Goldrift City, Knight Commander's office.

Knock* knock*

Esterosa is in the middle of sorting out some documents on her desk before she heard a knock on her office door.

"Come in."

A female knight entered her office and saluted her.

"Reporting in."

She put aside the documents on her hand to hear the report from her subordinate.

"Currently there are no evidence related to the organization behind the suspect. We already expand our investigation to many organization in the underworld, including criminal organizations, but there are nothing we found."

Her eyelid twitch a bit when he heard this.

"Good work, keep investigating further."

"Yes ma'am!"

Esterosa was about to got back to checking the documents but she noticed her subordinate staring at her seemingly has something to say.

"Is there something you want to say?"

"Err... Commander, why are you not confiscated that man's belongings and equipment? I know you have your own consideration but I just don't understand."

Esterosa pondered quite a bit before decided to tell her reason.

"That man is someone who can blatantly walk into the city bringing dangerous things with him. Who knows if not only his weapon, but everything he used is cursed? So it's best if we imprison him as it is."

"But what if he escaped?"

"Impossible. Those walls are especially made to be able to endured a Wendigo's rampage, there's no way he can break it. And from what I can sense, he's not a mage. So it's out of the question for him to be able to escape."

"I see! Now I understand!"

Convinced, her subordinate was about to leave but was stopped because someone stormed into the office.

"Heya sis!"

A pink-blonde haired girl jumped at Esterosa opening her arms widely in a hug posture, but was stoped by a vice claw from Esterosa.

"Lise, I told you many times to watch your conduct outside."

"Eeehhhh but it's just us two here."

Esterosa pointed her fingers to behind her and she looked back.

"Ohh! Isn't it little Shayn? Morning!"

"Mo-morning miss Liselotte, I didn't know you will come today."

The female knight, Shayn, reply to her greeting with a wry smile on her face.

Liselotte is the only Gold ranked adventurer in Goldrift city. 

Adventurers is divided by ranks. Copper, iron, steel, bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. Normal adventurers can only advanced to steel rank by doing request and commision. They can only advance further if they had the recognition by the masses. Because of this rule, many outstanding adventurers get stuck in steel rank because those people not particularly good at interacting in people. To advance to Platinum rank they need the recognition of a country. Usually adventurers who done a great service such as exterminating a Calamity-class monster on their own has such title.

"Why are you calling me like that? Just call me Lise like in the past. Aren't we childhood friends."

"I'm surprised you still have the dignity to call yourself my 'friend' after what you did."

Shayn looked down on her with icy looks in her eyes.

"A-ahahaha, I was just joking back then. I never expect things to escalate that much..."

"....Commander, I'm leaving now then."

"Good work."

She bowed her head and turn her back immediately. Toward her receeding figure Liselotte reach out her hand trying to stop her.

"W-wait! I really am just joking back then, please don't abandon me!"

"Please don't make it sound so misleading!"

Shayn shouted at her with a flushed face before stomped out of the office.

Esterosa can only sigh seeing the two's antics before suddenly wearing her usual serious expression.

"Rather than that, did you found anything?"

Hearing that, Liselotte quickly collected herself and responded to her.

"Yes, I found something. And quite an interesting one at that."

Esterosa perk her ears.

"What information?"

"Actually there are 3 members from Sicarii boarding the carriage he used to reach this city..."

Liselotte began to talk about the story she heard from the Sicarii down to the little details. When Liselotte finished her story, Esterosa fell into thought.

"Hmm... Skeleton bird holding a knife huh, isn't that the symbol weared by The Phantom Walker, Horus Zedman?"

"Yes it is?"

"Aren't there many people in the underworld wearing them claiming to be his succesor?"

Liselotte giggled at this which make Esterosa a bit ticked off.

"Is something funny?"

"No, you said it yourself right sis? 'In the underworld'. Do you think those people claiming to be his succesor will board a carriage meant for common people?"

"...You're right."

"That's how it is. It's possible that he was really the succesor of the Phantom Walker. But there's a chance the story he told you directly is the truth. We can't be sure."

She shrugged her soulder with a helpless smile on her face.

Esterosa joined her hand under her chin and said in a serious tone.

"Either way, the real question is what should we do with him. If he really the succesor of the Phantom Walker, things will get nasty if we push him too much. If he just a clueless idiot then we need to investigate where he got his hands on those things."

"Woo, as expected of big sis, so cool!"

"...If there's nothing else please leave."

Liselotte is about to leave when she suddenly remember something and snap her fingers.

"Ah right, there's one more thing."

"What is it?"

"It seems one of the people from Sicarii saw other Symbol on his robe. But it's really faint people usually won't notice it"

"And?"

Suddenly the air around Liselotte turn serious and she emitted a bit of killing intent.

"It's a 'Clouded Moon'"

Esterosa's face turned sour at that remark.

An unknown organization that has become a wanted list in all country and has become a blacklist in all organization be it criminal or normal organizations. They first appeared 300 years ago when they completely and utterly destroyed a small city to the ground only by 2 people.

At first the country that city situated in suspected it was the doing of the neighboring countries. But their suspicion immediately died down after a big city in the  Holy Kingdom, which known as one of the strongest country, has also been destroyed. In the last 300 years they only has a few major carnage done, but many incident suspected done by them has been occuring countless time all around the world. Nobody know where they are come from nor their objective, but all the survivors of their atrocity told the authority the same things when questioned.

"A clouded moon wearing a faceless mask."

In the past a moderately big criminal organization decided to use a clouded moon as their symbol. Immediately after, they was crushed by the country and many of their members was caught. In the next day those members was found dead in their cells. The strange thing is, there's no indication they was killed by a third party. The forensic teams investigate their corpses many times, but all of it lead to the same conclusion. A natural death. Because the strangenes of the incident the country concluded it was done by the the 'true' Clouded Moon organization.

Because of that, now a clouded moon symbol is akin to a taboo. 

"So if possible I want to meet him. I don't know wheter it's true or not, but if he really is a member of Clouded Moon..."

She paused for a moment before continued speaking with a savage smile on her face.

"We can track the bastard who destroy our village."

Esterosa and Liselotte are not originally from Goldrift City. They lived in a village located northeast of the city. Their village is an ordinary village you can find anywhere. There's nothing particularly special about the village that they know.

But 12 years ago their village was raided and massacred by an unknown person. They managed to run away amidst the chaos but they can still vividly remember the clouded moon symbol and faceless mask weared by the assailant. 

On their way they met with an old peddler. The peddler couldn't bear seeing them in such condition and decided to bring them to the city. In the city the peddler couldn't bear to part with them after hearing their story and adopt the both of them. Later, as the two sister grown up, they came to know the origin of the assailant and swear to destroy their organization.

Esterosa didn't say anything but immediately stand up from her seat and started to walk. Liselotte too didn't say anything anymore and just follow her sister.

~~~

"Ah right, how's that girl named Anna doing?"

On her way to Hart's cell, Esterosa remembered the demi-human girl that came with him, which she entrusted to her sister because she knew she didn't have a good affinity with children.

"She's fine, but she still didn't toned down her wariness of other people. She especially wary of me because I'm the sister of the person who separate her and her brother."

A pained look appear on her face as Liselotte talking about Anna.

"Sigh, it can't be helped. She strust him very much to the point it almost dependance."

"But sis isn't it strange? Based on the story he told you they only met a few days ago. Considering the time it's weird she already trust him that much."

Esterosa fell into deep thought.

"That might be the case normally. But if she has a particularly terrible experience, and that guy is the only one treated her with kindness it's possible for her to trust him immediately. We're like that too in the past."

They walk in silence after that conversation and arrived before a metal door in no time.

The guard there saw the both of them and saluted. He opened the door in silence and closed it immediately after both of them entered.

•••

In front of me the two women have already drawn their sword and stared at me hard. I'm thouroughly confused by their action so I decided to ask just in case.

"Is something the matter?"

None of them answered my question. They only sized me up in their spot as if saying "There's not a single trick that will past our eyes." 

Why are you just staring at me like that!? It's scary you know!?

Even though my face is as cold and expressionless as usual, my heart is getting more and more anxious as time pass by.

The girl in with the pink-blonde hair, probably the commander's little sister, opened her mouth.

"Where is the Clouded Moon organization hiding?"

???

A series of question marks appeared in my head.

What organization?

"I don't know what you're talking about."

I answered honestly but that just make both of them glared at me harder.

[When the abyss stared at you...]

[It will swallow you up]

She started speaking something nostalgic to me in ancient language that I answered reflexively. But I realized what I said was wrong.

Wait, it's supposed to be 'the abyss will stared at you back' right?

While I lost in my thought I suddenly heard the girl saying something ominous. 

"As expected. It seems I need to extract everything from you by any means possible. I supposed i need to cut your limbs first to prevent you from doing anything strange."

I snapped my neck hearing that and saw she already lowered her posture into a stance.

"Sis, I'm gonna destroy the cell in the process, I hope you're not angry with me."

"I don't mind."

Mind will you!? Aren't you the commander? You will get a salary cut you know!? Are you fine with that!?

While I'm still panicking inside, a voice echoed.

"Sixth form: Hollow Night"

A shrill rang out and suddenly everything around her, except for the comander, literally shredded into pieces. Floor, walls, and the cell bars was destroyed.

The destruction even reach outside my cell, but it seem my cell is in the corner of the city because I didn't see a single person outside the destroyed wall.

But the strange thing is, despite all the damage, there's not a single scratch on me.

Both of them opened their eyes wide in shock, but I'm the one shocked the most by this occurence. The attack was clearly aimed at me and it won't strange if I was shredded like the things around me.

While I was still dazed in shock, I can hear several strange child-like voices talking.

[Hey, is that girl trying to harm Hart?]

[She's a bad girl]

[She's bad]

[She's bad]

[Should we punish her?]

At first I don't know where those voices came from but realized soon after.

Spirits!

I was burst with happiness knowing this and grinned widely. This was probably the happiest moment I've experienced in this world.

Cheat ability get!

I was so happy that I didn't even notice the grim looks on the women's faces.