Chapter 115: Fighting Envy
The first rays of dawn had barely broken through the horizon when two small figures left the quiet district behind.
One was a young boy no older than eight.
The other was a little girl seated in a wheelchair.
Neither of them looked back.
The apartment gradually disappeared behind the rows of aging buildings until it was swallowed by the morning haze.
Kirby and Collete’s mother stood silently by the window on the third floor, watching until the two children became nothing more than tiny silhouettes in the distance.
Eventually...
Even those disappeared.
Kirby slowly lowered the curtain.
"...She’ll be alright."
He wasn’t sure whether he was reassuring his wife...
Or himself.
...
The journey lasted the better part of a day.
The roads became increasingly crowded the closer they drew to the center of the kingdom.
Caravans rolled along the stone highways.
Merchant wagons carried crates overflowing with supplies.
Hunters in leather armor laughed loudly while comparing the scars they had earned inside dungeons.
Nobles rode extravagant carriages escorted by heavily armed guards.
The entire road seemed alive.
Amon silently pushed Collete’s wheelchair through the endless stream of people.
Neither child attracted much attention.
To everyone else...
They looked like siblings traveling together.
Only the occasional curious glance lingered on Collete’s wheelchair before quickly moving away.
As the afternoon sun reached its peak...
The capital finally appeared.
Even from several kilometers away, its towering walls dominated the landscape.
Walls nearly a hundred meters high stretched endlessly across the horizon like an artificial mountain range.
Dozens of enormous watchtowers rose above them, each flying the royal banner.
Countless defensive formations shimmered faintly across the surface of the walls.
Every few moments, translucent runes flashed before fading once more.
The kingdom’s greatest masterpiece.
The Royal Capital.
Collete slowly lifted her head.
"So this is..."
"The capital."
Even she sounded slightly awed.
The closer they approached...
The more magnificent it became.
Thousands of people entered and exited through the massive gates every hour.
Armored knights inspected travelers with practiced efficiency.
Above them...
Large crystalline devices floated in the sky, quietly scanning everyone below before allowing them to pass.
Amon observed everything without changing his expression.
Even security here was several times stricter than in the city he had left behind.
After a brief inspection...
The two children were allowed inside.
The moment they crossed the gates...
An entirely different world unfolded before them.
Broad streets paved with pristine white stone stretched as far as the eye could see.
Elegant fountains decorated nearly every major intersection.
Rows of luxurious stores lined both sides of the roads.
Restaurants overflowed with customers.
Street performers entertained passing crowds.
Children chased one another through the plazas.
Laughter.
Conversation.
Music.
The capital overflowed with life.
It was difficult to believe the world outside was slowly being consumed by Night Crawlers.
Collete quietly observed everything around her.
"...It’s beautiful."
Amon nodded slightly.
"It is."
Just then...
A loud voice echoed from further down the street.
"Fresh newspapers!"
"The Royal Princess’ wedding has officially been announced!"
"The ceremony will take place in seven days!"
People immediately gathered around the newspaper vendor.
"Seven days?"
"So soon?"
"I heard the prince she’s marrying is from the neighboring kingdom."
"No, no."
"I heard he’s already reached S-rank despite only being twenty-three."
"What talent."
"The Royal Family really found a monster."
Another man laughed.
"Forget that."
"I heard every major noble family is attending."
"The city will be packed."
"I’d better reserve my restaurant now."
The surrounding streets gradually became livelier as discussions spread from group to group.
Collete quietly listened before looking toward Amon.
"The princess is getting married..."
Amon merely nodded.
"It doesn’t concern us."
The little girl smiled faintly.
"I suppose not."
The two quietly continued walking.
...
It wasn’t difficult to find an inn.
The capital possessed hundreds.
After choosing one that wasn’t too expensive...
The owner looked between the two children before scratching his head.
"One room?"
"One."
Amon placed several coins on the counter.
The old innkeeper looked hesitant for a second before eventually shrugging.
He had seen stranger things.
Traveling hunter families often left older siblings to watch younger ones.
It wasn’t particularly unusual.
After handing them the key...
He pointed upstairs.
"Third floor."
"Last room on the left."
Amon nodded.
The room itself wasn’t particularly large.
Two single beds stood opposite one another.
A small wooden table rested beside the window.
The furnishings were simple.
Clean.
Enough.
Collete wheeled herself toward the window.
The capital stretched endlessly below.
Even this late into the afternoon...
The streets remained crowded.
"So many people..."
She whispered.
Amon sat quietly in the chair near the window.
"We’ll leave tonight."
Collete nodded.
"I know."
Neither spoke again.
Time slowly slipped away.
The bustling streets gradually quieted.
The brilliant sky darkened.
One lantern after another illuminated the capital until golden lights stretched across every street like rivers of stars.
Eventually...
Midnight arrived.
Collete slowly opened her silver eyes.
"They’ve gathered."
Amon stood.
"Where?"
"Outside the eastern gate."
"There are..."
She paused.
Her expression became serious.
"So many."
Amon quietly placed his hand on the door.
"You’ll stay here."
Collete nodded.
"I’ll wait."
She didn’t ask to come.
She already knew.
Tonight...
She would only slow him down.
Amon silently left the room.
The hallway remained completely empty.
His footsteps echoed softly before disappearing into the sleeping inn.
Outside...
The capital had become quiet.
Only patrols of armored knights occasionally crossed the streets.
No one noticed the small figure moving through the darkness.
Within minutes...
Amon reached the eastern district.
The towering walls loomed overhead.
Hundreds of soldiers stood guard along the battlements.
A translucent barrier stretched far beyond the walls, enclosing the entire capital in a faint blue dome.
Runes continuously flowed across its surface.
A masterpiece of defensive engineering.
The soldiers appeared relaxed.
After all...
The barrier had protected the capital for decades.
Nothing had ever broken through.
Amon quietly passed beneath one of the maintenance passages.
No one stopped him.
A child wandering the streets wasn’t particularly unusual.
Several minutes later...
He stood before the barrier.
Beyond it...
Darkness.
Endless darkness.
And within that darkness...
Thousands upon thousands of crimson eyes slowly opened.
The Night Crawlers.
They stood in perfect silence.
Not charging.
Not roaring.
Simply waiting.
Rows upon rows stretched across the plains beyond the capital.
Ten thousand.
Twenty thousand.
Perhaps even more.
They weren’t scattered randomly.
They stood in formations.
The weaker Night Crawlers occupied the outermost ranks.
Larger ones remained behind them.
Towering silhouettes watched from the rear without moving.
Like an organized army awaiting orders.
Amon’s eyes narrowed.
"So..."
"You’ve already begun organizing."
The Night Crawlers had evolved.
This wasn’t a mindless horde.
Someone...
Or something...
Had gathered them here.
Waiting.
Watching.
Preparing.
The barrier quietly hummed between them.
One step forward...
And Amon would leave its protection.
One step.
That was all.
Without hesitation...
He crossed.
The barrier rippled softly behind him.
For a brief instant...
Nothing happened.
The Night Crawlers simply stared.
Then...
Every head turned toward him simultaneously.
Thousands of scarlet eyes locked onto the small boy standing alone beneath the moonlit sky.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then the first Night Crawler moved.
It lunged.
A blur of black.
Its claws tore through the air.
Amon didn’t even look at it.
His hand rested upon Azrael’s hilt.
A quiet metallic sound drifted through the night.
*Shing.*
The Night Crawler continued forward.
Three more steps.
Its body suddenly separated into two perfectly clean halves.
Blood sprayed silently across the earth.
It collapsed without understanding what had happened.
The battlefield remained still.
Then...
Like a single organism...
The entire army charged.
The earth trembled.
Tens of thousands surged forward together, blotting out the ground beneath their countless limbs.
The sight alone was enough to make seasoned hunters lose all hope.
Yet...
The lone child remained standing.
Calm.
Motionless.
His silver hair swayed gently beneath the night wind.
Then...
He vanished.
The front ranks exploded into fountains of black blood.
A silver arc flashed once.
Then again.
Bodies fell before screams could escape their mouths.
One became ten.
Ten became a hundred.
Hundreds became thousands.
Amon moved through the endless tide like a phantom.
Every swing of Azrael harvested dozens of lives.
No wasted movement.
No hesitation.
Only flawless efficiency.
The organized formations shattered almost immediately.
Panic spread through the horde.
The monsters that had marched with military discipline only moments ago now stumbled over one another, desperately trying to flee.
But there was nowhere to run.
The child among them...
Was death itself.
Far above...
Several soldiers standing atop the eastern wall frowned.
"...Did you hear something?"
One of them looked toward the plains.
"...No."
"It got quiet."
The veteran beside him slowly narrowed his eyes.
It was strange.
Every night...
The Night Crawlers howled.
Shrieked.
Scratched endlessly against the barrier.
Tonight...
Nothing.
Not a single sound drifted across the plains.
Only an unnatural silence remained.
He gripped the stone battlement.
"...Why do I have a bad feeling?"
Behind him...
The sleeping capital remained blissfully unaware.
No one knew...
That outside their walls...
A lone child was painting the earth black beneath the silent moon.
And by dawn...
The kingdom would awaken to a night that history would never forget.
The beginning...
Of the Silent Night.