IRM Chapter 16
This season was precisely the period when wild beasts in the Saint Trilley region were active in their mating activities. Encountering hunting parties, adventure teams, and other groups in the forest was nothing out of the ordinary. However, when a suit of frost-silver armor came into view, the three people around the campfire simultaneously stopped their movements.
That was the distinctive color of the Church, the uniform equipment of the Holy Knight Order.
This Holy Knight squad consisted of only three people. The leader was a tall, robust man with short brown curly hair, beneath which were a pair of deep brown eyes that sparkled with a clear light under the firelight, giving him an upright and steady appearance.
Beside him followed a snow-white magic tiger with a vigorous posture, walking toward the direction of the campfire.
“Pardon the intrusion. We are from the Holy Knight Order of Harris City, and we would like to rest here for the night,” the man slightly lowered his head to greet Ji Chi and the others, while casually sizing them up.
Two boys and one girl, all appearing quite young in age. Their figures were slender and frail – if they weren’t children from impoverished families, they could only be young mages who had wandered into the forest by mistake.
Kael’s sharp gaze swept over the torn opening on Evan’s chest, and when he saw the half-exposed Magic Academy emblem inside, he sighed almost imperceptibly. “This is the depths of Gentle Wind Forest. Even for Magic Academy combat training, there’s no reason to come to this place at night, right?”
Kael had the snow-white magic tiger lie down nearby on guard duty, and bent down somewhat helplessly to look at these fragile youngsters. “Are you lost? How did you end up in a place like this? The forest at night can be very dangerous.”
“Yes, yes indeed.” Behind Kael, a young man with red braids and carrying a curved bow poked his head out. He was the owner of that cheerful voice from earlier. “You’re really quite bold! Coming to a place like this without even a warrior by your side! Ah, I know, I know – at your age, you don’t know how treacherous the world is until you’ve learned some hard lessons…”
The young man drawled his words in an irritating manner, pointing his finger at each of the young mages one by one. When he pointed at Saintess Coralie, he inexplicably paused for a moment, then his voice suddenly rose. “And you even brought a girl?!”
The young man was grief-stricken. “How could you bring a girl to do such dangerous things? That’s a girl! She should be kept in a palace and pampered properly…”
“Shut up. Say one more word and I’ll send you straight to the Temple of Light.” A black greatsword as wide as an adult man’s shoulders landed with a “thud” beside the young man’s feet, scattering fine sand and dirt. The sword wielder was a petite woman who expressionlessly interrupted the young man’s words, coldly glanced at Ji Chi’s group, and stood motionless on the spot, as if waiting for her captain’s orders.
The young man shrank his neck, still muttering softly, “You only look like a girl on the outside, but you’re not really… ow—it hurts, it hurts!”
Kael paid no attention to his two teammates’ daily squabbling. He approached the campfire. “You don’t mind if we stay here for the night, do you? Don’t worry, we’ll leave the house to you – the campfire is sufficient for us.”
Evan, who was sitting on the outermost edge, shook his head to indicate he didn’t mind and voluntarily moved aside to make room for the three members of the knight order.
Kael thanked them and took the initiative to introduce himself. “My name is Kael, I’m a summoner. That man is Locke, he’s a ranger, and she—”
Kael gestured toward the petite woman and smiled. “Don’t let Vanessa’s appearance fool you – she’s an excellent warrior. I can’t even lift that sword of hers.”
With that, he turned his gaze back to them and asked again, “What about you? How did you end up in the depths of the forest? Have you encountered some trouble?”
Saintess Coralie had no favorable impression of any forces under the Church and gloomily turned the rabbit meat in her hands.
Evan had been saved by the Holy Knight Order when he was young, so his impression of them wasn’t bad. However, he knew that Church people extremely detested dark creatures, so he didn’t want the knight order to know about the little undead’s existence. But Evan wasn’t good at lying and stammered without being able to speak properly.
“We’re going to Bien Village,” Ji Chi calmly introduced the three of them using false names, then spoke flatly and directly.
As soon as these words were spoken, they drew several obvious gasps.
Evan looked at Ji Chi in disbelief, his eyes full of shock and confusion. How could you just say it like that?! What if the little undead in Bien Village is discovered?!
Saintess Coralie also stopped her actions, letting the roasted meat sizzle in the flames. She frowned and glanced at Ji Chi, feeling somewhat puzzled. This tight-lipped person doesn’t speak when he should, but when he shouldn’t say something, he blurts it out quite readily.
Among them, the loudest gasp should have come from the little undead inside the house. He was secretly crouching by the window of the small house, already terrified at the sight of the Holy Knights. When he suddenly heard the familiar village name, his vision went black and he almost fainted on the spot.
The situation in Bien Village… absolutely, absolutely cannot be known by Church people!
Hearing the gasp so close by, Vanessa frowned and coldly glanced to the side. “What are you gasping about again?”
Locke was now full of excitement. “Bien Village, Bien Village! Didn’t you hear? Where else could we find such a coincidence!”
“What’s this about?” Kael sometimes couldn’t quite understand Locke’s train of thought.
“Weren’t you worried that we’d be too late if we went to investigate Bien Village? We can have them help us scout ahead! That way everything would be solved!” Locke gestured enthusiastically.
Kael considered for a while and was somewhat tempted, but still shook his head. “No, if the rumors are true, it would be too dangerous for them.”
Locke leaned over and urged repeatedly. “It won’t be! Any abnormalities can be spotted from far away, right? We can just have them send a message then. Besides, you know these kinds of rumors aren’t rare, right? Every time it’s just some little troublemakers playing pranks…”
After listening, Vanessa nodded and for the first time agreed with Locke. “I think what he said makes some sense.”
Kael fell silent for a moment and sighed. “Alright, I’ll ask them.”
With that, Kael turned to look at Ji Chi. “I apologize, please forgive me for making such an abrupt request. If you happen to be going to Bien Village, could you help us with a favor?”
Ji Chi lowered his eyes and silently curved the corners of his mouth.
He indeed hadn’t remembered wrong – the main storyline of Demon Sword Continent had connected.
[Player has triggered main quest: The Village Shrouded in Death Aura]
[Current quest objective: Accept Holy Knight Kael’s commission]
Ji Chi raised his eyes, stared steadily at Kael, and smiled brilliantly. “Of course, no problem. What do you need us to do?”
Kael hadn’t encountered such agreeable people in a long time. Sighing that they were indeed innocent young mages, warmth and gratitude welled up in his heart as he said earnestly. “It’s like this – a few days ago, a hunter came to the Holy Knight Order. He said that when he was hunting and passed by Bien Village, he found that village very strange…”
Kael recalled the hunter’s terrified description, his brow furrowing tightly. “He said that village had died.”
“Died? You mean the villagers are all gone?” Evan was sensitive to large-scale deaths and couldn’t help but interject.
Kael shook his head. “There are people, there are living things, but they’re definitely not living people – that’s how the hunter described it. When he came to the knight order, he looked extremely panicked, as if he’d been severely frightened, which is why we planned to take a long detour to go have a look.”
“Ah, I think he was just affected by illusion magic from some passing necromancer. Bien Village is a place blessed by angels – how could such things possibly happen there?” Locke waved his hand dismissively.
Kael’s deep brown eyes drifted toward the direction of Bien Village, as if he agreed with Locke’s assessment. He turned his gaze back and said helplessly, “We have other important commissions. Taking a detour to Bien Village would delay us for quite a long time, so I’d like to ask you to help investigate Bien Village. If there’s any situation, just have a messenger relay it to Harris Church.”
“Of course, this would be a great help to us, and we’ll prepare generous compensation,” Kael added.
Ji Chi, carrying a large sum of money, wasn’t interested in the reward for small tasks. Evan and Saintess Coralie weren’t greedy people either – they just silently roasted their meat, their eyes thoughtful.
The little undead eavesdropping in the house finally breathed a sigh of relief. After going through such emotional ups and downs, he gradually slumped to the ground, his previous resentment toward Ji Chi instantly disappearing, leaving only heartfelt gratitude…
He hadn’t even noticed that someone had discovered the secret of Bien Village. If Ji Chi hadn’t mentioned Bien Village tonight, the next ones to arrive at the village would have been the Holy Knight Order.
The Holy Knight Order would definitely show no mercy and exterminate the entire village.
The little undead thought absent-mindedly.
After a long while, he slowly propped himself up, planning to move to the bed to lie down. But in his daze and the darkness, he accidentally bumped into a stool that had been carelessly placed on the ground. The harsh scraping sound rang out in the night.
“What was that sound? Who’s in the house?” Kael was instantly alert. He abruptly stood up, and the snow magic tiger immediately sprang to his side, ready to pounce.
Locke also took down the curved bow from his back, his fingers gripping the string tightly. Gone was all his frivolity, his face grave with concentration.
Vanessa’s expression, however, remained unchanged. She silently raised her greatsword horizontally – the thick blade, more than half a person’s height, blocked all her vital points. Just like in every previous battle, she stepped forward to stand in front of her two teammates, coldly facing the direction of the small house.