A Dark Fantasy Spy

---

Black monsters are swooping in from all directions. They swarm like ants along the narrow, long alley and crawl up the building walls.

Their skin, reflecting the faint moonlight, shines like obsidian. Their limbs, covered in a black shell, are gaunt, elongated, and bend in strange directions.

– Whoosh!

I hear a sound slicing through the wind, and something flies over my head. It’s a wizard riding a broomstick.

Then, the sounds of explosions follow one after another.

Kaboom! Flames burst forth, and a fierce wind brushes past me. The wizard, who is bombarding a densely populated area, changes direction and rises higher. The spots swept away by the magic are filled with screams and cries.

The sounds are everywhere. A cacophony of sirens and the noise of battle, accompanied by the mournful sounds of an evacuation broadcast.

I can’t distinguish if this is a dream or reality.

“What in the…?”

Just as I was about to get up with my still sluggish body, Francesca yanked my shoulder.

She tucked her shoulder under my armpit and hoisted me up, struggling as she spoke.

“I know you must have many questions, but the situation isn’t great. Let’s move to a safe location first.”

Details can wait for later. Saying this, Francesca threw a vial of potion at the monsters.

The vial shattered upon hitting the wall.

The mixed liquid with fragments flowed down the wall, soaking the withered vines and weeds that had endured the cold winter.

-Crunch, crunch, crunch!!

The plants grew instantly.

The plants, regaining their vibrant colors, flourished and tightly ensnared the limbs of the monsters that were creeping into the narrow alley.

“Hero!”

“I know!”

Camila, gripping flames in her hand, set the vines on fire.

The flickering flames licked up the alley in an instant, spreading rapidly.

Amid the intense heat, smoky cries, and wails stained with pain and tears coming from all directions,

“Let’s go!”

I lent on Francesca’s shoulder and frantically escaped the alley.

—

Episode 12 – The Strongest Wizard Ever

—

I opened my eyes to find the world engulfed in flames.

Orventzku, which was always quiet due to the lockdown, was now filled with noise.

“Run!”

“Don’t push! I said don’t push, damn it!”

“Father! Where are you? Mom! Stay close to your siblings! I’ll be right back!”

The city was in chaos.

Just having rushed out of an alley, I spun around in disorientation, suddenly alarmed by the sight of the wrecked streets of Orventzku.

This wasn’t a dream; it was reality.

Once my scattered thoughts returned, I was able to view the situation more objectively.

Blood flowed profusely from my head, bandages wrapped around it, my body smelled burnt, and Camila held my personal firearm. Where the demon had gone, I couldn’t tell, and I was left questioning how I ended up with my head smashed into the alley instead of being on the rooftop.

Leaning on Francesca’s shoulder as I surveyed the pandemonium, I hoped someone would answer my exasperated queries.

“What’s going on here? What? What are those monster bastards, and why is the city in shambles?”

“Explaining all that would take time. Do you remember anything, Colonel?”

“Remember…?”

I was about to say something when my gaze met Camila’s concerned one, and I suddenly fell silent.

After subduing the demon and searching the area, I returned to my companions.

We entered a building with its door open and climbed the stairs until I faced Camila on the rooftop. She had been unresponsive until she suddenly grabbed my neck.

I remember that grip, like that of a beast tightening around me. The unnaturally wide grin and black glint in her eyes were unmistakable.

Camila’s eyes, stained black, were chillingly similar to those of a demon.

I vividly recalled every detail: the pressure around my neck, the landscape of the stairs I climbed to meet her, and the gentle breeze blowing from above.

The moment I crossed the threshold of the rooftop, a thought struck me.

Is this really my memory?

“….”

Various hypotheses crossed my mind, but none presented a clear answer. I decided to recount what I had experienced.

The party listened intently, wearing serious expressions. Just then, Lucia, who had been quietly listening, spoke up in a calm voice.

“It’s an illusion. It seems you were misled by the demon.”

“…An illusion? Then, was all of that a lie?”

“Yes, it was a lie.”

Lucia nodded with a resolute expression.

“Everything until the moment you subdued the demon and went out for reconnaissance was as you remember. However, the events that transpired after you returned to the square differ significantly from what we recall.”

“What happened?”

“You jumped off the roof.”

“What?”

“That’s what you did.”

The truth that Lucia conveyed was shockingly beyond my imagination.

“You claimed you returned within five minutes after going out for reconnaissance, but we remember you not returning for over fifteen minutes.”

“I didn’t return for fifteen minutes?”

“Right. We were just starting to worry because the support that was supposed to arrive didn’t show up. Suddenly, you appeared.”

“And then? What else happened?”

“When I asked if you were alright, you didn’t respond. You walked past us without a word and headed straight to the building you, Hero, had entered.”

The following tale diverged dramatically from my recollections.

According to Lucia, when I returned from reconnaissance, I said nothing. It was true I went up to the rooftop where Camila had signaled, but I hadn’t even asked about bringing her back or where she had gone.

Feeling something was off when she saw me walk like a madman, Lucia moved to grab me. Suddenly, I sprinted toward the rooftop.

Francesca recalled that moment vividly.

“I couldn’t catch you; it all happened so fast. You rushed up the stairs two or three at a time, armed and ready. I wanted to follow, but you pushed furniture piled in the hallway down toward me. Consequently, both the Saint and I nearly got buried under the stairwell.”

“….”

Hearing about me throwing furniture sent a wave of old memories flooding back. It was a tactic I often employed to shake off pursuers back in the field.

“Somehow, after clearing the furniture, we managed to reach the rooftop, but it was too late.”

By the time the two of them arrived, I had already thrown myself into the void.

Camila, sensing something was off, quickly tried to grab me, but I brushed her hand aside and leaped off the rooftop.

Fortunately, I survived thanks to colliding with balconies, outdoor units, and walls during my plunge, but I had sustained severe head trauma and was unconscious for quite some time.

I gingerly brushed the bandages wrapped around my head.

“…I have no clue what has happened.”

“My personal opinion is that you may have been possessed by the demon. You likely moved on your own with your guard down.”

“And it might also be a curse. Even though the necromancer is dead, someone might still be out here targeting someone like you.”

“What should we do now?”

As Camila, clutching her rifle, posed the question, I couldn’t help but interject into the complicated conversation, still baffled.

“Wait a minute. What about the monsters — no, first off, what happened to the demon? What became of it?”

“…….”

“Were we able to kill it?”

The group continued their conversation in silence.

I gasped for breath, staring at the trio who were silent against the backdrop of the chaotic city.

“Say something.”

“…….”

Francesca and Camila looked away. The alchemist and the Hero glanced at the silent saint, seeking answers.

Perhaps feeling the weight of their gazes, Lucia took a deep breath.

“The demon…”

Then she sighed deeply and continued, her voice heavy.

“Escaped.”

*

“You’re saying it escaped? How, and why did it flee?”

In the chaotic streets of Orventzku, I pressed my companions for answers.

“Get specific.”

“…We don’t know the exact circumstances either. We only know that an external shock broke the seal.”

In an attempt to grab me as I dashed for the rooftop, Lucia and Francesca had moved aside. Camila and the other three had rushed into the alley just after I fell.

“While healing the injuries, I realized the seal was shaking. The demon wouldn’t break out of such a solid seal on its own; it must have been nudged by a resident peeking at the outside situation.”

When Lucia hurried back to the square, the seal had already been broken.

She had no idea how it had occurred. Probably no one else, except for the demon, would know.

But one thing was certain: the demon had been released from its confinement.

“Why didn’t you chase it?”

“I’ll explain that.”

Francesca began to speak.

“When the Saint returned to the site, I stayed by the Colonel’s side to care for his injuries. Upon realizing there was an issue with the seal, we quickly devised a plan.”

“But then you didn’t pursue it.”

“Of course not; a battle erupted, so it was impossible to chase.”

“A battle?”

“Didn’t the Colonel see it earlier? Those monsters.”

Right. I had seen those grotesque monsters.

The monsters took on human forms but were definitely not human. They wore hard shells reminiscent of minerals, and their limbs twisted and elongated grotesquely as they climbed the building walls.

They resembled wooden puppets that a collector with a strange hobby might create rather than monsters.

“…….”

I found myself staring blankly into space.

Could it be that this was all part of a plan? To shove me off the rooftop, make Lucia leave her post, break the seal for the escape, and then create monsters to hinder our pursuit?

“Damn bastards.”

What a dirty tactic.

While countless theories started to surface, none yielded a clear answer. After a sigh, I nodded in agreement.

Living in a crazy world, what’s a mere monster to me? With a demon lurking about, it hardly mattered.

“Alright. So monsters have shown up. Fantastic. Demons, necromancers, and now monsters.”

Regretting wouldn’t avail me anything. I need to request support from the Military Government Headquarters and bring Veronica to eliminate the demon. That would put an end to this chaos.

Just as I prepared to voice my thoughts,

“Oh, strictly speaking, these monsters didn’t ‘show up.'”

Camila, watching with vigilance, casually chimed in.

“What do you mean by that?”

“They didn’t ‘show up’; they ‘rose.'”

Francesca beside her continued.

“Do you remember the homeless people we saw at first? Those who were killed by the demon?”

“Yeah.”

“They’re the monsters.”

“…What?”

Camila raised her rifle and took a stance.

“The homeless got up and started attacking Lucia and me. We caught three, but one got away. It escaped the alley and slaughtered other civilians. Then those bitten civilians turned into the same thing.”

“…….”

“Like zombies.”

*

The demon broke the seal and fled.

It shattered the soul’s truth and barrier. Right after escaping, it massacred the encircling troops and, after running away, killed four more civilians.

We managed to chase down and apprehend it, but it ultimately escaped, breaking its confinement.

The civilians killed by the demon became bodies that were neither alive nor dead, wreaking havoc upon other civilians. Our very hands caused their demise once more.

It was a horrific reality. A reality so terrible that words could hardly express.

Regrettably, we had no excess capacity to mourn this miserable reality.

Every drop of flowing tear was met with buckets of blood spilling onto the ground. Such was the world we lived in.

“…….”

Regaining my composure, I observed the surrounding chaos. The darkness that had descended upon Orventzku felt like an abyss, not allowing me to see an inch ahead.

The roads that were peaceful until yesterday were now packed full of people.

“We need to go! We have to go!”

“Shouldn’t we leave the city right now? With martial law and all, we still need to survive.”

In the early morning snow, the crowd pouring into the streets had taken over the road, fleeing in all directions.

Some looked shabby, as if just waking up.

Those with some presence wore thick coats over their nightgowns, but many appeared in just thin pajamas or even without proper footwear.

The six-lane road was blocked with crowds. Shouts of despair and voices searching for lost family members echoed around.

“Move aside! Don’t block the road, come out!”

A citizen in a car yelled, while an old car honked with a family inside. Behind them, endless lines of vehicles were stuck in the mayhem.

The people who had come out during the pandemonium were the lucky ones, or perhaps those with plans.

Though their reasons for being on the road varied, the reality of being completely stuck amidst the crowd was the same.

At that moment, the citizens lingering on the chaotic roads heard the sound of explosions.

-Boom!!

-Ratatatatatat! Ratatatatat!

The surrounding noise was thick, but the gunfire and bomb blasts were clear enough for even the hard of hearing to catch.

The sudden blast made the citizens stop what they were doing and look around. Various hopeful imaginations flitted through their eyes, wondering if they were mistaken, hoping this was all just a dream.

What shattered that imagination was the raucous sound of a nearby machine gun.

“It’s a monster! A monster has appeared!”

“Run!”

Ratatatatat. Ratatatatat. Bang! Crash! The sounds of gunfire and explosions surged in intensity far beyond before, and the chaos felt magnified greatly.

Cutting through the distant sounds of battle, a siren ripped through the air, digging into our eardrums.

-“Attention citizens! Currently, a battle is taking place in the streets of Orventzku. Citizens are advised to evacuate to the nearest shelter and listen to broadcasts. Once again, we repeat.”

The announcement got drowned out in the noise.

There were signs of possible crush injuries as people tangled and rolled on the road. Profanities and shouts, screams and tears stained the area. There was no order among the panicking crowd.

To avoid getting swept into the frenzy, I led my companions into the first floor of a nearby building.

“Shouldn’t we go out and help the people?”

Lucia, unable to tear her gaze from the chaos outside, spoke up.

Yet, I shook my head firmly.

“If we get caught up in the wrong situation, we’ll be trampled to death. Worse, our lives might be at risk.”

“I think you might be exaggerating…”

Lucia trailed off. Her nature, profession, duty, and life’s trajectory made it impossible for her to turn her eyes from the tragic scene outside.

“Those people just need help.”

It’s not an incorrect statement.

But my thoughts were different.

Pointing at the ravaged streets of Orventzku, I said, “Though they may all seem like desperate people seeking safety for the moment, in just thirty minutes, those wanting to create chaos will undoubtedly emerge. They’ll brandish knives to save themselves, their families, lovers, and friends, even if it means stabbing those they don’t know.”

This isn’t some highfalutin philosophical debate on the nature of good and evil. I don’t need elaborate theories, it’s enough for me to remember my psychology exams during promotions.

From my experience, whenever war, disaster, or some major event that shakes the societal framework happens, it usually devolves into chaos.

I’m not talking about an embassy burning down in the Middle East or Africa.

It’s all too often that we hear about terrorists among peaceful protesters bludgeoning Western volunteers to death or raiding embassies. However, the story of a mugger stabbing a passerby and stealing their bag doesn’t make the news. That’s just a common occurrence in conflict zones.

And now the North is, without a doubt, recognized by the international community and even the royal family as a conflict area.

“I understand your desire to help, but this isn’t the time. If a problem erupts over there, I won’t even be able to help.”

“…….”

“I think our best bet is to catch that escaped demon first. If we send it back to hell, at least we could start calming the situation by tomorrow.”

“…Alright.”

Lucia, who had been glancing between outside and me, after some internal struggle, nodded.

While she seemed reluctantly agreeable, I was fine with that.

Once a person agrees to cooperate, they often struggle to refuse afterward. Even rival intelligence agencies, like the US and Russia, find common ground through such principles. No matter the ethnicity, human psychology tends to be remarkably similar.

“Alright.”

I peeked out to assess the situation.

The streets once cramped with refugees had become desolate. There were still civilians around, but the congestion had eased enough not to cause any traffic, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable to leave now.

Removing my pistol from the holster and deactivating the safety, I checked in with my companions.

“Things seem organized enough. Let’s get moving.”

“Shall I hand over the rifle?”

“No, keep it. You never know what might happen.”

Camila adjusted the sling of her rifle around her neck, continuing her steady actions seamlessly. It struck me as a testament to the rigorous training they had undergone.

With my pistol in hand, I stepped out of the building. Francesca, Lucia, and Camila began moving quietly, slightly bent low as they tried to remain as silent as possible.

Gunfire that was once distant now echoed all around us. Given their varying distances, scattered Imperial troops seemed to be engaged in skirmishes.

Hunched behind an abandoned vehicle, I quietly commented while scouting the area.

“Looks like they’re throwing shots everywhere.”

“Not good.”

Camila bent one of her knees. Her thick coat was filled with magazines loaded with bullets.

“Those troops wouldn’t be spreading out like this just to catch one demon… Could it be that there’s another issue?”

“Perhaps a skirmish? That might be possible. But the notable difference here is that this isn’t a third-world country; we are in the Kien Empire, not some soft terrorist hotbed like Boko Haram or ISIS.”

According to the team’s reports, civilians killed by the demon had returned to attack others.

Those they attacked also became the same kind of monsters.

As Lucia took out her knuckles and belt, she inquired, “Could the demon have fled and attacked the civilians elsewhere?”

“That’s highly probable, but I don’t think so. The number of people it killed couldn’t have been just four.”

At my words, Lucia, who had been preparing for battle, suddenly froze. As if deep in thought, she stared blankly into space before lowering her head in despair.

“…The individuals who first entered the city.”

When the alert had sounded, the division encircling Orventzku dispatched troops to the scene. They had initiated the immediate response while the cult and magic tower sent their advanced teams along as well.

All those advanced teams were discovered wiped out on site. We had been so focused on pursuing the escaping demon.

In other words, the bodies left at the scene had not been recovered.

There’s no need to speculate on where those bodies ended up. The gunfire echoing around was already answering that question.

“Lucia, you’re right; that was a cunning move. Every movement and battle was meticulously planned. Pretty clever. I’m impressed.”

“Damn….”

Lucia slumped onto the ground.

“I should have purified them right then and there, regardless of the time it took….”

“If you had, the demon would have fled even further away or killed more people. Someday, this was bound to blow up.”

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left without the demon.”

I comforted the remorseful Lucia.

“It’s not your fault, Lucia. You don’t need to blame yourself.”

“…….”

“By the way, don’t we have a way to find out where the demon went? I heard the Inquisition secured records on exorcists. Is there no method recorded for tracking demons?”

“Hmm.”

At that moment, Francesca, who had been silent, let out a sniff.

“There’s a way.”

With a peculiar smile gracing her lips, she stood up, dusting off her knees. Then, she casually whistled and stretched her hand forward.

In that instant, a gentle breeze stirred.

The wind ruffled her purple hair, coursing towards her face as it swept over her head and shoulders.

Just as the wind wrapped around her outstretched fingers,

A butterfly, which had been fluttering gracefully, landed softly on Francesca’s index finger.

Francesca brought her fingertip to her lips, smiling.

“Do you remember?”

She whispered softly to the butterfly perched on her finger.

“Find it for me.”

That was all it took.

The butterfly, gently perched on her finger, flapped its wings as if in acknowledgment and flew vigorously into the air.

A single butterfly took off into the dark blue sky strewn with galaxies.

The alchemist, frozen in place, watched the butterfly with bated breath, inhaling sharply as she tightened her grip on the rune sword at her waist.

“To the south.”

The direction she indicated was precisely where the butterfly had flown.

Francesca declared, “The demon seems to be that way. Let’s go find it.”

Her voice was unusually filled with conviction.

“This time, let’s not let it get away.”