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Chapter 9
“…That’s what I should be saying.”
A Holy Knight wearing glasses, with long dark brown hair neatly tied back into a single ponytail.
Gabriel Cronwell.
He was the younger brother of the scumbag who had once been my fiancé, as well as the childhood friend I had grown up with.
He was also one of the most promising Holy Knights in the temple.
Gabriel’s cold green eyes looked down at me with clear disapproval.
“So after getting disgracefully thrown out of House Agorta, you’ve come all the way to the temple to stir up trouble too?”
“Ha.”
What an idiot.
“So you’re still being played by Evelyn’s manipulation, huh?”
“Don’t speak carelessly about the woman who’ll soon become my sister-in-law. Do you still think you’re the young lady of House Agorta? Stop loitering around the temple and get out while I’m asking nicely.”
“Hey, why don’t you stop obstructing official duties and get lost?”
“…What?”
“I’m here as a government official from the Imperial Public Safety Administration, carrying out a sacred mission. So stop saying stupid things and move already.”
Gabriel frowned as if he couldn’t understand what I had just said.
“What nonsense are you talking about? You? A servant of the Imperial Palace? With that rotten personality, how could you possibly be a government official…”
Kiara stepped in at just the right moment.
“As Beatrice said, we are indeed officials of the Proposal Department. We must hurry to deal with the plague, so Sir Holy Knight, please step aside.”
“…Is that true?”
“Yes. If you don’t believe us, contact Sir Yuz Millen, a section chief of the Proposal Department. He’ll verify it immediately.”
Perhaps intimidated by Kiara’s confidence, Gabriel’s expression softened slightly.
“…If it’s Sir Yuz Millen’s name, then I suppose I can trust it.”
“Then please move aside—”
“But since I cannot trust her, I will accompany your party as a Holy Knight of the temple.”
“…!”
“If it’s a plague, it’s common to bring priests or mages with healing abilities. There shouldn’t be any problem with me joining, should there?”
Annoying as he was, there wasn’t any flaw in Gabriel’s logic.
There was probably no one more reassuring to bring along than Gabriel, the temple’s rising prodigy.
Thomas and Perry were already glancing nervously between Kiara and me.
“If Sir Cronwell is willing to accompany us…”
“It would be our honor!”
“Tch.”
‘Looks like we’re stuck dragging around an annoying parasite.’
Thinking our plans might become a little more complicated, I reluctantly accepted.
“Fine. Sir Cronwell. Let’s go.”
Including Gabriel, all of us stepped onto the portal leading to Morphe Village.
“Departing now.”
As the priest managing the portal infused it with divine power, the scenery changed in an instant.
Caw. Caw.
[Morphe Village]
A battered village sign with most of its letters peeled away came into view.
So did the hastily erected magical barrier stones.
“…Looks like we arrived safely.”
Pushing through the gloomy atmosphere, we cautiously entered the village.
We suppressed our presence as we headed deeper into the village, but we didn’t see a single person.
Perry looked uneasy.
“This is strange. We should’ve seen members of the advance investigation team by now…”
Morphe Village was eerily silent.
Thomas spoke.
“Could everyone have already died from the plague?”
I shook my head.
“I don’t think so. If they were all dead, there’d be no reason to send us an emergency dispatch. They would’ve sent officials responsible for postmortem cleanup instead…”
Kiara naturally supported my reasoning.
“There were definitely survivors who sent the rescue request. Let’s keep searching a little longer.”
…
But even after combing every corner of the village until late at night, we found no survivors.
“What’s going on?”
“If everyone died from the plague, there should at least be bodies.”
“And it doesn’t seem like they left the village either… The magical barrier stones were still installed. They looked like they were on the verge of breaking, but they weren’t actually destroyed, so the infected couldn’t have gone elsewhere.”
Then why?
‘Once infected with Berserk Syndrome, they’d be rampaging everywhere. They shouldn’t be this quiet.’
Was there something else?
Something even I didn’t know, despite memorizing the original story?
“…It’s getting late. Let’s stop searching for today and set up camp first.”
I had a bad feeling about this.
As planned, I ended up sharing a tent with Kiara. I quickly handed her a bundle of ingredients.
“Senior Kiara, mix these according to the proportions I told you, grind them together, then pour in hot water and keep it with you. This is the cure for the plague.”
“Got it. I’ll make enough for Thomas and Perry too.”
“Just in case, I think we should be the ones keeping watch tonight.”
“Yeah. Let’s do that.”
With the uneasy atmosphere hanging over us, we hurriedly swallowed our dinner before Kiara and I took the first watch.
Then Gabriel came out of his own tent and walked toward us.
“I’ll stand watch as well. I have something I wish to ask the former heir of House Agorta.”
…Could this guy just go die already?
I shot Kiara a desperate look for help, but she deliberately ignored me.
Gabriel’s murderous aura made even her hesitate.
“Uh… I’ll leave you two alone and… go use the restroom for a bit.”
No, Senior.
Don’t abandon me…!
But mercilessly, Kiara hurried away.
Satisfied that the nuisance had disappeared, Gabriel finally spoke.
“Now tell me.”
“Tell you what?”
“Your true purpose for coming here.”
His eyes openly displayed nothing but contempt and disdain toward me.
‘He wasn’t this bad when we were kids playing together.’
Evelyn’s acting skills were impressive in an entirely different way.
“What purpose? To complete this assignment safely and go home.”
“A lie. Even the temple considers the Morphe Village plague extremely dangerous. Most priests refuse this mission.”
“…So?”
“Greedy, selfish Beatrice. Someone like you would never volunteer out of a desire to help others. There must be some benefit you’re hoping to gain. Just like when you tried to kill Evelyn and my brother.”
It wasn’t even worth responding.
Once someone’s heart has turned away, changing their mind is nearly impossible.
Especially when they have no intention of listening.
That was when—
Whoosh!
Something shot toward us at incredible speed.
‘Killing intent!’
“Hey! Get down!”
“What? Ack!”
He didn’t look like he’d listen, so I kicked Gabriel as hard as I could, knocking him to the ground.
Thud.
Gabriel landed in a thoroughly undignified position.
“What the hell are you—!”
Crunch!
Even Gabriel immediately composed himself after seeing what had buried itself deep into the ground.
“An enemy attack?”
While Gabriel instinctively poured divine power into his sword, I examined the objects.
“…Farming tools.”
Not weapons.
Ordinary farming tools used by common villagers.
Dozens of them had rained down at once.
Maybe because they weren’t actual weapons, even Gabriel hadn’t sensed any killing intent.
A chill ran down my spine.
Just then Kiara returned.
“What was that sound?”
“Senior! Wake Thomas and Perry right now! Give them the antidotes!”
“What?”
“Hurry!”
Grrrr…
Dozens of glowing crimson eyes emerged from the darkness of the forest.
“Animals? No… those are…”
Gabriel’s eyes widened in horror.
Grrrrrrrr…
The creatures with grotesquely swollen muscles were humans.
Terrifying humans drooling from their mouths, each gripping a farming tool while glaring at us.
“Huff… huff! What is this…?”
Thomas and Perry rushed over with magical lanterns after waking in a panic.
The light illuminated the approaching figures.
“Those are all the villagers who were reported to have contracted the plague.”
“What?”
“The missing investigation team members are mixed in as well. It seems they were infected by the villagers. Judging from the bite marks on their shoulders and necks, it spreads like rabies.”
GROOOOOOOOAR!
Dozens of infected people let out beast-like howls.
I pulled out the potion the old herbalist grandmother had given me and drank it in one gulp.
“Warte.”
A violet magic circle briefly flashed around our bodies before disappearing.
At the same time, I couldn’t suppress a small cough.
‘Damn it. This potion really is cheap.’
“I’ve cast a speed enhancement spell! It’ll last ten minutes! Everyone, splash the antidote onto the villagers charging at us!”
“O-Okay!”
GRAAAAAAAH!!
As if a signal had been given, the berserk villagers charged at us with their mouths stretched unnaturally wide.
Before joining the fight, I tossed several bottles of antidote toward Gabriel.
“You! Stop standing there like an idiot and move! Put divine barriers around me and the others!”
“…Got it.”
The battle beneath the moonlight began.
About ten minutes later…
“Huff… huff… huff…”
The bodies of unconscious villagers lay scattered all around us.
The smell of spilled antidote filled the air.
‘So they really don’t recruit just anyone into the Proposal Department.’
Kiara, Thomas, and Perry skillfully dodged the villagers while calmly splashing antidote over them, successfully subduing each one.
“Aaaagh! Aaaah!”
…Although, in their panic, they occasionally smashed the medicine bottles directly over the villagers’ heads.
It couldn’t be helped.
Gabriel, looking completely unharmed, casually brushed the dust off his clothes as he surveyed the area.
“Looks like we’ve dealt with all of them. Is that the end?”
“Hey, wait. You…”
Those were practically famous last words.
The moment I thought it—
A shadow fell behind Gabriel.
It was the captain of the investigation team, the one who had never shown himself until now.
“Gah! G-Gabriel!”
“…Ah.”
Perry screamed.
Gabriel froze, completely caught off guard by the sudden attack.
Bang!
KREEEEGH!
The berserk attacker standing behind Gabriel had his head blown backward and collapsed.
“…That old lady really did give me a pretty decent gun.”
