Chapter 37 - Barons Secret 1 (2/2)
One of the few Sites that had never been conquered, even in his past 40 years.
Due to its limitation of only being accessible during the Canyon Battle Stage, the Twilight Tower had always been rated as the highest difficulty Site.
These were the challenges that Woohyuk, as a returner, would have to overcome in order to achieve new heights.
It was best to put aside any thoughts about the Canyon Battle for now.
‘Hong Yuri will manage to keep the balance.’
Because the opposing faction had already suffered considerable losses, she could single handedly press forth and destroy their Guardian Stone if she’d wanted.
In fact, the game was already basically over. But, in order to give Woohyuk the time to conquer the Twilight Tower, the Canyon stage had to be dragged on for as long as possible.
Thinking of the party he had left behind, Woohyuk picked up his speed as he spotted a village in the distance.
* * *
Woohyuk and Leifina were currently thawing their frozen bodies inside a warm tavern. This was a small town, so it would be the best place to gather information.
As the sun had set, the men that had finished their day’s work gathered for drinks, and there was a lot of conversation he could pick up on.
“Monster sightings have begun to increase near the Northern Gate.”
“It probably has something to do with Winter, maybe the Kingdom’s soldiers are just panicking for nothing.”
Not much seemed to catch his interest. Most of what he heard were stories from hunters and their encounters with monsters.
“Lord, some of them seem to be looking at us strangely.”
Leifina was covering her face despite being indoors, and the two of them were outsiders. Even if they were keeping to themselves, they were bound to attract attention.
“Nevermind, if something happens I’ll deal with it.”
He had been fortunate enough to have managed to snag a purse on the way here. It wasn’t much, but at least it should be enough for a room tonight.
They should proceed cautiously until they receive the Quest.
“Hey there, it’s my first time seeing you in these parts, where are you from?”
A drunk, blond haired man came over to strike a conversation with Woohyuk. From his appearance, he was also a hunter.
Woohyuk only answered his question because he might be of some use.
“From far away, maybe you can help me out?”
“If you have any questions, feel free and ask. The name’s Robert, I’m a local and I know all sorts of things, what are you interested in?”
Robert pulled up a chair and sat down, then pointed at his empty glass which he placed down on the table.
The meaning was clear, if he wanted his questions answered, he would need to pay for the man’s drink first.
Woohyuk nodded back as he ordered him a beer.
“What is the most popular topic in town these days?”
“Popular… hmm, there are quite a few of them, but if I’d have to pick one, it’s this talk about a Werewolf in town right?”
Robert turned to ask one of the hunters who was sitting nearby, waiting until he confirmed in annoyance.
“A Werewolf?”
“Right wolves are normally active at night, and there are rumors that during the Winter, if they struggle to find prey, they might even attack human settlements.”
After accepting his glass of beer, Robert continued to talk about his story of Werewolves.
The other day a murder occured in a nearby village, and the doctor’s examination revealed that it was done by a large beast.
The night of the incident many villagers testified to hearing the howling of wolves, and even the chicken that they raised had gone missing.
Although they investigated thoroughly, all that came up were a set of wolves’ footprints in the snow.
“Amazingly, the footprints were only in pairs, meaning it walked on its two feet, half man, half wolf.”
“Has your Lord prepared any countermeasures?”
“Unfortunately Baron Bernin is bedridden due to falling ill. Also, problems with wild animals have always been an issue in these parts, although this is certainly a special case.”
It seemed like the Lord didn’t investigate much since it might just have been rumors.
As he was considering how to continue, a white text appeared before him.
[New Quest]
Name: Get to the bottom of the rumors.
Type: General
Content: Investigate the night murders in Baron Bernin’s village, and try to minimize their losses.
Reward: Dependent on the level of contribution and results.
Other: Time limit of (3 Days) Once failed, cannot be retaken.
‘As expected.’
There seemed to be many restrictions, but it was a Quest that he absolutely had to succeed in order to proceed to the next level.
Woohyuk felt that he had to learn more from Robert.
“I’d like to hear some more, let me buy you another drink.”
“Really? I have nothing to complain about!”
Robert smiled as he continued to talk.
* * *
While sitting down on the inn’s bed, Woohyuk organized in his mind what he had learned from Robert.
Legend about a Werewolf
Eyewitness testimony
Unusual activity of monsters
Missing Hunters.
Although he wasn’t exactly sure what it all amounted to, he at least had an idea on how to proceed.
“Lord, what kind of food is this?”
“It is combat rations that are usually given to soldiers.”
Since he had to buy Robert a few beers, they didn’t have enough coin to eat anything back at the tavern.
Leifina, who was busy eating beef bibimbap with a spoon, looked up at Woohyuk in surprise.
“Is this really what your soldiers eat? It’s better than I expected….”
“....”
Leifina’s taste buds were simply not that of the usual nobility.
Woohyuk sighed as he watched her eat contently.
“Fina you never change.”
“Huh? What is that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, forget about it.”
They weren’t so close that he could tell her everything just yet.
Compared to the deep bonds they had forged over the 40 years of adventuring together, theirs was now just a superficial relationship.
Even if they would live together from now on, it would take some time to break the barriers in their hearts.
“Lord seems to know me very well.”
“Do you dislike it if I call you by that nickname?”
“Fina… I don’t hate it….”
Leifina’s face blushed as she hesitated to answer.
Woohyuk replied as if understanding her thoughts.
“You must be embarrassed to share the same room.”
“If it’s the Lord’s wish, then I won’t say no.”
Lately Leifina had been reading romantic literature, regarding the passionate love between a man and woman. It was no surprise to him that she had misunderstood.
Woohyuk couldn’t help but smile as he’d experienced similar situations with her in the past.
“You don’t have anything to worry about, I have no intention of touching your body.”
“....”
“I know you must have had some reason to choose to serve under me, and I will do my best to help you achieve it when the time comes. All I ask is that you be by my side when I need you most.
That was all, at least for now.
Leifina’s expression became complicated.
“Lord...I…”
“You don’t need to explain anything.”
After all, he already knew her almost as well as she knew herself.
As the two of them finished their meal, the howling of wolves rang out in the night.
Aaooo!
“Hurry, it’s shown up.”
It was late in the night, so not many people were out on the streets.
As they came out of the Inn, they saw a few people holding torches and gossiping among themselves.
“Robert’s dead.”
“Oh dear lord…”
The attack had already occurred, and the Werewolf was long gone.
“What happened?”
“Robert was attacked while he was drunk, he was quite unlucky.”
From the way he heard them talk, this time around there hadn’t been any eyewitnesses.
While the guards searched the area, Woohyuk walked up to Robert’s corpse.
The gash was done by a sharp nail, and going by the fresh prints left in the snow, it was safe to assume that it was the work of a Werewolf.
“It seems like it is out for blood.”
It wasn’t merely hunting to satisfy its hunger, but an indiscriminate attack. There was also the possibility that it couldn’t differentiate between its victims due to being caught up in a frenzy.
“Is there some mastermind behind all this?”
“Well that’s what I’ll have to figure out.”
He only had 3 days to get to the bottom of it. Not to mention that the Canyon battle was still in progress, so he had to wrap this up as soon as possible.