We, of “Princess Harem,” arrived at Imman, a border town between the former Yangus Kingdom Territory and the former Wahl Imperial Kingdom, after some twists and turns.
However, on the way to Imman, we discovered the shocking truth that the remains of girls, turned into undead, were wandering at the bottom of a vertical chasm that opened up in the middle of a primeval forest.
We gathered information at the dining bar on the first floor of “Restful Traveler’s Inn,” which we chose as our lodging for the night.
Concurrently, Elise, the second-in-command of “Princess Harem,” was sent to the Adventurer’s Guild under the pretext of aiding her digestion after the meal, to supplement the rumors.
Also, due to the frequent incidents of missing girls in Imman, Shera Ane-san and Edele accompanied us as escorts.
Meanwhile, several drunkards tried to pick fights with us during our meal, but Ly, at the forefront, repelled them with just a glance.
It seems the gazes of those of noble birth are not to be underestimated.
The surrounding onlookers got excited, and an impromptu gambling den was set up, where bets were placed on who would be the first to take a Party Member to their boudoir, making it difficult to control the situation.
Thanks to our efforts, we were able to obtain useful information.
Although it was late at night, we gathered in a private room and began to scrutinize the information obtained.
The events that occurred in Imman were as follows:
In Imman, girls of marriageable age had been disappearing for several years.
The number of victims reportedly increased each year, but initially, the response was slow because the victims were limited to outsiders such as adventurers and travelers.
The perpetrator of these disappearances was Alma Bartley Dela Elgerblard, the legitimate wife of Count Elgerblard.
I had heard rumors that she had been divorced for committing some evil deeds, but I never imagined she would be responsible for such a heinous crime…
Alma was originally the daughter of a certain Marquis family in the Wahl Imperial Kingdom.
Her marriage into the Count Elgerblard Family was a political marriage, but Alma was known for her beauty when she was young.
However, she also had an arrogant and haughty personality, which is common among high-ranking nobles.
Contrary to that, her relationship with Count Elgerblard, who was older than her, was not bad at all; they seemed to be a passionate, best couple.
In politically motivated marriages, alliances are formed with other noble families, so it is common for marital discord to lead to a lack of physical intimacy or for one spouse to have affairs.
After the “Rite of the First Night” following the “Wedding Ceremony,” which is performed as a duty, some couples even separate after their virginity loss is confirmed by their accompanying maids.
Furthermore, many such women, after bearing an heir, retire from their marital duties and live a leisurely, decadent life as affluent madams…
On the other hand, it was customary for the groom to keep mistresses and enjoy his nocturnal activities after the birth of an heir.
In fact, they had a legitimate son, Prince Hamilton Abra Dela Elgerblard.
After that, they would continue to play the role of a devoted couple in public and live a self-indulgent private life, as is customary.
However, Alma, despite the political marriage, apparently deeply loved Count Elgerblard.
Therefore, Alma could not bear to see Count Elgerblard’s affection shift to another woman…
Furthermore, after becoming a mother and with age, she could not stand the decline of her physical body.
Initially, she seemed to have suffered from emotional instability and took her frustrations out on her maids.
Then, an incident occurred.
As usual, Alma lost her temper and threw a vase that was displayed in the room.
The vase shattered against the wall, and a shard hit the right arm of a maid standing nearby, injuring her.
Normally, the injured maid would have left the room to receive treatment, but by chance, that maid was Alma’s favorite.
Alma, who had injured her, rushed to the maid, tore off the hem of her own dress to press against the bleeding wound, and instructed another maid to call for help.
Up to this point, it could be considered a common scene of daily life in a noble household.
However, what happened after this was unfortunate.
The maid’s wound was unexpectedly deep, and blood that overflowed from the cloth stained Alma’s arm.
And the skin of the blood-stained part was smooth.
However, the content is so realistic as if it were witnessed on the spot, even though it is just a rumor.
In fact, when Alma was imprisoned, a public notice was posted, and various embellishments were added to the official explanation of the notice, with bards adding their own creative twists, turning it into an amusing epic.
Nevertheless, the story holds together, so it doesn’t seem to be entirely groundless or a wild delusion.
Alma, inspired by this incident to find a way to regain her youth, apparently began draining the blood of young women and applying it to herself to preserve her fading beauty eternally.
Such acts gradually escalate.
At first, she apparently had bloodletting performed in exchange for a considerable sum.
However, as the amount of blood used increased, it became difficult to obtain.
Furthermore, Alma was not satisfied with merely applying the blood and conceived the idea of filling a bathtub and bathing in it.
A large amount of blood is needed to fill a bathtub.
To fulfill the mistress’s desires, an old maid who had accompanied her from the Marquis family upon her marriage proposed a method to efficiently extract blood from young women.
That is, to use the torture device known as the “Iron Maiden.”
The “Iron Maiden” is a coffin-like metal structure shaped like a woman, with a hollow interior and blades attached to pierce the body of a maiden.
It is hinged on the sides and secured with clasps, allowing it to be opened.
Furthermore, a blood basin to collect the drained blood was placed beneath the stand on which the “Iron Maiden” was mounted.
Normally, the “Iron Maiden” is a tool used to intimidate criminals, but Alma apparently used it in earnest.
The holes found in the bodies of the zombies writhing at the bottom of the vertical chasm were marks left by blood being drained by the “Iron Maiden.”
As the Cleric Lester in my past life, after defeating Demon King Gandaro as a member of the Hero Party, I was exceptionally promoted to the position of Cardinal.
My department was the Inquisition, and I was knowledgeable about such torture devices, but they were never actually used by the Asgard Holy Church.
Thus, there is no doubt that the number of victims rapidly increased after the use of the “Iron Maiden.”
However, it took some time for Alma to be brought to justice.
First, the strong influence of Alma’s birth family, the Marquis family, and Count Elgerblard’s love for her meant that no one dared to accuse her.
The turning point came when the Espana Imperial Kingdom attacked the Wahl Imperial Kingdom and finally conquered it.
At this time, the Marquis family was apparently annihilated along with the Wahl Imperial Family.
What proved to be decisive was that the carriage transporting the bodies in coffins overturned, scattering the bodies onto the road.
Moreover, the carriage was black lacquered and bore the crest of the Count Elgerblard Family, making it irrefutable evidence.
Even the usually slow-moving Count Elgerblard could no longer stand idly by, and all those involved, led by the old maid who hunted girls and drained their blood for Alma, were apprehended and publicly executed.
The method of execution was hanging, and the bodies, bearing the full wrath of the residents, were pelted with countless small stones and pebbles.
The bodies were apparently destroyed like tattered rags.
All that remained was flesh resembling crushed pomegranates.
Meanwhile, Alma, the Count’s wife, lost her patron when her family’s Marquis house went extinct.
However, her desire to remain beautiful was deemed to be out of love for the Count, and while she was granted leniency, divorced, and removed from the nobility, she was not executed.
However, since she could not be left unchecked, she was imprisoned on the top floor of the “Prison Tower” built outside the castle walls of Imman.
Upon her imprisonment, the prison door was sealed with plaster and would not be opened until Alma’s death.
Her daily meals and changes of clothes were passed through a special serving hatch built at the bottom of the wall, and she had only a dedicated waste disposal hole within the room for excretion.
Rumor had it that the room on the top floor where Alma was imprisoned was a luxurious noble’s solitary confinement chamber, with lavish interior decorations.
Meanwhile, Alma’s only son, Prince Hamilton Abra Dela Elgerblard, grew up with his selfish mother as a cautionary tale, and apparently became a young man with a strong sense of justice.
Unlike Count Elgerblard, who was skilled at devising schemes, he is a good young man with a different personality, and it is said he is popular, as the saying goes, “A kite lays a hawk.”
Furthermore, Count Elgerblard, who divorced and imprisoned Alma, has recently become infatuated with his favored mistress.
Perhaps, still in his prime, Count Elgerblard needed a companion for his nightly duties?
His mistress’s name is Eringen Kuktar, a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl with silver hair styled in vertical rolls.
Eringen is also said to be from a prominent family, but her family went bankrupt during the invasion of the Espana Imperial Kingdom, and she fell into slavery. Count Elgerblard apparently purchased her, restored her to citizenship, and kept her as his mistress.
However, Hamilton also fell in love with the beautiful and lovely Eringen, and there were also rumors of him harboring a forbidden affection for her.
In the end, only a few bodies were found from the overturned carriage in the series of incidents, and the whereabouts of the other bodies are said to be unknown even under torture.
Presumably, they gave up on recovering the bodies after being unable to ascertain their disposal locations, or perhaps they were unable to publicize them because the bodies had turned into undead.
Thus, the case was considered resolved, and the disappearances of girls subsided, but recently they have started to occur frequently again.
There seemed to be no leads on the perpetrator this time.
“What can I say… Humans are so wasteful. If it were me, I would use them carefully and make my favorites my retainers…”
Lala, the eldest of the three vampire sisters, who is sitting on my lap, is indignant.
However, she has the audacity to attend our meeting without even being invited.
“Indeed… The fresh blood of human beauties is precious… As is the fresh blood of virgins, but it should be savored slowly, little by little.”
Miralca, who has joined us as a quasi-Party Member, echoed the sentiment of Lala, the Summoned Beast.
Miralca, a former demon, was apparently a true ancestor vampire.
Meanwhile, Sharon, who participated with them, had a sleepy expression.
“Hey, you guys still want to be defeated, don’t you?”
When I threatened them slightly, Lala and Miralca, who were having an ominous conversation, covered their mouths with their hands.
“So, Hal-sama, what shall be our course of action from now on?”
Elise, the second-in-command, offered her first constructive opinion, which was unusual.
“…Indeed. The mysterious girl disappearances that are still ongoing are beyond our current capabilities. However, we will do something about the undead we found at the bottom of the vertical chasm. There, numerous bodies were thrown, filling the place with evil magic, giving birth to undead such as Skeletons and Zombies. Furthermore, the evil magic is coalescing into miasma. If left as it is, mid-level and high-level undead will soon be born.”
“Gah… You’re right. It’s become like a poisonous insect’s nest. Sooner or later, Lady Ritchie and No-Life Princesses will emerge from there!”
Swan Hilda agreed with my concern. But what are Lady Ritchie and No-Life Princesses?!
Swan Hilda likely means that Richies and No-Life Kings based on the bodies of girls could be born.
“I’ve heard everyone’s opinions. Tomorrow, we will spend the day purchasing preserved foods and consumables, and the day after tomorrow, in the morning, we will check out of the inn and return to the vertical chasm.”
We engaged in animated discussions and decided to purify the undead at the bottom of the vertical chasm using fire attribute magic and fire spirit magic.
“Everyone, please, I beg you. Please save those who cannot be saved.”
“I ask of you as well. This is a border town, so it is not someone else’s problem.”
In response to our decision, Liliana and Ly, who will be involved in the near future, both bowed their heads.
Thank you for reading.
Episode 41-11: Troubled and Rushing East and West ①
is scheduled to be posted on March 30th at 00:00.
