A caravan with fifteen guards made its way cautiously along a trail through the dense forests of the southern Sacred Empire. The merchant on the wagon looked tense and worried.
Though he gripped a dagger tightly, the trembling of his hand made it clear that his heart was filled with fear.
In fact, the merchant was not the only one.
The coachman beside him was afraid.
So were the caravan guards.
Everyone was afraid.
Because-
A month ago, a Demon Cat had appeared in Saint Siss!
At first, everyone had dismissed the rumor, believing it was another trick by some damned warlock or witch.
Or perhaps it was simply ignorant peasants making a fuss over nothing.
Things like this happened every year in the Sacred Empire.
Each time, the Church sent deacons from the Inquisition to investigate. On a few occasions, even the Templar Knights had been called in to accompany them.
But every time, it turned out to be a false alarm.
A goat walking upright like a person.
An unmarried lady giving birth in a cowshed.
An archbishop somewhere taking a liking to little boys.
None of it was true!
None of it!
They were all rumors distorted in the telling!
So a month ago, everyone had taken the same attitude toward the rumors of a Demon Cat appearing in the southern Sacred Empire. Only when the Inquisition deacon sent to Saint Siss died did people cry out that there really was a Demon Cat.
"Sir, what do you think that Demon Cat looks like?"
The unease in the coachman's heart prompted him to ask without thinking.
The merchant, who was just as frightened and uneasy, lowered his voice in response.
"They say it's a cat that can take human form. It's so fast that even those esteemed