It's Aching...

When we arrived at the Spellsword Association’s base, my sister was whisked away to some meeting.

Apparently, they were only gathering "influential" Spellswords for their little strategy session. I, of course, wasn't invited. My sister complained, but it didn't look like there was anything she could do about it.

"Just stay here and be a good boy," she told me before disappearing into the conference room.

And so, I decided to be a good boy and take a stroll.

By the time I stepped outside, the sun had already dipped below the horizon. The sky was still glowing with the last vestiges of twilight, but a reddish moon had already begun its ascent in the east.

Is it just me, or is that moon getting redder by the day?

The people of Lawless City didn’t seem to care about the moon. They were too busy focusing on the customers in front of them, the prey in their sights—the desperate struggle to survive another day.

Speaking of which, I just met my tenth pickpocket of the day. A new record!

I always keep my wallet in a very conspicuous spot in my pants pocket so it’s easy to snatch, but I have a rule: if someone picks my pocket, I pick theirs right back. I reclaim my own wallet and "borrow" theirs as a convenience fee.

It’s a dog-eat-dog world, after all.

In a single afternoon, my net worth swelled from 40,000 Zeny to 110,000 Zeny. Life works in mysterious ways.

Maybe my true calling is playing 'Lawless City Resident A'.

I love this place. You can literally get paid just for taking a walk.

I was practically humming as I walked, but then a scream cut through the air.

"A Ghoul! A Ghoul’s on the loose!"

It sounded close.

The locals were quick to react. Those who couldn't fight bolted immediately, though plenty of stalls stayed open, the owners not even twitching at the sound of a death rattle. Some people actually started heading toward the screaming with nasty grins on their faces.

"A Ghoul, huh? We’ve been seeing a lot of those lately."

"Think I’ll go blow off some steam."

One guy cracked his knuckles; another drew a serrated knife. I slipped into their shadows and followed them to the scene.

By the time I arrived, the Ghoul had already been subdued. Its legs were snapped, and it was writhing on the ground.

"You piece of trash! How dare you bite my arm!" one guy shouted, delivering a heavy kick.

"Dammit! I lost everything on a bet today! This is all your fault!" another yelled, stomping on the creature.

"I spent a million Zeny on Mary-chan and she still dumped me! Die, you freak!"

Crunch.

A pool of blood began to spread across the cobblestones.

I see. Since Ghouls have such high vitality, they make for excellent, high-durability sandbags. The creature could only groan—"Aaaagh..."—as it endured the one-sided lynching.

Watching the scene play out, I couldn't help but think how great Lawless City was. An incident like this was probably just a daily occurrence here. A city drenched in blood and slaughter—now that’s what I’m talking about.

"Fufufu..."

I leaned against a nearby wall and crossed my arms, offering a thin smile. I was really feeling the "Enigmatic Youth" vibe today.

Eventually, the men grew bored of their broken toy and began to drift away. The Ghoul lay there, beaten to a pulp and motionless. It looked like the show was over.

The sky had turned properly dark. I was just about to head back when I felt it—the Ghoul’s presence was surging back to life.

"Eek! S-stop! Get off—!"

The man’s scream and the spray of blood happened almost simultaneously. The Ghoul had suddenly lunged, sinking its teeth into the man’s neck and ripping his throat clean out.

"W-what the hell?! This thing is different!"

Another man went down, dead before he hit the ground.

The survivors drew their swords, panic finally setting in. The revived Ghoul was... red. Its skin, its eyes—everything was a blood-soaked crimson. It bared its razor-sharp fangs and claws and let out a bone-chilling roar.

"Gwaaaaaaaaaaa!"

With the agility of a wild beast, the Red Ghoul pounced. A single swipe of its claws sent a man’s head spinning through the air.

"R-run for your lives!"

Even the hardened thugs of Lawless City knew when they were outmatched. As they scrambled away, the Ghoul began tearing into the corpses, its jaws working rhythmically. I stayed right where I was, leaning against the wall with my "fufufu" smile.

Now, what to do?

I could run away like a total mob character... or I could keep playing the mysterious boy. I’m probably never going to see these Lawless City extras ever again, so maybe I don't need to commit so hard to the 'mob character' bit this time.

"Fufufu..."

Decisions, decisions.

Right then, I felt a new presence. A slender swordswoman dropped from the sky like a falling star, landing right on top of the Red Ghoul. With a single, fluid motion, she brought her blade down, bisecting the creature from the crown of its head to its tailbone.

Sublime.

She flicked the blood off her blade and turned around. Our eyes met.

She was wrapped in Jet-black Garb and wore a pointed, witch-like hat. Beneath the brim, she was a beautiful woman with striking red hair.

We stared at each other for a long moment.

"You should run," she said. Her voice was unexpectedly high and sweet. "The rampage is beginning."

She looked up at the crimson moon with a face full of localized angst.

"The moon is red... we're out of time."

"And you are...?" I asked, stopping her just as she prepared to vanish into the night.

"I am the 'Oldest Vampire Hunter,' Milia... The one who hunts the 'Queen of Blood,' Elisabeth."

And then, she was gone, melting into the darkness.

What is this feeling? This sensation...

My blood... it's aching.

"Fufufu..."

I looked up at the red moon and smiled. I’d probably be a little late getting back to the base. I hope my sister doesn't kill me.

---

The Red-light District is always the beating heart of Lawless City at night. Women in revealing outfits lined the streets, casting alluring glances at every passing man.

Suddenly, a scream shattered the atmosphere of lust and commerce.

"A Ghoul! There’s a Ghoul!"

The patrons and workers were used to this kind of thing. Usually, a brothel bodyguard would show up, crack a few ribs, and that would be the end of it. It was supposed to be just another night.

"K-kyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

The prostitute’s shriek was cut short as her bodyguard was brutally torn limb from limb. This wasn't a normal Ghoul; it was a Red Ghoul.

The creature shredded the guard like wet paper and lunged at the young prostitute who had collapsed in the street, her legs giving out from terror.

"Mary!"

Her coworkers screamed her name, but they were too far away. There was no time.

Then, in a flash of movement, the Red Ghoul was sliced in half.

"Eh...?"

As the two halves of the Ghoul slumped to the ground, a swordsman in a Jet-black Longcoat emerged from the spray of blood. He flicked his Jet-black Blade to clear the gore and looked down at Mary.

From deep within the shadows of his hood, two eyes glowed a piercing red.

"Hii..."

Mary recoiled, trembling at the sight of those ominous eyes.

"If you want to live, run," the Jet-black Man said, his voice a low rumble that felt like it was rising from the depths of the earth.

Mary wanted to run—she wanted to bolt that very second—but her body wouldn't obey.

"The rampage is beginning..."

The Jet-black Man looked up at the red moon and muttered to himself. There was a strange, hidden melancholy in his voice.

"A Red Moon... There is little time left."

The moon had been red lately. Mary had thought it was weird, but none of the other girls seemed to care. They figured that even if the moon changed color, their world would stay exactly the same. They were wrong.

"W-wait! Who are you?" Mary called out.

He was terrifying, but he had saved her. She couldn't let him leave without at least trying to thank him.

"My name is Shadow. I am he who lurks in the shadows, he who hunts the shadows..."

With that, Shadow vanished into the night.

"Ah... I didn't get to thank him..."

"Mary! Are you alright?!" A senior prostitute rushed over and pulled her into a hug.

"Y-yeah. I’m okay."

"Thank god. I don't know what’s going on lately—first the 'Queen of Blood,' and now this."

"Hush, don't say that name so loudly!"

"Psh, I don't care. More importantly... was that really Shadow?"

"You know him?" Mary asked.

"I’ve heard the rumors. He’s the head of some massive organization that does whatever it wants. They say they attacked a prestigious academy and blew up the Sanctuary."

"So... he’s a villain?"

He was certainly scary, but Mary didn't feel like he was "bad." She felt as though he was a man driven by some grand, inexplicable purpose.

"The worst kind. He’s a monster on the same level as the freaks who run this city. But what is a big-shot like him doing here...?"

"He said the rampage is beginning," Mary whispered. "He said the moon is red, and that there's no time."

"What’s that supposed to mean? The 'Queen of Blood' has been making moves lately. Is Shadow going to team up with her? Are we going to get caught in the middle of another turf war? Give me a break... it’s always us girls who pay the price."

"I don't know... but I don't think that's it."

Mary looked up at the red moon, her heart heavy with unease. What was coming?

Yet, for some reason, she felt like Shadow would handle it. She felt certain that he had come to this city for that very reason.

"Thank you..." Mary whispered into the darkness where he had disappeared.