Prologue

A month passed since Mikael left the Capital. The caravan moved through cities, towns and villages, trading goods every now and then. Numerous illegal transactions – from sex slaves, weapons to drugs – unfolded before his eyes, but he chose to shut his mouth. Mikael merely watched and recorded everything in his mind. After all, his objective this time was to assess Lark Marcus, one of the twenty-eight candidates for the throne. These illegalities could be reported later. 

Elaine must have given birth to my grandchild by now. The Healer said it's a boy, so Bernard. 

It was a pity that he could not be there during the time his grandson was born. And to make things worse, this mission would probably take several years, probably until the King decided who would ascend the throne. By the time Mikael was finally freed of his duty, the child would have grown up considerably. 

I'll make it up to them once I return. I promise.

Mikael vowed within his mind. He opened the locket on his hand, looked at the hand-drawn portrait inside, and closed his eyes. He missed his family so much. 

"For a serf, that's a pretty expensive-looking locket."

Mikael opened his eyes and saw Big Bun, the leader of the caravan, looking at him. He closed the locket and smiled. "A family heirloom. This is my treasure."

It was not a lie. Even serfs like him would sometimes carry an expensive item like that. 

Big Bun bobbed his head. "Take care of it. Once you've arrived at the town, you'll no longer be under the protection of this caravan."

"Of course," said Mikael. "Thank you."

"We'll arrive at the Lion City in a day or two. Get ready." Big Bun squinted as he looked at the distance. "We'll be passing through that place soon."

His word felt ominous, and Mikael eventually saw the reason why. 

After exiting the forest, the caravan soon passed by a lake. It was large, probably two times the size of the entire capital.  Mikael remembered what this lake was. 

The Lake of the Full Moon.

This lake was famous for its peculiar character. All throughout the month, this lake was relatively peaceful, safe enough even for kids and fishermen to swim through. But during a full moon, things take a drastic turn. Monsters would come out of the lake and attack everything within its vicinity. Records said that although the monsters were weak, they come out in droves, their numbers enough to rival that of several armies. 

Mikael looked up. It was almost dusk. Judging by their speed, they would have to camp near the lake in the middle of the night. It was a dangerous move. Mikael could not understand why the merchants would choose to do that. 

Big Bun seemed to have read his mind. "There's a garrison nearby. The Lord of the Lion City created it originally to deal with bandits, but it could be used as a safe haven during this time. My brother's a sponsor. We'll be free to stay there during the night."

Mikael doubted if that stronghold could withstand the onslaught of monsters, but since this merchant have full confidence on it, he had no choice but to concede. Right now, he was a mere serf, after all. He had no power to alter the caravan's direction. If worse comes to worst, he could just escape by himself and go to the Lion City. 

By evening, their caravan reached the garrison. It was a small village with wooden walls, with a watchtower overlooking the surrounding regions. 

"Ah, Big Bun! We're expecting you! Just in time!" A middle-aged man wearing light armor greeted our group. "Come in! We've already prepared a sumptuous feast!"

So it's true. It seems that the brother of Big Bun's a bigshot sponsoring the military.

Mikael took note of this one. 

There were around a hundred soldiers in the garrison. Everyone was well-equipped, from leather armors, iron swords, and stout shields. Numerous archers stood on the watch tower, their quivers placed on their backs. 

Although this army was decent enough to drive away bandits, Mikael doubted if it would be strong enough to hold back the monsters that would come out of the lake. Mikael soon found the answer to his question. 

"So this is the Myonite, huh?" Big Bun touched the large red crystal at the center of the stronghold. It was about a fist in size, with numerous purple particles moving inside. 

The leader of the soldiers grinned proudly. "That's right. As long as this crystal's here, this place's safe. Those monsters are afraid of that thing. They won't even come close to this place."

Mikael learned that the red gem was the crystallized blood of a Red Galparus Snake – one of the peak predators in seas and oceans. Creatures living in water naturally avoided the scent of such monster, making the crystallized blood a perfect deterrent from the waves of monsters coming out of the lake during the full moon. 

According to history, there used to be a city next to this lake, but the monsters that came out of the water burned it down to the ground. This was something that happened several hundreds of years ago, and according to records, the survivors of that city were the ones who built the Lion City. 

Mikael was glad that the lessons he took during his training as a knight was proving useful during these times. 

The merchants started eating the prepared feast. Laughter filled the air as the soldiers joined in. Mikael looked at the direction of the cages, particularly at the beastmen locked up inside. They were all naked and were given nothing but water and bread. 

Mikael sighed. He did not feel sympathy for them, but he did not feel hatred either. Once they've arrived at the Lion City, those guys would probably become toys for the Lord. A pathetic ending to a pathetic life. 

The bell of the watchtower rang, signaling that the monsters have started coming out of the lake one by one. But surprisingly, the soldiers were calm. 

Mikael quietly left the banquet and stealthily went on top of the walls. He was stunned momentarily of what he saw. A good distance away from them, the lake glimmered from the moonlight. Numerous shadows moved on top of it, their soft screeching sounds heard even from here. Mikael estimated that there were over ten thousand of them, probably more. 

If those guys attacked this place, the wooden walls would collapse in a matter of seconds. 

Why do these monsters come out only during the full moon? On normal days, the lake was relatively peaceful, safe enough even for civilians to swim through. Where did the monsters come from? At the deepest parts of the lake? But records stated that those who swam underneath the lake during a moonless night failed to find anything inside. 

Such questions ran through Mikael's mind. A howling sound was heard. Mikael amplified his eyesight using magic. 

A wolf? No… That's…

What he saw standing on top of the lake surrounded by numerous monsters was a humanoid creature resembling a wolf. Its silver fur glimmered underneath the moonlight. It was beautiful, and for a moment, Mikael was at a loss for words. 

As he was staring at the creature, his eyesight still amplified with magic, the humanoid creature turned towards his direction. Its red eyes locked with his.

And it grinned. 

Mikael shivered. He was sure that the creature noticed him. 

It lifted a finger, pointing it at the stronghold. One after another, monsters started walking towards the stronghold, their screeching sounds louder than before. 

The bell of the watchtower rang a different tune. Mikael was sure that the watchers noticed something was wrong. A shout reverberated. 

"T-The monsters! The monsters are coming this way! Thousands of them!"

The rowdy crowd became silent. The previous laughter from before vanished entirely. Everyone stiffened.

"I-Impossible! We've been stationed in this place for over a year already!" The voice of the captain was hysterical. "As long as the Myonite is with us, those monsters wouldn't dare attack!"

"But sir!"

The Captain climbed the watchtower. After seeing the monsters with his very own eyes, he was struck speechless. His jaw hanged open. 

A howling sound was heard beyond. 

The monsters started charging head-on.