Chapter 121

Episode 121

“Sage, hurry over here!”

A desperate voice echoed through the forest. A woman was running for her life.

Three Wild Wolves, their sharp teeth bared, were chasing after her.

“Mom! The wolves are getting closer!”

“We’re almost there!”

But the woman couldn’t run any faster. She was carrying a baby in her arms, and the boy following her was only eight years old.

He was at an age where he should have been running and playing, but unfortunately, he had injured his leg. Blood was streaming from his knee.

They were from a small village nearby. But a sudden monster attack had destroyed their home and taken the lives of many of their family members and neighbors.

They had barely escaped with their lives, thanks to the sacrifices of the other villagers.

“Mom! At this rate…”

“Sage!”

“Growl!”

One of the Wild Wolves leaped agilely. Two blocked their path from behind, while the one that had jumped over them blocked their path from the front.

The three of them were trapped.

“No! Stay back! You beasts!”

Sage swung his arms. The Wild Wolves growled mockingly, closing in on them.

Sage grabbed a long branch lying nearby.

He remembered his father’s dying words: to protect his mother and younger brother no matter what.

Perhaps that was why.

Sage, who was usually playful and cheerful, swung the branch desperately.

“Go away! Get lost!”

But it was just a branch. It couldn’t penetrate the wolves’ thick fur.

It only served to provoke them.

“Grrr!”

“Sage!”

The mother, realizing the situation was hopeless, handed the baby to Sage. She grabbed the branch from her son’s hand.

“Take your brother and run into the forest! I’ll buy you some time!”

“No! We have to go together!”

“Just listen to me!”

Tears streamed down the mother’s face. She hadn’t even had time to grieve the loss of her husband before facing this crisis. She cursed the gods.

“Go! Don’t look back and run! I’ll… I’ll be fine!”

“I won’t leave you!”

“Sage!”

Sage held his brother in his left arm and picked up another branch with his right hand. He stood beside his mother.

She smiled bitterly.

A part of her thought that even if her sons escaped, growing up without parents would be a painful experience.

But maternal love wasn’t something that could be easily defined.

“Run away!”

She pushed Sage away. She stood in front of her sons, drawing the Wild Wolves’ attention.

“Now! Run!”

An opening appeared. But Sage couldn’t move his feet. The three Wild Wolves were charging towards his mother simultaneously.

“Mom!”

Everything seemed to slow down. A fleeting moment felt like an eternity.

Sage cursed the gods.

Why were they putting them through this ordeal? They had done nothing wrong. Why did they have to suffer like this?

Just then.

*Flash!*

A blue light flashed from both sides. A cool breeze swept through the forest.

*Slash!*

*Thud!*

*Whoosh!*

He heard the sound of flesh and leather being torn apart. Sage squeezed his eyes shut. He felt a surge of mystical power, then it gradually faded.

Suddenly, everything was silent.

“Huh…?”

Sage cautiously opened his eyes. His limbs were fine, his brother was safe in his arms, and his mother was unharmed.

It was the three Wild Wolves that were lying on the ground, dead.

What had happened?

Sage suppressed his pounding heart and looked around. A man and a woman were sheathing their swords. The woman was a knight clad in armor.

“Are you alright?”

The man asked. Sage, still dazed, nodded.

“Did you… save us?”

“Yes. You were quite brave. Wild Wolves are difficult monsters to handle, even for knights. They’re agile and ferocious.”

The man patted Sage’s head. He took out a small coin from his pocket. It had a family crest engraved on it. He gave it to the boy.

“If you ever want to become a knight, come find me with this coin.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m O’Brien of House Walker. I’m also the lord of this land.”

Sage and his mother were startled by the word “lord” and quickly prostrated themselves. Just asking his name could have gotten them beheaded.

But he wasn’t a true noble at heart.

“I’m glad you’re unharmed.”

“Thank you for saving us, my lord…”

“I was just doing my duty.”

O’Brien helped them up and ordered Selendis to fire a signal flare.

*Whoosh!*

The flare shot up into the sky, exploding with a red light.

“The knights will be here soon. They’ll take you to a nearby village where you can receive treatment.”

“Thank you so much, my lord.”

“What’s your name?”

“Sage.”

“Sage. It’s a good name.”

A while later, Paris arrived with his troops. O’Brien handed the three of them over to the knights and resumed his patrol.

“My lord, do you think that boy will really come looking for you? I’m worried you gave him the commemorative coin too easily.”

“I think he can sense aura.”

“Excuse me?”

It seemed like Selendis hadn’t noticed.

But I had “Automatic Combat” activated. When I had unleashed my aura, I had sensed a faint echo of aura from the boy.

He looked no older than ten.

To be aware of aura at such a young age was a remarkable talent.

“Remember the name Sage. He’ll come to our knight order for the entrance exam someday. If you’re worried, keep an eye on him. Early education is important.”

“Understood.”

We started moving again.

We had searched countless places, but we hadn’t sensed any demonic energy. We might end up empty-handed, but we hadn’t wasted our time because we had helped people in need along the way.

“My lord, the sun is setting. I’ll prepare for camp.”

“Alright.”

We tied our horses to a large tree and built a campfire. Preparing for camp was usually the subordinates’ task, but we didn’t have any with us.

I unfolded the map.

About half of the area representing the Alpheon region was marked with holes. It meant we had searched about half of the region.

I formulated a plan while chewing on the dried meat Selendis had given me.

“Selendis, have you thought about what we should do if we don’t find Dark Souls in the remaining areas?”

“We’ll have to go to other territories.”

“I agree.”

The reason why we were camping here was because of the Lucius Inspection Unit’s mission. The Inspection Unit’s jurisdiction covered the entire Dukedom.

“But the lords of those territories might be sensitive about it.”

“They might think we’re creating military maps.”

“It’s best if we can find it here.”

The chances were slim. I had visited the capital before. I had passed through many regions, but I hadn’t sensed any demonic energy.

‘But the Lady gave us this mission, so there must be a clue somewhere.’

She wouldn’t send us on a mission outside the territory in this complicated situation. Not if she was the true mastermind.

‘Should I have asked her for the exact location?’

I chuckled.

It had been the same before. If the Lady hadn’t specified the location for the knight exam, we wouldn’t have found the gold nuggets.

“Let’s get some rest and move at dawn. Our next destination is the Xenon Forest.”

“Yes, my lord.”

We stared into the campfire. Selendis kept her sword close and scanned our surroundings.

After a while, as dawn approached, we packed up our camp and mounted our horses.

We had ridden for a while when we saw several lights in the distance. It was a large group, and judging by the wagons, they seemed to be a trading company.

“Let’s check them out. Just in case.”

“Understood.”

The people in the caravan grabbed their weapons and stood up as we approached. But they lowered their guard when they saw our attire.

The man at the front shone his torch on us and exclaimed, “It can’t be! Inspector, is that you?”

He wasn’t the only one who recognized me. I also remembered him clearly.

“You’re the one who transported the ebony wood to Viscount Cliff’s territory. Mahon, right?”

“Oh! That’s right! I’m honored that you remember my name! Hahaha. To be honest, I was hoping to run into you. This is the Walker Barony, after all. Your territory, Inspector!”

I was grateful to him. Thanks to their risking their lives to transport the ebony wood, I had been able to figure out the forbidden ritual.

“You must have made a fortune back then. And you’re back for more?”

“You get ambitious after surviving a near-death experience. I’m trying to make money safely now. Look, I even hired a lot of mercenaries.”

He had indeed hired about ten skilled-looking mercenaries. They could handle most monsters.

“Good thinking. But where are you headed?”

“We were planning to sell our goods in your city and then head west. We brought a lot of specialties from Caleon.”

“I suppose you don’t have any ebony wood?”

“Ugh, I’m sick of anything black now. Hahaha.”

Mahon told me about what had happened after they had returned from Cliff’s territory. It was a typical story about how my advice had saved their lives.

“Anyone can give advice. But not everyone can accept it. Your instincts saved you.”

“What are you talking about? No one here would disagree. It’s all thanks to you, Inspector. Absolutely! Oh, right. Have you had breakfast? If you’re not busy, I’d like to offer you some stew. We were just about to eat.”

I had “Mind’s Eye” activated, and I didn’t detect any lies.

I was hungry, so I readily accepted his offer.

The merchants served us hot stew. The warm food filled my empty stomach.

“Is something happening in the territory? I saw quite a few knights and soldiers.”

“Monsters are causing trouble. We’re cleaning them up and looking for something.”

“What are you looking for? I’ll help you if I can.”

I didn’t have high expectations, but I figured a merchant like him would have traveled to many places.

“We’re looking for a barren area, like a desert. A place devoid of any life. It would be even better if it had a desolate atmosphere.”

“A barren area like a desert…”

“It has to be an isolated area, unlike a real desert. As if that land alone is cursed.”

“Cursed… Ah! I might know a place. We saw a strange area on our way here.”

“Where?”

I took out my map and showed it to him. He examined it for a moment and pointed to a location.

“The Milo Plain?”

“It fits your description. There’s a desert in the middle of the plain, which we found strange. We’re all from Caleon, so we didn’t know much about this area and just passed through.”

I had obtained a clue from an unexpected source.

I took out a commemorative coin from my pocket.

“One more piece of advice. Are you interested in selling gold?”

“Gold? That’s a bit difficult. It’s not easy for a small trading company like ours to acquire precious metals. Credit is important.”

“Take this coin and go to the Walker family’s main castle. Tell the administrator that you’re here to buy gold, and he’ll take care of you.”

“…Excuse me?”

I left Mahon, who was still dazed, and we mounted our horses, galloping at full speed.