Chapter 134 : The Days Toward the Rostingia Marcher Lordship (18)
Chapter 134: The Days Toward the Rostingia Marcher Lordship (18)
The cultist group that occupied the ancient ruins was not without thought.
They had formulated an in-depth plan to respond in their own way.
The problem was that the response was built upon a hypothesis that was fundamentally wrong.
First, the fact that they were not a group of mediocre mage mercenaries aiming for ancient ruins, but a martial force consisting of the elites of the subjugation team.
And next....
-Thud!
“Q-Quickly contact the inside!”
“My! If we miss them, it will become troublesome.”
“I know! Mage Agpiel! Hmuuuuph!”
-Swish!
-Crack!
“Gwah!”
The point was that the plan they conceived was wrong, very wrong.
They had moved quickly to create a trap in their own way, but the speed of the mercenaries led by Shatien and Mage Agpiel was beyond their expectations.
Of all things, they happened to encounter Shatien at the very moment they were preparing to set the trap and head outside.
“Is everyone dealt with?”
“Yes. Our guys are handling the cleanup now.”
“Very good. Haha. It was a stroke of genius to deal with them immediately and swiftly. If we had missed them, it would have been quite noisy.”
Mage Agpiel said that while looking at the cultist who had fallen after being struck by a blade. It was an unfortunate corpse whose neck Shatien had severed as soon as they met.
“By the way, what are these? Why were they carrying this?”
“Hmm.... From the look of it, it seems to be an artifact from the era of the Ancient Empire. It appears to be quite valuable.”
“An artifact? This?”
Shatien picked it up, feeling flabbergasted. It was a statue carved in the shape of a naked woman. It was embarrassing. To think such a thing had value. Shatien thought the world was truly coming to an end.
“The sculptures of that era were all like that. Heh heh. Stop standing there and come over here.”
Despite the effort put into the preparation, Mage Agpiel tossed the artifact aside as if he had no interest and gestured to Shatien while moving forward. Shatien wondered why, but upon following him, he could not help but let out an exclamation.
“Woah....”
“Is it not magnificent? In the era of the Ancient Empire, they used to build pantheons like this to worship various gods.”
The custom of believing in a single God was not very old. In fact, even in the northern region, were there not the many gods of the north?
The Ancient Empire was also a sanctuary for these many gods.
This cave also seemed to be an altar for such a pantheon.
“By the way, it seems this place has already been completely looted. No particular mysteries or artifacts remain. Especially look there. Originally, there would have been a sacred relic for the blessing of the pantheon, but is it not empty?”
“Mm, yes. I see.”
“It is truly a shame. Oh! Still, I have discovered a fairly decent trace. It is a stone wall written in the language of the Ancient Empire. Something seems to be written here.... usually, prayers or invocations are written, which are good for exploring the magic of the Ancient Empire era. Haha. Would you like to take a look as well?”
“......”
Shatien felt his head throbbing at the sight of Mage Agpiel saying things that would make the Paladins of the monastery in the village faint. Furthermore, was this a time for them to be leisurely exploring ruins?
“Um, Mage Agpiel? We came here to conduct a subjugation.”
“A-Ah? Cough. Ahem. Ahem!”
Only then did Agpiel stand up while clearing his throat. He seemed to have realized his mistake.
“Right.... since we came to work. We must do the work first.”
Even so, he was still looking at the stone wall while smacking his lips in regret. Shatien clicked his tongue and instructed the mercenaries.
“There might be a secret passage. Search the surroundings thoroughly.”
“Yes!”
Since those bastards came from here, this pantheon would not be the end. Surely there would be a passage leading somewhere....
“Hm, Captain. I don't see a passage.”
“Everything is blocked.”
The reports from the mercenaries who returned from scouting the surroundings were not very good. Miraculously, there was no space other than the pantheon.
“It seems they hid the passage through some magical method?”
“Otherwise, they must have created a very seamless secret passage, I suppose?”
“Whatever it is, it is not very good for you. Heh heh. Still, don't worry. If we wait, will they not just pop the door open and come out?”
“Surely that won't happen?”
“Euhahaha. Well, there is no other way. Then shall I look at that stone door while waiting until then!”
Mage Agpiel said that while laughing heartily, as if something were very enjoyable.
But Mage Agpiel did not know. He did not know the fact that the words he spat out unconsciously had become the words of a mage. The words of a mage had a way of creating an oddly foreseen prophecy.
-Rumble.
“?”
Suddenly, the wall where they were standing began to fluctuate.
“Aigo. This is driving me crazy. Why is the high priest hounding us so much?”
“He said the ones who went out still have not returned. Those guys didn't go off to play somewhere again, did they?”
“There is no way. The subjugation teams in the vicinity are keeping their eyes peeled.”
A secret passage had opened wide right before their eyes.
“?”
“Uh?”
“??????”
“T-The enemy.... Egh!”
* * *
“They seem to be cultists?!”
“I know. Mage Agpiel! Everyone, get behind me. Don't fight them recklessly!”
Saying that, Shatien immediately ran and split the skull of a cultist who was still surprised.
-Crack!
“No, how!!”
“You mean they already entered? Quickly inform the ones above!”
The cultists seemed quite flustered. It appeared they never imagined anyone would enter their hideout. That was equivalent to saying their defenses were lax.
Shatien felt that he should run toward the core before the enemy could regain their senses.
“Arrogant! Dirty dog of the Church!”
“The curse of God will make you weak!”
-Skreeeeeeek!
As soon as those bastards spoke, sinister mysteries squirmed in the surroundings. Simultaneously, their words became a curse and entwined around Shatien’s body.
“Hmm?!”
For a moment, it became difficult to move, as if his body had become heavy. He felt as if his vision was becoming blurred. Then Mage Agpiel shouted urgently.
“How dare you wicked ones-!”
-Bang!
As a blue light burst forth, the sinister mystery was repelled outward. Shatien moved his much lighter body.
“Thank you. Mage Agpiel!”
“They are ones who possess sinister mysteries! They will not die easily.”
At Mage Agpiel’s warning, Shatien dealt with the cultists while remaining as vigilant as possible.
“Ughhh!”
“Gugh!”
Fortunately, the skill of the cultists was not very good. At best, they were at the level of mercenaries who had rolled around a battlefield a bit? No, actually, even if their skill had been knight-class, it was meaningless before Shatien.
However, there was something slightly different.
The ones whose necks were severed suddenly absorbed blood and began to regenerate while squirming.
“??”
“Is it a priest of a forgotten ancient god!”
“What should I do? Mage Agpiel!!”
Shatien shouted in surprise upon seeing that. Indeed, he had been surprised by the bizarre recovery power of the hobgoblin last time, and it seemed there was a reason for it. However, the answer Mage Agpiel offered was simpler than expected.
“Just keep killing them!”
“Huh??”
“Is it not essentially nothing? When the vessels containing life are all exhausted, they will eventually die.”
“......”
A clear answer that left him truly speechless.
But nothing was more accurate than that.
“Grrrrr.... unbelievers.... I will show you what fear is.... Gwah!”
After once again sending the head of a cultist flying—who had already fully recovered and was spitting out meager words—Shatien shouted to the surrounding mercenaries.
“They are nothing! Just keep thrusting spears into their bodies!”
“Yes! Understood.”
-Pshk
-Thud, thud!
“Aaaaaaaaaaaargh!”
“Wa, wait! I surrender.... Gwah!”
Due to the clear difference in skill, those bastards tried to throw down their weapons and surrender, but Shatien severed their necks without mercy.
Cultists.
Furthermore, they were cultists who wielded wicked mysteries using blood.
Their destination was the stake anyway, and there was no good in exchanging long words with those who wielded wicked mysteries.
* * *
“Dammit?!”
The high priest fell into confusion at the sudden report.
He had expected their attack, but for them to come this quickly? Furthermore, did they not arrive before they could even finish digging the traps?
Finally, the high priest realized that they were not just a ragtag bunch.
‘It is a proper mage party.’
If not that, then a subjugation team that had received proper information from somewhere and moved secretly.
Whichever of the two it was, it was not good from the high priest’s perspective.
Both were not easy to deal with.
Especially so if it was a battle met in an unprepared state like now. The number of cultists was large, but the ones useful for combat were few, and the goblins had already been confirmed to be of no great use in the last battle.
At least a hobgoblin fed with the blessing of blood was useful, but unfortunately, it had died in the last battle.
“H-High Priest. What shall we do?”
“How about the grand ritual currently in progress....”
Thanks to that, rage only surged at his subordinates who were demanding answers from him from all directions.
Instead of saying that to him, they should run out right now and block them even with their bodies!
However, the high priest struggled to calm down and shouted at the priests.
“Don't worry! Once the grand ritual is finished, they will not dare to resist!”
“T-That may be true, but is there not much of the grand ritual remaining.”
“Silence! Can we not just pull the grand ritual forward! Quickly drag all the remaining offerings here.”
“H-Huh?? Then the unstable....”
The high priest shouted loudly at the subordinate who was still speaking frustrating words.
“Is that the problem now? I said drag them here immediately!!”
The high priest lamented as he looked at the priests who still did not know what was important and what was not. It seemed this organization would not be useful for long either. He thought it was time to gradually switch to a new body.
To do that, first....
‘I must wake this guy first.’
Although it would be an incomplete grand ritual as the priest said, it would show its immense power once it descended.
If that happened, a mere group of mages, or the subjugation team holed up in the village, would be annihilated at once.
* * *
-Wuuuuuuuuuuuung!
Suddenly, the mystery of the lineage began to fluctuate violently.
And simultaneously, the sinister mystery began to fluctuate inside the opened secret door. It was so intense that his skin felt tingly.
“It seems an evil grand ritual is being performed!”
“I am feeling it as well, Mage Agpiel.”
“Hahaha.... this is not good. To think I would use this much strength on a job I took for a bit of amusement....”
Mage Agpiel said that while steadying his staff.
“Are you ready? Now is the only time to retreat.”
It was something said to be considerate in its own way, but it could not be tolerated. Shatien let out a smirk and gripped his sword.
“Running away, you say. We must go together. Mage Agpiel.”
“Euhahahaha. In that regard, I like you for being like a stupid knight! Right. Let us go together. Young knight. If this is finished properly, I shall give you a good reward!”