Ch.171Chapter 171. Fallen Sanctuary

As the expedition itself is led by Heroes, it’s impossible for a Hero’s individual power to subjugate such a vast area.

Naturally, an army to assist them is essential for subjugation, and the members I lead boasted skills worthy of being called veterans.

They were individuals who had trained in all aspects of combat under the guidance of Legion Commander Marcus, specifically to assist the Hero.

“The cleanup is complete.”

“…You’re all truly excellent.”

“We’re lacking compared to you, Hero.”

“No need for modesty. I meant it sincerely.”

I felt this way because before becoming a Hero, I had been treated as a mere porter.

Even though my ability was labeled as trash-tier, I had potential such as communicating with spirits or awakening the consciousness of ego weapons.

Isn’t it remarkable by human standards to handle such monsters without even those abilities?

“By the way, what exactly are these things?”

Anyway, after stopping the attack, the next step would be to assess the situation.

Soon, the expedition members began investigating the twitching lumps of flesh convulsing on the ground.

“Not beasts, not Undead… They seem dead yet somehow still have vitality.”

“Come to think of it, we’ve seen them a few times during subjugation missions. Hero, didn’t you say they were beings undergoing vampirification?”

“Could the Beastmen be in league with vampires?”

“Judging by how they’ve lost their minds and gone berserk… Look here. They’re still wriggling despite being dismembered.”

Beastmen undergoing vampirification for some reason.

Having somewhat identified them, some expedition members’ gazes turned toward the shadows beyond the mist.

“By the way, why would such monsters appear near the sanctuary?”

“Certainly, the Paladin Order protecting the sanctuary wouldn’t allow such monsters to roam freely. Something must be wrong with the sanctuary.”

“Could the Beastmen and vampires have joined forces for a major invasion…?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Those arrogant creatures would never ally with beasts.”

Perhaps something had gone wrong at our destination.

While the expedition members with such uneasy speculations gazed at the city beyond the fog, one person was looking down at the dismembered monsters on the ground.

“Flan.”

Francesca.

Was she looking down at the monsters because she had noticed something about them?

“Do you know something… Flan?”

No, she maintained her silence despite my call.

Beyond just discovering something, she seemed to have lost her senses as if it was too shocking.

“Guard the perimeter for a moment.”

“Ah, yes!”

After instructing Samson, I immediately approached Flan and examined her complexion.

Empty eyes, a pale blue face, and slumped shoulders.

Anyone could see she was lost in despair.

“…People.”

From her came a quiet sob.

Quietly leaking through her slightly parted lips.

“They’re people. All of them here…”

“…What do you mean?”

“Everyone here was originally human. Until quite recently.”

Flan’s trembling hand reached toward the dismembered body parts.

Yet she couldn’t bring herself to grasp them—perhaps due to the guilt of watching what she recognized as human beings die.

“…Come to think of it, both vampires and Beastmen originated from humans, right?”

Of course, I was slow to realize, but it wasn’t completely incomprehensible.

It’s widely known that vampires transfuse their blood when creating servants, and Beastmen were born from applying a witch’s research to transform human bodies.

So perhaps the concept of humans becoming both vampirified and Beastmen could exist…

“Who would do such a thing?”

Flan immediately denied my thoughts and began trembling violently.

“Both vampires and Beastmen are already beings whose human framework has been broken once. When two such fractures are created in the human framework, there’s no way the human mind could withstand it.”

“Flan, wait. You’re too agitated right now.”

“Yet someone attempted to combine those two beings. Who? For what purpose… How many people for what end?”

“Calm down, Flan. Flan!”

I grabbed her rambling shoulders and shook them to turn her gaze toward me.

Flan looked at me with a pale face.

She looked pitiful and sad, but the situation was too dire to simply offer comfort.

“Flan. You exist for humans, right?”

Even if those fallen were once human and someone maliciously twisted them.

They’ve already transcended the human framework and attacked us.

“Because you exist for humans, you can’t overlook these people who attacked us. Right?”

“Master.”

“But Flan. Do you think there’s a way to restore these people right now?”

Perhaps there might be a way…

She would know best that such wishful thinking was meaningless.

The reason humans who underwent Beastman transformation were abandoned by humanity was because there was no way to return them to being human.

In such circumstances, a Beastman who had also undergone vampirification? It couldn’t possibly exist by common sense.

“If they truly are human, should we leave those who came to attack other humans? Or…”

“Rest.”

Despite my concerns about whether she would condemn us for dealing with them, she gave me an answer with a trembling voice.

“Giving them rest is the best option. If it’s impossible to restore them once they’ve severely deviated from the framework… at least, to reduce their suffering…”

“…Flan.”

“I’m sorry. I, I…”

She understands intellectually but cannot bring herself to do it with her own hands.

Seeing Flan unable to finish her words, I felt sorry for her and quietly patted her back.

If they were truly human, it would be too terrible to make a being born for humans take action.

“Hero. What shall we do now?”

But we couldn’t just stand by doing nothing.

Samson, who had been directing the surroundings, approached just as I had made a decision with such comforting.

“…What else?”

Gradually my gaze turned beyond the mist, toward the shadow of the city located there.

The sanctuary Frigalagh. Our original destination and the presumed source of the monstrosities that attacked us.

The clergy there would certainly not tolerate such abominations roaming nearby.

“I’m a Hero. I can’t retreat from here.”

Clearly something had gone wrong.

Something terrible that we couldn’t even imagine had happened to those leading the Hope of Humanity.

*****

Of course, detecting danger and temporarily returning to inform others would be an option, but there were several reasons why we couldn’t do that.

First, the expedition itself was established to solve such problems.

Despite having the ability to solve the problem, not even scouting and delegating the issue elsewhere would greatly damage trust.

The gap created by returning would also be problematic.

If the sanctuary was in crisis and there were survivors being abandoned despite us being aware of the problem, that would also become the responsibility of those who recognized the issue.

Additionally, we had brought fewer supplies expecting to visit the sanctuary. I also had personal reasons requiring a quick return to the Empire…

Overall, entering the sanctuary and at least assessing the situation and helping resolve it seemed like the best decision I could make.

Even if we couldn’t tell the soldiers that what we defeated were once human beings, at least we could identify the cause and prepare countermeasures for the future.

“…Horrific.”

“What on earth happened here?”

What we encountered at the sanctuary entrance was a scene of abomination corpses—like those we had defeated earlier—strewn everywhere.

As the soldiers’ breath caught at the sight, I also got off the carriage and focused on examining the surroundings.

Each was some grotesquely twisted mixture of beast and human.

Some were still twitching despite being split or crushed, but while they seemed to have vitality in their flesh, they were essentially in a state of rigor mortis.

Such a hideous scene was scattered abundantly in front of the walls surrounding the city…

And all over the drawbridge—the only path leading to the sanctuary.

“Was there a war with the Beastmen?”

“These aren’t ordinary Beastmen. Possibly Beastmen who have undergone vampirification…”

“It’s cumbersome to name them each time, so let’s just call them ‘abominations.'”

“By the way, there was an attack, but the drawbridge is lowered.”

“Does that mean the interior has already been occupied?”

There had already been a war with the abominations in the sanctuary, and as a result, the sanctuary had either fallen or suffered serious damage, leaving the interior in ruins.

It wasn’t difficult to draw such a conclusion.

In fact, silence prevailed around us, but if the sanctuary had been in a state to function normally, the work of clearing the corpses would have been completed long ago.

“Shall we enter?”

The soldiers awaited my instructions in front of this dangerous city. I exhaled tensely and quietly gave them an answer.

“…Our supplies are already running low. If we turn back, we’d have to starve for more than two days. Can we handle that with this many people?”

An army without supplies would suffer severe damage if attacked by monsters.

Even if we limit ourselves to light reconnaissance, we need to enter and replenish what we need, despite the risk.

“Everyone maintain formation and enter.”

When Samson acknowledged my opinion and instructed the members, the expedition force formed ranks with the vanguard at the front, preparing to enter.

No sooner had the vanguard stepped onto the drawbridge than the smell of blood assaulted us.

Feeling the tension rise, the expedition members began anxiously looking down at the tragedy below the bridge.

“The sanctuary Frigalagh… It’s my first time setting foot here, but it seems well-designed as a fortress.”

“I suppose that’s why it’s called holy ground.”

Not only thick walls, but the only passable area is the drawbridge open on both sides.

The rest of the area features steep cliffs, with vast waters below forming waves.

Infiltration without using the drawbridge is virtually impossible.

The only conceivable methods would be aerial invasion or having someone inside open the drawbridge.

“…Whatever happened, if the interior was breached, it must be in shambles.”

“That’s the weakness of an iron fortress. Once breached, there’s no escape route.”

Having recognized the fortress’s solidity, I immediately sensed how devastating it would be if monsters had breached this place.

Nevertheless, as I decided to enter while maintaining vigilance, I felt Flan, who was holding my arm, trembling violently.

“It can’t be…”

Unlike the other expedition members, she had guessed.

If both vampires and Beastmen originated from humans, then the place where these hybrid beings emerged would be this land where we stand.

“Could everyone in this city really have…?”

As that ominous speculation gradually became reality with the scene visible beyond the gate…

Standing in the center of the drawbridge, my body suddenly stiffened, and mana naturally began to be drawn to me.

Before my mind understood, my body had already detected it.

Something massive was approaching.

“Everyone fall back!”

Having sensed this sign, my body leaped to the rear of the formation.

At that moment, a shadow jumped down from the top of the wall with a thud, causing the chains connecting the bridge to vibrate violently, shaking the entire area.

“W-what is…”

“An ambush?”

Ambush? That would be fortunate by comparison.

Though the fog made it difficult to see clearly, judging by the shadow alone, it was a being several times the size of a human.

More suitable to be called a monster than an abomination…

-Grrrr, kaow, urgh…!

As this monster approached, taking a step forward with its front paws while making strange cries, I felt my throat go dry in real-time.

Well, there could be differences in size between individuals.

It might be wrong to think all abominations are the same.

“Everyone fall back.”

“Will you be alright alone?”

“Even if I’m not, I have to be. This is what Heroes are for.”

Fighting together might be better, but given that we don’t know what else awaits us, it’s best to conserve our strength.

As I was about to advance alone toward the writhing shadow, I heard an expedition member sobbing behind me.

“Pho…”

Francesca.

The guardian of humanity who existed to love humans from birth.

“Lord Phobia…?”

The name uttered from her lips was something I never expected.

Phobia? Where?

-Kwaaah, karuk…!

It didn’t take long to understand her question.

With the cry and the fog torn apart by the swinging front paw, what was revealed was a twisted body covered in white fur.

Its face resembled a bear, but between its torn lips protruded a tentacle-like tongue, bearing no resemblance to its former self.

-Karrr, ya, aaak…!

Yes, to the extent that I felt such dissonance, what blocked our path at this moment was someone I couldn’t overlook.

To the point where this realization transformed into a crisis beyond what I had anticipated.

-Kyaaaoaaa, aaaaa!!!

The Anti-Human Alliance’s assault captain, Phobia Homer.

How did he, who knew how to show respect and gratitude even to enemies, appear as such a twisted monster in the sanctuary?