I can hear the thunder crackling and the pounding rain drumming on the window from my room. I cannot see much outside because, for some reason, thick fog covers the entire ground.
(Contractor, is it really okay for us to do this? I don't feel too good about what you are planning.)
(I don't have much of a choice, Pygmy. This is also for us to find a way to summon you and even find out what's happening in this temple.)
(I'm only troubled because I can't be much help, Contractor. I cannot leave this ring, which means you cannot use my abilities as a spirit.)
(Relax, Pygmy. It will be okay, and I promised Averon I wouldn't let myself engage in dangerous situations without a plan.)
How dangerous could this be? I'm only seeking out the truth and won't engage in any combat, regardless of the situation. If it becomes difficult, I'll make a run for it. Who cares about pride and honor if my life is at stake? I'm not a knight like them.
(I can only warn you, Contractor. I'll tell you right away if there's someone suspicious lurking around. But for now, I can't sense anything vicious.)
(I Got it. Thank you for putting up with my stubbornness, Pygmy.)
I donned my cape and carried the dagger Faust had given me before we left the fortress. I carefully opened the door to my room and ambled through the corridors. Should I worry that no knight is standing before my door? Well, this mansion should be a safe place, right?
But just walking through these corridors gives me chills. The lights on this floor are dim, and I hear thunder crackling outside. I don't want to overthink it, but this scene feels like it belongs in a horror film.
I am sure Holy Knights are assigned to night shifts to protect the mansion and the temple, but after strolling for a few minutes and even walking down the stairs, I feel no presence—not even the mansion's servants.
(Pygmy, can you feel any presence? The servants, knights, or even animals.)
(Unfortunately, no. It's exceedingly suspicious that I have not sensed any presence since you had dinner with that holy knight.)
Even if we don't see any of the demonic forces lurking around, the fact that there are no signs of life in this mansion is concerning. Two hours ago, I had dinner with Sir Jeralia, and the butler advised that I shouldn't wander around the estate, especially near the temple.
I didn't mind his warning as I already intended to sneak out, but this isn't much of a 'sneak' if there are no people I should be hiding from! Just what the hell is happening in the temple?
Upon stepping outside, the thick fog had already reached here.
(Contractor, this fog is similar to the ones Belial used to summon his demonic beasts, but for some reason, I cannot detect any evil presence within.)
(So what you are saying is that this fog isn't ordinary, but it isn't dangerous either?)
(Exactly! I'm not sure, but the fog is unnatural and aims to drive away unwanted visitors.)
The fog in this mansion is relatively thin. I hastened my walk to the temple, and the mist was getting thicker as I got closer. I casually entered the temple gate since there was no one to be wary of anyway.
(Contractor, I can feel the presence of different people.)
I hid behind a bush and took a peek at the small cabin behind the temple. My cape is waterproof, so I don't have to worry about getting wet, but my vision is limited because of the thick fog and downpours.
I squinted to see, but I only saw two knights standing by the cabin. The cabin has an extra roof that could be used as a shade from the rain, but out of all the places they should guard, why would they protect a small cabin full of gardening tools?
(What do you mean by different people, Pygmy? I could only see two knights.)
(I didn't mean the ones above, Contractor, but I referring to the presence below. I don't feel any demonic presence, but something feels off. Please be careful.)
Below? Then that cabin must be the entrance—I'm sure of it. I needed something to distract those knights so that I could enter the small place.
Well, I'll just do it like they do in movies. I grabbed a medium-sized rock and threw it somewhere far from the cabin, but it was enough for them to hear despite the downpour.
One of them was alerted. I couldn't hear their voices, but one of them checked the noise I created. I need both of them to go!
"I apologize for this," I breathed, grabbing another rock and throwing it at the knight who left his post.
I heard him grunt in pain, making the other knight move to check on his companion. I grabbed this as an opportunity to run toward the cabin swiftly and didn't hesitate to enter it.
"I hope I didn't make a lot of noise." After hearing clicking sounds by the door, I panted and hid behind a big pot.
I saw one of the knights enter and look around.
"I swear I heard the door open," he muttered, scratching his head in confusion.
The other knight also went inside as he was massaging the part of his head where I threw the rock.
"Let's alert the others if there's an intruder, but I'm sure it was the wind. You already know that the weather unnaturally changes at night after what happened two weeks ago," the knight casually convinced the other, and they left the cabin after that.
Two weeks ago? The Holy Knights arrived at the fortress at that time. I recall that the holy knights were late with their departure because of the demonic beasts that attacked the southern gate of the capital.
But that was all Sir Jeralia said. She did not mention what had transpired after the attack on the southern gate. Nothing particularly stood out when we entered from the eastern gate—everything was normal. What more did she hide from us?
(Now that we have entered the cabin, I can distinctly feel their presence. It's not particularly demonic, but their energies or mana have been unusually distorted, Contractor.)
Distorted mana? I have never heard of that. I came out from behind a pot and looked around the cabin. It was full of gardening tools, just like Sir Jeralia said, and there was nothing else.
"There must be a hidden passage here somewhere," I murmured, rummaging through the tools.
While rummaging, I found a figurine of the Goddess Tellus. Because it was so small, I didn't notice it as I looked around. I grabbed the figure without hesitation, causing the ground before me to open up.
Upon seeing the opened passage, I felt the same eerie atmosphere when Commander Alberton and I headed to the fortress' basement. Why have I only thought about it now?
Maybe Pygmy was right; the purpose of this fog is to keep unwanted visitors at bay while concealing what it is hiding—this passage.
(Contractor, my senses are telling me not to go down there. Now that we're getting closer, I can feel something unearthly. Maybe we should head back and plan.)
I shook my head and disagreed, saying, "We don't know when we'll get this chance again. Since we're here already, we should see this through until the end."
(Be careful, Contractor.)
I watched my steps, steadily walking down the passage. The torches that serve as our light source are blown away by the wind, so it is pretty dark. How could such strong winds be able to flow inside when this place is hidden underneath?
Unlike the basement in the fortress, this passage isn't long, so I could immediately reach downstairs.
"Why is it so dark?" I complained, taking hold of one of the torches to see what was before me.
As I raised the torch, I could hear groans and moving chains echoing throughout the room.
"What the—"
"Contractor, look out!"
I see a skinny hand trying to reach me, causing me to drop the torch and fall to the ground. My instincts told me to back away slowly—so I did. I could see their shadows from the slightly lit torch as they tried mindlessly to attack me.
"What the f*ck?" I cursed under my breath, unable to process what was happening in front of me.
I could see their unfocused, bloodshot eyes, wriggly black veins popping out all over their faces, and their skinny bodies desperately trying to escape from the chains that prevented them from pouncing over me.
I could see a whole lot of them. Some of them wore knight's uniforms and different garments that nobles wore. What on earth happened to them?
They look like the human version of the demonic beasts that attacked the fortress!