That night, in the lodging of Rudell and his group.
“Are you saying we can monitor the desired location from here?”
“Y-yes… A-ah, it’s still a prototype, so it can only hold up for about an hour…”
Silphier nodded at Aitri, who asked incredulously.
In front of her was a small screen.
What unfolded on the screen was a scene that seemed to overlook a street shimmering with dazzling lights against a dark backdrop.
“Wow, that’s amazing…”
A low gasp escaped Aitri as she gazed at the scene on the screen.
It’s no wonder, for what she was operating was akin to a reconnaissance drone.
Considering the technological level of this world, her technological prowess was truly over-technology.
“Can this thing be mass-produced?”
“It’ll be difficult; the value of the magic stone inside that little drone is enormous.”
Rudell shook his head at Aitri’s question.
Most people with some knowledge of engineering know that it’s far easier to make smaller things than to scale up.
The biggest problem, above all, was the power source.
“The value of the magic stone in that little machine alone would be worth two or three horses.”
“That’s… definitely a problem.”
One hour of scouting for the price of a few horses.
It was an amount difficult to manage unless there was an ongoing war.
If a magic stone mine hadn’t been discovered in the domain of Count Weinstein, even Rudell would have found it hard to bear that cost.
“So… is this the place…?”
“Yes, just wait a moment… Over there! That person!”
At that moment, Aitri gasped and shouted in response to Silphier.
And the ordinary-looking man caught on Silphier’s screen was someone you could easily see anywhere in the streets.
“…”
The man, glancing around as if checking for followers, veered off into a secluded alley.
Above him, Silphier’s golem was observing him, and completely unaware, the man continued down the tangled alley.
How much time passed…
“This is…”
The man stopped, and Aitri, who was watching the scene, voiced her confusion.
What appeared on the screen was a small statue resembling a god and a wide cemetery area in front of it.
“This is the shrine dedicated to the goddess of death and rest, Nixia.”
Should we call her a saint of the church?
Although it was too dark to see clearly, Eléor immediately identified which god the shrine was dedicated to.
“If the god of death is involved, isn’t that dangerous…?”
“Not really. Lady Nixia presides over the moment of peaceful rest when all beings pass away.”
Goddess Nixia.
Like the god of death Thanatos, she dealt with the realm of death, but both had different natures.
Thanatos’ death was akin to a natural disaster that swept everything away.
In contrast, Nixia’s death presided over the moment when all beings ended their lives and descended into rest.
As such, she was classified as a benevolent deity and had many followers.
“Then again, what on earth is he doing here?”
“It doesn’t seem like a good deed…”
At Reje’s question, Rudell focused on the screen…
At the same time, the man, scanning the surroundings, pulled something from his coat and suddenly began to dig into the ground with his hands.
“…”
Watching the scene, a look of discomfort crept across Eléor’s face.
Certainly, cemeteries are places where the deceased rest in peace.
Digging in such a place for reasons other than burial disrupted the resting place of the dead.
In other words, it was akin to insulting the goddess Nixia.
Being a follower of the same benevolent deity, witnessing the desecration was enough to understand her reaction.
How much time had passed…
“I… I can’t gather more magic power…”
“Then there’s nothing we can do.”
Checking the time, Silphier noted that, and with a short sigh, Aitri rose from his seat.
He then looked at Rudell and the group and said:
“It seems you all will have to take charge from here.”
*
With the agents assigned by Aitri, the group, excluding Silphier, headed to the cemetery.
“Honestly, these shady guys and their actions.”
As night fell, the group walked along the path of the empty cemetery, with Reje grumbling.
Alongside the foggy environment of Pensburg, the setting of the cemetery created a scene straight out of a horror movie.
Since it was a fantasy world, perhaps real ghosts might appear.
Thinking that, Rudell walked down the path…
Eventually, they stopped in front of the shrine dedicated to Nixia.
“I’ll take the lead here.”
Saying that, Eléor carefully knocked on the door of the shrine.
A rustling sound came from inside, and the door creaked open to reveal an elderly priest.
“Hmm? What brings you here at this hour?”
“Greetings. My name is Eléor, an apprentice priest serving Lady Gaia.”
“Pleasure to meet you, priest serving Lady Nixia. I am Krell.”
Krell bowed politely while showing his rosary to Eléor.
“Actually… signs of desecration have been discovered here.”
“Desecration!? Who dares to commit such an act!!”
“It’s a follower of the Thanatos church.”
“Thanatos!? I’ll deal with them immediately…!!”
At the mention of Thanatos, Krell shouted with a face reminiscent of a demon.
With the overlap of death between the two deities and the contrast between benevolent and sinister gods, Krell reacted even more violently than Eléor, stepping outside the shrine.
Together with him, the group headed to the spot shown on the screen, and while examining the ground, Krell heard a crunching sound and gritted his teeth.
“Indeed… my lady…”
“If it’s alright, may we check it as well?”
“Of course, I need to tidy up the surroundings…”
With a nod, Krell headed back to the shrine, and as Eléor offered a prayer, Kurt brought a shovel to start digging into the ground.
The moist dirt accumulated, and after a while of digging…
“This is…”
Something shining appeared between the dirt.
Resembling a fist-sized orb, it emitted an ominous faint glow, and on its surface; patterns resembling the faces of screaming people rippled.
Kurt crouched down and reached out towards it…
“Wait.”
“Rudell?”
“It might be better not to touch it carelessly.”
At that, Rudell grabbed Kurt’s hand and stopped him.
Kurt, bewildered by Rudell’s action, tilted his head curiously.
“Rudellheit’s words hold true. I can’t specify exactly what it is, but it seems wise not to touch it recklessly.”
“I see…”
When Eléor made that statement, Kurt nodded in agreement and took a step back.
Then, Eléor approached it and carefully stretched out her hand to touch it.
“…Ack!!”
And she stepped back, letting out a low groan.
Looking quite startled, beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead, albeit in only a brief moment.
“What happened? What’s going on?”
Reje asked with a puzzled expression, seeing Eléor trembling slightly.
“I can’t pinpoint it exactly, but… this is a terrifying object that shouldn’t exist in this world.”
“Is it that dangerous?”
Reje looked at the object buried in the ground, puzzled by her answer.
At that moment…
—Kiiing!!
“Ugh…!?”
“What was that just now?”
A piercing, sharp sound filled the air, causing everyone around to wince and cover their ears.
Simultaneously, Rudell could feel it.
The surge of magical waves emanating from it.
“Tch…”
While everyone was dazed by the high-pitched sound, Rudell frowned and clicked his tongue.
The next moment…
—Boom!!
—Bang!!
—Ssssss!!
The ground around erupted, and something began to rise from beneath.
—Clatter. Clatter.
—Creak. Creak.
—Smack. Bang.
Corpses with decaying flesh left, leaving only bones behind.
They were the greatest sacrilege, an aberration defying the natural order, insulting the deceased.
Undead!
