Awakening the Great Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Anomalous Phenonon

'Anomalous Phenonon' was an unfamiliar term to Calix, but it was sothing familiar to those living in the Kingdom of Astria.

Just looking at the expressions of the newcors showed this.

"......They said it was a rift of night."

Volga looked up at the corpses with a hardened face.

The limbs were grotesquely twisted, and expressions of pain lingered like afterimages. To make matters worse, flesh throughout their bodies showed signs of being devoured by insects.

Though he had grown up hearing about various abnormal phenona since childhood, seeing them directly instilled a different kind of terror.

"I heard this kind of thing only occasionally happens in the eastern regions close to the Shadow Lands. In distant places like the west, at most a couple of monsters would appear."

"Really?"

"Calix, don't answer so casually. This isn't sothing to joke or play around with. If you're unlucky, an entire region could be completely erased."

"Anyway, you've never experienced it directly, right?"

"Well, that's true...... But I've encountered many rumors about it. You must have heard about it at least once."

"......"

"What? Were you really asking because you didn't know?"

He didn't know.

The Niboria Empire was a place far removed from the Shadow Lands. Instead of terrifying monsters, it was filled only with humans.

The land was barren and difficult to farm, but it was quite distant from abnormal phenona in many ways.

Smack!

"Aaargh!"

Whether fortunate or unfortunate, his master, the dwarf Basim, intervened to sort out the situation. He suddenly kicked his shin and added an explanation.

"So what, are you scared or sothing? Decisions made by the Council of Elders must be followed without question!"

"Ow...... But wait, what's the Council of Elders?"

"......It refers to a eting of key personnel. There was sothing similar called the Council of Elders in Biale, where I used to live. Anyway, it was the best choice for us. Even if we had chosen a different option, we would have faced the sa result in the end."

"There's sothing as bad as an Anomalous Phenonon? What was the other option?"

"Caravan escort."

"......Are you serious? You're saying caravan escort is dangerous?"

"Yes. The destination is the eastern region of the kingdom. The commission fee is much lower, but the danger level would be similar."

"......Damn, now that you ntion it, that's true. That's a place where you need to carry about three lives with you."

"Now you understand? Bandits are as active there as in the north, and if you're unlucky, you could get caught up in abnormal phenona. According to what the Vice-Captain said, they occur two or three tis a year. It's better to choose this side. That way you can earn money too."

"Money? We haven't received a single penny so far, have we? Even if we earn sothing, it all gets deducted for equipnt costs......"

Smack!

Volga was kicked in the shin again and jumped up from his spot.

"Damn brat. Of all people, I had to take in such a big oaf...... I'm an idiot, too. You foolish guy, did you think what you ate, defecated, and wore was given for free? You need to deduct what should be deducted and receive what you should receive, right? This commission's paynt isn't small, so get your head straight and-"

As the master-disciple quarrel dragged on, Calix montarily turned his gaze away. The veteran rcenaries were taking the corpses down from the poles to examine them.

"...... Commander, this isn't the work of monsters."

"Definitely. The traces left on the chest confirm it. The thickness of what penetrated the flesh is consistent. The thickness, too, it's definitely not claws or anything like that."

"It seems like they were stabbed with a sword?"

"Hmm, and by soone quite skilled, too."

Royce exchanged words with Vice-Captain Marik, then looked at one person simultaneously to get confirmation. It was the Priestess Ella, who was frowning with her delicate brows.

She checked the eyes and teeth of the dead, then inserted a needle into the nape of the neck. Though no evil aura was felt, this was a precaution to not miss even the smallest trace.

"There are no traces left by seeds of evil."

In other words, all of this was human doing.

***

Erianka straddled the border between the west and south, but its terrain was very rough and far from important strongholds.

With negligible military power and low economic value, it wasn't treated as an independent force. The fact that the highest-ranking noble ruling the area was a 'viscount' showed this.

However, the advantage of the rugged terrain was clearly evident in the appearance of the main castle.

"It's a complete fortress."

The castle walls were built in a circle around the rocky mountain. Agricultural land spread widely in front, indicating that residents lived there.

The reason for the strangely alien feeling was because there were no signs of people in the fields.

"There's not a single person. Sothing must have happened."

"In broad daylight, and during harvest season, no farrs can be seen? Of course, sothing happened!"

"Hmm, part of the castle wall has also collapsed. It seems it's not being maintained."

Sure enough, an ominous aura seed to hover in the sky above the castle walls. The air was heavy as if trapped in an old glass bottle, and the acrid sll of blood and decay flowed through their nostrils.

This was because dozens of corpses were also impaled on poles in front of the castle walls.

"They hung them up again. The humans living here must like skewered at."

"Where in the world is there skewered at eaten raw? That's just impaling."

"This harsh woman always picks on ."

"Yes, yes, shorty. How terribly sorry about that."

"Ugh-"

Just as Basim and Zahira were about to start arguing, the commander raised his fist, and the cargo wagon stopped. They had made eye contact with soldiers.

Rumble rumble, clatter.

The Mountain Rabbits entered the castle about two hours later. Their vigilance was so high that even though they presented the token included in the mission proposal, they wouldn't budge until receiving permission from their superiors.

Indeed, the eyes of the outer castle residents were no different.

There wasn't a single child playing outside, and whenever they turned their heads toward the faint signs of human presence-

Slam!

They openly locked their windows shut. So it was natural, if anything, that all the mbers couldn't enter the inner castle.

"They say only a very small number can et with Viscount Erchi. Only those essential to carrying out the commission will enter."

"Yes, Commander. You can go in with Lady Ella."

"......Calix!"

"Yes."

"You're coming too."

The newcors exchanged aningful glances among themselves and made a fuss again, but the veteran rcenaries seed to inwardly accept the commander's decision.

His usefulness had been sufficiently proven in Count Mozak's territory.

***

Commander Royce, Ella, and Calix entered the deepest part of the inner castle. The corridors were hung with expensive decorations and picture fras. Unlike other noble families, it was hard to find any trace of servants.

'They didn't even confiscate our weapons. Are they confident, or are they so desperate that they can't consider etiquette or safety?'

Was this also because of the rift of night?

It was still unknown.

Knock knock knock.

Click! Creeeeak-

But the contemplation was brief. Soon, the door to the reception room opened, revealing the ruler of Erianka. Indeed, the middle-aged man was visibly full of worry.

The chair was decorated with white stone, and his formal attire was incomparably splendid, but dark shadows hung under the person's eyes, and his flesh was so gaunt that his cheekbones protruded sharply.

"Pay your respects. This person has been granted legitimate governing authority over Erianka by the Astria royal family-"

"Enough. Stop with the nonsense and get out."

Creeeeak-Bang!

"Good, now it's finally quiet. You were sent by the rcenary guild?"

"Yes, Viscount. I heard strange things are happening in your territory."

"Strange is an understatent. Three knights died. Two died instantly, and one passed away as of yesterday. I don't know if the remaining two will survive either. Their wounds are deep. It's truly a terrible disaster. Knights in na, but they were the leaders who guided each region of Erianka."

"I see. Please accept my condolences."

"I'm not looking for pleasantries. There's only one thing I want to ask. Can a re rcenary band solve what eight knights couldn't?"

The period transitioning from sumr to autumn. It would be forced to say a chill was lingering, but a different kind of coldness pervaded the reception room.

The eyes looking at Royce contained a hint of contempt.

Open disrespect.

However, the commander of Mountain Rabbits smoothly deflected it.

"It would be difficult with my strength alone. That's why I ca to seek help from the one who rules Erianka. Lady Ella here is a priestess of the Kriya Order. As a 3rd rank cleric, she will be of great help in resolving the situation."

"......3rd rank, you say? If it's 3rd rank, she must be an official priestess. Shouldn't she be at the order? How did you manage to bring her?"

"She is temporarily with our rcenary band. As the Viscount said, she is indeed an exceptional person."

"Hah, why is she associating with vulgar wanderers?"

In contrast, the treatnt of Ella was quite different.

For Calix, he didn't know how amazing '3rd rank' was, but he could indirectly sense it from the word 'official priestess'.

"I am soone who follows as Kriya leads . It's not important who I move with, but what I act for that matters."

"Hmm...... I understand. A 3rd rank cleric. In any case, she would be helpful."

Only then did Viscount Erchi accept and bring up the story of the 'Anomalous Phenonon’.

The first incident occurred last winter. Residents from the outskirts of Erianka ca seeking help, saying there were missing people.

"Even then, I thought it was just a false rumor. I instructed Baron Volgram and nobles from neighboring territories to deal with it. And about two months passed. The missing people, who were only about ten, swelled to over two hundred. All the soldiers sent to investigate completely disappeared. There wasn't a single witness."

"......"

"After that, the situation worsened beyond redy. Not only in southern Erianka but from all directions, even within this castle where I stay, missing people appeared. So I gathered all the lords in one place. Including myself, Volgram, Rubon, Tarmin, Susi, and others...... I assembled as many as eight knights. And then, and then......"

It was understandable that he looked shocked.

Eight 'knights' alone.

Without soldiers, a force that could massacre hundreds with just knights alone. However, they lost. Without being able to do anything.

Ella stepped forward to demand an answer.

"Did you see the Anomalous Phenonon directly?"

"No, I did not."

"But there were casualties. In so way or another-"

"Yes. Sothing must have happened. But I didn't see it. That night, two people died right here in this castle where I stay, but I saw nothing. So what could I tell you? Even the surviving knights have sealed their lips. My best option was just to endure and endure until I could receive outside help."

"......So you killed the residents?"

"That was...... An unavoidable matter. When fear spreads throughout the entire territory, it can only be filled with greater fear. Priests like you would never understand even if you died and ca back to life, but that too is a ans for efficient governance."

So the human skewers were indeed the Viscount's doing.

Calix inwardly admired the veterans' keen eye while naturally reading the window that appeared before his eyes.

He had requested information from the neural accelerator as soon as he t Viscount Erchi, and now he had beco quite accustod to handling it.

[User request confird]

[Target's neural accelerator identification complete]

[Poor quality individual confird]

[Confird as 'Luminus Guardian’, a degraded version of the Astria Kingdom's exclusive device 'Luminus Seraphim']

[Output estimation impossible]

[Identification target's neural accelerator is in a state of excessive mana exposure]

[Presud to be stimulated by external substances]

And this ti, too, Ashapel Raimund's neural accelerator did not disappoint him.

There was sothing wrong.

With Viscount Erchi.