Chapter 57

Zich led Hans and Snoc quickly down the mountain. His movements were rough, but both Hans and Snoc didnt express any complaints. It was because the dark smoke that came out of the small village looked alarmingly dangerous.

Is it a raid? Or is it a simple fire?

Because it came from far away, Zich couldnt identify the specific source until they arrived at the village. However, he was sure that something abnormal was happening.

Theres a high chance that I could do a kind act.

Although Zich had decided to beat bad guys to death to fulfill his goal, that wasnt his only plan.

Their speed was so fast that it was hard to believe that they were running through a mountain course full of trees and bushes, but because the place was a great distance away, they arrived at the village a significant time later. Yet, the incident seemed to be on-going as the black smoke continued to rise. As they came closer and closer to the village, they saw the smoke with increasing clarity.

Nervousness flashed across Hans and Snocs faces. Hans placed his hand on his swords handle while Snoc hugged Nowem.

Sniff! Sniff!

Zichs nose twitched. As they neared the village, a smoky smell wafted through the surroundings.

This isthe smell of burning corpses.

Hans and Snoc heightened their guard. The smell of burning corpsesit didnt sound pleasant at all. After leaving the forests tree-covered boundary, they saw the citys appearance in full view. They saw the wooden fences first, which were set up to defend the area, and the black smoke seeped through them.

Perhaps bandits or foreign enemies ambushed them.

Hans already had half his sword pulled out.

No, I dont think thats the case. Zich studied the wooden fence. The fence around the village is too fine for it to be an ambush. And if the bandits caused the fire, they wouldnt just let the smoke pour out. They would be waving fire around. Theres a strong possibility that the village could have been burned down to ashes, but the view of the village I saw from the top of the mountain looked normal.

The three walked along the wooden fence and saw a door. The door was firmly closed, and two soldiers with spears stood in front of it.

They are not gatekeepers who are there to protect the village.

For that to be the case, they were too heavily armored.

Huh?

One of the soldiers noticed Zich and his companions. The soldiers eyes became menacing, and he lifted the spear he was holding.

How did you get out of the village!

The other soldier also saw Zichs party and similarly reached out with his spear. Hans and Snoc stuttered in shock, but Zich took a step forward.

We are travelers. We came to stay the night in the village.

What nonsense! All pathways to this village are blocked!

It was?

Considering the soldiers aggressive voice, it didnt seem like he was lying. However, they came in a straight line through the mountain instead of following any paths, so they werent aware that all the paths were blocked.

We didnt follow a path and went through the mountain.

You went through a mountain full of monsters?

The soldiers suspicions deepened. In response, Zich shrugged his shoulders and tapped on the sword at his waist.

We are not so weak to be beaten by low-level monsters around this area.

Still, theres no reason for you to go through the mountain. Following a path is much more convenient.

That would be the case if I didnt have to train the guys behind me.

Even with Zichs explanation, the soldiers didnt let down their guard. They were extremely cautious, and it probably had something to do with the black smoke coming from inside the village.

Is there something going on in the village? Zich looked over the wooden fence and asked, but the soldiers didnt answer him. They grouped together and murmured about something. However, Zich was able to hear everything with his keen senses.

Is he telling the truth?

Im not sure. Since they are armed, it might be true. We cant rule out the possibility that they might have escaped the village too.

What should we do?

What else can we do? Let's take them to our boss first. We cant just let them go.

The soldier who noticed them first stared at them with dreary and slightly fearful eyes.

They could also be infected with the disease.

Disease?

As soon as he heard that, Zich was able to grasp the villages general situation.

It seems like theres an epidemic going around here.

The black smoke probably came from burning infected corpses and their houses and belongings; and the village was probably blocked so that the infectious disease would not spread to another village. In a way, this was a trickier and more dangerous problem than a bandit or foreign attack.

Follow me for now, the soldier placed his spear down and commanded. It looked like he wasnt going to accept any form of counterargument or defiance.

Hans asked Zich, What are your plans, sir?

Hans was surprised to be treated like a criminal so abruptly, but in comparison to how he was at the beginning of the journey, he was much calmer and composed than before. He had now accumulated all kinds of experiences quite extraordinary ones at that. On the other hand, Snoc still lacked experience, and he looked bewildered and even a bit scared.

Lets follow them for now.

Yes, sir.

The three followed the soldiers. The soldiers didnt guide them inside the villageno, they almost seemed like they wanted to go farther away from the village.

I guess it cant be helped if an epidemic is spreading.

If it was severe enough, an epidemic was something that could wipe out an entire country. And the horrors of an infectious disease increased as the fatality and infectious rates increased. Judging by the soldiers wariness and response towards Zich and his companions, it seemed as if the disease that was spreading in the village had a considerably high fatality rate.

The soldiers took them to an area where there were huge barracks.

Its the command post.

Considering that all the paths leading to the village were blocked and trained soldiers were stationed in front of the villages entrance, it was evident that the control tower in the center was still functioning. To lower their chances of catching the disease, it seemed like the soldiers had stationed their command post a good distance away from the village.

The soldiers took them to the largest barrack.

What is it?

The soldier guarding the barrack asked this out loud. The soldiers who brought Zich to the place responded politely, indicating that the soldier in front of them was his superior.

We found some suspicious fellows and brought them here.

Suspicious fellows?

The superior took a quick glance at Zich and his companions.

They suddenly appeared in front of the villages entrance. According to them, they went through the mountain and didnt know about the blocked paths.

The mountain? Why?

They said it was for training.

The superiors eyes landed on Zichs group for a moment.

Are they villagers?

They dont seem to be, but we are not certain. So, we brought them to you, sir.

Suddenly, they heard a voice from inside the barrack.

Bring them in, please.

The superior stared at the entrance and looked at Zich again. Then he nodded at the soldiers.

Take them in.

Zich and his companions followed the soldiers and went inside. The inside of the barrack was quite cozy; there was a bed in a corner for sleeping and a desk in another corner for doing work. There wasnt any other furniture besides that, so it almost felt like the resident was wasting the tents huge space.

Thump!

The soldier guarding the tent raised his spear and saluted in front of the desk. A man was sitting there. He looked quite young, looking like he was only two or three years older than Zich at most. His cheeks were hollow while the areas under his eyes were so sunken that his cheekbones looked more pronounced. Overall, his health looked very poor.

The man stood up. He was tall but thin, which added to his gaunt, frail-looking image. However, his sparkling eyes clearly showed that he had a keen sense of intelligence, contrary to his frail and sickly appearance.

Hello, I am Joachim Dracul. Im the person in charge of the task force dispatched in this village.

Joachim Dracul. He was someone Zich knew and more.

To think that I would meet him so early on...

Joachim was one of Zichs four closest confidants who he immediately sought out. Zich couldnt help