A Betrayed Master Will Not Return

14 – The Greatest Leader (9)

Devil hunters were moving along the misty streets after getting off the carriage.

Although it was clearly daytime in terms of time, the fog, thick enough to make movement uncomfortable without lanterns, further darkened the already gloomy atmosphere.

“So, where is the meeting place with the client?”

“It’s in the church in this city. If it was a clear day, it would have been visible around that corner…”

“Hurry… hurry, it feels like something is going to jump out…”

Nico spoke anxiously.

Although he didn’t show it, the other devil hunters also felt that the atmosphere was far from peaceful and urged their steps as much as possible.

-Clank, clank.

Along with the fog, the ground was damp as if it had been soaked in rain.

The sound of footsteps, which sounded even louder, added to the uneasy feeling.

At that moment.

“Kaaa…”

“! Hiiik!”

“!…”

A bizarre sound coming from somewhere.

The sound, which seemed to spread from quite a distance, instantly captivated the Devil Hunters with a solid tension.

“Did…you hear that?”

“…Yeah, I definitely heard it.”

“A hunting dog? No… it seems different from that.”

“Sigh…”

The Devil Hunters, caught up in tension, showing their vigilance.

Then, among them, Gellert let out a small sigh, and calmly spoke in a composed voice.

“We’ll find out the details after meeting the client. For now, let’s focus on moving.”

“Understood, Leader. We’ll do that.”

After agreeing with Gellert’s words, the Devil Hunters started moving again.

Even afterwards, the occasional sound of cries made them feel uneasy,

Still, they quietly followed behind Gellert, who was walking ahead while looking at the map.

At that moment.

“…Wait.”

“!”

“Hmm…”

At Geralt’s words, the women came to a halt.

They were currently standing in a square located in the south of the city.

Though their visibility was hindered by the lingering fog, they could at least ascertain that this place was an open area.

However, disregarding this fact.

The four Devil Hunters present in this place promptly corrected their grip on their weapons and assumed defensive stances without hesitation.

A disturbance was detected on the magic detection nets they had set up.

And those things, swiftly darting towards them.

At this moment,

Without exception, they were swarming towards this place like a pack of ants.

“They’re coming.”

Geralt’s words filled with a chilling resolve.

Immediately afterwards, countless shadowy figures began to appear amidst the dense fog.

And then,

“Kyaaahhh!!!”

“!!”

“heheheheex!!!”

Finally, the ‘demons’ started to become clear to their eyes.

If I were to describe its appearance in one word, it would be as follows:

Mermaid.

A monster with a fish head, covered in scales and walking on two legs.

The creature attacked the devil hunters, thrusting its sharp teeth that resembled saw blades.

At that moment,

– Whoosh!

“heheheek!?”

“Kyeeek?”

A sudden hot gust of wind.

The fish demons that were charging towards us immediately felt fear and covered their faces with both arms.

As the skin’s moisture began to evaporate rapidly due to the heat, followed by excruciating pain.

The demons, who were charging forward with momentum, began to wriggle and roll on the ground.

Gabriel looked at them with a surprised expression.

“Truly. As the leader said, these creatures are overly vulnerable to fire.”

The fish demons, suffering severely even though they hadn’t been directly burned.

And at this moment, the devil hunters’ weapons were all surrounded by blue flames.

The flames that Gabriel had conjured with magic.

Unlike normal fire that would go out without fuel like oil, these flames would never be extinguished unless Gabriel stopped using magic or his magical power was completely depleted.

Holding the sword engulfed in flames, Gellert shouted in a firm voice.

“It’s just a fish. Wipe them all out.”

Devil Hunters began to cut down the demons in front of them as soon as the order was given.

Although the enemy outnumbered them, the ensuing situation was a common massacre to the point where such superiority felt meaningless.

Weapons adorned with flames.

Every time they swung them, the demons writhed in pain just from grazing them.

In this situation, it was not easy to launch any effective attacks, let alone approach.

If only they had ranged weapons like bows or guns, it might have been different, but

These guys, who were charging forward with just a piece of cloth wrapped around their bodies, did not show any sign of such weapons.

“Hyaaat!!!”

-Bam!!

Nico’s axe emitted a terrifying sound and spewed out blue sparks.

The demon struck by it had its head instantly split apart and died.

Without paying any attention to the guy, Nico immediately swung his axe at the next demon.

“hahahaha! This is kind of fun, isn’t it? Alright, come at me if you dare!”

-Tang!

Jenew’s shot passed through the demon’s eyeball with sharp gunfire and blew apart its brain.

The demon fell down helplessly from that blow, and then Jenew swung her flaming greatsword and decapitated another demon.

At that moment,

“Kiiiieee!!!”

“Kiiiiiiiaaa!!!”

Eerie screams resounded from all directions.

The sound was similar to what I had occasionally heard on the way here, but it felt different in a way that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

At the same time, the demons that had swarmed like ants scattered in a hurry in all directions.

“Is it… over?” Nico asked.

“Yeah, for now,” Gabriel replied quietly.

After driving away the demons in one attack, Gellert looked around and spoke firmly.

“Is anyone hurt?”

“No. Leader.”

“Nothing here either. Master.”

“I… I’m okay.”

“That’s a relief. Let’s move right away. There’s no point hesitating and getting them to gather again.”

Honestly, the difficulty of the battle itself wasn’t very high, but the situation was physically demanding since they had to deal with a large number of enemies.

With the goal of meeting the client as quickly as possible, they quickly resolved the situation according to Gellert’s orders and started moving towards the church at a faster pace than before.

Remaining vigilant with a strong sense of caution towards the demons that were still lurking within their range.

*

About 10 minutes later.

There were no additional attacks during that time, but despite that, they couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of relief as they finally began to see the appearance of the towering church in front of them.

“Thank goodness, we can finally catch our breath.”

The exterior of the church looked more intact than expected.

Located at the heart of the city, the place was distinctly visible even through the thick fog, thanks to the many lanterns that were lit all around.

However, the church’s noticeable feature wasn’t merely the bright lanterns.

“What’s this smell?”

“It seems to be coming from these incense candles, but it’s not a particularly pleasant scent.”

Strange incense burned around the church.

Although it was common for churches to burn incense during rituals, this aroma was nonetheless unsettling.

Just then.

“Ah, you’ve arrived.”

A voice sounded from the entrance of the church.

There stood a woman in a white nun’s habit.

With green-tinged eyes and a gentle demeanor, the young nun approached the Devil Hunters with a welcoming smile.

“Thank you for waiting. You must be the Central Devil Hunters who took the assignment?”

“I am Gallard, the leader of Team 3. Are you the client, Emily?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I am Emily Dipt, the bishop responsible for the Corsica region. Let’s go inside and discuss the details.”

Emily led the group into the church.

The Devil Hunters began to follow her guidance to learn more about the situation at hand.

*

Inshumus, the largest city in the Corsica region.

In this northern city boasting a sizable harbor, an ominous presence had been detected for some time now.

A thick fog, so dense it was unbearable even considering the fact that it was near the coast.

Additionally, the residents started disappearing one by one at some point.

Regarding this peculiar situation, people reached the conclusion that everything must be the work of the devil.

As if the Franz Kingdom wasn’t already devastated,

There were testimonies and evidence of actual demons resembling fish wandering the streets at midnight and devouring people.

As a result, the residents requested the assistance of the Devil Hunters in the north to hunt down the demons and restore everything to normal.

The cost was high, but there was no other solution as reliable as this.

However,

The Devil Hunters, who were experts in demon extermination, not only failed to resolve the situation but also disappeared without a trace within a matter of days.

Although the exact details were unknown, most of the residents believed that even the Devil Hunters had fallen victim to overwhelmingly powerful demons.

And this fact further fueled the already anxious atmosphere of the city,

As a result, Insmerus transformed into a desolate place where even traces of human presence were hard to find.

“The situation is roughly like this… It has become increasingly severe to the point of being unbearable lately. Even now, during the day, the city is paralyzed due to ongoing demon attacks.”

“So you’re saying the situation continues to be the same as before?”

“Yes…”

As the Devil Hunters listened to Emily’s story, they confirmed the seriousness of the situation.

Meanwhile,

Ignoring Emily’s story.

Gelerd remained silent as he gazed at the city covered in fog, contemplating.

“At this point… the creature must already be here. In other words, this place is already…”