand over some money when the bill came, but they told me it wasn't necessary. It was probably just some special service from Gamma, though maybe it was a perk for my sister winning the Bushin Festival. Hard to say, really.

"We missed the dormitory curfew," I noted.

"I already cleared it. I told them we were attending a party," she replied.

"Nice. As expected."

The streets were eerily quiet. I looked up at the sky to see a shining crescent moon. For some reason, it looked a bit redder than usual tonight.

"What’s wrong?" Claire asked, noticing me staring at the sky.

"Just thought the moon looked redder than usual."

"Really? Looks the same as always to me."

"Maybe. Honestly, it doesn't really matter if the moon is red or blue."

But red is way cooler, I thought.

"We were in the middle of talking about the 'Queen of Blood,' weren't we?"

"Right."

"I assume you know that lately, the 'Queen of Blood’s' subordinates have been venturing outside the Lawless City and causing trouble?"

I didn't have a clue, obviously.

"The neighboring countries are taking the matter seriously. They’ve requested the Magic Swordsman Guild to put together a mission to subjugate the 'Queen of Blood.'"

"Uh-huh. Go on."

"They’re forming a Subjugation Team made of elite spellswords. They’re a bunch of ego-maniacs, though, so it’s not like they’ll actually be playing nice and working together."

"Oh, I see."

"Which is exactly why I can bring you along as a tag-along. Don’t worry, you just have to stay somewhere safe and watch. I’ll handle the rest. It’ll be fine; I’ll just tell everyone you were providing backup, and you’ll get the credit."

"I see."

"If you get some achievements under your belt, it’ll be a cinch to squeeze you into the Knight Order. I got close with the Commander of the Royal Guard at that last party, so I can pull some strings if you want."

"Mmm..."

"The subjugation should start during Autumn Break. The eager types have probably left already, but there’s no rush..."

Right then, the wind carried the iron scent of blood.

Claire caught it a second later.

"The scent of blood. It’s close..." She stopped and glared into a dark alleyway. "Stay behind me."

"Got it."

She put a hand on her sword and stepped into the darkness. I followed at a distance. Deep in the alley, a black shadow was hunched over. Slurp, crunch. The sounds of chewing echoed through the narrow space.

Claire stifled a gasp of shock and drew her blade.

Perhaps noticing a presence, the shadow turned around. It was a person covered in blood. No—that wasn't right. Its eyes were blood-red, and its slack mouth revealed sharp fangs. Red drool dripped onto the cobblestones. At its feet lay the mangled remains of a human corpse.

"Drop your weapon and surren—!"

"Aaaaagh!"

It lunged at Claire with the movements of a beast, not a man. Her sword flashed in the moonlight, and the creature’s torso was sliced clean in half.

"I did warn you," she muttered to the bifurcated mass of flesh.

But then...

"It’s... still alive!?"

The top half was crawling across the ground, reaching out for Claire’s leg.

"Aaaah..."

"Persistent!"

With another swing, Claire severed its neck. The head rolled across the stones, teeth still gnashing at the empty air, clack, clack, before finally going still. The thick, suffocating stench of blood filled the alley.

"A Ghoul... One of the 'Queen of Blood’s' minions?"

I looked down at the three chunks of meat. It looked human, but the skin was deathly pale. Red eyes, sharp fangs—the whole nine yards. It had beast-like strength and vitality, but it clearly didn't have a lick of reason left.

"Ghouls are just Vampire underlings, right?"

Claire didn't answer. She just stood there, looking down.

"Sister?"

"Ghouls used to be human once..." she whispered.

"Probably."

"Lately, I’ve been getting scared. Scared that I’ll end up like this too. That I'll turn into an Abomination that’s lost its mind." Her voice was unusually fragile. "They say Princess Rose had Possession... it’s just a rumor, but... I’ve never told anyone this, but I think I might have Possession too."

She turned to me with a sad smile.

"Years ago, a Black Bruise appeared on my back. I was too terrified to tell anyone, and it just kept spreading. Then, one day, it suddenly started getting better. Before I knew it, the Black Bruise had vanished like it was never there. I was so relieved... I thought I was cured. But I’ve been doing some research, and it says Possession is incurable. If that mark really was Possession, then eventually I’ll..."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," I said.

Mainly because I already cured you.

"Don’t be silly, I’m just joking! There’s no way I’d have Possession." She laughed and looked up at the moon. "But... I won’t be able to stay by your side forever. So, make sure you keep your Autumn Break open."

"Roger that."

"Enough of that. Let’s go find the Knight Order."

She started walking away, almost like she was running from the conversation. I looked up at the sky one last time. Yeah, the moon definitely looked a bit red tonight.