Shadow Slave

Gunlaug looked just like the last time Sunny had seen him.

…Like a golden demon born of some harrowing hell.

The Bright Lord was tall and had broad, powerful shoulders. His body was clad in a strange armor that seemed to be made out of molten gold. It was both solid and liquid, flowing over his mightly muscles and covering him from head to toe.

Not even Gunalug's eyes were exposed.

In the place where his face should have been, there was nothing but a smooth and empty expanse of polished gold. The great hall of the Bright Castle reflected in it, and all the people gathered there did, too.

As soon as Sunny saw the golden mask, he felt the oppressive aura that radiated from the Bright Lord. Even knowing what was going to happen, he couldn't help but shake a little and bite his lip.

The mind assault of the golden armor was truly hard to endure. Even with the protection of the Puppeteer's Shroud, he felt it pressing on him, making it hard to breathe. Deep inside, a primal, bestial fear was clawing at his heart.

But this fear did not belong to him. It was fake. With a dark grimace, Sunny strangled it and made it disappear.

Walking out of the darkness of the alcove like a golden apparition, Gunlaug glanced at the mass of people below him and sat on the throne. His pose was relaxed and casual, as though he was here to leisurely resolve a trivial matter, not decide someone's fate.

Hundreds of fates, perhaps.

However, despite his laid-back attitude, everyone gathered in the great hall swayed a little, pressed down to the ground by the incredible force of his presence.

The Bright Lord lingered for a few moments, and then said, his serpentine voice full of mirth:

"Ah, what a sight. All my precious wards gathered here, united in the desire to see justice prevail. This dedication, this fervor for the rule of law… oh, it just makes my blood boil with appreciation. Don't you think it's wonderful?"

He laughed and turned his head slightly, peering directly at Nephis. She lowered her head a bit, an almost imperceptible tremor running through her body. To Sunny, though, it seemed as though the plates of marble beneath her feet were about to crack from the terrifying pressure of Gunlaug's gaze.

much

and then echoed his words, a note of some dark emotion finding its way into his

think it's wonderful, Changing Star

greeted her teeth, struggling to remain steady under the psychic onslaught of the golden armor. When she finally answered, her voice sounded

"...Indeed."

behind the golden mask, Sunny had a feeling that

Finally, he spoke:

Somehow, I was under the impression that you would disagree. I've been told by my most loyal aids

that, he glanced at his lieutenants, making them

The message hidden in those words was clear: Gunlaug was letting Nephis know that

Maybe even silently

'Damnation…'

much did

Effie. After a few seconds had passed

these tragic circumstances. If only you had listened to me and joined the Host… perhaps then you might not have fallen

his head

noble Hunter, you have turned into a wild

echoed in the silence of the great hall, making people lower

his undivided attention. But then, she

said

"Fuck off."

and raised his hands in a

why, with a heavy heart, I have to sentence this once-promising young woman to death. She has to

dweller or an inhabitant of the Castle, everyone was affected by his last

"Don't you dare, bastard!"

"Kill that murderer!"

"Effie! We're here!"