Chapter 219: The Cult

"Master, there's a thick fog ahead of us... Even with our lamp, we would have trouble passing through this..."

Ruthren from the outside noticed the problem. The moonlight wouldn't be able to help them inside the fog.

"Just run straight ahead... It doesn't matter."

"Yes, Master..."

Reiji then asked the four ladies to do something about the fog.

"Leave it to us..." The four didn't hesitate as they all brought forth their magic item... A ring that they have with them before he made them as his Sword Slaves.

For some reason, he could feel that these four ladies were quite reliable in this situation...

Nevertheless, he saw the four ladies holding each other's hands before casting an Arcane Magic...

"Wind Ripple!"

Their carriage suddenly pulsated with wind pressure and cleared away the fog blocking them...

"Impressive... It feels like you have that skill specifically for this time..."

Reiji commended them after seeing the result of their ability.

"You are correct, master."

One of the ladies replied to reaffirm Reiji's guess.

"What do you mean? Wait--I remember now... You guys are from the Cult, aren't you?"

"We are indeed from the cult, Master... I guess that the people following us are also part of the organization."

Reiji finally realized what was going on... 

"Can you tell why they are following us?"

"We can't really tell for now. However, there should be a branch of the Three-Eyed Imp Cult around this region and since they are also using a thick fog to confuse their target, we must be quite near to one of their bases..."

They went silent after hearing that... This means that if they engaged in battle, there would be a high chance that a large number of cultists would arrive and target them...

"Let's try to get as far away as possible."

"Yes, Master!"

Ruthren heard his master's orders and continued on their path without slowing their speed.

They have to arrive on an open road and leave the woods. They are very vulnerable in this type of area.

The horses galloped as Ruthren whipped the horse to run faster…

"They're getting closer… Ready for a fight."

After a while, Reiji noticed that they were surrounded. Even the road in front has someone with an Arcana blocking them…

"Stop…"

The horse neighed as they were stopped by Ruthren by pulling their halter…

"Master… There's still a thick fog surrounding us." 

Ruthren reported after successfully stopping the carriage… He's not questioning Reiji's order to stop but he wanted to know what he should do now.

The Wind Ripple cast by the four new slaves was indeed effective. The thick fog wasn't getting closer to their carriage but it was only for about a 5-meter radius… Beyond that is still the fog blocking their vision.

"Enemies are surrounding us. Get ready for a battle…"

"Yes, Master…"

Reiji then communicated to Slave 2 to 5…

"If the opponents are from the Cult, can you guys do something about them?"

"What do you mean, Master?"

"Mhmm… Like telling them that we are on their side or something? I don't know… As long as we can avoid fighting them. I'm worried that they'll destroy our carriage at this rate."

Reiji knows his limitations very well… He may be strong even if he's alone but it doesn't mean that he's capable of protecting others. Especially their carriage that is a huge target for the enemies.

If it's possible, he wanted to just avoid fighting and let these girls talk it out.

"It's not impossible, Master."

The ladies thought for a moment and gave an answer.

After becoming slaves, they will still possess independent thoughts but they will become loyal to their master. 

It doesn't matter what kind of orders Reiji will give, they will do it to the best of their ability.

"Tell me, what should we do? Hurry… They are getting closer…"

"Master, we just have to remove all of Rufus's weapons and tie him... It would be better if he'll also act like he's asleep. We'll tell them that he'll be a sacrifice to Geg'drath… They should let us pass…"

"Geg'drath?"

"He's one of the Three-Eyed Imp that we are worshipping, Master. The great Imp is capable of providing us knowledge on how to modify Magic Items or even Arcana… However, he requires the blood of young Arcanists…"

One of the ladies explained. 

"Alright, I'll trust you for now… We don't have much time. Rufus, you heard them."

"Yes, Master…" 

The young man answered and immediately released all his weapons. Nevertheless, as long as Reiji is around, there shouldn't be that much of a problem… 

Then, Reiji noticed that two of the slaves were about to go outside.

"We'll meet them first, Master… Prepare Rufus in the meantime."

"Very well… Now, no more words… We'll use our link to communicate."

"Yes, Master."

As soon as the two ladies got out… They observed the surroundings and removed their cloaks so the people hiding within the thick fog can see them… After revealing that they are women, they raised their palms with markings similar to an Arcane Circle.

Reiji has already realized before that male cultists would have tattoo marks on their bodies while the female ones don't have a single one except for the mark on their palms. This is the reason why he accepted them as his slaves, after all.

"Do not interfere with our mission. We are from Voglamaz Branch… We are here to transport a special sacrifice to the Northern Hermit."

Reiji heard one of the ladies… He doesn't know anything about them aside from them being captured by the Mind Collection after attacking an ore deposit where an unrefined rock called osnium can be mined.

'I should've investigated everything they know about the cult…'

Reiji thought for a moment before recalling that he didn't really have that much time. He also thought that the path they are using should be very common and the what they should be fighting against were Evil Beasts or Bandits and not the infamous cult itself.

In the meantime, he just waited and listened to their conversation as he might learn something.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

After a few moments, they heard footsteps on the ground and they seemed to be a group of people…

Then, a shadow appeared from the fog and the ladies can now finally see the group…

There are five of them showing up and are all wearing their Cult's Cloak but the ladies also found a gold rim on it.

'Master, we are facing the elites of the cult… They are stronger than any other officials as they can fight third-class Arcanists even if they're not together with the other cultists…'

His sword slave immediately reported to him… He also recalled the cultists that he fought together with the dual-wielding Stella.

The leaders of those cultists have an Arcana that can strengthen the members around them… They can put them in a Berserk mode which is really troubling during that time.

However, based on his slave's words, it seems that these elites were already strong even if they're alone.

"Voglamaz Branch? That is not too far… However, we heard that a mission from that branch to attack the Osnium Mines failed… They should be lacking people right now… Why would you bother sending a sacrifice in this region?"

One of the elite cultists expressed his doubt... They were just tailing the people who killed those Freaky Monkeys they've domesticated and found out that they are actually a member of their cult…

No, perhaps they found a different group instead… It's not impossible especially if those incompetent guards provided them incorrect information.

"There are nine Imp Gods and all of them have different tastes for the blood being sacrificed to them. Our leader realized that the person we captured would be likened to the Northern Hermit… It is not our call."

"For Geg'drath, huh…" One of the elites muttered after hearing the Northern Hermit… The Hermit is the one managing the sacrifice for the evil god he mentioned…

"Hey… You shouldn't address the lord like that…" The one behind him reminded... They have to show respect to the evil god even if they are not the ones in charge in that region.

"Ohh… You're right… Ehem… However, we still have to inspect your sacrifice to see whether you are telling the truth… We're also looking for a group of people who killed our pets… Is that your group?"

'Master… What should I tell them?' 

The sword slave immediately inquired… If they answered yes, they might still be attacked. This is the first time they learned that a branch of their cult is rearing that amount of wild beasts.

'Don't admit to it.'

'Yes, Master.'

After hearing his command she replied to the elites.

"We're not that group. However, we've indeed noticed some corpses of wild beasts not too far from here."

The ladies know that their cult has a method of long-distance communication so it was not surprising that they were informed even though they are far from the place of the incident.

Aside from that, they've also decided to mix their lies with truth… 

"Very well, we'll see the sacrifice you're talking about…"