Strange town

It was early morning.

As soon as the young sun rose, everyone quickly took care of the tents. The coachmen took the horses out of their leashes. And soon, the wooden wheels of the horse carriages started to move.

*Tak* *Tak* *Tak*

*Hyi* *Hyi* *Hyi*

"We will arrive there before lunch." Jane said.

"I wonder if something happen last night." Chris said, after learning the quest of this journey.

"I hope nothing." Doctor Angelo said.

Jane, Ellie had grown more comfortable around Chris since last night, and had started to talk with Kara more casually. Most were especially drawn to his charming appearance, and optimistic behavior. Even the knights stared to like him.

Since Kara had nothing he wanted from anyone, he remained silent and not very much outspoken. However, he entertained those who came to talk to him as he was not really akin to the thought of being in bad terms with anyone.

Nothing good can come out of that. In fact, he decided to be careful to even involve himself on anything especially what could happen on the town they were going.

'If anything happens, it would be best to act like a weak normal human,' he thought.

In the horse carriage, the arrangement of the seats had not changed. Kara and Chris remained sitting at the rear end, looking at the road.

Travelling by carriage was very slow though. If there was an alternative way to travel, Kara would have long alighted from this carriage. However, blending amongst regular humans was better. It was not like he was in a rush either nor he had any specific destination. He was just not used to it.

There was one thing that was bothering him right now though.

Kara thought it might be that they were just new and strangers. But since last night, Kara would often find Jane stealing glances at him and Kara could not help but get a little uncomfortable. For now, she was not showing any hostile intent and he hoped that would be the case.

What if she was planning something against him?

That would not be good for him, right?

---

An hour passed.

At this moment, Jane moved to their direction to speak to Chris closer whom she was having conversations from time to time.

Seeing this opportunity, Kara spoke what was on his mind.

"I notice but is there something wrong with me?" Kara asked with almost a whisper, as even before she came to talk to Chris, she made the effort to steal a glance towards his direction.

Seeing that reaction for more than several times, it was clearly unsettling. 

But when Kara looked at Jane's reaction, the girl's face instantly became red, and her pupils almost shrunk. She instantly turned her head away and came back to her seat as if he just changed her life.

Kara rolled his eyes inside his head, as he cannot understand the girl's behavior.

'What is that?'

Kara decided to look away from her as it looked like she said something wrong at her. At this moment, he heard May say something.

"Haha, you are so stiff. It's my first time looking at it from a boy's perspective. But I know not much boys are as ignorant as you," May said.

Kara instantly focused on his mind. This girl on his mind was his greatest trouble right now. He had not talked to May ever since they got out her big house, so it would be great to talk to her now. 

"Oh?" Kara replied sarcastically. "Why did you suddenly decide to show up?"

'Oh come on. You cannot expect me to be talking all the time. But anyways I actually decided to speak to warn you.'

Kara was taken aback inwardly and asked, 'Of what?'

At this moment, the shouting voice of the coachman of the first carriage was heard.

"We're here!" He shouted, like a flag bearer in the army. 

Everyone alighted their heads outside to look at where they were now and it was true. About a thousand meters away from them they could see a little town, however, it did not looked like it was attacked at all, putting everyone in relief.

Maybe the bandits and the mage had not attacked yet or might have abandoned their plans for a raid.

After a second, Kara stopped looking at the town and focused on May again.

'What do you mean? Is there danger ahead because I don't sense any," Kara said.

'You are so weak. I just want to warn you I can detect several mages around here. But they're strange. I never sensed something like this. Be careful. If you die, I don't know what would happen to me,' May did not fail to mock him, and snickered. 

'Die…eh? That won't be possible. I could imagine it after at least a century but no way that's happening,' Kara replied, thinking he was stating a mere fact out of his thoughts. He could not totally imagine something life-threatening to him, as what would such a scenario even look like? 

He couldn't help but silently grin in ridicule to what he heard. But nevertheless, May's warning meant there would be danger around here.

'Okay, I would be careful.' Kara said.

Kara had to take May's warning seriously. After all, May seemed like she used to be one of the most powerful mages during the ancient times or something.

'Mages that are strange…hmph, who could they be?' he thought thinking to how May described the enemy as strange. 

Meanwhile, the horse carriages continued to approach the town in a steady pace. 

Based on what he heard from the two girls last night, the main culprit on this was a former mage of the kingdom. He stole a powerful magic item that could turn normal monsters to vicious ones. He gathered a notorious band of bandits and made them his subordinates. The kingdom received a report they raided this little town.

'Understandable story.' Kara thought, 'I don't know this insane mage's story, but it seems like he has some interesting plans for the future. I mean why would he even steal a magic item that was so powerful and make the kingdom take special attention at him? But whatever it is he could not do it alone. That must be why he gathered bandits. But most bandits are low-lives so he needs to give them something. So they raided the village…'

Kara sighed long as he tried to guess what was happening by thinking of the insane mage's perspective. After sighing, he shook his head in boredom and confusion. He could not just understand this desire to do something as if something they could not control was forcing them.

'Hmph. Hey May, you lived quite long. Do you think people are insecure about something?...No response. I see.'

Kara was a little interested at May's story too, but not so much. She told him that she had been sealed in the book by another woman. Quite interesting, but he had no worries for that. It would be impossible to say the other woman had been sealed inside something too, and would be coming after them. 

'Even if she's more powerful that May, she had probably died or something a long time ago. If she's still alive, she must be very old.'

Kara had no idea when was the ancient times. But some people have very long lifelines.

Elves were good examples, with their elders living more than billions. Dwarves, fish-men, dragon race, and vampires were amongst the few who belong to the same category as them. But some humans were different. Some were blessed by the Great Gods or they could be cursed with immortality, making them unable to die in any way. There were tons of individuals like that recorded in history, and they were still around the surface of the world. That was no secret in the lore of magic. 

Kara would often find himself wondering to himself if they had gotten bored with their life. To him, most things were boring since he was so strong. It would be hard to think someone who lived very long would be weak after all; thus, even he had the desire to meet them to have some entertainment. 

Soon, they arrived at Salienc Town! 

It was awfully quiet at the arrival of three horse carriages!

Everyone was not dumb either. The knights began to go out of the second and third carriages. Corre and the other adventurers also went out. Kara and Chris didn't go out of the carriage yet, and remained at the back.

"You two stay with Doctor Angelo." Corre commanded.

Chris glanced at him but Kara had no reason to reject the offer of protection. These people were adventurers and knights of the kingdom, it was natural to protect normal citizens like them. 

The tension between the knights turned greyer, no words were spoken to each other apart from a few grunts now and then. No one was in the mood to talk and the knights were on high alert.

The town was strange indeed, not only did no one greeted the group, no soul could be seen and heard!

"Something is strange." Ellie said.

"Oh really?" Corre sarcastically said, as he rolled his eyes before unsheathing his small sword out of its scabbard. "This is why we should have moved on last night."

At this time, Faller and the two other knights instructed their subordinates to check the houses, causing them to approach the houses cautiously. 

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Doctor Angelo started to have a worried look on his face. It was understandable considering the situation, but most importantly, out of everyone, he seemed to be the one with the warmest heart around.

Chris could see the worried look on the old man's face and spoke a few words of comfort.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine," he said with a warm smile. It worked very well.

At this moment, two knights pushed the door open of a house.

As soon as they did, they quickly noticed blood marks splattered on the floor! The blood was not fresh anymore, as it had thickened.

"Sir Hamon!" the knights called the fat round knight with the big axe in his right hand.

Everyone quickly looked at their direction. It was obvious from their faces and voice that they found something!

Hamon looked at the blood and noticed something.

"This is not the blood of a man, but a beast." He said.

Soon, the other knights noticed the same splattered beast blood on the other houses.

Sitting at a log nearby, the youngest knight among the lead knights spoke with his nonchalant seemingly disinterested expression and tone. "This is freaking me out. Is there some cult around here?"

Just then, at the very same time, a scream came from the town square!