On the top floor of the Adventurer’s Guild, there lies the Guild Leader’s office.
To call it an office would be a stretch; with such modest size and decor, it felt more like a cozy gathering spot. It was already packed with five people.
The Guild Leader, Mary, Ludvik, Vigrind, and Scarlet.
The five of them were huddled around a sofa, papers and a map spread out before them, wearing serious expressions.
“So, you’re telling me that something bizarre happened in the Catacomb? Is that correct?”
After Mary’s explanation, Ludvik, who had been deep in thought, pointed to the map with his finger.
The map displayed the geography around Evian in relatively detailed form, and Ludvik was pointing to the western Catacomb.
He then drew a large circle around it on the map.
“So, this much is shrouded in fog… and initially…”
He then drew a much smaller circle, barely covering the Catacomb itself.
“So it started off this small and gradually grew larger.”
“That’s right.”
As the Guild Leader nodded, Ludvik stroked his chin thoughtfully.
His jaw, which had grown slightly unkempt from lack of shaving, was rubbed for a while before he turned to Vigrind, who was sitting next to him.
“What do you think, Saint?”
“…It would be best to gather more data. I think we should request cooperation from the Cathedral as well.”
“As for the Cathedral, they’ve already conducted an investigation. The Evian Diocese reported they couldn’t identify anything, but one thing is certain—there’s magical energy present, which can be felt even from weak monsters.”
The Guild Leader, who claimed he used to be a ‘pretty successful’ adventurer, had certainly let himself go, visibly plumper than in his glory days. However, seeing how he was managing this crisis showed he wasn’t completely inept.
“Did you observe how the Cathedral is conducting their investigation?”
Ludvik asked the Guild Leader again.
There seemed to be something to it.
Marlen had a grand cathedral, and while they weren’t particularly close, Ludvik had seen the Cathedral’s people poking around ruins, so he was rather familiar with it. This only made him distrustful of their methods.
“I did observe…”
The Guild Leader sighed deeply.
Seeing him like that, Ludvik felt reassured his hunch was right.
“It seems they didn’t go into the fog?”
“Yes. They just circled around, conducting inquiries and tried some holy rites… But that was about it. A few of the Cathedral knights went in to investigate, but… they haven’t returned.”
“Is that so?”
“Well, of course! Who could make any progress with just that!”
Ludvik wanted to sigh deeply like a Guild Leader.
But he couldn’t because Vigrind, who was sitting next to him, was bothering him.
The moment the Guild Leader took a deep breath, it was obvious that Vigrind’s expression had soured, a situation that didn’t need any further inspection.
“Well, I understand. The folks at the Cathedral can discern the sacred even without stepping into the fog. They can tell that there’s magic lurking around… and above all, if even the Cathedral Knights have fallen.”
It might have been difficult for the Cathedral to do much more.
And just at that moment, the Hero and the Saint appeared, so there might be a psychology of relying on them.
‘It’s not hard to understand.’
It was the lot of the Hero and the Saint to live up to such expectations.
*
“What do you think, Sir Scarlet?”
On the way back to the Cathedral from the Adventurer’s Guild, Vigrind quietly asked Scarlet, who was walking beside her.
Unlike her time in the Evian Diocese, Scarlet, having lived in the Church Region, likely had seen and heard more than she had, and she might have encountered similar situations.
“I know there are quite a few monsters that create fog. I haven’t experienced it myself, but generally, they’re the kind of mental monsters that lure humans into getting lost and exhausting them before sucking out their life force. However…”
“But?”
As she paused to gather her thoughts, even Ludvik turned to look at Scarlet.
When it comes to information about monsters, Scarlet likely had the most diverse knowledge among this group, so Ludvik was also waiting for her insight.
“Weren’t all the victims found to be intact corpses? Corpses whose life force has been sucked out don’t remain like that. They turn into withered old tree trunks.”
“Withered old tree trunks…”
“Yes. When the source of life is completely drained, the body loses its vitality and withers away. So, this time, it’s likely not just a simple monster.”
Vigrind trembled, perhaps feeling chills run through her.
Once again, the darkness from her memories felt like it was coiling up and lifting its head.
“Just because it’s not a simple monster doesn’t mean it’s a demon, though. Saint, please don’t be too frightened.”
Vigrind looked up at Ludvik, who smiled reassuringly.
With the significant height difference, she needed to look up like this to see his face.
‘Maybe Sister Aege would know.’
Among the priests, Sister Aege had uniquely lived the adventurer’s life for a long time.
She taught and loved everyone equally, without discrimination—Yona, Vigrind, and all.
If it was Sister Aege, she might have some inkling of what was going on.
“How about we go visit Sister Aege?”
“Are you talking about Sister Aege, the one who was with us when we caught that decapitated demon last time?”
“Yes, that’s right. She’s the teacher who took care of us when Yona and I stayed at the orphanage and when we were educated at the Cathedral. With her extensive adventurer experience, she might just be of help.”
“Is that so? Then we should go see her right now!”
Ludvik’s excitement surprised Vigrind a little.
Before he was a hero, he was a top-tier adventurer, and it crossed her mind that his instincts might kick in before his brain did. That’s why she thought about all the reasons they needed to visit Sister Aege, but Ludvik’s unexpected joy at the idea was perplexing.
“…Why are you looking at me like that, Saint?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just a small matter. Will you be joining us, Sir Scarlet?”
“Of course. It’s just time we arrive at the Cathedral.”
They had not walked long after leaving the Adventurer’s Guild, yet they were already at the Cathedral’s entrance.
“Saint, you are here.”
“Please don’t call me that, teacher. I’m your student before being a saint.”
“Is that so?”
Her eyes, full of warmth, radiated kindness.
Sister Aege welcomed the group with a smile that naturally brought peace to anyone who looked upon her.
“The room is a bit small, but if it’s alright with you, please come in.”
The room where the head nun resided was quite modest and narrow.
Inside were just a wardrobe, a bed, a table, and three chairs.
With Ludvik, Vigrind, and Scarlet all entering Aege’s room, it quickly became cramped.
Due to the small space, they had no choice but to huddle together, but since they had already introduced themselves, it was a relief that no unnecessary words would need to be exchanged.
“We just came back from the Adventurer’s Guild, Sister.”
Vigrind seemed to have lost his tension somewhere along the line.
It felt like they were back to the comfort of a student and teacher rather than saint and priest.
“I wanted to ask you about the fog…”
“The fog, you say.”
Sister Aege gently closed her eyes.
She wasn’t unaware of the mysterious fog that had emerged from the western Catacomb, growing more widespread each day, rumored to carry magical energy. In fact, she was one of the people who wanted to resolve it more than anyone else.
She couldn’t accept that a shadow loomed over her homeland, Evian.
Even though she understood that both the Cathedral and the Adventurer’s Guild were not actively responding to the fog, it frustrated her.
It was hard for her to accept that the hope rested on the fact that everything would work out once the hero and the saint returned.
Even if I understand why, it’s hard to accept that very thing.
“I must say, this is a phenomenon I’ve never seen before.”
“…Is that so?”
Vigrind seemed slightly disappointed.
“But the monsters using fog are different. They usually utilize fog as a means to suck away life force—”
“Oh.”
Vigrind’s eyes lit up.
Even though Aege had only said that much, it seemed Vigrind realized what she was trying to say.
Aege thought, what a sharp kid!
“Could it be that they’re trying to hide something?”
“I think so too.”
“Hiding something…?”
Aege’s words overlapped with Ludvik’s.
Aege had that thought, but it seemed Ludvik was thinking along the same lines, just expressed differently.
“Something must be happening at the center of the fog that can’t be seen, and they took the lives of those who entered the fog to investigate. And they suppressed their magic to disguise themselves as simple monsters.”
“There’s a bit of a forced fit feeling to that.”
At Ludvik’s words, Vigrind seemed disheartened.
It seemed plausible to him, but hearing Ludvik say it sounded forced made him feel strangely disappointed.
“But it’s not impossible, Hero. Such things can happen in reality. Especially regarding that Dark Association incident that happened at Kapatia Port.”
As soon as the name of the Dark Association came up again, Scarlet showed signs of being slightly tense.
Even though it was information exchanged within the order, Scarlet was aware that the heretical Dark Association was lurking.
The descent of Vervaria that took place at Kapatia Port was also a scheme of that Dark Association, and if they had infiltrated here in Evian as well, that’s a significant problem.
Above all, it’s even more of a problem since Evian is the hometown of Saint Vigrind.
“…It seems we won’t resolve this unless we go in.”
“Actually, that’s the most accurate. It’s also the most efficient.”
They shared the same opinion.
Aege smiled gently, and Ludvik also beamed cheerfully.
Only Vigrind could not smile.
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