11. Ambiguous emotions mess up the lines.
“What’s your name, stranger?”
“Will you believe me if I tell you?”
“Judging by your attitude, I doubt it. But go ahead, I’ll listen.”
“Order of St. John Knights.”
“What?”
The Miao tribe woman’s eyes widened. She quickly glanced around the door. There was no sign of anyone else listening. The Miao tribe woman narrowed her eyes.
“Baltazar. No need to know the surname.”
“What do you mean by coming here so openly?”
The woman, looking quite intimidated but speaking sharply, said. Her eyes turned fierce.
“You come here and make such a scene right away! Even coming directly to our secret base! I’ve already submitted the monthly report! My life is on the line here too!”
Even in the Temple of the Gods, there are spies of heretical faiths and traitors within the Church. The corruption of demons is something that can never be eradicated. But conversely.
But there must also be spies within the demonic sects. Sects that cannot be wiped out at once or are better left alone for the time being.
[De’Karaz Swarm]. A massive demonic faction operating from the Southern Jungle to the Western Great Wilderness, and as far as the Sultanate of Kirazat.
They are not the kind to disappear just by uprooting one branch.
According to memories from a past life, during the early days of the Great War, a branch of the De’Karaz Swarm suddenly betrayed them, causing a significant shock to the rear.
At that time, the betraying branch had joined hands with the 3rd Anti-Crusade led by Lord Baelston.
Considering that the 3rd Anti-Crusade was made up of remnants of the fallen Order of St. John Knights, the leader of that betraying branch must have had some connection with the Order of St. John Knights.
The question was when they joined hands.
Fernandez laughed as he dipped bread into a soup laced with drugs. Seeing this, Fesit gave a strange smile.
“That soup is probably poisoned, right?”
Is he trying to threaten me with an antidote? Fernandez took a big bite of the bread upon hearing that.
“I know. It’s Maksancho, right?”
“…You knew and still ate it?”
“If you’re going to poison suspicious people next time, at least refine it. You know alchemy, old woman.”
Fesit frowned at Fernandez’s tone.
She slowly raised her tail and rang a bell. With a quick sound, a rogue man entered.
“Karl. Take the children away.”
“B-Bishop. Is that really okay?”
“Yes. This person is indeed from our sect. Go ahead.”
“Yessir! Oh, brother. Excuse me… huh? You shouldn’t eat that!”
“It’s fine. Go.”
The rogue man left the room with a puzzled expression. The surroundings fell silent. Only then did Fesit bow her head deeply and whisper.
“Seeing you take such risks, there must be something important, right?”
“I want to meet the lizard guys.”
“Dremdrizad? Those lunatics? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Isn’t this our first meeting today? Thanks for the concern.”
Fesit made a face as if she was annoyed to death, then soon chuckled. After all, what does it matter where this man gets his guts torn out and dies?
“Alright. I’ll tell you. Go to Market Street 15 and find Jason, the slave trader. He supplies ritual sacrifices to Dremdrizad. Don’t step on any tails, we’ll pretend we don’t know anything.”
“I don’t prefer such complicated methods…”
“I really don’t know more than that! They’re real lunatics, we couldn’t even get detailed information on them. If things go wrong, they’ll slit your belly and offer you as a sacrifice…”
Were they really that extreme? They were indeed a bit extreme for a sect… Fernandez frowned.
“They still have influence after doing such things?”
“This is just a rumor I heard…”
Fesit lowered her voice even more.
“They say even the patrol captain has turned to them. They also say that recent disappearances are their doing… An Inquisition Officer caught a whiff of it recently…”
An Inquisition Officer? As Fernandez was startled, Fesit giggled.
“Yes, an Inquisition Officer. Scary, right? Anyway. One Inquisition Officer disguised himself and infiltrated. He asked the patrol captain for support… and that was the end.”
Fesit made a throat-slitting gesture. For the barbaric heteromorphic races, even within the same civilized society, Inquisition Officers were objects of contempt and fear.
As a Miao tribeswoman and the leader of a heretical branch, she didn’t hide her disgust.
“That patrol captain… what’s his name?”
“Baron Baelus Sebastian.”
-Bang!
Fernandez hurriedly stood up, hitting the wooden table with his thigh. Fesit jumped back in surprise.
“W-What’s wrong, Bishop?”
“Ah, nothing. It’s fine.”
Fesit pushed away the rogue man who had rushed in and looked at Fernandez with a bewildered expression. Fernandez’s face, which had been calm all along, had stiffened.
“What’s wrong?”
“A brother from the Order went to meet him.”
“Oh… I’ll pray for his soul.”
“Damn it. Where is the captain’s mansion?”
“To the right of the central fountain in the plaza. It’s the gate with the lion statue.”
As Fernandez hurriedly put on his coat to leave, Fesit gently grabbed his sleeve.
“I get that you’re going to die, but answer me one thing.”
“What is it?”
“How is Severus doing? He hasn’t replied to my letters for a while…”
Fesit’s eyes turned sweet. The beautiful turquoise eyes unique to the Miao tribe softened. Fernandez was just bewildered.
“…Severus?”
“Ah, look at me. My apologies.”
Fesit took Fernandez’s attitude as a rebuke for her rudeness. She cleared her throat and cautiously asked.
“Sir Severus Baelston.”
“Sir Baelston…”
Oh, oh, doing well. Of course.”
The name of the great hero Lord Baylston from his previous life… it was definitely Gale Baylston, right? Several pieces of information quickly jumbled together in Fernandez’s mind.
Gale Baylston was a half-barbarian. Why did the De’karaz Swarm suddenly and inexplicably join the knights…?
Gale Baylston’s active period was 40 years from now. If his father was around 20 years old now… then his mother…?
“Ha. This is something.”
Fernandez chuckled. Anyway, love, friendship, admiration… these ambiguous emotions always mess things up.
He shook his head vigorously. Sensing something from his demeanor, Fessit blushed.
-No different from us, huh? Ambiguous emotions and all.
Out of nowhere, Faijashi appeared behind him and spat out a remark. Fernandez shrugged and left the drug den.
*
The street urchins in the drug den alley glanced at Fernandez as he passed through the dark alley. It wasn’t exactly a safe street for a young boy to be wandering. Fernandez frowned as he felt a hand approaching his shoulder.
-Swish, bang!
“Kyaaak!”
“Who’s there?”
Fernandez grabbed the hand that was holding his shoulder and flung it forward with force. The man, who looked like he could pack a punch, crashed into the alley wall and rolled.
“Ugh… ugh…”
-Crunch.
“Kyaaaak!!”
As Fernandez stepped on the chest of the man who was gasping for breath and applied pressure, the man convulsed and foamed at the mouth.
The man’s eyes were glazed. A drug addict? But why…?
At that moment, an arrow flew towards him.
-Swish!
“Hup!”
From the dark alley, a lacquered arrow came flying. He barely managed to twist his waist to dodge it, hearing only the sound. A strand of hair near his ear was cut off by the arrow.
From both ends of the alley, men with vacant eyes appeared.
They’re even shooting arrows. This wasn’t just a simple robbery. These men came prepared. Fernandez felt a strange sensation from the wall he was leaning against.
“Huh?”
-Sssssss!!
Suddenly, the alley walls were covered with small lizards and snakes, wriggling around. A foul smell of tainted magic wafted through. Fernandez drew his dagger.
“Demdrizard. Why didn’t you attack right away?”
[I didn’t want to fight the De’karaz cat.]
“Am I okay?”
[I’m curious about your identity. Are you an Inquisition Officer, a temple knight? Or… another sect? What’s your relationship with the De’karaz cat?]
-Crunch!
Fernandez stabbed his dagger below the collarbone of the man who charged at him. The man convulsed briefly.
-We need to break through.
“I know.”
He had no intention of fighting in a trap set by demon worshippers while unprepared.
He let Faijashi’s words go in one ear and used the fallen man’s corpse as a shield.
-Thud thud thud.
Arrows flew in succession, embedding themselves in the man’s back. Each time, blood gushed out, splattering Fernandez’s cheek. The direction and timing of the arrows, at least two of them.
It was an impressive rapid fire. Fernandez lifted the man’s body with one hand and ran.
The drug addicts who had been lying down staggered to their feet, grabbing Fernandez’s ankles and pulling at his sleeves, but they were dragged along instead.
[Impressive strength for your size. Are you even human?]
“Take a guess.”
The end of the alley wasn’t far. The weight of the subordinates clinging to Fernandez’s legs was increasing. But he couldn’t stop. The yellow eyes of the snakes watching him from the walls were growing in number.
-Thud thud thud!
“Huuuuk!”
Another volley of arrows rained down, then stopped. Fernandez let out a yell and threw the tattered corpse.
He dashed forward and saw the men holding bows. Vacant eyes, skinny bodies. Common drug addicts, but where did they get the bows and lacquered arrows?
Fernandez threw the bow and swung his fist at the man drawing a dagger.
-Wham!
The man’s jaw twisted, his head snapping to the side. He let out a groan and collapsed. Fernandez threw the dagger behind him.
-Thunk!
The man with the dagger embedded in his forehead staggered and fell face down. The drug addicts who had been flung aside by Fernandez’s movements staggered to their feet. Fernandez raised his fist.
-No more weapons?
“Yeah. Left them behind.”
-Foolish. A dark mage always prepares for the worst.
“Carrying a greatsword would make me look suspicious, wouldn’t it?”
Anyway, he could handle about five drug addicts. But it didn’t seem like it would end with just these bums or the snakes watching him from the walls.
The stench of hellish magic was growing stronger.
-Crunch!
Fernandez punched a snake charging at him and dove into the crowd of drug addicts. At least using their bodies as shields could block the snakes.
-Thud! Whack!
Fernandez moved like a lion among a flock of sheep.
He had mastered basic martial arts and survival skills since his days as a Wandering Mage (Wildcast). With the added physical enhancement from the Diemonica Baptism, these vagrants were no match for him.
-Whack!
Breaking the arm of the last standing drug addict, Fernandez looked around.
The snakes were just watching him, occasionally lunging. He couldn’t figure out why.
“Too easy?”
-That’s a jinx!
“That’s superstition…”
-Crash!!!
The alley wall burst open, and a giant appeared. A humanoid lizard covered in blue scales.
As his eyes flashed, a foul stench of hellish magic filled the air. Fernandez stepped back.
“Guess it’s not superstition. Is that a Demidrako?”
-Young one, but yes.
“Crazy. Why is a real demon roaming a material plane city?”
-Something’s off. The Demdrizard’s active period is much later than now…
“Looks like our ‘Archangelo’ did something?”
Zephis must have stirred things up, bothering their nerves. Demons appearing in the middle of the city wasn’t part of their plan.
-What now?
“If they don’t know my identity yet, it means our ‘Archangelo’ is still alive.”
-Probably.
“Then it’s time to teach them. Faijashi.”
-Hmm?
Fernandez watched the approaching giant lizard-man and stretched his back.
When there are two angry Diemonica Inquisition Officers, that’s the attitude a demon should have.
Fernandez swallowed those words and charged at the lizard.
He smiled. A young Demidrako… Fernandez was almost glad to see the demon.
*
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