Chapter 57 - Night Watchers

As the waning moon shines on the cloudless night, a group of unknown entities perched atop one of Plate Town's tallest buildings, using the shadow's cover as protection from any inquisitive eye. Covering their faces with cloaks the color of pale moonlight and embellished with gold ornaments, they watched over the town as if it's their duty to do it.

"It's confirmed," one of them announced with a serious tone. "The Death Goddess is here in this town."

He showed to his companions the diviner rod he's holding as they swung back and forth at the same time, thereby proving his statement.

"After searching through the whole desert for several months we finally managed to find the town where she is hiding...haaah..."

Another person, apparently a young woman, sighed deeply as she rested her chin on the handrail, feeling really exhausted after jumping from building to building just to reach their current location.

She remembered how many of their members, especially newcomers, disappeared for no reason after they entered the cave where the Death Goddess was once sealed, even though their organization already provided them a map of its interior that is very detailed up to the last nook and cranny. With the seniors bearing the responsibility for their juniors' safety, they went to look after them...but some of them also perished. The cycle went on as higher hierarchies continued sending men to investigate until they--the leaders, acquired a method of finding the missing goddess without sacrificing the safety of their members.

And in order to that, they had to go out of the shadows all by themselves.

"This time for sure, I won't let the Death Goddess escape again! Let me hunt her right now!" Another young man eagerly spoke. In a fit of impatience he scratched the surface of a wall, and his nails left deep marks on it.

"No."

"Huh? Why not?!"

"It isn't included in our mission for now." The man said as he stored his rods into his pocket. "We need to find her exact location first, then the rest would follow afterwards. That's the procedure."

"Tch! Procedure, procedure...it's that thing the reason why that Death Goddess got away! You old folks should think for yourselves more and not rely on the procedure all of the time!"

"O-Old, you say..."

"I'm too tired to intervene...good night," the young woman said before drifting into dreamland.

"Honestly I don't care about that goddess...what I care more are the things I could do to the people living in this town," a young girl spoke happily as she sat on the edge of the building and admiring the overall scenery of the town. "The last town I visited are full of boring people...I hope I could get some interesting 'toys' here!"

She then happily told the people present the story about how a prosperous, peaceful, and quiet agricultural town quickly turned into a desolate place after having all its residents--women, elderly, and children included--fought amongst themselves brutally to death. Remembering how they suffered made her shiver in delight as she's the one who instigated everything.

"You can't do that too."

"Ugh...but--"

"Someone would get disappointed if you keep on going astray from what the superiors told us to do."

"Uuuu..." The little girl groaned in dismay. "Old people should just rot already and let us younger ones do what we want."

"Old...?!"

"You bunch seems to be having fun right now, huh?"

"Hm?"

Suddenly a man leaping high up in the air gracefully landed in front of them, and greeted them in high spirits. He wore a black cloak, different from the ones his companios are wearing, making him stand out from them.

"You're late."

"More like, I arrived at my own pace. Compared to that old man who forgot we have things to do here, I still have the common sense to join you people here."

He then took out a small scroll and tossed it to the girl. "Just as promised, here's your gift, Milady."

"Hmph! I'll forgive you for now," the little girl harrumphed at him. "The next time you interfere with me and my playtime, I'll absolutely turn you into one of my toys, you hear it?"

The man only laughed at her. He then looked at the man carrying the diviner rod and said, "I found her exact location."

"Hmm?" He took out his tool to confirm what he said was true or not. "Even I can't pinpoint where she is right now. Are you sure you found the Death Goddess?"

"Of course. I have personnel to do the work for me, rather than just relying on some obsolete pair of bent sticks."

"You..." The man tightly gripped on his prized tools.

"If you really found the goddess then let's go now! I can't wait to test my strength against her!" The young man said as he stood up excitedly upon hearing his words.

"I'm afraid you can't do that," he replied.

"Huh?! First, that old stinker and now you're the one who's stopping me? Do you really want to die here and now?!"

"Old...stinker..."

"Heh, threaten me all you want but I'm sure even our superiors won't trust you to get the Death Goddess."

'Besides, you know the rule, right? Finders keepers,' he glanced at the 'old' man and the person returned a slight nod, indicating what he said was alright according to the procedure.

He looked at everyone and asked, "Does anyone aside from him object to that?"

With the exception of the young man (and the sleeping woman), no one raised their hands at him.

"I told you already, I don't care about that Death Goddess. I don't even know what did she looked like," the little girl shook her head slightly.

"Then, we'll leave this to you. We shall go back to the headquarters now, and report your discovery to our superiors," the 'old' man spoke to him in a clear tone.

"Yes. Leave it to me."

"Tch," the young man clicked his tongue angrily. "Just because you have people it doesn't mean you're better than any of us here."

"Oh, about that," he replied as he turned his back towards them. "Even without my subordinates, I'm still better than you."

"You bastard--"

"Stop it, we're leaving."

"I'll go wake her up!" The little girl said as she stood up and walked towards the young woman. She took out a vial of liquid from her tiny pouch, and placed it near the sleeping person's nose. The young woman then immediately jolted from her sleep as she covered her nose away from the substance.

"Hahahahaha! I love doing this every time I see someone sleeping!"

"Please...stop being mean to me..." The young woman sobbed in front of her.

After a few minutes of preparations all of them, except the black cloaked man, started to leave. The young man, however, left some words to him, saying he'll be expecting him to fail some time soon.

"Oh, don't worry about me. Worry more about yourself," he waved his hand at him mockingly.

"Tch!"

In order not to lose control of himself, the young man jumped away and left in a hurry. The 'old' man followed shortly, then the young woman with the girl on her back.

"They're finally gone at last," he let out a sigh of relief. "I won't be able to proceed with the plan if they kept on bugging me with their presence."

He took out a map of the town and placed it against the light of the moon. The map he carried was already full of markings and erasures making it unfit for use, except for a certain area which he maintained it to be free from any obstruction.

Sandy Fish.

The place where the Death Goddess is currently staying. The place where, undoubtedly, blood would soon spill on the ground.

He feel no mercy for its owners, for they made the greatest mistake of their lives accepting such malevolent deity in their household. They, and everyone around them, shall pay for that sin.

"Though, speaking of sin, there is only one person who started it all."

That young man.

He who helped the Death Goddess release herself from the seal.

He who raised and treated the Death Goddess as his own family.

He who would become the greatest bane to their plans.

Compared to her they don't know anything about that young man, and that is the reason why he considered him to be the more dangerous of the two. Even with the help of his watchful 'eyes' he can't obtain anything substantial regarding the young man's history as if something, or someone, is preventing him to do so.

However, he also felt shame that his colleagues didn't have the same thinking as him, and only focused their efforts into bringing back the Death Goddess into their grasp.

"That young man is the key to bring the Death Goddess back to our side. Assassination is out of the question, I want him alive."

Zoom! A person appeared from behind him at that moment. This person wore nothing on his upper body, and only wore a pig mask to cover his face.

"If you're here then that means to say that woman is also here in this town," he breathed deeply.

Even without reporting it to him he already knows the reason why that particular person also showed up, and it made him laugh in a very deep voice.

"If the Rewriter is also here...things would get more interesting from now on."

Not one, but two goddesses. Whether they already met each other or not, the fact that these two are currently living among mortals is undeniably fascinating--and concerning for him.

?!

He looked at the masked person and said, "We can't stay here for so long. The moon may be pale, but its eyes shine ever so bright."

He counted on his mind. One, two, three...

Forty eyes.

They've been watched for a while now, and he noticed it too late. Confronting them would be a bad idea, so he decided to lie low for now.

At his order, his subordinate went before him and leaped back into the shadows.

"Rewriter, Rewriter..." He let out a deep sigh. "I don't usually act rash whenever I feel I'm at a disadvantage but I'll make an exception this time. If you want me to play this game of yours then I shall play with you..."

Poof!

He tossed a smoke grenade into the ground, and disappeared the moment it puffed out smoke. The only thing that is left after the smoke dispersed is a mask lying on the ground. That mask is not the one that his subordinate was wearing, but his own.

A boar.

No one knows whether he left it on purpose or not but one thing for sure, it's his way of sending a message:

The hunt is on.