Chapter 7

Few men were guarding the entrance of the Azusk– a small border town under Matthias march.

A man with clean shaved face, probably in his early twenties, was hunched on a chair by the door. He was wearing a red shirt complemented with black pants and long boots and a sword that just matched his fit attached to his waist. It was a little chilly outside, so he was wearing a blue upper coat above it. Rubbing his hands for the lack of gloves, "Hey! Remind me again. Why are we heavily guarding the door this cold night?" he asked.

Gird, another guard, standing beside the door in the same attire as the previous one except his red coat and spear in his hand replied, "Don't you know?'. He had a long mustache that complemented his dense bear, and his deep and coarse voice made it seemed he had already entered his forties. He banged the blunt end of his spear on the ground, gesturing the young lad to sit uptight. "Oh yeah! You're new. Jeff, was it?" The old guard stood straight as he continued, "The order came from the capital. To not cool down on the guarding for even a single second. Apparently, there've been instances from people disappearances to home killings. Rumor has it that a large criminal organization is behind this." He had also heard that a n entire barony in the far south was thrown into chaos and destroyed but he couldn't believe it was the work of the same organization as it happened too long ago. "Also, it was the Marquis' order to double down on the guarding in near border towns especially during the night." Gird, being senior to him, considered his responsibility to clear the newbie's doubts while also instructing him to get in line, "Now that you know, don't slack off."

The other guards who were at the door, too didn't seem to care. They were sprawling and slouching on the gate or the ground. Gird, furious at this banged his spear strongly on the ground, shouted, "You guys! I'm not gonna repeat it again."

"Ok, Ok, old man." Passing it off just like that, they went back to their position.

Gird didn't care for them, as for him, he didn't consider scolding those guys as part of his duty.

It was when he suddenly heard a knock at the door. Jeff; originally his name was Jeffrey but only people close to him knew that, everyone else who knew him called him Jeff. He stood up to open the small door to check who was knocking at this hour, but Gird interrupted him. He held his hand and gestured him to keep quiet and watch.

He then proceeded to slide the peephole slider and checking on the person outside. His height was no shorter than an average adult while it was hard to confirm his age as a cloak covered his face. He felt as if the stranger standing in front of him was a child, as of his years of experience; but he didn't dare to welcome him in, as he knew what danger besieged him on letting an outsider in, in this appalling night. So, he went with a cold reply, "No visitors allowed at this hour." And closed the slider.

Jeff looked at him in awe, amazed at how the old guard quickly took care of it. But he was still concerned, Would they go away just like that? What if they knock down the door? What if they break through the walls? Questions like these seized his brain as he found himself unable to resolve them.

Gird, placed his hand on Jeff's shoulder and held it tight, "Don't think too much." Bringing him back to reality, "The wall and this door, they'll protect us." Continuing to consolidate him, he felt compelled to tell him the origin of the town.

____________________

'*Tak! Tak!'

The door was knocked again, but this time it was Jeff who went to get it.

He opened the slider and saw a young boy tearing up. He started bawling his out as soon, while stopping for a few second to get word out of his mouth. Though hard, Jeff was able to make out what the child was saying.

"That direction….waaaaaa…..! My village... waaaaa....! destroyed... waaaaa…! Everyone...! Died...!"

"Calm down! Calm down, kid." Jeff tried, but there was no effect.

"Waaaaaaaaa…..!" The boy cried and cried to no end, bashing the ear drums of those nearby.

"Hang on! I'll open the door for you." Though hesitant, Jeff's mind was overtaken by tears of the boy and he gave in. Also, he was afraid that the boy's cries would wake the sleeping beasts of the forest behind.

He opened the small door and invited the boy in, quietly closing the door behind. He took him to the small cabin where he offered the little boy some water to get him to regain composure.

Gird wasn't around, nowhere to be seen. Apparently, he had gone to bring some tea to get by the windy night. Therefore, making it Jeff's duty to look after the door and deal with the situation.

But Gird was never so careless. He had asked another guard who he found patrolling on his way to take his position for time he was away. Making it less of a burden to a newbie. But it takes time to reach the gate. By the time Kent, the guard arrived, the boy was already sitting in the cabin, sipping on water.

Standing at the door frame, Kent asked, "Who's he? Your son? What's he doing here at this hour?"

"Haha!" Jeff blushed, "No, I'm not even married. He was crying so I brought him in."

"Brought him in? From where? Is he not an inhabitant of this town?" Kent asked dubiously.

"No, actually. He is from outside. I've been trying to enquire him since but he wasn't calming down." Jeff answered

"Outside!? Don't you know?" Kent was shocked and infuriated at Jeff but he soon regained his composure as he saw the face of the child sitting, he realized that it wasn't his fault. "Well, fine."

He didn't bother chiding Jeff and straight away crouched in front of the child, "What happened? Are you lost?" he asked.

The boy had settled down, and the guard believed it appropriate to ask questions.

The boy nodded in disagreement, reluctant to say any word.

The guards understood him.

Kent asked another question, "How did you reach here?"

The boy didn't respond. The silence filled the room as they expected him to say something.

But Kent didn't back down. He understood that the boy could only answer in 'Yes' or 'No', and that too by nodding. So, he asked him much simpler questions.

"Are you from this town?", Kent asked.

The boy nodded in disagreement.

"Are you from another town?"

The boy nodded in the same inclination.

"Village?"

The guards stood up with joy as it was the first positive response they heard from the boy.

"Now, do you have parents? Are they alive?" Kent crouched as he asked in curiosity and worry.

The boy nodded in a long disagreement as the room fell in a complete silence.

It was time till Gird had arrived. When finding no one at the gate, he was boiling with anger, hotter than the tea he had brought. He noticed two shadows at the cabin through the translucent window. He rushed over there and asked, standing outside while also keeping an eye at the gate. "What're you doing? Why aren't you guarding the gate? And Kent?" A kettle in one hand and some cups in other, he asked.

Kent got up and moved aside, making way for Gird to see what was going on. Gird entered the cabin and noticed a black cloak lying beside a boy. He was absolutely harrowed at the sight of the two guards attending to visitor he had just shooed not too long ago.

He wanted to smack his head in disappointment but his hands were already full, then realized that the visitor in front of him was just a young boy. He directed Kent to the gate and interrogated Jeff, "Did you bring him in?"

"Ummm!" Apologetically, "Yes."

He didn't want to yell in front of a child and nor he saw a point in doing so. He simply asked Jeff a few questions about the child and sent him out.

Just the two of them inside the cabin, Gird placed the kettle and tea cups aside on the table.

"Do you want tea, young lad?" He asked politely.

But the boy nodded, implying refusal.

"Can you… speak?" Gird asked.

"Yea..ss!" The boy had finally spoken in front of him, and as he heard from Jeff that the boy could only nod, he was overjoyed.

"Your name, lad?" Gird tried to act young to make him feel comfortable.

"Adin." The boy replied after a short pause.

"Which village are you from?"

"Sul… fi." The boy quietly replied.

"Why are you here?" Gird didn't lose streak, it seemed he had the questions already prepared.

"My village… it was…" The boy stopped mid-way; he didn't complete the sentence.

Gird wasn't mad; "What happened to your village?" he just politely asked the boy again.

"It was… destroyed. Everyone…. died."

"Eh?" The boy's words were a complete shock to Gird.

"What?" A loud voice from behind struck the room. "Sir Gird… what is he saying? I… I came when… when I heard Sulfi… but…"

Gird was expecting the two to stay on guard duty at the gate but Jeff failed to meet his expectations. But that was the least of his worries. He could never have imagined a village to be completely destroyed and all the residents killed except for this boy.

Even Kent had come to the cabin, hearing Jeff's loud 'what?', and asked of them what had happened. Jeff tried to explain it to him but he was still in shock that he couldn't even form a sentence and broke into tears.

Gird left Jeff and the boy in the cabin and quickly explained the situation to Kent. He also instructed him to wake all the guards and bring them to the gate while he himself was to go to the town lord to ask for the permission to take out a unit to investigate the nearby village.

In about half an hour, a whole unit comprising of town guards and soldiers and even mercenaries were arranged by the gate, all on horses, and each holding a lantern their hands were standing in wait for the gate to open. Gird had come back with the permission and was reassigning the positions to the guards who stayed behind while the giant gate was being opened; when Jeff called out from behind. "Wait! I'll…. I'll go too."

Gird refused his request, reluctant to send a newbie to investigate. He also knew that Jeff was in great shock when he heard of the situation, therefore he thought it was inappropriate to send him on a mission when his emotions were instable.

But Jeff wasn't the guy to take things lying down. He refuted all his arguments and persistently requested to go to the Sulfi Village. "The girl… the nun at the cathedral there,….. is a sweet woman….. She loves kids…. And respects the elderly….. she even greets everyone she sees in the morning, afternoon, evening….. she cooks for all the children at the orphanage…she cleans after them."

Gird understood what he was onto but the roles were already assigned. The guards were still on standby outside the village till the last one had exited and the gates were closed, and everyone heard Jeff's plea. Kent got off his horse and handed him over the lantern. "Though new, you're a member of the guards." Not anyone was capable of becoming a guard. Everyone in the security had to pass a skill test that ordinary people wouldn't be able to clear. "I think you deserve this." Kent put his handover Jeff's shoulder and directed him to the horse. "Just, stay safe."

Jeff looked at Gird, waiting for him to say the final words. In the end, "Ohkay! You can go." Gird was weak to those eyes and had to comply with his request.

Finally, twelve people in total, filled with combat skills, sitting on horseback were ready investigate the fallen village.

.

.

The rest of them who stayed behind to guard the fortress closed the huge door and went back to their positions. Some of the soldiers substituted the guards who just left while others went back to their ins.

"Haaaa!" Gird sighed heavily, worried about the unit that just left. "Will they be all right?" he asked Kent.

"Sure, they would." He paused for a moment, "We can only hope so." Kent replied looking at the sky who's moon was covered by dense clouds, nowhere to be seen.

"This is gonna be long night." Gird said.

"Oh, where's the boy?" Kent had absolutely forgotten about the boy in this mayhem and was in panic at not seeing him inside the cabin.

Gird calmed him down saying that he had already sent him with one of the soldiers to get some sleep.

They prayed to God wishing that everything would turn alright.

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"Fwoooo! Finally." I sighed quietly as I was escaping the soldier barracks. I was standing under the window I had just jumped, "Oh god! He just won't go to sleep." The soldier had offered me the empty bed in his room and was sitting there keeping a watch on me. I had to cast a sleep spell to make him unconscious and escape.

'*grrr'

My stomach growled as I had not eaten anything since the day. Fennyx came out from my shadow and stretched its back like a cat. "Woof!" He had barked a little too loud

"Shhhhh!" Afraid that he'll wake someone up, I tried to shush him. "Be quiet. I know you're hungry."

"Who's there?" A guard, patrolling nearby, shouted.

We sneakily moved to a dark alley, hiding in the shadows and closed our eyelids so that it doesn't reflect the slightest of light.

"Haaa!" We had fooled the guard and he moved on to his patrolling.

We moved outside the dark alley and started walking in search of a place serving food. As I walked, I noticed the town was well illuminated. The streetlights had those little glow stones in it, lightning up the streets. I couldn't even feel the absence of the moon. But still, I doubt was left in my head, why didn't they light up the alleys too, that I just passed by.

"The only place which can serve food at this time of the night,.." I looked at the board hanging over the door through the peripherals of my eye, "Is a Bar."

I walked into the bar, not expecting it to be this jolly and loud. And sat at the small table next to the counter. I called out to the bartender and asked him for a small meal for one and some raw meat in addition. But I didn't order any alcohol, being underage.

While being a great place to drink and eat any time of the day (mostly during night), it was also an excellent place to gather information. I had been absent from any human contact for quite a few years and wanted to hear on some news of what was happening around the empire. By their fit and clothes, most of them looked as adventurers with a few peasants and labours.

I closed my eyes and focused on my hearing, listening carefully on the chatter pots they all became after chugging up a few glasses of beer.

"Hey! Do you know? There's a rumor floating around about a village boy?..."

"….But even the town lord's son was handed a rejection..."

"About the first prince… I heard he's going to be crowned…."

That conversation over there wasn't much significant. I moved on to hearing the people to my right side.

"The capital is in complete dismay since they received that letter...."

"Do you really think Kruxpelt will attack?..."

"Hahaha! It was fun banging the nun while she kept praying to god and ask for forgiveness." A man with a big fit and bald head laughed out.

"Haha! Sure was. Hahaha!" Another guy who looked relatively shorter and slimmer complemented the first's statement.

An interesting one. I smiled as I found a conversation worth listening in to.

"Hahaha! Drink more beer and then we can go back and have seconds with her." A third guy held a beer jug in his hands; he looked the most drunk than any of them, offering beer to the person sitting opposite to him.

I took a glance at them.

He was wearing a complete black cloak from head to toe, much like mine but different. His face wasn't visible, as the hood extended to far front of his face. "I would just like to thank you for your help in the village. Our lord would be very pleased."

"Hahaha! Don't mind. Don't mind. We had fun too." He closed the distance between intending to whisper in his ear, but his voice was incredibly loud and intense, really hard to avoid, "Do you too wanna have it with her? She feels incredible, being a nun for all these ears." He licked his lips and kept poking the robe of that strange hooded guy. But he just kept repeatedly refusing the offer.

"Here's your meal." The waiter came with a tray in his hands, carrying a small meal and big loaf of meat by its side. "Anything else I may bring for you?"

"No, thankyou." I answered politely.

"Then, enjoy your meal." Saying that, he made his way back to the kitchen.

I cut the raw meat loaf in half and held it under my table. "Just your head out." I murmured.

Though I knew nobody in the room would know about a fenrir and passed it off as a dire wolf cub, I was still skeptic.

I had already instructed Fennyx to stick his head from my shadow and go back to chew. I said I'd call him and forbid him to come out himself.

I sat there eating slowly, waiting for the drunk trio and the strange cloak man to leave. Fennyx was rather fast on his wolfing so he finished early. So, I gave him some of my share to munch up.

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Few men were walking down the alley, all hammered, "Hey! Is this right way?" the one with the tall and strong build asked.

"I don't know." Another giggled, "But we'll surely reach the warehouse if we keep walking straight."

"Yahay! Let's bang the nun once more before we sleep." A third one laughed vigorously.

They were all shouting at the top of their lungs but no guards could hear them as they were moving though the alley.

Suddenly, an arrow pierced the air passing right next to the ear of the one walking forefront. The arrow dissipated right after hitting the ground. But they all caught a glimpse of it. And immediately sobered up.

They stopped, not moving an inch from where they were standing, while the big muscled bald guy took the initiative, "Who was that?"

"Were you the ones who attacked the Sulfi village." They heard a voice from behind, coming right from the darkness.

"Whaat? No… Why would you think that?" They threw a question right off the bat, but it was just an excuse to turn around and have a look at the stranger.

"I heard you raped a nun." A young boy of approx. fifteen came out of the shadows, streetlight directly falling on his face and body. Though he was wearing a hood, his face was slightly visible and he was half the height of the guy with the bald head.

"Haaa! So, what if you did hear?" Their attitudes changed just after seeing that a child was in front of them. "Who are you to accuse us? Who are you, anyway?"

"Nothing. I am a nobody." I had no relations with the village or the residents, and neither was I a man of justice but still, "But I ought to keep bandits like you in check." I abhorred bandits since that incident but I was weak that time. Now that I had gained new strengths, I could never let the filthy piece of trash the bandits are have their way.

"What can a kid like you even do?" The guy with the smallest build came ahead and started poking his fingers on my face.

I instantly unsheathed my sword and swiftly slashed off his fingers.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHH!" He screamed in pain as his companions took out their broad swords and dashed to attack me.

"Quick, he can use magic. Don't give him a chance to stand by." The bald head charged at me, instructing his comrades.

"NOW!" I yelled as a black wolf jumped out from my shadow and attacked the bandits ahead.

I took on the baldhead and the fingerless while the Fennyx took care of the one behind them.

The baldhead's attacks were quite strong. He repeatedly kept pushing me back with his greatsword; with constantly

Just as he thought he had me cornered, he pulled his sword upwards, getting ready to slash me down in half.

But that small window was enough for me, as I stuck my sword in his thighs and leap back two steps. I bolted over at the wall beside him and kicked his head. He was totally taken aback my attack as I quickly pulled out my sword and slashed his left eye.

The baldhead was even more furious on the loss of his left eye as he crazily started swinging his sword around. His sword was awfully big, and it was impossible to come out unhurt once you're in its area of effect.

I was continuously leaping back to avoid his attacks, and threw my sword at his face. Expecting it, he deflected the sword with his sword; he coughed blood, as my sword struck his chest and punctured his right lung.

"Huhu!" I smirked, looking down upon the coughing baldhead. "Unlucky for you. I never removed the homing inscription off it." After the twentieth floor at that dungeon, I decided to keep the homing inscriptions on it while I erased the other ones.

The baldhead fell unconscious, and I looked over to the fenrir, he too had knocked his opponent out.

"You didn't kill him, did you?" I asked Fennyx.

"Woof!"

"Haa! Good." I commended his effort in taking out the bandit without killing him. "Now, one, two."

I had let the fingerless bastard run so that he'd go back to their base and reveal its location to me. I bade Fennyx to track the scent of the blood while I followed behind him.

"Gotch'ya!" Holding the door of the warehouse, he stood in dread as he heard my voice. I could see his legs shivering in fear.

"Forgive me. I don't want to die yet." Begging for forgiveness, he offered to tell me what transpired in the village. "It was not us. We weren't the ones who destroyed the village."

I looked at his crying face, "I already knew that. You guys are weak." I prepared a lightning arrow spell and held it beside me, "I wanna know who planned that."

"Ummm…." He didn't speak a word. A deep silence filled the air.

"If you don't wanna tell me, I'll just kill ya." I threatened him to push him over the edge and break his silence, so that he'd tell me the name. "Quick, I'm running out of patience."

"A….." As he was about say something, suddenly his tongue got slit off, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaghhhh!!"

I shot him with lightning arrow which fried and paralyzed him. I didn't want him to create unnecessary noise around than he already had.

"That's three." I looked at the unconscious weakling fallen in front of me. "Now, where's that fourth one? That strange cloaked guy." I stood there staring at the door.

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A tall man in a hood, leaning on the rooftop wearing a mask, was watching all the events unfold. He saw a guy flawlessly taking out the bandits he had a contract with. Trying to catch a glimpse of his face, he laid there to figure out his identity. He was obligated to report the case of variance that occurred anywhere during his mission.

As he saw the guy trailing after the one who ran away, he followed behind, jumping rooftops to rooftops, but in a concealed manner.

He had already finished off the other two, afraid that they might open their mouths if caught and interrogated. They were already a liability for him since they got knocked out.

He carefully watched as the guy tried to interrogate the bandit.

"A…"

He precisely threw a small invisible mana blade to cut off the bandit's tongue so he doesn't reveal anything to the suspicious guy. He was confident in his skills that he knew he wouldn't notice him silencing the bandit.

"Now, where's that fourth one? That strange cloaked guy."

He flinched as he realized that the suspicious man was onto him too.

"I know you're here. I also know you're watching me since. Come out." He didn't respond to the provocation, gritting his teeth to remain shut but that guy kept on talking. "I know where you are. I can sense you."

He's bluffing; the hooded man thought as he saw the guy staring at the warehouse door, "He must be thinking I'm inside the warehouse." He whispered to himself.

"Okay! If coming out on your own, I'll come for ya." The guy pushed open the warehouse door and stepped inside, dragging the body of the bandit inside.

"Fwoooh!" The hooded man exhaled noisily knowing he was out of danger.

He stood up and jumped over to the warehouse rooftop and leaned in to locate the bandit. But it too was dark inside, to see even a meter ahead.

He could hear the footsteps the guy inside was making. And it went soft and soft as the guy walked away. He jumped down and went in, intending finish off the last bandit, as he heard a soft thud seeming as if the other side's door was pushed open.

He sneakily walked in the warehouse and disposed the last bandit he found lying by a stack of boxes.

"Arf! Arf!" He heard the sound of a dog barking from behind…. No… It isn't a dog… he realized as he turned around.

"Heh! Didn't I tell you, 'I'll come for ya'?" Another voice he heard from behind. But he couldn't turn around to look his face, as for him, he was already in the face of dread. The wolf looked too scary to be a wolf.

He jumped high in the air, to the ceiling and threw mana blades in a circle up above. If a little more time, he could've holed the ceiling and escaped the room, but his opponents weren't so generous.

The guy propelled himself, intending to kick him down. He too, reacting to it, turned himself around and clashed kicks with him.

They both landed simultaneously, but with one getting ready to fight and other to run.

"Look kid, I don't have time for this." He said as he caught the glimpse of the face of the guy in front of him. "I don't wanna fight you."

The boy took off his hood and replied, "Hey! Hey! I know you have plenty of time. So, won't you play with me a little." The boy said as he unsheathed sword and licked it clean. It wasn't those dreadful eyes that scared him, but something much more startling than that.

The beast jumped at him from behind but he jumped upon the stack of boxes, using it to his advantage he hopped over the beast and ran outside at max speed.

The boy, along with his wolf, chased him from rooftops to rooftops. One house to other, being chased, he shot several small mana blades behind him but the boy evaded them all.

The game of Rat-A-Tat went on till the reached the end of the town. He was standing on the border wall of the town while the boy stood atop the house beside it. The wolf hopped over to the wall, eventually cornering him.

"You've got nowhere to run." The boy said, "so why don't you come over here and we'll have a nice talk."

But the hood was not open to that. He stretched his arms and took a step back, ultimately falling over the edge. The boy jumped over to the wall and looked under, there was no one. As if he had completely disappeared into thin air.

______________________

"Woof!"

"Ah we'll get him next time. Don't worry." I told Fennyx, unaware of the horrible experience we'll have 'next time'.

I went back to the warehouse and checked up on the woman I saw lying there before. Raped. I vividly remembered her face from the photo I saw. It was the nun from the Sulfi Village cathedral. Evidently, she died bashing her head on the wall multiple times.

It was almost dawn and the unit that gone to investigate Sulfi had just comeback.

I went over there and hid behind a wall, where I saw the dejected Jeff say these words, "We didn't find her body…. that means she isn't dead, right?" He desperately kept crying to Gird; while another soldier went to report to the town lord.

"God! It was an absolute disaster." A guard said as he proceeded to talk to Kent, "There was absolutely no one in the village. It looked like they all vanished into thin air."

No one? But I'm sure I left that boy inside the house just next to the gate. That was my whole reason for getting them to do an investigation. Did they not look properly? "Sigh!". Well, although it's none of my business, I'll check up on that later.

I came out and played Adin. Not speaking a word, I got the attention of the three guards that had seen Adin and made a run to the warehouse, getting them to follow me behind. I took the path where the bandits were laying dead and paused there for a second. Gird stopped as soon as he saw two bodies lying in the alley to check if they were alive or dead; while continued to guide Kent and Jeff to the warehouse.

At the ware house, Kent saw another body and stopped there to check it, and just like before, it was precisely cut, not a single wasteful slash. The killer had sleekly done its work, with no credible piece of evidence left behind.

While I ran ahead and pointed my finger at the dead woman, Jeff rushed to it, "So..Sophie?". He held her head in his arms and checked her nerves, "Soooophiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" He burst into tears, as I exited the warehouse from the backdoor, never to be seen again.

.

"Haaa! I'm pooped." I heaved a sigh.

"Woof!" Fennyx barked questioningly.

"No, it means I'm exhausted." His dubious look made me ponder why Americans even had this stupid slang. Well, it's all in the previous world. "I just wanna call it a night. And that means I want to sleep."

"Woof!"

I went back to the bar and secretly put the money for the meal on the table; that I had already taken from the bandits' pockets.

And then straight went for the inn and paid for a room, calling it a night.