45. Operation Report: Rat Hunt
*
-Urghhh!!!
Like candy melting in the summer heat, like ashes swept away by the wind. The vampires and corpses that had been rampaging through the night sea, the harbor, and the alleys of the port were finally subdued.
The vampires, who had arrived like a nightmare on a summer night, were disappearing like a forgotten dream at dawn.
The era when the celestial gods descended upon the Material World, and ancient demons rose to oppose them. The light from the time when the continent was still the land of elves and dwarves had once again descended upon the Material World.
“This can’t be happening. This can’t be!!!”
Richter, his skin melting, screamed toward Guimerin’s Flagship. A vampire who had lived for a thousand years. The depth of his sins was what sustained him.
Blood is the currency of life. The power of vampires is directly proportional to the amount of blood they consume. Richter, one of the oldest vampires born after the Celestial War, was a being who could walk under the sun.
But his fleet was not so fortunate. The naval forces of Franzrit were scattering across the sea in an instant. As the bonds of his bloodline shattered, Richter finally felt that all his plans had gone awry.
“Zigismund! Felix! Hayden!! Anyone! Come back! No! This can’t be. You trash!!”
Blood flowed from Richter’s eyes. His snow-white curly hair bristled with rage. He clenched his gauntlet as if to crush it, watching his sons disappear.
The light that reached even the seabed was shattering his legion lurking beneath the waves. The chains of his bloodline were breaking strand by strand, and a tremendous sense of loss washed over him.
[No one can escape death.]
Richter bit his swollen lips and repeated the words. Even for vampires, death came fairly.
-Screech…
-Crackle…
The fleet heading to Infermur twisted and sank, swept away by the light. Like cheap coffins being buried at sea, his fleet was heading into the depths.
They would never rise again. Richter touched his sinking flagship and thought. Never, never again would they rise. All of Franzrit’s forces were now, in this moment, disappearing in a shockingly absurd way…
This ending is unacceptable!
Richter’s cloak fluttered. The plan was perfect. Guimerin would never have noticed his scheme. If only Iolande’s secret letter hadn’t arrived!
‘The secret letter… The hounds failed.’
It was right after that his contact with the Runraven group was cut off. Until then, the regular reports had always painted a positive picture.
There was an unexpected dragon resurrection. Slightly earlier than planned. But it was still a manageable variable. If there was something he hadn’t anticipated… If there was something he couldn’t have anticipated…
‘…Humans.’
The humans behind the dragon, destroying Guimerin’s Flagship! Richter’s suspicion turned to certainty at that moment. From Iolande’s secret letter to the current situation.
He couldn’t accept the resurrection of a god, the absurd fairy tale of the fleet’s annihilation. [Long ago, a port where wicked vampires were punished by the gods and disappeared.] He hadn’t worked so hard to create such a ridiculous legend.
The light was fading. Slowly, like a curtain being drawn. Richter, feeling the seawater rising to his feet, realized that he was the only one left alive.
His eyes reached far away, to Guimerin’s Flagship. He saw the giant dragon and the human figure sleeping in its embrace. Even the beastwoman running toward him.
The presence of the gods was fading, and the oppressive, damn divinity was dimly disappearing. Only then could Richter open his mouth.
“No one can escape death.”
Even the celestial gods were torn apart and killed by our hands. The destruction of Guimerin’s Flagship meant that the Eternal King Guimerin was also dead. Even that noble dragon couldn’t escape death.
Let alone a human! Richter sank into the sea, glaring at the human on the deck until the very end.
“You can’t escape me.”
*
In the darkness, a pair of red eyes floated in the air, staring at Fernandez. Once again, this dream.
As always, he stiffened under the terrible pressure, barely managing to meet the gaze. Looking away was not allowed this time either.
“Fernandez. You’ve finally set foot in hell.”
“Yeah. I have.”
The difference this time was that Fernandez admitted he had set foot in hell. Yeah, he had stepped into hell.
“Now I am an Inquisition Officer of the Temple of the Gods. Walking through hell has become my duty.”
Fernandez found it amusing that he was saying such things. It was a kind of joke. The being with the red eyes knew it too.
Heh, the thing laughed. Along with Fernandez. After a long bout of laughter, its eyes flashed in the darkness.
“You used hellish magic. You tasted the omnipotence of that moment. A part of your soul is already trembling with nostalgia for that time.”
“It was fun.”
Fernandez nodded.
“I’m glad I once had that kind of power. It’s because of me that it’s a good thing.”
If he had been an ordinary Diemonica? He would never have made it this far. Even if coincidences and miracles had overlapped, he wouldn’t have reached this conclusion.
His own salvation was still far away, faint. But at least he could lend a hand to others. For now, that was enough. His plans were never going to end in one move.
“Sentimental, Fernandez. You’ve grown weak.”
The darkness lifted, revealing a burning world. A familiar illusion. Fernandez looked at the scene, feeling a familiar comfort.
-Ahhh!!
-Kill!
-Oh God!!!
The Hundred Years’ War between the Leviathan Empire and the Kirazat Sultanate was the signal for the collapse of civilized society. The Eastern Kingdom Alliance was withering, unable to sustain the troops and resources poured into this war.
In this chaotic time, the great beast tribes fought on different sides, the sea elves hunted gods, and the vampires devoured human civilization. Undead appeared, swallowing cities, and monsters hunted humans on remote mountain paths and rugged terrain.
Far away in the world, beyond the North Sea, raiders appeared. Erik the Black. The great warlord who united the northern barbarians. They started in the north and plundered and destroyed indiscriminately in the east and west. The civilized society, exhausted by the Hundred Years’ War, could not stop their advance.
Meanwhile, what about the flames that started beyond the Great Wilderness in the west? The world map unfolding before Fernandez was burning, consumed by the flames raging beyond the wilderness.
The Demon Horse King Karadskar. The Khan of the Five Thousand Great Gers, the leader of Lewiweingar. From the tribal nations of the Great Western Wilderness to the Kirazat Sultanate. Even reaching the High Council of Aseas. Every city and kingdom in their path burned to ashes.
The map was torn in the middle, and five hands appeared.
Empress Sadarkelisa, Nightmarish Mumto, Insect King Urkasia, Yekaset of the Seven Crowns. And up to Duke of Crimson Tyban. Five great demons and the hundreds and thousands of heretical sects that followed them were lurking behind all these events.
Until humanity finally exhausted its strength to rise. They were just quietly waiting. The great human civilization collapsed on its own.
It is the era of the Great War. The fall of humanity began and ended with a blade turned against itself. [The Crimson Spire]. In the fortress built by Faijashi in his later years, the last ‘pure human’ died.
“Your destruction is already predetermined. It’s not something you can stop with your power alone. Even if you were given several times the time you have now. The outcome wouldn’t change.”
“Thank you.”
Fernandez nodded cheerfully. He clenched the map burning and scattering ashes. The heat pulsed in his grip.
“Thanks for summarizing my plan. Faijashi.”
He would no longer be swayed by nightmares. In a world engulfed in flames, the red eyes looked at him and smiled back.
*
Leia sat on the deck, anxiously watching the ropes draped into the sea. Now that the vampires were completely annihilated, there were no threats to the elves beneath the waves, at least near Infermur.
-Splash!
Soon, the sea parted, and an elf in a diving suit climbed onto the deck, spitting out water. He shook his head wearily, clearing his ears.
“How is it? Did you find anything? Anything at all?”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The elf coughed repeatedly, pulling out a small piece of wood from his waist bag. It was a wooden model with a black sheen. Leia held the model of Guimerin King’s Flagship and prayed.
‘Goddess, your people will follow.’
The goddess…
A sound of laughter was heard. Leia trembled for a moment at the fullness of it.
-Splash!
Soon, the calm sea surface split, and elven divers began to rise one by one. They skillfully hooked their grapples and climbed onto the deck.
-Swoosh!
From the net they dragged, fish and mud scattered and fell back into the sea. Soon, what was inside the net caught her eye. A massive wooden plank. Not an ordinary one. It was something only King Guimerin had possessed in this material world.
‘King Guimerin’s Sea Chart’
It was an astonishingly precise sea chart, crafted only for elves to understand. To non-elven humans, it would look like a massive abstract painting. Leia sat with her chin propped, lost in thought.
Our goddess can no longer speak to us. Since that day, Melisildur has only conveyed fragmented emotions, never expressing any clear intent.
[My children. You must save my sisters, whom your king dares to bind. Only then will you finally gain your history.]
Thus, the last words the goddess spoke to her could be considered her only wish for the elves. Since the Celestial War, the first elves to bear a god, Leia’s people, will never give up. They will never disappoint their goddess.
The goddess spoke of the Malerun dynasty of the southern seas and the Jerolen dynasty of the western seas. Those two Serpent Kings dared to imprison and use the goddess. Guimerin, too, was punished for such sins.
It is unforgivable. Leia clenched the armrest so tightly it nearly crumbled. The pain and sorrow her entire race endured for two thousand years, wandering eternally, pulsed in her chest as if ready to burst.
“Your Majesty, the Inquisition Officer has awakened.”
“Oh, yes. I will go see him soon.”
The human who unraveled all these events and led their goddess back to their embrace. Leia smiled as she thought of him. Yes, an appropriate reward will be necessary.
*
As always, Fernandez checked his condition before opening his eyes. No weapons, comfortable clothes, the sensation behind his back… It felt like a bed… His condition wasn’t bad.
-Rustle.
Someone placed a hand on his forehead. Cold, slender, delicate fingers brushed his forehead and eyebrows. Fernandez slowly opened his eyes.
“Awake?”
Golden hair like fine sand shimmered softly. What caught Fernandez’s gaze wasn’t her beautiful jawline or her bright smile. It was her blue eyes, filled with both kindness and mischief.
“Abelesas…”
“Hehe, you’re quite the sleepyhead.”
“Was it you?”
At Fernandez’s words, Abelesas laughed playfully.
“What do you mean?”
“The one who held my hand.”
The last thing Fernandez remembered from the ritual was someone’s hand supporting his frozen beastman form in his blurred vision. Abelesas flicked Fernandez’s forehead lightly with her index finger.
“Who else did you think it was?”
“…Thank you.”
“Thanking me for saving you? Interesting self-praise, Fernandez.”
Fernandez sat up. He tried to meet her gaze. Lying down, her blue dress was too stimulating.
Noticing his gaze, Abelesas’s smile deepened. She lifted her white neck, showing the black necklace around it.
“Do you know what this is?”
“Tell me you don’t.”
I’m not that perverted… At Fernandez’s words, Abelesas chuckled.
“I won’t say I don’t. Where are you trying to flirt with a lady?”
“…A lady?”
“Let’s not talk about hurtful things, you naughty boy.”
Her hand touched Fernandez’s arm. The spell on his arm flashed, and a chain of magic connected to her. [Control Spell]. The control authority Abelesas had granted with her true name activated, and magic began to flow through Fernandez’s body again.
“It’s not hellish magic.”
“…Is that all you have to say?”
Abelesas looked at Fernandez with a blank expression for a moment, then smiled again. Well, there’s plenty of time. I’m a dragon, and he’s immortal, after all.
“Do you remember this? ‘You will lead, and I will follow.’”
“…Yes.”
“Then call me Abel now…”
-Bang!!!
Before Abelesas could finish, the door burst open. Black hair cascaded as she leaped into his arms.
“Sniff!”
“Your Excellency!!!”
Kirhas buried her face in his chest and sniffled. Her ears tickled Fernandez’s chin. Instead of scratching his chin, Fernandez gently pressed her ears and stroked her head. Her fluffy tail wagged behind her.
“Your Excellency! Your Excellency! Your Excellency!!”
“How rude. Child, he’s a patient.”
“Him? Your Excellency! Who is this woman!!!”
Kirhas’s turquoise eyes glared fiercely at Abelesas. She bared her teeth and growled threateningly.
“Do you know why this woman is acting familiar with Your Excellency? I don’t! Isn’t it weird? It’s weird! Your Excellency has been with me all along!”
“Not all along.”
“Almost all along! Always!”
Fernandez stroked Kirhas’s noisy head and thought. I think I understand how pet owners feel. Anyway, one-sided affection is a pleasant thing.
War and battlefields, demons and heretics, vampires and elves. These problems seemed to fade into the background for a moment. Stability and a change of mood are important. Whatever.
-Aren’t you ashamed in front of your son?
‘Emotional exchange is an important factor. Think about how the strengthened dominance through bonding could be an advantage to our plan…’
-Enough. Your excuses are pitiful. Just do your job.
‘My job?’
-The report.
‘…Ah.’
How am I supposed to summarize this? Fernandez slowly removed his hand from Kirhas’s head. Would it be okay to write this as it is?
It was too big to hide. Everyone at the port of Infermur had encountered dragons, vampires, magic, and gods. You can’t hide the sky with your palm.
“Sigh…”
The refreshed condition after a good sleep felt like a lie. Fernandez pressed his temples with eyes already weary.
*
[Operation Report: Rat Hunt]
Operation Area: Dane Kingdom, Barves Barony, 2nd Checkpoint. Port City Infermur.
Operation Summary: Emergency investigation team dispatched due to unexpected Walker incident.
Operation Progress:
1) The disturbance at the checkpoint was confirmed to be caused by ghouls due to the Red Hunger of the Franzrit vampires, not Walkers.
2) During the process of handling ghouls and Franzrit vampires, it was discovered that heretical cultists were active in Infermur. (Attachment 1: Franzrit Secret Document.)
3) Contact with the Elven Serpent King, King Guimerin.
4) It was revealed that the Franzrit bloodline and the cult [Rune Raven Sect] were behind Infermur.
5) Attempted to stop the resurrection of the dragon beneath Infermur.
6) Witnessed the resurrection of the dragon. The dragon fought with King Guimerin.
7) Attempted to stop the Franzrit bloodline’s invasion of Infermur.
8) Identified signs of a god’s resurrection. Presumed to be [Ancient Elven Goddess Melisildur].
9) The Franzrit bloodline is presumed to have been annihilated by the elven goddess.
10) Attempts to track the elven goddess failed. Presumed to have vanished.
11) The Guimerin elven clan lost control of Infermur, and their influence waned.
12) Requested support for the reorganization and purification of Infermur Port. (Attachment 2: Support Request.)
Operation Task Force Team.
1) Diemonica, Fernandez Sernerd – Returned
2) Torchman, Kirhas Hearttaker – Returned
3) Local Support, Abel – Recruited and accompanied
We shall burn demons, heretics, and witches.
Operation Leader: Diemonica Fernandez Sernerd.
*
-Tap tap.
“Sigh…”
Beorn tapped the desk as he read the thirteenth report brought by the messenger from Fernandez. What on earth is all this? Gods? Elves? Vampires? Dragons? What has this ‘saint’ Diemonica done?
If this report is true, then by some miracle. Yes, by some miracle, if all this is true. It means the northeastern disaster zone has been subjugated to human civilization. The Franzrit bloodline of Serpent’s Isle has become a bat without wings, and the elven fleet has begun to retreat.
This stabilized sea route will open up the eastern triangular trade, including Merlin Port. The flow of food and supplies is already vivid in my mind.
This is undoubtedly the rise of civilization. Undoubtedly… Beorn tried to think positively. I am not a heretic. I am now the Monastery Head. I must work with certainty, not doubt.
But he couldn’t shake the confusion filling his heart. Is this even possible?
“Lord, give me the answer…”
Beorn took out his rosary and prayed. As always, God did not answer him.
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