Chapter 30: Purge
In a city located to the east of the Elise Republic, the slums were still bustling under the high sun. The reason for the commotion was the unexpected arrival of a holy knight who shouldn't be here. Their target, of course, was the underground organization harboring illegal mage users.
"Guuaaahhh!"
A burly man, riddled with multiple holes, collapsed to the ground. Not only his limbs, but also his abdomen and chest had been pierced by several openings. He skillfully avoided vital points, preventing him from dying despite the profuse bleeding.
"Damn it... Why can't I use magic armor... Gyaaah!?"
"Only holy knights or those affiliated with the military can be mage users. It is forbidden for ordinary people to freely wield the power of magic armor bestowed by the God of Magic, El Magia."
"Ku... so..."
S-rank holy knight Celstar Altrain had cornered a man affiliated with the underground organization. He was avoiding vital points precisely to extract information.
He had no expertise in torture.
However, the man was just a stray mage user. Celstar believed that if he inflicted enough pain, he would spill any information.
"Could you tell me a little about the prosperous underground organization lately?"
"I don't know. I'm just an active duty soldier. I have no knowledge of such information!"
"Lies won't do."
"Gyaaaaahhh!"
Celstar thrust his magic-imbued rapier. The burly man writhed in pain.
As a B-rank mage user, the burly man couldn't fight back because he couldn't use his own magic armor. He was being relentlessly tormented, his pride in tatters.
He was just a hired hand with no gratitude towards the underground organization.
If he had valuable information, he would sell it.
That was the sincere truth of the burly man, without any pretense.
"Hmm... I wonder if you really don't have any information?"
Even Celstar began to think that it would be difficult to obtain information from the burly man.
When he withdrew the magic-imbued rapier, blood gushed out.
Perhaps due to excessive bleeding, the burly man was now completely exhausted.
While Celstar was contemplating what to do, one of his subordinates, a holy knight, arrived.
"Captain Altrain, we've got some leads. It seems this organization was only involved in small-scale drug trafficking. We've seized their cultivation site, so the problem is resolved."
"Hmm, that was fast."
"Based on the princess's prophecy, we believe that the country where the Dark King is hiding is the Elise Republic. We've already informed all the churches and established an information network. Thanks to that."
"I see. You mentioned it before."
Ever since the sealing holy knight order, led by Celstar, received the mission to search for and defeat the Dark King, Arklight, they had been traveling to different places gathering information. However, despite months passing, they had yet to achieve any results, so they contacted their homeland.
As a result, the prophecy by the princess was made.
And so, they received a report that the shadow of death was stirring in the Elise Republic, so they gathered information related to the Dark Organization while cracking down on them in this country.
"We've cracked down on quite a few dark organizations. Isn't it about time we started getting information about the Dark King?"
"The remaining organizations are Red Claws, Lotus of Phantom, Fire Grass... and Black Cat."
"They're all major players, huh?"
"We've crushed all the small organizations without exception. The ones that remain are powerful, and we haven't fully grasped them. Especially Black Cat, their true nature is unknown."
One of the subordinates, a holy knight, spoke with a sigh.
The dark organizations they've taken down during this mission exceed ten. They were all small organizations without much power, but there were also some medium-sized organizations among them. It should have greatly resolved the underground society situation in the area.
However, the large organizations with significant power were only caught by the tail.
They quickly cut off their tails and let the main body escape.
Especially the organization known as Black Cat, they can't even get hold of their tail.
"It is said that Black Cat has a boss named 'Black Cat' at the top, with ten executives under them."
"So it seems."
"However, this information was sold by Black Cat's informant 'Takame.' So, we're not sure if it's accurate."
"I can't quite understand turning even insider information into money."
"We can't say it's highly credible."
Even if they say they bought the information, it wasn't the church that bought it.
Other dark organizations bought information about Black Cat from 'Takame,' and the church obtained information about Black Cat from those dark organizations. It's not very reliable.
"The Black Cat executives believed to be operating in the Elise Republic are 'Takame' mentioned earlier and the 'Grim Reaper.' Red Claws, Lotus of Phantom, and Fire Grass have also become more active. Perhaps it's because of Black Cat's expansion from the western side."
"It wouldn't be strange if a major conflict broke out soon... right?"
"Yes."
"If that's the case, let's head there too. Just by having the holy knights stay, it will make it difficult for the dark organizations to move."
"Head there... but where to?"
In response to that question, Celster smiled and answered.
"Of course, the capital, Alta... that's where."
◆◆◆
Shu, who had completed the assassination, visited the usual tavern the next day at noon. Accompanied by Iris, he sat at the counter and placed the "Death God" coin on it.
Immediately, the master picked it up and checked it briefly.
After returning the coin, Shu was handed an envelope containing a bundle of bills, which he accepted.
"Do I need to count it?" he asked.
"As long as it's a tidy sum, it's sufficient," the master replied.
Honestly, Shu found it bothersome to count the money. The master let out a sigh as if expressing his frustration.
Then, he offered advice and warnings.
"I've tested you in various ways... The current 'Death God' is too careless."
"Is that so?"
"Normally, the reward for an assassination is paid in advance. And it's best to have the stance of not carrying out the assassination if the reward is insufficient. On the other hand, you don't complain about receiving the reward afterward, nor do you count the money... Won't you face some trouble somewhere?"
"I see."
The softly spoken advice resonated deeply within Shu.
Indeed, it seemed he had been adopting a rather lax mindset to survive in the underworld. If he were to end up not receiving payment after completing an assassination, it would be troublesome for Shu.
Originally, the client was paying for the utilization of the 'Death God's' assassination skills. Even at the tavern where the Black Cat members operated, a significant amount of money was flowing in thanks to them.
Demanding payment in advance could be considered justified.
Shu reflected on his slightly naive thinking.
"Was it right for the master to teach me such things?"
"Well, it seems the current 'Death God' is too outstanding. I thought it would be good to owe you a favor."
"I'll remember that favor."
Shu nodded and said so. In response, as if thinking that it had been worth owing a favor, the master also smiled wryly.
"Alright then, give us some light food and low-alcohol drinks."
"Oh, I want the same."
"Fine. Since you've received the payment, why not reach for a slightly more expensive drink?"
"If you have interesting information to share."
"The deal is made."
Upon hearing that, the master took a bottle from the shelf. After confirming its contents through the lamp's light, he opened it. He poured it into polished glasses and placed them in front of Shu and Iris.
"It's best to listen while drinking. There are no customers here right now. I can even tell you some risqué stories."
It's probably because it's still daytime.
Master's bar is a place with a good atmosphere at night, so there are rarely any customers during the day. Today, it was only Shu and Iris.
In other words, even if they talked about sensitive topics related to the underworld, they didn't have to worry about eavesdropping.
Master poured oil into the frying pan and placed sausages on it as he began to speak.
"Do you know that several underground organizations have been crushed recently?"
"No."
"I don't know."
"I figured as much. It's not a big deal even if you don't know since they're small organizations. However, some mid-level organizations have been crushed as well. It's a purge by the Demon God Sect."
Shu took a sip of his drink and pondered over Master's words.
In other words, underground organizations are being crushed one after another by the Holy Knights. He wondered why they suddenly started doing such a thing.
It's not wrong for the church to purge underground organizations that illegally employ magic users or commit crimes without hesitation. It's not an absurd thing in itself.
However, if they are carrying out purges with such momentum, there must be some reason behind it.
One of the possible reasons was muttered by Iris.
"Could it be that an ominous result came out of a prophecy...?"
"Could be. After all, it seems that an S-rank Holy Knight is involved. Celstar Altrain, the leader of the Sealed Holy Knight Order. Haven't you heard of him?"
Shu didn't catch on, but Iris seemed to know.
She exclaimed in surprise, "Is it true!? That S-rank Magic Wielder, Celstar Altrain!?"
"Is he strong?"
"Of course. He's considered one of the best Holy Knights that the Holy Grinea homeland boasts. There are even rumors that he has single-handedly subjugated Catastrophic Ruin-class demons."
Speaking of Catastrophic Ruin-class, they are monsters of unimaginable strength that cannot be defeated alone. Even if you organize an army and challenge them in numbers, you will undoubtedly be defeated. It's a region that requires multiple S-rank Magic Wielders.
And he supposedly defeated it alone.
It might just be a rumor with embellishments, but it's certain that he's strong enough for such rumors to circulate.
"Is such an S-rank Holy Knight only involved in a simple purge of a dark organization...?"
Shu raised that question.
Whether it was due to that question or not, Master seemed to agree as he nodded and spoke.
"Don't you find it suspicious?"
"I find it suspicious."
"I thought so too."
While saying that, he placed the sausages he had finished grilling in front of Shu and Iris. Iris impaled a fork into them and took a bite. Meanwhile, Shu asked the master.
"So, the Black Cat is also being targeted?"
"Perhaps. However, there are still major underground organizations remaining. Apart from the Black Cat, there's Akatsume, Youranka, and Hikusa. Seems like every organization is wary of the Holy Knights. Even in Alta, the underworld is on edge."
"If one of those organizations crumbles due to the Holy Knights, it's a chance to expand their influence. But it's not guaranteed that the organization targeted by the Holy Knights won't be us. Are they desperate to uncover the Church's purpose?"
"That's right."
Since it was also something related to him, he pondered on it for a moment.
He tossed a sausage into his mouth and took a sip of alcohol.
But just then, the master dropped a bombshell.
"Surprisingly, are they pursuing even major incidents? Like the destruction of the capital of the Ramza Kingdom, for example."
"Cough! Cough! What?!"
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"It's... I just choked on the alcohol..."
He had too many suspicions.
If we mention the Dark Lord Arklight and the Witch Iris, they would undoubtedly be among the two that the Demon Cult wants to kill. It would make sense if it's the reason why an S-rank Holy Knight has been dispatched.
Iris, too, widened her eyes in response.
Shu and Iris briefly locked eyes and communicated without words.
(Celstar Altrene... Do you think they're targeting us?)
(There is a possibility, yes.)
(Should we leave the country soon...?)
(That's right.)
Through telepathy, Shu and Iris discussed and reached an agreement to escape. Shu believed that with his transformation into a King's Monster and mastery of magic, he could defeat most opponents. However, he had no hobby of recklessly fighting strong individuals.
Since Iris was also there, it would be better to escape if possible.
"I appreciate the intriguing information, Master."
"Yeah. My shop will also be favored."
Shu took out a bill from the reward he had obtained earlier and handed it to the master.