Chapter 102

Ceras became a legend in the inquisitor industry by defeating the Snow Elf witch Fafner, who spread plague and death in Zeeland.

However, becoming a legend in this industry wasn't necessarily a good thing.

Becoming a legend was proof that one had accomplished a difficult task.

In other words, it meant that wherever Ceras was dispatched was always dangerous.

Therefore, while many inquisitors respected Ceras, there were also many who were reluctant to work with her.

They would rather gain fame and wealth safely than die in a ridiculously dangerous place.

The apprentices were no different. They realized what they had missed in their excitement.

Eric was Ceras' attendant.

'We're in deep trouble.'

Ceras, who was looking at something on the table, noticed the apprentices a little late.

"Eric, who are these people? Why did you let them in?"

"They are the personnel sent from the higher-ups. However, they don't seem to have any field experience."

"What? Newbies? Are you kidding me? You expect me to babysit newbies in this situation?"

"What can we do? Time is of the essence. We can't go to headquarters to complain now. We should be grateful for any reinforcements."

"But the higher-ups have no idea about the severity of the situation. Why send inexperienced fledglings of all people? Are they trying to get everyone killed? Did they even read the report I wrote?"

"Don't worry too much. Aren't they still guys who trained at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith?"

"That's why I'm more anxious. They act rashly and drag others' lives down to the underworld with them."

Tsk, Ceras clicked her tongue.

Just that alone made the apprentices flinch as if they had committed a great sin.

Ceras looked at the apprentices with eyes that were half-filled with disappointment and displeasure.

"Welcome to Fasa, apprentices. Didn't you receive any explanation from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith before you left?"

"No. We were just told it was a dispatch mission."

"Ah, for goodness sake, Bishop. Did you not read the report again? No wonder you sent these brats."

The truth was that the report had been delivered directly to Bishop Rosanka, so the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was unaware, but Ceras did not know this fact. Ceras nervously scratched the back of her head.

"It seems you came here without knowing anything about what's going on. There are three things you need to know."

Ceras held up her fingers. The apprentices' gazes all focused on one spot.

"One. Everything we do here is a secret operation. If your identity is discovered, the Holy See will deny your existence."

"Two. Right now, a dangerous monster that even I don't know about is roaming Fasa. So don't be a burden to others."

"Three. Our mission is to eliminate the darkness that exists in Fasa and spiritually purify it."

The apprentices were startled by that statement.

"You mean this small city is tainted by evil?"

"Don't believe only what you see. Fasa is a demonic realm that surpasses our expectations. You wouldn't know because you haven't seen that monster."

Gulp.

Someone's nervous throat bobbed.

Ceras was satisfied when the highly excited apprentices became tense.

It seemed they finally understood their situation. Still, it was a relief that they were all quick-witted.

It was much better for them to be wary of their surroundings than to get excited, run wild, and ruin things.

"Eric, go and bring the map."

"Understood."

Eric spread a rolled-up paper on the old table, the only piece of furniture in the room.

As it was made on-site, the map was overflowing with a sense of realism. The apprentices examined the stains on the map and tensed up.

'Is that blood shed by someone?'

'No. What on earth is happening in this small city?'

Moreover, as Ceras frowned while looking at the map, the pressure the apprentices felt grew even stronger.

In reality, Ceras was annoyed for a different reason.

'Ah, Eric. This bastard. I told him not to eat snacks in front of the map. He ended up spilling all the sauce. I really need to discipline him one of these days.'

Ceras pointed at the map, careful not to get the sauce Eric had spilled on her hand. The apprentices' faces became abruptly serious.

"Alright, I'll begin the explanation. This map is a record of what we experienced and learned firsthand in the back alleys of Fasa. It marks the factions that have established themselves in the underworld. We don't know which of these guys are minions of the monster, or have colluded with it."

Ceras began to explain, pointing to one place on the map after another.

"In the northern part of the city, there are remnants of the Corsini family, in the docks and harbor, there's the Illyrian criminal organization, and in the foreign residential area, an unidentified group has settled. For now, it's presumed to be the Levona intelligence agency. In addition to them, several other unidentified factions are positioned in Fasa."

Even the apprentices quickly noticed something strange.

"...There are too many factions for the size of the city."

"Right. There are too many suspicious aspects to this city. So we classify all of them as hostile forces that require investigation."

The newcomers who had learned the methodology of heresy at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith knew what that meant.

It meant they would go to each and every one of them and smash them until they found out the problem.

"So you still don't know who the culprit is?"

"Right. Who, for what purpose, summoned the monster, and where witches, black magicians, shamans, and demon worshipers are involved has not been clearly identified. Everything is shrouded in fog."

The information gathered by Ceras and the other inquisitors was at a level that was hard to believe was gathered in a short period. It was all the more so because it was collected while concurrently working for the mercenary company.

However, even that was not enough in the current situation.

Although they were collectively referred to as the thieves' guild by the public, beneath that, there were in fact numerous criminal groups divided into many branches.

It was impossible for even Ceras' skills to grasp all of this.

This was why Leon had not been able to completely root out the thieves' guild.

"But there is one thing that is clear. A monster is rampant in this city. A huge monster with red eyes that resembles a wolf. Our mission continues until we catch that thing."

"Understood."

"Everyone, remember this. We wipe out those who we can't communicate with. This is the only law in the field."

When the apprentices nodded with determined faces, Ceras smiled with satisfaction.

Last time, she had to face it alone and was chased by the monster, but this time, with reinforcements, the result would be different.

Thus, as the inquisitors of the Holy See secretly joined the fray, the city was reborn as an even more dangerous demonic realm.

All of this was brought about by Leon, but unfortunately, no one knew that fact.

And the first victim of the disaster Leon had brought was the Corsini family, who were hiding in the darkness of Fasa.

***

The Corsini family was once a great family that controlled half of Fasa. In those days, everyone in Fasa looked up to the Corsini family.

That is to say, until Leon Gryph came like a disaster.

The Corsini family, accused of treason during the war, fell in an instant, and its members became miserable.

But there are always survivors in a massacre. There were some who had escaped Leon Gryph's grasp.

Instead of scattering, the survivors of the Corsini family hid in the back alleys of Fasa and survived there by exercising the family's unique solidarity.

That solidarity was something the new enemies of the Corsini family did not have, so the survivors were able to easily occupy a corner of Fasa's back alleys.

Now, the Corsini family ruled the city's darkness, waiting for the day to oust the detestable Leon Gryph and the Signori family and be restored to their former position.

However, it seemed that it would take a long time for that day to come. Or perhaps it would never come.

Thud!

At the sound of the door being shattered, Judo Corsini squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them.

But that didn't change the situation.

Before Judo's opened eyes, the new visitors to the Corsini family were lined up. Judo shuddered in fear.

'Damn it. Where did these guys pop out from again?'

As the second son of Albe Corsini, Judo had lived without knowing fear of the world.

Judo prided himself on having grown to some extent while making a living by the sword in the back alleys.

But this time, the visitors were really hard to deal with.

As Fasa began to prosper, it was natural for vagrants to appear in the back alleys.

So Judo thought that the newcomers who appeared this time were the same.

He thought they would soon be stabbed somewhere and be dead.

That was a mistake.

The price of his carelessness was that the new territory of the Corsini family was trampled by the muddy feet of the invaders.

However, it is hard to say that it was solely the fault of the Corsini family. This was because it was not even possible to communicate properly with these invaders.

Recalling that fact, Judo's anger boiled up.

"Damn it. You bastards. What the hell? Why are you doing this to us? What did we do wrong?"

Clank.

Instead of an answer, five steel swords were pointed at Judo's nose.

At the sharp blades that seemed like they would cut his flesh at any moment, Judo quickly regained his composure.

He couldn't die here without even getting revenge for his family.

The man on the right spoke.

"I'll be the one asking the questions. You just have to answer."

"Damn it. You broke into the Corsini family just to ask questions? You think this is some market stall where you can ask for directions if you're lost?"

"I said I'll be the one asking the questions. Say one more unnecessary word and I'll cut off your nose."

"Kuh."

Judo was intimidated by the opponent's momentum.

He had heard such threats countless times while making an unexpected living by the sword in the back alleys. But most of them were bluffs or they didn't have the ability to actually do it.

On the other hand, these invaders were not like that. They seemed like they would unhesitatingly cut off a nose or an ear as they threatened.

'Father, I miss you.'

As they say, you only know the value of something after you've lost it.

Judo shed tears inwardly, recalling the Corsini family when his father was still alive.

Back then, he never had to hear such threats...

The invaders spoke.

"I heard your Corsini family has a pretty good grip on the back alleys of Fasa. Is that right?"

"That's right. It's not something to boast about, but it's true."

"Then you must also know that a red-eyed monster is roaming this city."

"...That monster? Of course, I know. We've suffered a lot of damage because of that thing too."

"I told you not to say unnecessary things. I didn't ask."

As the tip of the sword lightly pressed on the bridge of his nose, Judo muttered curses inwardly.

'Fuck. Can't I even say this much? They're getting on my case for every little thing.'

But that was that, and this was this. Judo spoke to protect his precious nose.

"So what do you want to know about that monster?"

"Everything. Tell me everything you know. Without leaving anything out. And don't you dare try to deceive me."

"Damn it. You broke in just to ask something like that? You could have just asked the kids playing outside."

"I want in-depth information. The kind that you guys keep hidden and know secretly among yourselves."

"I think there's a misunderstanding, we don't know much about that monster either. To be honest, I wish someone would catch that monster for us."

"After the nose, it's the ear. And then the eyes."

"Shit. Can't you just believe me when I say it? Alright. I'll tell you everything I know. Move the sword away. Don't stab me. It hurts. Ah!"

Slightly pricked in the nose, Judo hurriedly cast aside his pride and spilled everything he knew about the monster.

These invaders were impossible to communicate with.

Moreover, they were terribly persistent.

They interrogated Judo for a long time.

They asked the same question several times, checked if this answer matched the previous one, and their eyes gleamed dangerously whenever there was even a slight difference.

Then Judo would be so scared that his knees would tremble. It seemed like the dungeon beneath the Holy See's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which he had only heard about in rumors, would be similar to this.

"So in the end, you know nothing. A complete waste of time."

"That's what I said. What did you think I was saying?"

The invaders ignored Judo's protest and exchanged glances with each other.

Judo didn't know what conversation was taking place, but he just hoped for a good outcome. For example, not performing a durability test on how tough Judo's neck was...

Fortunately, the invaders were not that cruel. Because they were none other than Inquisitor Ceras and her entourage.

If there had been clear evidence that Judo had colluded with evil, it might have been different. But otherwise, there was no reason to get their hands bloody. After all, Judo didn't know anything anyway.

The inquisitors, who had been exchanging glances for a while, decided on Judo's fate.

"I'll ask one last thing. Who in Fasa seems like they would know a lot about the red-eyed monster? If you tell me that, I'll let you live."