AKM Act 11-12

Act 11-12: The Queen of Strega
TL : Cnine
ED/PF :

Part 1

　From the outer district of Saria, Kuroki made his way back inside the city walls to report his finding to Magius.

　Magius had said that after entrusting Yarga to Lastos, the Sage of the Deep Green, he would return to the Tower of Sage.

　Thus, Kuroki head toward the Tower of Sage.

　On the way, he met up with Chiyuki, Kyouka, and Kepler.

　The Great Sage Magius was extremely busy, and since Kuroki didn’t even hold the qualifications of a magician, the receptionist won’t let him meet with him.

　However, if he's accompanied by Chiyuki or Kepler, who both hold the title of Sage as well, the staff would guide them all the way to Magius's private chamber.

「I see, so that’s why you went all the way out to the outer district...」

　When Kuroki explained that he had met with Katakake and then gone out to the outer district, Chiyuki nodded and said:

　While Kuroki was away, it seemed that Chiyuki and the others had been walking around Saria under Kepler’s guidance.

　Apparently, it was a different place from where Sabina had guided them yesterday, and this area had many alchemy workshops lined up.

　Chiyuki seemed satisfied with having seen so many things, but Kyouka apparently found it boring.

　She was still yawning even now due to boredom.

　Kuroki and the others chatted casually as they walked toward the Tower of Sage.

「However, to think that narcotics are spreading... This is a grave situation indeed.」
「That's true. In the past, I would've gotten angry about the lack of proper oversight, but managing a city of this scale is no easy task. Eld isn't being properly managed either...」

　Hearing Kepler's remark, Chiyuki nodded in agreement while massaging her temple.

「Nevertheless, that turned out to be truly suspicious one.」

　Kyouka spoke triumphantly.

　It turned out just as Kyouka said, Chijirege did seem suspicious.

「You're right. Let's leave the rest until after we've reported to Magius-dono. We've arrived.」

　Having arrived at the Tower of Sage, Kuroki brought the conversation to a pause.

　When Chiyuki and Kepler announced their visit, the guards let them through immediately, and the receptionist guided them inside.

　As they ascended the tower and entered the Great Sage's office, they found Magius and Gadfess has already engaged in conversation.

「Ah, if it isn't Kepler-dono and Chiyuki-dono, and I see Kuroki-dono and Kyouka-dono are with you as well. What brings you here? If it’s about Yarga, no need to worry, she’ll be fine. They say she’ll recover soon.」

　Magius was surprised by the unexpected visit from such a large group.

「I'm glad to hear that. Actually, we've come because there's something we'd like to report.」

　Kuroki told the other about what he saw at the outer district.

「Narcotics, huh... The place may be different, but people’s actions never change.」

　Gadfes spoke with sarcastic smile on his face.

「This is no laughing matter, Gadfess. If the Cult of Death is distributing some kind of narcotic, then we’re dealing with a serious threat. Those who die from overdose may turn into zombies, perhaps even into more powerful undead. If such creatures start appearing en masse, it could spell disaster for Saria.」

　Hearing Magius’s words, Kuroki and Chiyuki were taken aback.

　He was absolutely right.

　If the narcotics were being distributed by the Cult of Death, then that possibility certainly exists.

　It was no wonder Magius was so alarmed.

「This truly is a grave situation. Magius-dono, what do you propose we do?」
「My thought exactly, Kepler-dono... Hmm. As much as I’d like to move in immediately, it would be troublesome if they manage to escape. We’ll have to continue the investigation and strike all at once when the time is right.」

　Magius heaved a sigh.

「Oh, come to think about it, Magius-dono. In front of Chijirege’s room, I saw an unfamiliar-looking holy crest.」

　Kuroki spoke about the unfamiliar holy emblem he had seen at the entrance to Chijirege’s room.

「Uhm, what kind of Holy Crest it is?」
「Well...」

　Kuroki rubbed some chalk dust onto his finger and began drawing on the blackboard in the office.

「What could this be? I’ve never seen it before.」
「You haven’t seen it before either, Kepler-dono? As for me… I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before. I’ll look into it later.」

　Both Kepler and Magius shook their head.

「Hmm... I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before too. But I just can’t seem to remember.」

　Chiyuki shook her head too.

「Oh? Don’t tell me you don’t recognize this crest? Well, I suppose it’s not something you see every day, but you actually do come across it in quite a few places.」

　Unexpectedly, Gadfes turned out to know about the holy crest.

「Do you know about this, Gadfes?」
「It’s no wonder you wouldn’t recognize it, this crest isn’t commonly seen around here. It’s the crest of the Queen of Strega. To think that one of her followers was this close to Saria... How unexpected.」

「Queen of Strega!? That wife of the Reaper!?」

「So you do know, as expected of Magius. The goddess who is the wife of the Reaper. The god worshipped by the Striges. The Watcher of the Night, Queen of the Strega, Mother of Ten Thousand Deaths, Rhasa, the goddess of death and the boundary.」

　Gadfes explained with a smile on his face.

　Rhasa, The Queen of Strega.

　Even Kuroki had heard of that name before.
　In the first place, as long as one knew enough information about Zarxis the Reaper, her name was bound to come up sooner or later.
　She was the wife of Zarxis and the mother of the Children of the Reaper.
　She was the goddess revered by the Striges, creatures born from the union of owls and human women, and the elder sister of the goddess of fate, Casa.
　And “Strega” was another name for the Striges, as well as a general term for those who worship Rhasa.
　Rhasa was said to have died alongside Zarxis in the great war of the gods long ago.
　However, it had been proven that Zarxis was still alive.
　In that case, it was only natural to assume that his wife had also survived.

　Kuroki felt an ominous premonition in his heart.
　He looked at the scenery outside of the window.
　Night visited Saria again.

◆

　In the forest outskirt of the outer district beyond Saria’s city walls.
　The sun had already begun to set, and the forest was enveloped by the darkness.
　A narrow path had formed from the outer district into the forest, allowing one to venture deeper inside.
　The trees in the forest were dense with foliage and twisted in shape, making it dark even during the daytime.

　The narrow path led to a small clearing, where a stone altar stood. Several men and women had gathered in front of it.
　Some non-human beings were mixed in among them.
　Perched on the branches of the trees, strange winged beings surrounded the humans, watching them intently.

（Dammit... They’ve already figured out I messed up... haven’t they...）

　Cold sweat ran down Chijirege’s back.
　The ones standing around the humans were a female-only race known as the Striges.
　They were a race that survived by drinking the blood of other races.
　They were the supervisors of Chijirege and the other humans who had gathered in this place.

　In contrast, the humans gathered here, both men and women, were worshippers of the God of Death.
　Tarabos was also a member of this gathering.

「Kneel, servants, our queen has arrived. Raise your heads.」

　When one of the Striges said this, someone descended before Chijirege and the others.
　It was a young girl, still bearing traces of childhood, with golden owl-like eyes and wings in place of arms.
　This girl was Rhasa, The Queen of Strega.
　She was the goddess worshipped by the Strega.

「So, my servants... It seems you've lost the precious little bat I bestowed upon you.」

　As Rhasa said this, the humans sent criticizing gazes at Chijirege.
　The moment she referred to them as "servants", it meant they all shared the responsibility.
　Even though, in truth, it was only Chijirege who had actually failed.

　Color drained from Chijirege's face.
　As long as Rhasa allowed it, every human present in this place would likely have all their blood drained by the Striges.
　Perhaps hoping for just that, the Striges’ eyes gleamed like those of owls.

「It seems… there are still a few capable ones left, hm… At this rate, we’ll get nowhere. Therefore, I shall take matters into my own hands. I will use the magic sealed within the Forbidden Archive, along with the lives of those in Saria, for my resurrection. It’s about time I parted with this form. My husband has regained his strength. And I too must soon return… to Modegal.」

　After saying those words, Rhasa looked down at her own body with a hint of disgust.
　Rhasa’s true form was that of a seductive, mature woman.
　However, she had lost most of her magical power in the previous great war of gods.
　Thus, she ended up taking the form of a young girl to minimize her consumption.

「Please wait, my Queen. Right now, several individuals known as the Sages have gathered in Saria. In particular, the black-haired Sage who travels with the Hero of Light is said to rival even the goddesses of Elios. Would it not be wiser to postpone the plan a while longer?」

　One of the Striges warned Rhasa.

「Fool—it’s the opposite. They’ll make excellent sacrifices. And even if I have lost some of my power, I am not so weak as to be defeated by a mere slip of a girl from Elios. Besides, my son is here as well. There is nothing to worry about.」

　Rhasa laughed as she dismissed that warning.
　Hearing that, the other Striges laughed as well.
　An eerie cry echoed through the forest night.