In a dimly lit room at an inn in Balse, a blonde woman dressed head to toe in black closed the book she had been reading, set it aside, and turned her gaze toward a corner of the room.
From where her eyes landed, a man in black suddenly materialized. Dropping to one knee on the floor, he spoke.
"As per your instructions, I have delivered the pendant."
He gave his concise report with deep reverence.
"Good work. Now, all that's left is to hope that ridiculous clown dances to our tune."
Pouring fruit wine into a glass on the table, the blonde woman murmured the words almost to herself.
"..."
The man in black did not answer. He merely cast his eyes downward and bit his lower lip.
Narrowing her eyes, the blonde woman rose from her seat, approached him, and peered into his face.
"My, aren't you making quite the displeased expression?"
"It is not that..."
"You don't need to hold back around me. Are you really that upset about handing our secret treasure over to a filthy human?"
The man in black studied her demeanor for a moment before forcing the words from his throat, a look of resolute determination settling on his face.
"There is no doubt in my mind that your judgment is absolute. Even so, though my head knows it is for the best, my soul refuses to accept it."
"Of course it doesn't. I'm not happy about it either. But if we don't do this, we will lose this war."
"The legendary Hero..."
"Yes. A single glimpse of him in combat makes it painfully clear. He is a monster spawned by the human race. I doubt anyone other than His Majesty could ever hope to stand against him. And what's even more troublesome..."
"The Hero's party."
At his words, she nodded with a bitter, venomous expression.
"Against the Hero alone, His Majesty would likely hold the upper hand. But the Sage and the holy knight are formidable. With them in the fray, the tide of battle could easily turn. What's more, a Grand Mage, a Spear King, and now even a new Sword Saint Gift Holder have appeared in rapid succession. If we allow their forces to keep growing like this, we will undoubtedly be defeated."
She stated it as an absolute certainty.
"And defeat means the total eradication of our demon race. It truly sickens me."
"I agree. But that is precisely why we must see this through."
Though smiling wryly, her eyes were deadly serious as she made her declaration.
"You mean that oracle?"
"Yes. The ritual grounds foretold by the oracle truly existed within those ruins. Nine times out of ten, if we follow its decree and sacrifice a few heads of the human race, we will be able to summon our god into this world. Once that happens—"
"We can crush them completely and utterly!"
The man in black shouted, an intense, dark fury flaring deep within his glaring eyes, directed solely at humanity.
"The Hero and his companions may be monsters, but that is only when measured against our own puny standards. They could never hope to defeat our god."
At the woman's strangely impassioned, absolute conviction, the man in black merely shrugged.
"No matter how cornered we are, clinging to a god from fairy tales is quite pathetic, isn't it?" he muttered, letting out a weary sigh.
"Indeed. But obeying the oracle is the only path to survival left to us. It is, quite literally, a desperate gamble. That is why this operation cannot be allowed to fail."
"And if they do fail?"
"Then we will naturally retrieve the pendant and seek out our next candidate to play the clown. I'll need you to track one down. Get to it immediately."
"Understood."
The man in black stood, straightened his posture, pressed his right fist against his chest in a salute, and slipped out of the room.
"Lord Ashu, I swear I will make your dream come true!"
Left alone in the quiet room, the blonde woman murmured into the silence, her voice brimming with unyielding resolve.