How a Reincarnated Warlock Lives – Chapter 134

Chapter 134: Fog (1)

The departure was immediate. As if to prove that the Inquisition wasn’t in a leisurely situation, there were no additional personnel.

Captain Berit Termesa of the Sky Knights had left for the Cloud Mountains to request assistance in restoring the distorted leylines and magic of the Grand Temple, and Marchena and Kazan had already left Hesterica to carry out the orders I had given them.

The destination was a large village in a region quite far from Hesterica. Unpleasant rumors were circulating, and a report had come in that an investigation by the Inquisition was necessary.

After riding for several days, I arrived near the village without any significant problems. Of course, it wasn’t that I didn’t encounter anyone during the journey.

The night before arriving at the destination. A group of people approached me as I was warming myself by a bonfire at a campsite not far from the village.

“Hey, mister. Mind if we share the fire?”

It wasn’t polite speech, but they didn’t seem hostile. They were a group of three or four mercenaries who had approached after seeing the light flickering in the darkness from afar.

They were probably traveling along a similar route as me.

“……”

I silently observed their appearance. An ordinary group of mercenaries. Nothing seemed suspicious. I nodded, and with a sigh of relief, they bustled around the bonfire, settling down.

The night air was quite chilly as summer had passed and autumn was approaching.

The mercenaries took out food such as dried meat, pieces of stale bread, and dried fruit, preparing a late dinner.

“May I ask where you’re headed?”

The oldest-looking one among them, with a grizzled beard, offered me some roughly grilled food – dried meat and dried fruit skewered on a wooden stick – as he spoke.

I had already finished my meal, but there was no need to refuse the kindness, so I accepted the food he offered and answered briefly.

“Kaments.”

“Oh, that’s good news.”

The mercenary’s face brightened at my words. Chewing on the tough, fire-roasted dried meat, he pointed to himself and his companions, continuing.

“We were just heading there ourselves. It’s the biggest village in this area, you see. We’re going to have a nice cold beer for the first time in a while, get our equipment fixed─”

I let the mercenary’s lengthy words flow past me. They seemed unaware that something strange was happening there.

Well, I didn’t know exactly either. I had only received a report that an investigation was needed, I hadn’t been there myself.

“Care for a drink?”

One of the mercenaries, who had been chatting and chuckling amongst themselves, suddenly pulled out a leather pouch and offered it to me.

As he opened the mouth of the portable leather pouch, a strong, sour smell wafted out.

Gulp. The man took a few large gulps of the cloudy liquid inside, grimaced, and roughly wiped his mouth with his hand.

“Ah.”

It wasn’t wine, but the moonshine that some mercenaries drank. I wasn’t particularly picky, but I didn’t feel like drinking the liquid, whose hygiene was highly questionable and would even be dubious for disinfection purposes.

“Don’t drink too much, Rut. We have to get up early tomorrow and enter the village.”

The nagging voice of the older mercenary came just in time.

“Tsk. Alright, alright.”

The one called Rut grumbled and put the pouch away. Smacking his lips, he suddenly looked at me as if he had remembered something and asked.

“But what do you do, mister? Wandering the wilderness alone at this time isn’t very wise.”

While I was choosing my answer.

Whoosh. A gust of wind blew, shaking the bonfire slightly.

The scattered flames briefly illuminated my face and cloak, which had been half-hidden in the darkness. Seeing my face clearly revealed, he tilted his head.

“Oh. You’re younger than I thought. Even more surprising.”

The older mercenary interrupted Rut, who was speaking in a slightly friendlier tone, and looked at me intently.

“Wait, could you be……?”

To be precise, he was looking at the faint emblem embroidered on my clothes and cloak. He seemed to have quite a keen eye, as befitting an experienced mercenary.

“My goodness.”

His expression hardened quickly as he recognized me as an Inquisitor of Hesterica. But he quickly changed his expression and spoke politely.

“I apologize if we offended you with our informality. We’re just ignorant folks who haven’t learned proper manners.”

“It’s alright.”

I shrugged and replied. He was quite well-mannered for a mercenary. Unusually so.

“What?”

Several mercenaries looked puzzled, not yet grasping the situation. Then the older mercenary lightly smacked the back of Rut’s head.

Thwack. The lightly struck mercenary glared and protested as if he felt wronged.

“Ow, why! Who is he? Some nobleman from a faraway land─”

“He’s an Inquisitor-nim.”

Blink. He blinked at his leader’s words and closed his mouth. Then, he quickly looked at me and said,

“……I apologize.”

A swift change of attitude. I waved my hand dismissively. The mercenaries flinched slightly at my gesture, but soon breathed a sigh of relief when they realized I genuinely didn’t mind.

“Wait a minute.”

After a brief silence, one of the mercenaries tilted his head and spoke.

“But what business does an Inquisitor-nim have in Kaments……?”

Following his words, puzzled expressions appeared on the faces of the other mercenaries.

“Did something bad happen there?”

Worried expressions. The fact that the place they were about to head to was the destination of an Inquisitor was not a very positive sign.

“Well.”

I said, tossing a handful of herbs I had picked before camping, which emitted a minty scent that repelled insects, into the flames.

“We’ll find out when we get there.”

Whoosh. Along with the billowing smoke, a fragrant scent that repelled mosquitoes spread around.

🔹🔹🔹

The place called Kaments was a bit small to be called a city, but it was quite large for a rural village.

A tall stone wall, rarely seen in rural villages, though it couldn’t compare to the city walls.

We followed the high stone wall, which easily exceeded the height of an adult male, and soon arrived at the entrance of the village.

“The fog is quite thick.”

The older mercenary, who had introduced himself as Bergen, muttered, narrowing his eyes.

The thick fog that filled the surroundings.

Since we had departed early in the morning, one might think it was a natural phenomenon, but the fog here was unusually thick.

Thick enough for the older mercenary to mention it.

“Let’s hurry in and stop by a tavern. I’ve been craving a hot stew after eating scraps of dried food for days.”

Rut, who had been sipping alcohol until late last night, said with a haggard expression, as if he didn’t care about the fog.

We passed through the half-open village entrance and went inside. As we entered the tall stone walls, the fog became even thicker.

Roads and large buildings were faintly visible here and there, but due to the short visibility, we couldn’t see anything far away.

“……”

A quiet village enveloped in thick fog. A strangely ominous feeling lingered in the air.

Gulp. Perhaps sensing this instinctive unease, one of the mercenaries gulped and looked around.

“Everyone stay close. Don’t separate.”

Bergen, the mercenary leader, said in a stern voice. A tone as if we had entered enemy territory.

It was a peaceful village that I had visited several times before, but no one objected to his words.

Faced with two ominous signs – an Inquisitor and the suspicious fog – the mercenaries were already on edge, cautiously observing their surroundings.

“……”

I looked around.

Even though it was morning with the sun risen, the surroundings were strangely gloomy. The thick fog swallowed and scattered the sunlight, making the surroundings even more hazy.

“Where is the largest inn in the village?”

“……It’s that way.”

Bergen answered my question, pointing towards the barely visible road.

I started walking in that direction.

In a village like this, the inn served as a tavern, a restaurant, a meeting place, and a hub for information exchange. If something had happened, I would surely be able to hear the general story there.

‘That is, if there’s anyone sane left.’

As was typical in rural villages, it was the time when the village should have been bustling awake, but the surroundings were extremely quiet.

Not a single bird chirped, not a single insect buzzed.

“Damn ominous, damn it.”

The mercenary Rut said, clinging close behind me.

“There, there it is.”

After carefully navigating the barely visible path, we finally arrived at the largest inn in the village, the only one of its size.

Ironically, for a place that should open its doors the earliest, the inn’s door was firmly locked.

Thump, thump, thump.

Before I could approach the door, Rut, quick on his feet, stepped forward and roughly pounded on the tightly closed inn door.

“Hey, is anyone in there?”

Despite Rut’s question, there was no response. But I could vaguely sense it.

Beyond the thick door, bolted shut with multiple locks, I felt the faint presence of anxiety and fear.

“……”

It was a negative emotion, but in a village where something suspicious had happened, it was a perfectly normal reaction to expect.

Still, it was proof that there was someone left who could tell the story. I stepped forward.

Perhaps a thick wooden plank had been propped against it from the inside, because the door wouldn’t open easily.

Bang!

“Damn it, open this damn door!”

An enraged Rut kicked the door violently.

Gasp. I heard a hurried intake of breath from inside, but the door remained closed.

Just as Rut, overwhelmed by the ominous and unsettling atmosphere, was about to raise his foot again, I stopped him and lightly raised my hand.

No matter what we said, the person hiding inside, having bolted the door shut out of fear, would not easily open it.

But breaking down the entire door wouldn’t be wise, considering what would happen after we entered.

However, I had a very useful and effective method for such situations.

Click.

The latch inside began to rattle at my touch.

The mercenaries’ mouths dropped open as they saw my raised hand and heard the thick wood scraping against each other.

Perhaps due to the holy spell I had cast using holy power, the thick fog that had filled the surroundings dissipated slightly.

Of course, as the spell that had achieved its purpose faded, the surrounding fog that had briefly cleared rolled back in, but it was enough to surprise the mercenaries.

“Magic……!”

Moreover, it wasn’t ordinary magic, but a holy spell activated by holy power. The mercenaries’ faces were filled with wonder.

Ignoring the mercenaries who were looking at me with expressions that seemed to say,”As expected of an Inquisitor-nim,”I lightly pushed the open door.

Creak.

“……!”

As the door opened, a gasp of surprise was heard from inside. This time, the sound was loud enough for the mercenaries to hear and their eyes gleamed.

Click.

Stepping through the open door, I quickly scanned the hall. Everything looked ordinary, but there was one object that caught my eye.

Only then did I understand why this place was still relatively intact.

A symbol of the Church, incongruous with a rural village inn.

A holy relic hanging in the center of the inn’s wall. The Papal Rosary, half-blackened, emitted a faint, pitiful light.

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