Quit The Hero Party

EP.75 Side Story, The Heretic (3)

Sara is a saint. She was raised as a saint in the Deloheim Church, which worships the Star as a god. At the Deloheim Church, Sara learned a great many things as a clergyman and a saint.

Among the dogs, there was a method for eavesdropping on prayers.

Originally, eavesdropping on prayers was a miracle permitted only to high priests. Even the high priests could not hear everyone’s prayers. Only the prayers of individuals with strong faith, like cardinals or holy order leaders, could be overheard. That too, only within a very close range.

However, Sara is different.

She is a blessed saint.

As long as someone’s faith is at the level of a common holy knight, Sara could overhear their prayers.

– So, you mean, at that distance, I should be able to hear it?

Even from a distance.

– At that distance, I would hear it while standing on the field. But now, it feels like something is blocking it. Hmm, this is hard to explain…

Ah, and Sara clapped her hands.

– Originally, eavesdropping on prayers is like seeing the light, right? Hearing the light as sound… It’s a concept like that. But right now, the light is very faint. It’s as if it’s swallowed by fog.

She nodded.

– Yes, it’s not clear, but it’s definitely alive. I can still hear the prayer sounds. What are they praying about, you ask? I told you earlier, Raniel.

Sara recited the prayers expressionlessly.

– Oh, my God, forgive my apostasy.

– Oh, my God, do not forgive my apostasy. Please, bestow upon me divine punishment.

– Lord, oh Lord…

– I… I… I?

– Who am I?

While reciting her prayers calmly, Sara made a very strange expression.

– Hmm, it seems like everyone is a bit loopy? Their words are all over the place, but anyway, to sum it up in one word, it’s this.

Sara said.

– They’re begging to be killed.

Recalling those words, Raniel opened her eyes.

“Tsk.”

Raniel clicked her tongue. It wasn’t a situation she particularly liked. She didn’t know what was happening inside, but…

‘Well, it’s not going to be a good sight.’

Involvements with the Demon Lord’s Army are always like that.

As Raniel was thinking such things, suddenly, Remia, who had been standing next to her, spoke up.

“Human.”

“What, ear-puller?”

She frowned and pointed to the ground. There was a sewer heading towards the fortress.

“So, we’re going down there?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s dirty. Really.”

“Then do you want to break through that?”

Raniel pointed her finger ahead.

Right where they stood, there was little fog. Thanks to the Sword Master Kuntel having cut through the fog.

However, the place Raniel pointed to was different.

That area was completely buried in fog. The fog surrounding the fortress made it a path where you could not see even an inch ahead.

Within that fog, numerous glimmers of eyes flashed.

They were merely hovering around the fortress, shrouded in fog, but did not charge in.

Pointing to that, Raniel asked.

“Can you break through all that?”

“…If Kyle is here.”

“Yeah, Kyle could probably break through it all by dawn. But he’d be exhausted before capturing Gletus.”

Raniel grumbled and lightly tapped the cover of the sewer with her toe. The fog was present in the sewer as well. However, if it was a straight path, it would be manageable.

“I’m going first.”

“…Sigh. Got it.”

With her hood flipped over, Raniel jumped in first, followed by Remia. The moment Raniel stepped into the sewer, she curled her fingers. The spell was released.

Silence.

Stealth.

The spells enveloped Remia and Raniel. Their footsteps and presence faded away. Remia murmured softly in a whisper.

“It stinks.”

“Because it’s a sewer.”

“Why are we going here, specifically?”

“Putting safety aside, I looked over the fortress’s blueprints, and there’s an underground passage leading to the fortress here.”

Rodimel Fortress was built by modifying an old castle.

The secret passage the lord of this castle would have used connects to this sewer.

‘In fact, it seems that some knights were aware of it too.’

As they walked a few steps, they came across the corpses of knights.

It looked like they had tried to escape through the sewer, only to be torn apart by beasts.

Chomp, chomp.

They heard something being chewed.

Raniel looked toward the source of the sound. Huge beasts resembling rats were devouring the knights’ corpses. There were many of them.

“Less than outside, though.”

“Yeah. It would be a waste to shoot my arrows.”

“…I’ll handle it, so save your ammo. There might be a lot of chances to snipe inside the fortress.”

Raniel clapped her hands.

Acceleration.

Muscular Enhancement.

Enhance-Strength.

Spells that enhance the physical body wrapped around him. He didn’t need to delay the time too long. Just being able to cover the distance from one end of the passage to the other was enough.

A bodily enhancement spell that pushed beyond limits.

Raniel substituted the cost with mana. Ashen powder began to rise above his body.

He bent his knees.

As the layered enhancement spells took effect, the sewer floor where he stepped began to crack.

“When I signal, follow me.”

Raniel stomped the ground.

Although the sewer floor buckled, no sound was made. Everything happened in silence.

Grrr?

The beasts did not notice Raniel passing right next to them. They merely showed a slight reaction to the ash blowing in his wake.

Thud.

And then Raniel reached the end of the sewer.

Breathing out shortly, he snapped his fingers.

Ignite.

A spark flew.

The moment the spark landed in the ash, flames engulfed the sewer. Heat filled the passage.

……..!

In silence, the beasts burned to death.

It didn’t take long for the beasts filling the sewer to be burnt.

Sizzle.

The heat didn’t last too long.

Once the burnables disappeared, the heat subsided. Remia stepped into the remnants of the burnt beasts that only left ash behind.

“Here.”

They arrived at the end of the sewer and pulled on the iron bars. It was a passage connected to the upper levels of Rodimel Fortress.

“Ugh!”

As soon as the passage opened, Remia frowned. Holding her nose, she instinctively stepped back a step. It wasn’t because her senses were sensitive.

“…What is this?”

Raniel showed a similar reaction.

The stench pierced their noses. An odor so foul that it made one dizzy just from smelling it filled the fortress.

It was not the scent of beasts.

Nor was it the stench of decaying corpses, or the smell of death.

Remia didn’t know that smell. However, Raniel, the Ashen Master, recognized it.

‘…Drugs.’

Drugs used in alchemy.

Although it was mixed with foul smells, it was undoubtedly the smell of drugs. Raniel also knew the types of those drugs.

‘…Anesthetic, melting agent.’

Two kinds of drugs. Raniel didn’t particularly want to imagine what they were used for.

2.

“Wait a minute.”

Just as they were in the middle of talking, Cardi suddenly interrupted me and spoke.

“Was it the scent of anesthetics and melting agents?”

“Yeah. I’ve seen them often at the tower. But it was a bit different from the usual ones. It was mixed with a foul stench.”

I nodded and tilted my cup.

Cardi stroked his chin and then pulled something from the display case.

“Does this scent resemble it?”

Pop, he uncorked a potion bottle and handed it to me.

I grimaced and leaned back.

“Dude, I’m trying to drink here…!”

“So, does this scent resemble it?”

“Ugh. Yeah, that’s exactly it.”

“Hmm.”

In response to my answer, Cardi recapped the potion bottle. Then, he muttered with a bitter smile.

“Well, Gleria has gone all the way.”

“…What on earth does that mean?”

To be honest, I had no idea what that was either. I only knew that it was used for something… melting.

‘What that foul smell is… I have no idea.’

I pointed to the melting agent on the table.

“Is that the melting agent?”

“For now, it is a melting agent. However, it’s not the melting agent used at the tower. What do you know about the melting agent, Raniel?”

“…Isn’t it used to melt beasts? It should be used on humans too, but at least not in our tower.”

“Probably, because it’s taboo.”

Muttering, Cardi placed the melting agent on the table and brought an iron cage from somewhere. Inside the cage was a small beast.

‘A beast used for experiments.’

I knew it was useful but exceedingly difficult to get permission for.

“Did you get permission?”

“Why should I bother with that?”

“Oh wow…”

“I did get it, a long time ago.”

Cardi shrugged and opened the cage.

He took out the beast resembling a rat and placed it on the table. Then he put a piece of fruit he had as a snack on top of it.

“…What are you doing?”

“I thought it’d be quicker to see once. What you’re smelling is indeed the scent of the melting agent. But the melting agent from the past was somewhat different.”

Then, he dropped a drop of melting agent on top of the rat-like beast.

“Like this.”

He raised the convulsing beast.

Its appearance had changed from the original rat-like creature.

“It’s a drug aimed more for fusion than melting.”

The piece of apple and the rat were mixed together.

It was a sight difficult to describe in words, a bit horrific.

“…Hey.”

I said to Cardi, covering my mouth.

“You bastard, are you holding a snack…?”

“Oh dear, I lacked consideration.”

“Get rid of it quickly, damn it! Ugh!”

I might have a strong stomach, but still, that was too much. Just as I was recalling the past, I was reminded of ‘that thing’ I saw in Rodimel Fortress.

“Ugh, ugh…”

With the effects of alcohol, nausea surged up.

“Don’t throw up on the desk.”

“Shut up, bastard!”

3.

After breaking into Rodimel Fortress, there was no need to fight. To be precise, there shouldn’t have been any fights.

The number of beasts inside the fortress was exceedingly low.

However, their level could not be compared to the beasts outside. Above all, they were all directly connected to Gletus.

‘A state of shared senses.’

They are the eyes and ears of Gletus.

“We shouldn’t fight.”

Raniel declared firmly.

They walked quietly, scouting the inside of the fortress. The fortress was eerily deserted.

This fortress was once home to dozens of knights and soldiers.

However, not a single corpse remained. It was completely empty. Only the sound of the periodic clatter echoed.

Clatter.

Following that sound, Remia and Raniel walked. The closer they got to the sound, the nearer it became. Eventually, they arrived in the hall at the center of Rodimel Fortress.

“…”

The stench thickened.

Raniel lowered her gaze. Bloodstains were spread out in a long line. Those bloodstains led to the center of the hall.

Clatter!

A sound was heard from the center of the hall.

Raniel instinctively stepped forward but then halted. She looked back and met Remia’s gaze.

Their eyes crossed.

They quietly took a few steps back and picked up a small piece of stone.

Then, they threw it into the hall.

The moment the stone was about to hit the floor of the hall, the air trembled. Something massive moved. Extremely quickly.

Cra-cra-cra-cra-cra-cra-cra-cra!

Something passed by.

Even though it moved swiftly, it remained in Raniel and Remia’s sight for quite some time.

Cra-caw, cra-cra-cra.

Finally, it came to a stop.

Raniel saw what filled her sight. It was the hide of a beast. But it was unlike a normal beast.

It looked like a steep canyon.

It was a beast with rough skin that protruded in various directions. Raniel slowly raised her line of sight.

The giant beast resembled a snake.

The snake-like beast coiled up in the hall. It skillfully tucked itself between the pillars, hiding its form and guarding the hall.

It slowly lowered its head.

-………

Something resembling a dragon’s head descended toward the place where Raniel and Remia were hiding. They held their breath and hid behind a pillar.

As the ripped eyes scanned the surroundings, it withdrew its head again. Looking at that skull, Raniel had to restrain the urge to curse inwardly.

‘Damn, that’s…’

A Black Dragon.

The skull of the Black Dragon that they had slain about a month ago.

‘…They said it was lost after an ambush.’

And now, she encountered it here, in this manner.

Then, what was it that was in that hall?

Suddenly.

Raniel remembered the things lost after the ambush right after slaying the Black Dragon.

‘…The corpse of a hatchling.’

Peeking her head from behind the pillar, Raniel confirmed the inside of the hall being guarded by a beast resembling the Carapace Dragon.

Clatter!

In the center of the hall was a woman.

Her hair was pure white. The pure white hair was matted with blood. She was tearing something apart.

Clatter!

Raniel narrowed her eyes.

Next to the woman, something was piled up. It was a person. However, it was no longer a human.

Clatter!

The woman used it as material.

What she was making… Raniel squinted her eyes further. Eventually, she caught sight of it.

‘Damn.’

The corpse of a hatchling.

And a framework made of human bones. She pictured what shape it would take once the framework was complete.

‘Bone Dragon.’

Moreover, a Bone Dragon made from the Black Dragon as a base.

What was horrifying did not end there. There was something slimy crawling on the ground.

Clatter!

The woman pulled the slimy thing and entwined it to the framework. Watching that scene, Raniel swallowed hard.

Why did the knights’ prayers sound?

The answer was right in front of her.

‘Truly, they are alive.’

In the writhing slime, Raniel confirmed the emblem of the Holy Knights. Her expression distorted. That slime was the fused bodies of the Holy Knights.

Gletus, before being a Summoner, was an Alchemist. And for Alchemists, there’s one taboo.

‘Never use living humans as an alchemical medium.’

In fact, that’s a matter related to the laws of the world before it pertains to alchemy. The Star forbids the mutation of bodies. The Deloheim Church regards that as a sin.

If one is an Alchemist.

If one is a Mage.

If one is anything, before anything, as long as they live under the Starlight, it would be an act of divine desecration that must never be done.

Even Raniel, an atheist, considered it sacrilege. It was an act that should never happen.

‘Transgressing the taboo.’

Committing a sin.

In the Deloheim Church, such beings are referred to as this.

The Heretic.

The white-haired woman’s hair fluttered.

Her face was revealed. She wore an expression so blank it was hard to believe she was a person who had broken the taboo.

Raniel felt a restrained madness from that place.

She instinctively felt repelled by the woman’s glimmering green eyes.

The Heretic, Gletus.

One of the four calamities that destroyed the kingdom.

The calamity she was faced with took the form of a woman.

Author’s Note (Afterward)

“Fuhuh, that Skebal fellow is the weakest among the Four Heavenly Kings…”

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