How a Reincarnated Warlock Lives – Chapter 75

Chapter 75: Trap (1)

I looked around. It was quite a unique combination.

A reasonably warm afternoon. A situation with an Inquisitor, a vampire, and a shaman together in a city devoid of any human presence wouldn’t be very common.

If a stranger saw us, they would think a battle was about to break out.

Vampires who drink human blood and shamans who use forbidden shadow magic were already classified as heretics long ago.

But the surroundings were still quiet.

Whoosh. The corpses of snakes and black mages were piled up in one place, burning.

Acrid black smoke billowed high into the sky, over the city walls.

Since the sun hadn’t set yet, it would probably be visible from quite a distance. Seeing this, the surrounding cities would soon become aware of the situation here.

“Damn it.”

Marchena muttered a curse. The task of moving the snake corpses that filled the surroundings was not a simple one, even for a vampire with superior physical abilities.

I glanced at Marchena.

No matter how high-ranking a vampire she was, walking under the sun would consume a considerable amount of energy. Even more so now, after a brief but fierce battle with Lephra.

“That bitch.”

As if recalling the previous battle, Marchena muttered, touching the thin scar near her neck.

I was about to ask about the long scar on her face, stretching from under her eye to the corner of her mouth, but stopped. I didn’t think I would get a very pleasant answer.

There was no need to pick a fight.

Even though she grumbled with dissatisfaction, she still followed my instructions and moved the snake corpses that filled the city to one place, along with Kazan.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason she cursed.

“People?”

“None, not a single one.”

Kazan answered dryly to my question.

“It seems they were all captured and eaten alive.”

I had already anticipated this to some extent. The black mages of the Modesta Catacomb, who had deliberately made this place their nest, wouldn’t have left any unnecessary survivors.

“Damn black mages. This is why I hate them.”

It seemed like the target of her anger had shifted from Lephra to the black mages. She muttered curses towards the black mages of the Modesta Catacomb, seemingly with the intention of drinking the blood of the corpses.

I turned my gaze to the grumbling vampire and asked.

“How much longer can you endure?”

The reason I decided to travel with them was because they possessed quite useful skills. I would refuse to have them become a burden due to unnecessary matters.

At my question directed at her, Marchena stared at me and licked her red lips.

“Why, are you going to offer me your blood if you’re in a hurry? Well, your appearance is my type.”

Looking at her slowly approaching with a suggestive smile, I replied indifferently.

“I won’t stop you if suicide is your hobby.”

Drinking the blood of an Inquisitor, whose body is filled with holy power, is no different from drinking poison for a vampire.

“……Just kidding. So uptight.”

Marchena clicked her tongue and stepped back.

There was no one here who could offer her blood.

Not to mention me, an Inquisitor, even Kazan’s blood, which Marchena described as’ dirty’just like the black mages, didn’t seem suitable for a vampire.

Ah, if I had to choose, maybe Jerit. If he knew this fact, the feeling of regret he had when we parted ways would probably have vanished completely.

“You don’t have to worry. If she’s talking like that, she’ll be fine for at least a few months.”

Kazan said dryly, seemingly having grasped her habits while traveling together.

It seems there will be no problem until we reach the next city. I nodded at Kazan’s words.

“So, what’s next? You’re not going straight to the Society, are you?”

Kazan asked. He seemed to already know that I wouldn’t go to the Black Dawn Society until I finished my business here.

“Right. There’s something I need to take care of first. And I want you to help me with that.”

At my words, Marchena stepped forward, flaring up.

“This damn… Did we come all this way just to serve you─”

“If you don’t like it, you can go ahead and wait. I can’t guarantee when I’ll arrive there though.”

“Ha.”

“If you help me with my work, that time will be shortened a little.”

As if she was dumbfounded, Marchena sighed softly. I chuckled and said.

“The choice is yours.”

“It seems like you’re looking for traces of the Modesta Catacomb.”

Kazan, who had been silently watching me, asked.

“Why are you helping this kingdom? Because their objective is this kingdom?”

To his question, I replied simply.

“The Pain Kingdom is the bridgehead of the eastern region. If this place collapses, their territory will double.”

At my answer, he glanced at the pile of corpses still emitting smoke and then said.

“They must have already infiltrated the royal family.”

He’s quick on the uptake. The fact that they have started to act so openly means that the groundwork has already been completed to some extent.

“……So, where are we going?”

Marchena, who had been watching our conversation, asked with a sullen expression.

“Well, of course.”

I looked at her and continued.

“We have to go to the capital of the kingdom.”

🔹🔹🔹

Bazenhar wiped his wrinkled face with a tired hand. Despite his age with white hair, he was still active on the front lines and had been feeling increasingly tired lately.

It wasn’t because of the passage of time. Unlike his friend, Bazenhar, whose strength had weakened, he was still one of the best knights in the kingdom.

Even in yesterday’s sparring session, he had single-handedly knocked down three young knights full of vigor with just a wooden sword.

“Huh……”

The reason he felt fatigue was because of the current chaotic situation. There were internal rifts, and suspicious enemies were eyeing the kingdom from the outside.

Moreover, the health of the old knight Bazenhar’s friend, the current King Bier II of the Pain Kingdom, was not in good condition, even jokingly.

However, something that happened recently made him sigh even more than the deteriorating health of his old friend.

It was the death of the first prince, Edgar, who was a strong contender for the throne. The prince, who had been weak since birth, had finally succumbed to his illness and passed away.

When an incident occurs, the most suspected person is the one who benefits the most from it.

The second prince, Arsen, who became the sole heir with the death of the first prince, Edgar, was the first to be suspected, but the thorough investigation by the royal guards did not yield any significant results.

This was because Prince Arsen and his aides had clear alibis.

Moreover, the deceased Edgar had always been a frail individual, frequently suffering from nightmares and minor ailments.

The situation was dubious, but with the kingdom in turmoil both internally and externally, they couldn’t continue to interrogate Arsen, the sole heir, so the case was soon closed without a clear conclusion.

“The Hesterica Church……”

Bazenhar looked at the letter placed in front of him. The letter was already tattered from being read repeatedly.

Where the sender’s signature should have been, there was only an imposing emblem symbolizing the Inquisition: a cross-shaped sword and flames of a pyre.

The veteran knight Bazenhar, who had lived for many years, was as wise as he was brave, and he knew that the ominous hand of monsters had already reached the Pain Kingdom.

It was a time when no one could be easily trusted. There was a possibility that even this was a trap.

There were many in this world who felt no fear in impersonating the emblem of the Church.

“……”

But maybe, just maybe, this was the last chance for salvation. The wrinkles between Bazenhar’s brows deepened.

As a veteran knight who had experienced countless battles, his contemplation was quite long. But as always, once he made a decision, he never looked back.

Grab.

Bazenhar, who had crumpled the letter in his hand as if making up his mind, rose from his seat.

Whoosh.

He threw the letter into the burning fireplace.

As the veteran knight, who had removed unnecessary traces, took a step, the joints of his heavy plate armor, which he never took off except when sleeping, clanged together.

🔹🔹🔹

It wasn’t that difficult to find out the details of the current situation in the Pain Kingdom.

I had already received a general explanation from the Hegelan Branch, and Marchena and Kazan had quite excellent abilities in gathering information.

Well, considering their abilities, it wasn’t that surprising. It was only natural that a vampire who could transform into mist and bewitch ordinary people, and a shaman who could freely utilize shadow magic, were more suited for clandestine affairs than ordinary people.

The first thing I did was to find someone trustworthy in this chaotic kingdom.

In a situation where the influence of the Modesta Catacomb was clearly widespread throughout the kingdom, it was extremely important to make sure that the first stepping stone was safe.

If the first button was properly fastened, it wouldn’t be that difficult from then on.

“……What is the reason you asked to see me.”

I looked at the veteran knight in front of me. Strong muscles, unbefitting his age, were firmly embedded throughout his sturdy body.

He was the subject of cross-verification between Marchena and Kazan’s information and my personal investigation. Leaving aside his abilities, he was the person furthest removed from the Catacombs.

Perhaps even more so than the aging king.

“It was you who asked for help first.”

“……”

The veteran knight groaned softly at my words.

Indeed, this experienced figure had long since noticed that the kingdom was filled with spies of the rebellious faction, and he had asked for help from those most suited to resolve this.

Before departing from the Hegelan Branch, the moment I heard that a letter secretly requesting help had arrived from the royal palace, I had already painted the picture.

It wasn’t very complicated.

All I did was throw a rope to a desperately outstretched hand.

But fortunately for the veteran knight, the rope I threw was quite sturdy.

Sturdy enough to bear the weight of the burdens he carried on his back, heavier than his plate armor.

“Yes, it was I who asked for help first.”

The knight’s sky-blue eyes sparkled, unbefitting his age. He continued, keeping his gaze fixed on me as if trying to read my inner thoughts.

“And the fact that the Inquisitor of Hesterica has come to me like this means.”

I looked at the knight and completed his sentence for him.

“It means that the servants of the wicked heretics are hiding here.”

After a brief silence at my words, the knight asked with gleaming eyes.

“Can you find them? All of them, without leaving a single one behind?”

His hand twitched as he asked intensely. It was as if he wanted to take up his sword and punish the heretics who were gnawing at the kingdom right away.

“That’s.”

I smiled softly and whispered to him like a devil.

“My specialty.”

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