Chapter 13:《Extermination Squad》 – (1)
(I)
Among the adventurers’ possessions, there were often intriguing items. While I didn’t indulge in the habit of prying into others’ private lives, their journals, which I occasionally stumbled upon, were excellent sources of both information and entertainment.
With a bit of guilt, I began to read through what must have been accounts from a time a thousand years ahead of mine.
“Hasn’t seen his daughter for seven years…”
A day filled with longing for a family separated by circumstance.
“Successfully conquered an A-rank labyrinth…”
A week spent triumphing over a high-ranking dungeon alongside comrades.
“A new weapon…? A magic sword…?”
A day when they splurged a fortune on new equipment, carefully matching their gear.
Though the diaries were filled with ordinary, everyday moments, they provided more than enough hints to piece together the state of their civilization and its progress.
“Not much has changed, it seems…”
Of course, the real situation would become clear once I stepped outside, but judging by the journals, it appeared that aside from the development of new magical tools and transportation methods, not much had changed from the era I once knew.
It was fortunate for me, in a way.
“What’s this…?”
Amidst the scattered journals, one particularly thick book with a unique design caught my eye. I picked up the dusty tome, which seemed far older than I had anticipated.
The cover, coated with dust and spider webs, indicated it had been untouched for a long time. Yet, as if under the effect of some preservation magic, its pages remained in pristine condition.
Considering the nomadic nature of adventurers, they wouldn’t bother carrying such a hefty book around just for leisure. Clearly, this peculiar book had belonged to someone of significance.
“Alfred, where did you get this?”
I turned to Alfred, the butler in charge of gathering useful items, and asked. The elderly butler frowned as he inspected the book, then pointed to a skeleton slumped in a distant corner of the deepest chamber of the labyrinth.
“It wasn’t from the adventurers. I retrieved it from that skeleton over there. It was clutching the book so tightly, even as its flesh decayed. It must contain something of great importance.”
“…”
I approached the lone skeleton Alfred had indicated. I could feel the faint aura of magic, suggesting that, like the book, the bones had also been protected by preservation magic.
To cast such a spell on one’s own corpse… Was this person so intent on maintaining their form, even a thousand years after death? Yet, it seemed the magic couldn’t stop the insects from devouring the flesh.
“How did they get in here alone…?”
I furrowed my brow.
How had the owner of this skeleton made it through this highest-difficulty labyrinth by themselves?
Or perhaps they were gravely injured, and their companions left them behind?
Or, could it be that this person had been here long before I was sealed?
And just what was written in this book that they had clung to it so desperately, even after death?
“…”
Determined to uncover the truth, I flipped open the book.
“Ow?!”
As I turned the pages, a sharp spark lashed out, as if the book was rejecting my touch. Simultaneously, the magic circle inscribed on the cover slowly revealed itself.
“A barrier…?”
The book was protected by a barrier, likely to prevent others from accessing its contents. However, with the passage of time, the strength of the barrier had significantly weakened.
“…”
I forcibly broke through the barrier with raw power, determined to see what lay within. Finally, I turned to the first page. Scribbled hastily across the top in large letters was a single line.
──── This record is left by the apprentice shaman of Tenma, ‘Mina.’
“A record…?”
Given that the body was already a skeleton, this must have been a record from a long time ago. I began turning the pages, feeling as if I was gazing at an ancient mural.
“Year 318 of the Kingdom Calendar, in accordance with the treaty between ‘Serion’ and ‘Avilia,’ ‘Tenma’ has been assigned to monitor the vampire’s seal for the next 50 years…”
The book was none other than an observation log of my own sealing.
Of course. From their perspective, they would’ve been worried about when my seal might break, so they needed to keep me under constant surveillance.
The majority of the pages were filled with monotonous reports on the state of my seal.
“Zero points for entertainment…”
I narrowed my eyes in disappointment. The content was dull and far from what I had hoped for. Just as I was about to close the book in frustration, the record suddenly grew much longer.
Stopping myself from closing the book, I continued to read, intrigued by the shift in tone.
“February 3rd, Year 320 of the Kingdom Calendar.”
“News arrived that the hero, ‘Vellius Varius,’ who had sealed the vampire, passed away from old age. However, those who saw him the day before his death claimed he appeared in perfect health, fueling suspicions of assassination. Heated debates broke out among his comrades regarding the possibility.”
“Assassinated? Vellius, of all people?”
I let out a snort of disbelief.
The idea of Vellius, with his tight security, being assassinated seemed absurd. How ironic that the hero who had sealed me away might have met such a hollow end at the hands of an assassin.
The record continued.
“February 5th, Year 320 of the Kingdom Calendar.”
“The hero’s funeral took place. I briefly ventured to the surface. Many mourned his passing. Since the hero’s heir was too young, all of his duties were passed to his wife, the elf ‘Lilianel Greenfield.'”
“…So they did get married, those scoundrels.”
Seeing Lilianel referred to as ‘wife,’ I deduced that, after sealing me, the two of them had indeed married. The records even mentioned a child, suggesting their marriage had been quite… lively.
It seemed Lilianel gradually seized power from this point onward.
While I was rotting away, losing all sense of time in the hellish chains of my prison, they were enjoying their sweet marital bliss. Rage began to boil within me once more.
The record didn’t stop there. The next entry was written in a trembling hand, smudged with tear stains.
“March 17th, Year 320 of the Kingdom Calendar.”
“Today, ‘Jacks,’ the leader of ‘Tenma,’ who had been relentlessly raising suspicions about Vellius Varius’ assassination, was found murdered.”
“Upon hearing the news, we all abandoned our post watching over the seal and prepared to return home. However, soldiers from ‘Avilia’ had already gathered at the entrance to the ruins, blocking our path.”
“Our leader entered negotiations with them, and we waited anxiously for the results.”
“March 20th, Year 320 of the Kingdom Calendar.”
“Negotiations failed, and our leader went missing.”
“This is getting interesting.”
From the death of that young shaman who sealed me, to the eventual imprisonment of these Tenma shamans, the outside world seemed to have been caught in chaos while I was sealed away.
“What’s written here…?”
The next page was hard to read, as the ink had been smeared, likely from writing in a fit of rage.
“April 8th, Year 320 of the Kingdom Calendar.”
“News arrived that ‘Tenma’ had been destroyed by the invasion of the demon race.”
“…!!”
This explained why Tenma was missing from the adventurers’ maps. It had been wiped out far earlier than I had expected, less than a century after I was sealed.
“April 10th, Year 320 of the Kingdom Calendar.”
“Rumor has it that the fall of Tenma wasn’t due to the demon race, but rather an ambush by ‘Avilia,’ at the request of ‘Lilianel Greenfield.’ We immediately lodged a complaint with the soldiers above, but to no avail.”
“Lilianel…?”
Why would Lilianel request an attack on an allied nation? What could she possibly hope to gain from that?
“April 11th, Year 320 of the Kingdom Calendar.”
“Today, everyone except me, the minimum required to watch the seal, went above ground to protest. But half a day has passed, and no one has returned.”
“Could they have abandoned me?”
“Has something happened to them?”
“April 12th, Year 320 of the Kingdom Calendar.”
“At dawn today, the Kingdom of Avilia suddenly unleashed A-rank monsters and even S-rank monsters into the ruins. I can hear the howls of the creatures from all around. The path to the surface is blocked. We can no longer receive information or supplies. My comrades still haven’t returned.”
“Now, I am truly alone.”
“They decided to exterminate them all….”
The shaman comrades who had gone to protest never returned.
It seemed obvious that the Kingdom of Avilia had destroyed Tenma and decided to wipe out the remaining shamans in the ruins to prevent future trouble.
The monsters were unleashed with the assumption that my seal wouldn’t break. They replaced surveillance with a method that would entirely block others’ access beforehand.
It was a sound decision. With powerful monsters roaming the ruins, it would naturally turn into a labyrinth, deterring people from entering. Any shamans like Mina who remained inside would be taken care of by the monsters.
And that seemed to be the cause of the birth of the “Immortal Labyrinth.”
“Chapter 3…”
There were only a few pages left in the record.
<Kingdom Year, April 13th>
I used all the remaining talismans to block the entrance. In the afternoon, I organized the food supplies. Fortunately, we have enough food to last a long time.
<Kingdom Year 320, April 14th>
Suddenly, it occurred to me that ‘Lilianel Greenfield,’ driven by a thirst for power, assassinated the hero, ‘Vellius Varius,’ and fearing that Tenma and our leader might expose her treachery, she launched a surprise attack to destroy our village.
But there’s no way to deliver this hypothesis to the outside world, no means to communicate it.
It’s frustrating.
“Lilianel assassinated Varius…?”
I furrowed my brow at the suspicion raised by Mina, the shaman, a thousand years ago.
Lilianel, who killed her best friend, Sophie, and sealed me away in order to win Varius’s heart, would have been loyal to him, never betraying or assassinating him.
Yet, despite knowing that this apprentice shaman’s thoughts made no sense, a lingering doubt started to form in the corner of my heart.
<Kingdom Year 320, June 27th>
We’ve run out of food.
<Kingdom Year 320, July 3rd>
The sound of monsters never stops. The power of the talismans blocking the entrance is gradually fading.
Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared.
“…”
The fear the shaman had felt alone over a thousand years resonated with me. The record had already reached its final page.
<Kingdom Year 320, July 5th>
The talismans holding back the monsters at the entrance have lost all their power. There’s no more food. No one is coming to rescue me. It’s cold, I’m hungry, and I’m scared. I feel like this is the end for me.
Tear stains were scattered across the page.
…I don’t know who will find this record, but if you do, I’d be grateful if you could deliver the letter on the next page to my younger brother in Tenma. He’s a clumsy child, but I just hope he’s alive.
“…”
A letter was neatly tucked into the next page. I gently took it out and read the few remaining lines of the apprentice shaman’s final thoughts.
[If I am reborn, I will uncover the truth behind the destruction of my homeland and my people. Something must have happened between the Kingdom of Avilia, Lilianel, and our leader. I regret leaving without uncovering the truth. I hope that one day, someone will bring it to light.
…Miro, I’m sorry.
I will watch over you from the sky.
I love you.]
“…”
The long record ended with a short message addressed to what seemed to be the shaman’s younger brother. I closed the book carefully, feeling immensely conflicted.
“Lilianel…”
Though I couldn’t fully trust the account written by an apprentice shaman a thousand years ago, it seemed undeniable that during those millennia, significant events had occurred under Lilianel’s rule, just as the shaman had suspected.
“…It was a perfect score. This just got even more interesting.”
No one in this world admits to their own evil deeds.
Lilianel Greenfield.
If I could expose all the sins she had accumulated over the eons, reveal them to everyone, and leave a stain on history…
If I could drag her down from the position she believed was securely hers and give her the most brutal end imaginable…
What kind of expression would she make then?
“…”
It was an enticing thought.
******************
(II)
The news that ‘Karseron,’ the young lord of Ermaile, had issued a commission to all S-rank and A-rank adventurers within his territory spread like wildfire.
The commission? None other than the extermination of the ‘Progenitor Vampire’ who had been sealed for a thousand years and the clearing of the ‘Immortal Labyrinth*.’
*(Immortal Labyrinth also known as ‘Labyrinth of the undying’ or ‘Labyrinth of the immortals’)
The adventurers’ guild assessed the difficulty of the mission as SS-rank—the first time in history such a rating had been assigned.
Furthermore, word spread across all of Ermaile that the elite labyrinth-clearing squad ‘Red Moon’ had been annihilated by this Progenitor Vampire.
An SS-rank mission.
The extermination of a legendary ancient monster.
The location? The highly restricted ‘Immortal Labyrinth.’
And ‘Red Moon’ was already wiped out.
Despite the shocking content of the mission, adventurers wore smiles on their faces, focused on one thing.
— “Hey, did you hear? The reward is 20 gold coins per person!”
—”Plus, they’re splitting all the relics found in the ‘Immortal Labyrinth.'”
— “Applications are open until tonight! Let’s sign up immediately!”
The unprecedented reward of ’20 gold coins per person’ was enough to make even seasoned adventurers consider retiring from their dangerous lifestyle.
And when you add the relics hidden within the Immortal Labyrinth and the prestigious title of slaying an ancient monster, the majority of adventurers flocked to the young lord’s mansion, practically entranced.
— “Progenitor Vampire? Hah, what can it do against sheer numbers?”
—”With over 90 of the strongest adventurers? We’re nothing like ‘Red Moon.'”
Money, when piled high enough, makes the impossible possible. Though the mission would normally have been terrifying, the overwhelming reward made the adventurers of Ermaile forget their fears as they armed themselves.
—”Look over there! It’s ‘Mad Dog,’ Barbas!”
—”And even the princess of ‘Stormhound,’ Kyra Lockhart is here!”
…Moreover, the participation of the legendary mercenary guild ‘Stormhound,’ with its thousand-year history, further boosted the morale of those gathered.
There was a saying: “Not even a speck of dust remains where Stormhound has passed.” Their power was absolute, and with their involvement, even a monster from legend was merely prey to be hunted.
In just half a day since the commission was issued, the lord’s mansion was swarmed by 7 S-rank adventurers, 83 A-rank adventurers, and 100 of Stormhound’s elite mercenaries—a total of 190 people.
The young lord of Ermaile, Karseron, looked at them with satisfaction.
‘It’s unfortunate that the recruitment time was only half a day, but this should suffice.’
Though the recruitment time was short, the urgency of the situation required them to act quickly. Even so, the assembled force—190 top-tier adventurers and mercenaries—was powerful enough to bring down a small nation.
Ordinarily, adventurers and mercenaries, who were known for their strong egos and reluctance to cooperate, were united this time in pursuit of the ’20 gold coins’ reward.
“Greetings, everyone.”
…On a night lit by flickering torches, a man clad in full armor, wielding a massive axe, climbed onto a platform in front of the mansion.
The man, towering over 2 meters tall, spread his arms and boomed confidently.
-“I am ‘Barbas,’ of Stormhound, and the commander of this extermination mission! Nice to meet you all!”
—Wooooah!!
—Amazing!!
His boisterous and cheerful greeting drew cheers from the crowd. Surrounded by flickering torches, the commander, Barbas, began a speech to raise morale before the mission.
-“Everyone, you’ve gathered here to exterminate the ‘Progenitor Vampire,’ right?”
—We came for the money, though…
—Shh! Be quiet.
-“The ancient monster has been sealed for the past thousand years, but it has now awoken, slaughtering the labyrinth-clearing squad ‘Red Moon.’”
—….
Everyone held their breath as they listened to Barbas’s speech.
-“…Now that the vampire has slaughtered ‘Red Moon,’ it will undoubtedly set its sights on us humans next. It will mercilessly drain the blood of our women and children, and our lands will be trampled by skeleton soldiers.”
Barbas unsheathed his axe.
-“Will you all sit idly by, waiting to be hunted?”
The torches blazed, and the full moon shone.
-“Or will you raise your weapons and become heroes? The choice is yours!”
Barbas, the man known as the ‘Mad Dog,’ raised his axe to the sky, his eyes blazing with determination. His words stirred the adventurers and mercenaries, and they shouted in unison.
—Let’s kill the vampire!
—We’ll finish what our ancestors couldn’t!
—We’ll avenge ‘Red Moon!’
The invisible but powerful momentum spread among them like wildfire, filling everyone with confidence. In their eyes, only victory awaited.
Barbas shouted.
-“The vampire is weaker than us! Together, there’s nothing we can’t do! Be confident!”
—Woooooaaaah!!
The atmosphere reached its peak. For a moment, their desire for justice, not just gold, filled their hearts.
“Let’s show this ancient vampire what we’re made of! Let’s demonstrate our overwhelming power!”
…Judging that now was the perfect moment, Barbas pointed forward with his axe and shouted once again.
“All troops! Grab your weapons and march towards the ‘Labyrinth of the Immortals!'”
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