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“We should change locations.”

With a flick of his finger, Leocolt turned around and started walking ahead. He moved before anyone had the chance to reply or indicate they would follow.

Serati, who had come to the empire for the first time, whispered in disbelief.

[What’s that? He’s treating us like subordinates.]

On the other hand, Karnak and Baros had both visited the Lacaenia Empire in their previous lives. As such, they both seemed indifferent.

[The people of the empire tend to look down on those from the Seven Kingdoms.]

[The fact that he’s being somewhat respectful is likely because Mr. Alius is a high-ranking priest.]

Even the young Alius had never been to the empire before. He glanced nervously at Karnak’s party.

“What should I do?”

“Hearing him out shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Karnak and his group decided to follow Leocolt.

They were using one of the barracks on the outskirts of Swindler Fortress temporarily.

A table was set up, and a modest herbal tea was placed in front of the group.

“Please, help yourself.”

“Ah, yes, thank you.”

Only Alius was offered tea. The others were completely ignored, as if they didn’t even exist.

Seeing this, Karnak and Baros were reminded of old memories.

[What a model imperial noble.]

[It reminds me of the past. The imperial folks were like this back then too.]

It didn’t seem like there would be anything pleasant about staying too long.

Deciding it was best to hear the story and leave quickly, Alius took a sip of the tea.

“What exactly is this all about?”

Leocolt opened his mouth to speak.

“It happened just a few days ago…”

***

A witch had appeared.

In the good old days, everyone would have laughed if someone went around spreading such rumors.

-Hey, have you been reading too many children’s fairy tales?

But now, things are different.

-Is it a real witch, or just another one of those common nonsense stories?

The Darkness of Doom spares no one, regardless of age or gender. It’s entirely possible for an elderly woman to have been corrupted by the power of darkness.

Witches had now become a real, tangible fear.

However, rumors were spreading like wildfire.

Among the ignorant country folk, there were many who would label innocent women as witches and, quite literally, engage in “witch hunts.”

Of course, in such cases, the temple would strictly impose punishment, so actual victims were not as common.

It could be a very serious matter, or, conversely, something completely trivial.

A situation delicate enough that the Goddess’ church couldn’t get directly involved, but one they also couldn’t ignore.

“And so, the Swindler border patrol went in to investigate.”

Defending the border means preparing for all sorts of attacks that may threaten it.

A witch attacking a village near the border could also be considered within the border patrol’s jurisdiction with a little stretch of reasoning.

Well, the real reason was that the patrol wanted to ease the worries of the village elders they were close to.

The captain of the patrol took twenty veteran soldiers to find the witch.

Now, it’s not like the Swindler border patrol is an elite force. There were no aura users or high-level mages among them.

Still, they were border guards, so they were reasonably skilled. As such, no one thought much of the situation at that point.

The problem arose three days later.

“They never returned.”

At Leocolt’s words, Alius blinked in confusion.

“What do you mean, they didn’t return?”

“Exactly what I said. They disappeared.”

“They didn’t die or anything?”

“That’s right. Their fate is unknown.”

Serati tilted her head, puzzled.

‘This sounds like one of those typical witch stories.’

The kind where once you enter, you never come out again—like the cursed witch’s forest shrouded in mist.

A common theme in street children’s fairy tales.

[Is there such necromancy, Lord Karnak?]

[A spell that can make twenty soldiers vanish? There are so many possibilities that it’s hard to pinpoint just one.]

In any case, when the patrol soldiers went missing, that’s when the chaos began.

Demetas, the commander of Swindler Fortress and a baron, found himself in a dilemma.

He feared sending a search party, worrying they’d also fall victim to the witch.

There was no time to request assistance from the nearby temple.

It would take at least two weeks for the church to respond, and who knew what might happen to the missing soldiers in the meantime?

That’s when the Evil Slaying Brigade, who happened to be staying at the fortress, stepped in.

Karnak asked,

“Why did the Evil Slaying Brigade get involved? Don’t they usually only deal with the cult?”

Leocolt furrowed his brow. His expression showed that he was displeased by someone interrupting the conversation without permission.

However, he did respond.

“It’s not the brigade’s primary mission. This is merely a personal service to the empire.”

Though it didn’t seem that way, Leocolt was actually doing his best to gauge Karnak and his party’s reactions. After all, they were the ones in need of help at the moment.

As it turned out, not all of the soldiers around them were members of the Evil Slaying Brigade.

Only Leocolt, another knight in his thirties named Lestain, and a man in a mage’s robe named Stronoff were part of the brigade. The rest were the usual Swindler border guards.

“We were on our way back home after taking our long-awaited leave. This place was just a quick stopover on our way back to the capital.”

At that moment, the witch incident broke out, and Baron Demetas, who was acquainted with Leocolt, asked for help.

Leocolt, despite his noble arrogance, was also aware of his duty as a noble to care for his ‘subordinates.’ He agreed immediately.

“It was an urgent matter, and people’s lives were at stake. How could I refuse?”

Moreover, compared to the brigade’s usual tasks, this was an easy mission.

In incidents related to the forces of darkness, one could roughly gauge the danger by assessing the evil energy and malice lingering around the area.

The traces of darkness left by the witch weren’t particularly impressive. It might be challenging for the border patrol, but…

“For us, it’s more than manageable.”

The brigade consisted of two red aura users, experts in advanced necromancy, and one sixth-circle mage, along with ten seasoned border guards. The force was more than sufficient.

But then, a problem arose.

“There was no priest.”

To be specific, there wasn’t a cleric trained as an inquisitor capable of battling the darkness.

No matter how powerful their force was, their first priority was finding the target. And the low-ranking priests at the local temple were useless when it came to tracking a witch.

Unfortunately, the only inquisitor in the area, Felix, had gone missing along with the patrol captain.

“And as I mentioned earlier, there’s no time to wait for a new inquisitor to arrive.”

In a state of impatience, they learned from the gatekeepers that a first-tier inquisitor was heading towards the empire.

Worried that they might miss their chance, they rushed over in a hurry.

“For this reason, we seek your cooperation.”

“I see…”

Alius nodded.

He honestly wanted to help, but he couldn’t make the decision alone since he had companions with him.

“Understood, I’ll discuss it with my party.”

Leocolt’s expression hardened slightly as he continued speaking.

“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding. I said I seek your cooperation, Inquisitor Alius.”

His cold gaze swept over Karnak, Baros, and Serati.

“Not theirs.”

“Huh? These people are powerful darkness hunters, though.”

“I have eyes too, so I can tell they’re aura users.”

Aura users could sense other aura users unless one deliberately tried to conceal it.

“But they are not citizens of the empire.”

Leocolt declared in a stern voice.

“The people of the empire will be protected by the hands of the empire.”

Alius asked, bewildered.

“But I’m from the Kingdom of Yustil.”

“A servant of the Goddess transcends nations, no?”

Seeing him respond so confidently, Serati clicked her tongue inwardly.

[What is this guy talking about? We never even agreed to help, but now he’s acting like we’re unnecessary.]

Karnak and Baros gave bitter smiles.

[Didn’t I tell you earlier? That’s just how imperial nobles are.]

[They have this ingrained sense of superiority over people from the Seven Kingdoms.]

Alius kept his expression neutral as he replied.

“In any case, I’ll discuss it briefly. Even if I agree to help, we can’t delay our plans just because of me.”

“Very well. While time is short, we can spare a few minutes.”

Leocolt stepped out for a moment, leaving only Karnak and his party behind.

“Ha, I didn’t expect this to happen the moment we set foot in the empire…”

Scratching his head, Alius asked,

“What do you think? Should I go on my own?”

Serati responded, suggesting there wouldn’t be any problem.

“You’re doing a good deed, right? I don’t see any reason to object.”

Baros agreed as well.

“It doesn’t seem like there will be much danger.”

The Evil Slaying Brigade was a powerful special forces unit in the empire, even surpassing the King’s Order. While the people they met might seem like lower-ranking members within the brigade, they were still exceptional aura users and mages.

With their current force, they were comparable to a battalion of the King’s Order, so it was unlikely they would find themselves in any real danger.

Karnak, though not entirely thrilled, also gave his approval.

“It shouldn’t cause much of a problem with our schedule.”

After all, capturing Hudel was something they had to approach with caution.

It wasn’t something they could delay for too long, but at the same time, it wasn’t something they needed to rush. A delay of a few days wouldn’t change anything major.

“Besides, in the empire’s territory, it’s unwise to go against the will of an imperial noble.”

Karnak wasn’t against the witch hunt itself, just the fact that they were doing it without him. In fact, building connections with the Evil Slaying Brigade could be a good move.

“Go ahead and relax. We’ll be waiting leisurely at the inn.”

***

Swindler Fortress, being on a trade route, had quite a few inns.

In this mountainous area, farming was difficult, and hunting or livestock herding had its limits. So, the inn business developed to cater to travelers passing through.

Looking around, Serati asked, “Where are we staying?”

As she glanced at the signs, Baros replied, “Mr. Alius recommended a place… Ah, there it is.”

Baros pointed to an inn called The Song of Palpato.

It was a modest two-story building, not particularly eye-catching, but of a decent size and slightly shabby.

Serati looked at Karnak with curiosity.

“What’s the occasion? You usually only go to luxurious inns.”

Karnak and Baros’ eyes gleamed with excitement.

“They say the food here is the best!”

“The most important quality of an inn!”

Alius’ recommendation wasn’t wrong.

In front of them were well-toasted bread, wild herb soup, mashed potatoes slathered with cheese, and roasted pheasant. Karnak and Baros devoured the food greedily.

“Oh! This is delicious!”

“This is good too!”

“Ah, this is the joy of wandering the world.”

“If only it had been like this before! We did wander around a lot back then too.”

Sitting beside them was a beautiful red-haired woman, eating gracefully.

“Ugh, these gluttons.”

Serati frowned and turned her head away.

“Laficel, don’t ever become like the—”

Her words stopped short.

The adorable, gray-haired girl was stuffing her cheeks to the point of bursting, shoveling food into her mouth and chewing frantically.

Munch! Munch! Nom nom!

“It’s delicious, Lord Karnak!”

“Laficel, you too?”

Karnak and Baros exchanged a glance as if it all made sense.

[Now that I think about it, Laficel’s probably like us.]

[It’s been around 70 years since she became undead, right?]

[Which means it’s been about 70 years since she had a proper meal.]

At home, she had been more reserved, watching the others’ reactions, but now that she’d gotten more comfortable, her instincts were starting to take over.

[Poor Laficel…]

Serati quietly resolved to treat her better from now on.

After filling their bellies with dinner, everyone enjoyed a good night’s sleep on soft beds.

Then, the next morning.

The village was unusually noisy, not with the usual commotion, but with an air of shock and fear.

Curious, Baros grabbed a passerby and asked, “What’s all this chaos about?”

“You haven’t heard the news?”

The passerby replied, trembling with fear.

“The Evil Slaying Brigade, which had gone on a witch hunt, has disappeared!”