Erased Blood: A MHA fantasy AU

CHAPTER 2: CRIMSON DUTY

The rosy tint of dawn made its mark on the castle, which had an ethereal presence of its own. You couldn't find it unless you were a citizen of this kingdom. Foreigners had to be escorted inside specifically, but their tales varied from one to the other.

One claimed that it looked like an ancient gothic fort, while some claimed that it was made of sandstone.

Some even claimed that it was a cozy cottage.

Illusions were rampant in these parts, which are one of the reasons why the kingdom hadn't fallen to enemy attacks yet. Their military was formidable, yes, but without the powerful magic in their ranks, they would have been defeated a long while ago.

The Commander of said ranks, Keigo Takami walked into their daily training session.

"Shota Aizawa, kindly report to the King. He has sent for you." 

Aizawa warily got up and went inside, expecting more paperwork. As if he didn't have enough of that being the teacher of the children of the nobles. 

He passed the Head of Servants/Caretaker of the Prince, Kurogiri on his way, who gave him a nod in greeting before going off to yelling "TOMURA SHIGARAKI!!" 

Evidently the Prince had done some semblance of mischief yet again.

"Come in, Shota Aizawa, Wielder Of Erasure." 

Gingerly, he set foot in and bowed to the King Shigaraki whose face was in shadow as usual.

Only Kurogiri, Nedzu(a strange rat hybrid who doubled up as the royal advisor and the king in the actual King's absence) and the Prince knew how he looked like, others could only make out the shape of a face. 

"Your majesty," Aizawa greeted curtly, straightening up and looking at the shadowy face.

"How do you fare today?" The question was just a way to begin a conversation and knowing the King, he would happily speak like a cryptic dragon to give an assignment.

"Dreading the reason for me being summoned," he shot back in the flatest tone possible. 

The King chuckled.

"Astute as ever, eh? Well then let me not waste further time. What is your opinion of the Hero Regiment of our military?"

Another trick question, which also made Aizawa suspect the true nature of the meeting.

That's what the King tended to do. Say random things and leave people to form their own conclusions, fill in the gaps themselves. However, Aizawa was determined to drag the answer out of the King, himself.

"They are all noble people, sir, truly deserving of the title of a Hero."

"Do you truly think that, Hero Eraserhead?" 

Ah, so they were back to codenames.

"They may be lacking in some fields, but I believe that they hold up the ideal of Heroes," he said stiffly.

"And what is the ideal of heroes?" The King said, calmly as ever, seemingly as innocent as a cat about to pounce. 

"To dedicate their hearts to the welfare of the Kingdom, including public wellfare." 

"I see. And what do you think of Stain, the Hero Killer?" 

There it was. The news that had been haunting the Hero Regiment since the time the first body had appeared, with the note 

"Society is being overrun by fake heroes who is undeserving of the title of a "Hero". I will purge society of these fakes and return the title to the ideal.

~ Stain: The Hero Killer." 

From then on, sixteen more Heroes had been found dead, with more notes of why they had been killed. Every Hero was now dreading themselves to be the next. Morale was low in the Regiment despite Keigo's best attempts to cheer them up.

"His methods are too radical and violent and those of a madman trying to excuse his wish to kill," Aizawa said stiffly, "Every killer needs a justification."

"And every villain is a hero in their own minds," the King finished, sounding like he was deep in thought, "Do you suspect any of your fellows to be the Killer?"

"No sir, brash as some may be, I don't believe that they will kill this mindlessly. If so, then he would have been revealed sooner."

"And yet he is still hidden." 

"I believe that he can blend well enough in common sight, not just so under this incredible amount of scrutiny." 

"So, your theory is that he is hiding as a civilian?"

"Yes sir."

Nedzu stepped forward then, from God knows where, unrolling a roll of parchment which he handed to the King, who chuckled softly.

"Your intuition is sharp as ever, Nedzu, this meeting proceeded in this exact same way."

These were the times when Aizawa suspected that Nedzu was purely around for the King's enjoyment. Because the King was smart enough on his own, which did not need him to use an "advisor". 

Then the King turned to him,

"I wish to appoint you as the head of the Force to sniff out the Hero Killer."

And the world crashed around him.

"Me?" He asked faintly, "But, Royal Advisor Nedzu—."

"Yes, you are right, I would have been a better fit for this job, however, I have to leave the country to attend a peace treaty signing in the Kingdom of Shiketsu," Nedzu chirped from his position.

"I…...see," Aizawa said haltingly, trying to process the whole thing. No doubt Nedzu had this on that darned scroll too. Sometimes, he felt like an actor unwillingly playing the role in a play that Nedzu and the King were writing.

"It's an honour to be considered suitable for this delicate task, your majesty," he said once he had regained proper speech.

"So it is. Recruit anyone who you think could be of help, and you may question anyone you believe to be suspicious. However, try to stay low."

"And if you fail," Nedzu chirped, "I am returning in two weeks."

Which basically meant that they weren't too optimistic about the success of Aizawa, but they were recruiting him for some reason.

Aizawa bowed again.

"I will try my best, sir."

"See that you do. We will need Heroes on our side if we wish to stand a chance against the exiled King Toshinori Yagi and his heir." 

The doors closed behind him as he walked out. 

Soundlessly as ever.

Like the killer who he had to catch.