“So, is everyone making progress with the investigation?”
A middle-aged man climbed the mountain accompanied by knights.
At his greeting, the people at the scene approached.
“Chief Investigator, you’ve arrived? As you can see, it is truly terrible.”
Those currently gathered on the mountain were investigators.
They were not ordinary investigators—they belonged to [Black Feather], the investigation agency of the Seil Kingdom.
And the man called Chief Investigator was named Rindel.
Rindel pulled a cigarette from his coat and frowned.
“I see. Truly a gruesome scene.”
An inn on a small mountain.
The problem was that those who had stayed at the inn were discovered as corpses.
The floor was covered in red blood, and atop it, bodies lay tangled and strewn about.
Yet the condition of every single corpse was shriveled.
The entrails had already shrunk as well.
Only the terror etched upon the stiffened faces of the dead served as a reminder that something had happened.
With every breath, a foul stench assaulted the nose.
“Tch. So, what’s the situation so far?”
Rindel quickly lit his cigarette to escape the piercing stench.
At his words, an investigator recited the report.
“As it happens, we investigated the first witness. They said they had exchanged greetings with the innkeeper even yesterday afternoon.”
“Then it must have happened during the night. Continue.”
“Yes, we confirmed the innkeeper’s corpse as well. And one more identity was confirmed—it turned out to be Garcia, who was wanted for murder and robbery.”
At the name Garcia, Rindel shook his head.
He was a man Rindel remembered from his time working scenes as an investigator.
The Garcia he remembered was a bandit through and through, so why had he turned up dead at an inn?
Something smelled off.
“As it turns out, all the other corpses are presumed to be part of Garcia’s following. The problem is that traces of them swinging swords at one another were found among them.”
Rindel smoked as he entered the scene.
But an even more severe stench greeted him.
“…….”
He threw the cigarette to the floor and covered his nose with a handkerchief.
“Truly awful.”
The rate of decomposition was too fast for an incident that had occurred in just one day.
And some of the corpses even showed traces of having been torn and eaten.
“The work of monsters?”
Chief Investigator Rindel muttered in a calm tone.
He examined the remaining corpses with cold eyes.
And began to quickly organize his thoughts.
The investigator from earlier approached the Chief Investigator again.
“At first, I thought it was the work of a black warlock worshipping an evil god. But the pattern of the blood scattered on the floor is too artificial. This could only be a vampire who manipulates blood freely—”
“Investigator.”
“Sir!”
But Rindel cut him off.
Rindel took out another cigarette, lit it, and whispered softly.
“Her Majesty the Queen is greatly concerned about this incident.”
“Ah….”
He already knew what Rindel’s words meant.
It meant the royal family did not want word of this incident spreading outside.
“Think about it. The kingdom’s situation has been too chaotic lately. No matter if Her Majesty enjoys the Goddess’s protection, wouldn’t it be rather problematic if these unsavory incidents kept occurring?”
“That is certainly true!”
“Let us handle this matter quietly. People from above will arrive soon, so preserve the scene roughly and that will do.”
The work of “Black Feather” ended here.
The rest would be handled by others.
Although “Black Feather” was the kingdom’s investigation agency, it had been unable to wield great power.
Because the nobles had held more power than the king.
But many things changed when Queen Ilena ascended to the throne.
She had not yet formally held a coronation ceremony, but most nobles had lost their power and royal authority had been strengthened.
Above all, many of the kingdom’s agencies had been restructured to be practically no different from being directly under the royal family.
Among them, “Black Feather,” too, had transformed into an agency directly under the Queen.
Naturally, its power had grown enormously compared to before.
Rindel, the agency’s number two, likewise did not think the current changes were bad.
‘I won’t ever have to see the old nobles throwing their weight around again.’
And since he would eventually lead the agency himself anyway, he simply needed to remain loyal to Her Majesty’s commands.
Just as he was about to roughly wrap up the situation, someone came running urgently.
It was the knight who had accompanied him earlier.
“Chief Investigator! An Inquisitor from the church has arrived!”
“Damn it.”
Rindel’s expression crumpled once more.
He didn’t know why an Inquisitor had come, but he had a premonition that something would go wrong.
Especially since an Inquisitor’s power was immense.
He quickly went outside to greet the Inquisitor.
“Pleased to meet you. I am Rindel, Chief Investigator of Black Feather.”
“I am Jeremiah. Jeremiah El Esteban.”
Rindel was rather surprised by the Inquisitor’s thin voice.
While not entirely unheard of, there were women who served as Inquisitors, so Rindel quickly masked his expression.
However, he could not help but be surprised again when she removed her robe.
‘Huh… she is this young?’
He had anticipated it from her voice, but seeing her in person, she was far too young.
Above all was her background.
‘Jeremiah El Esteban.’
He did not know the exact details, but he could guess her background from her surname.
The Esteban house.
It was a prestigious ducal house of the Adonil Kingdom that had devoted loyalty to the church for generations.
In the first place, the Adonil Kingdom itself bordered the White Church, so it was a place where the church’s influence was immense.
Thus, it was not uncommon for nobles to serve the church.
“Then, please excuse me for a moment.”
Without heed to Rindel’s reaction, Jeremiah entered the inn.
“Sigh.”
Rindel sighed at her willful attitude.
No matter what, he could not stop an Inquisitor’s actions.
He had no choice but to watch.
Still, he could say a few words beside her.
“You need not look so closely. This incident occurred entirely within the Seil Kingdom. There are no victims related to the church, so it is not something an Inquisitor need greatly concern herself with.”
In short, it was a warning for outsiders to mind their own business.
He had spoken quite directly and strongly, yet Jeremiah pretended not to hear and reached out to a corpse.
‘Strong stomach.’
Rindel frowned again at the sight of her touching the corpse without hesitation.
How much time had passed?
Jeremiah, who had been diligently examining the corpses, rose from her place.
“This incident appears to be the work of a vampire.”
“Sigh… We will handle that on our own.”
At her words, Rindel felt his vision go dark.
Her Majesty the Queen was already wary of this incident spreading.
Yet here an Inquisitor had appeared out of nowhere, trying to ruin everything.
“Inquisitor, we conduct investigations based on evidence. There is still no clue certain enough to confirm it was a vampire.”
Jeremiah did not listen to Rindel’s objection.
Instead, she pointed to the bloodstains on the floor and answered.
“Look at those demonic traces. This is clear evidence of a wicked vampire. Such sin cannot be overlooked.”
Righteousness and resolve blazed in Jeremiah’s eyes.
A conviction to eradicate evil emanated from her.
Even as Rindel was worrying over what report to give Her Majesty regarding the current situation, Jeremiah continued.
“But if it is this level of power, it undoubtedly appears to be the work of Baalcherit.”
Baalcherit?
It was a name Rindel had heard before as well.
If his memory served, it was a vampire based in the Callern Empire that threatened the Empire and the Free Cities Union.
“Huh?”
And then a good idea suddenly occurred to him.
If this was Baalcherit’s doing, as the Inquisitor said, everything would be resolved.
Furthermore, they could even lodge a diplomatic protest against the Callern Empire for failing to control it.
“Investigator!”
At Rindel’s shout, one investigator approached.
“As the Inquisitor says, this incident certainly appears to be the work of a vampire. Specifically, a fellow called Baalcherit. Report to the superiors immediately and prepare to organize a subjugation force—”
“No, that will not be necessary.”
Just as Rindel tried to act on this lead, Jeremiah blocked him.
“I shall personally execute Baalcherit with my own hands. This is the will of the Goddess and the mission given to me. Chief Investigator Rindel, please focus solely on your investigation.”
Jeremiah’s voice was confident and resolute.
She had long since devoted her life to the church.
Loyalty to the church and hatred for evil were the driving forces that moved her.
Jeremiah immediately turned and left the scene.
“Whew, my. What a spectacle.”
Rindel sighed and shook his head.
There seemed to be no benefit in talking to an Inquisitor consumed by religious fervor.
Rather, as she said, focusing on the investigation was the best course of action for now.
But he did not see Jeremiah’s will.
The burning fighting spirit within her—that would not forgive any being that obstructed the justice of the church.
* * *
While the investigators of the Seil Kingdom were immersed in their work, the actual perpetrators of the incident, Dambi and Rilseu, arrived at Lake Yenarian.
Because they were not human, they had been able to travel from the north to Lake Yenarian in the south at an absurd speed.
The biggest change was that the temperature had grown warmer as they moved south.
“My lady Dambi, that great lake is Lake Yenarian.”
When she followed where Rilseu pointed, Lake Yenarian came into view.
Above all, despite the blazing sun, the lake emitted a mysterious radiance, welcoming Dambi.
The lake surface sparkled as if thousands of diamonds had been scattered upon it, and white gulls flapped their wings elegantly above it.
Dambi glanced over the lake once and immediately turned her head.
Sentiment ended here.
Now she had to finish the task at hand.
Dambi and Rilseu moved toward the city near Lake Yenarian.
“The name of this city is Rakusberry. It is not an exaggeration to say it is the most developed city in the Seil Kingdom after the royal capital.”
The two walked along the wide promenade formed along the lakeside and entered the city center of Rakusberry.
There were as many as three nations encompassing Lake Yenarian.
The Seil Kingdom, the Free Cities Union, and the Orobis Empire.
As active trade took place through the lake, the city of Rakusberry was bustling as well.
The streets were crowded with merchants and adventurers from various places.
From familiar speech patterns to accents heard for the first time, the languages of many lands seemed to mix.
“Buy some fruit! Fruit just brought in from the Free Cities Union!”
“High-quality armor from the Orobis Empire! Comparable to what the Imperial Household uses!”
“Adventurers! Equipment for dungeon exploration at cheap prices! Strongly recommended for those who have just become adventurers!”
Between the merchants’ shouts, adventurers gathered in threes and fives, walking along.
Seeing their expressions full of excitement, they were clearly those who had just become adventurers.
“Let us go straight to the Adventurers’ Guild.”
This request was practically a mission handed down from above.
But since they also had to build a record as adventurers, they planned to stop by the Adventurers’ Guild first.
Although it was their first time visiting the city, finding the Adventurers’ Guild was not difficult.
The Adventurers’ Guild was one of the busiest places in any city.
Dambi and Rilseu had already spotted a magnificent stone building with ornate patterns carved at the entrance.
“That must be it.”
Now what they had to do was have the requested goods checked at the Adventurers’ Guild and release the monster, Aqua Deborer, contained in a canister into the lake.
Just as they were about to move their steps toward the guild office to complete the request, a commotion broke out nearby.
“Let go! How dare you lowly things touch my body! Impertinent! I said let go!”
When Dambi and Rilseu turned their heads toward the noise, it came from a ship that had arrived at the pier.
“Um, little miss? To disembark from the ship, identity verification is required. Even if you are a noble from another country, please submit your identification.”
The kingdom’s soldier maintained a cautious attitude.
On the outside she looked like just a young little miss, but judging by her manner of speaking, she seemed to be the young daughter of a noble from another country.
“Do you think this body would need some paltry identification card! And I told you, I am not a child!”
Seeing that there was no getting through to her, the soldier sighed.
Even so, he could hardly drag away someone who seemed to be the child of some high-ranking person.
If it became a problem, it could well develop into a matter of national diplomacy; he knew that much.
Just as he was agonizing over what to do,
the little young lady looked somewhere and shouted.
“Hm? You there! Come over here!”
Naturally, the soldier’s head turned as well.
There stood a man and woman dressed like adventurers.
They, too, looked this way.
“Yes, you! I sense a strange aura from you!”
Only then did the soldier’s face brighten.
He quickly approached the adventurer and spoke to him.
“Do you happen to know that person?”
The soldier addressed Dambi first.
Since that young lady had pointed to this man first, it felt to the soldier as if a helping hand had descended from heaven.
“……”
However, Dambi said nothing.
Beside him, Lils also whispered into Dambi’s ear.
“…She’s a vampire. But she seems a little unhinged. If we get involved, the sparks might fly our way for no reason, so let’s ignore her.”
She was right.
He had no desire to get any more entangled here.
But contrary to Lils’s thoughts, the little young lady talked far too much.
“How dare you ignore me! I am all vampi—”
At that moment, Dambi’s body shot forward like an arrow.
Before anyone knew it, he had clamped a hand over the mouth of the being on the boat.
“Ha…”
The kingdom’s soldier was startled by Dambi’s speed.
“You truly must be extraordinary people.”
Judging by that level of movement alone, he had to be an adventurer of an incredible rank.
Leaving the admiring soldier aside, Dambi was still covering the woman’s mouth.
A vampire who was about to reveal her own identity with her own mouth.
In all his life, Dambi had never seen such a type before.
‘The world really is vast.’
Once, when he had stayed in a vampire dungeon,
he had heard stories about a noble being who had inherited the blood of the Vampire King.
Though they had refused to tell Dambi the noble one’s name on the grounds that lowly blood flowed in his veins, they had said that the being was so noble that one would want to follow them at the mere sight of them.
By contrast, Dambi found it wondrous that a vampire as insane as this one could also exist.
But if he ignored her and simply left, he might end up getting dragged into troublesome matters for no reason.
The moment that happened, it would be no different from failing the great one’s command.
At times like this, he had no choice but to ask for help.
“I’ll contact the higher-ups.”
Dambi said to Lils.
By “higher-ups,” he meant Celia, the general manager.
Now was a moment when Celia’s help was needed.
“Oh… As expected, you truly must be remarkable people.”
The soldier interpreted Dambi’s words however he pleased and looked at Dambi and Lils with eyes full of respect.