Chapter Twenty

"Over there," mumbled Lark. He pointed a finger at the sea of trees on his left. Lightning crackled and shot forth, buzzing past numerous trees. A split second after, a yelp echoed.

"The three of you," said Lark. "Go retrieve the body."

Three kids went towards the direction the lightning spell struck. After some time, they went back carrying a small wild boar. It was still barely alive, its body quivering as blood dripped down its snout.

Arthus and the rest of the kids were at loss for words. This was their fourth catch for the day. After the Young Master issued out his orders, the guards dispersed and combed the forest for any food. And with guidance from the Young Master, they were able to easily hunt animals. This was something that happened in the span of just two hours.

Lark saw one of the kids pull out a knife. When he was about to stab the half-dead boar, Lark said, "Stop. There's no need for mercy killing right now. Let it stay alive. It'll be a waste to let it die and rot. I made sure to hold my spells back solely for that."

 The kid looked at the boar with pitiful eyes. The kid sheathed the knife and complied.

"As for the rabbits, we'll smoke them once we arrived at the village." Lark gestured for the Head Guard to come to him. "The scouts?"

"Like you've said, there're some dead trees in that area." Clark pointed at a certain direction of the forest. "My men told me that those trees have turned into stones."

"Arthus," said Lark. "Does the giant serpent have the ability of turning something into stone?"

Arthus and the other kids looked at each other. Arthus shook his head. "None that I know of. The villagers died from the poison, while there are some that were swallowed whole. But I've never heard of anyone turning into stone."

"I see. So there's a male and a female, huh?"

Arthus did not like what he'd heard. "What do you mean, Sir?"

"There's probably two of those monsters." Everyone stiffened upon hearing that. "If my hunch is correct, we're currently dealing with basilisks. Two of them."

Clark nervously gulped down. "Y-Young master, if this is true, then we should head back to the main road immediately! There's no way for us to win against a Calamity Class Monster!"

Lark raised a brow. It was the first time he heard of such a term since taking over this new body.

"Calamity Class?" said Lark.

Clark vigorously nodded. "Yes. I'm pretty sure that Basilisks are included in that list. They're creatures that're impossible to subjugate without the help of the army. A Basilisk appeared near the Gryphon City a few years ago, and if I remember correctly, it took several knights and platoons of soldiers to subjugate it."

"Young Sir, we should leave this area immediately," said the coachman. "It's our job to make sure you're safe. If anything happens to you, the—"

"—It's fine." Lark waived a hand. "Just follow my commands."

The soldiers looked grim.

Lark could win against the male basilisk, since he only needed to dodge those poisonous fangs, but the female was an entirely different matter. The eyes of a female basilisk have the ability to petrify people. At his current strength, he could survive an encounter, but it'll be impossible to protect those that were with him. After all, an anti-petrification spell encompassing a large area would cost a considerable amount of mana.

"Listen," said Lark. Everyone's attention turned to him. "There's nothing cowardly with running away from something you are unable to beat. If you see the basilisk, run. Prioritize your safety. We did not come here to kill it. We came here to save the dying villagers. There's a clear demarcation to that. Understood?"

"Yes, Young Master," the guards and the servants replied in unison.

One of the guards that scouted the area returned. He approached Lark and reported his find. According to him, a good distance from this place, there was a corpse of a man. A portion of his body was bitten off by some monster, with only the head and half the torso remaining intact.

The soldier nervously looked at the kids then at Lark. He whispered. "Sir, it's probably one of the villagers. There's a bow near the corpse, and the tunic's a bit similar to what the kids wore."

Lark furrowed his brows. "I see. Take another guard and lead me there." He said to Clark. "You heard the conversation, right? I'll leave this place to you. I'll be right back."

"W-Wait! Let me come with you! If something happens to the Young Master!"

"Stay here," said Lark. He turned to the guard from before. "Guide me there."

Along with two guards, Lark went towards the place where the corpse was found. The remaining body was in a far worse condition than what was stated in the report. A portion of the head had melted, probably from some poison. The innards spread out on the ground. The pungent stench of decay made them crinkle their nose.

Lark picked up a dagger on the ground. This man probably made a desperate struggle against the monster before he died.

"Young Master…" said one of the guards, his voice trembling from the sight. "There's no way an ordinary monster's capable of this. You're probably right. That giant serpent they've talked about – it's probably that Calamity Class monster."

Lark sheathed the dagger into the scabbard. "Let's go back. We'll head to the village immediately. Time is of great essence."

After coming back to the caravan, Lark ordered everyone to immediately head out towards the village. Since it'll be impossible for the carts to move further beyond this point due to the sea of trees, they had no choice but to untether some of the horses and use it to carry the food.

The kids led the way towards their home.

After a few hours, they finally arrived at their destination.

"A wall? Impressive," said Lark.

A wooden wall surrounded the entire village. Although small, around two meters in height, it was pretty well made. A small broken gate was seen not far from their current spot. Peeking through the gap, they could see the broken houses inside the village. It was as though a typhoon raged through the place, tearing the wooden shacks and cabins apart.

Arthus and the other children ran towards the broken gate.

"Elder! We're back! We've brought food for everyone!" shouted Arthus.

There was no reply. The entire village was unusually quiet.

"Stop," said Lark. The kids halted in their tracks. "There's something inside."

As though on cue, a loud hissing sound reverberated. A gargantuan snake appeared, a large portion of its body hidden behind the wall. Seeing this, the kids turned pallid, screamed, and ran back towards Lark and the guards.

The snake continued hissing, its slit-like pupils glaring at their direction. Despite the smell of death emanating from it, the silver scale of the giant creature was beautiful. It reminded Lark of the carapace of giant crabs, like an armor polished by artisans several times.

"T-The giant snake!" breathed the kids.

Lark stared at the fangs that protruded out of its mouth. Viscous, pale green liquid dripped down it, and upon touching the ground, it made sizzling sounds.

"What a relief," said the Young Master. "I'm not really sure I can protect everyone if we encounter the female basilisk, but it should be possible to kill this one."

Lark was almost entirely sure that this one was the male basilisk. The corroding poison of those creatures were a characteristic trait.

The guards of Lark reflexively stood in front of him and drew out their swords.

"Take the Young Master out of here!" said Clark. "We'll hold off that monster somehow! Go!"

But Lark refused to budge.

"Young Master! Please run away!" one of the guards pleaded. Three servants started tugging at the clothes of Lark, pulling him back.

"It's fine." Lightning crackled at the fingertips of Lark. "We might not get another chance like this. We should take this opportunity when the male's not together with the female."

Slithering sounds were heard beyond the wooden wall of the village. The walls cracked and broke and the entire body of the male basilisk came into view. It violently hissed and slowly approached the humans it saw.

Clark and the rest of the guards trembled, but they stood their ground regardless. Lark was amazed that these men were so loyal to him – rather, to his father. Despite facing imminent death, none of them chose to run away.

Although his father threw him to this desolated region, he still wanted to see what the man was like. He wanted to see what kind of person the Duke was, which made his subordinates unconditionally loyal to him like this.

"Clark, protect the kids. If the basilisk attacks, just run away. A single graze from its poison's enough to kill anyone of you." Lark shook off the hands that grabbed his clothes. "Prioritize your safety."

After that warning, Lark stomped on the ground, his right foot digging through the soil upon impact. His entire body shot forward, blurring towards the hissing colossal serpent.

The basilisk opened its mouth wide and a string of poison shot towards Lark. His body blurred and the poison hit nothing but the ground. The area it hit sizzled as the poison soaked the ground.

Lark ran left and right, evading the poison strikes from the monster. He lifted a finger and a spear of lightning manifested itself before him, before shooting towards the body of the basilisk. The lighting spear struck the thick carapace, creating a small burnt mark. The beast angrily hissed as it shot forward, its mouth wide open as it attempted to swallow Lark whole.

"That's it, open your mouth." Lark grinned. Another spear of lightning manifested itself before him. He grabbed it, and using the entire momentum of his body, threw it towards the opened mouth of the basilisk. It was a direct hit.

For a moment, the basilisk froze, as though petrified. It soon regained itself and shook its head angrily. Its slit-like pupils dilated as rage filled its very eyes.

"Young master! What are you doing?!"

At the corner of his eyes, he saw the guards running towards him. Lark clicked his tongue. He did not want to waste the little mana he had on this, but he had no choice. He channeled mana through his hands and punched the ground. A small wall of vines sprouted, blocking the path of the guards. Lark was sure that if he did not do this, those guys would still rush to his rescue despite the danger the task entailed.

"I've got very little mana to spare," said Lark. "Let's finish this quickly."

Lightning crackled on Lark's feet. His body blurred and his figure disappeared, only to reappear right below the basilisk. A small cyclone started forming on Lark's right foot. He twisted his entire body and kicked the basilisk. The giant snake screeched in pain upon impact.

Another kick connected to its head, sending it flying backward along with half its body. After a split second, the monster regained its balance and lunged at Lark. Lightning crackled on his feet and his figure disappeared. The attack of the basilisk struck nothing but the air.

Lark pulled out the short sword on his waist. He channeled mana through it, making it vibrate with very high speed. He kicked the ground and shot towards the basilisk. Using the momentum of his charge, he slashed at the giant serpent.

"Not enough." Lark clicked his tongue. The cut he inflicted was shallow. Most of the damage was deflected by the basilisk's thick carapace.

"Again."

Lark's body blurred through the battleground, making slashes left and right. Numerous cuts quickly formed on the basilisk's body, its blue blood dripping down the ground. It hissed in pain as it started slithering back.

As it started escaping, arrows suddenly flew out from the direction of the village, hitting the injured serpent numerous times. Some of the arrows were deflected by the thick carapace, while several struck the wounds, inflicting some damage.

Looking at the village, Lark saw around a dozen men pulling their bows. They released arrows one after another despite their emaciated bodies. They looked like dead men walking with those skeletal frames, but their eyes blazed with vehement fury towards the giant monster.

After one last violent hiss, the basilisk slithered towards the forest, disappearing into the shadows.

"It's severely wounded! Chase after it!" shouted a man with thick beard. Lark felt that he looked familiar. "Everyone! Follow me!"

The villagers started coming out of the broken gate, all holding bows and carrying quivers. They were all panting, as though just moving alone was excruciating.

"You'll all die if you chase after it," said Lark. Everyone halted in their tracks.

If possible, Lark would have finished the male basilisk back then, but his mana pool was almost empty after casting consecutive spells. It was regrettable, but his current body was unable to match up with his skills and experience. Fighting in such a state would be suicidal, even for him.

The villagers looked at each other. The one with bushy beard spoke. "If we don't chase after it now, it'll come back for us later once its wounds healed. We need to kill it now while its wounded." He raised his voice. "Everyone, follow me!"

"There're two of them," Lark warned. The eyes of the villagers widened. "And inside that forest, you'll be easy targets. Forget it."

"Two of them?"

Lark nodded. "That one's the male basilisk. We've found petrified trees on our way here. The female's out there somewhere. If you go out now, you might come across it. You will all die."

The last part of the statement made the villagers shiver.

"Two…" said the main with thick beard. There was a long pause. "That explains it. The reason why we suddenly encountered that damn monster when it's supposed to be resting in its lair." He clenched his fists. "Damn it!"

"The female's a lot tougher than that one. Are there magicians among you here?" At Lark's question, no one replied. "Then, it'll be impossible for you guys to win against it."

"Who are you?" carefully asked the leader of the group. "Why do you know so much about those monsters?"

Lark shrugged. "Just a lord of a small town. More importantly," Lark looked at the direction of the kids. Upon seeing them, the villagers shouted one after another.

"My son!"

"Arthus, you damn rascal! Where did you go?!"

"Thank God they're alive!"

As Lark expected, these kids went out of the village on their own, without the consent of the adults. And he could understand why: The adults were clearly famished, and it would not even be surprising if they suddenly dropped dead here. At such state, it would be impossible for them to hunt for wild animals and procure food for the village. So, in their stead, the kids went out and tried hunting.

Lark disable his magic and the wall of vines receded to the ground. Arthus came running and leaped towards the chest of the bearded man.

"Uncle Valak! I'm really glad you're safe!"

Instead of a warm reply, Valak shouted. "You damn kid! Didn't I tell you to stay in the village! But what did you do?! Not only you went out on your own! You also took all of the kids with you!"

Valak slapped the cheeks of Arthus. "You could have died! And those children too! Arthus, do you understand the consequences of your actions?!"

Arthus lowered his head. Everyone around them turned silent. "I'm… I'm sorry. But the villagers…"

Valak sighed. He bit his lips and stared at Arthus. The kid was close to tears.

"Jalak and I caught some rabbits. Come, eat." Valak placed a hand on Arthus' shoulder. He looked at Lark and his companions. "It's not much, but please come with us to eat. That's the least we could do for our saviors."

Lark smiled at this. "Impressive. The entire village is dying of hunger and you still wish to share what little you have to those that saved you. I'm not sure if its foolishness, but it doesn't matter. What matters is the resolve." He looked at Clark. "Take out the rations and the animals we've hunted. We shall revive this dying village."

The guards started unloading the bodies of the animals they've hunted a few hours ago. Three boars, five rabbits, and a small deer. The villagers stared upon seeing this.

"This should be more than enough to feed the entire village." Lark nodded.

"Y-You're giving it to us?" Valak could not believe his ears.

"That's the purpose of this visit," said Lark. "We've heard from the kids that this village is dying of hunger. We didn't really expect to encounter the basilisk so soon though."

Valak looked at Arthus. The kid grinned and nodded.

"H-How could…" Valak choked the words out. He willed back the tears from coming out. He was afraid that his fellow villagers would succumb to their banes, but with these much food, they'll be able to feed everyone. "How could we repay this…"

A hissing sound was heard from within the forest. Everyone became on guard as they stared at the direction the sound came from.

Lark frowned. "Now's not the time to discuss such things. You have carts or horses in this village?"

Valak shook his head. "Three carts, no horse."

"That should be enough." Lark signaled the guards to put the animals inside the village. "It'll probably take several days before the male basilisk recovers. After eating, you guys need to leave the village."

Valak frowned. "Evacuate? This village had existed for almost a century. This is the place of our birth, our grave. We cannot leave."

Lark and Valak locked eyes with each other. "You will all die if you stay here. That monster will come back eventually. You're just lucky that the female's staying at its lair. But what if it suddenly decides to go out?"

There was deafening silence. The villagers that listened to the conversation wore conflicted expressions.

"But even if we leave, where can we go?" Valak was exasperated.

"Come and live in my domain. Come to Blackstone Town." Lark's declaration took everyone by surprise. "I am the Lord of that place. Right now, the town's undergoing drastic developments. We have the resources, but the meager population's unable to accommodate the amount of work needed to be done."

"Blackstone Town," repeated Valak. "If you're the Lord, then… a noble."

"Does that matter?" Lark wryly smiled. "I won't coerce you, but I am giving you this choice. You can either remain here and eventually become food for the basilisks or move to my domain and become my citizens. You have until tomorrow to decide. For now, we'll stay here in this place and help revive this village."