Chapter 95

‘I’ve seen something like this before.’

Those creatures referred to as zombies in books and movies.

Predators that target the flesh and blood of the uninfected.

In reality, they were merely people consumed by dark sorcery, but seeing them in the dark made them all the more terrifying.

And the stench of dark sorcery emanating from them was unbearable.

The groans of agony suppressed within them only added to the eerie atmosphere.

Well, of course, it was all as expected.

A group that worships demons couldn’t possibly be separated from dark magic.

“Chief! We need to get out of here immediately!”

A startled mage grabbed her hand with a snap.

“Let go. There’s no other choice now.”

“What?”

Shaterian brushed off the mage’s hand, which was trembling with confusion, and retrieved her bag from the knight. She pulled out an item from within.

A sleeping bomb.

The powder she handed to the mage was a sleeping powder she had purchased from a merchant.

She had used the remaining powder to create this.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to…”

“Well, since I made it, I might as well use it.”

She had created this because of something Anella had said that suddenly came to mind.

‘Lady Shaterian, did you know? Dark sorcery controls a person’s mind, but if they completely lose consciousness, they can’t be controlled.’

‘Completely?’

‘Yes, completely.’

There were countless ways to lose consciousness, but Anella had spoken as if she were contemplating death itself.

At the time, Shaterian had brushed it off, thinking, ‘Our Saintess is quite ruthless.’

If one completely loses consciousness, they can’t be controlled.

Come to think of it, she had witnessed it once before.

When Mesh, who had lost consciousness, suddenly regained his senses and changed completely.

Shaking off the creeping thoughts that were rising again, she pulled out the bomb from her bag.

“Sir, distribute this to the other knights.”

“What is this?”

“A sleeping bomb.”

“A b-bomb?”

“It’s not dangerous. One hit, and even those consumed by dark magic will fall asleep.”

“They’ll fall asleep…?”

“Yes. That should bring this chaos to an end.”

“Understood.”

The knight quickly moved, carrying a handful of bombs.

“Mage, grab one too. We’ll throw them and run.”

The plaza was already filled with knights and people consumed by dark magic, mixed together. It wasn’t possible to extract all the knights.

Regrettably, the knights who couldn’t escape would have to fall asleep with them.

Taking advantage of the confusion, the knight who delivered the bombs returned.

“We’ve agreed to throw them all at the signal and retreat.”

“Good.”

Everything was ready.

They moved to the edge of the plaza, where it would be easier to escape, pushing aside those engaged in physical struggle.

Finally…

“Mage!”

“Yes!”

The mage was the only one who could give a signal visible across the area.

A single beam of light shot up into the dark night sky.

Simultaneously, the sleeping bombs were thrown, and they fled quickly.

As the bombs hit the ground, their lids popped open.

Wind magic activated inside the bombs, scattering the sleeping powder.

Those who inhaled the powder collapsed one by one.

Before long, everyone in the plaza had fallen, and the chaotic situation was resolved.

“This, this is…!”

The enraged cult leader ground his teeth and shouted.

All of his followers had collapsed. This was the perfect chance to capture him.

Orgon, determined to capture every last dark sorcerer, was the first to rush forward.

Knights followed behind the Crown Prince.

With no one left to protect him, the cult leader was easily captured.

The knights cheered. It was truly the end of everything.

Still, she hadn’t expected it to go this smoothly, even though she’d hoped for it.

Shaterian patted the mage’s shoulder, who had worked hard to create the sleeping bombs.

“Well done. You’re very capable.”

She promised to personally recommend the mage to the Master of the Mage Tower.

She assured the mage that she wouldn’t forget their significant contribution to resolving the situation.

In any case, the priority now was to leave the scene before Eched or Orgon noticed her.

“Shaterian?”

“What? Terry?”

Before she could take a single step, she was discovered.

She met the gazes of two pairs of eyes staring at her.

“What are you doing here?”

She avoided Orgon’s reproachful gaze.

“Just passing by!”

She let out a hearty laugh.

Of course, it didn’t seem like they believed her.

Eched, his expression hardening, quickly approached her and scanned her from head to toe.

“If you stare at me like that, I’ll feel shy…”

“Don’t even try lying.”

She glared at Orgon, who had interrupted her.

“This time, I’m really innocent. I was planning to return to the ducal residence as soon as I finished my work.”

She recounted what had happened at the imperial palace after the knights had left.

The bomb found in the annex, the sleeping bombs she had made using it, and the tracking of magical energy.

“Ah!”

Suddenly remembering the whereabouts of the bombing terrorist, she hastily pulled out the magic tracker she had tucked away.

The red dot, which had been off-center earlier, was now in the middle of the tracker’s screen.

“We have to catch the bombing terrorist!”

She handed the tracker to Orgon, telling him to stop nagging and focus on catching the culprit.

Orgon, with a reluctant expression, ordered the knights clearing the plaza to act.

It was a perfect conclusion.

***

The Guide, who later became the leader of the Heretical Cult, once lived in a modest but warm village where the residents shared close bonds.

He made his living through farming, barely getting by, yet he was content with such a life.

However, that sense of contentment was shattered one day.

A plague swept through the village.

A mysterious disease with no known cause, reason, or cure.

Every other day, someone would die.

Even when a renowned physician from the capital was brought in, the cause of the plague remained elusive.

To make matters worse, the physician who came to treat the villagers also succumbed to the disease.

The Guide held his sick son’s hand tightly.

He prayed desperately, wishing at least for his son’s survival.

At that moment, a man visited the village.

The man, whose identity was unknown, approached the Guide and said:

‘Do you wish to save your son?’

The Guide nodded.

Seeing his response, the man revealed a method.

‘If you follow this method, not only your son but the entire village will survive.’

Though skeptical, the Guide decided to follow the man’s instructions.

Miraculously, the dying villagers started recovering as if they had never been ill.

Even his son, who had been on the brink of death, stood up and called out to him with energy.

‘This is all thanks to the grace of the demon.’

From that moment, the Guide became the leader of the Heretical Cult.

He devoted himself entirely to the benefactor who had saved his family and the villagers he cherished dearly.

It was simply a way of repaying the savior who had granted them life.

In the dark underground prison.

The knights who listened to the cult leader’s story wore grim expressions.

“Commander, here is the investigation report.”

It was necessary to verify the truth of the cult leader’s claims.

Given the gravity of the situation, the knights acted swiftly.

Upon reviewing the report, it became clear that the cult leader’s story was not entirely false.

The existence of the village he mentioned and the outbreak of an unknown plague there were indeed true.

However, one detail differed: the claim that the villagers were saved by the mysterious man.

According to the report, there were no survivors from the village.

All had perished due to the plague, and the cult leader, who had left the village to sell crops, was the sole survivor.

“If not for him, I would never have seen my son’s face again.”

The cult leader said.

The son he spoke of had already passed away.

Yet, the cult leader genuinely seemed to believe that the villagers were still alive.

He praised the mysterious man endlessly and had even formed the heretical cult to worship the demon.

“He’s completely lost his mind.”

The cult leader’s mental state was far from normal.

His pupils were unfocused, and his words were utterly incoherent.

“Why did you plant the bomb in the Imperial Palace?”

The bomb terrorist they had captured that day was a follower of the Heretical Cult.

“A divine oracle was delivered.”

“An oracle?”

“Hehe. Kill. I must kill.”

The conversation veered off-topic again.

“Who must be killed?”

But the cult leader did not answer that question.

He kept repeating meaningless words, making it clear that no further interrogation would yield any results.

“An oracle, huh…”

Demons had long disappeared into the annals of history.

Yet, people still believed in their existence because of the remnants of demons—monsters.

Who was the man the cult leader encountered, and why had he instructed the creation of a demon-worshiping religion?

And what was the oracle that demanded someone be killed?

Everything was shrouded in mystery.

“Investigate the man who visited the village and check if any other villages have been harmed.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Eched felt that the rampant spread of dark magic could no longer be ignored.

“The World Tree…”

He had been waiting for more precise information.

But it seemed like waiting further would only waste time.

Now was the time to act.

***

“Terry, have you lost your mind? Why would you go to such a dangerous place?”

Naturally, the report of her presence there reached His Majesty’s ears.

Afterward, it was only natural that she was bombarded with worried scolding.

Terry felt wronged.

But she couldn’t offer any excuses. Doing so would only prolong the scolding.

Still, today’s reprimand wasn’t as lengthy as usual.

It was because she was the key figure in capturing the terrorist responsible for the plaza bombing.

Although she endured the scolding, she felt so elated that it was as if she could soar through the skies.

This was because she had been rewarded.

A reward of fifty gold coins, no less.

Her efforts in subduing the assailant without causing harm to anyone had been highly praised.

Her elation lasted only that day.

The next day, Terry heard the news that Eched had left the capital.