Arc 3 Chapter 10 : First Task

[Brian PoV]

My body was nearly at its limit — these monsters seemed endless, even after we'd been slaughtering them for a full hour straight.

—Groaarrr!

I heard a monster's roar from behind me.

Turning around, I saw a four-meter-tall monster about to lunge at me.

—Slash!

But suddenly, the creature's body split in two, its red blood splattering everywhere, soaking the armor I wore.

"Don't let your guard down, Brian! This fight's far from over!" said the large man who'd just saved me.

"Y-yes, Inquisitor Marcus!"

Right now, the Aques unit under the Temple of Goddess Diana's authority was carrying out a raid against a monster nest that had appeared in the Duchy of Grenaut.

In response, the Empire had partnered with them to ensure the safety of the Duchy of Grenaut's citizens, dispatching one battalion, numbering 400 troops.

I and the others kept fighting without pause, and after four straight hours of killing monsters, we finally won, clearing out the nest entirely.

Every soldier lay collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath, their bodies drenched in sweat.

This assault left 35 wounded and 27 dead. Among them was one of my own subordinates, who died when a monster with saw-like arms sliced his body clean in two.

"Aaron was a brave soldier."

I heard a familiar voice beside me.

Inquisitor Marcus was walking toward me, looking down at Aaron's body.

Aaron and I had both been academy students Inquisitor Marcus mentored when we started this activity.

If I recalled correctly, he had a girlfriend stationed in the Margraviate of Viturbe. How was I supposed to tell her that her lover had died under my command?

"Come on, Brian, let's leave this place. There's something I want you to learn," Inquisitor invited.

I complied and followed him out of the monster nest.

Of the six subordinates I'd brought, only three survived this mission. I didn't understand why this had happened — I'd done everything I could to kill as many monsters as possible.

Before long, we arrived at Inquisitor Marcus's tent. He grabbed a bottle of beer and sat down in a chair.

The Inquisitor drank his beer, then gestured for me to sit.

I had no idea what he wanted to tell me.

"Fighting one or a few enemies is different from fighting a battle involving hundreds or thousands," the Inquisitor said seriously.

I didn't understand what he was saying...

Was there really a difference between a small skirmish and a large-scale battle? Our goal was the same either way — defeat our enemies, no matter how.

"Your face says you have no idea what I'm talking about," the Inquisitor said, sighing. "In a large battle like this, the most important things are stamina and teamwork."

Stamina and teamwork, huh?

"I watched you during the fight — you never once coordinated with your subordinates, you almost always charged in alone," the Inquisitor said.

"But Inquisitor, isn't it our job to kill as many monsters as possible? And I hate to say it, but the others only slow me down when I try to work with them," I said bluntly.

"And what was the result? The monster wave kept coming while you'd already run out of stamina, losing focus, nearly getting yourself killed," the Inquisitor countered, taking another swig of beer. "As group leader, your primary responsibility in a fight is your subordinates' safety."

I could only lower my head, hearing the Inquisitor's words, and I supposed what he said was true. I really had been a poor leader.

"Listen to me, Brian. If you're already this strong fighting alone, imagine how strong you'd be fighting alongside your comrades," the Inquisitor said, gripping my shoulder. "Take this as a lesson for whenever you're on the battlefield in the future."

Fighting alongside others, huh? But how could I get them to keep up with my fighting style? They were already far behind in both strength and speed.

"Ah, so this is where you two are."

Suddenly, a woman in her twenties, wearing armor, entered our tent.

"Elvira, what is it?" Inquisitor Marcus asked.

She was Elvira de Nesentia, one of the youngest Inquisitors stationed at Alcantara Fortress.

Inquisitor Marcus held the rank of Senior Inquisitor, one level above Miss Elvira, who held only the Regular Inquisitor rank.

Inquisitors were a special unit within the Aques, made up of elite, experienced knights. Their duty was to investigate the whereabouts of heretics and hunt them down, ensuring they posed no threat to the Temple of Goddess Diana's authority.

Still, they occasionally joined raids like this one against monster nests.

"Read this latest newspaper," Inquisitor Elvira said, handing the paper she held to Inquisitor Marcus.

The Inquisitor's expression turned noticeably serious as he read its contents. I found myself curious what kind of information could unsettle him this much.

"It says here a group of academy students and a patrol unit successfully located a demon nest and killed a True Vampire in the Margraviate of Cataluna," Inquisitor Marcus revealed.

Huh, a Vampire? Aren't those winged demons that love drinking blood...?

Stolen story; please report.

Wait a minute! Isn't the Margraviate of Cataluna where Ariel's group was assigned!?

"Inquisitor! Is Ariel's name mentioned there!? Is she alright!?" I stood up, gripping both of Inquisitor Marcus's shoulders, demanding an answer.

"Calm down, Brian! There's no mention of any academy students being casualties, but 14 patrol members died at those Vampires' hands," Inquisitor Marcus answered, trying to calm me down.

Is that so? So Ariel's fine. What a relief...

"But it also states here they managed to defeat a True Vampire along with four accompanying Vampire Brides," Inquisitor Marcus murmured.

"They must be exaggerating this information," Inquisitor Elvira remarked. "There's no way a group of academy students could defeat a True Vampire alongside four Vampire Brides — even Inquisitor Marcus would need to go all-out to fight a single True Vampire."

"This must be Raul de Garcia's doing!"

Both Inquisitors furrowed their brows as I shouted that name.

"He's definitely the one spreading this exaggerated information to make himself famous!" I told them.

"Whatever the case, we need to be on high alert now that demons have returned, after their last appearance 50 years ago," Inquisitor Marcus said. "On top of that, the Temple's authorities have now ordered us to hunt down The Masquerade, who've become active again after what happened last year."

Was the incident the Inquisitor meant referring to the duel between Herman von Waltering, one of the Holy Knights, and the Performer wearing The Fool's mask?

Both had died in that duel.

"Brian, get ready. After this, we'll train to strengthen your abilities so you can hunt down those heretics," Inquisitor Marcus said.

"Of course! I'm always ready to grow stronger!"

.

.

.

.

.

.

[Raul PoV]

A month had passed since the raid on the Vampire base...

After the fight against the Vampires, Emilia and I reported our findings to Marquis Fran. He was genuinely shocked to learn a demon nest existed within his territory.

I then proposed evacuating the residents of the eight villages in the Margraviate of Cataluna to this Fortress City, to keep them safer from any further Vampire attacks.

Marquis Fran approved my proposal and ordered every villager to relocate to Cataluna Fortress City. This order caused some panic and fear — many villagers protested, reluctant to leave their homes, farms, and livestock behind.

Still, they had no choice but to comply.

But after evacuating the villagers, we detected no further Vampire activity at all. Even after ten days, there were no more incidents of people vanishing like before.

Hearing this, the villagers petitioned the Marquis to let them return to their respective villages, believing the threat had passed.

Still, Marquis Fran only allowed villagers to return on the fifteenth day, after sweeping every corner of the Margraviate of Cataluna in search of any remaining Vampire traces.

Watching this unfold, I sensed something wasn't quite right.

That was because it seemed unlikely the demons would send only one True Vampire into this world just to kill Brian. At the very least, they'd send a Noble Vampire, one whose strength rivaled a Grand Espada.

"Oh, Melissa, look at you, more beautiful every day!"

I watched a man flirting with a maroon-haired woman preparing drinks.

He was one of my subordinates, Tom. This man was well known for his constant habit of worshipping women.

Right now, we were at a tavern after finishing our daily patrol.

"Look at that loser, always groveling before women, dragging every man's dignity through the mud!"

The one shouting that was Jerry.

He was also one of my subordinates, known for carrying deep trauma toward women, having been cheated on and taken advantage of repeatedly.

"What did you say!? What's wrong with a man worshipping women!?" Tom asked, walking toward Jerry.

"Hmfft! Women only ever use and burden men! Only fools would ever grovel to them!" Jerry answered mockingly.

The two of them now stood face to face, Tom's expression furious, as though ready to beat Jerry senseless. The two had never once gotten along whenever they shared a room.

"Take that back!" Tom shouted, grabbing Jerry's collar.

"Or what? Women really are nothing but trouble for men!"

—Bamm!

Tom struck Jerry's face, sending him stumbling backward.

"All women are a queen!" Tom shouted loudly at Jerry.

Jerry wiped the blood from his mouth and burst out laughing.

"If she breathes... she's a b*tch!" Jerry shouted, then charged toward Tom.

The two drunken men began brawling inside the tavern, drawing even more attention to the place.

My other members cheered them on, placing bets on who'd win this time.

"Take back what you said about women!" Tom shouted, landing a punch on Jerry.

"Neverrrrr!" Jerry shot back, punching Tom in return.

They charged at each other again, each throwing another punch, and...

—Bam! Bam!

Both were sent flying, knocked unconscious before either landed their strike.

That's because I'd stepped in first, striking both of them hard to put an end to the chaos.

"Piers! Vista! Carry them out," I ordered the others.

The two were carried out, and I returned to my seat at the bar counter.

"Fufufu~ Those two seem more lively than usual."

I heard a woman's laughter in front of me. Her beautiful green eyes and maroon hair, tied up, gave off an energetic impression to anyone who saw her.

She was Melissa, daughter of this establishment's owner. She'd arrived from the Grand Duchy of Wiena ten days ago to help her father here.

The woman smiled and handed me a glass of beer.

"Thanks. Sorry they keep causing trouble at your tavern," I replied with a small smile.

"It's fine, honestly. Having your members here actually livens up the place," Melissa said, glancing at the academy students drinking and chatting.

For some reason, talking with this woman gave me a strangely familiar feeling. Judging by her face, I guessed she was only in her early twenties, making her two or three years older than me.

Her body language, way of speaking, and smile reminded me of her...

"What's wrong, Captain Raul? You've got such a sad expression," Melissa asked, looking at me with concern.

Damn it... everything about her matches, except her eye and hair color.

Was this just a coincidence?

"No, I'm just thinking about work," I lied to her.

"Is that so? How was today's patrol? Did you catch any criminal groups?" Melissa asked, pouring a bottle of beer into a glass, seemingly wanting to chat with me.

"Patrol activity's been rather monotonous lately," I told her. "This region's security crisis has passed. Villagers can now go about their business without fear."

"Thank you for all your hard work — we merchants no longer have to worry about our supply shipments being disrupted on their way here," Melissa said, raising her glass, inviting a toast.

I raised my glass, accepting her invitation, and drained the beer inside.

"Your homemade beer really is the best, Melissa," I complimented her.

"Ehehe~ Thanks for the compliment." She laughed softly.

While chatting comfortably with her, the ring given to me by The Masquerade suddenly began to glow faintly.

Which meant... were they about to give me a mission this time?

"Sorry, Melissa, there's something I need to take care of," I told her, standing up from my seat. "Thanks for the drink."

"You're welcome. Have a good night, Captain Raul."

After paying for the drinks, I left Melissa's tavern and searched for a secluded spot to perform a Soul Jump to our meeting place.

Once I found a suitable spot, I activated the ring and closed my eyes.

Before long, my head began spinning violently, and my whole body trembled intensely.

Once that sensation passed, I opened my eyes and found myself at the meeting place.

"Ah, you've finally arrived, Joker," Puppeteer said, apparently having gotten there first.

Unlike before, only Keeper and Puppeteer were present this time.

"Ughhh... I still haven't gotten used to Soul Jumping to this place," I muttered, complaining.

"Come here quickly. I have a mission for the two of you," Keeper ordered, opening her book.

She flipped through the pages, then stopped. A light appeared on the page Keeper was currently touching.

"You'll be heading to the Duchy of Grenaut," Keeper said, looking at the two of us. "Our Tracers there have found a new Cursed Child. Your task is to convince them to come stay at our orphanage and protect them from the Inquisitors currently hunting the child."

Fortunately, the Duchy of Grenaut wasn't too far from here. I could make the round trip after finishing my patrol duties.

"But be careful. A Holy Knight has reportedly been spotted in that area," Keeper warned us. "You need to bring the child in before the Inquisitors find them first."

"Is that our only task?" I asked her.

"Your second task is to kill Bishop Vermind, the highest-ranking official of the Temple of Goddess Diana's authority stationed there."

After receiving our assignment from Keeper, Puppeteer and I agreed to meet at the orphanage located there. We'd first meet with the Tracer who knew the child's location, then convince them to join The Masquerade.

Once the meeting concluded, my soul returned to my original body.

I figured this first mission would be fairly manageable, though we needed to be careful, since our operational area was located near one of the Inquisitors' fortresses.

Still, before carrying out this mission, I needed to handle the spy Duke Alvaro had assigned to track my movements outside the academy.

I didn't want that cunning man finding out anything about my activities as a Performer.

It seemed tonight, I'd need to lure her out and confront her directly.