unsolved riddles (5)
A silver staff that reveals its noble appearance. The tip of a staff blunt like a mace.
And Shin Seong-cheol, who is revealed at a glance in between.
A Noble Phantasm that has been handed down from generation to generation since ancient times. It was a hall of glory.
… … The pope’s staff, it must have been entrusted to the saintess.
But that wasn’t what mattered now.
“How long will it take?”
“I think it will take about an hour.”
“okay.”
I nodded slightly at that figure.
I don’t know what she thinks, but an hour is a very short time compared to the effort and time spent trying to figure out the cause of the epidemic before returning.
* * *
After hearing the explanation, Esteban’s knights couldn’t help but be taken aback.
Under such circumstances, it was only natural that he stuttered.
“Well, there really were signs of an epidemic.”
To believe that the fact that I was dubious even though I followed the order was really true… … .
Of course, if an epidemic would suddenly break out in a slash-and-burn village, who had never heard of it, who would accept it right away?
But really, as the first prince said… … No, something even more amazing was happening here.
“It’s black magic… … .”
Once again, the respectful eyes of the knights turned to me.
I looked at George and asked, passing those eyes lightly.
“Did you find anything suspicious?”
“Well, I don’t know if this is correct, but roughly.”
He shrugged and handed something between his index finger and thumb.
I nodded my head as I saw what the guy handed over to me.
“… … You came to the right place.”
Brown parchment torn like fabric, and geometric magic patterns drawn on it.
It didn’t matter what the identity of the magic circle was. It was because I could clearly see the dark energy emanating from within.
It was the power of black magic for sure.
The guy said after shaking his hands as if he had touched something dirty.
“I don’t know if I search further, but I can only find one right now.”
“Right. Let the search continue.”
I gave the order and tucked the parchment into my bosom.
But then, Paladin Roland, who had been following George, spoke to me.
“Why is Esteban’s first prince taking care of it?”
“what?”
“It is likely a piece of black magic. Then, of course, shouldn’t we keep it safely under the management of the Holy Kingdom?”
“Hoo, is it?”
I exclaimed as if I had heard something interesting. Then, with a sneer, he asked.
“You cheeky. You mean to take it by force rather than by recommendation?”
From noble mtl dot com.
“It is not coercive. As for black magic, it is right that the Holy Kingdom should manage it. As a paladin’s position, I only follow the doctrine.”
“Interesting opinion.”
“Your Highness, if you want to continue your relationship with the Holy Kingdom, please give it up.”
“Well, yes.”
I shrugged and obediently handed it over. Then, after receiving it, Paladin Roland turned around and disappeared somewhere.
Naturally, George, who was watching this scene, asked me with tears in his eyes.
“Have you ever been hit in the head? Why are you handing over that hard-earned thing?”
“It was something that didn’t matter if I handed it over.”
It couldn’t be used for tracking, and it wasn’t something to study black magic, so it wasn’t wrong to say that it didn’t matter.
But George wasn’t going to listen to him right away.
“… … You have something on your mind. If I had been offended by such a coercive attitude in the first place, wouldn’t you be the kind of person who would hand it over just because it’s useless?”
“Where you can think freely.”
“… … .”
I smiled so dubiously and answered roughly.
George, too, seemed unwilling to ask further questions.
Eventually, after the boy left, the village chief who had been waiting for him approached and asked cautiously.
“I… … By any chance, did you tell the prince?”
“okay.”
“Huh… … ! Hey, it’s an honor.”
Even in such a deaf mountain village, rumors spread throughout the country were bound to be heard.
Such as raiding the land of the barbarians or saving the dwarves.
The village chief must have heard such a thing as well, and he erased his fear before he knew it and started sending eyes full of awe.
Of course, it must be because they realized that I did not come to harm them.
I looked at the village chief and said.
“East and south of town. I can feel the energy of black magic in both directions. Are there any places where rats might be infested there?”
“Ah, maybe it is. I have a guess.”
“Let me guide you.”
Of course, there wasn’t just one familiar they were controlling.
So, while the saintess was tracking the energy of black magic, I also planned to finish the rest of the familiars.
In order to block the eyes and ears of the guys who noticed soon.
“Move fast.”
one hour. I’ll have everything ready before then.
* * *
The mercenaries got up from their seats and drank. A colleague of guys who laugh while watching it.
The atmosphere at the bar where the mercenaries gathered was very loud, and the noise made my ears hurt.
But even in such an atmosphere, there were men and women who quietly continued their meal. And to my surprise, no one around me found them strange.
As if saying no one was there. They were quietly continuing their meal outside the awareness of the other mercenaries.
“… … .”
In the man’s head as he continued his meal, he suddenly felt something snapping.
At first, I didn’t really care.
However, even for a while, one more sense was cut off, eventually causing the man’s expression to distort.
It’s because I know better than anyone about these senses that are cut off in my head.
“… … sh*t, connection to the familiar has been lost.”
“what?”
At those words, a woman’s harsh question jumped out from between the black robes sitting across from her.
Familiar, what the man was talking about was definitely the ones planted in the slash-and-burn village.
But why is it suddenly cut off? The woman wearing a robe clearly showed her displeasure.
“That familiar is a guy based on the Chimera I developed. There is no way the connection will be disconnected without any notice. Didn’t you manage your mana correctly?”
“Shut up Adele, not one. It must have been cut off by an external factor.”
“If it is an external factor… … .”
“It seems that the existence of the familiars was discovered. Two are dead.”
“under!”
That was an even more absurd excuse.
At the man’s words, the woman called Adele snorted.
“There’s no way that a Chimera that can block even the presence of itself would have been caught, and how blatantly can you use magic to get it caught?”
“I am not in the mood to joke. If you are a person who can make this possible… … It seems that a high-ranking priest has come.”
“… … A high priest?”
Adele, who instantly changed her mood at the word priest, narrowed one eye.
Come to think of it, I was hearing the news that a large number of healers had been dispatched to Esteban recently.
I didn’t expect to hear the story of that filthy priest here, Esteban, but anyway, according to what he said, the excuse that a high-ranking priest seemed to have come was not a totally improbable story.
“A high-ranking priest… … .”
“I don’t know why, but it seems like a high-ranking priest was sent to a place like this. If that’s the case, it seems that the Familiar got the bad luck.”
“No, I don’t think it’s bad luck.”
“What are you talking about?”
For a moment, Adele’s eyes flashed with life.
As long as the existence of the familiar had already been discovered, it was safe to say that the operation to cause an epidemic had failed.
It was a kind of light experiment anyway, so it didn’t matter whether the operation was successful or not. But isn’t the cause of the failure the priest of the Holy Empire, who would not be happy even if he was torn to pieces?
Then the story is different.
“Good luck Roy, let’s go kill the priests.”
“Killing is a simple thing. But will it leave a mark?”
“doesn’t care. As long as the Chimera falls into their hands anyway, you will know that it was the work of black magic.”
And I can’t hand over information about the new chimera to them so easily.
Rather than handing over the chimera, the essence of black magic created by Adele, it might have been better to kill all the guys in the village and leave other traces.
Even if they followed the trail anyway, there was no way for them to catch them.
They had the confidence to do so.
“We’ll have to retrieve the other guys who aren’t dead yet.”
“Right.”
Before long, the man who nodded, Roy, and let out a fishy smile.
“Not a bad idea.”
move immediately.
* * *
Take-!
The rat, pierced by the simple thrust of the sword, disappeared with only a scream left behind.
Instead of blood, only black smoke spewed out of the pierced rat’s corpse.
… … Is this the last time?
Chi Ik-
When I lifted the corpse, which was the medium, the gloves I wore began to melt with a hot sensation. That figure, which was discolored all over the armor, contained a serious aura no matter who saw it.
But I didn’t care, I just put it in an enchanted container. He then put the contaminated gloves in as well.
A total of three family members. Since one of the dogs was entrusted to the saintess, it was like taking care of all the familiars in Garon Village.
“… … Does that mean that the outbreak of the contagious disease has been prevented?”
However, as long as the culprit of this incident remains, the possibility of something similar happening in the future will not converge to zero.
At the very least, it would be good to wrap things up neatly so that there’s no bullsh*t.
Besides, the negative energy didn’t disappear that easily, so the purification work would have to continue during this period of abundance of priests.
“Once the first cleanup is over.”
Returning to the center of the village with the village chief, George was seen leading the priests who had undergone a primary purification.
The fact that the citizens of the slash-and-burn battles moved in an orderly manner so as not to be surprised clearly showed the future appearance of becoming the general staff of the Federation Empire.
“Well, even slugs have a knack for rolling. Good work.”
“… … .”
I said that and looked around the town more closely.
Shabby wooden houses that are not even managed and are being torn down. Famine without even decent livestock. The slash-and-burn farmers were so thin that they couldn’t even eat the skin porridge properly.
‘Even if it doesn’t harm them right now, they’re probably fugitives after all.’
… … Seeing them through the window, they were still trembling with anxiety, even though they had improved since before.
“Then, what about priests and paladins now? Shall I tell you to rest until the next instruction?”
“no.”
By the time George’s strange gaze continued, my lips began to open slowly.
“Immediately tell the knights to evacuate the slashed people to a safe place. And in the meantime, explain to the priests and paladins to prepare for an encounter with the warlock that will happen at the very least.”
“yes?”
“Move as fast as you can.”
The boy rolled his eyes in bewilderment at the sudden order.
It was the same with the village chief.
However, my body, which I would like to explain, walked past him before I knew it, and was walking in the direction where the saintess would be.
Of course, my gaze was not directed toward the warehouse. Feelings that are felt beyond.
‘two people.’
… … Yes, my eyes were on the black magicians who came to me after feeling the ideal of a familiar.
I smiled and stroked Elbern, who was tied around the waist.
“I wondered when you would show up.”
It just appeared.