The World After Leaving the Hero Party

23 – Pale Moon – 2

***

For Veronica, a heretic inquisitor and a cardinal of the church, finding traces of a cult was no different from everyday life.

That’s how, as usual, it was time to find traces of socialism and arrive at a small village.

“Is this a hundred silver village?”

Cultists generally operate in secret. As such, the movements of the Heretic Questioners had to be kept as secret as possible without discovering the cult’s stronghold.

This time, since it was a simple investigation, Veronica, who arrived at Baekeun Village with only two paladins to escort her, asked the adjutant, and the aide-in-law, the paladin, nodded heavily.

“Yes. There are ominous signs being found in this village. Reports about them have already been described in the report.”

“Right.”

The contents of the report she had seen before coming here floated around in Veronica’s head.

Cattle disappeared.

An ominous altar was found in the hunting ground.

The palm tree barriers made by the church were destroyed one by one.

As the traces of the monsters disappeared, a thing called ‘Chimera’, which had never been seen before, was discovered.

and.

Finally, people are missing.

If you look at each of them individually, they are events that can be easily seen in any manor or village, but the fact that all of these occur in one place means that something happens in Baekeun Village.

That’s why Veronica, who came to this place herself, covered her silver hair with a black hoodie and moved on.

“There it is.”

The village called Baekeun had a landscape that seemed to be covered with the breath of a dragon on a silver sea covered with a thick fog, which is a characteristic of mountain villages.

From the outside, it’s just a beautiful, secluded rural village, but why are traces of a cult found here?

As she questioned, something out of place in this town caught on her telescope.

“Who are they?”

At the bottom of the hill, there were four people heading towards the village. A foreigner entering a rural village where not many outsiders enter?

Perhaps they are those who are related to the cult.

Veronica directed the paladins as she placed her hand on the mace hilt at her waist.

“First, let’s figure out their identities.”

“Yes.”

“All right.”

Paladins also put on their hoods and slowly descended the hill. Looking around like that, by the time they arrived at the village.

“Who are you?”

One of the four I found earlier.

A beautiful blonde girl, as if made of molten gold, was openly vigilant and aimed a sword.

Veronica, who noticed at once the hostility and wariness in the pretty orange eyes that resembled the sunlight, laughed.

It had been a long time indeed.

being constrained in this way.

So, in spite of herself, she asked in a cold tone in spite of herself.

“Isn’t it the first thing to reveal about yourself before asking the other person?”

“…Hero Claire. The Demon King’s subordinate in this town. I’ve been following Clover’s trail.”

Not too long ago, I heard that there was a girl who drew a warrior’s sword in the kingdom and was appointed as a hero. Veronica, who had been busy with work at the time and had not attended the ceremony, nodded slightly.

I never thought I’d meet that hero here.

And to think that the hero was not right for him instinctively.

Veronica heard the Divine Mark of the church to her who was vigilant.

“This is Cardinal Veronica, the heretic inquisitor of the church.”

“Veronica…? Huh…?”

Claire tilted her head and was startled. The reaction seemed more surprised than Veronica’s position as cardinal.

By the time the quick-witted Veronica narrowed her eyes, Claire involuntarily muttered a low voice.

“You really… did you come?”

“What do you mean?”

Cultists are suspicious and cautious. That’s why the investigations by the Heretic Questioners are carried out in secret.

As such, only a few people knew that Veronica was coming to this village, and among those few people, none were lighthearted.

But what is Claire saying?

It’s as if someone knew you were coming here.

In the worst case scenario, the village is likely to be a trap, so the paladins grabbed their weapons, and Claire said, taken aback by their reaction.

“My fellow sage told me.”

“A sage?”

“Yes. That…”

Hesitantly, Claire returned the sword to its scabbard and carefully continued her explanation.

“Cardinal Veronica, who discovered the traces of Baegwol Bridge, will come to this village…”

Upon entering the village with Claire’s guidance, a strange atmosphere was spreading inside the village. We doubt each other, and displeasure reigns.

The villagers, who must have been like family for a long time, didn’t even pretend to know the people next door, and were openly wary, as if they didn’t like the fact that outsiders were entering.

Even at the rest area in the center of the village, where travelers occasionally visit, the atmosphere was not very different.

No, it seemed even worse.

“They…?”

“Ah. There… those people…”

I see the people who came to the village with Claire earlier gathered.

Is it because of their strange atmosphere? Claire’s voice trembled slightly.

Veronica knew what the atmosphere was, even though they were just a group, which seemed quite awkward.

boundary.

and jealousy.

It was an atmosphere that could be known because it was Veronica, who had excellent divine power and rose to a high position in the church at a young age.

Even in the upper part of the church, the knight and the elf felt the atmosphere as if they were being sent to them by those who wanted to rise to a higher position.

It was a man tinkering with and tuning the lute to receive the complex emotions sent by the strong-looking knight and the female elf archer with an arrogant expression.

With an ordinary impression that doesn’t seem to be anything special, he lightly played the lute as if he had finished tuning it.

-Tiririring…

A good timbre begins to spread. And around that, the atmosphere of the town began to change little by little.

One of the musicians’ skills is playing to soothe the mind.

“Didn’t I say he was a wise man? I thought he would be a musician…”

“Ah. That’s it. A sage can use all kinds of skills. And…”

When the performance is over, the vigilant people approach. Did he even get hurt? As the hunter with bandaged arms and legs approached, he smiled and held out his hand.

Veronica and the paladins who saw it couldn’t help but doubt their eyes.

“heel.”

Healing. All priests can use it, but they write things that no one other than a priest can use?

Before the shocked Veronica and the others could say anything, other villagers approached the man called the Sage.

“What is that man doing?”

“Ah… that’s right. A wise man is always like that.”

He always helps people.

Even if it was a trivial task, such as fixing a broken item in the village or handling miscellaneous tasks in the village.

At that, Veronica stared at the wise man in wonder, and as if he noticed his gaze, he got up from his seat and approached Veronica.

“Nice to meet you. I’m the wise man Hyeonu. Call me comfortably.”

“Ah. I…”

“I know.”

He was a strange man.

As if he knew himself, he approached Veronica and held out his hand.

“Cardinal Veronica.”

.

.

.

“Wake!”

-Teeeing!!

Veronica suddenly came to her senses at the harsh cry and the lute’s sharp tone that struck her ear.

what just happened?

Veronica lifted her heavy head and looked around.

“Eyeeee! Murder !! Murder !!

The numerous tentacles were unable to approach it, perhaps because of the sonic attack created by Rark, who burst out with a terrible scream and started playing slang.

“Wow! Look at those tentacles! There are so many of them! Can I eat those too? Ah! In our town, they also eat monsters! They look really strange! Tentacle tentacles are similar to those tentacles, but depending on the recipe, they become a specialty dish! Our village It’s sold here, but if you come and try it, you’ll love it! The chewy taste is excellent, and… uh? What is that again? Sage! Sage! Look here!”

“When darkness descends! Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh , the confused wings call for blood! !!”

“Wowwak! You almost got hit! Whoops, but as a werewolf, it’s hard to counter my movements! Wow! Look at those eyes! Sage-sama! Sage-sama! Can I throw a shadow spear at that eye? Ah! I closed my eyes! The pattern is the same… .”

Veronica felt her mind go blank. It’s almost to the point where I wonder if it’s because of the overflowing chatter and insane performances and songs resonating with the background music that reminded me of things from the past.

“I understand how you feel, but it’s not because of that. Rather, you were able to come to your senses quickly thanks to them.”

“Ah. Ah. I see.”

Veronica, who was sitting on the floor, looked up blankly and saw the hand extended to her.

it’s a big hand and rough hands

The moment she saw the hand, Veronica tightly closed her eyes.

okay.

It was like this even then.

“You’re now imprinted on the pale moon, and your mind will go back and forth between the past and reality every time you use a skill.”

“…Ah. I see.”

Hyeonu had said that earlier when we passed the hallway. The Pale Moon intensively attacks those with the strongest divine power.

One of the attacks was a mental attack, and it was said that whenever a skill containing divine power is used, a mental attack is performed to move back and forth between the past and the present.

Upon learning that she had been harmed, the furious Veronica chewed her lips.

“…I can’t believe I’m getting hurt.”

“It’s okay. You can get hit.”

“…Aren’t you disappointed in me?”

Hyeonu didn’t pay much attention to it as it was a penalty that must be taken in the game.

But Veronica couldn’t be carefree.

It seems that the fact that she got caught even though she had already heard of it, and that she barely came to her senses with his help, hurt her pride.

That’s why Hyeonu smiled as he looked down at Veronica who was sullen.

I always think about it, but people in this world are very weak mentally.

From that point of view, the adventurers living their own way over there might be better.

“Yeah eh eh!”

“Yah-ho!”

Wilkers, who talks nonstop as if he has a motor in his mouth, and Lark, who is tearing open his throat.

Hyeonu looked at the two and shook his head slowly.

‘Have I been influenced by that performance and chatter? They look better.’

“Anyway, I told you earlier. You can’t block this, you can’t avoid it. Just remember what you need to do now.”

“What I have to do…”

Veronica opened her closed eyes and stared at Hyeonu.

But those eyes were shaking. It is evidence that self-confidence has decreased due to the stress of having been subjected to a mental attack. But Hyeonu wasn’t particularly worried.

I’ve had many experiences like this, whether in games or in this world, and I know enough about how to deal with them.

“Who are you?”

“Veronica. Veronica… Elates.”

“and?”

“…Cardinal of the Church and Inquisitor.”

“Then, what should we do with the monster worshiped by Baekwolgyo over there, the symbol of the cult, and the dark being who wants to rule the world?”

The grotesque voice and performance, and the shaman’s sorcery.

Finally, even the sound made by the moving tentacles of the pale moon.

It was a noisy and frenzied place, but nonetheless, Hyeonu’s skill, ‘psychological counseling’, was enough to relieve her discouragement.

That’s why Veronica laughed involuntarily.

He was like that then too.

It always has been.

So naturally, it heals people’s minds and makes them happen.

“You have to fight.”

“great.”

The will to fight is strengthened, and the hands that are joined are strong. It is said that he was in a state of mental attack from the pale moon, but even so, what he had to fight for did not change.

“Light!!”

Veronica held up the Divine Mark. The light shield created by combining her prayers and divine power began to heal the wounded bodies of the three.

At that moment, Hyeonu shouted.

“You bastard! Don’t open your eyes like that!!”

The wise man who shouted so.

I ran into a huge, obscure, unidentifiable monster.

Seeing that, Veronica thought.

you.

that it is still

at that time.

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Just as he ran out without hesitation from the nightmare of Baekeun Village, which he thought he would not be able to defeat.