Episode 26. Search and Annihilation (3)
As Isaac conveyed his will, he spoke to Isolde.
“For now, let’s proceed with the investigation as you said. Ah, but Inquisitor?”
“Yes?”
“If we assume the Undead Order scum are here, what should we consider the nature of this mission to be? Reconnaissance? Investigation? Subjugation?”
Of course, Isaac did not think the purpose of this mission was to subjugate the Undead Order’s followers. Naturally, those bleached skeletons wouldn’t have crawled this deep into the White Empire themselves. But the undead could easily be ‘conscripted’ locally.
Therefore, Isaac had only considered this mission to be reconnaissance or investigation, or perhaps escort if something happened—not subjugation. However, Isolde did not seem to think so.
“Primarily, it is an investigation, but the moment we discover them, it becomes subjugation.”
Isaac was bewildered by Isolde’s confident attitude. However, he simultaneously recalled that the Inquisitor wouldn’t have come to a place where enemies might be ambushing them without any thought. Isolde was not a foolish person.
“Do not worry. If you can just buy time should the need arise, I can sweep them away.”
Buying time in case of emergency. That seemed to be Isaac and Gebel’s mission.
Isaac nodded and headed deeper into the valley.
***
Meanwhile, in the depths of the valley, the Spawns of Chaos that Isaac had scattered were moving quickly.
*Find out who’s inside the valley. Make sure of it.*
Thanks to the battle with Jilhelt, the Spawns of Chaos had multiplied like swarms of rats, so reconnaissance was not particularly difficult.
In the meantime, Isolde was carefully examining each and every stone statue, as if they were evidence of some great heresy.
Just as she had said, the remains of collapsed temples were scattered throughout the valley.
“Why did people build temples for this so-called Plague God? What’s so good about plague?”
Isaac grumbled and asked.
In *Nameless Chaos*, the nine faiths had been more than enough for him to worry about. The remaining so-called ancient gods hadn’t been treated as important even in the game.
In other games, “ancient gods” would be hints for terrifying hidden bosses, but in *Nameless Chaos*, they were at best field boss level. On the other hand, other gods mostly conveyed orders through angels, and except for the Undead Emperor, it was difficult to even come face-to-face with a god.
“They say there used to be many gods in the old days.”
Isolde answered quite readily, which was unexpected.
“They say people gave the names of gods to everything they couldn’t understand. Perhaps a great plague swept through this region long ago. Since many people died, they must have given the plague a name, worshipped it as a god, and begged for forgiveness.”
“Forgiveness?”
“When there’s a drought, they pray for rain; when there’s a flood, they pray for it to stop. That’s how a god of plague can also become a god of healing.”
*God of Healing Jilhelt, huh. The logic that the one who brings disease can also bring the cure.*
Isaac roughly understood it that way.
“But the Codex of Light brought down the Tablet of Dawn through Ruatdin, and these miscellaneous gods were crushed and vanished. Truly a blessed event.”
“Aren’t there eight other faiths?”
Isolde pretended not to hear. Though she didn’t say it, Isaac quickly realized what was left unsaid. It hadn’t been just the Codex of Light that crushed and destroyed the ancient gods; all nine faiths had agreed upon it. This was something that appeared even in the game’s lore, so he knew it.
The emergence of the Lighthouse Keeper Ruatdin with the Tablet of Dawn was an important event that divided the Age of Barbarism from the Age of Reason. From then on, the so-called “Age of Light” began.
During the thousand years known as the Age of Light, the ancient faiths were exterminated, and only eight faiths that cooperated with, submitted to, or harmonized with the Codex of Light survived. Even the Undead Order that appeared last did not deny the order led by the Codex of Light.
*Only the Nameless Chaos disappeared.*
Isaac thought about this subtle irony. And also about why it was still consistently referred to as the “Nine Faiths” even though the Nameless Chaos had clearly disappeared.
Thud-thud-thud-thud.
At that moment, Isaac spotted pebbles falling from the top of the cliff. Isolde also looked up at the top of the valley but found nothing. Isaac was the first to act.
“There!”
Tok, tu-tok.
A massive silhouette was seen flashing between the cliffs. He thought it might be a mountain beast, but its silhouette was clearly alien.
Isolde’s eyes widened.
“What in the world is that?!”
“It’s going deeper!”
Isaac and Gebel drew their knives first but instead of moving, they looked at Isolde. Isolde stepped forward with a stern expression and blew a long whistle.
Pheeee─.
As the ear-splitting whistle echoed through the valley, a jackdaw flew up into the sky. It was the same jackdaw that Isaac had previously infested with a parasite. The jackdaw, seemingly having worked with Isolde for a long time, immediately chased the beast over the valley.
“Follow it!”
Isolde moved following the jackdaw’s path. Even from afar, she didn’t lose sight of where the jackdaw was.
The unidentified beast appeared and disappeared, showing glimpses of its silhouette between valleys, cliff crevices, and around corners. It looked like it couldn’t possibly escape due to the fierce pursuit, but the signs of luring were clear.
*And it’s actually luring us, isn’t it.*
The identity of the beast was in fact a Spawn of Chaos created by Isaac. It had grown because it was made from a large creature as its host, but thanks to that, he could assign it such a conspicuous task. Moreover, its unique form made it difficult to discern its exact silhouette.
*Good. If I lure them like this and send it outside the valley….*
It would mean that something was here but escaped, and Isolde, having lost the target of pursuit, would eventually wrap things up. Since the Undead Order’s priest was dead anyway, there would be no problem. If he really wanted a clean ending, he could throw that Spawn of Chaos to Isolde as fodder.
***
“Wait, it seems to be luring us!”
As the beast moved while maintaining a distance where it seemed like it could be caught but not quite, Isolde also grasped the situation. When their movement speed slowed, the unidentified beast naturally slowed its movements as well. Its path was being tracked through the jackdaw, so it couldn’t be helped.
“If it’s luring us, doesn’t that mean there’s an ambush?”
“Even so, we can’t let that ominous beast go. You two, please follow slowly.”
Isolde said so and then brought a necklace to her lips, beginning to recite some prayer. At the same time, ashen powder began flowing from her body in patches, and her presence instantly faded.
*The Doctrine of the Moth.*
It was one of Isolde’s abilities that Isaac had already identified.
The Codex of Light symbolizes light. The moth chases light.
The Doctrine of the Moth was a doctrinal miracle learned by those within the order whose covert actions were required.
Isolde, whose presence had faded to the point where she was hard to distinguish from pebbles on the roadside despite being right in front of them, immediately resumed the pursuit along a different route than before.
If that beast was in the process of luring Isaac’s party, it wouldn’t notice Isolde’s approach using the Doctrine of the Moth.
But because Isolde was focused on the beast, Isaac could carefully manipulate the Spawn of Chaos upon seeing her movements.
“…….”
Isolde seemed to grow anxious when she couldn’t close the distance even while using the Doctrine of the Moth.
At that moment, an unexpected message reached Isaac.
[Corpse. Found.]
It was a message from the Spawns of Chaos that Isaac had scattered.
*A corpse?*
Due to the low intelligence of the rat that had become the host, it was difficult to understand an accurate message, but the existence of a corpse was news worth tensing up for. The Spawn of Chaos had tried to approach the corpse but shrank back. It had sensed someone nearby.
At that moment, the transmission of will from the Spawn of Chaos was abruptly cut off. It had died without even noticing its opponent. Though they were at best as strong as cats, being killed so pathetically meant it wasn’t by a wild beast.
*All of you, gather and investigate.*
Isaac controlled the Spawns of Chaos, driving them toward the area where the corpse was found. It was for tracking, not hunting. But the place where the will had been severed was not far from where they were now.
*Could there really have been an ambush?*
Surprised by the unexpected situation, Isaac was startled. After taking control of the Altar of the Sanctuary, he had been able to grasp the entire monastery and its vicinity. However, he hadn’t sensed anything strange at all.
But if someone had appeared, it meant either they were a being that the sanctuary’s power couldn’t detect, or they had appeared during the night.
“Ms. Isolde!”
Isaac impulsively shouted her name. Isolde immediately stopped. At that moment, several arrows embedded themselves in the path she had been taking. One of them flew toward Isolde but merely passed through the faint ashen powder flowing from her body.
But perhaps due to the shock, the Doctrine of the Moth was broken, revealing Isolde’s figure.
“Who goes there!”
Gebel’s voice thundered through the valley. Then, about six people in hunter garb holding crossbows revealed themselves from between the rocks of the valley. They looked like hunters from a nearby village.
“S-sorry. A bizarre beast passed over our heads just now, so we thought it was that beast…”
“That doesn’t mean you can just shoot arrows at will!”
Isaac approached them in anger. The hunters had expressions of realizing they had messed with the wrong people upon seeing the Inquisitor in her luxurious attire, and Isaac and Gebel in their priestly robes. Especially when Isaac approached them furiously, they felt an inexplicable sense of pressure.
The unique charm of the Nephilim was now manifesting in a form that pressured their sense of guilt.
“We are also chasing that beast, so we shall forgive you! Where did the beast go?”
“It climbed the cliff that way….”
At that moment, Isaac swung the knife in his hand like lightning and stabbed the man in the neck. Simultaneously, Gebel and Isolde rushed in as if in perfect sync.
It wasn’t because he couldn’t forgive them for daring to attack. The three of them had already assessed the situation the moment they saw the hunters.
Isolde realized there was no way ordinary hunters could penetrate the Doctrine of the Moth to attack; Gebel noticed their crossbows were too high-quality for hunters. And Isaac discovered the blood of the killed Spawn of Chaos remaining on the hand of the man he had stabbed.
Clang, skreeeech!
As attacks occurred simultaneously without any shout or communicated agreement, the hunters were injured and pushed back in an instant. But no one had died immediately. That alone was evidence that they were no ordinary hunters.
“Kuk, huk, grrrrk!”
Even the hunter whose throat had been pierced by Isaac retreated and was healing his wound.
Isaac frowned as he saw the blood surging from the pierced hole in the bastard’s neck stitching the flesh back together. Isolde also discovered this and ground her teeth as if growling.
“Human hunters from Wallaika? What are you doing crawling in here!”
Wallaika was one of the minor states located between the Black Empire and the White Empire. Its history was complex, befitting a nation that had survived by leeching off various sides amid countless conflicts, but if one had to classify it, it was considered closer to the Black Empire. Because their noble class was undead.
They were the blood-sucking race commonly called vampires.
And these noble vampires often went out “human hunting” for their amusement.
“Ch-, arge!”
The vampire whose neck had been pierced by Isaac seemed to be of fairly high status among them, as he gave orders even with his injured throat. Realizing their identities had been exposed, the vampires drew dark red blades from their scabbards.
They were weapons used by the Wallaika nobles.
Isaac tensed up slightly.
*If they’re Wallaika nobles, they were on par with Paladins in the game….*
Then he had to think of the vampires before him as six Paladins. While there were differences in level among Paladins, vampires were beings particularly optimized for fighting humans.
Isaac thought this battle might be quite difficult.
“Kuk, huuk!”
But when they actually fought, the opponents were not as difficult as he had thought. Isaac lightly parried the sword of the charging vampire from below to above, twisted his knife, and cut the arm.
The other vampires hesitated and couldn’t easily charge in.
*Was my skill always at this level?*
Isaac secretly felt proud that his swordsmanship worked in actual combat, but he quickly realized what was happening.
*It’s because of the sunlight.*
This was a deep valley. So there weren’t many places where light reached, but the sporadic sunlight was enough to inflict pain upon them. When their ambush failed, they had tried to pass themselves off as hunters because it was still daytime.
*All the better.*
Isaac didn’t want a fair fight. He decided to fully enjoy the one-sidedly advantageous situation while these vampires were bewildered.