Chapter 6 – Cultists (1)

“Aren’t they just vagrants who believe in and worship evil beings?”

Those who deny the one true God revered by the Church, follow strange entities, and wander about.

Veloc stroked his chin and recalled the entities in his memory.

In “Adria’s Second Coming,” the knight origin basically roams from one battlefield to another. They go to battlefields, accumulate merits, and become a lord with land.

Eventually, after going through all kinds of secret feuds and bloody struggles, they eliminate their political opponents and finally ascend to the throne to clear the game.

In a situation where they were too busy fighting great lords, they had never encountered cultists. Because they were such trivial enemies.

At Veloc’s words, the Lord of Roben nodded and then shook his head again. He spoke in a solemn voice.

“Vagrants… That is true. Even just a few months ago, I thought so too. But with the emergence of the demons, I can no longer sit back and watch them.”

“Demons…”

Startled, Veloc recalled the deed he had done. When he first started this game. Selecting the Hellfire difficulty and adding the races called demons to the continent.

‘This is how it comes back.’ Veloc clicked his tongue softly.

“If you think about it from the cultists’ perspective, the beings they believe in and follow have directly descended onto this land. They are no longer ordinary vagrants. They are bizarre men who use strange sorcery.”

“They are quite a dangerous force.”

“Indeed, they are such a dangerous force. And those unholy beings dared set foot in my land. As the ruler of Roben, I cannot turn a blind eye to their filthy deeds.”

“Is it a subjugation?”

“No, for now, it’s a reconnaissance. Some time ago, I received a tip-off from the Church. They say cultists are secretly active in the underground of this city. However, I do not trust the Church bastards any more than the demons. Since they are the Pope’s cunning dogs. So I want to entrust this mission to my loyal sword. To find out whether there are truly cultists in the underground sewer, or if it is just a gathering of vagrants with nowhere else to go.”

The Church had always eyed the royal power and the lords’ positions greedily, while the nobles and kings remained wary of them.

The confrontation between the two forces had been ongoing for quite a long time, like a tradition.

The Lord of Roben wanted to move with his own forces without borrowing the power of the Church.

Because if he received help, he would have to pay it back. It made sense. Veloc nodded.

Aside from that, there was a point of doubt.

“What about the other two knights?”

He was referring to Malcolm and Gerst. In his opinion, this was a rather heavy responsibility. Usually, such tasks were entrusted to veterans rather than a newcomer who had just arrived.

The Lord of Roben slammed his desk as if displeased. The papers fluttered.

“Those fools reportedly had their arms broken while sparring a few weeks ago. I had them take rest for rehabilitation for now.”

“Their hot blood outpaced their reason.”

‘I see. Did they make up such an excuse?’

Veloc, who had broken the arms of the parties involved, spoke calmly. The lord nodded.

“My disappointment is immense. To think guys who are knights can’t even manage their own bodies… Perhaps they might need to be cast out.”

The Lord of Roben muttered the last words softly and glanced at Veloc.

That meaningful look carried the implication that Veloc’s status would be elevated further depending on the outcome of this task.

Veloc worked his brain. The plan had gone awry.

Originally, he had planned to just loaf around and escape when he saw the embers of war, but due to his choices, the future was changing. Thanks to the variable of demons, that was.

‘It won’t be easy.’

But what could he do? For now, he was a knight of the lord. He had to follow the commands given to him.

“Leave it to me.”

“I’m counting on you.”

The lord smiled warmly as he looked at Veloc, feeling that choosing this young knight was indeed the right decision.

Leaving behind the lord’s expectations, Veloc stepped out of the office. The sun had not yet reached noon. Plenty of time to prepare.

Veloc immediately summoned squire Adel. She was in a state where her hair was full of moisture, as if she had just washed after finishing training.

“Did you call? What did the lord say?”

“It’s work, Adel. They say there are bizarre men in the underground here.”

Veloc told her what he had heard from the lord. Listening intently, she nodded.

“We must prepare. Should I muster the soldiers?”

“No, the two of us will go. Though we will have to hire a mercenary as a guide,”

“If the Church’s words are true, even if it’s just reconnaissance, will the two of us be alright?”

Adel spoke in a voice of concern, but Veloc shook his head.

“It’s much better than feeling like we’ll get stabbed in the back.”

They had already crossed paths with the local faction holding the military power of the territory, Malcolm and Gerst. Naturally, would the soldiers of the territory under their influence listen to the two of them?

No, they might rather spy on them and plunge a dagger in their backs. Mercenaries moved by money would be far more reliable.

“Understood. I will prepare immediately.”

The two gathered their armaments. Since the goal was reconnaissance, they wore leather armor that made less sound and painted their swords with charcoal. They also packed torches and extra rations.

Since they didn’t know what might happen, preparation could never be too excessive.

Shortly after, the two left the lord’s castle. But while walking along the corridor, they ended up encountering unpleasant faces.

‘To think guys who weren’t even seen for the past few weeks would show up at a time like this.’ Veloc thought they had intentionally shown themselves.

Malcolm and Gerst sneered with bandages wrapped around one of their hands.

“Where are you going, Sir Veloc?”

“I intend to go out for a walk and some hunting nearby.”

“As far as I know, I heard you have business in the sewers?”

‘Of course they know.’ The eyes of the two knights had already reached everywhere inside the castle. Veloc shrugged.

“It’s an underworld walk.”

“Haha. Are you going on a picnic to a smelly place?”

“I’m cleaning up after some hand-disabled fools.”

“Pfft.”

“What? You!”

At Veloc’s blunt words, Adel sneered, and Gerst stopped Malcolm from rushing in. He glared at Veloc and spoke.

“Sir Malcolm, restrain yourself. And Sir Veloc, continuing to act so haughty won’t be good for you?”

“You were the ones who started it. You insulted me and my squire.”

Veloc spoke with an incredulous expression. But Gerst snorted. From his perspective, Veloc was merely a cheeky rolling stone.

If conscience had existed in Gerst, why would he have lived like this until now? He thoroughly considered only his own standpoint.

“Ha. Let’s see who laughs in the end. Do watch your back.”

“Thanks for the advice.”

Veloc and Adel passed by the two. Malcolm gnashed his teeth and said.

“Still insolent bastards. Shall we send people the moment they enter the sewer?”

Gerst shook his head. He knew how to think a bit more than this young knight.

“Those guys are currently moving under the lord’s command.”

“Then shouldn’t we move all the more?”

Malcolm spoke with an anxious expression. If he achieved merit, the lord’s favor would escape them even further.

Gerst grabbed his shoulder as if pleading with him to calm down.

“I don’t mean we won’t kill him. I mean we should look for an opportunity. A knight who died in the line of duty while defeating cultists. Doesn’t that paint a nice picture?”

Gerst shuddered at this ignorant colleague even as he spoke softly. Had they not been accomplices, he would have cast him out already.

Did Gerst’s passionate speech work? Only then did Malcolm nod and clear his throat.

“I see. I should tell Sanson and the soldiers to prepare.”

“I will also speak to the back alley fellows. Since he’s the guy who killed Bourbon.”

Finally, the chance came.

Outside the castle, let alone down in the dark sewer, the lord’s eyes would not reach well. The two knights smiled sinisterly as they watched Veloc’s retreating back.

The two headed to a tavern located within the territory. It was to recruit people who knew the geography of the sewers well.

The daily routine of guys who did thievery or rough mercenary work was obvious. They would be drinking heavily at a pub from broad daylight or lying down in a tavern room after playing with whores all night.

Befitting a trade city, the territory was bustling from broad daylight.

Sharp-eared elves and short dwarves were also commonly seen.

The people moved in busy steps, not even giving a glance to the other races as if they were familiar with them.

“It’s cheap. It’s harvested from the field just this morning.”

“This is precious silk brought from the far east. It’s soft like an elf’s skin. Indeed.”

Merchants shouted aloud to attract customers. ‘It’s like the real Middle Ages.’ Veloc watched that scene with curious eyes and muttered.

“Aren’t they kind?”

“Pardon?”

“They told us so openly that they would attack us. If it were me, I would have caught them off guard with a smiling face and then aimed for the throat.”

‘Is this what they call an honorable murder notice? Truly like ignorant knight bastards.’

Veloc smirked crookedly. Only then did Adel, realizing what her master meant, speak with a trace of doubt.

“Isn’t the murder of a colleague a grave crime? Will they really come?”

Veloc said in a calm tone.

“Of course. If they had that kind of brain, they wouldn’t have messed with us in the first place. Ignorance makes one brave.”

The gazes of the two knights earlier were unusual even at a glance. They would come, a hundred percent. And he had a general idea of when they would come. It would probably be when they completed the mission.

Steal the merits and remove the obstacle, killing two birds with one stone.

Seeing Veloc full of confidence despite knowing they would be attacked, Adel clenched her hands tightly. And then, she took a deep breath.

Choosing a frontal breakthrough despite knowing it was clearly the opponent’s trap. But for some reason, Adel did not think this choice was reckless.

‘Courage, not arrogance.’

Her master fully possessed the ability to do so. As his squire, she would simply assist him.

“We must prepare.”

“Once we enter the sewer, consider that there are no allies besides the two of us. Come to think of it, those mercenaries can’t be trusted either. We don’t know where they might have set things up.”

“Understood.”

When she nodded with a determined face, Veloc patted her shoulder and kicked open the door of the tavern they had arrived at.

Bam!

The nasty smell of alcohol and food waste pierced his nose. The tables, littered with empty bottles, were filled with people who were heavily drunk or whose faces were turning red by the minute.

The only thing in common. They all had a few scars somewhere and looked extremely nasty.

It was the typical look of mercenaries.

The mercenaries watching the two who suddenly appeared opened their mouths one by one.

“What is this? Making quite a noisy entrance.”

“Who are you guys…”

Veloc ignored their words, pulling out a piece of parchment from his chest.

It was an order stamped with the Lord of Roben’s seal.

“I am recruiting one person who knows the geography of the underground sewer well. I am Veloc Heine. A knight acting under the decree of the Lord of Roben.”

“What? The lord’s work?”

“I know that pattern. It’s real.”

A few who recognized the gold pickaxe emblem nodded. A request from the ruler governing a city. Soon after, the mercenaries who caught the scent of money murmured among themselves.

As Veloc watched this, he stamped his foot once on the floor. The wooden floor shrieked with a loud noise.

The owner, who was washing cups in the kitchen, made a crying face, and the mercenaries’ gazes focused again.

Veloc pulled out a gold piece from his chest. The mercenaries gaped at the glittering radiance.

“The reward is one gold coin. You just have to guide the way. Is anyone applying?”

An enormous reward for just guiding.

Without exception, the mercenaries raised their hands and began to appeal. Just by their words, they were lined with great guides who could find their way even in a labyrinth.

Mercenaries were usually like that. Most of them made a living with a bit of skill, storytelling, and bluffing.

Adel was slightly overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response. And then, she looked around wondering who on earth they should pick.

But Veloc stared intently at one fellow among the mercenaries all over the place. A hairy man of huge build whose entire body was covered in hair.

Veloc knew him. Although he didn’t know Veloc yet,

‘To think that guy would be here. This will make things easy.’

Veloc smiled broadly and pointed his finger straight at the hairy man.