Chapter 76: Bonus Chapter 4: The Shadow Bancho in The Dark

USAGI’S POV

The darkness of my office has always felt like coming home.

Tall shelves of ebony and blackened iron rise to the vaulted ceiling, with each one packed with ancient tomes and scrolls bound in leather darker than midnight.

Torchlight flickers across the spines, catching faint gold-embossed titles in languages long forgotten by most of Elyndor.

Between the shelves stand old statues; those shadowy gargoyles with ruby eyes that seem to follow movement, those winged serpents coiled around crystal orbs that hummed with dim inner light, and the hooded figure clutching a scythe whose blade gleams with an unnatural sheen even in shadow was my favorite.

Heavy black curtains were set to block the narrow windows, swallowing any stray trace of twilight from the outside.

In the atmosphere, one could perceive the scent of aged parchment, the whiff of iron, and the faint, metallic tingle of depleted magic.

Not to mention the weak smell of old blood that never quite washed out of some of the stones. Completely excellent.

This dark theme keeps me at ease.

From when I was little, I have always loved the dark.

Dark books and scrolls about torment, psychological manipulations and controls, the dark arts of devil summoning…

Everything I loved seemed to tilt toward darkness, and they were immensely enticing to me.

But maybe one could say it was hereditary; my father, Greyson, seemed to like the dark too.

Some of the books on those tall shelves are proof of his time as the Grey Hound—he was also infatuated with the dark side, as I do now.

A man of great taste, I would say.

However, little did I know that I would inherit the ability of my father, [Dark Communion].

He apparently inherited the ability from his own father too.

And I only even realized that he led the intelligence agency of Shishi-no-su…

No, I even realized there WAS an intelligence agency after his death, eighty years ago, at the hands of one of the abominable Seven Deadly Sins, Leviathan of Envy.

Nonetheless, spending my days as the next leader (the Silver Shadow, I was ordained) has been most wonderful.

Even if Her Majesty recruited me when I was only as young as twenty years old, I was already ready for the worst life could bring; and I love my job.

I mean, I get to try out all my creative methods of torture and extortions. It has always been me narrowly escaping death many times because of my work, though. But I don’t regret anything.

Every brush with death and every secret move I make is to keep Shishi-no-su strong and thriving.

To make it a place the ones I cherish can smile and be happy, and be blissfully ignorant of the devices and malevolence Elyndor actually has to offer.

I’ll gladly walk my father’s footsteps to hell itself, in order to achieve that controlled haven for them.

I sit in the high-backed chair carved from the best material the world has to offer, and blackened iron.

My legs are crossed under the dark gown that clings to me like wet darkness, emphasizing my every curve.

The fabric is certainly thin enough to hint at my skin beneath, and just as light as it seems. But there are hardly any man-made weapons that can tear through it, due to its fortified material.

It was an armor in disguise—the perfect balance between comfort and menace.

My silver hair spills over one shoulder, catching the brazier light in faint, ghostly gleams. And when I had confirmed I look seductive enough, I turned to my left.

Then I called out; “Tensei!”

And in the next second, a purple light flashed and he walked out of the torn space there.

Red medium-length hair swayed as he moved, his golden eyes was visible through his mask. He had wolf ears on his head, and a pair of raven wings folded neatly behind him.

He was also wearing a dark mask that covered his face till his nose—and the mask additionally had a long nose.

He wore the typical attire of a tengu in Shi-shi-no-su; dark hakama and haori in deepest black, edged with subtle silver thread that shimmered only when he moved.

The mask covered his facial features properly, having a magical effect that conceals identity.

But it did little to conceal that he was a gorgeous man; with that sharp jawline visible beneath the long-nosed beak, and those golden eyes glowing faintly behind the mask’s slits.

Not to mention, the way his wings swayed slightly when he stood still made him appear simply majestic.

“You called, Silver-sama?” He immediately bowed as he appeared, with a low and respectful voice.

“Yes, I did.” I unfolded and folded my legs—switching the right one for the left—then urged him to sit, though he refused with a nod and chose to remain standing. “Update me on the state of affairs outside our borders. ASAP.”

“Of course, Silver-sama,” he bowed again, then began explaining. “The human kingdom of Gihon is preparing for war against the demons, with their training getting more intense lately, and they have begun to employ forbidden and esoteric magic too.”

“And…” I raised a brow. “…their Star Dragon?”

“Seraphine is, as always, neutral to the activities of mortals,” Tensei answered in his even tone. “But depending on how the demons stir up enough chaos, King Renard would probably ask for her help.”

Well, as long as she doesn’t bear her fangs to Shishi-no-su, we don’t have to be worried about her at all.

The concern with superior existences like Primeval dragons is that they could move in ways one could not exactly predict.

For example; she currently moves around Gihon wearing the skin of a human woman and delighting in the traditions of humans. Should a being of her caliber not have her own domain at this point?

Anyway, that’s their problem.

“And the other kingdoms? The ones that matter, of course.” I asked Tensei, clasping my hands as I rested my elbows on the desk. “Steelwood, Fairylynch, Elyndoria, Goliathens… and Verdant Spire.”

Tensei nodded, with his posture still perfectly straight.

“As you must know, Silver-sama,” he began, “Fairylynch is situated above the clouds, in the heavens, which especially makes reconnaissance immensely dangerous.”

“You all are slacking, that’s what!” I slammed my hands on the table, with my voice sharp enough to cut through the thick silence of the room. “So it’s in the sky, so what?! How would we prepare if they decided one day to launch an attack on us? Their Queen, Titania, is notably mischievous and petty.”

“Forgive my presumptuousness, Silver-sama,” Tensei bowed again, deeper this time. “I will mobilize our elites to attempt invasion very soon.”

“Now, that’s what I like to hear,” I sighed, leaning back slightly in the obsidian chair. “And? What about the others?”

“The dwarves, and every other demi-human community,” He answered, “are getting themselves in shape for the almost-certain Celestial war approaching. But none has done anything suspicious so far. Some human territories are doing shady things like devil summoning and worship as usual, but that is King Renard’s responsibility to address.”

I see.

Well, it’s not like any kingdom is stupid enough to pick a fight with us unprovoked, anyway: we have Her Majesty, the fox princess of the royal palace, and even that dangerous weapon called Kurosawa Ren.

“What about… the Amazons,” I sent him a glance, my eyes narrowing just enough to show interest without revealing too much. “Apart from snooping around looking for clues as to where their precious god-touched might be, what else are they doing now?”

“The Whispering Wilds is a very dangerous and treacherous place to do any clandestine work, Silver-sama,” Tensei answered, opening his golden eyes a little, “so we try to stay as far from there as possible and tread carefully. For this reason, we have little information about them. Forgive me.”

That is reasonable.

The Amazons live in a forest field with large trees and a lot of natural hiding spots. Walking into their domain is like asking to be killed.

Not to mention, those tribal women are unnaturally powerful and extreme.

“I understand. Just give me the information you do have.” I urged him.

“You have my thanks. Allow me to explain…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep