Volume 9, Chapter 1 – The Land of Miasmic Despair

A hell filled with the stench of death and gunpowder, and everywhere, the sound of weeping.

The creaking of the roof beams sounded as if they were about to snap. In the distance, the startled cries of fleeing people could be heard, and faintly, the wailing of a small child. An atmosphere of tension and terror crawled up from the ground and enveloped her entire body. Fear made Camilla gasp for air, but the air that filled her lungs only sent her into a fit of violent coughing—it was saturated with the choking smoke of burning flames. The suffocation from being unable to breathe brought a wave of dizziness, and her hands uncontrollably tightened around her own neck.

On the verge of losing consciousness, voices suddenly emerged in the room.

A man and a woman—no, it was a more chaotic noise. Compared to the sounds of the people fleeing in the streets outside, these individuals seemed to be discussing something. Their tones were filled with anxiety, accompanied by arguments and the grating of metal.

A breath later, or perhaps a century later, as the creaking from the roof beams grew more rapid and continuous, the people finally stopped arguing. But what followed immediately was a bone-chilling cold. The kind of cold that raised goosebumps on the skin, that felt as if it would freeze the very blood in her veins, was more severe than any harsh winter. The moment this chill enveloped her body, her consciousness began to slow, seeming as if it could cease entirely at any moment.

This wasn’t just ordinary cold.

Camilla realized.

This was the pure aura of death. Only a being extremely proficient in necromancy, or perhaps one who was the very embodiment of the undead, could release such a deathly aura, one that could nearly wrench the soul from the body.

Then, her blurry vision began to sway. It seemed the people in the room had picked me up.

And then—

“Camilla, Camilla?”

The motion shaking her body from side to side caused Camilla to open her eyes.

The familiar nanmu wood carriage, painted a deep crimson, and the nostalgic scent of flower tea lingering in the air.

Was that just a dream?

Still not fully returned from the dream, Camilla subconsciously looked around.

The person shaking her was her sister, Yisi. That pair of blue eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through a person’s heart, was now filled with concern and worry. Sitting opposite her were Loiswell Edith Pescia and her servant, Refina. To her right sat Tiffany and the God-Forged Angel, Laxy.

Where is Mary?

Like a complex machine just starting up, her sluggish brain began to turn slowly.

Mary should be sitting on Onee-sama’s left, near the carriage curtain. I must not have noticed her at first because Onee-sama was blocking the view.

Her gaze shifted from the swaying carriage to Yisi’s concerned face. Now fully awake, Camilla tilted her head, a look of confusion on her face.

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“Onee… sama?”

“Camilla, we’re almost there. We should get ready to disembark.”

“Ah, we’ve arrived already? I apologize, Onee-sama, I accidentally fell asleep. Did anything happen along the way?”

If something important happened while I was unaware, I wouldn’t be able to help at a critical moment.

In response to Camilla’s question, Yisi first waved to the other companions in the carriage, signaling for them to get off first. Then she turned to Camilla, her slightly furrowed brows betraying her concern.

“You look pale. Did you have a nightmare?”

“No, it’s just…”

Just what?

I do seem to have had a dream, but like most dreams, I can’t recall the specific content. Dreams always come and go without a trace; people can only remember whether it was a good dream or a nightmare. As for the specific details, only those who frequently have lucid dreams would have any impression.

However, Camilla had a faint feeling that this wasn’t the first time she’d had this dream. It had occurred so many times that she even felt as if those events had actually happened.

Fortunately, Onee-sama didn’t press the issue about the dream, otherwise I would have been unable to explain what had happened.

To comfort the conflicted and still visibly shaken Camilla, Yisi gently patted her on the back and rose from her seat.

“If you feel unwell at all, tell me immediately. You stood guard for the first half of the night yesterday, Camilla, so you should rest in the carriage a little longer. I’ll come back to get you when we reach our lodgings—we’ve already left the border of the Hels Kingdom and are now within the Chloe Kingdom.”

“N-No, it’s fine. I want to be with you, Onee-sama,” Camilla said, quickly standing up with Yisi. “It was only the first half of the night, that’s nothing at all. You’re the one who should rest more, Onee-sama, since you took the second half.”

As she spoke, Camilla quietly glanced at Yisi. Beneath those beautiful eyes were faint dark circles. Though unnoticeable without looking closely, Camilla still felt a pang of guilt.

If only I were like Laxy and didn’t need to sleep.

Camilla sometimes had such thoughts.

Without further delay, the two of them soon disembarked from the carriage.

…

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The Chloe Kingdom, located in the mid-western part of the continent, was a nation with an area of less than twenty thousand square kilometers, characterized by barren land and extreme wealth disparity.

A thousand years ago, the full name of the Chloe Kingdom was the Duchy of Chloe, a territory belonging to the Hels Kingdom. However, due to a large-scale invasion by the Blood Clan, the Hels Kingdom was too preoccupied to respond. With the neighboring Norta Empire stirring up trouble, the Duchy of Chloe separated from the Hels Kingdom and became an independent nation. Although the Hels Kingdom, upon realizing the situation, strongly demanded the Duchy of Chloe’s return, even resorting to the threat of military force, the duchy, with the covert assistance of the empire at the time, ultimately defeated the exhausted Hels Kingdom in the ensuing war. The Duchy of Chloe was then officially renamed the Chloe Kingdom.

Of course, the Chloe Kingdom was not an isolated case. A millennium ago, the Norta Empire was far from the powerhouse it is today. While the mighty Hels Kingdom was on the front lines fending off the Blood Clan’s aggression, the Norta Empire, to avoid being annexed by the Hels Kingdom in the future, secretly instigated several nobles—now located on the borderlands but originally belonging to the Hels Kingdom—to break away and establish their own kingdoms. Thus, under these prevailing circumstances, a buffer zone of numerous small countries formed along the present-day border between the Norta Empire and the Hels Kingdom.

It is worth noting that very few of these small nations were capable of true independence. Most either had to depend on larger powers to survive due to their mountainous terrain being unsuitable for cultivation, or they became reliant on foreign aid by needing to import large quantities of weapons and resources annually to deal with rampant monster infestations. Therefore, these small countries were independent in name only; in reality, they were vassal states of either the Empire or the Kingdom.

To avoid irreparable major conflicts, the Kingdom and the Empire had reached a tacit understanding in recent years: the two great powers would not provoke disputes directly in their own names. Instead, they would direct their vassal states to attack the enemy’s vassals, thereby probing their rival’s strength and keeping them in check.

About twenty years ago, the Chloe Kingdom was one of these many vassal states. Of course, that was twenty years ago. Now, thanks to the diligent efforts of the previous and current kings of Chloe, the kingdom has successfully annexed a neighboring country with fertile lands, solving its food problem and becoming one of the few nations capable of operating independently without foreign assistance.

As for why the Chloe Kingdom was able to rise so rapidly in just twenty years, the shadow of the Divine Religion was everywhere. Only the highest echelons of the Chloe Kingdom’s nobility knew that the current kingdom was already the main base of the Divine Religion, and the royal family was merely a puppet under its rule.

While recalling the history of the Chloe Kingdom, Yisi, having stepped out of the carriage, looked from side to side down the street. This was the royal capital of the Chloe Kingdom—though to distinguish between the two ‘kingdoms,’ Yisi preferred to use its old name, the ‘Duchy of Chloe,’ to refer to this place.

Low-slung houses, emaciated slaves, pedestrians with frayed cuffs and hems, faded and rusted signs in front of shops, vendors displaying their farm goods in bamboo baskets while casting hopeful gazes at passersby, and thieves and ruffians hiding in the crowds and alleys, scanning for their next target. The streets were filled with dirty water and broken pottery, and a foul, muddy stench permeated the air. This constituted Yisi’s entire impression of the Duchy of Chloe.

A destitute place where people can only struggle to survive.

“Not a very cheerful place.”

Even the hawking of vendors was rarely heard. It was a city sorely lacking in vitality. If this were some remote border town in the Duchy of Chloe, Yisi would have found it understandable. But this was the ducal capital, theoretically the most prosperous place in the entire duchy. If even the capital had such a lifeless appearance, it was hard to imagine the dismal state of other, more remote cities.

Equally displeased by the desolate and dilapidated street, Edith frowned. As she had not concealed the vampire wings on her back, many humans avoided her with fearful eyes. Whenever Edith looked towards a street vendor, the person would lower their head in terror, afraid of being targeted by her.

“Indeed. It’s even poorer than the cities of the Blood Clan. For a nation’s capital, it’s far too desolate,” Edith said, looking around again and clicking her tongue in annoyance. “I can’t even see a single person in clean clothes.”

Yisi offered some comfort to Edith.

“It can’t be helped. The Duchy of Chloe has only just solved its food problem, and its transportation is very inconvenient.”

“I’m starting to worry about our accommodations.”

Her words were aimed directly at the black-haired young woman walking at the very front of the group, leading the way.

The Hero, Lin.

The group had come here because they had received an invitation from the Divine Religion. Although Yisi had explained the dangers of the Divine Religion to her companions and, hoping against hope, had suggested they take a vacation in the Ymir territory or with the Blood Clan while she went alone, her plea was rejected the moment it was voiced. Just as Yisi had imagined, Camilla and the others had turned down the request without a second thought.

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And so, after a long journey of more than half a month, she and her companions, led by several dozen members of the Divine Religion, arrived in the Duchy of Chloe. Though the process was lengthy, thanks to their status as guests, all matters big and small along the way—from food and lodging to fending off bandits—were handled by the people of the Divine Religion. The journey had been quite comfortable.

Seeing that Lin did not answer her, Edith pouted in displeasure but said nothing more. Though Edith had a proud personality, she still maintained proper etiquette towards the strong. She had a high opinion of the cold efficiency Lin had displayed when dealing with the bandits.

“No one has a smile on their face…”

“I thought the Kingdom was corrupt enough, but I never expected a place as desperate as a mire to exist in this world.”

“I don’t like it.”

Mary, Laxy, and Tiffany each gave their impressions. Perhaps fearful of the greedy, lecherous gazes from the passersby, Mary held tightly to Laxy’s hand—and to prevent Tiffany from getting lost, her other hand firmly grasped Tiffany’s as well.

A question arose in her mind.

What benefit could the Divine Religion possibly gain by establishing their main base in such an impoverished place? Since they are the Empire’s church, shouldn’t their holy land be located near the imperial capital?

As Yisi pondered this, her forward-stepping right foot seemed to tread on something.

Crack, crack.

The sound of shattering pottery followed.

Yisi quickly retracted her right foot, took a step back, and looked down at what she had stepped on.

—A ceramic bowl, chipped all over.

Because she had stepped on it, the ceramic shards were now scattered on the ground. If she weren’t wearing thick-soled boots, the shards would have probably pierced the sole of her foot. The sharp glint from the broken edges of the pieces made Yisi secretly thankful. Although her skin wouldn’t have been pierced by the shards, her fear of sharp objects still remained.

But this was only the beginning.

As if he had been waiting for this moment, a man with dirt-caked hair, reeking of sweat and a bestial odor, suddenly darted out from the side of the road. He first looked at the ceramic bowl Yisi had shattered, then at Yisi, who stood a meter away, his expression gradually contorting.

“L-Look what you’ve done! This was everything I owned, it would have sold for at least several gold coins in the Empire! This was my last hope to rebuild my family’s fortune! And you’ve destroyed it!” His undisguised volume attracted the attention of people from halfway down the street, which was exactly what the man wanted. He escalated his lament, “How are you going to compensate me? I-I have children at home to feed, they depend entirely on me to live!”

The murmuring of the crowd and the man’s exaggerated expression made Yisi frown.

My mind was completely preoccupied just now, and I didn’t notice anything on the road. Although this ceramic bowl looked for all the world like a beggar’s broken bowl, arguing with the man would likely waste a great deal of time. Yisi casually retrieved a few gold coins from her storage and tossed them in front of him.

“Be more careful next time.”

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The moment the gold coins hit the ground, the man’s eyes widened as if he had seen something incredible, looking as though they would pop out of their deep-set sockets at any second. He scrambled to the ground to pick them up, constantly scratching them with his fingernails to verify their authenticity.

Then, joy made his entire body tremble. He began to laugh while panting, tucking the gold coins into his robes with shaky hands.

“I-It’s really gold, what a foolish noble… No, wait, don’t run! Just a few gold coins aren’t nearly enough to compensate for all my possessions, you need to give me at least thirty—Urgh!”

Before the man could finish his greedy demand, a force that nearly knocked the wind out of him slammed into his chest. The tremendous power sent him flying backward, and even the gold coins in his robes fell to the ground.

The one who had acted was Edith. Her azure eyes were filled with a cold light, and her sharp gaze made the man’s entire body tense up.

“Get lost.”

“But… but my possessions…”

Camilla, equally furious, also took a step forward.

“Just because Onee-sama didn’t see it doesn’t mean we didn’t. You just pushed it out in front of her when she wasn’t looking. Don’t let me see you again. Get lost.”

“Eek!”

When Camilla slammed her staff onto the ground with a thud, the greed in the man’s eyes was instantly replaced by terror. He no longer cared about the gold coins scattered on the ground and scrambled away from Yisi in a panic.

Withdrawing her staff, Camilla returned to Yisi’s side and bent down to check her right foot.

“Onee-sama, are you hurt?”

“No. Let’s keep moving. Pepe, don’t worry about that man.”

“Yes. Next time, leave it to me. People like that don’t deserve Onee-sama’s kindness.”

Yisi nodded lightly and turned her gaze to the clamorous street behind them. Since neither the man nor Camilla had picked up the dropped gold coins, the onlookers who had gathered around began to scramble for them. Yisi even saw people coming to blows over the money.

She couldn’t help but recall Laxy’s description.

A place like sludge, huh…

Shaking her head, Yisi cast the gloomy thought from her mind.