The crowd erupted at the general's remark, filling the banquet hall with a cacophony of cheers and rhythmic clapping. The general straightened his posture, his voice booming over the fading noise to claim the room once more. "At first light tomorrow, the scouting party will depart for No Man's Land. Once they return with the intelligence we require, we will strike the demons down." The room surged with fervor, the cheers growing louder and more frantic than before.
Amidst the celebration, Cassia's gaze remained locked on Duchess Marxia, just as Dexxos's focus never wavered from her. She knew she had drawn the God-Hammer's attention, but the realization left her unmoved. A predatory smile touched her lips, hidden behind her mask—the expression of a hunter who had finally marked her prey. The banquet concluded as dawn began to bleed across the horizon, signaling the arrival of the first light.
Cassia waited at the castle gates, leaning into a shadowed corner like a living stain against the stone. Three silvers and five footmen stood nearby, shifting restlessly in the morning chill. They were still waiting for three missing adventurers to arrive when the King and his entourage appeared to see the group off.
The General approached, accompanied by several noblemen and the advisor from the corridor. "Good morning, brave warriors," the General said, his eyes scanning the assembly. "Is everything in order for the departure?" "We are still waiting on three more," Cassia replied. Her tone was heavy with weariness and a thinly veiled reluctance, especially as she addressed the commander.
"We haven't heard from the other silvers, General," the silver-ranked mage added. "I'm not sure what the holdup is; the orders were clear last night that the operation starts at dawn." The King stepped forward, a flicker of concern on his face. "Is there a problem? Is the group prepared?"
Cassia met his gaze with cold, absolute confidence. "Worry not, my King. Even if we are short three people, I am more than enough for this task. What matters is that the cleric and one of the rangers are present. That is sufficient."
The King appeared heartened by her assurance, finding a strange sense of security in her words. "Wonderful. I trust your judgment then, Lady...?" "Ghast," Cassia answered simply. The King nodded with an appreciative smile. "Of course. Lady Ghast, I place my trust in you. Make Azmuth proud."
Cassia's left eye twitched slightly, a fleeting sign of the irritation she felt at the hollow praise. She suppressed the animosity rising in her chest and signaled for her small group to move out. The heavy gates groaned open, and the scouts stepped out into the misty morning, leaving the safety of the white walls behind.
Later that day, the capital's fragile peace was shattered when three adventurers were found brutally murdered in separate locations.
No leads remained; no one could discern the intent behind the killings or the identity of the one responsible who had struck in the heart of the city. The murders of the silver-rank adventurers cast a long shadow over the capital, raising grim doubts about the scouting mission's fate. With no suspects identified and no clues to follow, a creeping dread settled into the heart of the kingdom. Somewhere within the white walls, a killer was on the loose, invisible and untraceable, yet despite everything happening, life in the mortal realm continued.
Five days later, far from the stifling tension of Azmuth, the early morning sun bathed Natsu's farm in a peaceful, golden light. Death watched him work with a quiet, adoring joy, her gaze never straying from his rhythmic movements. Beside her, Anyael and Tanya sat on the cushioned bench near the animal pens, taking in a sight that defied all logic.
"This is just unreal," Tanya muttered, her voice trailing off. While Natsu's labor had become a familiar rhythm over the past few days, the scale of his assistance had shifted into the realm of the absurd. Countless shadow beings of every shape and size now swarmed the farm, performing their tasks with eerie, delicate accuracy.
Humanoid shadows had been transformed into meticulous farmers, tending to vegetable patches, plowing the earth, and managing complex irrigation channels. Shadow beasts trotted through the rows carrying heavy harvest baskets, while massive, towering entities knelt to carefully sow seeds and fertilize the soil.
At the center of the organized chaos, Natsu was patiently demonstrating the proper way to pull weeds to a squad of rigid shadow soldiers. The scene was a jarring blend of the heartwarming and the hilariously ironic. Tanya felt as though she were losing her grip on reality the longer she watched, her mind struggling to process the domesticity of an abyssal legion.
Anyael, however, only found herself falling deeper for Natsu's inconceivable nature. Natsu eventually turned toward them, catching the trio as they observed his handiwork. He offered them a small, boyish smile that sent a sudden heat through all three women.
Their cheeks flushed a deep rosy hue as their breath hitched in unison. Unfazed by his own charm, Natsu turned back to his soldiers, continuing his lecture on farming techniques as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Unbeknownst to the three women, Natsu was already moving his pieces across the board. His shadow wraiths watched as Ares and a group of vengeful gods formulated their plans, their divine schemes laid bare. The Kingdom of Azmuth ground its gears of war with full momentum, unaware that every rotation was being cataloged.
The wraiths tracked the recent turbulence in the capital, noting a particular figure currently making her way toward No Man's Land. All of this unfolded beneath Natsu's quiet facade as a simple farmer.
Late that afternoon, while Death and the sisters were tended to by Tara and her shadow maid sister, Natsu excused himself. Once he was clear of the cabin, he stepped into a shadow rift and vanished. He emerged in a secluded cave where a single crevice in the ceiling allowed a needle of light to pierce the gloom.
Two feminine figures approached him, bowing with practiced grace. "My lord," they greeted in unison. "How go the memory extraction efforts, Lunara? Veyron?" Natsu asked. Veyron stepped forward. "We have extracted every useful detail, my liege. This worm has nothing left to offer us."
The two moved aside to reveal the brutalized figure of the captain huddled behind them. A solitary ray of light illuminated his pitiful form as he whimpered a weak, repetitive "no... no... no..." He was a hollowed husk of the man he had once been.
"We have peered deep into his memories, my lord," Lunara said, her tone a blend of delight and clinical curiosity. "I must say, he is a wretched example of human hubris—utterly disgusting." She let out a soft giggle as she spoke.
"Sometimes you scare me, Lunara," Natsu replied, his voice tinged with amusement. "I didn't take you for a goddess with such a sharp tongue." "Former goddess, my lord," she corrected with another giggle. "Besides, I am grateful for what you did for me. I still have a grudge to settle, and it seems the opportunity has finally arrived."
Natsu offered a knowing smile and scratched the back of his head. He turned his gaze back to the shivering husk before them. "Now," he mused, "what should I do with you?"