Chapter 12: The Castle on a Stormy Night

"It was probably about fifty years ago, on a night when the Nelson family held a grand banquet. In addition to family members who had returned from other places, they had also invited prominent figures from the town, such as the priest, the mayor, town council members..."

The innkeeper recalled, "The banquet had reached its midpoint when the members of the Nelson family suddenly turned violent. They locked the manor's doors, attacked every guest present, committing murder, arson, drank their blood, and hung the bodies of the victims from the flagpoles."

"The priest and a few council members escaped from the manor, but the mad Nelsons didn't intend to stop there. They followed on horseback to continue the slaughter in town. That night, the town was filled with flames and the cries of victims..."

"I was just a child then, terrified. In the middle of the night, my parents sent me to the church, where all the town's children had gathered."

"To resist the Nelson family, who had lost their humanity, and to protect their homes and children, the townsfolk organized a counterattack. At the break of dawn, they successfully drove the mad Nelsons back to the manor."

"By that time, the manor was engulfed in a great fire. The flames consumed that vile group, who, it is said, were singing and laughing in the blaze, holding hands and dancing as if death was the destination they longed for..."

"Afterward, people from Lundan conducted a lengthy investigation. The priest and the councilors, having gone through such an ordeal, each became peculiar in demeanor. The townspeople felt the same, many left to start anew elsewhere and never returned to their hometown."

The mad night had occurred fifty years ago and remained a horrific taboo that Caforno Town preferred not to mention. This event directly led to the town's decline, from which it has yet to recover.

Since it was so long ago and the innkeeper had been a child at the time, the information he could provide was very limited. When Veronica inquired if any members of the Nelson family had survived that night, the innkeeper looked puzzled.

There must have been some, otherwise, it would be hard to explain Mike's surname.

...

Outside the window, the downpour continued and seemed to grow even more intense.

Wayne felt very uneasy. The morning had been clear, but suddenly it took a sharp turn. If heaven persisted in its caprice, it might soon turn into a 'Tempest at the Snow Mountain Manor' situation.

The innkeeper and the two ladies had left. After eating the mushrooms, they would sleep soundly tonight, forgetting the interrogation that had taken place. Just in case, Wayne performed the act thoroughly, stuffing ample fare money into the collar of the ladies' clothes, according to market rates.

He paid, Veronica treated.

Veronica, cradling a black cat, stood in front of the window pondering. Based on the scant information, it was conceivable that the Nelson family were devoted followers of the Goddess of Death. They had created carnage to court the Goddess's favor, a legacy passed down to Mike, who had once again won Death's favor.

This also explained why Mike had suddenly become a harbinger of death, wielding powerful magic.

The question arose—did Mike return to Caforno Town simply to get married?

"Rather than getting married, it's more likely he's continuing the unfinished business of his ancestors, offering the entire town as a sacrifice to Death in exchange for great power," Wayne said, frowning.

To complete what my ancestors started, to sacrifice the offerings they did not finish—such was the pattern, without a doubt.

William nodded, setting down his chocolate, indicating that his thoughts were in accord with Wayne's—a tacit understanding.

Wayne didn't want that understanding, instead looking toward Veronica, hoping to share a tacit bond with the beautiful girl.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Veronica decided to head to Nelson Manor immediately. Time waits for no one, and who knew how far along Mike's sacrifice had progressed. To prevent the innocent townsfolk and themselves from becoming victims, the harbinger of death must be dealt with tonight.

At that moment, Veronica put aside the thought of lifting the curse; in terms of priorities, stopping the sacrifice was more important.

In the torrential rain, a blue sedan drove through the rain-drenched oak forest, aiming to avoid startling the target, Wayne steered in the dark without turning on the headlights.

The oak forest lane was the only road leading to Nelson Manor. After the manor was reduced to ashes and became a forbidden horror, the townspeople never set foot there again. Overgrown with weeds and covered with rotting leaves due to years of neglect, this dilapidated path was slippery and muddy.

For a two-mile journey, Wayne took a full ten minutes to drive.

Catching sight of the manor ruins from a distance, Wayne parked the car at the exit of the oak forest road, and the three of them, along with a cat, proceeded on foot with their umbrellas.

Boom—

Pale lightning streaked across the night sky, and the dark-enshrouded manor was suddenly illuminated.

Rather than calling it a manor, it would be more accurate to describe it as a castle, surrounded by towering walls and several towers overlooking the distance. The castle's main gate was nowhere to be seen; in the darkness, it appeared like a gaping maw.

Stepping through the gates, the once garden square was desolate and unkempt, with dead grass and withered bushes scattered around, as well as numerous Crucifix tombstones.

Townsfolk would surely not be buried here, as they would have fled without a moment's delay. If I'm not wrong, the remains of members of the Nelson Family from that year are buried here.

Monica, with her sharp eyes, saw a fresh bouquet of flowers in front of the tombstone, a sign that someone had visited the grave recently.

Following that, Monica discovered something odd, there was quite a bit of candle soot in front of the tombstone. Some candles had completely burned out, while others had a small stub left. The number of them suggested frequent visits to the grave.

If this person were Mike, he would return to Caforno Town every year, but if not...

Then other members of the Nelson Family must still be alive.

Veronica took a deep breath, her expression growing much more serious. She instructed William to protect Wayne, and holding a glass jar, she walked at the very front.

William followed closely behind her, walking alongside Wayne, who was responsible for holding Monica.

The cat showed some disdain for being in Wayne's arms, but the muddy ground everywhere was even more intolerable. After a moment's thought, she decided she had no other choice.

We are all followers of the Moonlight Goddess, after all. There's nothing wrong with getting a bit closer to each other!

The wooden structure of the manor was consumed by the fire, leaving only ruins hidden by weeds. However, the attic resting on the stone castle managed to survive. Wayne, wary of potential traps, ended up walking right into Veronica's back.

It's not for no reason, but all their magic powers were sealed. Veronica was a Dragonblood Descendant and had the strongest combat power in the squad. William...

He was a good person!

This arrangement was quite discomforting for Veronica. She turned and gave Wayne a fierce glare. It was too dark for Wayne to see since he bumped into her when she suddenly stopped.

The group fumbled through the dark corridors of the castle, the observation holes on the outer walls allowed intermittent lightning flashes to illuminate their path and prevented them from walking in circles, thanks to Monica's guidance.

After what seemed like an eternity, Monica began to suspect they were lost. Wayne stopped.

He called out to Veronica ahead of him and pointing to the brick wall beside him he said, "A stranger's scent—I can smell it. It's not from any of us. We haven't taken this path before. Look carefully, there must be a mechanism nearby that opens a secret passage."

While speaking, he stroked Monica's cat head, "Cats' sense of smell is even more sensitive than dogs. You must have smelled it too, right?"

Monica turned her head away, silent. Veronica couldn't help rolling her eyes, and said with no regard for politeness, "What do you mean, you've got a nose like a dog's?"

"..."

Even so, it was true—he did have one!

Veronica did not trust Wayne's dog-like nose, but she did believe in his speculation that there must be mechanical passages in the castle, with the Death Walker hiding somewhere within.

The group searched around, looking for the mechanism to open the door. William accidentally triggered something, and the ground beneath him gave way. Instinctively, he grabbed Wayne's arm, and both of them slid down.

Wayne wore an expression of dismay. He reached out his hand, trying to pull someone down with him as a cushion, but unfortunately, Veronica was too far away and he couldn't grasp her.

Monica dodged out of the way.

As everyone knows, a cat's speed is seven times that of a cat's. In the blink of an eye, she used Wayne's shoulder as a stepping stone to jump safely to the ground.

Veronica hurried forward, peering into the pitch-black slide, but when she saw light and heard Wayne's robust cursing from below, she let out a sigh of relief.

Falling wasn't an issue, as long as they were okay.

The downpour abruptly stopped, and the dark, ominous skyline seemed like it was hit by a switch. An unreasonably large moon cast its silver glow upon the land.

Monica jumped onto Veronica's shoulder, leaned out toward the observation hole, and sensed the weird atmosphere in the moonlight, her pupils dilating to the limit:

"The town..."

"Is on fire!"