Heroes to Hunted

"We have arrived, my dear heroes!" My inner unrest was interrupted by a familiar, hoarse voice. "On behalf of the master of this house, I welcome you!" The old man threw his hands toward the sky. "Welcome to the manor!"

After the greetings, he ushered us out of our carriages and into the building.

Though cautious, my countrymen complied with his every word, probably due to the fresh trauma from the attack earlier today. They proceeded up a small flight of stainless stone stairs to the mansion's interior in a disorderly line.

Aside from me, that is. I purposely slowed till I fell behind the group. The plan was to slip away here and sneak back to the town.

"You're falling behind, Sir," a troop of guards appeared behind me. "Please continue into the mansion."

'Figured it wouldn't be so easy,' I quietly growled, then projected a fake smile. "Of course! Thank you." Then I begrudgingly followed my countrymen to the manor's doors. They were far from the moldy counterparts within the tower we started in.

The doors were painted pure white and lined with depictions of golden feathers. Impressively, they effortlessly opened at even the slightest touch.

When we entered, I instinctively averted my eyes away from the extravagance. Decorating the wall, like paint on paper, were polished treasures that endlessly amplified and reflected any light.

From golden-framed paintings to ornamental artifacts on velvet pedestals, the interior was more like a museum than that of a house. Wherever there wasn't a picture or relic stood white marble statues depicting various creatures and people.

Most of the carvings were pretty forgettable, but one caught my eye for some reason. It depicted a man that knelt on one knee. His face was chiseled and handsome, with two fixated eyes that stared past me to some unseen horizon.

You couldn't see most of his body; it was blocked by two massive wings patterned with marble-cut feathers. Notably, the limbs highly resembled those of the strange bird statue outside as they protruded from his back, wrapping around to his front.

'Is that supposed to be an angel?' I pondered to myself.

Upon walking up to the statue, I read an inscription.

|Behold! The Savior of Blackwood, the Oppressor of Demons, the Slayer of Shamane, and the Master of Flame! Long live the Hero of Ash! Long live the Flame Baron!|

'Blackwood, is that this town's name?' Not that it made much difference what the town was named, unless I got my hand on a map.

I didn't know what the rest of it meant, but it would be safe to assume this guy was a huge deal. On the other hand, he might have just been rich and largely arrogant. If I had to guess, it was more likely of the two possibilities.

A series of loud gasps from my countrymen pulled me from thought, prompting me to proceed through the entryway into the manor's main hall.

Below us was a red-painted path leading in various directions to the left, right, and straight ahead to a marble staircase. Along each side of the trail was a perfectly constructed line of maids and butlers.

They bowed and spoke in perfect unison. "Welcome to our lord's manor, Masters and Mistresses! We hope you enjoy your stay!"

I gawked at them with widened eyes.

The straight-cut, black tuxedos. The frilly bonnets and laced white aprons. I couldn't even imagine wearing something so…subservient. I suppose I wasn't one to talk about subservience, though. As a soldier, I was nothing more than a puppet to the strings of politics, left to dance within the theaters of war.

Someone from our group shouted in approval at the outfits. "Woah, real maids! I've only ever seen fake ones in cafes. They're all real cuties too!"

I couldn't see who it was yet, but I could guess. That guess was confirmed to be true when I looked over to the source. 'Yup… It's Tachibana.'

He and his entourage approached the maids with what I could only call ulterior motives. "Hey," he pitifully flexed, "how're you girls doing? Are you excited to meet the ones that'll defeat the Demon King for you?"

For the briefest moments, the maids and butlers shared the same expressions of dejection the villagers had. Their artificial smiles of gratitude and joy were replaced by genuine grimaces.

"Hmmm, is something wrong, girls?" Tachibana inquired.

As quickly as it happened, the servants reverted back to their default masks of cheer. "No, not all master heroes! We're all elated that you'd take the time to speak with us!" a meek-looking maid frantically replied.

"You know," he inched closer, "I'd really like it if we could take the time to get to know each other. What do you say?"

The maid blushed, though I could tell that even that was simply service. "I sincerely apologize, sir, but we servants are quite busy with our daily duties to engage in extra activities with our guests. Please forgive us!" The maids bowed profusely.

"Aww, that's a shame. Maybe next time then…" Tachibana relented, and his clique returned to the group.

The maids gave awkward smiles of affirmation before returning to their default poses.

After Tachibana's return, the old man strode up to the bottom of the marble staircase. "Now, my dear heroes, I know I already stated this, but I must say again, welcome to my lord's grand residence!

The maids and butlers bowed to us once more. However, they performed a perfect flourish and exited the hall.

Now that the room was devoid of any servants, the old man continued. "Fortunately, it is time to announce the order of tonight's festivities. I'm sure you all are absolutely starved from today's events, so my master has prepared the grandest feast to enjoy!"

The mere mention of a luxurious banquet bought the trust of my countrymen. All of their unrest and wariness was transformed into starving salivations.

My stomach rumbled to the touch after I brought a hand to it. I was pretty hungry too. Still, I refused to let myself be bribed off by some food, especially from this shady bunch. 'I'm no stranger to hunger; I can last a while if needed.'

"However," the old man continued, "before we adjourn to the dining hall, I'd like it if you'd all allow me to formally introduce myself." He brought out his right arm and laid it across his chest. "My name is Albert Weiser, and I'm the head magister of this household. Now," he beckoned, "right this way!"

If the promise of food wasn't enough to captivate my countrymen, displaying wealth and indulgence did the trick.

As we walked, I kept myself vigilant for any opportunity to break away. Sadly, each hallway was blockaded by several soldiers.

'Can you be any less suspicious?' I griped with frustrated sarcasm, and my brow furrowed as I trudged forward.

Meanwhile, I could hear only impressed gasps and satisfied banter from my countrymen. Despite all of the red flags, they remained blissfully ignorant to it all. 'You've all been won over, huh?' I was saddened to realize I was the only skeptic left.

Then I felt a tugging on my vest. I turned to see a subtly distressed Agawa. She projected a worried gaze to the ground while her hand clung tightly to my vest.

"Hey, Sato?" she called out and shifted her eyes upward to meet mine. They were clouded with doubt. "I'm feeling kinda uneasy about this whole situation. What do you think?"

I know I shouldn't have been happy about someone feeling worried, but her insight restored my faith in my countrymen, although only a little. This girl was a bit snappy but had a good head on her shoulders.

I put on a slight but easing smile, the same kind I gave to a crying child or panicked civilian on the war front. "I think you're right, Miss, but we should play along for now. Let's avoid acting suspicious, okay?" I tried to alleviate her anxiety. It'd be troublesome if this girl raised a fuss by being reckless.

"Yeah," she hesitated, then loosened her grip, "yeah, you're right. We should pull Kamida and Takagi aside at some point, though. You know? To discuss things with them too."

'That doesn't really sound like a good idea…' The last thing I wanted was this girl spreading panic amongst the others. However, on the other hand, it'd keep her busy. Without her to worry about, I was free to plan my escape. 'I guess I'll play along. What real harm could she do?'

"I agree," I nodded, "we'll talk to them soon."

"Thank you," Agawa's unease gave way to a warm smile. "It's reassuring to know that you feel the same way."

Our conversation concluded, so she left me and joined the rest of the advancing group.

Seeing her and the rest of my countrymen, a pit of guilt formed in my chest, knowing I was planning to leave all of them behind.

'Don't be a hero; there's no such thing anyway,' I sighed. 'You know better than to try.'

***

Like the trees lining the road outside, the similarity between the hallways was unreal. No matter where one looked, you'd almost think you never moved in the first place.

'I swear... I've seen that same motif painting twelve times by now.' The further we walked, the more bothered I became, growing increasingly irritated with each repetition.

Given the symmetry, it would only be possible to navigate this place with intimate knowledge of its floor plan. In fact, you might even get lost then! I couldn't be sure whether that was intended or a side effect of the lord's strange tastes.

Several hallways and staircases later, we arrived at large, gaudy doors of golden wood.

'This must be it….' I gulped anxiously, dreading what the inside would look like.

Two guards approached from behind us, and after pushing against them, the doors groaned open.

What came into view shocked me to my core.

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