Chapter 5:
Demonic Metamorphosis
After dealing with our uninvited guests, I got back to preparing the bread.
I felt some people coming toward the shop, but neither of us were alarmed.
“Teacher.”
Looks like Jet’s back. Who’s with him, though?
“Whoever it is, there’s four of them.”
Jet brought four other people with him. Who were they? And what did they want at this hour? I didn’t think they were enemies, but these were still legitimate questions.
“Bark! Bark, bark!”
“Coming.”
We opened the door, and in walked our four employees.
Colbert was leaning on Judith, limping as he struggled to stay upright. His right leg was a mess. Blood seeped through the rags they’d used to stop the bleeding. What the hell happened?
“You’re hurt,” Fran said in surprise.
I could imagine why she was shocked. Colbert was as strong as B-Ranks could get. I didn’t think we could beat him in a fair fight. It was unthinkable that Colbert could’ve been so badly injured in the city.
“Well, this is embarrassing. I made a misstep was all.”
“He was hurt trying to protect us!”
“I think he would’ve won if he were alone…”
“We’re sorry for holding you back.”
Taking off his bandages, we saw the gash running from his right calf all the way to his thigh. It exposed raw flesh and was deep enough that we could see the bone. On Earth, such a sight would have made me faint.
Their attacker initially targeted the Crimson Maidens and injured Colbert when he tried to protect them… Whoever this attacker was, they must’ve been strong.
“We drenched the wound in potions, but I don’t think that’s enough.”
“His foot was only torn to begin with!”
His injuries were much graver than we thought.
“It’s a good thing Jet showed up when he did.”
“He rushed in just as our attacker was about to deal the killing blow and countered him so hard he ran away.”
“He came from the shadows like some kind of assassin.”
So that’s why they came here together.
“Let’s fix you up. Greater Heal.”
“Whoa… I can feel my wounds closing up.”
Fran’s Greater Heal instantly stopped the bleeding. Fortunately, it hadn’t been too long since the attack. Colbert had still lost a lot of blood, but at least it wouldn’t get infected.
“To think the Swordceress could use such powerful Healing Magic… I feel like even more of a loser now.”
We ignored Lydia’s rambling and sat Colbert in a chair.
He couldn’t walk straight. His leg was still numb from the initial shock, and he needed the help of the three girls to sit down.
It wasn’t exactly the time for a meal, so I told Fran to get them something warm to drink. The four of them thanked her for the tea, which eased some of the tension in Colbert’s body.
“What happened?”
“We had just finished eating dinner and were on our way to the lodge when it happened.”
“I thought I’d be a gentleman and walk these three home.”
It was then that a giant of a man blocked their way.
He asked for the girls by name and made it plain that he was no stranger.
“He was clearly after the three of them.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. He even asked us if we worked at the Black Tail.”
“We barely had time to answer before he attacked us.”
“I almost peed myself. But don’t tell anyone.”
The hitman knew their names and faces. It wasn’t much of a stretch to say that he would know where they stayed. That’s why he knew where to strike.
“Do you know who did it?”
“Yeah. He introduced himself, after all.”
“Really?”
Why would an assassin introduce himself?
“The Mad Warrior Theraclede. I always thought the rumors about him were made up.”
“He’s a lot worse than they say.”
“Thera—who?”
“You don’t know him, Swordceress?”
“Hm.”
Fran nodded, to the shock of everyone present. He was apparently quite notorious.
“All right, let me fill you in.”
Lydia explained who Theraclede was. He gained a bounty on his head in the most horrible ways. He would lose himself to bloodlust on the battlefield and massacre both friend and foe. During one of his blood-addled frenzies, he accidentally killed the prince of the kingdom employing him. He didn’t sound like someone we wanted to get involved with.
He was a C-Rank when he got kicked out of the Adventurers’ Guild but had grown far stronger since. I hoped Lydia was only telling tall tales, but given what had happened today…
“It’s all true.”
“Jet saved my life. A Darkness Wolf’s ambush is deadly no matter how strong you are. He got some good hits in before chasing him away.”
“Good boy, Jet.”
“Arf…”
The fact remained, however, that Jet couldn’t beat Theraclede, despite having the element of surprise. Jet knew this, and although he was happy for the compliment, he was still annoyed.
The three girls looked glum. Even Maya, who always seemed to be smiling, was affected. The self-proclaimed cool girl, Lydia looked wracked with worry. I didn’t blame them, considering what just happened… I wouldn’t be surprised if they wanted to quit.
However, my anxiety proved baseless. Judith looked more determined than ever to come to work tomorrow. Seeing that fired up the injured Colbert, and he chimed in with a proud affirmation of his own.
“Then can I count on you to show up tomorrow?”
“No problem!”
“We would love to.”
“Let’s do our best.”
“We’ll show that giant gorilla what we’re made of.”
Good thing we got adventurers to man the stall. The average person would’ve bailed on me already, if Theraclede hadn’t killed them outright.
Colbert took us to one of the Knight Guard’s stations to report the assault. At first, I was worried whether the officer would believe us.
“Are you sure, Mr. Colbert?”
“Yep, he almost did me in.”
“By the gods… I’ll file the report right away!”
Colbert was a bit of a celebrity, and the knight on duty believed his testimony right away.
The assassins sent by Phillip Christon also mentioned Theraclede during our little talk. The Knight Guard hadn’t been sure about the rumors about the Mad Warrior being in Bulbola, but tonight’s incident was proof.
The Knight Guard would tighten security around the city, making it more difficult for the other side to try anything funny.
Judith and the others decided to stay at the Adventurers’ Guild for the night. It was a good call. Any assassin would think twice about attacking a building full of adventurers.
“What about you, Swordceress? Will you stay with us?”
“Hm? I’m good.”
“But…”
“Besides, I have a lot of chores to run tonight.”
They couldn’t expect us to sit it out now that things had escalated. Jet had returned with the intelligence we’d waited all day for. It was time to take out the trash.
“Hold on! Are you gonna go looking for him?”
“No. I have somewhere else to be.”
“Well, all right…but it’s dangerous to go alone.”
“I won’t be. Jet’s with me.”
“Woof!”
Colbert tried to stop her but ended up shaking his head in resignation.
“Okay…but remember we still have a cooking contest to win. Whatever business you have to settle, make sure you wrap it up by morning.”
“Sure. No problem.”
Fran nodded and climbed onto Jet’s back as he shifted back to his original size.
You found something, didn’t you, Jet?
“Woof!”
“Take us there.”
“Bark, bark!”
Ride on, boy!
“Awooo!”
Jet howled, crouched into position, and leapt into a full sprint. A couple of Air Hops later, he was sprinting across the rooftops.
“Feels good.”
Fran squinted through the night wind. It was cold, but the Black Cat Set she wore provided ample Cold Resistance.
Good thing it’s late.
“Arf?”
Jet was running at full speed and full size in the middle of a populated city. If we tried this in the afternoon, it would create a panic. Even at night, not all the townspeople went undisturbed. I heard screams coming from windows, undoubtedly from people who were stargazing. I silently apologized to them.
Are we headed for the YTA mansion?
Jet was running in that direction.
I was mistaken, however. Jet passed the mansion and instead landed in front of the smaller residence next to it. It appeared small by comparison, but it still stood out in the middle of the residential district.
We started out by concealing our auras, but Jet decided we needed further concealment before going in. He used his Dark Magic to kill all traces of our presence. If our direwolf was being this cautious, we should be really careful. Fran and I further deadened our auras.
Once we were completely concealed, Jet jumped silently onto the rooftop.
“Woof.”
There?
Jet shrank himself, and quietly stalked the roof.
We followed him along and stopped when he did. We crept along and looked down through a window.
This room right here?
“Woof!”
Two men were in the room. I Identified them both and discovered one of them was Brook Christon.
Christon? Is that the Count’s middle child?
“Arf!”
He was talking to a man called Facinas Tormeo. Who was this guy? All we could do now was watch and listen.
“Theraclede failed? That useless brute!”
“He has gravely injured Colbert in the process. The girls will be helpless without him.”
They were talking about the attack. So this was our puppet master.
“Then send someone else to finish the job! We have to stop the sale of that accursed curry bread! It’s cancelling the effects of the Fiend Water in Weint’s cooking! It’s ruining my plans!”
“R-right away, my lord!”
“Be quick. We’re too far in to back out now. I don’t care if you cause a riot. I don’t care what you do to their employees. All that matters is that you take care of that Fran girl tonight!”
That Fran girl was right here.
I couldn’t understand the finer points of their conversation, but it sounded like they had mixed some sort of poison into Noble Dish’s menu. A poison whose effects were nullified by eating our curry bread.
Damn, I guess we unknowingly got in the way of his plans.
“Shocking.”
So that’s why he’s targeting us…
How did the Count raise his sons?! The eldest was the only one that came out right. The second son was plotting terrible things underground, and the third sounded like he was helping!
“Damn it all… Does she know how much effort it took to procure the Cure Turmeric…!”
“Is Fiend Water impossible to manufacture without it?”
“That’s what Zelyse says. We wanted to reverse its properties to create the ultimate poison. But to cook such awful food with it and sell it at a mere ten gold… She might be stupider than my brother.”
Fran tensed. Awful food?
Fran, calm down! You’re letting your murderous intent show!
Her aura was enough to make Brook and Facinas shiver. They stopped, noted the odd draft, and continued their conversation. It was a good thing neither of them were fighters.
It’s okay, Fran. Just stay calm.
Hm…
“The YTA has made mistake after mistake. They might be too dangerous to keep around.”
“Then dissolve it and create another association. I’ll take care of the paperwork.”
“As you wish.”
Brook was the mastermind behind the YTA. The trade association was a front to cover his illegal activities.
But what should we do? We might be eyewitnesses to this conspiracy, but we needed solid proof if we wanted anyone to believe us. Should we apprehend Brook? Scum that he was, he was still the Count’s son. Apprehending him without any evidence would be reckless.
We could start with Tormeo…but the disappearance of one of the YTA higher-ups was likely to raise suspicion. As I mulled over our next step, I felt Jet’s aura disappear.
Uh, Jet?
He was going after Tormeo, who was now by himself in the room. Jet attacked the man from the shadows and knocked him out without a sound.
Damn it, Jet, what are you doing?!
Well, no turning back now. I used Silence to mute everything in the room and opened the window with Telekinesis. Jet jumped out, holding Tormeo in his mouth. His actions might have been drastic, but this was probably the only way we could start gathering evidence. They seemed to have their Fiend Water stocked and ready to go, so we needed proof by the end of the night.
Good job… I guess.
“Arf.”
But don’t go running off before I tell you next time, got it?
I yanked his tail to show him I meant business. Jet nodded sheepishly.
“W-woof.”
Jet must’ve taken evidence gathering as his personal mission, apprehending a known witness as soon as he was all alone. I really wished that Fran and Jet would think a little more before they acted…
Anyway, we’re booking it!
“Woof!”
Right!
We headed to the Count’s estate.
We were going to turn Tormeo over to the Count. Extracting information from him was easy enough. He couldn’t fight at all and spilled everything when he saw how big Jet was. Of course, it was part of his plan to fool us, so we still had to be on our toes. It was a good thing we had Essence of Falsehood.
Jet had been feeling slightly down since we reached town. Everyone was afraid of him. It would’ve been worse if not for the kids at the orphanage. He deserved a pat on the back for putting up with it.
Despite Tormeo’s efforts to trick us, we got the information we needed. Just when he thought he had us fooled, we revealed that we knew his plans. His face went a ghastly shade of blue.
He was confident it wouldn’t take much to trick a young girl and that there was no way he would lose a battle of words. Having his entire scheme exposed was like a bucket of cold water to his face. Tormeo looked resigned.
I’d expected to find a smart mob flunky installed in the upper echelons of the YTA, so I was surprised to find out he was more than that. He was the head of the Tormeo Trade Association, a large association affiliated with the YTA. He had Trade and Calculate, but most of his points seemed to have gone into Lie and Threaten. He was one hell of a merchant, one way or another.
Brook, the Count’s second son, was a shareholder of his influential company—which sold beauty products to the nobility of Bulbola. But the scope of his trade association was nothing compared to Brook’s plans. The Count’s son planned to mix Mana Water into his brother’s cooking, making people go berserk for the sake of his coup d’état. Thousands of lives were at stake. We needed to put a stop to it.
Linford, and an alchemist called Zelyse, were responsible for developing the Fiend Water. Zelyse was Eugene’s former apprentice, the one that got him expelled from the Alchemists’ Guild. He’d stayed in Bulbola to continue his illegal research under the protection of the Ythra Trade Association. Now that we had Tormeo, it wouldn’t be difficult to get him testify against Brook and Zelyse.
We stuffed Tormeo in another sack and carried him, still struggling, to the Count’s estate. Sebastian came out to greet us, as was protocol.
“Again…?”
“Hm.”
His gaze immediately locked on to the burlap sack. The butler seemed to have given up trying to part Fran from her luggage and asked no further questions.
“I shall inform the prince and princess.”
I thought about going straight to the Count, but maybe a little consultation with Fult and Satya was in order. The Count was more likely to grant the Phyllian royalty an audience, after all.
“Fran…you have another sack with you?” Fult said, sighing.
Satya mirrored his exasperation. Their past experience with Fran and burlap bags told them exactly what to expect.
“Just so we’re clear, what is in that bag?”
“This guy.”
“Oh! Goodness, I knew it…”
“Mmphhh!”
Satya let out a small yelp when the bound man rolled out of the bag, although she wasn’t as startled as before. She probably had built up some resistance.
“And this is?”
“Bad guy.”
“If you have to tie him up and gag him, I suppose he is.”
“One of the Count’s middle son’s cronies.”
The other children were asleep, leaving only Fult, Satya, and Sellid to listen.
Fran told them what had happened, and I mentally thanked the Phyllians for hanging on her every word. In the end, they understood that Tormeo was helping Brook in some sort of evil conspiracy.
“This is…terrible!”
“Young Brook, you say…” said Sellid. “Not only is he an accomplished tradesman, but he holds council over the trade affairs of Bulbola. He would have the capacity for as many underhand dealings as he wanted.”
Sellid was right. What happened to the orphanage was probably his doing as well. After all, the orphanage was his main competition in the contest.
“We must tell Lord Rhodus.”
“Yes, but will he believe us…?”
Fult was right. Even with Tormeo as our witness, it was doubtful that the Count would believe his own son was plotting to overthrow him.
“Still, we must act.”
“You’re right.”
The royal twins looked at each other and nodded. While the matter had nothing to do with their kingdom, the lives of countless civilians were still at stake. They weren’t the type to sit on their hands and watch. Their royal dignity wouldn’t allow it.
Sellid watched them with a thoughtful look. He understood the risks of interfering with another kingdom’s family matters. Seedrun was still fresh on everyone’s minds, after all.
“Your Highnesses,” he said, knowing his advice would likely be ignored. “I understand that you wish to use your authority for good, but this might escalate into an international incident. You must let Bulbola take care of her own.”
“It’ll be too late by then.”
“Indeed.”
Watching the exchange made me think that Fult and Satya must have inherited their sense of justice from Sellid. It was as if his objections actually strengthened their resolve. It was such an effective way of instilling strong values, I almost thought Sellid was doing it on purpose.
“In any case, we shall discuss this matter with Count Rhodus.”
“Hm.”
“There is one thing we must do before that,” Fult said, glaring at Tormeo.
The intense look was unexpectedly intimidating on such a beautiful face.
“Urgh…”
Tormeo was uncomfortable. Keeping up the pressure, Fult leaned in and whispered:
“We are the heirs of Phyllius.”
“Mgh?”
“Understand? You have already been put under the curse of our Godsword.”
“Hrngh!”
Those who brought harm to the House of Phyllius were cursed by the Godsword. Tormeo was aware of this rumor. The prince stared into his fearful eyes.
“We are going to have an audience with the Count now. Make sure that your testimony is true. Or else.”
Fult let out a short burst of demonic energy. To an untrained layman like Tormeo, it felt murderous. He knew then that the prince had some supernatural abilities. As soon as the tradesman’s gag was removed, he screamed.
“All right! I’ll do anything you say! Just please, not the curse!”
“Very good. So long as you don’t make an enemy out of us, you shall not suffer its consequences.”
Tormeo would be less inclined to pull any funny business now that he believed the curse of the Godsword was on him.
“I shall call for Count Rhodus.”
“Please.”
Sellid let out a resigned sigh as he left the room.
The Marquis came soon after.
He had a grave look on his face today, quite unlike the annoyed expression he wore the last time the prince called for him. Sebastian must’ve told him about the sack. He was expecting something now.
He let out a surprised cry at seeing Tormeo laid out on the floor.
“What is Tormeo doing here…?”
“You know him?”
“Of course. He is the owner of a popular line of beauty products in Bulbola. Our nobles love his goods.”
“He is on friendly terms with your son, is he not?”
“Yes. Brook, my second, is on the board of his trade association.”
Rhodus knew that whatever Tormeo was here for, it wasn’t good. He sat down to prepare himself for the revelation.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“Yes. Tormeo will tell you everything you want to know. Go on, then.”
“Y-yes, lord!”
Leave it to royalty to master giving orders. Tormeo showed no hesitation when he exposed Brook’s plans. The Count’s countenance fell as the conversation went on.
At first, he was angry at the preposterous notion, but turned pale as he realized that Tormeo was telling the truth. I felt sorry for him. As much as he took the side of his own flesh and blood, the old aristocrat knew truth when he heard it.
“I thought he would rebel against me, but to put the lives of our citizens at stake…” the Count mumbled. “Oh, my son…”
The hardest thing for a father was to suspect his own son of wrongdoing.
“N-no,” he said. “We need proof. More evidence…”
“We have just heard the testimony of Brook’s trusted confidant. What further proof do we need?”
“Given the man’s circumstances, surely…”
Surely we were threatening him into speaking falsely. But the Count didn’t say it out loud. Finishing his sentence would’ve meant accusing the prince and princess of lying.
“I apologize. This is hard for me to take in.”
“I understand.”
“I’ve known… I knew that either Phillip or Brook was using my seal without authorization…”
I almost forgot about that. The Count’s investigation was quite thorough, but he couldn’t bring himself to suspect his own son.
“Phillip is as simple as he is straight forward. He isn’t capable of conspiring in the shadows. Which leaves the culprit as…”
Marquis Christon hung his head.
Inner conflict tore at him. On one hand, he must see to it that justice was done. But, on the other, he wanted to keep the whole thing under wraps. The incident would bring shame to the family. But insisting on obfuscation was difficult with Phyllian royalty around. Not taking immediate action would offend the Phyllians and also harm the lives of civilians.
He was weighing his options, trying to find the best possible solution.
Eventually, he came to his decision.
“Very well. I shall mobilize the Night Guard to apprehend my son along with his co-conspirators, the mercenary and the alchemist.”
“And we move tonight?”
“Yes. However, because of the festival, it will be difficult to mobilize the whole guard.”
It would’ve been nice to call in the entire cavalry to arrest Brook, but it was better than nothing. The Count still looked hesitant, but at least he was taking action.
Less than an hour later, the city guard gathered at the manor and were told they were to arrest Brook and Weint on sight.
Fult and Satya would stay at the manor. If they got hurt meddling in another kingdom’s business, Sellid would literally lose his head. They agreed to this plan only after his strong protests.
Of course, we were part of the strike team. Someone needed to lead the way.
Jet, can you feel where Brook is at?
“Woof!”
I see.
Brook wasn’t in the house where we captured Tormeo but in the YTA estate. Jet pointed his nose in its direction.
“Brook’s over there.”
“That mansion…”
Marquis Christon gazed at the manor in the distance. He was hesitating, wondering why this strange girl had brought him here and accused his son of treason without solid evidence. All he had to go by was the testimony of a man who was clearly under duress.
We had no choice but to take the lead.
Fran.
“Hm.”
“H-hey! Where are you going?!”
Fran dashed forward, ignoring the Marquis’ complaints. Our target was the gatekeeper. Wasting time on polite questions might mean informing the people on the inside. The Count would be reassured once he knew Brook was in the building.
“Wha—”
Fran punched the guard in the solar plexus before he could utter a word. I had Identified him earlier to make sure and saw he was under the Criminal and Possessed status ailments. We caught him as he crumpled to the floor and brought him back to Count Christon and his troops.
We gagged and bound him, just in case. The man regained consciousness after a quick Heal.
“Mmmphh!”
“Quiet.”
“Hurgh!”
After a quick kick to the gut, the man curled up. After several more administrations, he finally knew enough to stop struggling.
“Wh-what are you doing with him?” the Count interrupted, his voice tinged with fear.
“Hm? Interrogation, of course.”
“It looks like torture to me… Who is he?”
“I dunno. He’s one of them, though.”
“And you have proof of this?”
“I know one when I see one.”
“So you don’t.”
The Count held his head in exasperation. Lacking Identify, he had no way of verifying the truth. I didn’t blame him for his lack of faith.
“I’m going to ask you some questions. Answer honestly, and I’ll stop hurting you. Make noise, and I’ll kill you.”
The gatekeeper nodded, turning pale at the graveness in Fran’s voice. We took off his gag, and he cowered in fearful anticipation.
“Who owns this mansion?”
“The Ythra Trade Association! I’m just a scrub! I don’t know anything, I swear!”
He wasn’t lying so far.
“The Ythra Trade Association?” a guard next to the Count muttered to himself.
He was an old veteran named Danan. He had excellent command over his squadrons, was as strong as a D-Rank adventurer, and had received many accolades in his day.
“The YTA works under the Tormeo Trade Association, meaning that it is tied to Master Brook. A dastardly organization.”
“I see… Brook…”
Marquis Christon seemed completely oblivious to this fact, but his soldiers knew about the YTA. They were cunning but also had the protection of crooked aristocrats and trade associations. Any attempt at investigating the YTA never came to fruition.
This was clearly Brook’s doing, but we had no hard evidence. Bringing the subject up would probably end with his saying, “I’ll look into it,” followed by a temporary halt of the YTA’s shady activities.
“Is a man called Brook inside?”
“Yes, he is! The head of the YTA always sucks up to him! He’s been in there for hours, he passes through those gates all the time!”
“Last question. Do you do bad things?”
“W-well, I…”
“Hm.”
Fran’s kick sent jolts up the man’s spine. He struggled to answer, in tears from the pain.
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll talk! I’ll talk, just please no more!”
“You should’ve done that from the start.”
“We do bad things! Illegal things! Selling contraband, women, setting our competition’s houses on fire, you name it!”
The YTA dealt with any illegal violent act outside the realm of the Tormeo Trade Association—TTA. They operated like the mob. Despite having different names, they were definitely the shadow arm of the TTA.
Even if their crimes ever came to light, Brook could just cut ties with them at his convenience. The crooked trade association was the perfect scapegoat.
“Does Brook know?”
“He must know, considering how much he frequents this place. Not to mention his ties to the TTA.”
“Oh, Brook… How could you do this…?”
The Count was still in denial.
“They told me to take care of the body of one of Brook’s sex slaves. He went at the girl too hard!”
“Such fool talk… My son would never…”
The Count uttered a weak defense. He knew it was true, but he didn’t want to believe it.
“I told him he had no right to be my heir as long as he kept looking down on the common man… I thought it would change his mind.”
“I guess all it did was make him throw a tantrum.”
“Oh, Brook… My son…”
A tantrum? I didn’t think he’d plot to kill his own brother in a tantrum.
“Very well. If Brook is indeed here, I shall ask him personally. The testimony this man gave was sufficient. Arrest anyone who resists… Brook, as well.”
“Yes, Lord Count!”
The soldiers stormed the gates. Half of them surrounded the estate while the rest charged through the mansion.
Brook’s minions were still inside, but they were no match for fully armed soldiers. Try as they might, they were immediately subdued. I Identified them as we went and found they were all Possessed. I tried feeding one such aggressor some curry. I gave him the smooth kind, which Fran usually ate, instead of the chunky kind we used in our curry bread. We shoved a cup in his mouth and forced it down his gullet.
“Gaah!”
The man looked to be in pain. Choking on curry was preferable to staying Possessed, at least. The Fiend Water had produced this ailment and seemed to put its victims in a state of frenzy.
Brook had even slipped some to his own men. Soon, we would know why.
Now that I thought about it, the drunk who went berserk near our stall the other day was Possessed, too. Fiend Water might have made its way beyond the Noble Dish. The situation could be worse than I thought.
Five minutes had gone since we began our raid.
We reached the room where Brook was supposed to be.
Is he here?
“Bark!”
There was no mistaking Jet’s Aura Sense. Brook should be behind this door.
Fran kicked it in. Brook was rummaging through his desk as if looking for something. He had heard the noise and was preparing to escape with his valuables.
“Wh-who are you?!”
“Hm. I don’t need to introduce myself to scum like you.”
“This is breaking and entering!”
“It isn’t, son. This is an investigation.”
“F-Father! Why are you…?”
“I should ask you the same. What are you doing in this den of thieves?”
“I have no idea what you are—”
Brook began listing his excuses, but something else caught my eye. Brook was Possessed, as well. How? Did he drink the Fiend Water, too? If so, why?
As I puzzled over it, a soldier came forward.
“We’ve gained control of the mansion. We found some wanted criminals and have taken them into custody. They’re all gathered in the garden. We also found girls we suspect to be victims of illegal slavery and secured them.”
Criminals and slaves. There was your solid evidence. No one could plead ignorance now.
“Brook, tell your story to the Knight Guard. Your flimsy excuses won’t be of any help.”
“No… No, no, NO!!! Why is this happening?!”
Did he really think no one would notice? As far as covering up crimes go, Brook was pretty sloppy. The YTA were so brazen that it guaranteed someone would eventually expose them.
He might be smart enough to plot, but he wasn’t cautious enough to cover his tracks. To begin with, it would be plainly obvious that any riot which caused the impeachment of his own father and the death of his brother would have to be conceived by one of the Christons. They were the rulers of Bulbola after all. He hadn’t thought this through.
Well, we managed to avoid a coup because of his sloppiness. All we had to do now was arrest Weint, and we could prevent the Fiend Water epidemic from spreading. The city could even use our Cure Turmeric curry. Not that they had a choice, considering I used the entire stock of Cure Turmeric to make it.
Anyway, we should start by feeding the people in this mansion to cure them of the Possessed status.
What flavor should I go with? Ultra-hot turned out to be ultra-popular, so we didn’t have much leftover. I guess we could feed them Plain and Hot. I was about to take out my curry bread when Brook let out a menacing scream.
“Graaargh!”
What’s this? Was he becoming enraged out of desperation?
“Gaaaarggh!!!”
“B-Brook?! What’s the matter, son?!”
Marquis Christon grabbed his son’s shoulders, but he was already foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog.
“Garargggggh!”
Still on his knees, Brook looked up and convulsed. Black mist rose out of his body. Things weren’t looking good.
The effect looked similar to the Possessed status, albeit far more amplified.
Fran, shove the curry down his throat!
“Hm!”
Fran took a plate of curry out of her Pocket Dimension.
“Jet, hold him down!”
Jet rolled the still spasming Brook over to his stomach and pinned him with his front paws. Fran took a spoonful of curry to his lips, but his rampage made it difficult to get anything into his mouth.
“Jet, roll him over again.”
“Woof.”
Turning him over, Fran forced Brook’s mouth open and splashed curry all over his face. His symptoms were getting worse, and he showed no signs of being cured. Or maybe the curry just got into his eyes… Still, some of it must have gone in his mouth.
Did that work?
If only that were enough to cure him.
“GUAAARRRGGH!”
Brook’s body began to swell. His muscles grew at a visible rate. His skin turned dark, not the shade of sunburn, but pitch black as ink. His veins bulged and pulsed visibly under his skin like squirming worms. His face, however, remained mostly unchanged, making him look all the more unsettling.
Gross!
“Hm.”
Fran reeled back at the sight of Brook’s metamorphosis. He no longer looked human. Were we too late administering the cure?
When I Identified him, his status screen looked like a monster’s. His name was gone, and in its place was the Type field which revealed his species. Corrupted Human. He was strong enough to kill the average goblin or soldier now, but still no match for us.
He had gained the Class Skill, Fiendmancy. I remembered seeing that kind of title on certain Goblins and Kobolds. It seemed exclusive to Fiend types. They had the Corrupted prefix in their names too, and their skin was the same inky black. Brook had even gained the title Slave of the Evil One, which looked eerily similar to Servant of the Evil One. There were too many similarities.
I thought that the Fiend Water only made its victims go into a frenzy? I didn’t expect it to turn them into actual Fiends.
What the hell is going on?
No matter how reckless Brook was, I couldn’t see him ingesting the dangerous Mana Water. At least, not by himself.
Was he being played by a third party? That left Zelyse the rogue alchemist and the old mage Linford…
I had no time to think about it now. We needed to deal with the Fiend in front of us.
In truth, I wanted to cut him down and get it over with, but doing that in front of his father might earn his ire. Besides, there was still a chance that he could be cured. If we could get him talking, maybe we could get information from him. It was in our best interest to let him live, but…
As we mulled over what to do, the people outside the manor were beginning to transform, too.
“Gaaaaargh!”
“Roaaafrgh!”
We could hear the same screams come from the garden.
“Well then.”
This is bad.
A civilian like Brook transforming was bad enough, but what if it happened to trained fighters? They would be exponentially stronger as Fiends.
As the screams outside grew louder, I felt an incredibly strong presence rising. Then came the agonized cries of the city guard. The people outside had undergone the same transformation.
“Brook! Brook, talk to me!”
“Stay back!”
“Br—hurk!”
Marquis Christon ignored Fran’s warning and rushed to his son, still pinned under Jet’s feet. His concern was rewarded with a powerful kick.
“Count Rhodus! Are you all right?”
“S-somehow.”
The Count was still reeling from the pain and shock as the guard captain helped him to his feet.
“Aaaargh!”
Brook struggled fiercely under Jet’s front paws. He had lost his mind and wasn’t about to calm down. We fed him more curry and used Healing Magic, but all to no avail. When someone afflicted with Possession turned, the curse was lifted and the natural state of the creature took its place.
Fran, see if you can stop him moving.
“Hm. Jet, get off.”
“Woof.”
“Stun Bolt.”
“Grr—gaahng!”
That worked. Brook rolled on the floor, freed from Jet’s grasp. He was conscious but Paralyzed. Lightning Magic seemed really powerful, especially against the living.
Now, just sit on him, Jet.
“Woof.”
Let’s go, Fran.
“Hm.”
We ran down the hallway and leapt out of a window into the garden.
They’ve all transformed!
The captured criminals of the Ythra Trade Association had become Fiends. They’d broken free of their bonds and were now on a frenzy—ten of them against thirty soldiers. The difference in power was too great. The city guard were overwhelmed.
“What do we do? Capture them all?”
Let’s…just cut them down. Saving all of them is impossible with how much they’re thrashing around. Even if we managed to cure them, they’d still get a death sentence.
They were guilty of conspiring to treason, after all.
Fran Air Hopped, kicked the air above her, and shot straight down like a bullet. I cast a wind spell, chopping off two heads on our way down.
Having been thugs in their former lives, these Fiends were stronger than Brook. From a Threat Level perspective, they were at least E-Threats.
However, their skills weren’t anything special, and their equipment broke when they bulked up during transformation. They were no match for us, and it took a little under three minutes to take care of them.
Unfortunately, none of them had formed a crystal, despite being strong enough. No use complaining about it now, I supposed.
When the monsters were defeated, the city guards sat down, exhausted. However, the guard captain would have to postpone his rest. We had something to ask him.
“H-hey.”
“Y-yes?”
The old captain had seen Fran’s raw strength, and he was nervous. He had gained something of a fearful respect for her.
“Was this everyone in the mansion?”
“Yes, ma’am! The only ones left are the girls over there!”
He pointed towards the cowering slave girls. They hadn’t seen the light of day in a while. I Identified them and found nothing physically wrong with them.
“Have you seen an alchemist called Zelyse or an old man called Linford?”
Were they among the Corrupted Humans we killed? None of them seemed old enough to fit their description.
“No, ma’am.”
I’d hoped the guards would apprehend at least one of them.
“We would know if they’re in custody.”
“You’re familiar with them?”
“Zelyse is the alchemist who conducted human experiments on unwilling slaves. I won’t soon forget him, especially when we let him get away.”
Danan would’ve known if the alchemist was among the Corrupted or if he had been caught in the manor, which meant that Zelyse took advantage of Brook and then abandoned him. He left the Corrupted time bombs behind, either as a diversion or as a means of killing us.
Maybe he was controlling them from afar. Whatever he was doing, it was bad news for us. Even Brook might have been an unwitting pawn in his plans.
What now…?
Should we trust Jet’s nose, or should we look for more clues inside the house?
Teacher.
What’s up?
Look at that.
Fran pointed to a gatekeeper. He was tied up, and the slave girls were keeping away from him.
He hadn’t transformed, and yet he was still suffering from the Possessed ailment. Was there a difference between him and the others? It might have something to do with the amount of Fiend Water he consumed. The difference between a drop and a cup was huge. If that was the case, the unwitting Possessed in town would have different transformation times, too.
That didn’t mean we could sit on our hands.
Marquis Christon was still in a dumbfounded stupor from seeing his own son turn into a monster. We turned to the old guard captain, his second-in-command.
“Do you understand?”
“Yes. If what you say is true, and I’m sure it is, things might end up terribly for the city.”
We didn’t know how many civilians would undergo the Fiend transformation, but there had to be at least ten to twenty. If they morphed in a crowded area, the city might break into a full-scale riot.
“Call in the guards.”
“I understand. I’ll call in the Knight Guard as well. This is an emergency.”
We told Danan how to tell if someone was Possessed.
“Identify, you say? So we are looking for the Possessed ailment.”
“Hm.”
“Understood. I’ll send a call for everyone with the Identify skill. We’ll post an emergency quest in the Adventurers’ Guild, as well.”
There had to be someone who could use Identify in a big city like Bulbola.
“The question now is how many people we should mobilize.”
Danan was trying to decide how to end things quietly. If this whole thing came to light, the Count might have to step down. He needed to take Brook and Weint into custody quietly, without raising alarm, and find a way to cure the Possessed before they went beyond the point of no return. Then we could apprehend Zelyse and Linford. In an ideal world, we’d end this matter without raising suspicion.
I thought it was downright impossible. We had no way of finding everyone in time to cure them, and the Possessed were guaranteed to cause unrest. The best we could do was to bring the masterminds into custody and try to keep the situation under control.
“May we ask for your continued assistance?” the guard captain asked.
“Of course,” said Fran. “I’ll go after that mage and alchemist.”
“Thank you. It means a lot.”
“I’m also going to check out the manor to see if there’s any clues left behind.”
“Of course,” the guard captain agreed. “Who knows how many hidden chambers a mansion of this size would have.”
“Hm.”
Now we had the authority to legally investigate. It was Jet’s time to shine.
Do you smell anything funny, Jet? Secret labs, hidden paths, anything?
“Woof!”
Jet started sniffing as he padded through the mansion. His clever snooping eventually led us down the stairs and into the basement. He stopped in front of a door.
“Bark, bark, bark!”
I didn’t feel anyone inside.
Here?
“Woof!”
“I’m going in,” said Fran.
Be careful.
She opened the door to reveal an alchemical lab filled with a myriad of tools. We found nothing we could understand among the documents. This had to be Zelyse’s quarters, but the alchemist had scrubbed it clean of any clues.
I was disappointed, but the lab wasn’t Jet’s final destination. He sat in front of a wall next to a bookcase and began scratching it. Had he found a hidden path? I saw nothing of interest.
I knocked on it with Telekinesis. It sounded hollow.
Was there some kind of hidden mechanism to open it? The bookcase seemed suspicious. Or maybe there was a subtle indentation in the wall itself. The mystery got me excited.
“What is it, Teacher?”
There’s a hidden door here, but I don’t know how to open it. Could you—
“How about this?”
Bam!
Fran gave the wall a big kick. I was sure that the entire room was reinforced with magic, but she managed to shift the wall enough to reveal its seams.
Fran?
“One more time.”
Boom!
A roundhouse kick this time. Strong enough to shake the entire room. The wall collapsed, revealing a staircase leading down into the darkness.
Of course. We don’t really have to open it.
“Yeah? Let’s go.”
“Arf?”
Fran and Jet tilted their heads, not understanding my disappointment.
It was all right. We were in a hurry. Lives were at stake. There was no time for me to play out my childish detective fantasies.
Jet took the lead as we went down the stairs. The path soon became a dirt tunnel. No traps so far. Whoever made this escape path saw no use for them.
Our trip would not be without interference, however.
“Someone’s here…”
Yeah. He’s not even hiding his murderous aura.
My Danger Sense tripped, even though the Corrupted humans had failed to trigger it. This was no mere thug.
Get ready for a fight.
“Hm.”
Jet, stay in the shadows for an ambush.
“Woof.”
We carried on carefully and soon reached a room around twenty meters wide. In the middle of it was the source of the aura. A lanky man with an annoyingly smug grin.
“I was wondering who found that escape tunnel. Didn’t expect a little girl.”
“Are you one of Zelyse’s cronies?”
“What? You think I follow that good-for-nothing drama queen?!”
He must be one of Linford’s, then. He was strong; about the same level as the C-Rank we ran into earlier. His Spear Mastery and Spear Arts were at Level 8, and he had Stealth, Aura Sense, and Assassinate along with Dull Pain. He was a capable fighter and a spy.
His titles were what really caught my eye. Serial Killer and Sadist. He wasn’t an upright citizen, that’s for sure. And of course, we had Servant of the Evil One to worry about, too.
Brook had been a Slave of the Evil One. This guy, and the myriad Corrupted Goblins and Kobolds were Servants of the Evil One. What was the difference? With no further elaboration, Identifying didn’t help. He was still human, though.
“You’re not one of Zelyse’s? So are you working for Theraclede?”
“What the hell are you talking about now? You must be dumber than you look if you think I’d work for that idiot meathead!”
Fran’s innocent questions were hitting the mark. He knew Theraclede, but it didn’t sound like they were friends.
“I am Luzelio! Servant of the great Fiendmancer, Linford! Unlike that hulking idiot Theraclede, I am Lord Linford’s right-hand man!”
Fiendmancer. Never heard that one before. Maybe Linford was the one pulling the strings behind this incident, not Zelyse. So what was Linford’s right-hand man doing in a place like this? The old wizard must’ve been content to put his confidant on stalling duty.
“You’re going to die painfully, you little bitch. I’ll strip you of more than your clothes and make you cry for mercy.”
“You wish.”
“Oooh, I like my girls feisty. They scream a lot louder!”
Awful words seemed to be part of his usual demeanor.
Well, let’s beat him up and see what we can get out of him.
“Ha ha ha! You ready to go, you little brat?!”
“That’s my line, you little bastard.”
There was little Fran could do but return the favor.
With that final expression of hostility, the two of them clashed. Luzelio was set on killing us, while Fran was holding back for the sake of information. She needed to incapacitate, not kill.
“Tch!”
“Raah!”
Fran swung me, and I clashed with Luzelio’s spear. She was the better swordsman, although the reach of his spear proved troublesome. It seemed the two were evenly matched, but Luzelio knew the score.
“Just die, you little bitch!”
“No.”
“Crap, crap, crap! How is this brat matching me?!”
“Not even close.”
“Aaargh!” Luzelio roared in frustration.
He had wanted to make Fran hurt, but reality wasn’t obliging him. None of his hits landed, even though she was holding back.
Fran gained an inordinate amount of experience fighting people back in the Seedrun Conflict. She was much stronger now, although her skills and stats remained the same. Luzelio, meanwhile, relied on brute force. She wasn’t going to lose to him.
I wanted to wrap up this fight soon so we could find out about Linford. Luzelio had Paralysis Resistance, though, so a Stun Bolt might not be enough.
Fran, incapacitate him with your next hit. Just remember not to kill him.
All right.
“Die!”
Luzelio twisted his body, adding torque to his spear thrust, but I put up a Wind Wall as a countermeasure. The lack of incantation surprised him and sent his spear flying out of control. His efforts to reel it back in made him stumble towards Fran.
“Wha—?!”
“Sloppy.”
Fran took the chance and knocked the spear out of his hands. Jet rose out of Luzelio’s shadow and bit his leg.
“Grrr!”
“Gaah!”
Jet tore into his right knee, ripping the lower part of his leg off. Luzelio lost his balance and fell on his rear. He looked at what remained of his leg in shock.
“My leg!!!”
He gnashed his teeth and glared at Fran and Jet with pure malice.
Fran pointed me at his face, and although he had pulled out a dagger, he hung his head, defeated.
“Tell me all you know about Linford.”
“What…?”
“Who is he?”
“Heh. The most powerful mage there is. He has infused his human body with the power of the Evil One and has promised the same power to us! We can finally shed this pathetic mortal coil and achieve the next step in evolution!”
The power of the Evil One… After witnessing Brook’s malevolent transformation, I had reservations about calling that progress. Did he actually want to lose his reason? I didn’t know what this pervert wanted.
“What’s Linford after?”
“Lord Linford is after ultimate power!”
“Not the resurrection of the Evil One?”
“Are you stupid? If that thing ever comes back, it’s the end of the world as we know it. How am I supposed to rape and murder to my heart’s desire, then?”
So Linford was only using the Evil One’s powers to further his own ends? But would the dark lord give such power to a nonbeliever?
“The Evil One’s the root of all villainy. He’s more than willing to offer his power to a crooked man like myself!”
I guess the evil god was as wicked as his name suggested. The bad people of the world were all legitimate candidates for his power.
“Where’s Linford?”
“At the new safehouse Brook provided.”
“Where’s that?”
“Right next to the Count’s estate. It’s the newest building there, you can’t miss it. It’s a conduit that will blast the entire city of Bulbola with magic.”
He sure was chatty about his master’s plans. As I wondered about his stupidity, the ring on Luzelio’s finger cracked and enveloped him with a dim light. He started fading quickly.
“Gya ha ha! Now who’s the idiot?!”
Luzelio blinked a good ten meters away from his original position. The ring must’ve been a consumable warp item.
He let loose an ear-grating cackle, took a small bottle out of his pocket, and drained its contents in one gulp.
“I thought I’d be nice and tell you our plans before you die!”
Black mist—the same which seeped out of Brook’s body—began pouring out of Luzelio. The bottle must’ve contained Linford’s cocktail of Fiend Water. Luzelio actually drank the stuff, knowing it would turn him into a monster. He really was serious.
The stump where his right leg had been bulged and throbbed as it started to regenerate.
“I’m going to tear you to piec—hurk!”
Not happening. Before I even had time to cast Short Jump, Fran closed in on Luzelio. He stood no chance of reacting in time. She learned this technique from the Flash Knight, Valuza. He wasted no movement projecting the initial direction of his attack, and Fran herself had found it difficult to react. She’d kept replaying the technique in her head until she eventually managed to reproduce it.
“Graargh!”
Fran grabbed Luzelio’s face mid-sentence. She swept his leg from under him and knocked him down to the floor. Luzelio’s head hit the ground. Waiting for your enemy to finish his transformation was only an anime cliché.
“Drink it.”
“Urrgph!”
Fran opened her Pocket Dimension, and a stream of curry poured into her fist. She forced it into Luzelio’s mouth. He had no choice but to drink it.
“Hack! Gaah!”
The situation was grave, but I found the scene oddly comical.
“My eyes! I can’t see!”
He’d managed to get curry into his eyes too, of course. He rubbed them with his arms. His screams died away, and he finally opened his eyes. I wouldn’t have done that, considering the curry. He must’ve felt the rising energy inside him disappear. The leg Jet had torn off stopped regenerating mid-shin. Luzelio was furious.
“You… What did you to me?!”
“Healed you of your ailment.”
“Y-you bitch! How dare you?! My powers…! I’ll kill you! I’ll—”
“Hmph.”
Fist still clenched, Fran delivered a splendid right hook to Luzelio’s chin.
“Shut up.”
Luzelio’s screeching bothered her sensitive cat hearing. He stopped moving, possibly concussed. His unconscious eyes looked up at Fran.
That’s one way of putting him down. What now?
He was a major accomplice and definitely held vital pieces of information. I wanted to capture him alive if possible. But should we bring him with us or leave him with the authorities? As I weighed my options, I sensed multiple auras coming from the estate.
“Are you all right, ma’am?”
The guards were here. We handed Luzelio over, along with the information he had given us.
Let’s keep going.
We had the chatty deviant to thank for Linford’s last known location. We continued down the path and eventually found ourselves in the garden of another mansion. Must be one of Brook’s safehouses. No one was home, so I concluded that it wasn’t being used. I looked around. We were in the noble district.
Come on.
“Hm.”
“Arf?”
However, Jet wasn’t pointing to the direction of the Count’s estate.
What is it, Jet?
“Bark, bark, bark!”
He ran down a different path.
Is that where Zelyse is?
“Woof!”
Were Zelyse and Linford in different places? Had they already moved on from the building Luzelio mentioned? He hadn’t been lying, so maybe he’d been given false information. I didn’t see any reason why they would tell something so important to a pawn they were set on sacrificing.
Should we trust Luzelio or get Zelyse first…?
We ran through our options, starting with the information Luzelio gave us. Jet already knew the alchemist’s scent, so we could rely on him later.
“Okay.”
“Woof.”
Fran jumped onto Jet and he Air Hopped to the roof of the mansion. Below, we could see the Knight Guard mobilizing. Danan had kept his word.
Suddenly, a scream rang out. A woman was being attacked in the middle of the street by a creature with inky black skin—a Corrupted Human. Fiend Water victims were already beginning to transform. We were in a hurry, but that didn’t mean we could abandon her.
“Jet.”
“Woof!”
Jet descended on the scene. Fran swung me at the Corrupted Human but failed to cut off its head.
“Grroaaaargh!”
It reacted to our presence and dodged, sacrificing its arm to save its neck. This Fiend was stronger than the ones we’d faced so far… it might have been an adventurer in its past life and had retained its Aura Sense and Sword Mastery. The stronger you were when you changed, the stronger you became.
The creature’s face seemed oddly familiar.
“He’s the adventurer who made a scene at our food cart.”
So that’s where I know him from!
We were facing the adventurer Colbert had subdued. He should’ve been F-Rank, but now he was as strong as an E-Rank. We sliced him in half with our next attack, regardless. The meat-bag collapsed into a puddle of blood and fluids. Its blood was still red.
“Eek!”
The woman turned pale. Admittedly, the scene was too grotesque for the average person. She grew even more panicked when Fran and Jet tried to approach her.
We couldn’t leave her alone. There might be other Corrupted Humans around. I thought of picking her up against her will and dropping her off somewhere safe, but…
Fortunately for the girl, a patrol squad walked by.
A scared girl, an armed beastgirl, and a giant direwolf. Under normal circumstances, we would’ve been taken in for questioning. But the guards recognized Fran.
We asked them to take the girl somewhere safe and asked about the situation in the city. Things were beginning to escalate, and they were worried that the conspirators might have poisoned the water supply. We needed to act fast.
I see it.
“That one?”
We surveyed the Count’s estate from the skies.
The manor was large and there were about ten smaller mansions surrounding it. However, we felt a distinct aura from one of them. It was the same malicious aura that the Corrupted Goblins and Kobolds emitted, but ten times stronger. Even from here I felt shivers run up my spine.
Fran and Jet hardened their gaze.
That must be the one.
As much as I wanted to charge through the front door, we didn’t know what our enemies were capable of. We had to be stealthy. Concealing our aura as much as we could, we descended on the garden. The building lacked any magical barrier and sneaking in was easier than I thought.
We’ll take out our enemies one by one.
“Hm.”
“Woof.”
We scoped out the perimeter and counted out enemies. It took ten minutes to get into the building. There weren’t that many people inside. Ten of them at best, I reckoned. They were all gathered at the center of the building, too. We had no choice but to go in.
Get ready for another fight.
“I know.”
“Arf.”
We entered through the back door and made our way to the concentration of people, holding our breath as we walked.
The mana in here was so thick it almost felt like a Haunt. It must’ve been the work of a magivice.
Our path to the center of the building was so unimpeded I felt disappointed.
Teacher, it’s that door.
Yeah. They’re all there.
We faced a large set of double doors. Behind it, everyone currently inside the mansion had gathered together. This close, there was no mistaking it. The mana signatures definitely belonged to Corrupted Humans.
What should we do, then? We didn’t know how strong they were, and I wanted to avoid charging into a room full of berserk brutes that we had no chance of beating.
Theraclede and Luzelio were among Linford’s minions, after all. Facing a Fiendified squad of C-Ranks and D-Threats would be dangerous by ourselves. We had to use the element of surprise and raze them all with our first barrage.
I didn’t know whether Linford would survive that. Even the old mage would find it difficult to dodge and counterattack such a bombardment. I wanted to capture Linford alive, but was that even possible…?
What do we do?
“Arf?”
No, his capture wasn’t worth Fran and Jet getting hurt. Their safety was my top priority. I wouldn’t go so far as to say “and to hell with all the rest,” but I wouldn’t put Fran’s life on the line for complete strangers. There was the slim possibility that the entire city might go up in flames if we didn’t capture Linford alive, though.
Let’s go in, spells blazing, I told her.
You sure?
Yeah. We don’t know whether Linford’s behind that door, but if we let him get away, the city falls into chaos.
We might as well kill Linford if it came to it.
Get ready.
Hm.
“Grr!”
Fran kicked the door down and started firing spells. I made sure that we were dealing with Corrupted Humans and nothing else. We could strike them down without hesitation. Although, if someone else was there, it would be too late to stop casting our spells.
Flare Explode! Gale Hazard! Flare Explode!
I let out a flurry of spells, all with Overboost—something I hadn’t been able to do in a long time. Flare Explode was a Level 4 flame spell with an impressive area of effect. The flames spread much wider thanks to the wind spell I slipped in between.
“Fire Wall!”
“Grooaar!”
Stone Wall!
We were too close to our targets, and the heat poured off of the explosions. Layers of wall spells managed the radiating heat. The hall looked like a war zone—riddled with napalm blasts, dust and earthen walls containing the raging flames. Although we had three layers of wall spell between us and the carnage, the flames swirled as explosion followed explosion.
Was that too much?
“Better than not enough.”
“Woof.”
Once the fires settled, we surveyed our handiwork. Half of the second floor was destroyed, and the mansion now had a skylight in place of a ceiling. The first floor was in ruins, and the hall had lost its original shape. The explosion had blasted all four walls, making the hall look more like a garden.
“You haven’t even introduced yourself, and you’ve already razed my hall, little girl.”
“Who are you?”
“Ho ho ho. Can’t you tell?”
“Linford the Fiendmancer.”
“Correct.”
Name: Linford Laurentia
Race: Fiend
Class: Fiendmancer
Level: 58/99
HP: 129; Magic: 850; Strength: 127; Agility: 120
Skills: Speedcast 4; Identify 7;
Fast Regeneration 6; Malice Sense 9; Abnormal Status Resistance 4; Incite 4; Venomology 7; Mana Manipulation
Class Skill: Fiendmancy; Evil One’s Blessing
Titles: Vanguard of the Evil One
Equipment: Corrupted Ogre’s Bone Staff; Corrupted Robes; Corrupted Mantle; Fiendmancer’s Bracelet
“What magic weapon did you use?” Linford asked. “I think it impossible that a creature such as you could be so versed in spellcasting.”
He came out of the rubble unscathed, though his minions were all badly broken. Ten Corrupted Humans fell near the tiny old man’s feet, as if protecting him. The frontmost three had taken the brunt of it and were burnt to a crisp. The four corpses behind them were either medium or well done.
The remaining three Corrupted Humans, who were still a decent rare, were struggling to get back on their feet. Their companions had blocked the initial blast.
The white-haired Fiendmancer had no qualms about using his followers to death. I thought that Corrupted Humans were little more than hulking berserkers, but they might be able to hear Linford’s commands. He was a Fiendmancer, after all. Maybe he had the ability to control lesser Fiends. However, my guess proved off the mark.
“L-Lord Linford, you must get away.”
“We shall hold the line for you!”
The Corrupted Humans were…talking. In my panic, I Identified them and found they were different from the others. They retained their human names and bore the title Servant of the Evil One instead of Slave.
Did these Corrupted Humans retain their reason?
“They can talk?”
“I suppose you’ve met some of the other Corrupted in town. Indeed, these willingly accepted the power the Evil One offered!”
That explained the difference in titles. Slaves of the Evil One were unwilling or unwitting candidates, while Servants of the Evil One accepted willingly. That meant Luzelio would’ve retained his logic and reasoning even after he drank the Fiend Water. That could’ve ended poorly. Good thing we didn’t let him finish.
“What are the conditions for their transformation?”
“You think I’d tell you? Aah, but I will…as a reward for coming so far.”
“Cut the crap.”
“Ho ho ho. Such a strong-willed little girl. Becoming a Fiend is not difficult. One only needs to accumulate a certain amount of hate after drinking the Fiend Water. Then all it takes is a simple push.”
That sounded a little too easy. If what Linford said was true, most of the townsfolk were in danger. Shouldn’t the city already be overrun by Fiends? The old man couldn’t be the only Fiendmancer in town. But judging by the Count and Danan’s reactions, the phenomenon was not commonplace. It didn’t make sense that two men of such high offices wouldn’t know.
I doubted drinking water was enough to make you change, though it was hard to deny the Fiends that had morphed in front of me. What caught my attention was Linford’s “simple push.”
It must have something to do with why he chose this mansion as his conduit.
Luzelio mentioned that this place was going to be the epicenter of a mana blast that would destroy all of Bulbola. What would a mana wave do to a city?
Having sensed an oddity, I glanced behind Linford. It was hard to see at first, but there was a diagram on the floor. A magic circle.
I checked the flow of mana with my Mage skill. The malice tainting Linford’s mana flowed through the circle, which allowed it to be broadcast throughout the city. This was Linford’s Simple Push. A ritual which would envelope all of Bulbola.
“It isn’t every day that I meet someone who can withstand the force of my mana. What do you think, girl? Will you join me? I can make you exponentially strong.”
“What’s your game…?”
Linford’s motives were as Luzelio had said. He was not interested in the resurrection of the Evil One. He only wanted to amass power for himself.
At least he wasn’t a mad cultist. He didn’t say anything about ending the world and ruling together with the Evil One in the New Age, nor was he disappointed with the world or wish to see it end.
“So, will you become my follower? I can give you power. Power enough to evolve. Granted, mine is a little different from conventional evolution.”
“Not happening.”
“Are you sure? You are of the Black Cats, are you not? I hear you cannot evolve.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve heard stories that your kind has been abandoned by the gods and left physically unable to change.”
“…”
“But I can help you with that. You can evolve this very moment should you choose to follow me!”
Linford grinned and stretched out his withered hands. His offer of evolution sounded bogus. He would just turn her into one of his Fiends. However, Fran hesitated and didn’t immediately reject his offer.
Fran, let’s pretend like you’re interested so we can gather more info.
We had Essence of Falsehood, so we didn’t have to worry about him lying to us. Linford was suggesting that there was a secret behind the Black Cat’s lack of evolution. It could be dangerous, but there might be something worth hearing.
No, I’ve heard enough. He’s probably going to turn me into a Fiend anyway. Even if he weren’t, it wouldn’t be worth it.
I guess, but still.
Besides, I don’t want to beg him, even as an act.
We didn’t know if the rumor Linford mentioned about the Black Cats being abandoned by the gods was an actual fact. He might just be exploiting Fran’s curiosity to kill her.
“Hm. I’ll just have to get the truth out of him by force,” Fran said, readying me. She gave the old wizard a look filled with determination.
“Ha! That’s your answer, then? Very well. If you’re going to refuse my offer, then I’ll capture you and turn you into a Fiend myself.”
“You wish.”
“Ho ho ho! You have quite a sharp tongue for one who is so weak. Do you have a trick up your sleeve? Don’t think that an exploding magivice is enough to defeat me.”
Linford had the Identify skill but thought Fran’s stats were lower because of her Fake Identity. No wonder he was making light of her. The skill had worked its magic.
Teacher, I’m going for it.
Take him while his guard’s down!
I set my eyes on Linford and prepared for a Telekinetic Catapult. He was only ten meters away, and I could reach him in no time.
Fran stood motionless as I launched myself from her hands. It was the perfect sneak attack. I flew straight at Linford’s head, set to split it in half.
But something blocked my way.
“Hm! Your enchanted blade is quite strong. But you will not pierce through the Evil One’s Blessing so easily!”
A mana barrier stopped me mid-flight and deflected me away from the old wizard. I couldn’t believe that he’d successfully defended against my full strength. I had even supplemented myself with Overboost and Elemental Blade!
I landed far away from Fran.
Teacher, Jet, stay where you are.
If you say so. I’ll look for an opening.
Hm.
“Arf.”
“You came close. With that much power, you actually have a chance of interrupting my ritual. Not that my death would be enough to stop it. At best, it would buy you an extra ten minutes.”
“Ritual?”
“Ho ho ho! There is no use in telling you what it’s for. The ritual is already complete!” Linford bellowed.
The vague magic circle behind him glowed with an intensity too blinding to behold and then released a vast amount of mana into its surroundings.
“The other victims will turn into Fiends and create more slaves for the Evil One! Alas, we only succeeded in infecting three hundred and thirty. We were supposed to have thirty times that. No matter. Zelyse has plans for adding to our number.”
It was the magic circle all along! Victims of the Fiend Water were beginning to transform throughout Bulbola.
“If you’ll excuse me.”
“Wait!”
Fran slipped her hand into the Pocket Dimension and threw Death Gaze at Linford, but the barrier protected him.
“Ho ho ho. You’ll need to throw a lot harder than that. Your sword really is the source of your power, then. Very well. You lot, capture the girl. Kill her if you have to.”
“Understood,” said the surviving Corrupted Humans.
They had regenerated at some point.
“Come quietly and offer your body to Lord Linford. Plead for your life quickly while he remains merciful,” the creatures scoffed.
Our Fake Identity showed Fran to be a mere D-Rank adventurer, after all. The Corrupted Humans grew haughty now that they thought she was beneath them.
“Plead? You should be pleading for your lives instead.”
“Ho ho ho! It pleases me to see such spirit in a girl your age, although too much spirit is bad for the soul. Enough foolishness. Kill her.”
Linford disappeared. Damn it. Did he teleport away? Was that within the scope of Fiendmancy?
“Brace yourself, little girl!”
“You’ll regret talking back to Lord Linford!”
The Corrupted Humans charged towards us. They looked shocked when they saw that Fran had disappeared, too. Not that she used any spell to do it. She just moved too fast for them to follow.
Fran quickly disposed of the Corrupted, not even giving them a chance to defend themselves. Fran had greater stats and a wider array of skills than all of them combined. This was what happened when you underestimated your opponent.
Fran, let’s destroy the magic circle for now.
“I’m on it.”
We barraged the circle with spells to destroy it and left the mansion. The city was restless despite the late hour. I heard screams of fear and roars of fury in the distance. The harbor was lit up, not only with lights, but with red fire. The three hundred Corrupted Humans had already gone berserk. We had no time to hunt down every last one. The Knight Guard would have to pull through.
We have to get going.
“Hm.”
“Woof, woof!”
We killed every Fiend we ran into along the way. The completion of the ritual made the transformed townsfolk lose their minds. Only Servants of the Evil One like Linford and his cronies kept their wits about them.
We couldn’t leave the Corrupted Humans to run rampant…but I knew Zelyse and Linford were still up to something, and that was top priority.
We’ll go after Linford and Zelyse while they’re still close. Jet, sniff them out.
“Woof!”
We cut down three Corrupted along the way. Ten minutes later, we arrived at our destination.
***
How are things on your end, Master Linford?
“Zelyse? Aah, you’re using the telepathic magivice.”
Indeed. I am on my way to the Alchemists’ Guild.
“I am heading to the temple as we agreed. Things are finally going according to plan. There was a bit of an obstacle, but I managed to activate the magic circle.”
Obstacle?
“Yes. The Count knows about our plans. I suppose even he could no longer turn a blind eye to his son’s foolishness. He sent the Black Cat beastgirl after us. It’s that adventurer, Fran. She was nothing special. I am sure that my minions have taken care of her by now.”
We’ve no further use for Brook in any case, so the Count shouldn’t prove a problem. I do think killing this Fran girl is a bit pointless now, though.
“All that’s left is for Theraclede to capture that girl… Charlotte, that’s her name. Then our preparations will be complete.”
The Fiendstones have already been delivered to the temple.
“I see.”
To think that Fiendmancy can actually make contact with the temple sanctuary, even if only for a limited time. I still find it most curious.
“A simple procedure. All I need is an open conduit. It so happens that the Moons Festival provides the biggest opening for that conduit.”
Such a shame that it also allowed for the purification ceremony.
“All we need to do is reverse the ceremony. Charlotte is highly suited to become a priestess—she will make the perfect sacrifice. We can reap over a thousand souls by using her blood.”
How ironic that we need a holy priestess for the return of the Evil One.
“A last resort. If not for that strange bread, we would have corrupted at least a thousand souls.”
The Fiends will all be sacrificed to my crystal troops in the end. Just a little more time.
“Indeed. Then I will make a magic circle out of this city. A fitting altar for the Evil One.”
All bloodshed in this city will be an offering to him.
“Yes. That is why we put up with Brook’s nonsense coup.”
Let us take care, lest we stumble in our final steps.
“I know. I await good news.”
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