The Young Master in the Shadows

PAM!

“DAMN IT! DIE!”

Quras cursed loudly as he used a makeshift bat to crush the head of a cow-shaped demon beast.

This time it was a real one, it screeched in an unnerving voice, before it stumbled to the floor and slowly dissipated.

“Shit, just how many are there!” the young girl who was fighting beside him cursed.

“Probably more… Since there are some fake ones, a demon might be behind this!” he said as he looked on the stage where some nobleman was still fighting the six cloaked figures with his team. They didn’t seem like beasts, but more like demons.

“You seem to be knowledgeable about demons!” the girl said, frowning a bit.

“I grew up on Demaricalo island…”

“The one next to the Death Gorge on the southern sea?” the girl seemed to have gotten interested. Many would hear the name of his homeland.

“Yeah… Fighting demons and suffering under their schemes is not something strange for people there!” he said as he watched the girl casually behead a demon with a gilded sword. Since she was allowed to bring a weapon in here, it would mean she was a noble. “May I know your name?” he asked as he deflected an attack by another demon, sadly it was only an illusion passing right through him. Shit… Who the fuck made these!

“Lyra…” she said, giving him an inspecting look.

“Nice to meet you…”

“CAREFUL!” Lyra said, stabbing a demon behind him. It was real this time!

“Thanks…” he said.

“No need… Let’s help with the evacuation, the….” she paused and began to look around as all of a sudden the entire hall turned slightly dark.

Quras frowned as he felt as if the air around him solidified for a moment there. “What happened?” he asked.

“No idea….” Lyra said nervously as she began to look around the chaotic hall.

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA….” a sudden girl’s scream suddenly caught his attention.

“Shit… I need to go downstairs!” he said nervously as he eyed the guards making sure they were busy.

“Do some looting?” Lyra asked.

“My sister… She was supposed to be offered at the later auction…” he whispered as he started walking in a certain direction to reach backstage. For some reason, he felt that he could trust Lyra.

“Oh…” Lyra frowned. She heard of that auction that used to happen after the major one, but that thing should have been long banned! It was for ‘specialty goods.’ “I will help you…” she finally said as she quickly followed. If he was telling the truth, she would be more than glad to help him, if not…. She will arrest him by herself!

***

Victor sighed as he watched Lyra leave. This nosy girl might ruin his plan so he had to send her away with Quras for now. And the girls downstairs really needed saving, if it were not for him wanting to reveal his involvement, he would have done it himself. Saving damsels in distress was one of his favorite pastimes after all!

He also wanted nosy Lyra to occupy that Auction manager who also hurried toward the hidden vault for a while. She was definitely going to throw a fit and with Quras beside her, she wouldn’t die.

Smirking, Victor looked at the chaotic stage.

Lazarus and his guards were still battling the 6 demon-kin. Yes, those were the same ones Victor stole from the Sun lord and had been scamming to work for him by imitating their lord’s voice!

Atma on the other hand was nowhere to be found. She was probably already halfway to the countryside!

Yup, Victor pulled the same trick he did with the donkey again. He connected the sword he gave Atma to a fishing pole string that would go around the capital before going back. Right before the bidding for that last item started, he waited until she was not looking and pulled that sword right out of her hand and out of the hall making it fanatically go chase after it. An SSS artifact was not something cheap!

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

That woman was very dangerous, and her role had not come yet. So, he simply didn’t want her here!

Rosette was still guarding the balcony above. Victor was sure she wouldn’t move now as she needed to protect Meril and Emira.

Aerith was fighting the demon with the rest of the guards. She was the most dangerous here, and her role would be crucial for his next step.

As for the other guests and deligations, they acted as if it were not their business only fighting the demons who attacked them, especially the elves. Victor was counting on that!

Zifr, on the other hand, seemed to have reverted to his cowardly mode, not daring to approach the metal box and only eyeing it from afar.

Damn it… How careful can a guy be!

Victor paused. He should really learn from that guy! Truly the best way to fight a plot that you had no idea about was to just stay low!

Seriously though, this meant that Zifr was not willing to reveal his true form and this was good news. The bad news was that Victor was almost out of time, the demons in the hall were thinning out and he was not sure how long would Lyra hold that manager. It was time to go for the next backup plan!

With that thought and while avoiding random strikes from the fighters, Vcitor slowly climbed the stage and gave the chaotic hall an inspecting look.

Making sure everything was in place for the show, he flicked his finger making one of the demon kin, finally manage to wound Lazarus after taking a gracious wound.

The demon-kin stepped back and struck the metal box with the bloodied sword before collapsing to the ground.

***

“HAHAHAHA………….” A sudden laugh startled everyone in the hall as from the metal box black smoke emerged forming a huge demon overlooking the hall. It was wearing a strange white mask that only had two holes for the demon’s red fierce eyes to look from.

“I ZIFR THE GREAT AM FREE AT LAST!” it said as fireballs of every kind were hurled at him. The moment they connected to his body, they vanished as if they were sucked by some strange force.

“PATHETIC!” he chuckled as he eyed the hall, ignoring the real Zifr who seemed to have been frozen in place wondering what the fuck was happening here.

Could it be that he had been discovered? Could it be that he had a clone that he forgot about? Could this be some kind of a nightmare? He had a million questions that were all answered when the demon who ignored the attacks on him spoke his first line.

“LAZARUS… ALL I NEEDED TO UNLOCK THIS SEAL WAS YOUR BLOOD! NOW YOUR BODY IS MINE!” he spat as he turned into smoke and wrapped around the helpless Lazarus who all of a sudden was cornered by the remaining cloaked figures' suicidal attack on him, allowing the smoke to enter his nostrils.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Lazarus screamed loudly like some kind of ravaged demon, making his guards step back and look at him with shock.

At the same time, the five clocked figures also stepped back and bowed toward him.

“I AM REBORN!” Lazarus who was now the demon screamed as black flames surrounded him and two large horns grew from his forehead. He smirked his ugly face and flicked his finger, breaking a hole in the ceiling. “HAHA! NO ONE CAN TOP ME! I AM GOING TO TURN ALL OF YOU INTO MY BREADING SLUTS…”

“SHUT UP!” Aerith said as she attacked him with her sword without faltering. She had just noticed that his words seemed to have caused her mother to start suffering from a panic attack remembering some dark past. “DAMN IT! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!” She called for Lazarus' own entourage, making them look at each other and then hurry to help her. One could see that they only intended to apprehend Lazarus though, not aiming any deadly strikes toward him!

If it were not for the cloaked figures making things chaotic, they would have managed to subdue him as he was not throwing any deadly attacks either!

Zifr hmphed as he watched the battle start against the ‘demonized’ Lazarus who was defending very awkwardly. So, this was an internal fight, a scam to make Aerith kill Lazarus or the other way around… They were using his name! HOW DARE THEY!

“WE ALREADY CALLED FOR THE LORD! HER LORDSHIP WILL BE HERE SOON!! HAND ON!” someone called.

Frowning, Zifr looked at the metal box that had now trampled beneath the stage, deciding that it would be really dangerous to wait any further before the lord came, he slowly walked toward it, and using his disguise skill he stealthily grabbed it.

“HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!” a stupid guard who was hiding beneath the stage saw him and called out loudly, making people notice him, including the Demonized Lazarus. His disguise was not working for some reason and everyone could see him!

“Shit…” Zifr didn’t falter! He immediately jumped up and flew headed to the hole in the roof, just as he was about to touch it, he paused and frowned.

“SHIT! YOU THINK YOU CAN TRAP ME!” he screamed as he took a talisman and activated it, disappearing immediately.

That was not everyone saw though. They saw the old man safely pass through the hole and fly into the distance!

***

Victor sighed as he watched him leave. Really, his guess was correct; catching that sneaky guy was not an option at that time. Never mind that!

Atma would do it for him. Yes, the fishing pole connected to the sword was inside the box at the moment. And the box’s owner had long been changed and Victor was the only one who would be able to open it now!

Victor really wanted to see the look on Zifr’s face when he discovered that, but sadly he had other things to do!

With a smirk, he flicked his finger and disabled all his illusions then activated the bomb talismans that were hidden around the demons’ necks killing them all in a moment.

The hall grew silent with the only fighting sound coming from Lazarus who was fighting Aerith.

“BITCH! HEAR ME OUT… IT IS ALL AN ILLUSION!” Lazarus was left shouting alone. He was shouting this for the last 5 minutes but no one could hear him and they all kept attacking him!

“I…” Aerith paused as she noticed that Lazarus no longer looked like a demon, but returned to his old looks. For the last fight, her guts were telling her that there was something very wrong here, and she finally seemed to have got it.

“IT WAS ALL A SCAM! QUICK! We need to catch that guy!” Lazarus, who looked very sorry with his gilded robes all in tatters, flared and jumped toward the hole in the ceiling, following behind the real Zifr. There was some kind of resistance on the way like some barrier but Lazarus pushed forward and managed to pass through!

“WAIT!” Aerith, who was not sure he was really a human, quickly followed after and wanted to stop him, but she couldn’t. The moment he passed through the hole, it solidified again, turning into a solid wall!