Chapter Twenty-Nine

After traversing the wilderness, Valak and his group finally arrived at their destination. Normally, the journey takes only two days, three at most by cart. But with so many emaciated villagers on their side, they had no choice but travel slowly, all the while slowly making the villagers regain their strength by feeding them. Thankfully, the young noble from before gave them enough meat and rations to last the journey.

"That's Blackstone Town, huh?" said Valak. From here, they could make out the numerous houses haphazardly built in different directions. There were no walls, no watchtowers. It gave off the impression that it had never been attacked by monsters before.

"Hey, is this really fine?" said one of the villagers. "There's almost a hundred of us here. I doubt this small town will be able to accommodate such number."

This was also among the worries of Valak. Although the young noble told them that he was the ruler of this domain, they were doubtful if they would be welcomed by the citizens. After all, he and his fellow villagers were nothing but additional mouths to feed.

"I heard that there's a forest near here," said Valak. "If these guys don't want us, we can simply build a new village at that place."

His statement calmed the uneasiness within the hearts of the villagers. They have numerous excellent hunters with them, after all. As long as a Calamity Level Monster like the Basilisk did not appear, they would be able to survive all throughout any season.

"What's that?" A villager pointed at three figures blocking the road.

Valak and his group halted. Each of the three figures were clad with a black, hooded cloak. From the gaps of their clothes, their armors glistened from the rays of the sun. Valak momentarily locked eyes with one of them and he felt his hairs stand on their edges.

These guys were dangerous. He was not even sure if they were human. His instinct screamed at him that they should not take any more steps from here.

The other villagers could probably feel it too, as silence befell everyone.

"Each of these guys are probably as strong as Anandra," said Valak. His intuition was usually correct in times like these. His statement stirred the villagers. He said to the soldier accompanying them, "Judging by your expression, this is also your first time seeing those guys too."

The soldier nodded. "There's no way the soldiers in town'll be able to afford those armors."

Valak creased his brows. "I see." He raised his voice. "We're here under the orders of the noble ruling over this place! We're refugees! We mean no harm in our coming here!"

His voice echoed for a moment. The three figures remained still.

"Maybe they'll believe us if they see the letter," said the village Elder. He walked towards the cloaked figures. And upon taking his third step, the three pulled out the swords on their waists, creating mellifluous unsheathing sounds.

Valak felt their murderous intents. This was dangerous. His instinct told him that even if they all attacked together, they would not be able to win against the three.

Holding their swords, the three started walking towards the villagers. Valak and the abled men immediately pulled out their bows and daggers. Women and children went towards the back.

"Damn it," snarled Valak. "What are these guys? Knights?" He shouted, "Aren't you listening?! We're not here to fight!"

Just right when the three armored figures were about to attack, the pocket of the soldier accompanying them glowed. A soft buzzing sound was heard. Everyone looked at the direction where the sound came from.

The soldier took out the palm-sized tablet in his pocket. It was the thing given to him by the Young Master before they parted ways before.

Upon seeing the tablet, the three armored figures froze. Moments lingered and they sheathed their weapons. They turned around and ran away from sight. Valak and the rest of the group were dumbfounded of the sudden turn of events.

"What the hell was that?" mumbled Valak. He said to the soldier, "They seem to have reacted to that stone."

By now, the tablet lost its glow. The soldier continued holding it, as though it was a talisman to ward away those dangerous beings. "The Young Master told me that this thing's a pass. So, he meant it like that…"

The soldier finally understood a little bit of what the Young Master tried to convey. Had he not brought the tablet with them, these refugees would have been slaughtered by now – him included. He shivered at the thought. But who were those armored men? Each of them were huge, probably more than two meters in height. He was sure that none of the soldiers were like that.

"Elder, the Young Master gave you a letter for Sir Gaston, right?" said the soldier.

The Elder nodded. "Yes."

"Then let's go straight to the Mansion."

The group entered the town. Contrary to their expectations, the town was not decrepit at all. The streets were cobbled, just like those seen in large cities. Even if it rained, it wouldn't be too muddy. Although small, the people living in this place blazed with life. They refugees expected the citizens of Blackstone Town to be skinny and famished, but reality gave a different picture. 

The residents of Blackstone Town walked with purpose, their gaits firm and lively. Some children played on the streets, while the adults pulled carts filled with woods and stones. They saw dozens of men wearing leather armors running while carrying their spears.

"Soldiers?" mumbled Valak.

Normally, a town as small as this would not have such number of soldiers. The local lord would frequently have only a handful of people to protect him, about a dozen guards at most. Furthermore, each of those soldiers were wearing full leather armor, coupled with spears and short swords.

"Halt!" shouted one of the soldiers. Immediately, the men holding spears stopped in their tracks and rigidly stood.

The one that shouted the orders approached Valak and his group.

"I am Qarat, Captain of the Blackstone Soldiers," he said. "Name yourselves."

The Elder stepped forward. "Greetings, Sir. We are from the Mahelpa Village west of here."

"Mahelpa?" said the soldier. He obviously never heard of it.

The Elder started explaining the circumstances, the events that eventually led them to this place.

After listening to the story, the soldier rubbed his chin and nodded. "I see. The seal on the letter's indeed from the Marcus Family." He turned to the soldier that accompanied the refugees. "The Young Master? How's he?"

"We parted ways near the plains. He's probably at the Lion City now."

"Is that so?" said Qarat. He pondered for a moment. "The Young Master is wise. He probably has his reasons for allowing this group to come here." He pointed at a street. "The Mansion's just beyond that one. Turn left after that wooden cabin then keep walking. Sir Gaston usually goes out to check the farms by noon. If you hurry, you'll still be able to meet him."

The Elder lightly bowed his head. "We are grateful, Captain."

Qarat embarrassingly scratched his cheeks. "Then… the soldiers are waiting for me."

After Qarat returned, the soldiers once again started running while holding spears in their hands. It was a beautiful sight, seeing numerous men wearing uniform clothes running during broad daylight.

"Last year, a merchant that passed through our village told me that this is a ghost town," said the Elder. He shook his head, as though dismissing the thought.

It was evident that the merchant was wrong.