Chapter 7 – Cultists (2)

Leaving the tavern, they walked toward the sewer. While walking, the hairy man bowed his head and introduced himself.

“I will serve you with all my heart, Lord. My name is…”

Veloc waved his arm as if it was bothersome.

“I know. Sneak, isn’t it?”

Upon the first-time-seen knight knowing his name, the giant man was startled.

“Gasp. How…”

“I know you are a native of this underground sewer, and I also know you are quite a skilled thief.”

Ghost Walk Sneak.

Thanks to his stealthy footsteps that did not match his build, he was skilled enough to have a bounty on his head, albeit small. Because Veloc had interrogated him personally when he caught him during his previous playthrough.

‘At that time, he was crying and telling everything, even his own history. He’s as big as a mountain, but did he say he was afraid of blood?’

Since it was a fact told through intense torture, it was probably correct. The reason he chose Sneak was simple.

Because he was from the underground sewer, he would naturally know the way, and because he was afraid of blood, he wouldn’t even have the courage to brandish a blade.

But it seemed Sneak’s thoughts were different.

Since the unfamiliar knight knew not just his name but everything about him inside out, he chuckled awkwardly and backed away.

Seeing that, Adel, who was walking behind him, narrowed her eyes. She grabbed Sneak by the neck.

Squeeze!

“Keuh. Why… why are you doing this?”

Suddenly choked, Sneak struggled. But there was no way a mere thief could overcome the grip strength of a trained squire. Adel spoke without budging.

“Sir Veloc. This guy. He’s suspicious. He dared to try and escape.”

‘Could he be Gerst’s spy?’ Adel thought. It was a valid question, but Veloc chuckled and said.

“He’s innocent. You may let him go.”

“If you say so.”

Toss!

Adel cast Sneak aside. Dusting her hands once, she primly touched her hair.

“Haah, haah.”

Released, Sneak stroked his neck and panted. Then, he looked at the two with fearful eyes.

‘He’s on guard. No, is this the normal reaction?’

Veloc thought that he should act quite carefully in the future when approaching knowledge of the future or events. Wondering how to soothe the terrified Sneak, he threw the gold coin in his hand at him.

“Gasp.”

Forgetting his wariness, Sneak reflexively stretched out his arm and caught the gold coin. Holding the money, he grinned, then oops, stiffened his expression and looked at the two.

Doubt and fear surfaced on his face. Veloc raised both hands to persuade him.

“I’m not aiming for the pocket change on your head.”

Even if there was a bounty, it was at the level of a street thief. Just a few silver coins. It wasn’t even close to his salary level.

Yes, the knight’s words were correct. Sneak glanced at the gold coin in his hand and spoke again.

“Then what on earth…”

“Didn’t I tell you earlier? I need a guide for the underground sewer. If you just do the job, I’ll give you another gold coin.”

As many as two gold coins!

For a mere petty thief, it was a massive fortune. But he felt a bit uneasy. Because he had seen many people who were only utilized by nobles and then disposed of.

But it was too much money to give up?

Adel resolved Sneak’s hesitation.

Shring!

At the ringing sword cry, Sneak glanced back. Adel was placing her hand on the scabbard with glaring eyes.

Even without words, a clear meaning was conveyed from her behavior. If things went wrong, she would cut off his neck. Sneak gulped.

“Just leave it to me… Lord.”

From the beginning, he had no choice.

The underground sewer.

This massive waterway existing beneath Roben had undergone expansions to the point where it could now be called a city on its own. For instance, it was like another city existing beneath the surface city.

Thanks to its vast size, it was common to get lost with a single misstep, and it could also serve as a haven for criminals escaping the eyes of people or small monsters.

But right now, there was no problem for Veloc’s group. Since a man born in the underground sewer was faithfully volunteering as their guide.

The torch sizzled at its end and illuminated the stone floor just a step ahead. From the side, the sound of trickling water was heard, and a damp, humid energy was full everywhere.

Actually, an even bigger problem than that was the stench. Adel blocked her nose at the smell, which was like a mix of excrement and food waste.

“It’s dreadful.”

“It’s not a good place to live.”

Veloc also walked while frowning. Only Sneak, who was from the underground sewer, laughed self-deprecatingly.

“If you want to survive, what wouldn’t you do? So, where did you say the place you are looking for is?”

At Sneak’s question, Veloc worked his brain for a moment.

The twisted future.

To resolve this, he had to squeeze out wisdom himself. Veloc intended to approach it in a traditional occult manner.

A gathering of cultists who worshiped demons. This naturally led to the question of what demons liked. The underground bottom where brimstone fire burned. What horned monsters liked…

‘Corruption, blood, pain, pleasure?’

Veloc recalled a scene among the contents he had seen in books or movies in the past.

A dim underground. A bizarre ritual was depicted where a cultist wearing a robe held a dagger and stabbed a person’s stomach.

‘What a poor imagination. It’s typical.’ Veloc let out a hollow laugh.

“Is there a place large enough for several people to gather and perform a strange ritual?”

Sneak showed a troubled expression at Veloc’s question.

“There are countless such spaces.”

“Is that so?”

Did he have to search this entire wide space? Or did he have to catch one of the residents living here and ask? While Veloc was having such worries, Sneak, who was thinking about something, opened his mouth again.

“But I have a suspicion.”

“What is it?”

“Lord, what on earth are you looking for in this underground sewer right now?”

“That…”

“It is not something you dare know.”

When Veloc was contemplating whether he should speak while stroking his chin, Adel cut him off and spoke. At her sharp reaction, Sneak broke out in a cold sweat slightly.

“If it is difficult to say, you do not have to tell me. However, in my own thinking, you are looking for a crowd that does very bizarre and strange deeds, right?”

Though not mentioned directly, Sneak seemed to already know about the people involved in this matter. ‘It seems cultists really exist.’ Veloc nodded silently.

Thinking ‘as expected,’ Sneak said.

“Although I am a thief, I used to share some food with the children of the underground sewer from time to time. I also survived thanks to someone’s help.”

“Ha. So you’re a conscientious thief despite your status?”

Adel sneered. Sneak shook his head.

“No way. I also know my sins well. But that’s not the problem. What’s important is that recently, refugees of the underground sewer have been disappearing concurrently. It’s a story I heard from the kids I looked after.”

“Disappearances.”

“They say strange men wearing robes dragged the refugees away.”

‘This seems certain.’ The fitting puzzle pieces added certainty.

“Do you also know the location?”

“Just in case, I made sure to note it.”

Emboldened, Veloc said readily.

“Please guide us to that place. If they are the guys we are looking for, I’ll give you two gold coins and send you off immediately. How about it?”

Sneak bowed his head even deeper.

“Of course. Such a group of bizarre men. As a native of this place, my mind was also feeling a bit uncomfortable.”

The three, having decided on their destination, soon began their movement.

Woosh!

The torch lit the way again, and Sneak guided them through the twisted and winding path. Startled by the light, mice squeaked, and bats and wild dogs slinked away.

Perhaps because that bizarre crowd had settled in the waterway. Not a single refugee or goblin who usually wandered about was visible in the underground sewer.

Sneak said it seemed that any intelligent beings had already fled the area.

Did they walk for a long time like that? What was heard first was a strange sound that seemed like muttering.

“%&$#*”

“Put out the fire.”

As Veloc muttered in a low voice, Adel and Sneak quickly threw the torches they were holding into the waterway. Although the flame that illuminated their vision vanished with a sizzle, there was no problem.

Because other torches illuminating the dark space were scattered before them.

The three, without even making a sound of breathing, observed the cavern visible beyond the passage.

Due to the shadows cast by the light, the surroundings looked entirely orange. Black figures moved busily in between.

“What on earth…”

Adel opened her eyes wide.

The sight before them was more than enough to be called a heretical meeting forbidden by the Church. Leaving behind the rotting corpses piled up in the corner, human figures clad in black robes were offering prayers before the altar.

At their center, a figure clad in a blood-red robe was muttering while spreading arms. Judging by the slender build, it looked like a woman. Saying something, she clapped her palms.

Then.

“S… Spare me. Please!”

A few robed figures dragged a man from somewhere. The man pleaded and struggled violently. But the robed figures simply placed the man on the stone altar with dry eyes.

“Don’t do this… please. Ueeeh.”

At the coldness unique to stone touching his back, the man curled his body and wept.

The woman in the red robe stroked the man’s face as if looking at a cute animal. And then, licking her lips, she whispered affectionately.

“Do not worry about anything. For you shall be reborn as the blood and flesh of Lord Baphomet.”

Although it was a sweet voice, the man’s eyes grew larger than ever. He turned his gaze to the piled-up corpses. Neighbors who had lived together just a short while ago. And entities that had now become a shelter for swarming maggots and flies.

A future he wanted to deny until the end was right there.

“Heeeh. No, I hate it. I don’t want to die… Urgh.”

The man shook his head. But the robed woman ignored the man’s words. And then, she stabbed his chest deeply with a dagger curved like a snake.

Squish!

Blood splattered, and bloodstains splattered all over the woman’s robe.

“Hahahahaha!”

She laughed like crazy and kept stabbing the dagger. As her wild laughter grew, the splattered blood flowed down the floor. Meanwhile, she also muttered the strange spell from earlier. At this, blood seeped into the stone floor, and a magic circle of sorts began to rise centering around the altar.

As if responding to that voice, the black robes who were offering prayers also chanted in unison.

“%&$#*”

As the sound of the spell grew louder, the man’s corpse also dried up rapidly. For a while, the blood-red magic circle flashed multiple times. The moment the woman’s face was about to be stained with ecstasy,

Fizzle!

suddenly, the magic circle went out like a blown-out candle.

“Not yet?”

Deflated, she snorted.

“Hmm.”

Frowning as if something displeased her, the woman put the dagger into her chest. And then she kicked the corpse on the altar that had turned into a mummy.

“More sacrifices are needed. It is still insufficient to summon him.”

The incomplete summoning ritual could only call forth the soul. She had to take more care. As expected, with the blood and flesh of weak refugees, it took a long time.

The flesh of stronger people was needed. Should she capture a soldier from somewhere? Or a knight?

The robed woman tilted her head while looking at the empty air. Adel, who was watching this, gaped her mouth.

“Living sacrifices…”

Even while following Sneak here, Adel had a feeling in a corner of her heart, saying ‘surely not…’ Because cultists serving demons sounded like a rather unrealistic story.

But upon encountering their bizarre ritual, even the brave her trembled for a moment.

‘They are real cultists. Monsters who sold their souls to demons.’ Adel had the confidence to cut down and kill no matter how many soldiers rushed in, but she feared guys who dealt with strange sorcery. Unless one was a mage, one wouldn’t know about that strange phenomenon.

Fear of the unknown was a primal instinct of humans.

This was the same for rulers governing a region or brave knights.

“There are many of them.”

Unlike Adel, Veloc only frowned slightly. Despite the horrific sight, there was no fear. He just found it absurd that his poor imagination had matched perfectly.

He could guess why. Thanks to the innate mental strength of this body and the skill that stabilized his mind.

Probably thanks to [Unquenchable Fighting Spirit].

Veloc thought that he was gradually departing from being human, but he thought, whatever.

Because it was much better than trembling in fear.

At her calm master’s appearance, Adel felt her trembling heart settle. Being next to a calm person anywhere made one feel relieved without even realizing it.

“…The mission is complete. Shall we report to the lord first?”

Adel asked quietly and turned back. Sneak had disappeared long ago without even taking the remaining pay. True to his reputation, he ran away without a footstep.

At her question, Veloc nodded. The Church’s tip-off was true, and the scale of the cultists was beyond imagination. To subjugate them all at once, numerous soldiers would be needed.

Just as the two were about to withdraw, the gaze of the woman in the red robe turned toward them.