370

[Wizard Natas]

"After arriving at Midgard, your most important task is to find and eliminate the spreaders of the plague... I will send you to the place where the current epidemic is most serious, which should be the origin of the plague." Heimdallr said.

"Of course, I will help you find them, and once there are results, I will notify you immediately."

"Okay." Forseti nodded.

After he said that, Heimdallr opened the Rainbow Bridge and sent Forseti and Ander to Earth.

*Boom!*

The rainbow beam of light left a scorch mark on the ground. When the light dissipated, the two looked around and found themselves standing at the entrance of a town.

There were several human guards not far ahead, all of them looking disheveled, with pale faces and gaunt figures, clearly experiencing turmoil and poverty.

Seeing Forseti and Ander appearing with the rainbow, the guards were stunned for a moment, then quickly fell to their knees.

"Gods, it's Gods! Save us!"

"My daughter is infected with the plague, Lord, please save her!"

Another person, not sure what to think, knelt down and pleaded, "Don't kill me, don't kill me!"

Forseti stepped forward and asked, "Which country is this?"

"France," said the soldier kneeling on the ground.

So it was France, Forseti nodded.

"You must be here to save us, Gods, right? Please save the poor patients!" the guards said one after another.

Forseti: "Who is in charge here? Take me to see him."

"I will take you," said one of the guards.

Forseti raised his hand to summon the Holy Light Warhorse, and the golden steed appeared out of nowhere, startling the guards.

"Mount up." Forseti mounted the horse first, then signaled.

Looking at the majestic steed emitting radiant light in front of them, the guard swallowed hard, then gritted his teeth and climbed up, holding onto the horse's neck.

At the same time,

Ander also summoned his Holy Spirit Warhorse.

Guided by the guards, Forseti and Ander quickly traversed the town and arrived near a castle.

"Ser Yanok maintains order nearby. He's in this castle. I'll inform him."

Forseti and Ander waited outside for a while, then saw a middle-aged man with a bald head walk out of the castle.

As he emerged from the castle, he appeared suspicious and impatient, but upon seeing the majestic Holy Spirit Warhorse, his face suddenly lit up with surprise, and he hurried over.

"Respected... heavenly visitor," Ser Arnok bowed.

Every time Forseti came to Earth, humans called him various names—messengers of God, reincarnation of Buddha, warriors of the heavenly kingdom... all sorts of titles.

He was used to this, so he didn't feel the need to correct them, just nodded.

"Your name is Yanok, correct?"

"Yes," said Ser Arnok cautiously.

Forseti: "This is one of the first areas where the Black Death broke out in continental Europe. Tell me what you know so far."

Yanok hesitated for a moment, then said, "...heavenly guests, some of us suspect that the Black Death is a man-made catastrophe."

"So I sent several groups of warriors to investigate, but many of the investigators have returned empty-handed, and we have no results yet."

"Any casualties?" Forseti frowned slightly.

Ser Yanok: "Some were infected with the plague, others encountered bandits and beasts on the road, and some disappeared for unknown reasons. Perhaps they found something, but we do not know."

Forseti: "Tell me about these missing persons."

Sir Yanoke thought for a moment, then pulled out a map and spread it out in his hand: "This map marks the planned route of the missing persons. According to this, the southern part of town seems suspicious. Three groups of investigators went missing. The most recent ones were Ameligo and Baka."

Forseti took the map from him, and at that moment, Heimdallr's voice sounded in his ear: "Let me see."

After a moment, Heimdallr said, "I've found it!"

"It's near the southern mountains on this map. There's enough magical energy to block my sight. Come take a look."

Forseti put away the map: "Thank you, Yanok. Let's go investigate."

With that, he and Ander rode their Holy Spirit Warhorses into the sky, transforming into two golden streaks and disappearing in an instant.

Riding the Holy Spirit Warhorse, Forseti compared the map in his hand and soon arrived at their destination—a black low mountain crawling beside a river.

"See that broken dead tree? There's a hole nearby, and the magical energy blocking my sight is coming from inside it," Heimdallr said.

Forseti nodded, drew out the Demon Slayer Sword, and glanced at Ander: "Let's go down."

The Holy Spirit Warhorse carried the two to the vicinity of the broken tree. Guided by Heimdallr, they quickly found a hidden hole and entered.

The cave was dark and narrow, stretching far ahead. They walked for several minutes in silence, seeing no end in sight.

But suddenly, golden light flashed from Forseti's left palm, and the holy light pointed ahead, indicating a spot on the side wall.

Without hesitation, he thrust the Demon Slayer Sword backward.

*Boom!*

The brilliance of judgment exploded, a scream cut short, and then debris rained down.

The debris was dark and muddy, like mud mixed with ashes, making it difficult to discern what kind of creature had just perished.

This action clearly alerted the occupant of the cave.

"What kind of intruders dare to invade Lord Natas's territory!" An angry, hoarse voice echoed from the depths of the cave, carried on a chilling wind.

The voice didn't sound far off, prompting the two to quicken their pace and rush deeper into the cave.

Soon, shadows surged within the cave, and several black figures emerged from the walls. Vaguely human-shaped, they lacked human consciousness, charging at Forseti and Ander like beasts.

Yet they were filled with malice and filth. With a wave of their weapons and a sweep of holy light, Forseti and Ander reduced these black creatures to ashes.

In less than half a minute, Forseti and Ander reached the end of the cave, entering a spacious stone chamber.

Two figures occupied the chamber. One was a skinny old man with sparse hair, wearing a dark wizard's robe. His sunken eyes gleamed like those of a carrion-eating vulture, giving him a frightening appearance.

Beside the wizard stood a tall man in armor, wearing a mask. Parts of his body had been transformed into a black, monstrous creature.

"Kill them," the old man said coldly.

"Yes, Lord Natas!" The tall man's voice was hoarse, matching his initial growl.

As he spoke, he swung his large sword and charged toward Forseti and Ander.

Forseti remained calm, stepping forward with his sword drawn.

Judgment!

*Boom!*

The holy light flashed, and most of the tall man's body vanished, leaving only a corpse collapsing to the ground.