Ch.453Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

# Morning Comes to the Yellow City

Even with the desert’s large temperature fluctuations, August isn’t a time of dramatic temperature changes. After putting on a suitable coat and opening the window, the cool traveler who had been journeying across the vast wasteland departs, exchanging clear air for deep sleep.

After splashing cold water on my face, I finished tidying up my disheveled appearance.

I take out a cigarette and light it—once a habit, now mere inertia.

“Hoo…”

The smoke rising in the quiet morning is dreamlike. Pressing the filter with my lips while surrounded by a pale mist, the smoke that lingered in my mouth scatters into the air, leaving a strange aftertaste.

I crush the cigarette in the ashtray and tilt my head back. Closing my eyes, slightly intoxicated by drowsiness, I drift into contemplation.

## Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

Even humans, the lords of all creation, have natural enemies. These enemies have sometimes appeared wearing the masks of religion, race, or nationality. Humanity’s greatest adversary has never been beasts or plagues, but humanity itself.

The century’s greatest inventor developed the machine gun to end war, and a brilliant scientist invented the atomic bomb, but peace remained as distant and treacherous as a flower blooming on a cliff edge.

The war to end all wars ultimately left seeds for another war, and these seeds grew into mighty trees that consumed the entire world. Weapons that once took hundreds of lives with a single gesture can now erase human civilization with the press of a button.

In that sense, an ordinary human smacking the holy maiden on the head for being cheeky could be considered a perfectly natural phenomenon, proven by tens of thousands of years of history.

“Ow! That hurts…”

As the light blow struck her crown, Veronica raised her voice while rubbing her head.

“Who told you to be so cheeky?”

“You’re such a narrow-minded man who can’t even take a joke…”

“I have my pride too. If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll have no choice but to become a thug.”

Should I hit you like a gangster?

When I clenched my fist and shook it gently, Veronica turned her head away sharply. With her pouting lips, there wasn’t even a speck of a holy maiden’s dignity to be found.

“I asked why Raphael sent you here, but why are you avoiding the question? Are we playing Twenty Questions?”

“My dear Major, you’ve become quite aggressive since I last saw you… You’re not treating our siblings like this too, are you?”

“Of course not.”

“…Then why are you being such a jerk to me?”

“Because you make me angry!”

There’s a famous saying that someone everyone likes is just a star, but someone who drives both fans and haters crazy is a superstar—a quote from a legendary singer.

In that context, Veronica wasn’t just a star but a superstar. How she could turn goodwill into anger with a single word. Watching her mouth move, one could easily imagine why the Pope collapsed from high blood pressure.

“Sigh… Fine.”

Let’s just stop talking. I waved my hand with a tired expression and pressed her.

After sticking close to the sulking Veronica and matching her mood, her protruding lips retracted slightly, as if her resentment had eased a bit.

“Do you think this will make me happy?”

“What would you like me to do?”

“…Here.”

Tap, her slender finger pointed to her cheek. There was no need to question what that meant.

The averted gaze and uneven breathing. Her reaction was so obvious that I could accommodate without much thought.

“Huh, mmm…”

Veronica flinched and looked at me with a surprised expression. As if she hadn’t expected me to actually do it.

Needless to say, she wasn’t one to be satisfied with just that. A strange smile appeared on her face, which had been maintaining a prim expression.

Her outstretched finger brushed her lips. Her fingers, which had briefly rested on her knees after losing their place, soon began to touch various places. I had been willing to accommodate reasonable requests, but this was becoming blatantly outrageous, and I couldn’t help but recoil.

“Ugh…”

“What’s with that reaction?”

“No, there are limits. Just how far are you trying to go…”

“You’re still talking about boundaries when we crossed the median strip ages ago… Fine, I’ll stop joking around now.”

Veronica let out a pleased laugh, as if I had conceded to her.

*

After rubbing her fair skin from her lips and cheeks to every corner of her skin for quite some time, she finally spoke.

“Well… Nominally, I’m here to deal with the vampire problem like other clergy, but the real reason that old fogey who newly occupies the Holy See sent me here is different.”

Her bold blasphemy of comparing the Pope to an old fogey remains unchanged.

I sat across from her, trying to guess Raphael’s intentions, while Veronica crossed her legs and picked up a cigar.

“You know who the priest of Al-Yabd is, right, Major?”

“The priest? Ah, that sorcerer… How could I not know.”

The religious and political leader of Al-Yabd. The priest, who is both a politician and a clergyman, was a very famous sorcerer.

And for good reason—he’s one of only two remaining “Grand Magicians” in the world.

In terms of status, he’s in the same position as Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrova, who claims to be Camilla’s mentor.

At this, the Church’s holy maiden whispered:

“Well~ Although Al-Yabd has a bad relationship with our side, even their old fogeys wouldn’t act without cause. The bishops and cardinals were worried that they might cause trouble before Lucia arrived here, but it’s been almost a month and there haven’t been any major issues, right?”

“That’s right.”

“The Vatican interpreted this as Al-Yabd choosing to leave things alone rather than touching the holy maiden and causing friction. And since the Grand Duchess has connections with the Hero, if anything happens, they could use the Hero to smooth things over…”

“Wait. What? Use whom as a shield?”

When I interrupted her, Veronica momentarily hesitated before putting on an awkward smile.

“…Shield? What shield?”

“You just said that.”

“Hohoho! Someone might misunderstand~ It’s about borrowing connections to resolve issues smoothly by skipping intermediate steps, not using the Hero as a shield…”

“……”

“…It wasn’t me who suggested it, but some old fogey.”

Veronica quickly threw the bishop under the bus.

While I was contemplating how to properly deal with the bishop, Veronica cleared her throat and changed the subject by tapping the table.

“Anyway, let’s talk about that later… The Templar Knights who found the vampires brought information that the cultists had, right? The Inquisition analyzed it and found something quite interesting.”

“What’s this interesting information?”

“I don’t know the details as the analysis is still in progress, but according to the Inquisition Chief…”

She leaned back in her chair and put the cigar in her mouth.

“The group that stole Lucia’s blood might be connected to Al-Yabd.”

Whoo, pale smoke rises, obscuring Veronica’s face.

“This seems worth investigating personally, don’t you think?”

*

A new hypothesis has been proposed. The cult group “Al-Kair” that stole Lucia’s blood is allegedly connected to the large religious organization “Al-Yabd.”

While it sounds absurd at first glance, it’s not entirely implausible.

Even Arab countries divided between Sunni and Shia would unite when confronting Israel.

Considering cases where Iran’s Revolutionary Guard supported Hamas despite sectarian differences, and Turkey’s government backed Syrian rebels and deeply involved itself in the civil war, there’s a reasonable possibility that Al-Yabd could be connected to the cultists.

However, to understand exactly what evidence suggested this connection and what specific hypotheses were being discussed, I needed to check the Inquisition’s information.

I went to find a collaborator who could smuggle out the Inquisition’s documents.

“It’s been a while, Sister Rebecca.”

Sister Rebecca, former secretary to the Inquisition Chief and attendant to the holy maiden.

She was now in the Mauritani continent.

“I heard your injuries were severe, but you seem to have recovered. Back on assignment too.”

“I completed intensive treatment some time ago.”

Sister Rebecca, hiding her distinctive mint-colored hair under a hat, proudly showed me her arm.

“Rehabilitation is also complete, so I’ve returned to the field.”

The wounds left by the exorcist priest possessed by a demon had faded considerably. The severe injury where the skin had necrotized and the bone marrow had rotted seemed to have healed miraculously.

Though the treatment was complete, some scarring was inevitable given the severity of the wound. Looking down at her scarred skin, Sister Rebecca smiled brightly and handed me something.

An envelope.

“Here are the documents you requested.”

“Thank you.”

“The person who deserves thanks isn’t me, but the Chief. Chief Pedro asked me to send his regards.”

“Is the Chief well? I heard he still hasn’t been able to retire. At his age…”

“The Vatican rejected his resignation, so there’s nothing he can do. But he should be able to perform his duties until a successor is appointed.”

“…Thank you for letting me know. Please give him my regards as well.”

Sister Rebecca was trustworthy, having dealt with her for a long time, and she had been introduced by none other than Chief Pedro.

After reviewing the Inquisition’s internal report, I reported to Leonie. As befitting a company that operates 24/7 year-round, it didn’t take long to receive a response.

-‘The cultists who stole the holy blood are connected to Al-Yabd… Not good news.’

“Senior Analyst Larry reviewed the data and said it’s not lacking in credibility. Pippin’s opinion was the same.”

The military intelligence analyst and the royal intelligence analyst agreed. The Inquisition’s internal report had reasonable grounds.

In other words, Al-Yabd might indeed be connected to the cult group “Al-Kair” to some extent.

“Of course, there’s no other evidence to corroborate the materials secured from the cultists’ residence. The only evidence is a few documents stored on alchemy cards, and even the Inquisition is questioning the validity of the evidence…”

-‘So the holy maiden came in person?’

“Yes.”

The Inquisition had mobilized their information network, but Raphael wasn’t satisfied with that. The newly appointed Pope instructed not only the intelligence department but also the foreign and defense departments to secure physical evidence, and dispatched Veronica to ensure thorough handling.

While I can immediately check whatever information the Inquisition collects, there’s a big difference between receiving shared information and analyzing intelligence directly. Leonie’s thoughts weren’t much different.

-‘Then we need to make the first move.’

“Yes, that’s why I’m planning to visit the Port of the Dead Whale again.”

-‘The company will send people too.’

Leonie said she would mobilize the personnel pool of Abbas intelligence agencies to establish an information network in Necropolis.

I wondered if there was a way to build an information network when the Nastasiya Treaty prevented deploying magicians for foreign operations, but there was no need to worry deeply. Even I, not a magician, had received help from Francesca.

Of course, there was someone who had helped me infiltrate Necropolis.

Joaquin Goodman, the drug-addicted magician. A long-time resident of the Port of the Dead Whale.

I needed his help again.

“What? You want to go back in there?”

Joaquin, who had escaped with us when we fled the city, was living in a village near the refugee camp.

To be precise, a safe house. A house I had procured for him.

“Mmph, hmm… *cough*- Ah, I almost died choking on bread.”

Joaquin, who had been stuffing his face with food until his cheeks bulged, scratched his head awkwardly and looked at me.

“So, you’re going back to Necropolis? My goodness… You’re tough, really tough. How can you think of going back there?”

“It just turned out that way.”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll support you and pray for your safe return. If you don’t come back, I’ll remember you! …But why did you come to me?”

“I need your help.”

“Ack-“

Joaquin stuck out his tongue and grimaced. It was slightly disgusting to see a grown man act like that.

“You’re not going to ask me to return to Necropolis, are you? No way, if I get caught going back now, I might really die!”

“Don’t worry. I have someone who can vouch for us. If you really don’t want to go, I won’t force you. You just need to provide information about the city.”

“Oh, when you put it that way, I kind of want to go! Alright! Let’s go home!”

“……”

Flip-flopping back and forth. First he said he wouldn’t go back, now he says he will. Is this guy really crazy?

Though it had been over a week since he quit drugs, Joaquin’s condition was still off. Maybe withdrawal symptoms.

Anyway.

The company’s approval had come through, and I had secured a knowledgeable collaborator. There was no benefit in delay, so I needed to finish preparations quickly.

Joaquin, who had been excitedly running around, suddenly asked a question.

“Huh? But who’s vouching for you that you can enter the city? Normally it wouldn’t matter, but right now it’s not a place you can enter just because someone vouches for you. Even if you brought a magician, they wouldn’t let you in.”

As I was leaving the house, I answered briefly.

“I have my ways.”

*

“…Yes. I just need you to make a few IDs. A letter of guarantee would be good too, just in case. I hope I’m not causing too much trouble with such a difficult request?”

-‘Not at all. There’s no need to feel burdened. If you need help, shouldn’t we help each other?’

“Yes, you’re right.”

-‘When you arrive at the port, an employee will meet you. And it would be more comfortable to enter by sea rather than by land. Heavily inspecting a ship with a clear owner could cause complaints.’

“Thank you for the advice.”

-‘I look forward to seeing you soon. Goodbye for now.’

The communication ended.

The lines and figures that had filled the screen disappeared, and I turned off the encryption device.

I had mostly finished preparations for departing to Necropolis.

“…Oh, Camilla. Are you ready?”

I went to check if Camilla was prepared.

I would have preferred to leave her in a safe place, but given Necropolis’s restrictions on civilian activities, I needed to bring a trustworthy magician.

Considering this, Camilla was currently the best partner available.

She’s a magician who fights well. With her sociability and language proficiency, there’s no one better suited for gathering information.

“All ready!”

Camilla shouted, jumping up and down with her bag. She looked extremely excited.

“A city where magicians live together…! I didn’t know such a place existed besides magic towers and ivory towers!”

“Don’t get too excited. It’s a lawless place like the Wild West.”

“Wow! The Wild West! Clint Eastwood! Red Dead Redemption!”

I had thoroughly explained Necropolis’s dangers in advance and even cautioned her, but it only had the opposite effect.

Wrapped in a blanket, Camilla was posing like a cowboy, shrugging her shoulders. This one’s not normal either.

After checking each item she had packed, I tried to add necessary things and remove unnecessary ones, but there was nothing to adjust. Thanks to her frequent medical volunteer work in third-world countries, she had packed only what was needed.

This must be why the company hires experienced professionals.

“Go to bed early. We don’t know when we’ll depart.”

“Yes!”

After chasing the fidgety Camilla to bed, I returned to my quarters to check my equipment.

And so the night deepened.

It was dawn.

The sunset-colored desert turned navy blue before sinking into darkness. The deeply submerged wasteland thus lost its original color.

I stared blankly into space, confined in a pale room. Only the light from the screen and silence filled the empty space.

Wind that had been wandering the wasteland like a traveler blew in through the window I had failed to close.

After restraining the escaping scraps of paper with a cup, I closed the window where the wind was coming in. Then, after drawing the curtains to prevent drafts, I turned around.

“……”

Someone was sitting in front of the terminal.

There was a person in the room bathed in pale color. In a scene straight out of a horror movie, I was about to draw my gun, but fortunately, I didn’t need to.

I approached her.

“What are you doing here? You scared me, coming in without saying anything.”

“……”

“…Francesca?”

She turned her head from the chair she was occupying.

Luscious purple waves flowed down her shoulders, and her eyes, infused with pale light, captured me.

“What’s the matter?”

“…Sir.”

Francesca opened her mouth.

“I think we need to talk.”