The morning at Inquisition Keep was peaceful. Fernandez, feeling the gaze of the crowd focused on him, was filled with excitement.
It reminded him of his days holding a teaching position at the magic academy. Of course, he was no longer a dark mage, and the people before him were not passionate college students but seasoned Inquisition Officers.
He was now standing on the podium of the grand cathedral, about to begin his presentation in front of all the Inquisition Officers of Dragonsting.
“Let’s begin, brothers.”
“Proceed.”
Monastery Head Beorn pushed up his monocle and spoke. He was a man with a fierce appearance, a large scar tearing through one eye. He was the representative of the Heretics and the head of the Inquisition Office.
So, he’s the top dog here. Fernandez recalled the days when he used to present his research to the board to secure funding.
“First, let’s briefly summarize the last mission.”
Fernandez approached the blackboard on the cathedral podium. He quickly wrote down:
[Gloridaine City]
[Cult of Demdrizard]
[Demidrako]
[Inquisition Keep]
“As you all know, Gloridaine City is a major city right under the Inquisition Office. But some crazy cultists dared to summon a demon here. Why?”
“Correct!”
“Yes, Brother Fabiano.”
“Uh… because they’re crazy…?”
“No, brother.”
Fabiano raised his tree-trunk-like arm, spoke a word, and then, under the gazes of Zephis, Beorn, and Marco, he sheepishly lowered his hand.
Fernandez continued.
“Summoning a demon consumes enormous human and material resources. To conceal the summoning process, almost the entire force of the demon cult must be deployed. So, why would they carry out such a massive operation right under the nose of the Inquisition Office?”
“Get to the point, brother.”
Beorn was uncomfortable. The Heretic Inquisition Officer, Laurencio, who was sacrificed in Gloridaine, was a capable veteran.
“It was a smokescreen to divert our attention.”
“Are you saying the demon cult used the act of summoning a demon as a mere decoy?”
“The Demdrizard in Gloridaine City is just a small faction. Their main body is somewhere entirely different.”
“I heard they killed a bishop. What makes you think that?”
“The heretic I killed knew no magic. On the other hand, the altar where the demon was summoned was a magically constructed structure of exceptional skill.”
As Beorn fell silent, Zephis stroked his chin and spoke.
“Have you figured out what they’re trying to achieve by sacrificing a mid-level demon?”
“Yes. A completely different cult emerges here.”
Fernandez drew a line on the blackboard and wrote on the opposite side:
[Bronze Scales]
[Phaeirn Kingdom]
[Walker Plague]
“The Demdrizard has joined hands with the Bronze Scales. They sent a faction to Gloridaine City to divert our attention. If it weren’t for Brother Zephis here, we might have been tied up in Gloridaine City for quite some time.”
“Too modest. From demon slaying to tracking remnants, it was all you.”
“Indeed, modesty.”
Zephis chuckled. Fernandez also smiled briefly and continued.
“According to the information I obtained from the demon Demidrako, Tetragalan, the Bronze Scales are preparing a large-scale ritual to overthrow the Phaeirn Kingdom.”
“…? Is that possible?”
The Phaeirn Kingdom is a powerful nation with unparalleled military strength among the Eastern Kingdom Alliance. It boasts numerous prestigious legions, including the Royal Griffin Knights and the Merlin City Guard.
Can such a powerful nation be overthrown by just one or two demon cults? Beorn frowned.
“Isn’t that speculation?”
“The Bronze Scales are the ones who created and spread the Walker Plague.”
“What?”
Marco was shocked. He stammered.
“Wasn’t that a naturally occurring disease?”
“The Walker Plague is a plague the Bronze Scales obtained from demons based on the secret arts of the High Council of Aseas. They spread this plague to gather sacrificial offerings or perform rituals.”
The Walker Plague. A vicious fever transmitted through saliva. It’s a disease similar to rabies, where infected humans lose their sanity and indiscriminately attack those around them.
Humans without pain or self-awareness bite their relatives, brothers, and acquaintances, and the victims become Walkers, seeking out other victims.
In this way, the Walker Plague spreads, destroying everything from a small village to an entire city. Fortunately, Walkers are slow, so they don’t spread widely to other regions…
“So, if we root out those cultists, will the Walker Plague disappear into history?”
“I hope so too… but I can’t be sure. At least the momentum will decrease.”
“Can the Phaeirn Kingdom be brought down by something like the Walker Plague?”
Beorn looked skeptical.
Although highly contagious and lacking a proper cure, it was nearly impossible for Walkers traveling on foot to reach other villages and find new victims.
At best, a small, closed-off village or a densely populated urban area…
Most Walkers would either become lunch for monsters, drown in rivers or valleys, or simply wander and starve to death.
Moreover, how would they even reach another village? What village would foolishly let in a stranger visibly suffering from a plague?
Fernandez roughly sketched a map of the Phaeirn Kingdom on the blackboard. He marked several places with chalk.
“Here, here, here, and here. A total of four cities are the factions of the Bronze Scales, as told by the demon. And…”
Fernandez marked other parts of the map.
“These six villages are the areas where the Walker Plague has broken out in the Phaeirn Kingdom so far. If we connect them like this…”
Fernandez’s chalk moved quickly. As he drew lines across the map… a bizarre magical formation appeared.
“The demon said… they are drawing a massive summoning circle covering the entire nation of the Phaeirn Kingdom.”
“!!!!”
“…By Vaitas…”
“…Hoo…”
The Inquisition Officers looked at the map in horror. Marco made the sign of the cross and cautiously asked.
“How likely is this information to be true?”
“There are definitely smokescreens among them. Even if we uncover the truth, they will try to buy as much time as possible. So, let’s assume a 30% chance that these checkpoints are correct.”
“We can’t deploy our full strength to the Phaeirn Kingdom.”
Beorn frowned.
