Chapter 45 : Traitor

In another village where the gang that had been residing in Wheatfield Village before had run off to, there were many people who looked distressed. The atmosphere was pretty serious, a concerning matter that had struck them by the back of their heads. Either the local people or the outsiders that came to this village, they had a problem that they faced recently from the new occurrence. Especially for the certain 'immigrants' that had settled in this village for a while now.

This village was named Willow Village. The village was bigger than the Wheatfield Village, where the populations were naturally a bit higher than the latter. The nuance of the two villages were essentially similar, either from the norms, architectural, and suchs. But the Willow Village looked wealthier, that could be seen from the housings for example.

Right now Alvred together with his men were in the closed field. There were Arin, one of his trusted aides and Blaid the Bald, the secret leader that Alfred had employed to oversee the Wheatfield Village that Enjar had defeated in that very village single handedly before. Naturally including the people that Blaid the Bald led before, just like the one that beat Timan the boy from the Wheatfield Village first when he was confronting him.

"So, the result that we had up until now is that we still could not find the perpetrator?" Alvred asked with a grim voice. It was hard to discern, whether it was from the anger of receiving this nonsense news, or the confusion that he got from the absurdity of the result. His face was contorted into an ugly frown, while his teeth gritted in frustration.

Alvred had ordered Arin and his trusted aides to conduct an investigation the day before, to catch the supposed traitor that had been living between them. He believed that Enjar was able to arrive in that village because of a perpetrator that somehow had a relation with Enjar and helped him to smuggle Enjar to pass through their base in this Willow Village.

Who could believe that? This Willow Village that they were at right now was like the gate to enter that Wheatfield Village. Any cartridge that wanted to arrive in the Wheatfield Village needed to pass this Willow Village first. Any person that wanted to use the plains to reach the Wheatfield Village would be scouted by him and his men. That was how much he believed in his own work and range that he did not think there was any other way to reach that Wheatfield Village.

So what was the conclusion inside of his head when he heard that they could not find the traitor? It was because the interrogators were either incompetent or the traitor was truly capable enough to pass their very tight surveillance in this area. He was so sure of his capabilities and ability that no one would be able to arrive in that Wheatfield Village unless they passed through this Willow Village first.

But what he could not understand was that every member that he controlled in this place was his own men! He had every means to control them, so he could not understand how one could be so daring to be a spy and betray his authority. Now he truly believed that he had not been ruthless enough for them to be afraid of him.

"It's not that we could not find him. It's just that there were no traitors between us all." A certain man with a bald head replied with the same serious expression. It was Blaid, who had the same serious expression on his face. He could not afford to be nonchalant because the Wheatfield Village was supposedly his responsibility. He failed to stop an intruder from going inside that village, so he could only try to mend his mistake and plan for the comeback.

They had interrogated some who are suspected to be the traitors with whatever means that they had in their arsenal. Those are mainly from the ones who were on patrol in a certain time that they predicted was the perfect time for Enjar to be smuggled and sent toward Wheatfield Village.

"Alvred, I have told you that this is a very odd case. I know from the first time when I and my men fight that madman, that this man who could conjure energy was a skilled fighter. We could not defeat him even when I had coordinated this and that, coordinating our formations and strategy to defeat him in the dark. But somehow, he could see that I was the leader and then throw an attack at me.

I got caught off guard and used my right arm to defend myself. And as you can see, I could not even use my energy to launch an attack. It could be a curse, but also a blessing. Because I have not used my energy at all when I was fighting him, that means he doesn't know that I could use energies too. And that also means I can catch him off guard just like how he caught me off guard before.

Alvred looked at Blaid with frowned eyebrows. His eyes were taper, there was not any pleased expression that could be inferred from his face.

"Are you trying to say that a man truly had somehow crossed the unexplored mountains to arrive in that Wheatfield Village? Even accidentally at that? I don't believe it. "Alvred said in a low tone. The gloomy voice that sounded was very clear, picturing the feelings that he had right now.

"Look, I'm not saying that it is not absurd. But you know the worth of our deal yourself. That madman who now controlled the Wheatfiled Village has been controlling the village since then, and we are caught off guard. If we are not in a hurry, we are going to be messed up in the face. That man, I absolutely believe, is crossing the mountains, and I believe that there was no traitor between our men. We could not waste our time and let him continue to occupy that village. We never know what will happen if we are just a second too late, don't you think so?"

"And yes, it is not accidental and you know what I mean. Someone might be sending him here to do some business. You certainly have some ideas as to who might have sent that madman to that Wheatfield Village, right?" Blaid asked in a warmth tone, but there was not a smile on his face at all. Possibly because he believed that he was able to convince the man in front of him.

"But the chance is so small, Blaid. Do you really think that it makes sense for a man to suddenly strive through the jungles, pass through the mountains and finally beat the crap out of you all?" Alfred said with a sneer. He folded his hands in front of his chest while looking at Blaid with a keen interest, as if he wanted to see his expression.

Blaid could only smile wryly. "Exactly, Alfred, the chance is small. But it is not zero, isn't it? This world is vast and we are only such people. Sure we have some strength, but others naturally have power too. It might be a bigger scale than we could ever have thought because after all, our kingdom is just one of the kingdoms that exist in this land." Blaid replied with a polite tone. But a glint appeared in his eyes for a moment.

"Damn…. We have made a great fort in this village with a fortified mechanism, so that we could stop any intruders from entering this village. But now, we are in a pinch because a man was able to pass this fort and could do whatever the hell he wanted in that place. I feel like all we have done is in vain." Alfred spat out some saliva on the ground while kicking a rock. His face was grim, and his kind and all smiley face that he used in front of Farmem the village head in this Willow Village was nowhere to be found.

Just like what Alvred had said, this village was circled with walls that were recently built. The structures seemed solid and strong, ready to face any intruders or attackers that wanted to challenge their authority in this area. They had built this fort because that was a necessary precaution for what was to come.

Isn't it normal for a guarded place to have a fort and walls to protect the inside place from any attackers?

"I think you are right."