This Hero is Sleeping!



"Demonic Dark Desire."

Elric reeled back at those words.

Cool? Edgy? He couldn't decide. But he sure was interested. Interested as hell, that is. It seemed right up his alley. How amazing would it be to cackle in front of an entire city under glow of the night moon, standing atop the spire of a clock tower. A mask covering his face, a hat his head, and a cloak his figure.

'Hoho, it's all over!' He would say. 'This is, my Demonic Dark Desire!'

Slaps.

One hundred percent slaps.

Just imagining it gave him chills. He added yet another thing to do in his checklist.

Yes. Cool. Anything can be cool given the situation. He would make it.

"Demonic Dark Desire? What's with that cringe name?"

Claude swooped in just when Elric had finished justifying the name in his head. No tact.

"It's funny huh? That's what the Oracle of the Sun Goddess proclaimed it," Erika leaned back and spoke. She seemed in mood for a good conversation now. Realizing there was nothing he could do to stop it, Puzo shook his head and went to fetch her some tea.

"So, what does this do that has those rats in a twist?"

"HEH!?" Puzo yelped at Claude's comment, and Erika shook her head.

"It's similar to what it sounds like. I… it's not an object or a thing, but a natural phenomenon."

"Natural phenomenon?" Elric raised his brow as Puzo returned with the tea. He didn't really want clarification, all dots had already connected in his head. He just wanted to steal the cup smoothly.

He reached out for one, took a sip, and frowned. It was bitter.

"Natural phenomenon is the best way to put it. Gods, ours or demons', all of them work on the principal of faith. When a follower believes, the god gains strength, similarly, when a demonic follower believes, the demon does. It's only the form of belief that's different."

Puzo shook his head and pulled Elric's cup back. He then put in a sugar cube.

"Elric mentioned balance. That is right, the two races have lived in balance for long. But with the existence of this new natural phenomenon, the balance is at risk of being broken."

When Puzo tried to hand the tea back to Elric, he shook his head and raised a finger.

"You still haven't explained what it is."

Another sugar cube.

"Haah… that's… because…

Another sugar cube.

"Are you seriously hesitating now? I don't care, but consider me out."

Another sugar cube?

"We don't know either…"

Another sugar cube.

Claude frowned, and so did Elric.

"You don't know either?"

Erika shook her head. Her fingers clenched the hem of her coat as she spoke with a downcast gaze.

"The oracles said the gods cannot tell us. It is something we need to find out ourselves… the only clue we have received is…"

Erika reached into her bag, prompting yet another reaction from Puzo. She pulled out a box like the container of expensive jewelry and opened it up in front of them.

A large orb with a purple and black glow inside was held inside. It's shade like the sky and its glow like the stars, strands of magic moved around haplessly inside the orb while a murky air filled the space around it.

"This… is the only clue we have received. It is an object taken from a snake-like monster that was killed over in a far off village. Koror."

"Ah…"

Claude fell back on his chair.

So that's what was going on.

The snake that he had killed ended up being connected to them somehow.

"And you're planning to use this to figure out what this Demonic Dark Desire thing is?"

Erika nodded.

"Why can't those bastards tell you themselves? Are they messing with us here?"

"E-eh!"

Puzo was shocked yet again at hearing Claude's brazen remarks, but yet held no choice other than being quiet.

"They can't do that. We have to figure it out ourselves."

"Tsk."

Elric finally took the chance to take a sip of the tea.

"Uwak too sweet."

Puzo wanted to sincerely cuss someone out for the first time in his life.

"Anyway, you still didn't tell us what the deal is about."

Erika nodded again.

"We hand this over to Volfram is the deal. We should be sharing these clues amongst the entire alliance, but General Volfram plans to crack the case himself with his own team without sharing it with the other countries."

"And you're giving it to him?" Claude asked. "I remember that little fucker, he sounds even worse now than before."

Erika smiled a wry smile.

"I am."

Claude and Erika had a small stare off.

"Suit yourself."

Claude turned to Elric now. He passed over his own tea to Elric. Just the perfect level of sweet and bitter.

"What say, Elric?"

"I do what you do, hasn't that been the deal forever?"

"No. You're the one getting me in all sorts of trouble!"

"Don't mind the small things."

Claude leaned back on his chair again and gazed upward. His wild posture betraying every hint of his self as a simple student from the modern world.

All this trouble.

Helping out the heroes with their own thing.

He could probably use Erika. It didn't seem like she was happy to hand things over to that cunt of a general. And it also didn't seem like she was going to harm them. Not like she could considering how useless she was against that vampire.

"I'll do it," Claude said. "But. In return…"

"What is it?"

Claude leaned over and pulled Erika by her collars. Puzo stood up in surprise, but he couldn't as much as move when Claude's eyes bore into him.

Murderous, wild, monster-like.

"You are going to make sure we're never found out. Not until I make it known myself."

"Hah… I can't completely stop things… but I'll do my best."

"Great. Then, we'll help you finish this trade… and if that vampire comes in—"

"Claude." Elric intervened right then.

The group of them turned to face Elric, and stopped too.

Just like Claude's.

No, almost worse.

His grin was more like a beast's.

It was not just one person that had spent years in the forest.

"If that thing comes again, it's my game."

"Hah, sure. Have your fun."