Is It Wrong For An Assassin To Be In The Dungeon? V1 (Danmachi Fanfic)

Chapter 36: Blood Moon (Part 1)

"The Ancient Order fought to the very last man, the very last drop of blood, against the tide of soldiers surging through the gate they say." Brother Ignatius narrates as he stood in front of the large church, with a young boy of 15 listening in awe.

"And then what happened?" The boy asked.

"Well..." Brother Ignatius sighed. "According to The Scriptures, they overwhelmed us. Many were executed while others were captured."

"That's weird." The boy wondered. "Didn't you said that the Order fought to the last man?"

"True, I did said that. But the ones captured were civilians."

"Civilians?"

"Marcus." The man asked. "Do you know why members of the Order can never have a partner, or get married?"

"Well, now that I thought of it, no. I don't. Can you tell me why?"

"Back in the old days, the Ancient Order allowed any member AND their families to stay with them. In this case, while many escaped before the siege began, dozens were trapped when the Alderyan army besieged the Holy Sanctuary."

"What happened to them?"

"Like I said. Many were executed, more were captured. The prisoners were brought back to their capital. There, they dealt with different prisoners with different methods. The elderly were slaughtered, women raped, children enslaved. The rest were either burnt at the stake, hung, crucified or beheaded."

"That... That is gruesome, just inhumane. Do they have no honour?"

"Honour is merely an illusion the rich or posh obey in times of peace, to be held at their whims to cast down on poor folk. When was comes knocking however, they sand a different song." He continued. "Stand in the ashes of a million dead souls and ask the ghosts if honour matters. Their silence is your answer."

"Is that why the Order does not allow us to get married or have a partner?"

"Partially, yes. To protect others blissfully unaware of the many threats that endanger our times of peace. But it also serves to prevent earthly distractions, in order for us to completely focus on our duties."

"Then we must be thankful to the Ancient Order for their sacrifice and valour, that cleared the path to shaping the world how it is today."

"That is correct."

"I see..." The boy mutters before pondering. "Does that mean I'll never get a wife?"

The man chuckles, before patting him on the head. "So innocent, so young." He mutters.

Suddenly footsteps can be heard approaching them. The two turn to face the arriving figures. One is an Elder, a greying old man with a small scroll in his hand. The other is a hooded figure, with a dark brown coat similar to what every member of the Order wears.

"Elder Peter. Good to see you again."

"Brother Ignatius, on time as always." The man replies as the two men shook hands. "I see you have brought your subordinate on this mission as well."

" Yes. So what task has the High Council graced upon us today?"

"Unusual reports of death originating from a village in the valley not far from here. Farmers, hunters, milkmaids, the lot actually. Nighttime intrusions, rumours of dark magic, corpses sucked dry of blood. So far 12 cases have been confirmed. The High Council would like you to investigate."

"Must be a vampire then. Can't be hard to kill it, any sharp object to its heart is good enough. Even sunlight is sufficient." Brother Ignatius said before pausing to observe the other individual. "And who is this fellow?"