Chapter 66

Chapter 66

An outbreak of a mysterious plague has occurred among the prisoners transferred from the Heretic Tribunal!

If they were held with other prisoners in the Heretic Tribunals jail

Most of those prisoners are demon worshipers! It might be a disease brought by the demons!

The Tribunal was thrown into chaos in no time.

Summon the Kumah priests, sprinkle the holy water! The guards, who were in a frenzy, were only pacified after Francis, the Paladin, repeatedly explained that he didnt sense any [Magi], the sign of a demon.

Somehow, Ashley Betcher and Jonathan McAlpin ended up quarantined in an isolated, empty cell.

The fact that the other students with them werent indiscriminately isolated was thanks to their connections with high-ranking priests.

Seongjin was promptly expelled from the Tribunal premises.

Francis, who had unceremoniously shoved him out of the building before he even knew what was going on, drove the final nail in the coffin.

I have contacted the Pearl Palace. Masain will be coming to pick you up soon. For now, stay put!

Adding that he would remain inside the building as a precaution against the possible spread of the plague until the arrival of medical experts, Francis slammed the door shut.

Ah, suddenly things have gotten complicated

Seongjin broke into a cold sweat.

Did he make a mistake coming to the Tribunal and getting Francis involved? After all, he was the first to closely examine the patients. What if the disease spreads?

[Should I go in and take a closer look?]

Before Seongjin could answer, the presence of the Demon King disappeared with a poof. It was as if he was thrilled about something.

Umm

Seongjin looked at the Tribunals closed gates for a moment, then staggered over to the nearby garden and slumped down dejectedly.

The Emperor had warned him not to cause trouble.

Well, its not his fault, of course.

But still, will Sir Masain not be furious?

Its a bit depressing.

Seongjin buried his head between his knees and closed his eyes.

After a while, the guards at the entrance of the Tribunal glanced over at the crouching prince. They felt a strange sensation as if the grass around the prince was shaking even though there was no wind.

Is it an illusion?

As they tilted their heads, the distant sound of horse hooves approached rapidly.

The sound quickly closed the distance, and they saw a burly knight charging toward the Tribunal at a storm-like pace.

Sir Masain!

The guards stood at attention, tensing their bodies.

But before his horse even came to a stop, Masain leapt down and almost ignored their salutes. He immediately walked over to the slumped Prince Morres.

His face looked as if he was about to explode with fury.

However, as he took each step closer to the prince, his expression changed bizarrely, eventually settling into one of incredulity.

Finally, Masain stood in front of him and spoke.

Are you meditating in a situation like this?

Ah, Sir Masain.

Seongjin, who had been lost in thought, finally looked up at Masain.

I just created a fifth floor in my mental state.

Turns out, when you have the will, even negative emotions can serve as a catalyst for growth.

Masain furrowed his brows.

What is that supposed to mean?

What do you mean? It means that when youre feeling down, training is the best cure.

Masain shook his head in disbelief.

Anyway, Your Highness has a real knack for getting caught up in incidents. Has it been that long since you left Pearl Palace, and now its a plague, a plague! One cant take their eyes off you for a moment.

What does this guy see me as?

Im not the one who spread the plague.

Isnt it better that we found out quickly thanks to me? If it werent for me, you wouldve only realized it after the plague had spread throughout the court.

Yes, yes. How could you not know better? Are you feeling okay? You didnt go near any patients, did you?

His initial ominous demeanor had faded significantly.

So Sir Masain loses his temper quickly but cools down just as fast. Good to know.

Seongjin dusted off his clothes and stood up, just as a group of people in strange attire were seen approaching the court.

They wore thick ecclesiastical garments dyed in a deep bronze, long leather gloves extending to the elbows, and thick leather masks completely covering their noses and mouths.

He had built up the 5th floor in haste, so he was looking forward to afternoon training. However, physician Ninnias who had treated him recommended that he rest for today just in case.

But he couldnt stay disappointed for long. The news from the demon king who had inspected the Judiciary was somewhat unsettling.

Parasites?

[Parasites! They are small, but they are still demons. In the Sigurd 34th District, they would be similar to parasitic wasps.]

According to the demon king, he faintly sensed the aura of demons from the two collapsed people. Upon closer inspection, they had a small egg of a demon the size of a fingernail inside their bodies.

Called [Lophellum], it was a parasite from Gehenna, a worthless demon that parasitizes the eggs of certain insect-like demons.

But I havent seen such a thing in decades.

[It doesnt lay its eggs in humans, so it doesnt come near humans. It only parasitizes the eggs of a few specific insect-like demons.]

Thats why even the demon king was initially skeptical.

Are you sure you didnt mistake it?

[Hey! I am the demon king who once ruled over everything in Gehenna! Theres nothing about the demons of Gehenna that I dont know!]

If thats the case, its strange.

Why would the eggs of a demon that doesnt lay its eggs in humans be inside Ashley and Jonathan?

Moreover, considering the Bantra Moss incident, why do demons from Gehenna keep appearing?

However, the demon king didnt seem to find it particularly strange.

[Just as humans dont only exist in the Sigurd 34th District, theres no rule saying Gehennas monsters only exist in Gehenna.]

Exactly.

[Furthermore, it might be related to the previous incident. Lophellum are fond of Bantra Moss eggs.]

So, youre saying the two people who were already near the infected Bantra larvae could have been accidentally infected as well?

But I thought Lophellum doesnt lay eggs in humans?

Can an egg just enter a human body if its nearby?

Is there a possibility that someone deliberately inserted the egg into the body?

[If someone really wanted to do that, its not impossible. But why? After all, Lophellum eggs cant hatch and will die unless theyre in another monsters egg.]

Originally, the human body temperature was too high for parasitic monsters to survive. The eggs inside Ashley and Jonathan were almost dead.

So, there wont be an immediate death due to parasitic infection?

As long as they arent excessively drained by Lyoras doctors.

Feeling somewhat relieved, the Demon King suddenly whispered to Seongjin.

[Seongjin.]

Huh?

[Someone has sneaked into Pearl Palace.]

What?

I didnt sense any presence?

[Just one person. Theyre coming straight to this room.]

At those words, Seongjin sharply heightened his senses.

Indeed, although faint, he could definitely feel an unfamiliar presence within Pearl Palace.

They got this close and I didnt notice?

Seongjin quickly got up from the bed and picked up the Nutcracker he had set aside. If someone sneaked in, their intentions couldnt be good.

Even though I was distracted, why didnt the guarding knights or mages notice?

[Theyre very good at hiding their presence. I see their soul coming, thats how I know.]

Indeed, had it not been for the Demon Kings warning, Seongjin himself would have had a hard time detecting them. This intruder was skillful enough to evade the notice of Seongjin, who was one of humanitys last hunters.

[Theyre coming to the balcony!]

Swoosh. Seongjin drew his Nutcracker and aimed at the balcony.

Sure enough, a person in dark clothing suddenly dropped down from the upper floor. They bypassed the second floor and entered from the relatively lax third floor directly into Seongjins room.

The uninvited guest in black clothing and a mask cautiously opened the window, and upon locking eyes with Seongjin holding his weapon, seemed surprised.

Huh? I took extra caution because the knight commander is here, but I didnt expect the prince himself to notice me.

The voice was slightly husky, a womans voice. There was no particular hostility in her voice.

Dont worry, Im not an enemy.

She raised her hands to show she was unarmed and slowly approached, stopping just a step outside Seongjins sword reach.

Your argument isnt very convincing with that mask on.

Haha, fair point.

She laughed cheerfully and started to take off her mask.

Her long, wavy black hair and dark skin soon revealed her face. Her white teeth shone exceptionally bright in the darkness.

Hello, Prince. I brought Bremens reply from the Monkey Watchtower.