Chapter 41 (1/2)
Chapter 41: Demonists
Demonists are, as their name implies, religious fanatics who wors.h.i.+p the anki.
(T/N: For those who forgot, ‘anki’ literally means ‘shadow demon.’ Thus, ‘Demonist.’ I was just too lazy to type out shadow demon every time.)
The information that I heard from Heldol, whose face was twitching during the telling, is as follows.
Firstly, they are an organization of fanatics who perceive the destruction of the world by anki as salvation. They go underground to conduct rituals where they offer sacrifices to the anki or undertake training to ‘become closer to the anki.’ Since after the first Bleed 500 years ago, their numbers have been suppressed many times, but never completely wiped out. To this day, there are still active cells underneath various countries. Their members include anyone from slum dwellers to n.o.bles and even priests.
“...... or so goes the rumors. I’ve heard of them being very active in Shulendal and Feldi, but…… Demonists in Lelis……”
The last line sounded more like a question to himself.
As a magician, he belongs to the Subjugation Faction, who claim that magic is a tool for destroying anki. That puts him at complete odds with any Demonists that might or might not be out there.
“If such people are really in this city……”
“You would be a blatant target for their hate. Far more than even I would.”
He has this really complicated look on his face while vocalizing this conclusion.
The position that he’d wanted to shoulder was s.n.a.t.c.hed by me, who’d suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I do feel slightly sorry about it, but……
“I gave you my thanks for the information, Heldol-dono. I swear that I will never again visit such disrespect against you.”
“A-, Ahh. That would be greatly welcome.”
Talking things over with this young man who is overflowing with dreams and aspirations (or so it appears to me) will have to be postponed to the next opportunity.
If these Demonists who have gone beyond the reach of reason are truly here, then they might be a problem that the Great Wizard should resolve. Furthermore, it would also mean that the ‘one in a million’ chance of Irudo and Mora and other people I know being targeted has jumped up to ‘one in a thousand’ or maybe even ‘one in a hundred.’
I don’t have time to be dawdling here like this.
♥♦♣♠
After paying the bare minimum of farewell greetings, I leave the Magician Guild.
In novels and games, heroines and collaborators get kidnapped or killed when they leave the protagonist’s eyes for just a moment. If I am just needlessly exacerbating my own sense of impending danger, then it’s fine—if it turns out this way, then let’s just say I’m excessively self-conscious or I have a gamer’s brain—but I am now very worried for Mora and Irudo.
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“......?”
I have now arrived back at Irudo’s mansion after travelling almost in a straight line through the Astral plane.
The second and third floors of Irudo’s mansion are residential, while the first floor is an administrative office for managing his caravans.
Commerce Avenue is, true to its name, a bustling place with shops lined side by side throughout its entire length, and thus isn’t a dangerous place…… or so I’d thought.
A p.r.i.c.kly atmosphere currently permeates the air in the avenue. The pedestrian traffic is thin, and Irudo’s mansion is especially quiet. Time and again, pa.s.sersby shoot uneasy glances towards it. There is unnatural damage in the wall and a few windows.
Don’t tell me.
“MORA! IRUDO!”
While rus.h.i.+ng into the mansion while almost being crushed by an ominous sense of foreboding……
“Gio-saaan!”
“Mora!”
Mora rushes towards me with a full power tackle…… I meant, hug. When I reflexively hug her back, I feel her small body trembling.
“Are you unharmed?! What about Irudo?”
“Margils-sama!”
Irudo appears in front of me in perfectly good health. Wh-, what a relief……
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