Just as Osian had discovered Martinez, Martinez had also discovered Osian. There was no way he could not know. There was only one person in this city riding a sacred warhorse and wearing brilliant starlight armor.
"As expected, you were here."
Martinez spoke with a voice tinged with slight delight.
"Yeah."
Osian also nodded and greeted him, but his nerves became somewhat on edge in another direction.
'This is a bit troublesome. To think we'd encounter each other in such a situation.'
There was nothing particularly problematic about him meeting Martinez. If the most talented paladin of the Petra Papal State helped, the fight against the Eternal Church would become easier.
Of course, that was a story that applied when Osian was alone. Right now, he was together with the slithering sisters.
Krua and Atilla were contractors of the outer god Cthulatlap.
It seemed the Krua and Atilla sisters also knew this, as they broke out in cold sweat. They too had sensed that Martinez was no ordinary person.
Perhaps not yet aware of their demeanor, Martinez looked at the slithering sisters. Since they were with Osian, he surely thought they were his companions.
"Those two people with you there are... ah."
Martinez lost his words upon seeing Cthulatlap between the two women who looked awkward. It was none other than a suspicious-looking starfish rolling its eyeballs around for anyone to see.
"What on earth is that..."
"Th-this is a doll!"
Atilla grabbed Cthulatlap and spoke as if hiding it in her arms.
[What are you doing! Treating me like a doll!]
Naturally, Cthulatlap expressed dissatisfaction with this behavior.
"What is that..."
Martinez was about to say something but firmly closed his mouth. His eyes beneath the pulled-down hood sharpened. Since the eyeball-bearing starfish was even talking, there was no turning back now.
'This is going to be troublesome.'
Osian slowly closed his eyes inside his helmet. Of all places, here, people who shouldn't have met had encountered each other.
Basilio and Plimene, along with Delford and Maia, moved together as an uncomfortable silence lingered among them.
The four had joined hands only because of their common enemy, the Eternal Church, but they were people who would never normally mix.
Basilio was a free-spirited fixer, and Delford was a terrorist with a red warrant issued for him. In contrast, Plimene was a high-ranking civil servant of Tirna, and Maia was a witch who collaborated with such city government.
It was remarkable enough that they weren't fighting each other and causing trouble in this situation. Of course, there was no one foolish enough to stir up emotions and cause discord in such a place.
However, since their relationship was originally bad, there was inevitably a subtle edge to their exchanged conversations.
"Hmm. It's a fork in the road. Since there's a harsh smell coming from the left, the right would be better."
When Delford offered his opinion, Maia immediately objected.
"I sent my swallows to check, and there's a path full of sticky mucus on the right."
"It would be better than the left where there's a rotting smell. If you're dipping your feet in an acid pond, you can go as far as you like."
"I don't need to do that. And why do you leave out that there are more enemies on the right?"
"Conversely, there's no guarantee that there are fewer on the left either. If there are enemies wherever we go, wouldn't it be right to choose an environment that's less disadvantageous to us?"
The conversation between the two showed no sign of backing down. As the content gradually became more heated, Basilio hurriedly intervened to mediate.
"Now, now. Everyone has their reasons, so don't get too worked up. Since it's come to this, it would be better to decide by majority vote. I think we should avoid the acid pond following Delford's opinion. What about you, Plimene?"
"You're going to choose the right? Fine. Then I'll follow Maia's opinion and go left."
He had given Plimene a look suggesting they mediate appropriately, but she didn't seem to have that intention. Rather, as if to show off, she chose the opposite of what Basilio had selected.
"No. Why are you doing this too?"
"What are you talking about? I merely made a choice based on rational judgment."
Basilio was about to say something but let out a "hmm" sound instead. At this rate, opinions would continue to be split in half, making it impossible to move.
"...There's no choice. We have no option but to take the left path."
Basilio raised his hand for Maia and Plimene to get past this situation for now. When they began to move that way, Delford quietly approached and asked Basilio.
"From what I see, you seem to know each other, but is there a reason your relationship isn't good?"
Seeing Plimene act like that, even a fool would inevitably notice that something was between the two.
What could be the reason Plimene was acting particularly coldly toward Basilio? Delford generally didn't take interest in others' affairs, but he was somewhat curious about Basilio.
It was partly because he was a skilled person deserving of respect, but also because he had learned that his personality was more pleasant and good than expected.
Although Plimene was said to be a stubborn and rigid person, it didn't seem like she would hate Basilio to such an extent without some reasonable cause.
"Hmm. That's..."
Basilio looked troubled, which was rare for him. Since Plimene was so obviously showing her feelings, he couldn't deny it by saying it wasn't true.
Naturally, Maia, who was moving separately from Plimene, also whispered quietly so only she could hear.
"Plimene, I have something I'm curious about."
"What is it, Maia? In this situation."
"That person called Basilio, he's that person, isn't he? One of the legends in the fixer industry. A veteran who's held his position for a long time."
When Basilio's story came up, Plimene's eyebrows twitched. Seemingly unaware of this, Maia asked chattily.
"Are you on good terms with that person?"
"...What part of me should you be looking at to say such a thing?"
"Plimene always treats people she dislikes the same way. She has business-like conversations because she doesn't want to create unnecessary disputes. But you don't seem like that at all toward that masked person. If I had to say, love-hate?"
Maia's observation was sharp. It was also a judgment she could make because she knew about Plimene.
"..."
Plimene didn't respond to Maia's words at all. Rather than being an undeniable truth, it was a reaction of surprise at not realizing she had been so obvious.
From that appearance, Maia could be certain.
"What on earth was the relationship between you two? Don't tell me you were lovers?"
"...Maia. Let's stop the conversation there. Right now, joining up with the others as quickly as possible takes priority."
Plimene deliberately tried to change the topic. Whether it should be called misfortune or fortune, as the sour acidic stench wafting from beyond that passage grew closer, corrupted beings who sensed this side began to approach.
Unlike other corrupted beings, these had sleek-looking ivory-colored skin. However, their legs were reverse-jointed, their arms were eerily long, and where their faces should be, there were only huge gaping holes.
And inside those holes, teeth were growing and writhing densely. Drooling bodily fluids from their holes at the appearance of prey, they came running.
Each time the bodily fluid hit the ground, it reacted with the air and produced white smoke. It meant it carried dangerous acidity.
Indeed, befitting creatures dwelling there, they possessed vicious characteristics. Basilio momentarily stepped forward, then realized he shouldn't do so and stepped back slightly.
"What's wrong?"
"...It seems somewhat inappropriate for me to use my power here."
Basilio said this while watching Plimene's reaction. Delford realized that Basilio was trying not to show others the power he used. Specifically, it would be Plimene.
"I was planning to step forward anyway, but I trust you know that we can't keep doing this forever."
Delford cracked his knuckles and walked forward.
-Kieeeek!
The corrupted beings drooled acidic saliva and rushed toward Delford. Delford frowned at the sight, then pulled his right arm far back.
There was still considerable distance before they would reach him, but he swung his hand as if making a full-power pitch, not caring.
Wolf Fang Slash.
Five slashing attacks flew following the trajectory of his claws. They were so sharp that for a moment, it created the illusion that space was being diagonally split apart.
The translucent slashes swept between the corrupted beings like wolves racing through a forest. The bodies of corrupted beings grazed by the wolves were torn to pieces and scattered backward.
-Swaaash!
Five huge furrows were carved into the ground, and the corrupted beings that had been running over them were cut to pieces and completely annihilated. Delford, who had returned his claws to their original state, looked back. At his expression asking "how was that," Maia bristled and said.
"Hmph! I can do that much too!"
Unlike Maia, Plimene's expression was rigidly hardened. Indeed, he was one of the members of the Blood Brotherhood. With a single strike, he had swept away the dangerous-looking corrupted beings at once.
'What would happen if that guy fought Tirna's soldiers?'
Could even elite soldiers block that strike from just now? Unless this side made full preparations, it would certainly be difficult.
'Werewolf Delford. The last descendant of the ancient fierce wolf.'
The ancient fierce wolf, Vinegand. According to legend, though a wolf, it devoured gods and was so massive and fierce that it could bite the rising sun with its mouth.
Of course, it had become an established theory now that mythical beings existed in the distant past, and Vinegand was also just one of those monsters.
It was said that old people, adding to stories out of fear, spread false rumors about rivaling gods and such.
Even so, the fact that Delford was a descendant of that dangerous monster remained unchanged.
Delford Vinegandsohn. It was the name given to him for being the successor of the ancient fierce wolf. Though he himself introduced himself simply as Delford, it was a fact known to anyone with access to information.
Though he acted gentlemanly on the outside, just watching him slaughter the corrupted beings moments ago, one could feel his dangerousness to the bone.
He was someone who could kill people like slicing meat if he set his mind to it.
'What's the reason for getting so close to such a guy?'
Plimene looked at Basilio, who was quietly conversing with Delford. No matter how much fixers belonged nowhere and moved freely according to requests, there was no reason to exchange conversation with such a dangerous terrorist, was there?
Plimene was inwardly displeased with this. At the same time, she had the unsettling thought that there might be something between the two.
'No. He's not someone who would cross that line.'
Plimene immediately erased her anxious thoughts. Though she disliked Basilio, she knew well that he wouldn't do anything inappropriate.
But once aroused, the uneasiness didn't easily subside.
"Plimene!"
Maia shouted her name loudly. Only then could Plimene notice the abnormal phenomena around them.
Blood-red fog had spread around them. Since when?
Plimene immediately took out a gas mask from her waist and put it on. As she breathed clean air through the purification canister, she finally felt her head clearing.
'Was my mental state becoming strange because of this fog?'
As she thought, Delford and Basilio also took combat stances upon seeing the fog.
"Red fog that suddenly appeared without any smell. Moreover, it seems to strangely affect our minds."
"We'd better be careful. It seems the one who's come to find us this time isn't ordinary."
Perhaps because it was frustrating not being able to see even an inch ahead. Finally unable to bear it, Maia spread her wings wide and activated witchcraft.
Translucent swallows appeared and quickly flew in circles around the area. Following the wingbeats and moving trajectories of such swallows, intense gusts arose and pushed the red fog in all directions.
The fog showed sticky movements as if trying not to be easily pushed away. Delford, realizing it wasn't ordinary fog, extended his claws long.
The Wolf Fang Slash cut through space and disappeared into the blood-colored fog. Shortly after, the fog began to slowly retreat backward.
"I was trying to handle this quietly, but it's unfortunate."
At the same time, along with plodding footsteps, a young man's voice was heard.
"His Eminence the Cardinal must have had good reason to assign this to me personally."
Everyone's gaze turned toward the newly appeared man. He wore more conspicuous and splendid clerical robes than other bishops. Moreover, just his appearance alone made the surrounding space seem to fluctuate as if affected.
'That guy is dangerous!'
Just as Maia was about to launch an attack, Plimene muttered in a small voice.
"...Phillis? Why are you here?"