Dasha. She was a standout expert even within a secret agency composed of the most elite intelligence agents.
So, until now, she was somewhat complacent, feeling that there was nothing to fear unless facing a Decalon Knight-level threat.
However, the young prince, who seemed barely to have reached the level of a squire in terms of aura activation, was intently watching her whenever she arrived. It was indeed perplexing.
“Welcome, Dasha. Any new information?”
What was more irritating was that he looked blankly at her as if he had no idea what he had accomplished!
Suppressing her momentary irritation, Dasha soon bowed briefly and began her report promptly.
“The Academy students have been rescued from plague doctors thanks to Sir Francis’ intervention. They have ceased the bloodletting treatment and have undergone a procedure to remove the eggs from the royal medical staff. They are still unconscious though.”
It’s good to hear they’re still alive.
“If they were a bit later, they would’ve been in a life-threatening condition due to blood loss.”
What a bunch of Lyora quacks!
However, the following report was unexpected.
“In fact, while conveying the information Your Highness told me to the Holy Emperor, I learned a shocking fact from the Intelligence Department.The discovered plague wasn’t something that just broke out yesterday.”
It wasn’t the first occurrence?
“For several months now, cases of this plague have been appearing sporadically throughout the Empire. It mainly spread among people living alone, so the initial symptoms were not readily detected.”
“Several months ago?”
“Yes.”
Dasha nodded, her gaze deepening.
“Within the Intelligence Department, they’ve been calling it the ‘Gray Plague.'”
Gray Plague.
The name came from the victims whose skin turned an odd shade of grey.
It was mainly manifesting among elderly people living alone, vagrants, or those already ill. For this reason, there were still no early discoveries. Most were only found after they had been isolated for a few days and had transformed completely.
The first incident was reported months ago by an Inquisitor, who was alerted by villagers claiming an elderly man in their village had been cursed and had gone mad. The old man had lost his son and daughter-in-law and lived alone. A once healthy individual had suddenly displayed strange behavior within days.
By the time the Inquisitor arrived, the old man was drooling uncontrollably, and his eyes were unfocused. He couldn’t speak or understand anything, and his skin had turned into dry, rigid grey, as if he had become a wooden puppet.
He eventually died within a week without eating or drinking.
Since then, sporadic reports about grey-skinned mad people had come from various places in the capital. Initially, they were suspected to be cursed by demons, so they were immediately imprisoned and investigated by the Heretical Tribunal. However, eventually, they concluded that it seemed to be a mysterious plague, with no evidence of demonic involvement found.
Hearing this, Seongjin frowned.
“How could they not know the initial symptoms? How do they know these cases are of the same disease?”
“One of the Inquisitors who investigated the case happened to witness the treatment of the students.”
In response to the prince’s valid query, Dasha nodded absentmindedly and flicked her hair back as she continued.
The Inquisitor pointed out that the discolored skin on the students’ chests was similar to the skin changes observed in Gray Plague patients.
And he recalled that similar rock-like formations were found in the same location on the chests of patients who had died from the plague. In other words, those formations were believed to be calcified monster eggs.
Ah. Seongjin suddenly realized.
‘So, they’ve dissected everyone who died from the plague.’
“Moreover, the clergy felt the same energy from these so-called monster eggs as they did from that stone fragment. As Your Highness knows, they are highly sensitive to malicious energies.”
Francis had also said something similar.
They could detect whether someone was a demonkind by just the energy. And that these monster eggs and the larvae of Bantra Moss felt similar.
“So what’s the plan?”
“Besides what’s being discussed at the Holy Council, a special task force will be formed as per His Majesty’s orders. Inquisitors, exorcists, and experts will be mobilized en masse. They say the formal term for these abominable creatures will probably be ‘demons,’ following Your Highness’s proclamation.”
“…”
Hmm, it’s a bit odd.
It’s called a ‘plan,’ but I don’t feel a strong will to actively resolve the issue. It’s more like they’re reluctantly responding because things have escalated to this point.
Hold on, could this guy…?
Seongjin raises an eyebrow slightly, to which Dasha, unaware of his thoughts, excitedly added,
“Thanks to Your Highness and Sir Francis discovering the cause of the plague early, we’ve achieved quite a lot on just the first day of becoming dedicated informants.”
“You seem quite pleased.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? It’s fulfilling to produce substantial results on the very first day of the job.”
Dasha revealed a bright smile, full of satisfaction.
“Ah, and a message from the Holy Emperor.”
My father?
“‘Do as you wish,’ he said.”
What the hell?
As Seongjin looks puzzled, Dasha wore an ambiguous smile.
* * *
At that moment, there were those plunged into great confusion due to unexpected circumstances.
“It’s serious. The palace doctors have extracted seeds from those academy students.”
“I heard. How did they find it all of a sudden?”
The elderly and young men, both dressed in white, intricate priest robes, converse quietly. Even in the dim light, the divine symbols engraved on their garments are clearly visible.
The elder priest groaned, clutching his head with both hands.
“It’s my mistake. Perhaps we sowed too recklessly in the excitement of the impending harvest.”
“No, it’s not! There aren’t that many suitable prisoners coming in with aura or divine power for planting. Who could have predicted that prisoners in custody at the heresy tribunal would be transferred to the tribunal in just a day? Don’t blame yourself too much.”
“Even so….”
Both of them sighed deeply in unison.
“So what happens to the harvest now?”
“As for that, Brother Clemence has gone to see the Bishop regarding the issue.”
“Then let’s pray together until Brother returns. May we complete our mission safely. Bethella.”
“Bethella.”
Both priests began praying devoutly right where they stood.
After some time had passed, a young priest with a weary expression approached them. It was Clemence, who had gone outside the Imperial Palace to meet the Bishop.
And the news he brought was even more troubling.
“Someone seems to have mistakenly attempted to plant a seed in an imperial knight. That’s how the academy students’ seeds were also discovered. The bishop was extremely angry.”
“What!?”
The elder priest’s face turned pale.
“Which idiot tried to sow seeds on an Imperial Knight? Unless they were planning on getting caught by His Majesty! Didn’t the bishop clearly say that seeds will never blossom in aura users?”
“That’s why I’m confirming with our external supporters. They claim to have only sown seeds in drifters and drunks. They say they didn’t touch anyone with high aura activity.”
“What good are excuses now!”
For a moment, the elder priest’s face flushed with anger, then he muttered a small prayer to calm himself. “Bethella.”
“Anyway, what’s done is done. What does the bishop say?”
Clemence frowned at the elder priest’s question.
“The Bishop said to proceed with the plan as long as the Holy Emperor shows no special movements. Even if we start investigating now, it would take quite a bit of time to find something out.”
“What about the inquisitors?”
“That area will also be difficult for a full-scale investigation. They were already understaffed and now they’ve taken on some of the duties of the Inquisitors who were sent to the southern front.”
At this, the young priest spoke in a worried voice.
“It’s unpredictable. Who is the leader of the exorcists? That elusive Leandros, right? He’ll surely sense something is off and try to interfere.”
“The plan takes into account that we might be discovered once it progresses to a certain point. If things don’t go smoothly, we’ll have to push up our timeline.”
“Expedite? Is that even possible?”
At the elder priest’s question, Clemence’ eyes shone with seriousness.
“I happened to meet another brother from our forgotten sect here recently. If we can get his cooperation, accomplishing our mission might become a bit easier.”
* * *
—Do as you wish.
The cryptic message from the emperor could be confirmed the very next day.
After breakfast, Seongjin, who was about to rush to the training grounds with his slingshot, stopped in his tracks when he spotted a strange man in the Pearl Palace grounds.
‘…Who?’
Just in front of him stood Masain, who seemed to be welcoming a guest. Feeling Seong-jin’s presence, he looked back with a slightly awkward expression.
“Your Highness….”
Under this unusual atmosphere, Seongjin carefully observed the man before him.
He was a middle-aged man dressed in an almost black, ash-colored uniform.
Apart from the color, his outfit looked similar to that of the Aurelion Knights. The only difference was the silver sword and crossed silver hooks engraved on his deep-colored uniform.
The man had a rigid face, almost like dried-up, gnarled wood. His cold expression was as impassive as could be, matching even the emperor’s.
After a quick glance towards Seong-jin, he put his hand on his chest and bowed rigidly.
“I am here to see the Third Prince.”
His voice sounded as if it were scraped out of a parched throat.
Just sharing space with him somehow made one feel uncomfortable, such was his aura.
“I present to you, Sir Leandros, the commander of the Knights of Saint Terbacchia,” Masain softly informed him.
One of the five orders of knights, the Knights of Saint Terbacchia.
The commander of that order and the leader of all inquisitors, Sir Leandros.
Why had he suddenly come to visit Morres and Pearl Palace?
—In a while, an inquisitor from Saint Terbacchia will visit Pearl Palace. Don’t worry, it is only for consultation. If you can provide information on the ‘monsters’ you know of, it will greatly help their work.
Katrina had mentioned this before, but he didn’t expect the commander himself to come.
‘Furthermore, this man… there’s something strange about him…’
Seongjin stared intently at Sir Leandros, trying to gauge the man’s energy. However, all he felt was a vague and stale emotion that he couldn’t quite describe.
What is this? I’m not sure, but why does it feel so unsettling?
It wasn’t just Seongjin who felt an odd vibe from him.
[What’s with this guy? He’s a bit off.]
‘Where, specifically?’
[Hard to point out, but something’s not right.]
What do you even know?
One thing was certain: this man was one of the few knights granted permission to enter the Pearl Palace by the Holy Emperor.
“Are you the guest who sought me? Then let’s go to the reception room, Sir Masain. We can talk there.”
Giving a fleeting glance to the now visibly restless Masain, Seongjin led the way to the reception room.
And moments later,
Seongjin found out the reason why the commander of the knight brigade had come to find him himself. There had been a rapid change in the situation with the [Monsters] in just a few days.
“I have been appointed to lead a specialized task force against [Monsters], with Terbacchia’s knights as the main force,” the man explained in a monotone voice.
Seongjin already knew this information through Dasha.
Here, we have invited experts from all fields we believe would be helpful in dealing with [Demon]-related events, from inquisitors to professors from the Theological Academy to members of the Plague Council…,” he paused, his dry gaze briefly meeting Seongjin’s eyes. “I’ve heard that thanks to Your Highness’s knowledge and wisdom, we were able to confirm the nature of the [Gray Plague]. You also slew the demon during the incident at the Diggory residence and provided detailed information about it.”
Seongjin had a gut feeling he was being roped into something troublesome.
Masain also seemed to share that sentiment, as he nervously glanced at Seongjin to gauge his reaction.
Either way, this unemotive man continued to speak impassively.
“So, the prevailing opinion within the Terbacchia Knight Brigade is that we should not merely seek your advice but should actually include you in the specialized task force against [Monsters]. Therefore, I, Leandros, formally request Your Highness’s participation as part of the [Noblesse Oblige].”
“Ah…”
Masain let out a small sigh.
Noblesse Oblige
Just like 1st Prince Owen who leads soldiers on the southern frontlines, rushing through the battlefield.
And 2nd Prince Logan who leads young knights in purging the seas of pirates across the continent.
Now, they are asking the third prince, Morres, to contribute to protecting the capital by joining the task force against [Monsters].
So this was what the Holy Emperor had been talking about.
“Your Highness, the [Noblesse Oblige] is just a nice phrase. It doesn’t actually carry any compulsion,” Masain interjected nervously from the side. “You have only just recovered from fever and have barely mastered the swordsmanship at the squire level. There is still time. Please consider this carefully.”
Ordinarily, he would have yelled first and asked questions later.
Was it because he had been reprimanded by Seongjin yesterday? Masain’s tone was almost pleading.
‘Right, there’s no compulsion.’
That must be why the Holy Emperor said he could do as he pleases.
‘But still…’
Seongjin felt a strange sense of foreboding as he looked into the eyes of the stoic Sir Leandros.
If he refused, the outcome might not be favorable—that was his intuition.
A vague sense of missing out on something crucial loomed over him.
The same intuition that left him as the last standing among the less prominent hunters, still held him tightly now.
Unknowingly, Seongjin nodded towards Leandros, and at the same time, a deep sense of defeat surfaced on Masain’s face.
