[Raul's POV]
Several days passed. After our first patrol, we were only assigned to the roads connecting the Fortress City of Cataluna with other small towns. This kept me from conducting any real investigation into the whereabouts of the demons.
On the day of the planned subjugation, eight of my members were borrowed by the military to assist in a raid on a monster nest. When I volunteered to join the operation, they refused, claiming I was needed to lead the remaining portion of my unit on patrol. Fortunately, there were no fatalities among my members who participated. However, Ariel seemed somewhat traumatized by the sheer number of soldiers who died during the raid.
Following the success of the raid, the good news was that monster activity within the Margraviate of Cataluna decreased. However, the number of missing citizens continued to climb. I do not know when the demons will launch their major strike, but the regional authorities have yet to take further action regarding the disappearances.
Having no power or influence is truly infuriating. You can only stand by, unable to do anything to effect change. It seems the demons have established some sort of base to serve as their center of operations. Even though my strength has significantly increased, it is still impossible for me to enter their base alone and exterminate them all.
I am not a protagonist...
If I were a protagonist, I could easily persuade Emilia with the typical "Talk no Jutsu" they usually possess. To be honest, I still have one request granted by Marquis Fran after defeating Emilia in the tournament, but I want to save it for when the war eventually breaks out.
This morning, I watched my members training on the grounds near the barracks. Scarlett was repeatedly attempting to coat her body in fire magic. So far, she still hasn't been able to awaken her Codex.
"How is your progress, Scarlett?" I asked her.
"No change at all," she replied curtly. She then went quiet for a moment, as if wanting to tell me something. "Captain, how can I become stronger? To be honest, I feel like I've hit a dead end."
"Try to remain calm when you are backed into a corner in a fight," I answered.
Scarlett looked confused by my words. However, this is the only hint I can give her regarding the nature of her Codex.
"Captain!"
A voice called out from behind me. Turning around, I saw Piers running toward us, clutching a piece of paper.
"What is it?" I asked.
"We finally have an assignment to patrol a village!"
The time has finally come. I hope our assignment lasts more than just a single day. Taking the paper from Piers, I read the contents. It stated that our group was assigned to help maintain security in Graniola Village for five days. It also mentioned that I have the right to conduct independent operations if necessary. However...
"I must obtain permission from the Vice-Captain of the Patrol Unit, Emilia de Cataluna..."
Ugh... is she coming along on this mission too?
"That's right. I will be heading there as well, bringing twenty patrol troops as additional support."
I suddenly heard a familiar voice approaching. Looking up, I saw the woman with shoulder-length brown hair carrying a spear walking toward us.
"Senior Emilia?" I greeted her.
"Quickly order all your members to get ready. We move out in ten minutes," she commanded.
Following her instructions, I gathered my fifteen members. Our group and the unit led by Emilia then headed toward the north gate to depart for Graniola Village.
"Senior, what is the situation in that village? Are there reports of more missing residents?" I asked.
"You were right about this, Raul," Emilia replied with a grim face. "Now, even a patrol team stationed there has vanished during a night patrol. We'll learn the details once we arrive."
After a two-hour journey, we finally arrived at Graniola Village in the late afternoon. The atmosphere was somber and eerily quiet. It seemed the residents were afraid to let their families walk outside. After speaking with the village chief regarding the placement of my members and Emilia's unit, we immediately moved to the topic of the disappearances.
"Village Chief, what is the current state of the village?" Emilia asked.
"You can see for yourself. The residents are afraid to leave their homes once evening approaches," the middle-aged man replied. "In the last ten days, about twenty villagers have vanished, likely killed by whatever is out there."
If combined with the total number of missing people across various villages in the region, the death toll has reached 100. This cannot be allowed to continue.
"Village Chief, is there a cave, a forest, or a large abandoned building nearby?" I asked.
"There is no forest, and as far as I know, no caves at all around this village," he answered clearly. "However, there is a large mansion about ten kilometers west of here."
"Is that mansion still occupied?" I followed up.
"I don't know. It's owned by a wealthy merchant in the Duchy of Grenaut," the Village Chief replied. "They only visit for vacations to escape the city noise. However, since this security crisis began, we haven't dared to go out and check on it."
Hearing the Village Chief's explanation, I glanced at Emilia. She gave me a look that seemed to say, 'What now?' I signaled for her to discuss this privately.
She sighed and turned back to the Village Chief. "Thank you for the information. We will do what we can to provide security for this village."
"It is quite alright. I am the one who should be grateful that you came all this way from the capital to help," the Village Chief replied humbly.
The two of us then left the residence. Emilia glared at me.
"What do you want that was so urgent we had to cut the meeting short? You'd better have a good reason," Emilia said coldly.
"I want to borrow all of your members to investigate that mansion," I revealed.
"Why should I agree to that?" she asked.
"Because if we rely only on my group, we won't survive if we encounter three or more demons," I answered directly.
Hearing my words, Emilia rubbed her temples as if she had a headache. "You're still talking about demons..." she muttered, appearing exasperated.
Nevertheless, I kept my gaze serious. This was the chance to find a trail of those demons. If I missed it now, the casualties among the citizens of Cataluna would continue to mount in vain.
"Sigh... fine. But I am coming with you."
"Ugh... you won't interfere with my chain of command or anything while we're there, will you?" I asked to be sure.
"Depends. If your actions are nonsensical, I'll have no choice but to step in, as I am responsible for your group."
Though this might hinder my plans later, I have to compromise for now for the safety of Cataluna.
"Understood."
***
[Ariel's POV]
What are we doing out in the dark of night, so far from the village?
Currently, I and ten other members are walking toward a large mansion alongside a 20-man unit led by Senior Emilia. Raul said we were just going to check the building. However, I saw hesitation on his face when he said it. Are we going to fight monsters there? Thinking about it brings back the horror of the monster nest raid from a few days ago.
Despite bringing a battalion of 500 troops, 10 mages, and 10 Priests, the death toll reached 48. I even suffered from Mana Exhaustion because I had to constantly heal wounded soldiers. Blood splattered everywhere and the screams of soldiers terrified of death left a deep trauma within me. I hope we won't face a horrific battle like that again.
After walking for two hours, we finally arrived at a massive, dark mansion. From the outside, it appeared unoccupied.
"Tazz, Piers, and Vista! Break down the gate," Raul ordered.
The three of them nodded and began to kick and strike the eight-meter-tall gate with force. Crows took flight, startled by the loud noise. Once the gate was breached, thirty of us entered the mansion grounds.
- Kruk... Kruk... Kruk...
The hooting of an owl made the atmosphere even more terrifying. Opening the front door, we entered the dark interior using a lantern as our light source. We saw two staircases that seemed to lead to different sections of the building.
"With a building this large, it's better if we split up to sweep each section more quickly," Senior Emilia suggested.
Raul seemed to think for a moment before nodding in agreement. Our group and Senior Emilia's unit separated. Raul then turned to face us.
"Stay alert and watch your surroundings. If you feel anything unusual or strange, report to me immediately, understood?" Raul warned us.
We all nodded in response.
"Alright then, we will form our usual formation. However, for now, Scarlett will take Tianna's position on the left wing," he added.
We continued our sweep of the building. Honestly, with its massive size, the place we entered was more like a castle than a mansion. We entered a fairly large room, and after illuminating the area with my lantern, I could see books lined up on a massive bookshelf.
Hmm... it seems this is a library. I took a book from the shelf; inside was red writing I didn't understand. Is this a Rune? But it looked slightly different. I returned the book to its place and continued inspecting the room.
"...."
Ugh...
I was so shocked I nearly fell over when I saw that disgusting object. As I moved my lantern toward another part of the shelf, I found a jar containing a rotting human head.
"What is it, Ariel?" asked Viera, steadying me.
I simply pointed at the jar in response. Viera picked it up and called Raul over to inspect the head.
"We need to take this back to the village for identification," Raul said, placing the jar into a bag. "It might be one of the victims from Graniola Village."
"Is... is it possible this is a meeting place for a Devil Cult?" I couldn't help but ask.
The Devil Cult is rumored to perform taboo experiments involving human bodies. This is one of the reasons they are so heavily hunted, aside from their worship of demons.
"Most likely. We need to find other clues as evidence to bring back to the capital," Raul replied casually. "Let's move on to the other parts of the building."
After finishing our search of the library, we headed out. We arrived at a long corridor that seemed to connect the front section of the building with the center. However, as we were about to exit the corridor, I felt something drip onto my hair.
A red liquid continued to drip onto my cloak. Looking up, I saw something crawling along the ceiling. My heart raced as I witnessed the most horrific thing in my life. The creature then fell to the floor; fortunately, I managed to dodge before it could land on me.
"Uno Mas..."
"Melorine...?"
"Hakuna Matata...?"
The three of them muttered things I didn't understand. This creature... it consisted of three humans. A staff was shoved into the mouth of the first human and exited through their rear. That staff continued into the mouth of the second human, and so on to the third. The sight reminded me of an animal.
"Human Centipede..."
I heard someone mutter those words. Raul then stepped in front of the creature and unsheathed his sword. His face looked grave, as if he had steeled his resolve.
"You can rest in peace after this," Raul said, before decapitating each of them. "Forgive me..."
Was this one of those twisted experiments? Why would they do something so cruel to their fellow humans? What satisfaction could they possibly gain from this? My emotions flared at the thought. I didn't know such cruelty was allowed to happen out there.
"Let's move on. We'll take these heads when we head out," Raul said, sheathing his sword.
Before walking on, I knelt to pray for their souls to be accepted by the Goddess in the next realm. After exiting the corridor, we entered a vast room—an auditorium, likely for grand events like balls. The interior was lavish, even exceeding that of my own family, who are Counts. Large windows surrounded the hall, allowing the moonlight from outside to partially illuminate the space.
"Ahhh... a follower of Goddess Diana..."
I heard a woman's voice. Glancing up, I saw a domed window showing the beautiful full moon. My body trembled as a pale-skinned woman stood atop the window, smiling at me with a mouth full of blood.
"You will make a fine sacrifice for the summoning ritual, kikiki..."
The woman laughed as she flapped her wide wings, creating a gust of wind strong enough to shatter the glass of the domed window. A cold sweat broke out over my entire body.
"I-it's a Vampire!"