The Knight Who Protects the Weak

Chapter 018: Crimson Flame Cult (5)

I was climbing back to the surface.

I hadn’t noticed it when descending, but looking up now, the height was considerable.

“…Ha.”

A gasp slipped out unconsciously.

Not because it was strenuous.

Whether by design or sheer coincidence, an astonishing scene unfolded before me.

The straight passage I was ascending ended in a circular opening, and the full moon was positioned perfectly at its center, like the fleeting moment of a total eclipse.

Of all things…

The moon, occupying just a thumbnail’s worth of the palm-sized hole, and the pitch-black entrance passage, devoid of mana stones, made that moon appear to me like a lone star floating ethereally in the inky night sky.

‘Grandmother…’

Did that moon—no, that star—reach my grandmother in the Empire?

Was the great lady of the Benkou family, the indomitable woman of the Empire, gazing at that star right now, lying on her side on the open veranda of the mansion’s backyard where stars shone clearly?

If so, this grandson could proudly say he had taken a step toward her wishes, that he had not been ashamed…

“Uwaaaah—! You scared me!”

I nearly shouted myself.

Lost in a trance while walking, I had reached the outside of Purgatory before I knew it.

The source of the shriek was probably…

“Bill?”

“B-Bihen! You’re safe…! B-But why do you look…”

I stared at Bill, who was standing guard at the entrance, then rubbed my cheek with my thumb.

Black soot smeared on it.

“…Water canteen.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Here…”

Fire-wielding mages.

Fighting them was no trouble, but cleaning up afterward was a hassle, I realized.

I poured water from the canteen onto my face, washing roughly, when an excited voice approached.

“Bihen!”

“Ah, Jayden. There were more of them than expected, so it took a bit.”

“Any injuries? Are Maren and Ayan safe?”

I skipped the details and briefly explained the situation.

After hearing it all, Jayden staggered as if he might collapse.

“I agonized over whether sending you was right. Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness.”

“…Yeah, well.”

“It seemed urgent, so I sent Janson to Easton ahead of time. The relief team coming this way has been subdued.”

Jayden pointed to three unconscious Crimson Flame Cult members, bound and lumped together like baggage.

I returned the canteen to Bill.

“I’ll go to the Crimson Flame Leader alone. At this point, missions and justifications are meaningless. Subduing them as quickly as possible is all that matters.”

“No, that won’t do. I can’t let you bear all the responsibility.”

“…Jayden.”

“Bill, go down and join Maren. Follow her orders until Zephyros arrives. Come, Bihen. Let’s go.”

Jayden moved without hesitation, as if he’d long been prepared.

His back radiated unwavering resolve.

He was a man who had resolved to die tonight from the start.

It’s easy to talk about, but staying composed before death is no small feat.

I’d seen such moments countless times in my past life.

In that sense, Jayden Stein was undeniably a ‘knight.’

‘The ideal they clamored for in the Kingdom.’

…Cervantes.

* * *

“…Blood magic?”

“Yes. Also called blood arts. The names vary slightly, but the principle is the same. A nefarious sorcery using blood as a medium—that’s how the Empire defines it.”

There was some distance to the Crimson Flame Leader’s stronghold, their main base, as Ayan had informed us.

On the way, I shared my thoughts about the Purgatory Warden with Jayden.

Jayden blinked.

“…So, in the Empire, blood magic is taboo because it siphons the vitality and blood of the living, and you’re saying the Crimson Flame Cult wields magic akin to it?”

“That’s my suspicion.”

“I’m no expert in magic, but I’ve never heard of blood-based magic in my life. In the Kingdom, magic rooted in natural elements is considered orthodox, with manipulation or summoning systems generally accepted. Beyond that, things like black magic have long been suppressed, even among magical schools.”

Let’s call it blood magic, per the Kingdom’s naming.

My question was whether such magic existed in the Kingdom.

If it did, it’d be just magic, nothing to worry about.

But if it was something else—closer to the Empire’s sorcery, for instance—things would change.

‘To be precise, the Curse of the Spectral Body is antithetical to mana.’

Since mana is the source of magic, that’s why I have a magic-resistant constitution.

“Is it certain the warden used blood magic?”

“I’ve only read about it in records, so I’ve never witnessed blood magic myself. I know it involves absorbing others’ blood, converting it into vitality, storing it in the body, and using it like a resource for regeneration. The Purgatory Warden seemed to replicate something like that.”

“…That sounds horrific.”

“At a certain level, it’s not just rapid healing—severed limbs can be restored. At its peak, they can wield supernatural feats through blood.”

“And to gain that power… they need living sacrifices.”

“…Exactly.”

I couldn’t bring myself to add that the slaves brought by the Gunbel Trading Company might be linked to some unknown force we couldn’t yet identify.

“So the Crimson Flame Cult might be one of the factions following blood magic.”

“Or perhaps its origin. Either way, they need to be uprooted.”

“I agree. If word spreads that Zephyros is tied to such a vile group, it’d be disastrous.”

His concern for Zephyros, even now, was something else.

Well, from Jayden’s perspective, he likely hoped Zephyros would hold steady, for better or worse.

Choosing the lesser evil, I suppose.

“We’re almost there.”

Jayden pointed through dry branches to a spot below the hill.

It looked like a cave entrance, but the hole in the cliff was absurdly large.

“No sentries.”

“They must not see the need.”

The interior was silent.

It had the orderly atmosphere of an underground tunnel.

We descended two sets of stairs, yet not a single soul appeared.

“Similar to Purgatory’s interior?”

“The vibe is subtly different.”

How far had we gone? Finally, a presence stirred from the shadowy darkness ahead.

Step, step.

Peeling back the shadows layer by layer, an elderly man appeared.

A hood pressed down to his nose, with a thick white beard spilling out below.

“I’ve been waiting. Both of you.”

Was it his appearance? Contrary to expectation, he spoke casually.

His voice was light, almost flippant.

If so, it was only polite to respond in kind.

“Waiting, huh?”

“Indeed. You have a choice.”

What’s with this guy’s tone?

I accidentally locked eyes with Jayden.

When our gazes returned forward, the old man held up his index and middle fingers, back of his hand facing us.

He folded his index finger.

“One, turn back quietly and face the doom descending on Easton.”

“…”

“Two, follow me to meet the Leader.”

“…Obviously the second.”

“Good. Follow me, precious offerings.”

He had a knack for unnerving people in a bizarre way.

His strange tone aside, Jayden showed no reaction to the ‘offerings’ comment.

Mentioning blood magic on the way had inadvertently served as a precaution.

Our steps soon halted.

A massive rock wall blocked the path.

‘The stone gate from Purgatory.’

Thud.

The old man placed his hand on the wall’s surface.

A square glowed brightly, and red rays branched out like twigs.

The rays enveloped the edges, converging toward the center to form what I assumed was their emblem.

Rumble, rumble.

With a tremor as if the cave might collapse, the wall began to split apart.

Light poured through the widening gap, and I winced, my eyes unaccustomed to it after the darkness.

“I present you to the Leader.”

I opened my eyes after hearing the old man’s voice.

A bizarre spectacle unfolded.

“Come forward.”

The man who spoke sat atop a staircase far ahead of us.

His aura suggested he was the Crimson Flame Leader.

“Closer.”

His voice echoed because the ceiling was dizzyingly high.

The width was vast too.

That such a space existed in an underground cave was staggering.

Jayden and I followed the old man, walking along a red carpet laid straight on the floor.

The Leader sat alone on a throne-like seat, with mages lined up below in hunched postures, mimicking a king and his vassals so perfectly it was laughable.

The Leader, leaning on an armrest with a bored expression, tilted his head.

“Laughing?”

“What, is this an underground palace? Pretty pathetic.”

“You’ve got some guts. Indeed, this is a place of ancient tradition. Come to think of it, you’re the first visitors.”

The Leader appeared to be in his mid-to-late thirties, which wasn’t surprising.

I had a hunch why.

The old man who guided us shuffled sideways with a bowed waist, seamlessly joining the ranks of the mages.

Jayden, sensing his turn, spoke.

“I come in the name of Zephyros. Are you the head of this place?”

“Nice effort, guard captain. I’ve seen and heard what you did in Purgatory.”

“No need for long talks, then. Fine. Crimson Flame Leader, I am Jayden Stein, captain of Easton’s guard, and this is…”

“An Imperial. Bihen, was it?”

The Leader cut Jayden off.

He clutched several small stones, rolling them incessantly in his hand.

The clattering was grating.

It was my turn.

“Nervous tic? Guess it’s hard for you to stay sane.”

“Haha, not quite.”

“Imperial warrior, Bihen Benkou. Heir of the Benkou family.”

“…A rare spirit.”

The Leader’s eyes glinted sinisterly.

His tongue, protruding like a reptile’s, was as red as his hair.

“I am impressed. To willingly sacrifice yourselves, unnoticed, purely out of concern for the common folk’s suffering? A rootless Imperial and a mere guard captain? What noble, virtuous humans…!”

“Most righteous—”

“Most righteous—”

As if intoxicated by his own words, his eyes rolled back.

The mages below raised their arms in unison, chanting.

A cult leader and fanatics—nothing more, nothing less.

“If I take you two, my fallen disciples will surely find peace. In the cycle of cause and effect, they, too, became my sacred offerings.”

The Leader opened his palm, and the small objects he held crumbled into ash-like dust.

“Envious vermin and the difficulty of securing offerings hindered my pursuit of truth. I needed a breakthrough. Then, I heard news from Easton.”

I clearly saw his lips twist.

“Some brazen Imperial wench was smuggling slaves periodically.”

“…”

The Leader spread his arms wide, his grin stretching ear to ear.

“But now it’s complete! In this moment, as the cycle of cause and effect has led me to take you two! It’s complete! Come, join me. Your wills shall faintly imprint within me, so I’ll show mercy to Easton and refrain from foreign offerings for a while!”

I stood still, glancing around.

The mages’ faces showed only their lower jaws.

Some licked their beards with their tongues; others drooled beneath their chins.

“Crazy bastards.”

“Bihen Benkou, I don’t wish to take you by force.”

I spat out a fragment of a terrifying folktale from my childhood, one Grandmother had to soothe me to forget.

“…Are you a blood fiend?”

“…”

The Leader’s upturned lips sank instantly.

His condescending gaze carried a hint of weariness.

“Do you know what you’re saying?”

“Roughly. An ancient Imperial demon, a minion of the blood devil, right?”

“Blood devil… Heh.”

The Leader loosely opened his hands, as if cradling something in the air.

Blood-red vapor writhed from his fingertips.

“Blood Mage, they call it.”

I don’t know why, but I felt oddly unimpressed.

Jayden, too, wore his usual calm expression.

In moments like this, he’s a man I mesh well with.

Shing.

I drew my sword, already picturing the second stage of Benkou Swordsmanship in my mind.