Casonar Village

A woman brimming with elegance and charm stood behind the bookshelves. Despite not seeing her face, Elvin could tell that the general is still as gorgeous as always. 

"Did he accept it?" 

"Yes, General. Hans accepted the mission."

"Do you think he won't succeed?" 

Hearing another question, Elvin answered firmly. 

"I believe in his potential. Hans will definitely come back. If he won't, I… I will depart for the Casonar Village myself."

"I see, but why do you seem so attached to him? He's not your son, is he?" 

"No, General. I just think Hans is suitable for when your plans come to fruition."

"Really? Or do you just see a shadow of yourself in him?" 

"Yes, general." 

"Haha~"

Step—, step—

The sound of soft footsteps echoed in the room and her figure gradually entered Elvin's sight. 

"Well, he looks interesting to me. Let's see what he could do." 

At that moment, a curious grin appeared on her face. She turned towards Elvin and patted his shoulder. 

"Don't call me General anymore. It's your position now, big guy."

"But…"

"It's alright. Just do your job and don't worry about me. The council won't move me so I'll be fine."

Elvin hesitantly nodded. 

Looking at the woman who saved his family from the brink of death, Elvin vowed to repay her. Unfortunately, her circumstances are just too complicated than what he imagined. 

After all, her enemy is not only the council but also the royal houses. 

The council is already rotten to the bone and the Emperor has turned a blind eye toward them. Taking advantage of this, the council abused their power and exploited the weakness of their enemies. 

They are people whose greed transcended no boundaries. 

In the end, despite being a royal knight, he was still powerless to help what he considered his savior.

The woman leisurely walked towards the exit and turned towards Elvin as she opened the door. 

"If you believe in him, then I believe in him too."

"Thank you, General." 

Without giving a response, the woman exited the room and the door slammed shut. Elvin heaved a heavy sigh before slumping himself onto the soft couch. He felt as if his strength seemingly got sucked out of his body. 

"The general is still as terrifying as always."

If Hans was here, he'd certainly recognized who the woman was. Unfortunately, he left too early. 

......…. 

10 Hours Later. 

After a long journey in the woods and various towns, Hans finally sees the silhouette of the Casonar Village from afar. 

The sun was already setting and the moon gradually took its place. Fortunately, he embarked on his journey when there was light around. Thus, his trip was smooth and aside from the frequent mob attacks, nothing abnormal occurred. 

Along the way, he also encountered other knights. He greeted them with a smile. It seemed like they were stationed someplace and were going back first to report. 

Of course, in his rest time, Hans skimmed through pages of the book. According to his estimate, it should have around 300 pages but after reading 50 pages, Hans didn't notice anything odd. 

Aside from it being more detailed than the new books on this era, this history was already known to everyone. 

Eventually, due to being pressed by time, Hans abandoned reading the rest and continued his travels. 

It was 5:53 pm now. Hans walked towards the village gate. He did not hurry and instead looked up to the skies. Snowflakes continuously drizzled to the land while the clouds were seemingly heavy. 

Hans's face dimmed. "Bad weather."

The dark sky dyed the world in black and the moon gradually faded in sight as the clouds drifted to its position. With the moonlight concealed, everywhere was nothing but darkness. 

Fortunately, there were lights as he approached the village. 

Two guards wearing light armor hurriedly greeted him with hostility. After all, Hans wore a suspicious robe that pretty much covered his face. 

"State your name and your motives!" 

Hans tugged back the hood and revealed the duke badge he recently got. Upon recognizing this, the guards flinched and exchanged serious glances before hastily making a way. 

"Welcome to the Casonar Village, Duke." 

"Thank you."

As Hans strode forward, one of the guards warned. 

"Duke, be careful. Many knights already vanished here. We also just arrived here yesterday so we don't know the rest."

Hans nodded.

Step—, step—

The village was very different from the towering buildings and houses of the empire. Small huts and empty streets entered his vision. However, as he roamed around, numerous gazes darted toward him. With Hans' natural sense, he noticed many eyes peeking at their windows while some were hidden in dark corners. 

With the current weather, this place was no different from a haunted village. There barely has any light and only the entrance gate has a bright one. 

'This is getting creepy.'

It wasn't the first time he saw people afraid of him. However, this was his first time seeing a place like this. Even on the outskirts, the streets weren't as scary as here.

"Excuse me." Hans smiled and approached a man hiding in the water barrels. 

The man did not hide his hostility towards Hans. When he approached him, the man quickly closed the barrel lid.

"Uhmm, I'm not a bad guy." Hans raised his hand, implying that he was not here to cause trouble. 

However, the people were seemingly unconvinced. 

[That's what a bad guy would say!] 

'Yeah, yeah, fine.'

Since the villagers seemed too afraid to even come out of their cribs, Hans was helpless. He doesn't want to force them either as this might cause discomfort to everyone around here. 

It seemed like he had to find the village chief. 

"Where could I find the village chief?" Hans' question was directed toward the man hiding inside the water barrel. 

However, as soon as he said this, he observed the villagers' reaction secretly. His question stirred a lot of commotion based on the noises coming from their houses. 

Or maybe they are just really uncomfortable with an outsider. 

The reason might also be due to their living conditions or the attitude of the outsiders to them. If an adventurer or a thief passed by, these villagers won't have the power to resist and could only watch their belongings vanish in their very eyes. 

But Hans thought that's unlikely. A royal knight already disappeared here so this village was certainly not normal from what it looked like. 

'What a shame.' 

It would have been better if these people could cooperate with him so the culprit of the disappearances could be easily caught. 

Step—, step—

The sound of footsteps rang in the moonless night. A bone-chilling wind crept into his bones as Hans cocked towards the direction of the footsteps. 

He could vaguely guess who this man was. 

"Good evening, I'm the chief of this village, Gerd."

An old man trudged towards Hans. 

"Good evening, village chief." 

The old man has a gentle look. With a face full of wrinkles and pigmentations, it would be hard to guess how this old man was still this village's leader. He held a wooden cane, supporting his balance as he walked.

 Gerd's droopy eyes glared at him cautiously. 

"I heard you were looking for me. What is it?" 

Just like the villagers, Gerd was wary of him. Hans doesn't blame him for that.

"I was passing by and knights recommended this place to stay for a night. I thought I should ask you first for your permission."

"Is that it?" 

"Yes. Is it possible?" 

"You don't have any other motives, do you?" 

"No. I just want a place to stay for a night. If you don't want to, then I will gladly leave. I will respect your decision."

Gerd cautiously probed Hans from head to toe. He did not even hide his wariness and straightly observed him without permission. 

"Our village doesn't have anything to offer. If you're here to rob us, then leave. You're just wasting your time."

Hans nodded grimly. It seems that if he wants to stay here, sincere persuasion is required. 

Hence, without hesitation, Hans brought out the bread from his storage bag. There are also fruits he plucked out of the trees on the way here. 

"I brought food with me. I wonder if the village chief will reconsider my sincerity?" 

Gerd's eyes brightened at the word food. Hans caught his strange reaction and his eyes narrowed. 

'Are they short on food?' 

That shouldn't be possible. Along the way, he saw lush lands and the fertile soil which could be planted with vegetables and fruits. It wasn't far from the village and it would only take a little more than 10 minutes if they walked. 

If they could plant rice here and make that fertile soil a rice field, they shouldn't have to worry about food. 

Even then, Hans threw it at the back of his mind first. Although the village chief seemed suspicious, taking down a royal knight shouldn't be possible. 

"Fine, I'll let you stay here but only just for a day."

"That's enough time chief. Thank you for your consideration."

"There are few empty houses. You can use one of them for free. They are supposed to be rental places but as we have a bad reputation outside, it was basically useless. As for the food…" 

Hans immediately followed, "Don't worry chief, I'll give them to you." 

"Hmm…thank you." 

At that moment, the houses, seemingly afraid of him, opened. Villagers straightly went out of their houses and stared at him in a new light. 

'I guess that's normal…'

After all, who could resist free food? 

However, what's strange is their behavior earlier. They seemed frightened of him and now, just because he's giving food, they aren't anymore. 

As Hans was about to delve deeper into his thoughts, the village chief turned around and spoke. "Follow me, young man. I'll take you to your place."

"Thank you, chief." Hans bowed and followed the village chief but the dangerous glint in his eyes did not vanish. 

......… 

The house was straight out of a horror movie. It was a shabby hut full of spider webs and green vines almost covered its entirety. As they stepped on the wooden mat, it snapped which made Hans wonder if the house would fly once a strong gust of wind passed by. 

His studio apartment back in Philadelphia was even a hundred times better than this. 

But who is he to complain? 

Fortunately, he has neighbors otherwise Hans would really feel like he's living in a haunted house. 

"This might not be up to your taste but this is the only house we could offer. The other empty houses are basically the same." 

"It's alright. I think I like it." Hans answered as he inspected the shabby house. 

[Lies.]

"You like it? You have a unique taste then. But if you're going to lie, at least make it believable." The village chief said as he handed the key to Hans. 

Hans didn't say he liked it because he liked it. He liked it because this place was the perfect place for someone to sneak in. Catching prey would be easy. 

"Well, I stand to my word. I like it."

Gerd didn't press the issue anymore and sighed. "Alright, if you say so."

However, as the Gerd turned around, he saw his villagers peeking at them like they were some famous people. His gentle expression crumbled instantly. 

"What are you looking for! There's no miracle here!" 

Hans' pupil shrunk. He looked at the village head and dumbfoundedly asked, "Why are you—?" 

"Get out of this matter, young man. This is not your business."

It was an overwhelming response. Hans scanned the villagers' reactions. They hurried to their houses and the crowded streets immediately became empty. 

'What was that?' 

Hans didn't even have time to comprehend what happened as the village chief turned toward him and asked for the food. 

[This old fucker… kill him, Hans.] 

'Well, let's put him on the target list first.'

Gerd provided a large container and Hans put the food inside. As soon as he verified the contents, Gerd's eyes widened and a wretched grin formed on his lips. 

"Thank you, young man. You don't know how much this means to me."

"Please, leave." Hans didn't hide his dissatisfaction and hurriedly urged Gerd to leave. 

"Well, if you say so. Enjoy your stay."

"I will." 

The village chief finally left, pulling the food he gave back to his house. As for what he would do with it, Hans does not want to know. 

His eyes looked around. All houses were closed but one of them remained open. Deciding to investigate the problem here, Hans walked towards them. 

As soon as he reached his neighbor's front door, it opened. A little girl quickly rushed towards him and spread her palms together. 

'Is she asking for food?' 

At that moment, her mother walked up quickly. 

"Ava, come here!" 

"No, I'm hungry." 

"Didn't you hear the chief? Don't worry, he'll give us food tomorrow."

"But I'm hungry, mama." The little girl burst into tears. 

Hearing their conversation, Hans took out 5 pieces of bread and some fruits and handed one of them to the little girl whereas the rest, he gave it to her mother. 

"Here. Take it."

"B-but…" 

"Take it. If the village chief dares to come here, you will have a new village chief tomorrow so take it. I still have plenty." 

"Is it really alright?" 

"Mmm. You two are hungry. You need it more than me." 

[T-this… this is impossible. Who are you!? The Hans I know weren't this kind?]

'...'

'Bruh…'

Ignoring Plundy, Hans forced the food into the mother's hand. Then, he gave another one to the little girl's hand before ruffling her head. 

Her hungriness could be seen just by seeing her malnourished body alone. 

"Eat well."

As Hans left, he decided to wander around the village first. Knowing the terrain and the positioning of the villagers will make him aware of the place is good to wreak havoc. 

He didn't want to hurt these innocents but they kept making him feel weird. 

'The village chief…' 

If fighting alone, he'll win. However, based on the structure of the village, Hans didn't see a glimpse of newly built houses. Meaning, that the ones who investigated this mission did not even have time to fight back or did not try to fight back. 

If so… 

[You can abandon the mission if… 

First, it is impossible to complete.] 

…Hans might just abandon this mission. 

'But, isn't this interesting?' 

A crescent formed on his lips. 

The night grew deeper.