CHAPTER 173

Screech-screech-screech!

It was said that the darkest hour is just before dawn.

And at this darkest hour in the city of Mosiam, there were two men cutting through heavy fog.

Amidst very eerie sounds.

"How long do we have to keep doing this?"

"Until we find it."

"When will we find it?"

"Until it reveals itself, right?"

"······."

Vlad kept pulling on the handle without a moment's pause, and veins already bulging on his forehead.

To the eye, it was an ordinary fumigator, but it was so incredibly stiff that it was difficult to hold it for long, even with Vlad's grip strength.

"Anyway, we need to find it quickly. Our current state is quite suspicious."

"I agree."

As Vlad said, the appearance of the two would be undeniably suspicious to any guards they encountered, without any plausible explanation.

Nibelun wore a peculiar crow mask, while Vlad covered his mouth with a mask.

There was a reason they had to dress like this, although anyone seeing them now would be shocked.

"I'll say it once more, don't take off your mask. There's poisonous herb inside the fumigator."

"I got it."

A sharp warning flew to Vlad, who was trying to discreetly remove his mask.

In order to burn a lie, something more vicious is needed.

The fumigator that burned the false fog was filled with poisonous herb powder specially made by Nibelun.

'Damn you cat.'

He cursed inwardly, but couldn't utter it aloud.

In such a strange situation, even someone like Vlad needed a guide.

And Nibelun, the mage, was also someone with enough ability to guide.

"Just a moment."

"Did you find it?"

Vlad could not hide his joy when Nibelun told him to stop for a moment.

Though as a knight he couldn't admit it, pulling on the stiff fumigator was quite a task even for Vlad.

"······Yes. I think I found it."

Nibelun looked down at his palm with tense eyes.

A small stuffed doll dancing on his palm.

The button eyes, poorly sewn by whoever made it, wobbled, but its dancing movements seemed as if it was alive.

"It's over there."

"Hmm."

Where the dancing doll was pointing.

Vlad and Nibelun, leaning against the alley wall, looked at the direction pointed by the doll's blunt fingertips.

"······Seems like we've found the right place."

"That seems to be the case."

At the outskirts of the city where no one could be seen, there was a single sign swaying in the wind.

-St. Pocus Cemetery -

Following the doll's guidance while dispelling the false fog, they arrived at the cemetery of the city of Mosiam.

"Why aren't you going in?"

"You've been leading the way all along."

"Now that we've found our destination, it's your turn to lead."

"······Come to think of it, I think I dislike cats."

Vlad and Nibelun switched places while grumbling that dogs were the best.

The sound of dry saliva swallowing was heard from the mouths of the two people looking at the cemetery without anyone saying anything first.

※※※※

The peculiar curse that had spread among the children of Mosiam was accompanied by the following symptoms:

Deep sleep, same dream, and gradually decreasing body temperature.

And here, the young deacon who had just awakened was also experiencing the same symptoms.

"Are you cold? Shall I bring you a blanket?"

"Uh-huh······. Yes."

As they watched Jean shiver as soon as he woke up, the Holy Knights around couldn't hide their bitter expressions.

In Mosiam, there were parents who had lost their children, and the last images of their children as they spoke as if they were vomiting were exactly the same as Jean's behavior now.

"Have you felt anything suspicious in your dreams?"

As Yustia wrapped her arms around Jean's trembling shoulders, she was doing her best to prevent the boy from being scared, but there were already too many things he had seen.

Holy Knights surrounding the bed and people meticulously jotting down everything said.

Even the dumbest child would realize that something was wrong in the current situation.

"······Well, you see."

"Tell us."

Yustia's voice was warm, but Jean's lips only mumbled.

Feeling anxious amidst unfamiliar surroundings and people, the young deacon turned his gaze towards the familiar blond hair, as if seeking help.

Seeing the boy's eyes as if seeking help, Vlad quietly walked to the bedside.

"Tell us, deacon. If you don't speak, I can't help you."

"But······."

"Don't worry."

Vlad grabbed Jean's trembling shoulders, looking at the young deacon with a firm gaze.

"Look. I haven't let go of you yet."

A guide who has been with him so far at Andrea's request.

Jean's eyes, which had been shaken by Vlad's words that said you were still under my control, were slowly calming down.

"I'm not sure about any evil energy, but······."

"Yes."

"I definitely felt something."

Not an ordinary child, but a deacon directly under Bishop Andrea.

The boy who had been raised in the embrace of God for a long time was testifying.

"In the dream, I saw a bonfire, and I could clearly feel a sense of divine energy within it."

"······Yes?"

Suddenly, as Jean's unexpected answer echoed, both Yustia, who had been questioning, and Günter, who had been standing quietly with his arms crossed behind, stopped their actions.

The warmth and comfort of the bonfire, like a mother's embrace.

The young deacon said he felt a divine energy within it.

"······A divine energy."

"What in the world?"

A divine energy mixed into ominous dreams.

Amidst everyone's astonishment at Jean's unexpected answer, there was a man who swiftly took action alone.

"Eek!"

"Thank you for your hard work."

Jean let out a startled scream as he felt a sudden sting on the back of his head, but Vlad, who was embracing Jean, calmly patted his head as if nothing had happened.

"Don't worry. Just rest now."

"······Yes."

Watching Jean scratch his head in confusion, Vlad quickly covered him with a blanket.

On Vlad's fingertips, which were gently stroking the young deacon, there were a few strands of damp hair.

They were Jean's hair.

※※※※

"I'm sure that's where the curse I cast is pointing to. Let's move forward."

"I told you I know."

Even now, the doll still dancing had Jean's hair tied to it.

The sinister mage, the plague doctor chasing death.

To identify the origin of the curse spreading through dreams, Nibelun chose a method of casting the curse on Jean himself.

"We don't have much time. Dawn is approaching soon."

"I know that too."

Having tied his own fate at the end of the mysterious dream, Nibelun had perfectly completed the mission as Vlad had wished.

And now, as Nibelun had just said, it was time for Vlad to take the lead.

'I can't call for backup······.'

It wasn't about affiliation; it was about time.

The curse engulfing Mosiam lurked within the fog, drifting around like faint bubbles, permeating every corner.

It also meant that if it wasn't right now, even the place they worked so hard to find would soon be useless.

"I can't climb over the wall, you know?"

"Aren't you a cat?"

"I'm not a cat, I'm a beastman."

"······You're kidding. Seriously."

While Vlad agilely climbed over the wall of the cemetery, Nibelun below just blinked his eyes and stood still.

"Heh!"

"You're quite skilled with your hands."

Vlad climbed over the wall, almost carrying Nibelun on his back, and he swiftly scanned the surroundings as soon as they entered.

The atmosphere of the cemetery quickly subdued the irritation from earlier.

Under the thickening mist, countless names of the deceased were densely inscribed.

'The fog has gotten thicker.'

Even Nibelun, who usually remained composed, was visibly tense, with his ears perked up, amidst the growing gloom.

Perhaps due to mood, there seemed to be a slight vibration beneath the ground they stood on.

-There's a voice calling me from the darkness; if I turn my head to that place······.

A chanting voice reached the two hidden between the tombstones, sounding suspiciously eerie from the innermost part of the cemetery.

"Let's go."

"Yes."

The knight eager to lift the curse and the mage craving death simultaneously gleamed with determination.

As they followed the chant, the doll's movements became more intense.

-If you are with me, I believe you won't be ensnared by the eyes watching from the darkness.

"Three, four?"

"From what I saw, it's four."

In the darkest hour before dawn, the cemetery illuminated faintly with a magic circle.

It was a magic circle drawn by unknown men traversing the land of the dead.

"They seem to be completing a ritual through the chant. I'm not sure what exactly they're trying to do."

"Nevertheless, it's wise to disrupt them before they complete it."

As the faint chants progressed, the drawn magic circle on the ground began to glow brighter.

As the magic circle glowed brighter, a sense of urgency began to grip Vlad's heart.

'But still!'

Knowing the enemy and understanding the situation were essential to resolving the crisis.

The teachings of Auguste, guiding through the darkness, showed Vlad the way forward.

There were four men roaming the cemetery.

Among them, two were inside the circle.

And there was an unknown jar placed within the magic circle.

"Can you break that jar?"

"If it's just the jar."

"Good."

This time, Nibelun reached into his backpack and pulled out a slingshot.

As Vlad watched him prepare, he quietly closed his left eye.

'Suppressing the momentum is spectacular.'

Taking a deep breath, a piece of advice from an old voice echoed in Vlad's mind.

In Vlad's closed left eye, there was a more dazzling golden glow than any color imaginable.

※※※※

"······!"

"Who goes there!"

A golden beam entirely out of place in this setting.

Vlad's strike, finally revealing his presence, was so swift that the men couldn't react.

Crack!

'One down!'

He swiftly dispatched one of the two men outside the circle.

The man hadn't even noticed Vlad's approach.

"Block him!"

"No! Protect the Lord Bishop!"

The man inside the circle desperately drew his sword.

But it was too late.

Swish!

'Two!'

The second man, though he saw Vlad coming, hadn't drawn his sword in time. He was mesmerized by Vlad's dazzling aura.

"Protect the Holy relic!"

-Aaaah!

The man who seemed to be the leader of the group hurriedly pointed to the jar, but the suspicious jar was Nibelun's responsibility.

Amidst the whizzing of the slingshot, an indistinct sharp sound echoed.

Crash!

The jar shattered with a scream-like sound.

The scent emanating from within was that of fresh herbs.

"Someone did it!"

Vlad swiftly dispatched two of the four men and shattered the mysterious jar.

Standing in front of the man who seemed to be the leader of the group, Vlad checked his face and smiled fiercely.

The man who could not hide his bewildered expression as he looked at the sword pointed at him was someone Vlad knew well.

"What's going on here? Bishop Pierre!"

"Dammit!"

In the blink of an eye.

The only man not subdued attempted to approach, but Nibelun's slingshot was already aimed at him.

"Did you spread the curse here?"

"I am a faithful servant of God, a bishop of the Vatican! Do I seem like someone who would do such a thing?"

"Then what are you doing here!"

Broken jar and subdued men.

And even the triangular circle gradually loses its shine.

Pierre exploded in anger towards Vlad, blaming him for ruining everything he had planned.

"I came here to lift the curse! You fool!"

"That's..."

Could you be trusted? 

You are the one who sold false indulgences and pinned the blame on me.

But Vlad couldn't bring himself to say those words out loud.

"It's all over now! Because of you!"

"······!"

A triangle that gradually loses its light under the darkest sky.

The vibrations felt from below grew louder and began to break Vlad's balance.

"What the hell are you doing here!"

"Ahhhh!"

Even Vlad's voice was nearly drowned out by the immense vibrations.

But amidst it all, there was someone's scream of agony.

"Help me!"

The man targeted by Nibelun's slingshot.

He was hanging limply in the air, attached to a pile of tentacles of unknown origin at his feet.

"The Tree of Qliphoth! God's will is spoken backwards!"

A huge body that crawled out of the land of the dead.

Its branches reached into the sky, while its roots spread into the earth.

Instead of light, its leaves consumed darkness.

What finally appeared was a tree that defied the laws of the world, hanging everything upside down.

"Lord Bishop-!"

Crack!

The man who was crying out in agony was torn in half along the roots.

Guts spilled out, raining down onto the shattered jar.

"What in the world is that..."

"Now there's no escaping!"

Only Vlad, Nibelun, and Pierre remained standing on the land of the dead.

Beneath them, the circle drawn on the ground emitted only a faint light.

"If you want to survive, help me! I need to complete the triangle!"

"Lord Vlad! Hurry! The old man's right!"

Upon hearing Pierre's plea to complete the triangle, Nibelun quickly placed Vlad at one of the vertices.

"What do I do!"

"Spit out the aura!"

Nibelun swiftly took the place where the jar had shattered.

And Vlad stood where the subdued man had been.

"I mean, create your own world that you've been so proud of!"

And Pierre, reciting a prayer.

The three stood before the ominous tree.

-Even if there's a voice calling from the darkness, beckoning me to turn my head towards it...

The voice had spoken.

There are only three ways to break the evil curse.

-If you are with me, even the eyes watching over me will not be swayed!

A knight with his own world.

A mage defying the rules of the world.

And an exorcist wielding the will of God.

The prayer chanted under the darkest sky echoed loudly through the fog of Mosiam.

Together with it, the shining triangle formation.

It was an exorcism triangle that drove out evil beings.

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