ALL NOVEL Chapter 23.1
Chapter 23 Pale Moon (2)
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For Veronica, an inquisitor and cardinal of the church, searching for traces of heresy was a routine task.
Just as usual, she had discovered signs of heretical activity and arrived in a small village.
“So, this is Baekun Village.”
Heresy often thrived in secrecy. As such, when no concrete base of heretics had been found, the movements of inquisitors needed to be as discreet as possible.
This time, it was a simple investigation. Veronica, accompanied by only two paladin escorts, arrived in Baekun Village and questioned her lieutenant. The paladin nodded solemnly.
“Yes. Ominous signs have been reported in this village. The details have already been included in the report.”
“I see.”
The contents of the report she had reviewed before coming here swirled in her mind.
Livestock had disappeared.
A sinister altar had been discovered in the hunting grounds.
Palm tree barriers erected by the church had been destroyed one by one.
Traces of monsters had vanished, replaced by the appearance of something entirely new, dubbed a “chimera.”
And finally, people had gone missing.
Each of these occurrences, when taken individually, wasn’t uncommon in villages or fiefs.
However, all of these incidents happening in one place suggested that something was afoot in Baekun Village.
This prompted Veronica to personally come to the village. She pulled a black hood over her silver hair and began walking.
“There it is.”
Baekun Village was shrouded in a faint mist, the kind of scene where the silvery haze seemed to mimic the breath of a dragon blanketing the land.
At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than a peaceful, picturesque rural village. Why, then, had signs of heresy been found here?
As the question lingered in her mind, something unusual caught her eye through her spyglass.
“Who are they?”
Four figures were approaching the village from the bottom of a hill. Strangers entering such a remote village where outsiders rarely came?
Perhaps they were connected to the heretics.
Veronica reached for the mace at her waist and instructed the paladins.
“Let’s determine their identities first.”
“Understood.”
The paladins pulled their hoods up and began descending the hill cautiously. By the time they reached the village, they were confronted by one of the four strangers.
“Who are you?”
A beautiful blonde girl, with hair like molten gold and eyes a striking orange reminiscent of sunlight, leveled a sword at them. Her hostility and wariness were evident, and Veronica couldn’t help but smile.
It had been quite a while since anyone had regarded her with such suspicion.
Her competitive nature flared up alongside a faint annoyance, and she asked in a cold tone before she could stop herself:
“Shouldn’t you introduce yourself before questioning others?”
“…I’m Claire, a hero. I’ve been tracking the traces of Clover, a subordinate of the Demon Lord, to this village.”
Veronica recalled hearing about a girl who had recently drawn the Hero’s Sword and been officially appointed as a hero by the kingdom. She had been too busy to attend the ceremony herself, but now she was face-to-face with this young hero.
What an unexpected encounter. And yet, Veronica instinctively knew that she and this girl would not get along.
Holding up her Divine Mark, Veronica introduced herself.
“Veronica, inquisitor cardinal of the church.”
“Veronica…? Oh…”
Claire tilted her head, then flinched in surprise. But her reaction wasn’t one of shock at Veronica’s title. It was something else.
Noticing this, Veronica narrowed her eyes. Claire, seemingly unaware of her own mutter, softly said:
“So… you really came?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Heretics were cautious and secretive, so inquisitors conducted their investigations in utmost secrecy. Only a handful of people would have known about Veronica’s arrival in Baekun Village, and none of them were indiscreet.
Yet Claire’s words implied that someone had anticipated her arrival.
Was this village a trap?
Sensing danger, the paladins gripped their weapons, prompting Claire to hastily explain:
“My companion, The Sage, told me.”
“The Sage?”
“Yes, he…”
Claire hesitated, sheathing her sword before continuing cautiously.
“The Sage mentioned that Cardinal Veronica would come to this village after discovering traces of the White Moon Cult.”
Guided by Claire, Veronica entered the village. A peculiar atmosphere hung over the place—one of suspicion and unease.
Neighbors who had lived together as family for years avoided even acknowledging one another. Outsiders were met with open hostility.
Even in the village’s central rest stop, usually a welcoming place for travelers, the tension was palpable—perhaps even more so.
“Who are they…?”
“Ah, those people over there…”
The group that had entered the village with Claire stood nearby, their presence only amplifying the strange mood.
Claire’s voice wavered slightly as she pointed them out.
Despite being companions, the group exuded a certain awkwardness. Veronica quickly identified the source: Wariness And jealousy.
Veronica, who had risen to a high rank in the church at a young age due to her extraordinary divine power, was all too familiar with such emotions. She recognized the complex feelings radiating from the knight and the elf toward one man—the one tuning his lute.
The man, ordinary in appearance, strummed the lute lightly as if finished tuning.
-A soft melody began to spread.
The tension in the village subtly shifted, the music calming the hearts of those who heard it. It was a bard’s skill: Soothing Melody.
“He’s The Sage? I didn’t expect him to be a bard.”
“Ah, well… The Sage can use all kinds of skills. And also…”