Chapter 38 - Barons Secret 2 (1/2)
The search parties were out all night, but no sign of the Werewolf was found.
The next day, a somber atmosphere hung in the village air.
Not knowing when the beast might strike next.
Noticing that the security in the village was on alert, Woohyuk and Leifina decided to pay the guard Ralph a visit.
“Have you reported the situation to your Lord?”
“Yes, I just did.”
According to what Robert had said last night, rather than Baron Berin, it was his second son, Jeremy that was now acting Lord.
It was because his firstborn son, Charles, had gone missing ever since his hunting expedition had left a week ago.
Although the daughter Jenna was a year older than Jeremy, she couldn’t inherit since she was a woman.
‘There must be a conspiracy behind all this.’
Although he didn’t know any of the details, it sounded like it might be a quarrel regarding the succession of the Baron’s title.
The problem was discovering the relationship between that and the Werewolf. Only by unearthing that would he be one step closer to uncovering the truth.
“What are you planning on doing now? If you want to stay in town, we can definitely use your help.”
“We would certainly like to help out with the investigation.”
“Is that so, we really appreciate the aid.”
“Well, I do have some conditions.”
He asked for three days worth of lodging and food, as well as some information. Since the demands were very reasonable, Ralph was happy to agree.
“That won’t be a problem, if there is anything else you might need, don’t hesitate to ask.”
After an easy negotiation, Woohyuk and Leifina joined up with the guards. It was all in order to learn more about the surrounding area as well as hear some of their stories.
As the search continued within the woods, the clip-clop of a horseshoes striking the ground was heard, and a horse carriage soon appeared.
“It’s the Lord’s carriage!”
“Is Jeremy here?”
The members of the Guards unit were quick to bow their heads. Soon after, a sandy-haired young man stepped outside.
“Are you all residents of Roden Village?”
“That’s right, Lord.”
Ralph proceeded to inform Jeremy of last night’s incident.
After pausing to reflect a moment, Jeremy quickly pulled out his longsword.
“My father is seriously ill and I wouldn’t want any problems to occur at this time. I’ll stay to personally resolve this situation.”
Woohyuk’s eyes glinted upon seeing the confidence on Jeremy’s face.
‘A man with a thirst for power.’
He was also at that age where they would resort to anything in order to achieve their goal.
At the very least a suspect.
As Woohyuk came to that conclusion, he silently followed behind Jeremy and his Guards.
* * *
Although Jeremy had mobilized all the soldiers he had brought along with him, they didn’t discover much.
The same was true on Woohyuk’s end.
He hadn’t sensed anything connected to the Werewolf even when he pushed his perception to the max.
As the sun went down, he felt the need to have a chat with Jeremy.
“Why are you asking about how my brother went missing?”
“It might help us solve our current problem.”
Charles’ disappearance as well as the appearance of this Werewolf were too close in timing for it to be a coincidence.
Jeremy hesitated for a moment, and then with a look of unwillingness, motioned his guards to leave them.
“Step back for a bit.”
“Yes Lord.”
As soon as Leifina who had been sitting next to Woohyuk left as well, Jeremy finally turned his gaze upon him with a serious look.
“You can’t repeat anything that I’m about to tell you. It is related to my family’s honor.”
“I’ll take your secret with me into the grave.”
Woohyuk had gained Jeremy’s confidence due to his prowess in clearing the monsters during the daytime.
It was the only reason that he had considered opening up to him about his family matters.
They sat face to face, as Woohyuk listened closely to what Jeremy had to say. Although it was a fairly long story, it could be summarized as this.
A forbidden love between two siblings.
Baron Berin’s anger upon learning of it.
And Charles’ escape in order to avoid any punishment.
On the surface at least, it didn’t seem the least bit connected to their Werewolf problem.
“So, is Charles alive then?”
“Possibly. He might have even joined up with some unsavory people in order to save our sister that has been locked up in the mansion.”
Now that the Baron’s illness had worsened, he might be looking for an opportunity to exploit. Distracting everyone with a Werewolf, and then striking at his true aim.
“If you help me, I’ll make sure you are generously rewarded.”
Jeremy had pretended to be oblivious of the relationship between his siblings, but he had to now send out hunters to kill Charles
Because the situation had devolved to such a point, if Charles were to return, he would make sure to put him to rest, as per his father’s instructions.
His reason for coming out in the open like this was to act as bait and he felt that Charles wouldn’t miss such a chance.
The preparations back at the manor had likely already been completed, so he only need Woohyuk’s help to hunt down the Werewolf.
“That won’t be a problem, I’ll make sure to do my best.”
That was if what he had told him was true. He had decided to accept Jeremy’s side of the story, he simply didn’t care about the Nobility’s love gossip.
The important point was to get to the root cause of all this and reveal and eliminate its instigator.
As Jeremy signaled to his Guards that they could return, a wolf’s howl rang out in the night.
Aoooo!
“Werewolf!”
“Quickly!”
The hunters picked up their weapons as they ran towards the source of the commotion. A large Werewolf was seen biting a villager that had fallen down.
“Monster!”
“We’ve got you now!”
Arrows were let loose stabbing into the Werewolf’s fur. It yelped in pain as it angrily charged towards the hunters.
“Ahhh!”
“Help!”
Its sharp claws quickly tearing those poor souls to pieces.
Woohyuk quickly closed the distance using the teleport function of the Naga Chief’s ring.
Chaeng!
Grandia clashed with the beast’s claws, resulting in sparks flying out. The eyes of these two killers met.
“Just who are you?”
“Grr….”
Rather than answering, the Werewolf turned its back on him and fled into the woods. However Woohyuk had no intention of letting it get away. Even if he wasn’t fast enough to catch up to it, he at least had a fresh trail he could follow.
He wasn’t willing to stay passively in town waiting for clues to be delivered right to him. Even if it was a bit unreasonable, he wanted to shorten the Quest’s completion time as much as possible.
As he tracked it down, Woohyuk thought back to their short encounter.
‘It isn’t any ordinary Werewolf.’
If it were some cursed or one that had entered a contract with a demon, his perception should have been able to pick up some traces of Mana.
Either way, it was surely an important clue.
‘I wonder where it is you are headed.’
Something seemed to be controlling the Werewolf’s behavior, which meant it was being used for a specific purpose. If he kept following its trail, it was bound to lead to something important.
After running across the snow covered forest for quite some time, he saw a manor appearing in the distance.
Judging by its size, it was almost certainly Baron Berin’s residence.
‘So it’s headed there?’
If Jeremy’s story had been true then there would only be one reason as to why the Werewolf would be headed there.
To rescue Jenna that had been imprisoned in her own room.
Still, he didn’t understand why it was that it had allowed him to follow its tracks. Surely this would be a significant hindrance to whoever it was controlling the Werewolf from behind the scenes.
‘Something’s off.’
The Werewolf’s identity seemed to be more important than he first assumed.
As the Werewolf leapt over the perimeter fence and dashed into the manor, Woohyuk took the time to evaluate the situation.
There weren’t any guards in sight, so any hunters Jeremy would have hired for the ambush must have been lying in wait inside.
‘Why is nothing happening?’
By now there should have been some signs of a struggle. While Woohyuk was confused by what was going on, Leifina appeared in a flash of light.
“Lord, everything is quiet back at Roden village.”
“What about Jeremy?”
“He’s leading his men, combing the forest in search of the beast.”