Chapter 15
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Warlock (1)
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Cloud. Sentirius Branch.
Hurs Alemier, a Level 2 investigator for Cloud, regarded the man before him with a complicated expression.
The man sitting across from him was Evan Alemier.
An Inquisitor from Crossbridge, the continent's only holy land, and also his older brother.
Facing Hurs, Evan savored the tea before him, observing his younger brother.
Feeling uncomfortable under Evan's persistent gaze, Hurs was the first to speak.
"Brother, you didn't have to come all this way in person..."
Although Hurs had sent a letter requesting help, he had only been asking for advice.
Even if more substantial aid were to be sent, he had expected one of Evan's subordinates at most.
But shattering Hurs's expectations, Evan himself had come all the way from the holy land.
And he had even used his vacation time just to meet him.
For Hurs, facing Evan like this was incredibly burdensome.
Evan simply looked at Hurs and spoke with a nonchalant expression.
"I just thought it would be nice to make time to see my little brother after so long."
"I see. Still, having you here to help in person is incredibly reassuring."
Of course, while it was burdensome for Hurs personally, an Inquisitor from Crossbridge was a very dependable ally.
The Inquisitors. They were among the most elite forces in the holy land.
They operated in small numbers, gathering intelligence on heretics and, in some cases, delivering summary judgment themselves.
As they carried out their missions in such small groups, every Inquisitor was exceptionally powerful.
Even Hurs, who considered himself fairly skilled in magic, wasn't confident he could last long against Evan.
"Anyway, nothing's changed, has it? Are you still stuck as a Level 2 investigator in this backwater?"
"Brother, that's..."
"Hurs. I trust you're not about to tell me you enjoy being in a dump like this."
This was why Hurs found Evan so difficulthe had faced this side of his brother's personality many times before.
The Sentirius region was located in the outer fringes of the empire.
A place befitting the term "backwater."
To remain stationed at the Sentirius branch was a source of deep dissatisfaction for Hurs as well.
But ever since his conflict with the branch chief, Hurs had been stuck here.
Due to a tangle of complicated issues, a promotion seemed unlikely for the foreseeable future.
Having to reveal this side of himself to his own brother was not something he was pleased about.
"I expect I'll be promoted when the time is right."
"Hurs."
"Yes, brother."
"You are a proud member of the Alemier family."
"..."
"Do not forget that it is our duty to elevate the family name."
Hearing Evan's words, Hurs felt a phantom ache in the eye he had lost long ago.
The Alemier family.
He had lived his entire life trying not to tarnish the family name.
He had worked himself to death trying to catch up to Evan, who was always ahead.
But no matter how hard he ran, he never seemed to get any closer to his brother's back.
And now, he was in a position where he had to endure a shameful lecture from him.
Sigh. A breath escaped Hurs's lips as he faced Evan.
"It's all because of my own shortcomings."
"Is that so."
"Please, spare me any more of this shameful talk. Can we discuss the case now?"
The subtle aroma of tea leaves wafted from the teapot in the center of the table.
Evan moistened his lips with his teacup, savoring the fragrance that filled his mouth before nodding.
Clink.
The teacup in Evan's hand returned to the table.
Only then did he smile and get to the point.
The reason Evan had bothered to come to this remote region.
The matter of the evil god's traces, said to have been discovered somewhere here.
"Then let's hear about the case. What exactly happened?"
"The residents of four villages in this area vanished in an instant. Without a single trace."
People had disappeared.
Hearing this, Evan furrowed his brow.
Even Hurs, who was telling the story, knew there were many other potential explanations.
They could have fled in the middle of the night to avoid taxes.
Or perhaps bandits had come and abducted them.
Until Rick, a Level 3 investigator, disappeared, Hurs himself had believed as much.
"I take it you're not here to tell me they simply ran away or were taken by bandits."
"There were no bloodstains or bodies left in the villages. It's too strange for it to have been a battle."
"And I assume there was no sign of them fleeing, which is why you suspect the work of an evil god?"
Perhaps because they had already exchanged letters on the matter.
Evan quickly grasped what Hurs was getting at.
Residents vanishing without a trace.
This was not without precedent in the empire's history.
Back when evil gods appeared and heroes walked the land, those offered as sacrifices by wicked sorcerers met a similar fate.
Those sacrificed to a god leave nothing behind.
The blood they shed, their sweat, even their very clothes would vanish without a trace.
"Just as you said, brother. We now suspect the presence of an evil god's cult."
"Is that all, or...?"
"Rick Swile. One of my own investigators also disappeared after he went out searching for traces of the evil god."
"Did he vanish without a trace, like the others?"
"Yes. Only the horse he rode was left behind."
People vanishing without a trace.
And an investigator who disappeared while pursuing those traces.
With all this circumstantial evidence, there was more than enough reason for suspicion.
To fit the final piece into place, Hurs looked at Evan and asked.
"Do you think it's a possibility, brother?"
"It is certainly suspicious."
"Then..."
"I'll take a look with my own eyes before sending a report to the holy land. First, let's search the suspicious areas."
There was a chance an evil god's cult was on the move.
As the affirmative words left Evan's lips, Hurs's heart grew heavy, and he swallowed hard.
He was the one who had dismissed the subordinate who first raised the possibility.
In effect, Hurs himself had sent him to his death.
And now, his death had become the catalyst for an Inquisitor from the holy land to begin searching for clues.
Rick Swile.
Toward his now-vanished subordinate, Hurs offered a brief, silent apology.
On a road somewhere in the Sentirius region.
Yutenia sat in the back of the rattling carriage, hugging the book to her chest as she slowly surveyed her surroundings.
Unlike the villages near the mountain range where she used to live, the roads here were well-maintained enough for carriages.
That was why the village had a carriage, even if it was only one.
Recalling talk of a large city nearby, she figured this must be the road leading to it.
Leaning her head against the book while admiring the scenery, Yutenia turned toward the driver's seat and spoke.
"You're surprisingly skilled at driving a carriage."
"...I learned a little by watching others."
The one sitting in the driver's seat, holding the reins, was Peter.
With a grim face, he held the reins tightly, urging the carriage forward.
Having been spared by Yutenia's mercy, Peter had no choice but to drive the carriage to the city.
The distance from the village to the city was quite far.
In the back of the carriage Peter was driving, a large pile of various foodstuffs was stacked beside Yutenia.
It was the food that had been stockpiled in the village, which Yutenia had taken for herself.
Every time he glanced at Yutenia and the food in the back, a heavy weight settled in Peter's heart.
If he could follow his heart, he would abandon everything and run away this very instant.
"Do you resent me?"
"..."
"There was a time when I resented someone, just like you."
Rustle.
Yutenia said, fiddling with a strand of her ashen hair.
The hair she reached up to touch was far more damaged than it used to be.
A good deal of time had passed since she lost her home and fled from the world.
The baron's daughter who once doted on her parents was long gone, vanished from the world.
Even if she wanted to return to those days, there was no one left who knew the way back.
All that remained here now was her, the self-proclaimed Apostle of a god.
"If you know that... then why..."
"Because I resented the entire world. Everyone I loved vanished, leaving no one behind."
"...So you intend to repay that to everyone else?"
To take revenge on the world she resented.
Peter asked if that was her intention, but Yutenia firmly shook her head.
She simply caressed the book and spoke of what had changed her.
"That's not my intention. It's just that someone reached out to me back then, so I decided to live for them."
Hee-hee-hee-hinnnng!
The conversation between the two was cut short as Peter pulled back on the reins.
Having stopped the carriage, Peter's gaze fell upon the road ahead.
A felled tree lay in the middle of the road, blocking their path.
And behind the tree that blocked the carriage.
Stood an assortment of armed men.
"Damn... bandits!"
It was a group of bandits blocking the road.
Peter's eyes met with the man at the front, who had drawn his sword.
The bandit leader who met Peter's gaze grinned widely.
He licked the blade of his sword and spoke.
"I was getting hungry. Perfect timing."