Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ash Nocture, although only a few know me by that name, and by "a few" I mean those who are already in their graves. Much more often, I am called "Shadow Wolf".
It is a codename I use within the largest secret organization in the world, one that spans the entire globe, known as "Dark Dawn".
I am fully aware that both names, "Shadow Wolf" and "Dark Dawn", are as cringeworthy as they get, but what else would you expect from barely teenage kids who wanted to play at running a secret organization?
You are probably asking yourselves something right now. First I said that Dark Dawn is the largest secret organization in the world, and a moment later I mention that its name was invented by a bunch of teenagers. These two things do not actually contradict each other. Dark Dawn grew from a childish game into a massive organization. Of course, I never would have expected that. My friends, who are no longer in this world, never would have expected it either.
But that was just a side note. Let us move on to more important matters. I am bored, and I am sick of certain brutes who hold positions in the organization similar to mine.
Dark Dawn has ten leaders, and I am one of them. Theoretically, I am responsible for the most things: military strength, finances, connections with the big players of the world, and much more. But that is only in theory. I know perfectly well that my position within the organization has been weakening over time, and it is all because of the greed of those brutes and assholes I work with. They do everything for profit, as if they had no better ideas for life. Because of this, Dark Dawn is falling apart, and I cannot do anything about it, because, surprise surprise, it is a secret organization where the identities of all leaders are unknown. Ta da. Is that not wonderful? I do not even know who is at the head of my own organization.
If you are wondering how it all came to this, let me remind you of one thing: it all started as a childish game. How were we supposed to know it would turn into something so serious? If I had known, I would definitely have handled things differently instead of not giving a damn about everything.
Ahh, but I keep rambling. Let us shorten this to one sentence. Because of the current situation, I am joining Light Dusk (yes, very creative name), an organization that stands in opposition to Dark Dawn, in order to wipe out those assholes and take all the power for myself. Naturally, incognito.
*****
I got into Light Dusk fairly easily. If anyone thought it would be otherwise, I have to correct them. I am a very influential person, even if my power has been steadily declining over time, so I have a few spies within Light Dusk. I told them that a new spy named Ash Nocture was supposed to join, and they did all the work for me. Of course, none of them has any idea that I am their boss.
I also have the feeling that even if they ever find out, they will try with all their might to erase that fact from their minds. And that is because…
"Hey, newbie."
A large man stood casually, leaning against the wall.
"Remember how you're supposed to behave, right? If anyone has even the slightest doubt that you're a spy, I'll be the first to cut your head off and shut your mouth forever. Got it?"
To finish my thought, that is because they treat me like a doormat. The tone they used left no doubt that in their hierarchy I was someone meant to carry out orders, with no right to my own opinion.
If they ever found out that I was their boss, they would probably prefer to commit suicide rather than wait for the punishment I would give them. After all, I am known for rather harsh penalties…
Still, I will not lie. It has been a long time since anyone treated me like this. Memories from the old days are coming back, so it does not even bother me. I will let them talk to me like this until they cross the physical line. As long as it is limited to words and looks, I see no reason to react. Otherwise, they will not live long. I do not even feel sorry that I would lose a few spies. They are the worst of the worst anyway. Those who truly deserve praise for their skills are in much higher positions, and the lower ones have no idea they even exist.
In other words, only weak spies know about other spies. The better ones are hidden from everyone except me and my most trusted informants. As the saying goes, the higher someone stands, the fewer traces they leave behind.
Anyway…
"I understand everything. I hope to learn a lot from you!"
I said it like an eager rookie full of enthusiasm for work. A smile, straight posture, and a bit of exaggerated politeness are usually enough, especially with idiots like these.
I have always been fairly good at acting, so I am sure it will come in handy now. For the time being, I should look like a motivated newcomer, full of hope for the future.
"When we're alone, you call me your boss. Got it? You're supposed to listen to me. I have more experience and I know what I'm doing."
"I understand, um… boss!"
Is he an idiot? Call you boss? Do you have any idea how much suspicion that could raise if someone overheard us? Do you even know what a spy's job is? It does not matter whether you think no one is watching you. You can never be sure. What a complete amateur. You are lucky that unlike you, I am more careful and made sure no one heard us. My opinion of him drops with every passing day.
"Alright, go do your job. I'll send someone for you when I need you."
"Yes, sir!"
I turned around and headed to my workplace. The room was not small, but it was cramped with desks arranged in neat rows, as if someone deliberately wanted to squeeze as many people in there as possible.
My job was mostly paperwork. Many reports about alleged Dark Dawn activity come to me, and I have to choose which ones to investigate further and which to discard. The reports differed in details, but at their core they all sounded the same. Most of them ended up in the trash after a few seconds of reading. And just so it is clear, thousands of these reports come in every day. Together with other employees, we sit here from morning till evening, checking often stupid and boring reports.
"Hey, listen to this!"
It was Hiro, a young man, twenty two years old, my "coworker" sitting at the desk next to mine. I tried not to be a loner and talked to my coworkers. To them, I am probably already a good friend, but to me it is just a cover. Smiles and short conversations are purely part of the act.
I turned to Hiro and listened to what he had to say.
"Someone here is completely paranoid. He writes: 'Lately I feel like I'm being watched all the time. Everywhere I go. I hear the sound of the wind and feel like pairs of eyes are looking at me from all sides. Someone is watching me, it has to be DD! They want to get their hands on my paintings! On my amazing paintings. They are watching me, planning how to kidnap me. How to use me and force me to paint. Because I'm great at painting. My paintings are valuable! And they want to take them! They are watching, watching, watching! I can't sleep, I can't eat, and worst of all, my hands are shaking so much I can't paint! My paintings are valuable! And I can't paint! It's DD, it's DD, it has to be DD! They want to kidnap me!' The guy seriously lost his mind."
"I almost feel sorry for him," Anne replied, another coworker.
Various opinions followed. Comments mixed together, from jokes to half whispered sympathy. As for me… I was the only one who thought this might actually be a real situation, though not necessarily entirely. My subordinate, codenamed Kitty, can control cats and see and hear through them. Recently, she also said she had found a perfect artist who would be suitable as a forger. I am not certain that the forger she mentioned and the painter from the report are the same person, but it is very possible.
Either way, I have no intention of exposing my own subordinate. Besides, even if I told them now to pass this report on, no one would listen to me. So I waited in silence until everyone returned to work and did the same.
I grabbed another report and began to read:
"Recently, I overheard a conversation between my coworker. I work at a gemstone grinding facility, and lately fewer and fewer gems have been coming in for processing. People say that the world's supply is simply running out, but from the conversation I overheard, it seems to be something else. Apparently, mined gems are being transported somewhere and hidden in order to raise their value. Could this be the work of DD?"
Hmm. That matches the information I received. One of the Dark Dawn leaders, White Raven, has become very wealthy recently, and he controls the largest number of gemstone mines.
This report is most likely true, and not only this one. If we managed to catch those workers from the grinding facility and interrogate them, we might uncover much more. Hm, I should report this.
I stood up from my desk and took the report with me. I went to the upper floor, where my supervisor works, but he was not at his desk.
"He took the rest of the day off," a woman passing by replied.
"Then where should I submit the report?"
"To the director. While you're at it, take these other documents with you."
She grabbed a large stack of papers and handed them to me.
"Sure, since I'm going there anyway."
"Thanks."
She walked away toward the staircase. I went in the opposite direction, to the director's office. It did not bother me that I had more work to do, quite the opposite. For years, I did almost the same thing every day, so now it feels like breathing fresh air.
I knocked on the door, and a stern male voice came from inside.
"Come in."
I grabbed the handle and opened the door.
The office was clearly larger than the other rooms in the building, and the heavy desk immediately drew attention.
"There's no supervisor, so I was told to bring these documents here."
I walked up and placed the stack of papers on his desk. The paper hit the surface with a quiet thud that sounded louder than it should have in the silence. Hm. I can control my facial expressions well, but I should also practice my body movements so they do not seem too confident.
I thought that after placing the documents I would return to my work, but the director's gaze made it clear that I would not be leaving so quickly.
After two seconds of staring, the director asked,
"Your name is Ash Nocture, correct?"
"Yes. I started working here not long ago."
"And in that rather short time, you have managed to attract quite a bit of attention."
"Have I?"
I faked surprise. I know very well that people talk about me, in a good way. My hearing is sharp enough that I can easily hear conversations through walls.
"Almost every report you brought to us turned out to be true, while the ones you discarded were false. Very few people have such a good eye and intuition as you do, which is why I am considering giving you a promotion."
"I am very grateful. May I ask what kind of promotion it would be?"
"What do you think about field work? I would recommend you to the team of analysts who carry out missions together with the knights. You do not have to worry about injury or exhaustion. No one attacks analysts, and physical work is minimal. You would receive information gathered by the knights and focus on analyzing it. The pay is also much higher. What do you think?"
He spoke calmly, as if presenting an obvious and safe offer.
But I know very well that these are not his true intentions. The man sitting in front of me, in a comfortable chair, is none other than a spy. This time, however, not mine. I am not sure which of the ten leaders he belongs to, but the fact that he is a spy has been confirmed by my trusted people. On top of that, many reports I submitted were never investigated, most likely because of him.
And the reason I am to be assigned elsewhere? Of course, to eliminate me. A promising newcomer is a threat to Dark Dawn. They could stage an attack in which I would "accidentally" be shot by an arrow or cut by a sword. In the reports, it would look like an unfortunate coincidence.
Either way, it suits me. An analyst's job will bring me much closer to my goal and allow me to act more actively, eliminating the remaining leaders.
I let a short silence fall before answering.
"That sounds good. Could I think about it and give you my answer tomorrow?"
"Of course."
After this short conversation, I returned to my boring work.
I sat down at my desk, but instead of immediately reading reports, a certain thought crossed my mind. These complete amateurs calling themselves spies know about me. Is it really wise to leave them like this? Sooner or later, it will come out that they are spies, and then they will expose me as well. It was only a matter of time.
I rested my elbows on the desk and reached for the report lying on top.
Good. Decision made. Tonight, they will all die.
*****
My apartment is located in a tenement building. The building is old, but well maintained, with thick walls and narrow stairwells. I chose a rather quiet and tidy area. It does cost a bit more than apartments in other parts of the city, but for me that is obviously not a problem. Money stopped being a limitation for me a long time ago.
By my standards, the apartment is not large. A bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, all connected by a hallway. There is not much space here for unnecessary items. About forty five square meters in total, which is roughly the size of the living room alone in my residence. Needless to say, I had to get used to living in such a small space.
But, like everything else, it was a kind of breath of fresh air. It did not bother me at all. I am becoming more and more aware of how monotonous my life really is.
Anyway, I do not have time to talk about my apartment. Night has fallen, so it is time to carry out my plan. I put on a black cloak and a mask covering my entire face. The material was light and did not restrict my movements.
I do not mind my victims finding out who I am, but I would prefer that no bystander sees me by accident.
I opened the window and, placing my foot on the sill, jumped up onto the roof covered with red tiles.
The night sky was filled with countless stars. The interiors of most buildings were drowned in darkness, which meant that most residents had already fallen asleep. Across the entire city, only a few street lamps gave off light, placed here and there. Their glow was weak and blurred, as if even it did not want to disturb the silence.
It had been a long time since I felt an atmosphere like this. A calm, beautiful night, and me, standing alone on a rooftop. The wind blew lightly, silently moving my black cloak.
It almost feels like a shame to ruin such a beautiful night with my murders.
Despite that, I moved on to executing the plan. My moment of admiration for the night came to an end. Jumping from roof to roof, I headed toward the place where one of my fellow spies supposedly lived.
It was an apartment on the third floor. The light was still on, which surprised me a little. At this hour, most people were already asleep. I secretly peeked through the window and saw a small… well, small by my standards. It was a medium sized living room.
My target, a man in his thirties who was not particularly liked by me or by other workers, was sitting in an armchair.
If you ask me whether he deserved to die, my answer is no. I do not recall him ever committing any truly serious offense. He was disliked mainly for his selfish behavior and constant nitpicking. It was enough to place a cup of coffee on the left side of a cabinet instead of the right for him to start an argument. From this short description, it is probably easy to imagine how irritating he could be.
Still, it was not a crime worthy of death.
But do I care about that? First of all, I am not killing him because I dislike him, but because he is a weak spy.
I watched what he was doing. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand, but from the window side I could not see what was on it. I saw him grinning, though it was hard to guess what his expression meant.
The night was warm, and the window was slightly open. Through that opening, I let thin, barely visible threads of Aetherium slip inside. Guided by my mana, they quietly spread toward the man. He did not even notice when they wrapped around his neck. They coiled around it three times and tightened slightly.
Eventually, he felt something and touched his neck. He had no idea what was happening and sensed no danger. At that moment, the threads tightened violently and pierced the skin. The severed head slid down his neck and fell onto the floor, while the rest of the body remained on the couch. Blood began to pour out in streams.
The first of the three murders was a success.
Using the threads, I opened the window and stepped inside. A deathly silence filled the room.
I was still curious about what he had been looking at. I picked up the sheet of paper, half soaked in blood, and looked at it.
Ugh… now I understand his smile. After all, it's a normal thing. A picture of a beautiful half naked woman. It is surprising he was still dressed. If I had been a little late, I would have walked in on a less pleasant scene.
Not wasting any more time here, I jumped onto the roof of the neighboring building and closed the window behind me in exactly the same state as I had found it. No one would notice that I had been inside… of course, if not for the dead body.
I have to say, it was quite exciting. Usually, I assign tasks like this to others. I should remember to leave my residence from time to time and do things myself. Acting on my own has something satisfying about it.
Silently jumping from roof to roof, I reached the next location. Just like with the previous apartment, the light in the window was on. I looked inside and experienced déjà vu. My target was sitting in an armchair, holding a piece of paper and staring at it. In the next moment, he reached his hand toward his crotch, unbuckling his belt.
No, no, no. I do not want to see that.
As fast as I could, I sent my threads inside, wrapped them around his neck, and pulled tight, severing his head from his body.
Phew… I made it in time. That was close. He did not manage to take his pants off. My expression probably looks disgusted right now.
I have just killed another man who, in my opinion, did not deserve to die. It is the same one who had to remind me of himself this morning. I had nothing against him, but what can you do when he could expose me in the future?
The most controversial murder will probably be the third one. At least for me.
The man whose apartment I am heading to now was helpful and kind. He introduced me to the job not only as a spy, but also as a regular worker. Unfortunately, you can sense his guilt from miles away. Good people do not make good spies.
I reached his apartment. The lights in all the rooms were off. I looked through the first window and saw a child's room, with the small figure of a sleeping child in the bed. He was breathing calmly.
I knew he had a wife, but I am only learning now that he also has a child, a son.
I moved to the other side of the building and looked through another window. This time, it was the parents' bedroom. My target was sleeping next to his wife.
I stopped for a moment and thought. I am not that much of a monster, right? That is why this time I wrapped the threads around his neck dozens of times before tightening them. As a result, his head was not severed. Instead, he began to suffocate.
His eyes suddenly opened, and terror appeared on his face. He tried to grab his neck, but I did not allow it, wrapping my threads around all his limbs and completely immobilizing him. He was defenseless.
He could not force out a cry for help. He could not reach out and wake his wife. In silence, with no way to be saved, he suffocated. After a few moments, his eyes stopped twitching, his body went still, and his attempts to free himself ceased.
To be safe, I did not loosen the threads for some time.
This way, your wife and son will not have to look at your severed head. Although I am sorry I did not give you a quicker death.
I released his body from the threads and left the district. I returned to my apartment, took a quick shower, and went to bed.
I must say, it all went very smoothly. That is exactly what I expected, but I was still waiting for some unexpected incident.
The day came to an end. Satisfied with today, I fell asleep.
*****
The next day, I returned to work as if nothing had happened, exactly the same as on any other day. For now, there were no signs that anyone knew about the deaths of the three coworkers. At least not yet.
I sat down at my station and started going through the reports. The director usually begins work an hour later, so I still have some time before going to him to accept the promotion.
In the morning, everyone was still half asleep and sluggish, so the room was quiet. Only the rustle of paper could be heard. That sound quickly turned into a monotonous background.
After less than half an hour, increasingly loud voices began to come from the corridor. The silence was broken. You could hear things like "really?", "but how did that happen?", "I feel so sorry for his wife and son", "who did it?" and similar phrases, full of shock, sympathy, and chaos.
So the death of my third victim had already come to light. More or less as I expected. It probably would not take long before they discovered that the other two, who had not shown up for work, were dead as well.
My closest coworkers, hearing the noise, grew curious and peeked out through the door.
"What's going on?" Hiro asked loudly.
Unlike me, normal people are not able to pick up words coming from behind walls, so they still had no idea what all the commotion was about.
"Do you remember Imada Frist? He works on the second floor. This morning, his wife found him dead in bed. Apparently there were marks of strangulation on his neck."
"What? Someone killed him while he was sleeping? And where was his wife at the time?"
"She was sleeping next to him and noticed nothing. They say the killer must have been highly trained, because just anyone could not have done this."
Their voices carried through the corridor, and every new comment deepened the sense of unease.
The conversations did not die down for at least several more minutes. They moved from simple expressions of sympathy and shock to all kinds of theories, about who the killer was and what their motive might have been, to what the victim might have done wrong, only to return again to sympathy and shock.
An hour passed since I started work today. I would rather settle things with the director before news about the other two victims reaches everyone. It would be a bit awkward to leave and receive a promotion while everyone is reliving the shock all over again.
I reached the upper floor and, without haste, knocked on the director's office door.
"Come in."
I heard the exact same voice as yesterday.
I entered and immediately announced,
"I came regarding the promotion."
"What is your decision?"
The director set aside the papers he had been reviewing moments before.
"I accept. Thank you very much for the opportunity."
"There is nothing to thank me for. It is all thanks to your analytical thinking. By tomorrow, everything will be prepared, and your new coworker will come for you."
"Should I prepare in any way for tomorrow?"
"There is no need. You will learn everything tomorrow."
"Thank you once again."
The conversation did not last long, so I returned to my workstation before any new information about the murders appeared.
Should I say something about my promotion now, or wait until the end of the day? I chose now. It would be most beneficial for me.
"Hiro," I said casually.
If I mention my promotion at this moment, the next wave of news about the murders should drown it out. That way, fewer people will pay attention to me.
"What is it?" replied the coworker sitting at the station next to mine.
"Yesterday I went to the director. I got a promotion."
"A promotion?" he replied in surprise. "You haven't even been working here for two months!"
A few people nearby lifted their heads from their papers, clearly interested in the conversation.
"I know, I was surprised too, but I just went to the director to accept it."
"So where are you transferring to?"
"Analytics. I don't know how I'll do, but the director said I might have a knack for it."
"At this pace, in a year you'll be standing next to Princess Raviel," he threw in half jokingly.
"Luck like this doesn't come often with such a fast promotion."
We both made faces as if this were an undeniable truth.
"We'll have to throw you some kind of party—"
Suddenly, Hiro stopped mid sentence. Another wave of commotion swept in from the corridor, much stronger than before.
"What happened this time?"
"Another murder?" I asked quietly, in an uncertain voice, even though I obviously knew the truth.
"Let's hope not…"
Hiro stood up again and opened the door leading to the corridor.
The scene was very similar to the previous one, but the shock was even greater. Words mixed with raised voices, and disbelief quickly gave way to fear. After all, this was already the second victim, and the method of killing, beheading, was far more brutal and grotesque.
Not even ten minutes passed before the noise still had not subsided, and information about the third murder also reached the ears of all employees. This time, no one even tried to stay calm.
There were even voices of panic: "Who will be next?", "Will something like this happen tomorrow too?" and similar questions. Well, a few days will pass without any victims, and that panic should fade.
In all this chaos, I found one positive thing. I did not have to work, because who in their right mind would work after the deaths of three coworkers were announced? So I listened to the conversations and sometimes even took part in them myself, saying things like "This is horrible", "I hope they catch the culprit", and other little lies. I quite enjoy it, and it does not seem to me that anyone has seen through my acting.
*****
"Sorry, I wanted to throw you a farewell party, but… you know, the atmosphere right now isn't really right…"
Hiro said as we were leaving the building together at the end of the workday. There was fatigue in his voice, but also caution, as if even after leaving work he did not want to speak too loudly.
"I know… I didn't expect the day of my promotion to look like this either. But maybe we can meet some other day."
Of course, by that I meant "never."
"Sure, see you tomorrow… no, wait, I might not even see you tomorrow. Then see you around! And take care, don't get killed during the night."
Under normal circumstances, I would have taken that as a poor joke.
"You too. See you."
I said goodbye and headed to my apartment.
It was about a kilometer on foot, so I gladly chose to walk instead of buying a carriage ride or getting on an omnibus. The road was paved with even stones, and every now and then there were small trees or flower decorations along the way. I had to admit, the area was nice and well maintained.
I entered my tenement building, went up to the third floor where my apartment was located, and went inside. I closed the door behind me, and for a brief moment, the apartment was silent.
Alright. Time for my real work.
I walked over to the corner of the room and lifted one of the floorboards. It was not attached to the rest of the floor at all, so it gave way easily. Beneath it was a flat compartment locked with a key. I pulled it out and took a small key from my pocket, one I always carried with me.
I inserted the key and turned it. When I opened the lid, six rectangular devices came into view, each with a rune engraved on it. Three of them were faintly glowing. The light was weak but clear, pulsing in a rhythm I knew well. I grabbed the first one and sent a small amount of my mana into it.
Less than a second passed before I heard a girl's voice, along with a rushing noise, as if its owner was running.
"Boss! Why did you take so long to respond? I started to worry!"
"I was busy. What happened?"
"Well, you meowmember that new spy you told me to place inside Light Dusk? I'm about ninety five percent sure he killed the remaining three spies last night. The idiot thought he could do it and I wouldn't notice! But I noticed! If he really wanted to get away with it, he should have faked his own death!"
Don't call me an idiot… Though I had to admit, if it weren't for who I am, what I did would have been unbelievably stupid.
"So I'm just meowforming you that I'm planning to interrogate him and kill him. I'm already on my way, actually. Well… 'on my way' might be a bit much. He should have returned to his apartment about two minutes ago, and I'll kill him in three, two—"
Huh? She's already here?
I quickly glanced toward the window and wanted to tell her to stop, but I didn't make it in time.
"—one!"
Along with her voice came the sound of shattering glass. It was sharp and immediately destroyed the last traces of calm in the apartment. The window in my living room was smashed, and through it a hooded figure burst inside.
Ugh. Sometimes having extremely competent subordinates is a disadvantage… especially when they act faster than you can stop them.