Slayers - Volume 10 - Chapter 1

1: Another Day, Another Magic Sword Search

The desolate ruins were steeped in darkness. Gourry and I held our breath, searching for any sign of movement. Dim light radiated from the glowing magical orb over our heads as silent moment after silent moment passed. There came a shadowy flicker in the light. And then, after an instant that felt both all too short and dreadfully long... it appeared.

Gourry! I wanted to shout, but before I could, he turned to face the presence emerging from the wall.

“Hyah!” With a cry of effort, he took a great slash with his sword!

I could hear the hum of a collapsing vacuum as he cut through the thing coming out of the wall—the ghost. Greeeee! It let out an ear-splitting squeal as it disappeared in a puff of white mist.

“Did I... do it?” Gourry asked, keeping his fighting posture.

I nodded firmly in response.

“All rrright! I did it!” Gourry beamed, raising his sword triumphantly.

I stood there at something of a loss for how to react to Gourry’s revelry. I mean... it was just a ghost, man. Nothing that exciting.

“Seriously, cutting down one dang ghost isn’t anything to write home about,” I was still muttering to myself as we sat eating dinner in a small establishment.

“But I’ve never had a sword that could hurt ghosts before... so I think it’s pretty great, personally,” Gourry responded lightly as he shoveled down some fried sardines.

I replied with a deep sigh, “What about the Sword of Light before, man?! Don’t tell me you forgot that already!”

“Why would I forget?” Gourry asked, completely unfazed.

Darn it...

The Sword of Light was one of the most legendary magic weapons known to man. It appeared in many a minstrel’s saga, and there wasn’t a sorcerer out there who hadn’t heard its name. Said incredible magic sword was formerly in the possession of Gourry Numbnuts here... but he’d lost it as the result of a particular series of events. So here we were, off on a long, meandering journey to find him a replacement magic sword.

Now, you might be thinking, “What, can’t he make do with a normal sword?” And if so, the joke’s on you, buddy. There are baddies in this world that a regular ol’ sword can’t even scratch—and I mean that literally. The weakest are your ghost-type creepies; the strongest are your pure demons. Now, if ghosts were our biggest worry, then sure, Gourry could just kick back while I dished out the old attack spell buffet. But demons? They required, let’s say, a more layered approach.

In truth, we’d had to fight a demon recently, and I gotta say... Gourry with a mundane sword just hadn’t cut it. That whole encounter lit a fire under my ass about getting him a magic sword—any magic sword at all—so I’d picked up a stopgap at a magic shop in town the other day. Pretty much the only reason we’d taken the crummy banish-the-ghost-from-the-creepy-old-ruins-for-chump-change job was to give his new blade a test run.

“Okay, Gourry. Listen up,” I said, waving my fork around meaninglessly. “That sword can slay a ghost, true, but it’s still just a standard silver-plated blade inlaid with a couple of jeweled talismans. It ain’t gonna do squat against a sorcerer’s Flare Arrows, much less a pure demon. Also, this might go without saying, but it will break if you put enough force into it.”

“Aha...” Gourry paused in his eating and stared keenly at the sword leaning against the table. He then grumbled, “So it’s cheap.”

“It’s cheap, huh?! Just who do you think paid for that thing?! I mean, sure, as magic swords go, it is more on the budget-friendly side... But it was still ten times more expensive than any normal sword!”

“Oh, so it’s expensive?”

“Yes! So be careful with it, okay? You should probably treat it mostly like you would a normal sword. Got it?”

Gourry just hummed and scratched his head in confusion.

“For your information... if you’re about to say ‘I wasn’t listening’ or ‘I was listening but I already forgot what you said,’ I’m gonna lay you out flat, so don’t even think about it.”

“No, I was listening, and I remember what you said. It can’t cut through magic or demons, and it’ll break if I’m too rough with it, right?”

Wow! The big lug actually listened for once! “Then what’s with the hemming and hawing?”

“Well... I can remember all that now. I’m just wondering if I’ll still remember when it comes time to use it.”

“Don’t be so self-defeating! Make a commitment to remember!” I shouted, skewering some chicken teriyaki, which I immediately shoved into my mouth and gulped down. “That sword is gonna have to last you until we find a better one, so freaking be careful with it already!”

“R-Right...” Gourry nodded firmly, perhaps too cowed to argue, as he snagged a fried shrimp with the fork in his other hand.

Don’t accuse me of nagging, okay? That thing cost me a fortune! Even at the cheapest price possible as a secondhand article, a sword with talismans means a through-the-nose surcharge.

“But Lina, do you really think we’re going to find a powerful magic sword? We’ve been searching for a few months now, and all the rumors we hear turn out to be frauds and fakes.”

“I admit finding one won’t be easy, but we’ll do it someday. I believe it. There’s always a chance,” I said, echoing wisdom a golden dragon elder had once shared with me. I followed up with a sip of hot black tea to wash down my meal.

Later that night, I was awoken—Thump—by some kind of sound.

Hmm? I listened hard for a while, still lying in bed in my room at the inn. Nothing reached my ears but the rustle of the wind and insects buzzing outside my window.

Just my imagination? I wondered. But then...

Thump. Whomp-omp!

This time, I could clearly hear the noise coming from the next room—Gourry’s. It didn’t sound like someone rolling out of bed either. It almost sounded like a scuffle...

Fwsh! I silently threw off my blanket, grabbed just my shortsword, and strode out of my room in my pajamas. I stood on guard outside of Gourry’s door.

“Gourry? What’s up?!” I called.

“Oh, hey, Lina. Got a visitor is all,” Gourry responded in his usual laid-back way.

A visitor?!

“Come on in,” he offered. “It’s open.”

Curious, I pushed the door inward. Gourry’s rather small room was illuminated by the dim orange glow of a single lamp, accompanied by the distinctive smell of burning animal fat. Gourry stood in the middle of the place... over an unfamiliar man who lay unconscious on the floor.

“Hiya, Lina,” Gourry said lightly, holding up a hand in greeting.

“What in the world...?” I nudged the head of the unconscious man with my sheathed sword. “Would this so-called ‘visitor’ actually be a burglar?”

“Hey, good guess!”

“It seems pretty obvious, given his current state...”

I took the opportunity to root through the guy’s pockets, find some rope, and tie his hands behind his back with it. He’d probably thought he’d be the one tying someone up tonight. Rotten luck that he’d chosen Gourry’s room to infiltrate... My dude had animal-like senses, so it would take more than your average intruder to break into his room undetected.

“There we go!” I said as I pulled the knot tight with gusto.

“Geh...” Just as I finished up, the man opened up his eyes with a groan. “Ah! Crap!”

Realizing the situation he was in, he instantly began to struggle. I’d tied him too tightly for that to work though (natch).

“You can’t wriggle your way out of this one, pal,” I informed him. “Give it a rest already.”

“Ngh!” The man glared at me but ceased his resistance.

“Now... how’s about we ask a few questions? What were you planning to steal out of this room?”

No answer. The man just gave me the silent treatment.

Why interrogate him instead of just taking him to the authorities, you ask? Ha! Amateurs! Cities rife with petty burglaries are frequently home to a fence operation or two. If I got him to point us to their home base, I could raid it and net myself a double- or triple-dip of profits.

“We’ve got a few other ways of making you talk, y’know,” I said, pressing the tip of my sheathed sword against him.

But the man, cool as a cucumber, replied, “You think I’m scared of a little girl in her pajamas?”

Oh, right... I was still in my pajamas. Not exactly my most intimidating moment, huh? Okay, then let’s try this!

“Not scared of a woman in pajamas, eh?”

“Nope.”

“In that case...” I pointed over at Gourry. “How’d you like being propositioned by a man in his pajamas?!”

“Whaaaaat?!” The man let out a scream, apparently appalled by the thought.

Gourry didn’t seem fond of the idea either, but I ignored his plaintive expression.

“D-Don’t tell me... he’s...” the man faltered with a fearful glance at Gourry. “He’s into that?!”

“You bet he is,” I responded unflinchingly.

“Hey...” Gourry finally spoke up, but I kept ignoring him.

“F-Fine! I’ll talk, I’ll talk! Just spare me, please!” This threat induced the man to struggle and cry.

Wait... did this guy have bad memories or something? Dang... But questions about his past aside, it looked like he was willing to talk now.

“First, why come after us? And don’t try to tell me it was a coincidence, okay?” I pressed.

“Yeeeeek! I won’t, I won’t!” The man shot another uneasy glance at Gourry. “I... I overheard you... in the restaurant... You were saying you had a magic sword, yeah? I thought I could sell it for some good money.”

“I see... So you know someone who’s paying top coin for magic swords, eh?”

“W-Well... sort of, I think...” the man responded vaguely.

“And? Who is it?”

The man sank into silence for a moment before imploring, “I can tell you, but... do me a favor in exchange. Please?”

“What kind of favor?”

“If I tell you, I’ll be selling out my partners. That means I’m basically dead to them. In fact, I could end up literally dead... If I get arrested and there’s suddenly a crackdown, they’ll know I sold them out. So please... I’ll tell you, but in exchange, don’t turn me over to the authorities, okay?”

“So you want us to let you go?”

“W-Well... that’s one way to put it, yes... Oh, I know! If you let me go, I’ll give you all the money I have!” he whispered weakly, watching for my reaction.

Hmm... I wasn’t a fan of letting criminals loose out of the goodness of my heart. Still, I didn’t want to flat-out say no and have him get cold feet about spilling the beans. Wait, I know!

“Fine. I’ll think about it,” I compromised.

“You mean it?!”

“Hey now!” Gourry objected. (I was still ignoring him, of course.)

“Well? Who’s your connection?” I asked, encouraging the would-be burglar to continue.

“So, there’s a guy I know who’s always hurting for money. Then recently, out of nowhere, he buys us all a round of drinks. I ask him what’s up, and he says he happened to get his hands on a magical sword, which he then sold to a certain buyer who filled his purse for the favor.”

“A certain buyer?”

“Yeah... You know Solaria, a little ways to the west?”

“Sure. It’s the largest city in the area.” I didn’t know too much about it, but I’d at least heard its name.

“It’s a pretty big castle town, and the castle at the center belongs to the local lord, Lord Langmeier.”

“This is gonna take a while, huh?” I said dryly.

“No, I’m almost done,” the man insisted, shaking his head hastily. “He said that Lord Langmeier will pay a premium for magic swords.”

“The lord himself is making the offer?”

“Apparently. It’s what my friend said, anyway... See? That didn’t take long at all, did it?!”

Hmm... It had the ring of plausibility, at least. People who collected swords were typically either filthy rich or filthy thieves. Local lords, generals, and people with great political power were particularly inclined to the hobby. And if someone like that was the one hoarding magic swords ’round here, I couldn’t just waltz in and use my standard smack-’em-around-and-take-the-loot trick. That’s how you end up a wanted woman, after all! I’d need a different plan.

“So... if you believe me, then please untie me!” the man begged.

I folded my arms and cocked my head. “Hmm... but if I let you get away, you might do the same thing to someone else, or you might come after us again. I’m gonna turn you in after all.”

“W-Wait, please!” The man’s face turned bright red. “You promised! You said you’d let me go!”

“You should’ve listened better,” I said, wagging my finger at him. “I said I’d think about it. So I did, and I’ve decided to turn you in after all!”

“Damn you! You tricked me!”

“Didn’t, tho!” I said with a big grin.

“You swindler! Devil! Hag! Bitch!” the man cried, glaring at me.

“You think childish insults like that are gonna hurt me? You’re just revealing your own ignorance.”

“Wh-What’d you say?! In that case... Child! Pipsqueak! Washboard!”

Grrrrr! Th-Those ones... did sting a little...

Still, if I socked him one, it’d be like admitting he’d won. The best thing to do at times like this is just grin and bear it. Keeping your cool always gets someone’s goat way better than any outburst. So I fought back the urge to start cooking up a Fireball, and said, calmly, “I commend your effort, but those are still lowbrow insults.”

“Urgh! Nrgh!” The man purpled and fell silent.

Ha! Got ’im. But just as I was basking in my victory...

“Fine.” The man gave me a strained smile. “If you want real trash talk, I’ll lay it on you. This is the worst insult in history. One I haven’t used since it ruined a lifelong friendship...”

“Yeah? Sounds interesting. Give it a try, then.”

“You’re...” he began, glaring up at me as I smirked. “You’re more disgusting than Lina Inverse!”

Snap!

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?!”

“See?! Ha! I got you mad!”

“Agh! Calm down, Lina! Please don’t use a Dragon Slave!”

The cries of the three of us—me, the burglar, and Gourry—echoed through the inn in the still of the night.

“Hmm... not much of a haul, was it?” I whispered with a sigh as I checked the money in the small leather pouch. We’d gotten it as a reward for handing the burglar over to the authorities.

Turned out the guy was a repeat offender, but he was only worth a mere five silvers. I mean, sure, he wasn’t an especially pernicious criminal—and I’d come to expect stinginess from the local authorities by now—but still, five silvers?

“This just confirms it’s way more profitable to bully bandits and loot their bases like a normal person,” I muttered as we walked on.

“But it’s better than nothing, right?”

“Well... I guess. Anyhoo! Off to Solaria City to bust up a local lord and swipe a magic sword or three!”

“W-Wait a minute, Lina!” Gourry said, quickly dousing my excitement.

“What?”

“What do you mean, what? You can’t do that! He’s a lord, remember? If you blast him and steal his treasure, we’ll end up on wanted posters for sure!”

“Hahhhhhhhh...” Gourry’s words drove me to an exhausted sigh. “Dude... you really think I’d be that reckless?”

“You really think I think you wouldn’t be that reckless? Er, I mean, never mind... Of course you wouldn’t! Please continue!” Perhaps noticing the rage building in my eyes, Gourry quickly withdrew his complaint.

“I don’t wanna end up on the lam for this either. I figured we’d do the diplomatic thing and make him an offer: ‘Give us a couple of magic swords and we won’t tell the king that you’re buying stolen goods!’”

“You call that diplomacy?”

“Where I’m from.”

“What the heck goes on where you’re from?”

“Never you mind! It’s also possible our burglar was lying to us, of course, so we should investigate before all else. In other words... on to Solaria City!”

The bigger a city gets, the more lively it becomes... and the more twisted. Solaria was a prime example of such ongoing distortion. I’m not saying it was unsafe or anything. I’m saying the place was laid out like a maze.

It was common enough for a castle town to be totally surrounded by defensive walls, and this one was no exception. Except when a city grows, its population and needs can quickly fill the place up and then some. So you end up building residences and facilities outside the wall. Then you have to build a new wall around those, and when that space fills up... rinse, repeat. This process had resulted in Solaria City becoming a disorderly mess of snaking walls cordoning off each of the various city blocks. It was easy to get disoriented if you hadn’t lived there all your life.

A hypothetical outsider, then, might find themselves walking toward the castle’s spires and suddenly find their path blocked by a wall. They might then decide to follow said wall until they happened upon a way through, but without knowing the shortest route there... they might end up wandering through city blocks in a completely hopeless detour.

Long story short, Gourry and I were lost.

“Hey, that inn we passed a while back...” Gourry piped up.

“What about it?” I replied sullenly as we soldiered on through the darkening city.

“I feel like we passed a place with the same name just now...”

“We did.”

Gourry considered my answer for a moment, then asked, “Is it a chain?”

“We’re lost, okay?! Dead lost!”

“Oh, okay!” Gourry clapped his hands in understanding. “That explains it.”

“S-Sure it does...” I muttered limply, having lost the will to yell.

We’d arrived in the city some time after noon, found an eatery for a light lunch, and then set out to find an inn nearer to the castle... but we still weren’t anywhere close.

“Couldn’t we have just asked for directions at the restaurant in the first place, Lina?”

“Sure... I just didn’t expect navigating the city to be quite this annoying...” I whispered in exhaustion as we continued our aimless wandering.

The smells of dinner began to drift from the houses around us. I caught a whiff of vegetables in broth—probably stew. Then there was the heavenly aroma of fatty fish frying from the nearest house. The irresistible smell of seared meat emanated from a few other residences as well.

I’m so hungry...

I stopped, let out a deep sigh, and said, “I guess we’ll just call it a night at the closest inn and try again in force tomorrow.”

“Yeah. That’s a good idea. Uh-huh,” Gourry said in immediate, thought-free agreement.

The sky above the city was already turning indigo.

“Wow, there sure are a lot of big buildings around here,” I remarked as we wandered the blocks encircling the castle.

It was the next day now. We’d stayed the night at an inn and asked the old innkeeper for directions before setting out again.

In terms of scale, Lord Langmeier’s castle was neither especially large nor especially small. Its architecture wasn’t anything remarkable either. It was made of light gray stone, and its decorations were perfectly modest. To be frank, it was pretty much your archetypal castle. But there was one point of interest: the various facilities around the castle.

As a city grew, its central district usually came to replace ordinary residences with government offices and temples. But the sheer quantity of newly built structures in the heart of Solaria seemed mighty fishy to my eye. At a glance, they looked normal enough... except they were all walled off for some reason, with guards posted at all times. Any attempted visitors got turned away on obvious pretexts. According to the innkeeper, quite a few of these had popped up recently.

“Say, Lina, what are we supposed to learn by walking around like this?”

“Nothing,” I responded.

“C’mon...” Gourry whined, his primary objection seeming to be to all the walking.

“But we can do plenty of speculating.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you see all these places? What the innkeep described as ‘unusual buildings built to look usual’? All these well guarded, walled-off structures?”

“Matter of fact, I did notice a whole lot of stone-faced types around ’em...”

“Right? They’re probably all military facilities.”

“Military?!”

“Hush! Keep your voice down! You don’t know who might be listening!”

“O-Okay... But what exactly are you getting at?”

“Military facilities springing up, plus rumors that the lord’s buying up magic swords... Makes you think someone’s getting ready for war, doesn’t it?”

Gourry gasped and fell silent in shock.

“These are all signs of someone preparing for a fight. But I doubt a lone lord would attack another country out of nowhere. It’s far more likely that this is a domestic affair... In other words, he’s going after the king.”

“I see... So it’s insurrection.”

“I’ll admit there are plenty of other explanations. Maybe they’re researching new weapons, or selling them to other countries...”

“B-But... doesn’t that mean your plan to steal a sword is pretty dangerous?”

“Yeah. Probably.”

Going up to someone plotting a rebellion and blackmailing them for buying stolen goods was basically like asking to be permanently silenced. Of course, Gourry and I weren’t just gonna just sit back and let that happen, but there was no need to push our luck.

“But on the other hand... if we can find proof of insurrection and report it to the king, he might give us a magic sword as a reward!”

“You’re a nasty lady, you know that?”

“What are you talking about? An insurrection would put lots of innocent people in danger! And we’d deserve a reward for saving them all! Or are you saying we should just sit on our hands when we know a rebellion is brewing?”

“Oh... Well, when you put it that way...”

“See? So we’d better hurry! Let’s sneak into one of these babies tonight and find us some proof!”

The only sound in town that night was the wind. If there were bars nearby, we would have been able to hear their raucous din, but they were absent here in the city center. Street lamps aglow with Lighting spells stood here and there, offering halfhearted illumination against the oppressive darkness.

When the half-moon above dipped behind the clouds, everything apart from the city lights was drenched in black. And blending into that blackness...

Gourry and I darted down the road, heading for a building we’d scouted out earlier. We were hiding our faces with black masks and headwraps in case anybody spotted us, and we had swapped our usual outfits for nondescript dark clothing.

Our target was the facility that had seemed to have the strictest security during the day. It looked like an ordinary temple on the outside, but the high wall around it and the security at the gate even at this hour told a different tale.

Why’d we choose this spot? It was obvious: the strict security was a sign of the building’s importance. I mean, what would be the point of breaking into an easier place if it didn’t have what we needed inside?

“Levitation!” I released a hushed incantation, and Gourry and I lifted off into the dark sky.

“Dang... Lots of guards, huh?” Gourry whispered, clinging to my collar.

The overhead view was pretty revealing. Inside the wall was a lone temple-like structure with a domed roof. It was surrounded by ornamental trees and stone garden pillars, behind which were countless guards keeping a vigilant eye on the lawn.

“Lina, look at all these guards. They’ll see us right away if we aren’t careful.”

“Yeah. I guess we’d better be careful then, huh? I’m taking us in, so zip your lips for a bit, capisce?”

I directed my spell to take us right over the building, then lower us down slowly onto the central roof. The guards were only watching the ground, after all. We should go completely unnoticed coming from above.

I pulled a thin rope from a bag I’d brought with me, tied it to the large stone idol at the apex of the dome, and used it to slide down. The rope was magically reinforced, of course. It appeared thin, but it was strong enough to hold a dragon... er, at least a small one.

When I hit the edge of the roof, I first confirmed that no guards were looking, then peered down below. I scanned left and right until I spotted what looked like a small door a little ways away. I signaled to Gourry with my eyes and then adjusted my position, still holding the rope. Once we were over the door, I observed the patrol patterns of the guards in the area, and...

Okay! Now! I judged my timing, hit the ground, and checked the door. There wasn’t just any lock on it... It seemed to be sealed shut with a Lock spell.

I began a quiet chant, then tapped the doorknob with my right index finger. “Unlock,” I incanted, unleashing a lockpicking spell I’d learned recently.

Clack. The sound from the knob suggested the spell had worked. I signaled to Gourry, who jumped off the roof after me. We then swiftly entered the building through our newly opened door.

“Dark in here,” I muttered softly enough that only Gourry could hear.

Even with the moon behind the clouds, we’d still had ambient starlight outside. But there wasn’t a single lamp on in here. It was as close to pitch black as you could get. Nevertheless, through the... atmosphere, let’s say, or the flow of the air around us... I could tell we were in a rather cavernous space. I didn’t sense anyone present other than Gourry.

“Seems kinda... empty,” he remarked.

“Can you make out anything, Gourry?”

“Kinda, yeah.”

Wow. He really does have exceptional eyesight... But while I was appreciating his eyes, my own were gradually growing accustomed to the darkness as well with the help of a faint moonbeam straying in through the stained glass window in the roof. The first thing I noticed was that, as I’d guessed, we were in a big, open room. The second point of note was rows of something boxy lined up before us.

“They’re just seats, I think,” Gourry said, gesturing toward one.

I walked up to touch one, and he was right. The rows of boxy shapes were wooden pews, like you’d find in any place of worship.

“Huh...”

We wandered around with hushed footsteps for a while, but in all respects, the place seemed like a run-of-the-mill church.

“Just an ordinary cathedral, huh?” Gourry observed for himself.

“By all appearances, sure. But remember there’s a wall around this building and a dozen guards outside. The door was also magically locked. You think they’d put security like that on an ordinary cathedral?”

“Maybe they’re paranoid.”

“Get real. You know how much a detail like that costs?”

“Then what’s going on here?”

“I suspect the real facility is down below. They designed it this way so that if anyone did manage to break in, they’d think it was just an ordinary cathedral. And even if someone figured out it wasn’t, they’d have a heck of a time finding a hidden door or switch in a room of this size.”

Let’s assume there’s a switch on one of the kneelers or the feet of one of the pews. It’d take long enough to find it in the daylight, but trying to uncover it now is nigh-on impossible...

And while I was thinking about that... Tug!

“Wugh?!”

Gourry had suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled. A second later...

Vwomm!

A bolt of light streaked past my head! It continued to sail through the darkness, then broke apart against the floor.

“Pretty sharp for a little rat,” echoed a hoarse, deep male voice from all around us.

“You’re pretty impressive yourself. I didn’t sense you at all,” Gourry responded.

I followed his eyeline to the stained glass panes... Aha! There was a person just in front of them—floating in the air. But just as I spotted him, he dropped down into the darkness below.

“He’s coming!” Gourry called.

“On it!”

We both drew our swords and stood at the ready. In that moment, I sensed movement in my peripheral vision.

Whoosh! I quickly whipped out of the way, but something grazed by me—probably a throwing knife of some kind.

This wasn’t a great position to be in. Our opponent didn’t seem to have any trouble in the dark, which put me, at least, at a severe disadvantage. That being the case...

I chanted a quiet spell and incanted, “Lighting!”

This produced a reduced-luminosity ball of magical light, which I threw over my head. It was dim, but it flooded the room with just enough light to see by if your eyes were already adjusted. Now that the enemy knew we were here, there was no point in playing around in the dark. I was hoping this might distract my opponent while allowing me to see what was going on.

My light illuminated white walls and a long row of wooden pews... with a dark figure amongst them.

“Huh?!”

He looked familiar to me... at least, his clothes did. He was dressed in all black, with even his face covered so that only two eyes were peeking out from the cloth. It was an archetypal assassin getup... but there was something about this guy that seemed different from your typical assassin.

Gourry and I had tangled with a mysterious gang of thugs in the city of Bezeld over a magic sword, and their members had dressed the same way. But right now, I was less concerned about this guy’s identity and more concerned about how to get out of here!

“Let’s beat it!” I shouted.

We turned our backs on the man, who was currently hunched over to shield his eyes, and made a beeline for the door we’d come in through. But...

“You won’t escape!” Another man in black leaped out from the pews to block our way!

There’s more of them?! This new figure threw knives our way!

“That’s nothing!” Gourry shouted as he stepped forward with a sweep of his sword. Clink! Shing! He knocked the knives right out of the air.

Perhaps realizing knives wouldn’t work anymore, the man drew his sword instead.

Don’t forget I’m here too, okay?! I waited for the man in black to get close, and then...

“Dam Blas!” I unleashed my spell at very close range. No way could he dodge this one! Except...

Crash! He swept his left hand at my sure-kill spell, effortlessly dispersing it!

Impossible! Dam Blas wasn’t the kind of spell you could just bat away with your bare hands! The darn thing could smash through a wall! I hadn’t detected any signs of the guy chanting a defensive spell either...

“Hah!” Gourry shouted, as if to rip me from my thoughts.

Shing! Sparks flew as his sword collided with the man in black’s. At the same time, I felt a hostile presence rise up behind me.

I didn’t even have to turn back. The man I’d distracted with my Lighting spell had recovered and was charging at me from the rear. But if he threw a knife at me and I dodged, it would hit Gourry! Which meant...

“Hwaaah!” With a cry, I took a flying leap and landed on Gourry’s back!

“Bwuh?!”

“What?!”

Both Gourry and the man in black he was fighting let out startled cries. My sudden appearance in the fray had thrown them both off balance, sending all three of us tumbling to the floor. As we fell, I felt something rush over my head.

Hah! Dodged it!

“Hey, Lina, watch it!”

“Please save any and all complaints for later!”

Grabbing Gourry’s hand as he stood up, I dashed through the door.

Wham! The dark of night greeted us outside, right along with the rallying guards. They’d be tough to break through—but the sky overhead was wide open!

“Lei Wing!” Holding on tight to Gourry’s hand, I used an amplified high-speed flight spell to take off into the air. We sailed over the guards’ heads, over the wall, and out into the city.

“Hey! Lina!”

I’d been flying for a while when Gourry called out to me. We were some ways away from the temple now.

“What?!” I called back.

“We’re not going back to the inn, are we?”

“Where else are we supposed to go?!”

“Don’t do it! They’re following us!”

“What?!”

I quickly looked behind us. I couldn’t see much between the distortion from my wind barrier and the darkness. Thinking about it, we were currently streaking over the city roofs with an enhanced Lei Wing. They shouldn’t be able to follow us... Key word being shouldn’t.

“Are you serious, Gourry?!”

“I’m sure of it! I can’t see them, but I feel two presences following us!”

Gourry had the instincts of a wild animal, so if they were telling him someone was there, then I wasn’t gonna doubt it. Two presences suggested it was probably the guys in black from before... meaning Gourry was right and it wouldn’t be safe to head right back to our inn.

I changed course and took us down into a relatively dense cluster of buildings, dismissing the spell as we landed. All was silent. There was no sign of pursuit. But I could feel a tension in the ostensibly calm night air. Someone was there, concealing their presence, in the dark.

“Lina!”

Vm! I heard something tearing through the air behind us just as Gourry tried to warn me about it. Fwsh! I quickly moved to dodge, but the small flying object ripped my mask off! A throwing knife?!

“Guh!”

I turned to run, but a figure emerged from the black. As I thought... it was one of them! My torn mask fell to the ground, exposing my face to the moonlight.

“Oho...” he hummed as he caught sight of me.

“Guess there really is something in that building,” I said, hoping to bait him.

“We just came by to finish off some illegal intruders,” came another voice from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the second man in black come out from around a building.

I’m surrounded... “Gourry, cut us a way through. We’re getting out of here,” I whispered, standing back-to-back with him.

“We’re not fighting?”

“I don’t want to make trouble in the city. Not yet.” I could easily bust out a big spell that would cause enough of a commotion to let us escape... But if I was too reckless in my escalation, any ensuing chaos would technically be on my head.

“I don’t quite get it, but fine! Let’s go!” Gourry agreed, charging at the man in front of him!

The man started in surprise, and I took the opportunity to follow after Gourry. He and the man in black drew their weapons at the same time! Clash! Sword met sword, and sparks scattered in the night.

Gourry slid his blade along his opponent’s to throw it off course, then slipped past the man and dashed off. Our black-clad buddy briefly seemed uncertain about whether to pursue Gourry or meet my charge, though he ultimately turned his sword, glinting in the moonlight, on me. Too bad for him...

“Lei Wing!” The wind barrier created by my Lei Wing, activated at close range, blasted both the dude and his blade away! I then caught up with Gourry and dismissed the spell. We kept running together as I chanted my next one.

After fleeing down the main avenue and cutting onto a side street, we kept turning wherever we could. Keeping too straight would get us throwing knives in the back for our trouble. Continually snaking our course would help confuse our pursuers too. Of course, if they could keep up with my boosted Lei Wing, I kind of doubted that a few corners would be all it took to lose them...

As we ran, I spotted a narrow alleyway, gestured, and had Gourry enter ahead of me. Before long, the men in black appeared behind us! They were probably going to use more knives. It would be hard to dodge them like this, but I waited for the men to stop as they made to throw and...

“Diem Wind!” I took that brief opportunity to unleash the amplified wind spell I’d chanted!

Vroosh! The gust rushing down the alley roared into a full-on squall that blew back the men in black!

“Okay! Now book it!”

I sped up and encouraged Gourry to do the same. I’d sent our pursuers flying, but they’d be back on our tails again soon enough. We didn’t have a moment to lose. Eventually, Gourry and I made it out of the alley and...

“Geh!” I let out a short groan as I came to a stop. There was a long wall stretching out in front of us.

Yup. It was one of the walls between city blocks. We couldn’t turn back now, and if we ran along the wall, we wouldn’t have any place to hide. That meant our only option was going up and over! I swiftly chanted my next spell, and...

“Lina!” Gourry shouted, pushing me before I could finish!

Bwoosh! After came a howl of wind. An unseen force shot out from the alley and crashed into the wall ahead of us—probably a pressure blast from some kind of spell. Shortly after, the two figures reappeared. I was shocked they’d caught up already.

Two of us and two men in black... The four of us squared off once more.

“You can’t escape us,” one of the men said lightly, without any sense of boasting.

I didn’t doubt him. They clearly weren’t going to let us go without a fight, and they knew the terrain much better than we did.

Guess we’ll just have to throw down after all. But as that thought entered my mind...

“What’s all this ruckus in the middle of the night?” came a new voice from atop the wall.

I looked up and saw a figure standing stoically against the backdrop of the night. It sounded like a man, but his face was hidden behind a cloth wrap. He didn’t seem to be with the guys in black, but he was definitely a similar level of sketchy.

“Who are you?!” one of the men in black demanded.

“Don’t make so much noise. You’ll wake the neighbors... is all I’ll say for now,” the masked man atop the wall replied calmly.

“Are you with them?!” the man in black barked back.

“Certainly not, but—”

“Then keep your nose out of this! We’re trying to arrest ruffians who infiltrated a local facility!” he now shouted shakily, perhaps a bit rattled by the interference of this unknown third party.

Meanwhile, the masked man just snorted in amusement. “Ruffians? You look far ‘rougher’ than they do, to my eyes. Not that I’m one to talk... But at the least, it’s obvious from your dress that you’re not agents of the law authorized to make arrests.”

The guys in black fell silent for a moment, then... Whoosh! One of them threw something. The masked man on the wall made a motion with his hand, and the next instant, a small knife appeared in it.

“What?!” the man in black shouted in shock.

I was guessing he’d thrown the knife, which the masked man had then caught. Pulling that off in the dark took some pretty serious chops!

“I see. You’ve made things quite clear.” The masked man tossed the knife aside. “You are the ruffians in this situation, which means I cannot let you go. I suppose a flashy battle here and now would cause a commotion... Rumors of it are sure to spread to other cities. Though that won’t particularly bother me...”

“Ngh!”

I wasn’t quite sure what the masked man was hinting at, but the men in black seemed distinctly shaken by the threat.

“Then... shall we?” the masked man proposed, beginning a chant.

“Let’s get out of here,” one of the men in black whispered forthwith. They then both leaped back and disappeared down the alley they’d emerged from.

“That... That seemed a little too easy,” muttered Gourry.

“Y-Yeah. Speaking of...” After watching the men flee, I turned my eyes back to the top of the wall... only to find the masked man was already gone.

“Say... is it okay for us to just sit back like this?” Gourry asked quietly the next morning. Upon our table on the first floor of the tavern was a full spread of breakfast platters, which we were steadily making our way through. “Won’t those guys be looking for us?”

“They might be, but to be honest... I’m not sure,” I admitted, taking a bite of bacon and lettuce salad. “If the men in black are connected to the local lord, I figure they’ll definitely show up again. They could make up any pretext they wanted to arrest us. But we now know that, for some reason, they don’t want a big stink made out of this. And it’s not like our break-in yielded anything incriminating. So rather than hunting us down and escalating things, they might have decided it’s best to leave well enough alone.”

I hadn’t noticed any increased activity among the town guard since last night either, which implied someone was willing to let sleeping dogs lie. Nevertheless...

“I agree that the safest course would be to leave the city,” I conceded. “But after all that, I’m all the more eager to find out what’s going on. That masked man yesterday seemed to know something.”

“Oh, him? He did seem pretty capable. And judging from his voice, he seemed on the older side...” Gourry said, taking a bite out of a croissant sandwiched around not-too-sweet whipped cream.

I paused my breakfasting, swaying my fork between my fingers. “So the real question is... are these the same black cloaks we fought before?”

“When?”

“You know, for the sword in Bezeld? When we teamed up with that weird couple, Luke and Mileena? And battled that big thing with the insta-regeneration?”

“Oh, right. I think I sorta remember that!”

“Remember the guys in black that kept hassling us? Let’s just say they share a tailor with the guys we met in the temple.”

“Which means...”

“Yup.” I nodded firmly at Gourry. “The ruthless sword-hunters might be based outta here. Or maybe it’s this Lord Langmeier guy himself who’s behind the whole deal. Either way,” I slammed my fork into a thick slice of ham and whispered, “this is gonna be trouble.”

Hrk! Gourry’s face froze over. “I think it might already be trouble,” he said, pointing behind me... at the front entrance to the tavern.

“Hmm?” I turned around, brow furrowed, and...

Hrrrrrk! I immediately realized the cause of his expression. Standing at the entrance were two city guards. They glanced at the paper they were holding, then glanced back at me.

Hang on! So they did decide to arrest us?!

The two guards marched right up to our table. Gourry and I clamored to our feet, ready for action... but the two guards suddenly came to attention. “Pardon me. Would you be Mistress Lina Inverse, by chance?” one asked.

For a second, I considered telling him he had the wrong gal, but the paper he was carrying clearly either had my defining features listed or my likeness drawn on it. I wasn’t going to be able to fib my way around that, and if they looked at the inn’s logbook, the jig would be up anyway.

“I am,” I answered warily.

The two guards quickly bowed. “We serve Langmeier, lord of this city!” one proclaimed with booming formality. “His regent has requested your esteemed company for dinner.”

“Huh?” Gourry and I gawked in unison.

“Say... what exactly is going on here?” Gourry asked as we strode the sunset-soaked avenue toward the castle that evening.

“Dunno,” I responded bluntly. Of all the things I’d been expecting, an invitation to dinner wasn’t high on the list. “There’re a lot of possibilities. First, it’s total coincidence. Maybe the regent just happens to know who I am, just happened to hear I was in town, and just happened to be looking for me today...”

“Seems unlikely.”

“Agreed. Another possibility is there are multiple factions at play here, and that the men in black and the regent are on opposite sides. Thus, the regent is reaching out to get our help putting down the men in black.”

“Got it.”

“And last but not least... there’s a possibility that the regent is in cahoots with the men in black, and this invitation is a trap.”

“That does seem to be the most likely suspect, yeah.”

“Right? I agree.”

“Um... Then why are we going?”

“Because!”

Wham! My flippant reply sent Gourry into a pratfall. “You took his invitation just ‘because’?! You just said that it could be a trap!”

“Okay, well, let’s say I turned the regent down. If he really is fighting the men in black, we’d be leaving him high and dry.”

“Well... I guess.”

“Conversely, if they’re in cahoots and I turned him down, do you really think he’d just be like, ‘Oh, okay, no problem,’ and leave us alone forever?”

“Well... of course not, but...”

“Right? So either way, if we want to get the lay of the land, our best plan of attack is to accept the invitation. If it’s a trap, then it’s a trap, and we can bust through it when it springs!”

“That seems pretty reckless... though I guess that’s nothing new.”

“Live a little, man! And most importantly...”

“Most importantly?” Gourry asked.

I responded with a wink. “I just won’t be satisfied until I’ve solved the mystery, y’know?”

“You’re so weird...” My words brought a wince to Gourry’s face, and he plopped a hand on my head. “But that’s okay. I’ll stick by you a while longer, at least.”

“Thanks a bunch, self-proclaimed guardian man. Now...” I turned my eyes straight to the castle that was our destination. “Let’s get in there, Gourry!”

“Pardon the delay,” an elderly butler said with great formality as he arrived in the antechamber where we’d been waiting.

Following our earlier conversation, we’d marched boldly into the castle where we’d been received with a polite welcome. We were then shown to this small sitting room while dinner was prepared. No trouble thus far, at least, and no sign of hostility from the various servants who attended to us either. The waiting accommodations were actually pretty cushy, so we’d just been killing time until the butler arrived.

“Dinner is served. The regent awaits,” he announced.

Gourry and I shared a silent glance, then nodded. Shit was about to get real!

“Understood,” I responded as we stood up.

The butler then showed us through the door and down a long hall to follow. “Right this way,” he finally said, coming to a stop in front of a door.

Okay... time to find out what we’re dealing with here.

“You may enter,” he encouraged, opening the door to reveal...

“Huh?!” Gourry and I both halted in our tracks.

Inside the room was a long table covered in a white cloth and silver candlesticks. Magical lights blazed in sconces on the wall. And at the head of it all was a young man. He was probably a little over twenty, and was dressed in white in a fashion that could be called either “classy” or “pretentious” depending on your predilections. Either way, it made for a striking contrast to his fiery red hair. There was a beaming smile on his handsome face.

I presumed he was the lord’s regent... But he wasn’t the reason Gourry and I were so surprised. That honor belonged to the two bodyguards standing behind him—a raven-haired man and a silver-haired woman. There was no chance of mistaken identity. This was the odd couple we’d teamed up with to fight men in black before, Luke and Mileena!