10 Wrathful Ghost Barrier

"What happened?" Elias asks Irene whose expression turned from calm to worry.

Irene told Elias all the events from this morning and the arrival of the soldiers.

Elias just smiled after he heard the story."I know that this time will come, but It's a bit late, isn't it? What's the town guard doing. I know that even though they never sent any soldiers to patrol around here, there is noway something like a fortress to be unnoticed by the fellows in the town." He said.

"Then what are we going to do?" Irene asked Elias.

"Let me handle it, for now all of you stay inside the village."

Irene nodded. "Be careful." She said.

Elias smiled in reply, he walks to towards the gate.

...

Gran was still waiting for the owner of the fortress and also the messenger. When he is talking with the vice captain, suddenly someone said to him.

"Sir, the gate is opened."

Gran and Zunner, the vice captain look towards the gate when a guy with a black trench coat and black trouser exits the fortress. They don't recognize the man since they are separated in 200 m distance.

Gran and Zunner walks towards the man, once they are near enough, Gran was shocked. He know this man. He is the son of Captain Adolf Pledl, the captain who was his senior when Gran just joined the guards. Captain Pledl was recruited by the imperial army because his skill was above average. But he was executed after a general with big familial background accused him of disobedience and mutiny.

Gran was one of the soldiers who was ordered by the town lord to pressure Elias and his mother. Even though he was reluctant at first since he admired Elias's father, in the end he still did it because it was the lord's order, he doesn't want he and his family to have the same fate as Adolf and his family.

It was happened years ago but he still remembers Elias' face even though the latter has grew to an adult. This time when he saw him there are many feelings growing in his heart, guilt, curiosity, and... fear.

When they see each other Gran feels something different about this guy. There is an indifference expression showed from Elias.

"So, what are the town guards doing so far away from your patrol area? Is there any enemy somewhere?" Elias spoke without showing any emotions in his face.

"Erm.. Let me introduce myself, I am Gran Majar, I am the captain of the town guards." Gran introduced himself while he feels the awkward atmosphere.

"I'm Zunner Hansen, the vice captain of the town guards." Zunner followed Gran. He feels a bit unhappy when Elias spoke without showing any respect to them. But he is not a stupid guy who will make a ruckus because of something small. At least before he received any orders from the town he doesn't want to make any unnecessary problem.

"Young man, are you the leader in this fortress?" Gran asked, he pretends he doesn't recognize Elias, if the latter remembers him, then the air would be more awkward.

"Yes, I am. Is there any matters you need from me?"

"What is your purpose for building the fortress?" Gran started to interrogate.

"It's just for safety, everybody know that some beasts are roaming around this area. You can't expect us weak people with women and kids to live with just some wooden fences." Elias answered without care. Zunner's face becomes ugly, 'Weak people your ass. It is certain that those kids earlier have been trained in cultivation techniques'.

"You know, by the rules of the kingdom there is no faction allowed to have a fortified building in the surroundings of the town without the consent of the local lord. If you want to build it, you need to at least ask for a permission from the town lord and pay some amount of money. And we need to place some of the town guards in the fortress." Gran said

"Oh, come on. In the past there was never any guard patrolling around here. You never cared about any beasts or bandits wreaking havoc in here in the first place. And now you want to put some guards in the fortress? I'm sorry, we don't need them anymore." Elias showed a cold smile, he doesn't show any inferiority in front of the soldiers. He looks at Gran and the soldiers with a mocking expression. Everyone who does not know about Elias's story becomes enraged when they saw he never showed any respect to the captain.

On the other side Gran's guilty feeling growing more but he doesn't show it on his face.

"If this is what you want to talk, then I have to say that I and the ones inside of this wall are no longer the subjects of the town lord. We will live by ourselves without relying on you. If whether the lord doesn't recognize our independence then he and his guards can come at anytime. That's all. I suggest you to return to your town." Elias turned around and left the still silent Gran and Zunner.

...

Elias who walks to the gate of the village shows a cold expression. If someone stands near him he can feels a raging aura coming from Elias.

Elias know who Gran is. He remembers the times when the latter insulted Elias and his mother. He remembers when Gran and his subordinates threatened his mother that caused them to leave the town and moved to the hut.

'Sooner or later you will pay for your sins, Gran.' Elias said in his mind. He is not a vengeful person who will get a revenge to a small harm done to him. But he will not let anyone who hurt any close ones to him to get away freely. Even if Gran was forced to do what he did Elias doesn't care, everyone always has a choice, like what his father did and chose. Elias never blamed his father, he even proud of him for making the right choice.

He noted deep in his mind that one day he will make Gran, the town lord, General Karsten and the ones responsible for his father's death and his mother's suffering to pay for the sins they did to his family. But he knew that now wasn't the right time to do it, he is no longer alone, he has people he needs to protect.

...

After the negotiation failed, the soldiers led by Gran returned to the town.

Currently Gran is walking in the lord's manor. He wants to make a report to the lord in his office. After walking for a few minutes he finally arrived at the front of the lord's office.

"Knock..knock.."

"Come in!" Said a voice in the office.

Gran enters the room and he see Lorist writing something. The latter lifts his head for a while before continues to write.

"Reporting My Lord. We have met with the leader of the fortress." Gran said. At first he was hesitated whether to tell the identity of Elias to Lorist, but in the end he decided to tell everything. For what will happen in the future it will be Lorist and Elias's business.

"Continue." Lorist ordered.

Gran took a deep breath and said, "The leader of the fortress is the son of the deceased Adolf Pledl, Elias Pledl." He stopped for a moment to see the lord's expression.

Lorist who was busy writing suddenly lifted his head and looked at Gran. He was shocked at the very unexpected news. The long forgotten person suddenly appeared in a showy manner.

Gran continued his report, "Previously I and Zunner talked with him according to the Butler Nick's order. But..." Gran was filled with hesitation to tell Lorist about Elias's reply.

But when he was pondering whether to tell or not suddenly he feels a sharp glare from the lord. He became nervous and a bit terrified. He knew how strong Lorist is, he is a war veteran with the highest cultivation in the town. Currently Lorist is at level 3 advanced mage while Gran is only level 7 intermediate warrior.

"Tell everything. Don't ever hide something from me." Lorist narrowed his eyes while looking at Gran.

Finally Gran told Lorist everything starting from Elias's unwillingness in any negotiation to his declaration of independence.

"Bamm...." Lorist was enraged after he heard it, he slammed the table really hard.

"How dare he to be so arrogant in front of me. In the past if it wasn't because I pitied them I can just chased him and his mother out from this territory, and I won't allow him to reside in that hut. What an ungrateful fellow."

After venting his rage on the poor table. Lorist calmed himself down and looked at Gran.

"Do you know why that brat suddenly became so daring? Is there any power backing him up or is he trained in cultivation?" Lorist asked Gran.

"As for what I sensed from him, I felt no aura like a cultivator have. It seems he is just an ordinary person. But the kids and the woman in that fortress have trained and they seem to have a decent cultivation." Gran replied.

Gran doesn't know that Elias was already became a cultivator even before the latter got the memories of the supreme beings because after Elias got expelled from the town they never met each other. As for after Elias got the memories, he has a skill that conceals his aura, so no one can detect him as a cultivator except they are in the same level as him.

Lorist made a wide grin, and he said, "Tomorrow, bring one hundred guards from the barrack to the fortress...."

.....

In the night, in the village.

Elias sat alone on top of the wall, despite the chilly air he doesn't fell any cold. His gaze is spreading in the surrounding forest. If other people looking at him they will think that Elias is just in a daze because there is no one can see anything in this dark night. But Elias, since he got the memories his vision was strengthened hundred of times, he can even see in the darkest night.

'It seems to be dangerous if I leave the village like earlier. There is no one who can protect the kids and Irene is still not strong enough. Fortunately the soldiers don't attack the village immediately, if not... I need to think of something to protect them while I am away.' Elias thought.

He then searching in the memories in his mind for something that could replace his duty to protect the village while he is going outside. After searching for a while he found some techniques that he can use.

'Earth Golem, but I still need to find a high leveled magic core to make a strong golem.'

'Beast Summoning, it seems the same as Earth Golem, I still need to find a strong beast. I'll do it in the future. But for now I need something more simple.'

'Blood Barrier Spell, it can send back any attack directed on the village. But how if the enemy attacks from the inside of the barrier?'

'Wrathful Ghosts Magical Barrier Array, this array formation will capture someone's soul as long as they have an evil intent to the village but I need to catch some ghosts for it. This is the one I need for now. No one will be able to touch anyone inside the wall with this array formation.'

After deciding to use the Wrathful Ghosts array, Elias flying around the small forest to look for the soul of deceased animals and beasts, he doesn't want to use the soul of human because it feels wrong for him.

After half an hour Elias managed to collect five hundred souls of dead animals and beasts. Then he draw an octagonal formation in each corner of the wall and put a drop of his blood in the center of every formation.

After he was done with the drawing, he channeled his energy to the array. Suddenly fogs coming out of the ground outside the wall and not long after there are many ethereal beings flying around the wall. Some howls and wails can be heard through the dark night. It made the atmosphere outside the wall eerie, but in the village there is no change occurred, the kids can't hear the sounds of the souls. It was one of the effect of the array formation.

'Hmm.. With this there is no one who can harm the kids while I'm not here."