Mistress Of The Evil Forest

Case 157: A clown on Tuesday.

Chaos unfolds inside the palace's main hall.

As screams resonate in the air and people scramble to get away from the unidentifiable mess, the empress, Christine, belatedly turns around, and almost immediately, her eyes widen.

''This is...!''

Despite never expecting this kind of thing to happen again in such a short time, she, as the mother and second-in-command of the empire, quickly regains composure.

''Guards! Evacuate the guests right away!'' She yells. In this situation, it would be best to alert the soldiers stationed inside the hall itself, plus the ones right outside the entrance. Soon after, either one of the two Grandmasters will arrive.

However, no matter how much she calls, no one can spot the shadow of a guard anywhere amidst the crowd. Even worse, both the entrances and the windows seem to be sealed by some sort of barrier. The hysteric pleas for help seem unlikely to be heard outside, and once people have realized they can't escape either, they can only form overlapping lines that stick against the wall, trying to be as far as possible from the source of danger.

At this point, it is uncertain if the people inside can even reach a grandmaster before something terrible happens.

Uncertainty turns into fear, and fear turns into panic.

''Please stand back, Your Majesty.''

Fortunately or unfortunately, some who are able to keep their calm surround Christine within a heartbeat, but whether these youngsters can hold their ground against the enemy, which is now rapidly swelling as though wanting to burst.

Claire, Kanna, Luxia Neveah, Amelia Luminous, Scarlett Heisenberg, Aaron Apollo.

Is it truly a coincidence that none of the capable combatants is present, leaving only these students as the only choice? Although they are indeed geniuses, facing a full-fledged disaster-level threat in a real situation ought to be difficult.

...At least, that is the common consensus.

Almost effortlessly, Amelia Luminous seizes the initiative and steps ahead; the sword in her hand glows a menacing red.

''Aaron. Luxia. You two escort the Miko to the entrance and see if she can penetrate the barrier. The goal is to reach either of the grandmasters stationed in this palace.''

With conviction, the heiress of Luminous directly orders three out of six combatants. Somehow, her adamant attitude fires up a desire for action in their bodies. It feels as though they have to do it.

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So, the three tacitly nod at each other before moving aside, circling the mucus while itching toward the main entrance.

''Scarlett, saintess, please protect Her Majesty. Claire and I will take care of this.''

Before long, only two people are left to confront the danger.

Under everybody's nervous eyes, Claire decidedly strikes the black blob with her light-imbued blade.

''Ugh...''

Unsettlingly, the thing splits into two parts, letting the heroine's weapon lodge into the floor with a thud. Feeling her frustration pile up, Claire once again readies her sword, this time with even more light fused into the Moon Devourer.

But this time, too, before she can even drop her blade, the accumulation of slime suddenly snaps away from her field of vision, leaving her otherwise excellent reaction time in the dust.

[Children shouldn't hold such a dangerous weapon~!]

'''' ...!!! ''''

An instinctual flinch.

Claire's stiff neck refuses to let her look away from the frightened crowd in front of her. She can see it—the fear within those people's eyes.

What in the world is making their faces go blue like that?

Well? For starters, the voice she just heard right beside her ears is neither low nor high; the tone is all over the place, and somewhere within that voice, an uncontrollable madness resides.

The creature looming over Claire's shoulder possesses such a chilling aura that she has trouble moving her body. Furthermore, didn't it move so fast that she couldn't even react?

'Again... again, I'm so weak...!'

''Hey, careful.''

[Oh.]

Another dull impact sound is heard, and with a swoop, Claire is pulled aside by none other than Amelia Luminous. At this moment, all that Claire can feel is shame and helplessness. Her trembling eyes stay glued to the ground, where the tip of her shaking sword is plainly visible.

Then, instead of keeping an eye on her enemy, she chooses to steal a glance at Amelia's back—the broad, unwavering back.

A bitter feeling emerges, and Claire bites her lips hard.

But whether someone notices that is another story. On the other side of the room, where the unidentifiable creature has been pushed to, the air itself becomes dryer, as if something is actively sucking the 'life' out of its surroundings.

'A... clown?'

Empress Christine Alaina Astra squints her eyes at the creature, seemingly upset.

It has a bulky, colorful outfit, with its hideous face bleached in white powder, sprinkling in a round, red nose, and finishes with curly ginger hair. Clearly, it is a demonic clown of some sort.

''Who are you?'' The empress speaks up, hiding a sweat running down her back. ''No, what are you?''

[Great! I was about to introduce myself anyway.]

The clown, clearly amused, claps its hands and twists its neck... continuously, rotating the head a full circle amidst the terrified scream.

[Greetings! I am Tuesday, an entertainer belonging to Ravenous Moon!]

With exaggerated arm motions, the clown proudly announces its affiliation, earning many gasps and murmurs. Suddenly, everything clicks.

'Ah, if it's Ravenous Moon...'

Everybody is thinking something along this line. It should be obvious, but the empress seems to have different thoughts.

''...What are you here for?''

Judging from the fact that Tuesday hasn't made another move or attacked anybody else, the possibility of resolving this with talks remains. Indeed, after squirming in place for a while, the clown makes some strange noises and utters,

[Mhm... of course! This Tuesday is here to convey an important message!]

''And that is...?''

[Don't you think it's kind of boring right now? Right, everybody? But don't worry! Understanding such concerns, I have designed a game for you all! Listen carefully, it's—]

''Hey, retard.''

[...?]

Unable to stand Tuesday's irking voice and behavior, Amelia Luminous sharply chimes in, cutting it off mid-sentence.

''Play by yourself. Just because you don't have any meaningful connection doesn't mean we have to comply with your lonely requests.''

At this, the clown's muddy purple eyes widen, and then—

[Don't wanna.]

''Tch.''

[Regardless of your will, a game will commence! Oh, and before you ask, this great operation has been approved by the higher-ups! Hey, don't get too excited just yet. Let me explain!]

As the clown flicks its finger, a map of the whole capital emerges in the air, capturing the most attention. Red dots begin to appear on it, scattered all over the cityscape.

[I will give you all a task to complete! There are currently five hundred people who have been 'tagged' by me in this city. You have to find them all within five days! Or else...]

''...Or else?''

[Each 'tagged' one will explode with the capacity to kill an entire building!]

'''' ...!!! ''''