Those Who Lurk in the Shadows
Deep within the forest, a cave lay hidden—its air thick, damp, and stale. The faint light filtering in from the entrance caught the moss on the rocky walls, giving off a muted green sheen.
Heavy footsteps echoed as a man trudged inside, hauling a large sack over his shoulder.
“Fuuuu… I finally made it back…!”
Panting heavily, Baldo dropped the sack from his shoulder. The mouth of the sack loosened slightly, revealing a glimpse of golden hair. Inside, of course, was the girl he had just kidnapped—Riko.
“Nhfufu… such a quiet sleeping face. The drug worked perfectly. Truly, my concoctions never fail! Still, kidnapping is exhausting for a researcher like me… from now on, I think I shall decline such tasks.”
He rolled the sack onto its back. Riko’s body shifted inside with a rustle, but she still didn’t regain consciousness.
“Heartbeat normal. Color is good. Hm, children really are sturdy. No—perhaps because she’s a saintess candidate? A born vessel of potential…”
Smiling thinly, he muttered to himself.
There was not a trace of sympathy in his eyes.
To Baldo, she was nothing more than research material—consumable.
“But still… I am lucky. To think that orphanage was that orphanage… Ale. I must acquire that man no matter what.”
The image of the orphanage’s young master surfaced in his mind.
The power to produce saintesses—an ability beyond blessings, magic, or logic. A true miracle.
And the source of that miracle lay concentrated in a single elf.
Coincidence? Impossible. No elf produces thirty saintesses by chance.
Even the ones who hadn’t become saintesses possessed exceptional ability in their respective fields.
How could such a thing be possible? Did he have an eye for talent? Was he sharing some portion of his own power? Or was he perhaps a god?
And the fact that the orphanage held only little girls—there must be a reason. Perhaps it was the environment needed to produce saintesses. Historically, saintesses were raised in churches as pure maidens. There could easily be a connection.
“Mhmm… the more I think, the more unknowns there are… a treasury of mysteries. A research subject worthy of my life.”
Just recalling it sent a shiver running down his spine. Heat welled up from deep within.
If he could uncover Ale’s power, he could replicate the saintess phenomenon. No—he could create something even greater.
The creation of a god. A new, unknown deity.
“And for that… you will be useful, yes?”
Smiling faintly, Baldo knelt and stroked Riko’s cheek as though doting on someone precious.
If that man learned the girl had vanished, he would surely act. Anyone running an orphanage would. The saintess assigned as his escort was dangerous, but the plan accounted for that—Ale was supposed to handle her himself.
“Fufufu…! This will be fun. Very fun indeed!”
In Baldo’s mind, he could already see Ale captured, pumped full of drugs to keep him alive, hollowed out into a mindless shell, his blood drained, spinal fluid sampled, every part of his body harvested.
It was madness—pure, animalistic obsession.
Riko shifted weakly in the sack, attracting Baldo’s gaze.
“Perhaps it is a waste to turn him into a vegetable… if I raise her myself, would she grow into a saintess? Aaah, how fascinating…”
Murmuring, he retied the sack tightly so no one could steal his precious specimen.
Suddenly, the darkness deeper in the cave rippled unnaturally.
A black shadow softened into shape—then a white mask with a red jester’s smile appeared.
The jester.
“You obtained her, I see.”
The voice from behind the mask was low, cold, and eerily calm.
Baldo grinned crookedly at those eyes behind the mask.
“My, oh my, well, well. You finally show up. You were so late I almost broke the toy out of boredom.”
He leaned back against the stone wall, amusing himself.
To him, the jester was technically superior—but also an object of study.
The jester glanced at the sack containing Riko.
“And will he take the bait?”
“Of course. That man must be acting on the laughable urge to protect children. Such human weaknesses… love, dreams… illusions the eye cannot see.”
The jester’s mask kept smiling, but his voice dropped by a degree.
“… Do not forget our objective. Remember why I spared your life. The elf will become ours.”
Baldo shrugged and smiled lazily.
“My, my. Is that a threat? Well, we do have such a deal, but surely peeking a little during my research… won’t bring down divine punishment?”
He grinned—a smile not quite obedient, not quite rebellious. An unstable balance, like walking a tightrope.
Probably the only being who could provoke the jester like this.
The jester didn’t answer. His figure dissolved, swallowed by the darkness.
Left behind were Riko’s faint breaths and Baldo’s deranged laughter.
“Fufu… things are getting very enjoyable… Objective? Who cares. What I want is to dissect that unknown structure and miracle! I will expose what lies inside that elf!!”
Mumbling like a madman, Baldo walked deeper into the cave.
There was an old table stacked with tools stained by dried black substances. Rusty implements, scattered bottles—an improvised laboratory.
He dropped the sack and untied it.
Riko rolled out, still unconscious, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
Baldo’s eyes glittered.
“Fufu… I can’t hold back… maybe I should cut her a little? Or inject her and see what kind of sounds she makes? Or perhaps ruin her a bit…”
He flicked a rusty forceps with his finger, drooling as he smiled.
At that moment, the darkness rippled again—the jester appeared without a sound.
“… Stop.”
His voice was lower than before, freezing the air.
Baldo paused and slowly turned to the masked figure.
“My, such timing. Were you watching? You don’t trust me? Oh, boo hoo…”
“Obviously.”
The jester stepped forward. The mask still smiled, but the eyes behind it were deep, dark, and murderous.
“That girl is bait. Keep her unharmed.”
Baldo went silent for a moment, then sighed dramatically.
“My, my… I only reached for a little appetizer.”
He tossed the forceps aside casually.
“But if she has ‘value,’ then there is no need to dissect her yet. However—my research impulses won’t wait forever.”
The jester didn’t respond. He simply glanced at the girl.
Baldo let out a delighted, teasing laugh.
“Fufu… you’re strange. You’ve killed so many, yet you’re oddly gentle with this one. That contradiction… fascinating. Ahh, now I’m curious. I’d love to dissect you someday!”
Ranting in excitement, Baldo leaned closer.
The jester ignored him. The figure melted back into the shadows.
Once again, only Baldo and Riko remained.
“… Truly, a man full of contradictions.”
Baldo snorted and sat on the desk.
Looking down at the sleeping Riko, he rested a finger on his chin and whispered sweetly, twistedly:
“Don’t worry, little test subject. You may be just bait now… but I won’t let you remain ‘just’ that. Once I have the elf… I’ll make sure you are the very first one I cut open… Fufu… fufufufufu…”
His deranged laughter echoed through the dank cave, smothering the tiny sound of the girl’s breathing.
What do you think about this chapter?
