The Red Lamp of Lacorinto
Did I hear that wrong?
Roberta replayed Elias's words in her mind.
The lord's subjugation force was defeated by Kkul?
Her expression became identical to that of the young noble standing at the door. It was absurd. A subjugation force had lost? To a monster—no, to Kkul?
She had occasionally heard of territories suffering damage from Kkul, but never in her life had she heard of a lord being defeated by them.
They were certainly dangerous monsters, but they had never grown to the point of becoming a true threat. If they ever amassed enough numbers, they could devastate several small nations as described in ancient records—but who would ever allow that to happen?
The reason Kkul had been able to rampage in the previous era was largely because there had been far greater dangers at the time.
"Who told you that?"
"The sailors. I just heard it at the tavern with Bell."
According to Elias, Kkul had been rampant in other regions as well.
Like the group Ulrich's party had faced, they tended to block major routes. Because of this, a certain count whose overland trade had been cut off personally led a subjugation force—and failed.
"Isn't it strange? How could a monster like Kkul defeat a subjugation force? The ones we fought weren't nearly that strong."
Roberta glanced at Ulrich.
He listened to the conversation while tilting his teacup.
"It is certainly strange."
It was possible the subjugation force had been small, but even then, Kkul would need overwhelming numbers. Was it even possible for them to gather in such quantities?
Perhaps a mutant was the cause. Like the variant Kkul they had encountered, a special individual might have emerged and caused the anomaly. Monsters were, after all, prone to mutation.
"Right? Don't you think we should check it out?"
Roberta was about to agree, but then—
"That won't be allowed."
A firm voice came from the end of the corridor. The fairy Vermelani approached and stood beside Elias.
At the sight of her, Roberta was briefly reminded of her earlier conversation with Ulrich, but she showed no sign of it.
"What? Why not?"
"You already know why. It's far too dangerous."
"Even if we're just going to check?"
With an expressionless face, Vermelani replied:
"How can you be certain that the monsters the subjugation force encountered were truly Kkul and not something else? And even if they were—what then? Will you really stop at just confirming it?"
When he failed to answer, she continued:
"Young master, this is not comparable to before. No matter how much you wish it, I cannot allow it this time. If you insist, then seek permission from the head of the family—not from me."
The moment their eyes met, the young noble lowered his head weakly.
"There's no way my father would allow it."
"You know that, and yet you say such things?"
"But…"
"You've had more than enough adventure. It's time to return home, young master."
Elias opened his mouth as if to protest, then closed it again. Silently, he tapped the floor with the tip of his foot.
Watching him, Roberta turned to Vermelani.
"Will you be returning to your main house?"
"Yes. That is the plan. But what will you do, Priestess?"
Roberta glanced at Ulrich, but he gave no response.
In situations like this, it was always Roberta who decided.
"We will proceed to the Pantheon as planned."
"In that case, would you consider traveling with us a while longer?"
"How far are you going?"
"It won't be far off your route," Vermelani added.
"For now, our destination is Luogallan."
Roberta traced the name in her mind. She had never been there, but she had seen it on a map. It lay southeast of Rilmer, within the Jokuster Empire—along the route to Novasolon, where the Pantheon stood.
"May I ask why you're heading there?"
"Count Luogallan is a vassal of the Landeyar ducal house. As you know, these are unstable times. Even if we return, we intend to choose the safest route."
Roberta nodded in understanding. For the young noble and the fairy, there was a greater concern than Kkul—the conflict between the Jokuster royal family and the Kormillius house.
Elias was the third son of the Duke of Landeyar, and Landeyar was a branch of the Jokuster royal family. Those aligned with Kormillius within the Empire might attempt to act against him.
In such a situation, continuing the journey was reckless. They had only a single escort, and that escort was an imperial fairy—making it difficult to conceal their identity.
They had only been allowed to travel because tensions had not yet fully escalated. If it had been later, they would never have received permission.
"Once we reach Luogallan, we plan to request an escort from the count. Until then… we would be grateful if—"
"You want us to escort you."
Monsters were one concern, but more than that, they feared people. As long as a priestess of the Pantheon was with them, even those opposed to the ducal house would hesitate to act rashly.
"Yes. If you are willing, we would like to request your company."
In a way, they were asking to use her position as a shield—but Roberta did not feel offended. It meant they trusted her.
Originally, it was not a relationship where one could easily grow close. Just as Ulrich's party had been wary at their first meeting, if they had encountered someone aligned with Kormillius, it would not have ended with mere caution.
Vermelani's concern was not unfounded. The young master had enjoyed enough adventure—now she simply wanted to return him safely home.
Roberta smiled and nodded.
"Understood. If I can be of help to you."
***
Eight days passed after they left the port city of Rilmer.
After sending off the two children they had rescued from the Kkul, along with their grandparents, Ulrich's party headed toward the territory of Count Luogallan.
There was no urgency in their journey, but they camped for six out of those eight days.
Even with two additional companions joining the group, the one who led the journey was still Ulrich.
And he preferred camping.
Thanks to that, the young master of the ducal house often spent sleepless nights. Despite his love of adventure, even after several days he couldn't get used to the insects. Watching him, the fairy openly let out a sigh.
"Kkul again."
And just as frequently as the bugs, Kkul kept appearing.
"Again?"
"Yes."
"I expected it, but this is too frequent."
From the third day onward, they began encountering Kkul. It was only natural. Luogallan bordered the region where the subjugation force had been defeated. Being close to an area where monsters had gained control, it was easy for them to cross over.
As Ulrich's party continued on their journey, they diligently hunted Kkul along the way. Whenever sightings were reported in villages or hamlets they passed, they immediately tracked them down.
So far, they had dealt with four groups of Kkul.
The frequency was high, but compared to the ones at the ruins, the size of these groups was insignificant. At most, there were five or six, and they hadn't even settled properly yet. Groups of this size could easily be handled even by a village militia.
"And I've heard that various other monsters have been sighted as well."
The real problem lay elsewhere.
"As far as I know… there hasn't been a demonic zone formed around here."
"And yet, multiple types of monsters are being found."
A variety of monsters appearing without a demonic zone?
That was nearly impossible. Even if several monsters escaped past the boundaries, they would usually be discovered and subjugated nearby within a short time.
Ulrich's party had now stepped into the territory of Count Luogallan. There had originally been no demonic zone in this area. Yet recently, monsters had been appearing—and of many different kinds.
There was only one possible conclusion.
***
As the sun began to set, Ulrich's party started preparing camp.
Ulrich and Vermelani went out hunting. For the first few days, she had simply eaten Ulrich's cooking, but after they had hunted Kkul at the ruins, she began joining the hunts herself.
When the two of them set out in different directions with bows, the others fetched water, gathered firewood, and lit a campfire. Before long, the hunters would return, and they would eat their fill.
Then, as they chatted comfortably in their fullness, the sun would sink beyond the mountains. Normally, they would go to sleep at that time.
But this day was different.
It was the ninth day since leaving the port city of Rilmer.
"It seems like a demonic zone has formed."
Sitting by the campfire, Roberta voiced her conclusion.
"Based on everything we've experienced coming here—it fits. A demonic zone has formed, and it's not being controlled."
"Then… could that be related to the failed subjugation?"
At Elias's question, she nodded.
"It's likely they set out without realizing a demonic zone had formed—and were defeated because of it. Even for the Pantheon, destroying or sealing a demonic zone is no easy task."
"Then why would one suddenly form?"
"We don't know. There are many reasons why demonic zones can form. We'll probably get a clearer picture once we meet Count Luogallan."
Since the suspected location of the demonic zone was near his territory, he might know something.
"Then doesn't that mean Luogallan is in danger too?"
Fritz suddenly asked.
Everyone's gaze turned to Vermelani. They were heading to Luogallan for safety—if it turned out to be more dangerous because of the demonic zone, they would have to reconsider.
Just as she was about to speak—
"…."
A sound.
Without anyone prompting it, all five of them fell silent.
It was well after sunset. Their eyes, accustomed to the firelight, struggled with the darkness—but their ears were sharp.
They heard footsteps approaching through the dark.
Not one—but several.
Multiple figures were crunching through fallen leaves, drawing closer.
The sound came from behind Fritz.
Roberta fixed her gaze into the darkness and gripped the sword she had set beside her. Everyone except Ulrich revealed their vigilance in the same way.
"Light, drive away the darkness."
The boy turned around, took hold of the branch of the spirit tree, and murmured. The staff began to glow white, pushing back the darkness in all directions.
Soon, the surroundings were as bright as day.
The light illuminated a radius of twenty paces around the boy.
At the twenty-first step, the uninvited guests stopped.
"Who are you?"
Roberta asked. Her voice was low, but in the stillness of the night, it carried clearly.
"If you've come as guests, state your identities first."
"Ah! My apologies."
With a voice tinged with laughter, the visitors stepped into the light and revealed themselves.
There were three of them—two men and one woman.
The one who had laughed was the woman, standing at the center.
"We didn't mean to startle you. It's just that our sister here seemed to be traveling with quite an unusual group, and I got a little curious… I forgot to introduce myself."
Sister?
Roberta narrowed her eyes and studied the woman. When she said "sister," she had been looking directly at Roberta, her tone gentle.
"A priest…?"
Her instincts told her the woman was a priest, but her appearance said otherwise. None of the visitors wore priestly robes or religious ornaments. At a glance, they looked like ordinary travelers.
"May the grace of our Father Hestio be with you. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Beatrice."
As Beatrice placed her right hand over her chest in greeting, a faint light shimmered across the back of her hand, revealing a pattern.
Seeing it, Roberta immediately understood who they were.
Inquisitors.
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