507 I Found You

Half an hour later, the group found a nice-looking inn to stay the night. The price of the inn was rather expensive due to the situation, but it was nothing to them.

Afterward, they followed the instructions of the innkeeper and arrived at a tavern where they could buy information.

Bloed asked the girls to wait for him outside and entered the tavern alone. Following the innkeeper's instructions, he approached the counter and asked for a cup of beer.

"Anything else?" The bartender asked after giving him the beer.

Bloed did not even look at the low-quality beer. He just took out a gold coin from his pocket and put it on the counter.

"I need to know something."

The bartender stared at him for several seconds before keeping the coin.

"Do ask."

"About the magic beasts attacking the city, what can you tell me?"

"Mm… How much do you know?"

"I only know that they have attacked several nearby settlements," Bloed said.

The bartender nodded and grabbed a rag to wipe a cup.

"That is the gist of it, but the situation is a bit more serious than that."

"Explain."

"According to my sources, the magic beasts have attacked every settlement in one thousand miles from here. Several countries have been affected by the attacks, and thousands of people have been killed including a demigod."

Bloed was stunned.

"Is it that serious?"

"I was surprised as well. It's no longer at the level of a normal beast wave. It's as though the magic beasts would have become crazy.

"Fortunately, not many demigod-level magic beasts have participated in the attack. Otherwise, perhaps even some big cities would have fallen."

"I see… Do you know what the reason behind the beast wave is?"

"I don't." The bartender shook his head. "I heard that it could be due to a powerful magic beast ordering the smaller magic beast, but it's not certain.

"You should not worry too much, though. A friend told me that the demigods in the nearby kingdoms plan to take action soon. With a bit of luck, this situation will be settled in a couple of days or weeks. Anything else you want to know?"

Bloed thought for a moment and nodded.

"I saw a lot of men from different churches in the city. Why is that?"

"Oh, that. Well, there is a rumor that a Heart of the Forest appeared in Academy City. Do you know what a Heart of the Forest is? It's a treasure that can increase a god's lifespan or something like that. Anyway, a lot of religious orders are going to Academy City to find the Heart."

Bloed listened to the bartender to see if he could learn any new information, but he already knew everything the bartender told him.

He asked a couple of questions further, but he did not get any new information.

Bloed was not disappointed though. He was already expecting this.

"Thank you very much. Your information was very useful."

"I'm at your service. Will you not drink the beer? I don't want to brag, but it's pretty good."

"No, thank you. I don't drink."

"So you are of that kind, huh. Well, I don't care. A piece of advice before you leave, boy. Be careful about the men of the churches. It's better if you avoid interacting with them. Some of these people are zealots that don't care what means they use to follow the will of their god."

Bloed was startled before nodding. "Thank you."

He then left without touching the beer.

Once outside, the girls immediately asked him what information he got.

He told them everything he learned, making the girls frown.

"… It's very suspicious." Eres opined. "Bloed, something definitively is wrong."

Bloed agreed with her. It was too coincidental that a beast wave of this scale happened when they were transporting the Heart of the Forest.

The problem was that Bloed could not understand the purpose of this beast wave.

If the goal of this beast wave was to find them, it seemed like a very sloppy plan unless the beasts could recognize them.

'I'm missing something. There is something that I'm not seeing. But what was it?'

Bloed did not know, but he could feel his uneasiness growing day by day.

It was as though his instincts were warning him of the imminent danger, and the worst part was that Bloed did not know what to do to avoid it.

He felt as though a rope was slowly tightening around his neck.

Just at that moment, a commotion came from the walls.

"The monsters are coming!" A soldier shouted from the north wall.

Almost immediately, the city fell into chaos. The passersby quickly rushed back to their homes, leaving aside whatever they were doing and locking their doors as the soldiers in the city rushed towards the walls.

The beggars found places to hide, and the merchants closed their stores. In seconds, the city had become empty.

A few minutes later, the sound of battle and explosions came from the city walls. Bloed could see the light of spells being shot from the walls towards the monsters outside.

But for some reason, the feeling of uneasiness in his chest suddenly became stronger.

"Something is wrong…" He furrowed his brows.

All of sudden, a cry of fear came from the walls.

"D-Demigod!" A panicking soldier shouted.

In the next second, a loud roar resounded through the entire city.

Then, a beam of light hit the city gates, creating an explosion that blew the gates away!

"The city has been breached!"

"Cover the entrance! Don't let the beasts enter!"

"Mages! Aim to the demigod beast!"

The city's soldiers tried to control the situation, however, they were not prepared to face a demigod.

Another roar sounded, and the second beam of light reduced dozens of soldiers to ashes.

Just like that, the city defenses were breached.

Then, a horde of beasts entered through the city gates and rushed towards the nearby houses, killing everything in their path.

Cries of fear, pain, and despair reached Bloed's ears. In seconds, the north of the city had been turned into hell on earth.

Through his blue eyes, Bloed saw the figure of the demigod-level beast responsible for destroying the gates entering the city.

It was a two-meter-tall wolf-like creature with silver fur and blue eyes. It walked inside the city calmly, like a conqueror flaunting its might.

Feeling Bloed's gaze, the beast looked towards him.

Then, it stiffened.

In the next instant, its mouth curved into a grin.

[I found you.] A voice sounded in Bloed's mind.

Bloed felt a shiver of terror running through his spine.

...

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