Holy Knight Ronius and Verdel, having departed from the Holy Kingdom of Quolia, were leading a mercenary company of roughly fifty that they had successfully contracted, heading toward the Great Cursed Realm.
This world played host to mercenaries and adventurers alike.
The Idragia Continent—where not all of its lands had yet been surveyed, and dangerous creatures such as magical beasts and wild beasts ran rampant in great numbers.
The demand for those who made their living through battle grew as a natural consequence, and they were valued in all manner of situations, whether public or private.
The company that accompanied them on this occasion was one such mercenary band.
Rather than wartime engagements, they had made their livelihood through subjugating magical beasts and conducting advance surveys during territorial expansion. They were perfectly suited for this investigation.
And so the party progressed smoothly through their itinerary. But problems arose, as was only natural.
Senior Holy Knight Verdel had initially been satisfied by Holy Knight Ronius's extensive connections and high-level coordination skills, but as the march into the forest dragged on, his mood grew increasingly sour.
"Ugh. This blows. Why do I have to be stuck on a gig like this? Seriously, I wanna go home. I'd have been hundreds of times better off listening to some blowhard's boring sermon back in the capital."
"The Northern Province uprising, I'd imagine. Normally, a considerably larger investigation team would have been assembled. The fact that it's this small despite everything just goes to show how few resources Quolia has to spare."
"Yeah, sure. Let's go with that."
Verdel walked with thoroughly lethargic steps, waving his hands listlessly.
Even clad in heavy plate armor, his footing remained steady—proof of what it meant to be a Holy Knight.
The tireless training and natural talent that produced strength far beyond that of ordinary men.
The captain of the mercenary company accompanying them joined the conversation, having witnessed firsthand the power of a knight said to be worth a hundred soldiers.
"The Northern Province uprising, huh? That's got nothing to do with us, but sounds like things are pretty rough over there…"
"Hm? You lot aren't going? I hear the pay is decent…?"
"Good pay doesn't mean much if you're dead. Besides, the word is it's seriously dangerous. Us half-measures wouldn't stand a chance."
"Yeah, fair enough. Mercenaries already get worked to the bone as it is. You've gotta have a healthy sense of danger just to survive."
"And besides… apparently a witch has appeared in the Northern Province."
Their speech was rough, matching each other's tone. They got along well enough, but their banter had become so indistinguishable that you couldn't tell knight from mercenary anymore. Ronius sighed at the exchange. But a word he'd never heard before caught his ear, and he tilted his head.
—A witch.
The mercenary captain had indeed said that. It was a term he'd never encountered before.
Was something happening in the Northern Province that he didn't know about? His interest piqued, he cut into the conversation despite knowing he was interrupting.
"A witch? Captain, what's that about? I've never heard of it…"
"It's only a rumor, but…"
"Hey, cut it out! This is already tedious enough without you dragging up some creepy story!"
"S-sorry about that…"
"Let's just wrap up this investigation and get the hell out of here."
Verdel suddenly erupted in fury.
The man's mercurial mood swings and his tendency to drag everyone around him were nothing new, but even this was particularly brazen.
Ronius sensed something suspicious about the way Verdel had deliberately shut down the mention of a witch, but he knew pressing the matter would get him nowhere, so he kept his mouth shut.
"Come now, Sir Holy Knight. Fortunately, there's a town near the Great Cursed Realm, so let's just be grateful we can drink every night instead of sleeping in the open. Could be a lot worse, you know?"
"Hmph!"
"Come on, let's finish up this dreary job and figure out the rest later!"
It seemed the captain's flattery managed to calm Verdel's temper.
But the crucial matter of the witch remained unresolved. Pressing the captain on it here was out of the question.
With a lingering sense of unease, Ronius let himself be swept along by the mood of the group.
"Sir Ronius, that's all right with you too, isn't it?"
"Ah, yes… of course."
What manner of being was this witch?
Perhaps Holy Knight Verdel knew something about it?
The intelligence made available to Holy Knights varied enormously depending on their rank.
Unlike lower-ranking knights, Verdel as a senior could very well have been briefed on classified information from the capital…
"Oh! While we've been chatting, the Great Cursed Realm has come into view! It's the closest point from Quolia, so why don't we start our survey from around here?"
"That is the Great Cursed Realm…?"
Just as the captain said, a dark and gloomy forest loomed before them.
According to the maps they'd reviewed beforehand, the Great Cursed Realm was a vast forest, and surveying all of it would be impossible in terms of both time and manpower.
But a preliminary survey was entirely feasible. If any anomalies were found, a large-scale investigation team could be dispatched afterward.
That was the whole purpose of sending Holy Knights, and Ronius understood it as such.
A simple mission. And yet, somehow—despite appearing to be nothing more than an enormous forest, it gave him the uncanny illusion that it was a den of sinister creatures.
With that unsettling feeling gnawing at him, Ronius continued to stare intently at the forest ahead.
……
…
"Everyone, halt!"
At Holy Knight Verdel's command, the entire party stopped in their tracks.
The Great Cursed Realm spread out before them, and they had just been discussing when to begin their survey.
They had been searching for a promising entry point into the forest while going over various details, when Verdel's words brought them all to a sudden standstill.
What was out there?
Everyone noticed that Verdel's gaze was directed into the forest, and they followed his line of sight.
From within, a lone figure was quietly approaching.
"That is…?"
It was a single girl.
Skin so white it bordered on eerie, wavy, dull ash-gray hair.
Her attire consisted of ragged clothes woven from hemp.
Her crimson eyes gave off an air of something fundamentally alien, and combined with the circumstances, the overall impression was deeply bizarre.
"How unusual, seeing someone here. What do you think, Ronius?"
"I've heard that Dark Elves were once banished from the El-Nar Spirit Contract Alliance. There were reports that they headed for the southern continent—could she be one of the survivors?"
"Hmph, a survivor… sure."
Verdel's eyes narrowed with undisguised suspicion as he snorted.
Verdel was the one in charge of this mission. Both Ronius and the mercenary company were uncertain about how to proceed but ultimately left everything to him.
Arms crossed, Verdel glared at the girl for a long moment.
Eventually, when she had closed to within a certain distance, he barked out a challenge.
"Hey! Girl! Who are you? We have business in this forest. Why did you come out of the Great Cursed Realm?"
"Oh my, you appear to be Holy Knights from Quolia. I am one of the Dark Elves who fled into this forest. What business brings you here?"
Her first words were perfectly ordinary.
Her clear, refined voice stood in stark contrast to her appearance—it was almost endearing—and that dissonance only deepened his mistrust.
Verdel pressed on with his questions. His tone remained the same, but his crude demeanor had receded, replaced by a sharp, piercing intensity.
"I can't tell you why we're here. It's classified. Answer my question first, girl. Why did you come out of the forest?"
"……We who have been driven from our homeland have no place to return to. Even this cursed land—so long as humans avoid it—becomes a sanctuary of peace."
"To willingly dwell in cursed land… that's unsettling. …Well, whatever. We are, as you said, Holy Knights from Quolia. We have business inside the forest. You won't mind if we enter?"
"You must not. Please, do not set foot in the forest, Holy Knights."
"This is an act sanctioned by God himself. I can't say I'm pleased with your refusal…"
"Hey, I'm the one talking here! Shut up, Ronius!"
"…! My apologies, Holy Knight Verdel."
Startled by Verdel's fierce rebuke, Ronius flinched.
He acknowledged that he had been out of line speaking up, but was such a harsh reprimand really necessary?
In any case, the conversation was between Verdel and the girl.
Ronius resolved to report Verdel's decidedly un-clerical behavior to the capital in full once this was over, and quietly watched what would happen next, determined not to interject again.
The girl glanced briefly toward Ronius, then toward the mercenary company.
Her red eyes swept over them with an unsettling gaze.
Was she truly a Dark Elf?
As every person who received that gaze harbored doubts, the girl maintained a brief silence.
Then, seemingly confirming that Ronius would not intrude on the conversation again, she turned her gaze back to Verdel and answered his unspoken doubts in a voice devoid of emotion.
"The other Dark Elves who fled here are frightened. They have all endured bitter and painful journeys, and have only just found a place of refuge. I humbly beg you—please, show us mercy…"
"We're just doing our job. If I had my way, we'd turn back right now, but when orders come from above, there's not much I can do…"
"Then I ask that you understand our plight and abandon any intention of entering the forest."
The girl's words were courteous and impeccably polite.
Setting aside her unsettling appearance, one could almost call it a perfectly normal plea.
But this forest was the cursed Great Cursed Realm in its entirety, and the girl before them was clearly an alien presence utterly out of place here.
It was no exaggeration to say that something lay beyond her refusal.
For instance—calamity, as prophesied by the Saint.
"What's in the forest?"
"Nothing but quiet peace. There is nothing here that could threaten you. Why are you so fixated on such a small, dim forest?"
"Look, we came here because we received a divine prophecy that a calamity exists in this land. I can't just turn around and say 'okay, sure'…"
"V-Verdel! This mission is top secret! Why did you reveal the prophecy to that Dark Elf!?"
"Shut up! I told you to be quiet, Ronius! Sometimes there are times you have to speak!"
His outburst silenced Ronius once more.
Revealing classified state information to an unauthorized person. Under normal circumstances, this was a grave offense worthy of disciplinary proceedings. But Verdel may have done so deliberately, gambling that it might break the deadlock in negotiations.
Indeed, for the first time, the girl's expressionless face showed a flicker of surprise, and she raised a hand to her mouth in a gesture of bewilderment.
"A divine prophecy from the Saint…? So the Holy Knights fear this calamity…? But there is no one here who wishes to do you harm."
"What proof do you have?"
"I can only offer my word."
"You won't let us enter the forest? Even just a little? That would be enough to satisfy us."
"I must ask you to refrain."
"Is there any possibility that this calamity will befall our kingdom and its people?"
"There is none. If anything, we are the ones who should be afraid."
"You're remarkably eloquent for a child. You're accustomed to negotiation, and you have far too much nerve."
"Furthermore, I assure you that we have no intention of ever harming you."
It was a circular exchange.
She refused to reveal her identity, merely pleading for peace and asking them to leave.
Everyone present had already sensed that the girl was no ordinary Dark Elf.
No—more than that, that she was not a Dark Elf at all.
The more conversation they had, the more the wrongness grew. And with it, an ominous aura that seeped into the air like a living thing.
Verdel and his companions had no way of knowing what this girl—who radiated the scent of pure evil so brazenly—was thinking, or why she was so desperate to keep them from entering the forest.
The girl certainly had no intention of telling them.
And so Verdel made his decision and asked one final question to bring this encounter to an end.
"Can you swear that on God?"
"…I swear it upon my God."
A being that was not human swore an oath to God.
Whether that God was the one they themselves worshipped, or something else entirely, Verdel could not say.
But after a moment of silent reflection, he opened his eyes and addressed his companions.
"We're leaving."
"What!!"
The unexpected words struck Ronius with shock, and he stared at Verdel in disbelief.
The being before them was clearly evil.
To face an enemy of God and have a Holy Knight—no, a senior-ranking Holy Knight like Verdel—say such a thing was beyond anything he could have imagined.
It looked as though he had simply buckled before evil and lost his nerve.
Even the devoutly faithful and famously composed Ronius could not keep his voice steady.
"What are you thinking, Holy Knight Verdel! That being is obviously wreathed in an alien aura! For you, a Holy Knight, to fail to sense her evil—what is the meaning of this!?"
"I don't know anything about evil auras. I'm going home. She says she wants to live in peace, and I'm satisfied with that. End of story. This is exhausting, and I'm hungry."
Verdel seemed to have fully made up his mind. He slouched back into the same languid posture he'd had before they arrived, stretching to work the stiffness out of his body.
Ronius, who along with the mercenaries was still mired in confusion, was far from accepting this. He pressed up against Verdel.
"You would have us let an evil being go unchecked!?"
"It's not about letting anything go unchecked. Nothing is wrong. That's the result of our survey."
"What if that being was deceiving us? What if she brought ruin upon our Holy Kingdom—how would you take responsibility for that?!"
"Don't stare into the face of fear, Ronius. Our faith begins with belief, doesn't it? Go read your scriptures, you heathen."
Ronius's words might as well have been stones thrown at a pear tree.
Verdel's mind was made up, and no force on earth could move him.
Ronius, who had learned all too well over the course of this journey just how stubborn the man could be, conceded that persuasion was impossible.
And so, as a last resort, he played the card he had been keeping in reserve.
"—You are under suspicion of abducting an innocent girl and engaging in lewd conduct. Could it be that you have been beguiled by that evil girl?"
The furrows in Verdel's brow deepened instantly, and his displeasure became plain to see.
"Are you stupid? Suspicion, you said? That has nothing to do with this in the first place. Don't spin convenient little stories based on your own speculation. I'll knock you out."
This man was suspected of criminal behavior. Based on his un-knightly conduct and words thus far—above all, his attitude of recoiling before evil—Ronius had arrived at certainty. Guided by the justice within him, he delivered his verdict.
"Senior Holy Knight Verdel. I regret to inform you that I am removing you from this mission for dereliction of duty. From this point forward, this investigation will be managed by me, Holy Knight Ronius."
"Huh? Hey, don't push your luck! How condescending can you be? That's exactly why you're a lower-ranked knight, you know that?"
"Holy Knight Ronius, please, do not be rash. Conflict breeds nothing. We have words at our disposal."
Verdel was not the only one admonishing him—even the girl, who had been quietly watching events unfold, spoke up in a tone of restraint.
That was a mistake.
It was more than enough to fuel the fire of Ronius's anger and righteous conviction.
"Silence, vessel of evil!"
Ronius drew his blade and thrust it toward the girl.
The atmosphere in the clearing shifted palpably.
The rift between Verdel and Ronius was now undeniable, and what had seemed moments ago like a problem about to be resolved swelled into something far larger.
"Hey! Mercenaries! Stop this fool too!"
"We're sorry, Lord Verdel. We were hired by Holy Knight Ronius, and even if you're our superior, we can't take your orders."
"Damn it!"
Verdel had brought this on himself by shunning the mercenary negotiations and administrative work, leaving everything to Ronius.
There was no one left who agreed with his position. The only possible exception was the girl, but she was the very one under suspicion and could do nothing.
"The matter of Holy Knight Verdel can wait. You're first. That evil aura of yours—and the reason you were in this cursed forest—I want you to reveal everything, holding nothing back! I'll capture you and bring you to the royal capital for interrogation in God's name. Hey, mercenaries—tie her up!"
The girl reacted with a slight flinch.
Wearing an expression of distress, she shook her head quietly in refusal.
Not that her plea would have reached Ronius. From the start, he may never have intended to listen to a word she said.
The mercenary captain exchanged a glance with Ronius.
They had already drawn their swords and entered combat formation.
Girl though she appeared, the atmosphere surrounding her made it plain that she was no human being.
If she resisted, a fight was inevitable.
Roughly fifty mercenaries against a single girl. Overwhelming in terms of sheer numbers.
But the opponent was a creature of darkness. There was no telling what might happen.
"Go ahead! If she resists, don't hold back! Be careful!"
"Hey! Stop! Don't lay a hand on someone who isn't resisting!"
Verdel shouted.
But the man had already been stripped of his authority by Ronius, and no one followed him. His words echoed hollowly into empty air.
The mercenaries closed in around the girl in a tight circle, the ring steadily shrinking.
And then…
"Oh my, so it's come to this."
The girl let out a small sigh.
"Tch! Dammit!!"
"Huh!?"
Ronius could not comprehend what had just happened to him.
A heavy impact, and then his vision inverted.
It was only when he saw the expanse of blue sky filling his vision that he realized he had been knocked flat on his back.
"Ronius! Are you okay!?"
"Y-yes… but what happened?"
"What do you mean 'what happened'?! You're the one who said it—'vessel of evil'! One look should've told you that, you idiot! Get up!"
Whipping through his field of vision, he saw grotesque tentacles writhing above his head.
Smooth-skinned, tipped with spear-like points—bizarre appendages.
Across their twitching surface ran a single shallow cut.
The tip of Verdel's sword—drawn at some point Ronius couldn't even register—gleamed purple with moisture.
Ronius understood. In a clash so fast he couldn't even perceive it, Verdel had knocked him aside and saved his life. He scrambled to his feet.
"Everything was going so well. What a pity—life rarely goes as planned, does it?"
The girl directed her gaze downward with a sigh, then slowly raised her head to fix them with a stare.
"Hey! Mercenaries! Anyone! Get word to our homeland! —It's a witch! A witch has appeared!"
"Sorry, Sir Holy Knight… the messenger was targeted."
The captain's pathetic voice came from behind. Ronius turned, and the situation registered in an instant.
There, pierced through along with his horse by a tentacle erupting from the ground, was the messenger.
Twitching violently, spewing torrents of blood from his mouth, the unnamed mercenary soon went limp as the tentacle retracted back into the earth with a dull thud.
On closer inspection, it was not just the messenger—the horses from the supply cart had met the same fate.
For this expedition, they had needed large quantities of water and fodder, but to minimize the burden, they had procured only the bare minimum number of horses.
Every last one of them was now dead. To deliver news of this incident, they would have to run on their own two feet.
And there was no chance the girl would allow them to flee or retreat.
Indeed, the tentacles—having fulfilled their purpose—swayed lazily behind her, searching for new prey.
"Tch! Your aim's too damn good!"
"There. The monster you came for. The embodiment of evil. The darkness that opposes God—the very thing you desired—has appeared before you."
"L-Lord Verdel…"
"Don't freeze up, Ronius. We have no choice but to fight… Combat stance! Not a single moment of hesitation—put your lives on the line!"
At Verdel's rallying cry, the fire of determination lit in every pair of eyes.
They all understood that if they didn't overcome this, there would be no tomorrow. Stilling their hearts, they steeled their resolve.
"Ah, so you would stand and fight, holy men. How will this calamity be faced by those foolish enough to have made an irreversible choice driven by needless curiosity and misplaced righteousness?"
Her hemp garments began to dissolve like sludge.
A phenomenon spread outward from the girl—filth oozing as if stagnant malice itself were overflowing from her body—and gradually it formed the shape of her clothing.
A black robe enveloping shadow within. Twisted, distorted ornaments.
Dull ash-gray hair framing eyes so repulsive they might have belonged to hell itself.
From her back sprouted countless tentacles, swaying as if hunting for prey.
Her crimson eyes locked onto them, and She smiled.
"—Now. Pray."
""God! Grant me the power to vanquish evil!""
Verdel and Ronius invoked God's miracle in unison.
The mercenary company nocked arrows and drew their bows upon the girl.
The girl bared a ghastly grin, and took a single step forward.
Atou of the Sludge, hero of Mynoghra.
The Destroyer King's most trusted retainer was about to unleash her full might upon this world for the very first time.