Darkness Falls

"..."

Finality remained in the room everyone had just left, silent, his thoughts unknown.

"A new Tavern... Why didn't you choose to give up?"

His path was different from theirs in the end. The Masked Fools, Weidi, had chosen to give up on saving the god and offer it a dignified death.

But they hadn't given up. They had chosen change instead. Since the Tavern had long since fallen into such a sorry state, they would build one themselves!

It would be the end of the old world and the beginning of the new.

"Heh heh..."

Finality pulled down his hat.

"Then... as Weidi of the Masked Fools, I'll offer the World's End Tavern a game for the brave."

Incidentally, after Sparkle and the others saw that the new Tavern had been built, they brought all the Fools they approved of into it.

Finality took out a mask and looked at the familiar mask of Elation. He gently wiped the mask, though it was already as spotless as new, then put it on.

"Guess who'll be the last one alive?"

Weidi appeared in the reception area of the World's End Tavern. He had already surrounded the Tavern, and now... the Fools were prey penned up for the hunt.

"Hey, who the hell are you? You're new here, and you've got a lot of nerve talking like that."

"Yeah, hahaha! Who'll be the last one alive? If you ask me, you'll be the first to die."

"Laugh all you want. I hope you'll still be able to laugh in a little while.

In Aha's name, I, Weidi of the Masked Fools, offer you a game for the brave.

The winner takes all. The losers... heh, will become departed souls."

Weidi snapped his fingers, and the sound rang throughout the Tavern.

Guess what?

Had Weidi left something in the Tavern?~

The Tavern's Fools stood in an empty arena.

Screams and curses rang out nonstop, but they still laughed at one another.

"Now, for the first round of the game for the brave. The referee cannot participate in this round."

Weidi stood on the stage at the front, spinning a revolver in his hand.

"This revolver holds six bullets. Only one of them is a blank.

Fire a shot at yourself or at someone around you. Once you reach the last bullet, you must shoot yourself.

Game-start."

As Weidi's voice fell, revolvers appeared in the hands of the Fools present.

Most of them aimed their guns at Weidi and fired without hesitation.

Bang!

The bullets stopped in front of Weidi, then reversed course toward the Fools' hearts.

"Unfortunately, you attacked the referee. You've been eliminated."

Weidi's tone remained even.

Some Fools aimed their guns at one another, pulling their triggers and shooting each other dead.

Only a small number, either because they still had a little conscience or because they were smart, aimed their guns at themselves. The moment they pulled the trigger, the bullets jammed.

"Congratulations."

Weidi clapped softly.

The people below the stage had survived either by being lucky enough to pick the right bullet or by pulling the trigger on themselves at the first opportunity and triggering the mechanism.

"You've survived the first round."

Weidi's calm voice made the Fools below the stage, now reduced to one-tenth of their original number, feel cold all over.

"The second game-Werewolf. You'll be assigned random roles.

The Seer, the Hunter, the Witch...

Among you, there is only one Werewolf.

Find that Werewolf and vote to kill him, and you'll live.

Otherwise, the Werewolf alone will live, and all of you will die!

Now-"

Weidi raised his right hand, holding a role card between two fingers.

"Game start~"

Weidi scattered the role cards into the air, and they flew at random into everyone's hands.

Only a small number had special roles. The cards most people held identified them as lambs for the slaughter.

"Remember your roles and your abilities.

Now, night has fallen. Close your eyes."

As Weidi's voice fell, the arena became a place of eternal night.

Some Fools tried to sneak a look, only to find they couldn't move at all.

"Werewolf, open your eyes and choose the lamb you want to slaughter."

Weidi paused, as though confirming something, then spoke again.

"Werewolf, close your eyes. Seer, open your eyes and choose whose role you want to check."

The Seer Fool opened his eyes nervously and picked someone at random. Weidi watched quietly and told him that person's role.

"Seer, close your eyes. Witch, open your eyes."

The Witch Fool opened his eyes.

"Will you use the antidote to save the person who was killed?"

The Witch shook his head.

"Then... will you use your poison?"

He shook his head again.

After asking them one by one, Weidi walked over to the Witch Fool.

"Congratulations, you're the first night's victim~"

The Witch Fool's body involuntarily tried to twitch in fear, but the rules kept him from moving.

Pfft~

A sharp blade pierced the Witch Fool's heart.

The rules no longer restrained the dying man. The Witch Fool died with his eyes wide open, regret at not having used the antidote in them.

"What a pity. There's no medicine for regret in this world."

Weidi shook his head, his voice tinged with regret.

"Dawn has come. Open your eyes."

Weidi returned to the stage and clapped his hands softly. The arena lit up again.

"Unfortunately, the Witch didn't use the antidote. One person died."

"It's time to reveal the victim's role."

Weidi took out the victim's card.

[Witch]

"The victim was the very Witch who didn't use the antidote."

The clamor below the stage stopped.

Their only chance at resurrection was gone.

Unless the Seer could find the Werewolf, every last one of them would die.

"Where's the Seer? Come out already!"

A whole crowd of Fools grew frantic and began cursing loudly.

Weidi shook his head gently. It seemed one death per round was still too merciful. Even now, they could still turn on one another and argue?

Heh... human nature.

Though the Seer Fool was tense, he blended into the crowd and cursed himself too. He wasn't an idiot. No one even knew who the Werewolf was; revealing himself would be asking for death!

The Witch was gone, and there was no chance of resurrection.

Weidi glanced at the Seer Fool cursing himself, and the corners of his mouth curled up. Oh~ there was another smart one here.

"Silence."

Weidi didn't raise his voice, but the Fools who had just been arguing all shut their mouths.

"The voting phase begins now."

Most of the Fools chose to abstain, but some still took the opportunity to get revenge on their enemies, so one unlucky lamb was voted to death.

A [Lamb].

Weidi displayed the victim's role card.

Even at a time like this, someone had actually taken the opportunity to get revenge? Weidi only felt that these people were becoming more and more beyond saving.

One round after another.

[Lambs] kept dying, and the Seer's hand trembled more and more as he pointed people out.

"Seer, open your eyes."

Weidi's tone remained utterly impassive.

The Seer shakily pointed at the target whose role he wanted to check.

"Oh?"

A grin spread across Weidi's mask.

Because the Seer had pointed at none other than Weidi, who was supposed to be the referee.