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"Normal Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
[Year X787]
~ With Shisui ~
Shisui's instincts screamed a warning, but the attack came so unexpectedly that he appeared to have no time to react. A torrent of brilliant white energy engulfed him, illuminating the darkening village square with blinding intensity. When the light faded, Shisui's body lay motionless on the ground, apparently overwhelmed by the sudden assault.
Four figures emerged from between the buildings at the edge of the square. In the lead was a young man with spiky blond hair, his expression triumphant as he surveyed his handiwork. Behind him walked another young man with black hair covering one eye, his face more reserved as he assessed the situation. Floating beside them were two small, cat-like creatures with wings—one red wearing a blue vest, the other green and wearing what appeared to be a pink frog costume.
"Is that it? One attack and it's already down for the count?" the blond youth proclaimed, crossing his arms with a smug grin. "I thought demons were supposed to be tough."
Before any of his companions could respond, the body on the ground suddenly vanished in a puff of white smoke. Where Shisui had apparently fallen now lay a simple wooden log, charred and smoking from the force of the attack.
"What the—" the blond exclaimed, uncrossing his arms as his confident expression gave way to alarm.
The black-haired youth immediately shifted into a defensive stance, his body tensing as he scanned their surroundings. "Be careful," he warned, voice low and urgent. "This isn't an ordinary demon."
"Do you see it?" the blond asked, side by side with his companion as they surveyed the empty square. "Lector? Frosch? Anything from above?"
The two flying cats circled overhead, their eyes wide as they searched for any sign of their target. "Nothing, Sting!" the red one called down. "It's like it vanished!"
"Fro thinks so too!" the green one added, its high-pitched voice quavering slightly with fear.
"Looking for me?"
The quiet voice came from directly behind the blond youth. Before any of them could react, Shisui had materialized as if from thin air, one hand gripping the young man's shoulder while the other held a kunai pressed against his throat, its edge resting against skin with just enough pressure to make its deadly potential clear.
"That wasn't very nice of you," Shisui said calmly, as if discussing a minor social faux pas rather than an unprovoked attack.
The black-haired youth froze, his hands halfway to casting some sort of magic. The flying cats stopped their aerial surveillance, hovering in place with expressions of shock and fear. For several heartbeats, no one moved, the situation holding as the sunlight continued to disappear behind the mountains.
"Let him go!" the red cat demanded, though his voice lacked conviction in the face of how effortlessly Shisui had captured his companion.
"I wouldn't move a muscle," Shisui advised, pressing the kunai slightly harder against the blond's throat, "not if you value your companion's life."
The threat hung in the air, its seriousness unmistakable despite Shisui's even tone. The black-haired youth remained completely still, his red eyes fixed on Shisui's face with an intensity that suggested he was calculating odds and finding them unfavorable.
"I'm going to let go of you," Shisui continued, addressing the blond in his grasp, "and I hope you don't attack me again like that. The same goes for your friend. Understand?"
The blond's body tensed, a retort clearly building in his throat. His pride was obviously wounded, being neutralized so easily and then given conditions by the very target he had thought defeated. The red cat seemed equally indignant, opening his mouth to object.
"We understand," the black-haired youth cut in before either could speak, his voice calm but firm. "No more attacks."
After a moment of rebellious silence, the blond gave a reluctant nod, his jaw clenched in frustration. Shisui released him and, in a movement too fast for the others to track, reappeared several paces away, facing all four of them with a neutral expression.
The blond immediately spun around, hands clenched into fists and magical energy beginning to gather around them. Before he could launch another attack, however, his companion caught his arm.
"Sting, don't," the black-haired youth warned. "This isn't something that we can handle alone, or did his display of speed and how easily he appeared behind us completely slip your mind?"
The blond—Sting—continued to glare at Shisui, clearly struggling with his pride. Finally, he let the magical energy dissipate, though the tension in his body remained.
"Fine, Rogue," he muttered, before raising his voice to address Shisui directly. "Who are you?"
~ With Rogue and Sting ~
"Isn't it common courtesy to introduce yourself before expecting others to do so?" the dark-haired man replied, his tone carrying neither hostility nor concern despite having just been attacked. His calm demeanor in the face of aggression only heightened the Dragon Slayers' wariness, as it suggested either supreme confidence or complete indifference to their threat level—neither option boded well for them if this turned into a real fight.
Rogue studied the figure before them with growing uncertainty. Nothing about this encounter matched what they'd been told about demons, particularly those affiliated with Tartaros. The demons they'd heard of were violent, destructive beings who reveled in chaos and suffering. Yet this man—or demon, if that's what he truly was—had released Sting without inflicting any real harm and now appeared interested in civilized conversation rather than combat.
More curious still was the lack of the malevolent magical energy that typically accompanied demonic entities. The magic power Rogue sensed from him was unusual, certainly, but it didn't carry the corruption and darkness associated with Zeref's creations.
Sting, however, was in no mood for calm assessment. "What!?" he exclaimed, his voice echoing through the empty village square. "You haven't heard of us?! We're the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth and we're going to take you down, Demon!"
Lector immediately backed his partner up, wings fluttering as he hovered nearby. "That's right! Sting-kun is the strongest Dragon Slayer you'll ever meet! You should be trembling in fear!"
Rogue could only sigh at his partner's typical bravado. Beside him, Frosch mirrored his reaction with a small exhalation of his own. "Fro thinks so too," the green Exceed mumbled, though his tone suggested the opposite.
The dark-haired stranger observed this exchange with visible interest, his eyes shifting between the aggressive Dragon Slayer and his more reserved companion. His gaze settled on Rogue, apparently recognizing which of the two might be more reasonable to deal with.
"I'm guessing you're the more sensible one of the four of you," he said directly to Rogue, completely ignoring the indignant protests from Sting and Lector. "So, are you going to introduce yourself or are we done here?"
Rogue hesitated, weighing their options carefully. If this truly was the demon responsible for the village disappearances, engaging in conversation might provide valuable information. If it wasn't, they were potentially making enemies with a powerful mage for no reason. After a moment's consideration, he decided that diplomacy was the wiser course.
"My name is Rogue Cheney," he said, his voice level and controlled. "This is my partner, Sting Eucliffe. The Exceeds are Frosch and Lector." He gestured to each in turn before continuing. "We're the Twin Dragon Slayers of the Sabertooth Guild, and we've accepted an S-class mission to investigate the demon causing problems in this region."
Rogue watched the stranger's reaction carefully, looking for any sign that might confirm or deny his suspicions. "I'm beginning to think you're not the one we're looking for."
The stranger nodded slightly, as if appreciative of Rogue's directness. "My name is Shisui," he replied simply, offering no guild affiliation or additional information.
Just when Rogue thought the introduction had ended, Shisui reached into his vest and pulled out a folded paper. As he opened it, Rogue immediately recognized the format of an official mission flyer. "I've also accepted this request," Shisui said, displaying the document.
"May I?" Rogue asked, wanting to confirm what he was seeing.
Shisui nodded and stepped forward, closing the distance between them with casual confidence. Rogue met him halfway, ignoring Sting's protests not to trust the alleged demon. As they stood just a few feet apart, Shisui handed over the flyer.
Rogue accepted it and quickly scanned the document, focusing on the approval stamp in the corner. His eyes widened when he recognized the distinctive mark—not a guild insignia, but the personal seal used by members of the Ten Wizard Saints when authorizing missions directly. Such endorsements were exceedingly rare, typically reserved for matters of significant importance or for mages the Saints personally vouched for.
Rogue's demeanor changed immediately, respect replacing suspicion as he handed the flyer back to Shisui. "My apologies," he said with a slight bow of his head. "We had no idea who you were and mistakenly thought you to be the demon responsible for the multiple disappearances."
He turned to his partner, who was watching the exchange with narrowed eyes. "Sting, you should apologize for attacking him earlier."
"What? Why should I?" Sting challenged, crossing his arms stubbornly.
"Because," Rogue explained with forced patience, "he was sent here by a Wizard Saint."
The effect of those words was immediate and dramatic. Lector's mouth fell open in shock, while Frosch took several steps backward, eyes wide with fear. "We just attacked a person sent by a Wizard Saint?!" Lector exclaimed, his previous confidence evaporating instantly.
The red Exceed began frantically waving his paws. "We're so sorry! So, so sorry! Sting-kun didn't mean any disrespect! Please don't tell the Wizard Saint about this!"
Sting's reaction, while less dramatic than his partner's, showed that even he recognized the significance of the situation. His face paled slightly as the implications sank in. Sabertooth's reputation could suffer significantly if word got out that they had attacked someone with connections to the Wizard Saints. More importantly, such a powerful mage could make serious trouble for them if he chose to.
"Sorry about that," Sting finally said, though the words seemed physically painful for him to utter. "It was a misunderstanding."
Throughout the entire exchange, Shisui watched with barely concealed amusement, the corner of his mouth twitching upward at the drastic change in their attitudes.
"I'm curious," he said, turning to Rogue, "how did you know a Wizard Saint had sent me?"
Rogue blinked in surprise at the question. "The stamp on your mission flyer," he answered. "Each Wizard Saint has their own personal seal they use when directly approving missions. They're quite distinctive and impossible to forge due to the magical properties embedded in them."
Shisui's expression shifted to one of wry amusement, as if he'd just discovered he'd been carrying something valuable without realizing it. "Well, now that the whole misunderstanding is out of the way," he said, abruptly changing the subject, "what kind of magic was that?"
The sudden shift in topic left all four of them momentarily stunned. Sting and Rogue exchanged confused glances, while Lector and Frosch stared openly at the strange man. He had just been attacked, revealed to have connections to one of the most powerful mages in the kingdom, and now seemed more interested in discussing magic techniques than addressing the attempted assault.
This was not how any of them had expected their demon-hunting mission to unfold.
~ End of Chapter 20 ~
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