Words flew out on both sides of the table as a ping-pong of exchanges carried out amongst the people.

When one gathered important figures inside a single, room such events were only natural. From asking about one’s children to insulting someone else’s policies for children, the lords, knights, administrators, and members of the clergy gathered in the room continued on and on.

As the one with the most authority in the room, the First Prince sat with his arms crossed and his eyes shut close.

This was a meeting room inside the great palace of Crimson. Centered around Zirkonia, it was one of the three grand alliances of the continent.

Just the partnership of the strongest Empire and the Theocracy of the Eldest amongst the Septet was enough to hold sway over the entire continent.

Only the Union of the Eleven Kingdoms and the Northern Alliance could hold any problems for them—of course, that was not counting the demons on the continent adjacent to them.

The door of the room suddenly opened. All the noises flowing around quietened down as everyone stood up and bowed.

“Bishop.”

They said in respect. Only the Prince nodded at the entrance of the Bishop who sat directly across him.

“I apologize for my tardiness, Your Majesty.”

“Not at all, Bishop Polya.”

The First Prince cleared his throat as everyone took their seats again. His eyes swept through the people in the room, one by one.

“It seems our thoughts were correct,” he said. “Commander Brown.”

At his words, the Knight Commander Brown leaned forward on the table and continued in the Prince’s stead.

“Please remember that everything we discuss here is highly classified. Allow me to begin with a summary. Three months ago, in the Great Forest of Zirkonia, we encountered a monstrous disaster that has since been dubbed the Violet Plague.”

The bishop lowered his head in a small prayer at those words.

“The Lich named Violet Plague was found extremely close to the capital. We found him and a hideout that seemed to have been lived in for a day or two, ensuring that he was a wandering Lich that had come in from the West.”

The minister hesitated before continuing. Everyone in the room knew the reason.

“Fighting the Lich brought us a loss of 135 Knights and Paladins, and 42 Priests. It was a battle on a scale that hadn’t been fought near the Capital for a long time. Only due to the Bishop’s help were we able to keep things from leaking out.”

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

The Minister looked at everyone as if informing them that now the important parts would begin.

“The Lich, as we have confirmed with the Oracle of Lord Astrea… was initially a human being. A phenomenon had transformed him from a person to a type of Lich that hadn’t been seen before.”

The Minister tapped the table.

“A similar case was identified.”

Gasps rang out in the room. The Minister of Intelligence continued instead of the first minister. With a somber, indifferent gaze and a languid tone as if he lacked emotions, the man addressed the room.

“There are sketches and documents from a village in the South named Magen. After some digging, we found that this village was issuing quests to nearby cities and mercenaries. While the quests were cleared and there was a wide gap in each quest, the people accepted the quest never returned.”

“So, the second case was confirmed here?” Asked the Commander of the Paladins. “Do we have to suppress another monster?”

The Minister of Intelligence shook his head. “The monster has already been suppressed.”

“What?”

“Yes. Just like before, we found a murky core at the monster’s… corpse. The Oracle has confirmed that this ‘being’ was manifold weaker and younger than the Violet Plague. For now, we are calling it the Serpent...”

Everyone was shocked.

Not because of the claims of the Minister, but from his reactions. Even Commander Brown and Bishop Polya couldn’t hide their surprise.

It was the first time in a very long time they had seen this man hesitate.

“What is it…?” Asked Commander Brown. “Who killed them, some adventurers?”

The Intelligence Minister looked down at the table.

“We believe it was the work of a terrorist group… or maybe someone there for revenge. The last adventurers who had visited the place… we believe have died.”

“We believe this we believe that.” Commander Brown smacked the table. “Why don’t you speak straight?! Are they dead, or not?”

The Intelligence Minister hesitated again.

“Sir… Have you heard, that crows gather at the scent of death?”

The Commander was about to say something, but The Prince stopped him with a gesture.

“We always heard it from our elders. That if crows gather, bad luck was approaching…” The Minister gulped. “All the way from here to Magen, I didn’t see a single crow… because a feast was laid out for them at the village.”

The Intelligence Minister shook his head.

“Not a single person was recognizable. The flesh had been spread out as if someone was showcasing the cuts of meat at a butcher’s festival. From the serpent to the people of the village, it was impossible to guess which body belonged to whom.”

The minister’s eyes quaked. For the first time.

“Such cruelty could not be displayed by a man. Everyone fears death, whether it's yours or someone else. Whatever was at that place… it was a monster.”

The people in the room leaned back in their chairs.

They all had a thought in their minds, but no one dared to speak it.

Finally, the silence was broken by the Bishop.

“Do you think it was a battle between two beings like the Lich?”

The minister shook his head.

“It is possible.”

“Oh…” The bishop clasped his hands. “This malevolent swirling energy that is turning people’s dark desires into demons beyond our nightmares. What could this be if not a test from the gods? How terrible…”

The First Prince sighed. Things were not looking good.

“Investigate more, we will allocate more manpower to you wherever you need it. Find out what happened in Magen, and make sure this… Demonic Dark Desire—as the Bishop put it—doesn’t spread. People suddenly turning into monsters, how inane is that…”

The intelligence minister nodded.

“Your command.”

“And… find the whereabouts of the creature that destroyed Magen...”

The Prince swallowed his words.

Bad luck, huh? If such a disastrous being was roaming his lands, then everywhere it went, bad luck would follow.

“The Crow…” he called it.