Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 76: Demonic Disease (4).

As the sun rose, the mercenary group finished their rest and stood up to form their ranks.

Count Viya looked over the group leaders with a solemn expression and nodded. It was a sign to start the mission. In particular, his gaze lingered desperately on Group Leader Allen for a while. It was a gaze that meant, ‘Please take good care of it’.

The Count’s mercenary group, which had agreed to lead, approached the rusted iron door and started pulling hard by hooking a hook onto the door handle shaped like a loop.

“Pull—!”

As the burly mercenaries exerted their strength, the rusted hinges started to turn with a grating scream of distress.

…And then, the large and massive iron door that had been closed for many years finally opened. The mercenaries surrounded the door and peered down into the dark space below.

The old mage of the Count’s mercenary group slightly illuminated the dark interior with the orb attached to the end of his staff. Down the pitch-black passage, a metal ladder stretched on.

It was impossible to judge the width of the space below just by looking. He had to go down himself.

The Count nodded towards the vice-leader of his mercenary group. Taking the signal, the vice leader led the way.

“One group at a time, in order—!”

First was the Count’s mercenary group, then Allen’s, followed by the remaining three in order.

After all eight members of the Count’s mercenary group had descended, a shout came from below, saying that it was okay to come down. Thus, Allen and the mercenary group went down the ladder one by one.

Before descending the passage, Allen looked toward Natasha for the last time. He caught her gaze just as she was lifting a piece of cloth.

An intense and fiery eye contact. …And then he descended below the passage by climbing down the ladder.

The passage was very cool and slightly damp. Of course, it was nothing compared to a dungeon.

After climbing down the ladder for a while, Allen soon landed in a wide passage. It was a space that looked like a sewer, with long openings to the left and right. …It was clearly not a space intended for storage.

The domed arch ceiling of the passage was covered with plant roots hanging down like willow branches in every crevice. Allen couldn’t grasp how long this place had been neglected.

‘……It’s certainly just the kind of place a monster would love.’

Once the rest of the mercenary group had also come down, the passage felt somewhat bustling. Allen asked Ordnung, who had taken off her blindfold, which direction they should go. She pointed in one direction with her finger.

“It leads that way.”

The group of mercenaries, having decided on a direction, moved in two lines, sticking to the left and right sides of the wide passage wall. The magicians’ magic orb brightly illuminated the gloomy passage.

While examining the wide passage here and there, Captain Aiden quietly asked Group Leader Allen, who was walking beside him,

“What do you think this was made for?”

“Well… It looks like an escape route.”

Of course, whatever it was made for, that wasn’t particularly important. After all, they just needed to take care of something that was sucking the life force out of the noble lady.

The passage was quite long. Then, at some point, they could see that the passage wall abruptly ended in the distance. …Meaning the passage ended and a wide space appeared.

The vice-leader of the Count’s mercenary group briefly stopped the group. It seemed like they were about to enter a battle if they went there.

Group Leader Allen silently met the eyes of each of his team members. There was no need to repeat what had been emphasized several times before. They were veterans, after all.

After a very brief rest to catch their breaths, the group moved again. Ordnung, capable of seeing colors, confirmed that some malevolent being was crouching beyond the end of the corridor. The black line that extended from Natasha was connected to it like an umbilical cord.

As expected, it was a monster.

The band of mercenaries emerged from the corridor and gently descended into the space below. It was a very spacious area, with water rippling up to their ankles, seemingly able to accommodate hundreds, if not thousands.

And there, they discovered something like a stone altar set up nearby. Upon seeing it, Allen confirmed that this place was not merely a refuge.

‘…This place is a sacrifice altar…!’

A place prepared to summon something evil, be it a demon or a monster… Looking closely, the ceiling was engraved with all sorts of phrases in runes. Not only that, but at a glance, there were more than hundreds of skulls, thoroughly decayed, hanging here and there… The bones submerged in water were completely softened, crumbling with a squelch with every step.

None of them could have imagined such a place existed. The old mage of the Count’s mercenary group slowly approached the altar and then discovered something huge crouched beyond.

——!!

Startled, he looked at the vice-leader and pointed at it with his finger.

The monster, having fed on the host’s vitality for a long time, was larger than Allen had anticipated. Fortunately, it seemed that it had not yet fully awakened, as it had not completely swallowed its host. …Existing as a formless mass, it occasionally twitched.

One vice-leader and four group leaders exchanged glances. They quickly formed a line. Allen had Elena prepare a spell.

“With the most powerful shot.”

The other mages also prepared the strongest magic they could wield. The milk-jug mage, as if to prove the fruits of their grueling training, cast a spell that seemed more powerful than before.

Once ready, the five leaders looked at each other and nodded slightly. Then, with a gesture from the vice leader, magic was unleashed towards the monster.

Powerful magic flew from the remaining three mercenary groups, excluding the one without a mage, and crashed into the body of the monster. And then a powerful explosion followed.

————————!!!!!!

As the magic hit, a significant part of the monster’s body burst open. The exploded flesh simply vanished like smoke.

“Again—!”

However, before the second magic could be launched, hundreds of black lines stretched out in all directions from the monster’s body. They clung to the skeletons and then started to move with a clattering noise.

“There are more below—! Watch your ankles—!”

The black lines controlled even the skeletons submerged underwater. The mercenaries stomped hard on the skulls, trying to bite at their ankles, bursting them. At the same time, they faced hundreds of skeletons falling like rain from the ceiling.

“Fire the magic recklessly—! Keep attacking without rest—!”

The warriors smashed the approaching skeletons with their weapons. From fighting against the swift ghouls to facing these slow-moving skeleton heads, the Allen-Mercenary Group definitely had some leeway. Although the numerical difference became somewhat apparent as hundreds of skeletons attacked at once in the confined space, it was not to the extent that they couldn’t fight.

The two mercenary groups without a mage also approached to fight the monsters, but dozens of hand-like appendages stretched out from their slimy bodies, blocking their way.

Magic spells continued to fly intermittently. They struck the bodies of the monsters, causing explosions continuously.

Just then, the Blind Saintess witnessed the black line, which had been connected like an umbilical cord, suddenly thicken and start to swallow something voraciously, and she informed the group leader of this fact.

“Group Leader, the line connecting to the monster has thickened significantly. If we don’t eliminate it quickly, the lady will be in danger—!”

Upon hearing this, Allen ordered the milk-jug mage to cast another powerful spell.

“Then the light won’t hold!”

“Everyone can endure it?”

“We’ll try to endure—!”

The members responded, saying they would try their best to endure the faint light around them. Luckily for them, compared to the ghouls, the skeleton heads were not that fast.

“Elena. Go for it. As powerful as possible. With the intention to finish it in one shot—!”

As soon as the command was given, light flared up from her wand. Then, mana began to gather there, soon transforming into an elemental magic of tremendous power.

Elena precisely aimed her wand at the monster, then launched the elemental magic towards it.

And then……

The mercenary band had disappeared, and quite a bit of time had passed.

Natasha was sitting on the dirt ground, wrapped in a cloth, in a shade where the sun didn’t reach, continuing her feeble breathing.

At that moment, deeply engrossed in meditation, she suddenly felt a terrible sharp pain.

——————!!!!!

“Ah.”

It was a pain that made a groan burst out unwittingly. It started from her side and spread throughout her body.

“Natasha—!”

The Count, who had been waiting nearby for the mercenaries to appear, suddenly rushed towards his daughter, who had fallen forward and started trembling violently.

“Ugh, ah…”

“Natasha, Natasha…!”

It was a terrible pain that really made it hard to breathe. However, she bit her lips until they bled, enduring it.

‘I must endure. I have to endure. With mental strength, my last, with mental strength…!’

Her body shivered uncontrollably, yet she made no more moans.

Something parasitic on her body felt like it was under attack. Amidst the prolonged agony, it suddenly began to frantically suck something out of her.

————————!!!!!!

The shock was enough to darken her vision momentarily. She couldn’t breathe. The terrifying sensation of having everything sucked out of her.

‘Die, die, die, aah, aah, no, nooo, nooooooooooo—————.’

Natasha’s eyes rolled back, and foam formed at her mouth. ……But, until the very last moment, she struggled with all her might.

‘Until the end, truly until that very last moment……!’

Believing that Allen, that person, would accomplish it. Firmly believing that in the end, he would come to save her.

The Count cried out for his fallen daughter, but she could neither hear, see, nor feel anything. Her senses were already gone. Only a faint consciousness remained like a candle flickering just before it went out.

……And then, at that moment, her last breath was about to leave her.

Something surged up her throat, opening her airway.

Wheeeeeeek——.

It was dark, clotted blood.

She gasped for air desperately, coughing violently.

Her blackened vision cleared, her blocked ears opened, and sensation returned to her numb body.

……And finally,

She could see the clear blue sky.

Very comfortably.