Chapter 18: Entering the Village
The forest was too dense, and the three had to dismount and proceed on foot. Before long, they arrived in front of the Bone Tree, and the stench grew stronger. Hanging from the tree was a mutilated corpse, gnawed at by some creature; scraps of flesh still clung to the ribs, while a chewed head and limbs lay scattered on the ground, mingling with the yellowed bones.
In such a scene, even Ji Ma, whose mind was filled with yellow thoughts, swallowed back the lewd jokes he had been brewing on the way.
Eve Frostleaf covered her nose in disgust and asked, “What is this?”
George bent down to inspect a gnawed femur: “From the bite marks, it should be leftovers from beastmen.”
The human bones varied in age.
George concluded, “This might be the beastmen’s dining area; they like to bring corpses here to eat.”
“Not likely,” Ji Ma said. “Beastmen have neither the patience nor the custom for this; do you see the nails hanging the bodies?”
Both George and Frostleaf noticed the rusty nails on the tree, with ropes binding the corpses, hanging them up to be secured against the tree trunk.
“It must be the work of humans, ah no, the villagers.”
“Is it a cult?”
“No, it’s a village custom,” Ji Ma said. “Just like how they fear floods and throw girls and children into the river. The villagers, scared of beastmen, choose someone as a sacrifice; it’s a normal practice.”
George opened his mouth and ultimately decided to counter rationally, “Why couldn’t it be a custom of the beastmen?”
“Because there isn’t a shred of religious affiliation nearby,” Ji Ma said. “As far as I know, beastmen only drag captives to Demon Rock to offer them to dark gods.”
“Pathetically cowardly,” Eve Frostleaf said. “To offer their own kin to beastmen as food, just for a false sense of security. It diminishes their manpower, making it even harder to resist beastmen. In my homeland, no one does this; the elves resist to the end.”
“Too weak,” Ji Ma said. “They can’t deal with beastmen, but they can with their neighbors, so they can only find psychological comfort by using their neighbors in exchange.”
George shook his head. “Beastmen are ferocious and relentless; they’re not something simple rural villagers can resist. If time permits, I should eliminate the beastmen of this generation; without beastmen, there will be no basis for this custom.”
“Ah, right.” Ji Ma clapped her hands. “Now I remember; that’s why I told you to take a few beastmen heads to the village.”
“Why?”
“Scared villagers would not hesitate to inform the beastmen about the army’s situation,” Ji Ma said, “and it’s hard to supply.”
“That shouldn’t be necessary,” George said. “The villagers don’t know us well, and the army’s movements have already been exposed.”
“Then do whatever you like,” Ji Ma said, turning to leave.
George was also about to turn around when Eve Frostleaf drew her longsword, murmuring, “Flame.”
The silver sword ignited in flames, and she was about to swing it toward the Bone Tree.
George raised his hand to stop her, saying, “Burning this tree won’t help; the villagers will just find another tree. What’s the point?”
Eve Frostleaf didn’t respond, extinguishing the flames and sheathing her sword.
After returning to the army, the soldiers had donned their armor and were advancing towards Melon Village.
By noon, half a day earlier than expected, the army arrived before Melon Village.
Melon Village was large, enclosed by wooden walls, with the main gate left open. Farmers in the nearby fields curiously observed the marching army.
When George rode up to the main gate, a hunchbacked old man emerged with the help of two people; his beard was gray and his patched clothes were also gray. Upon seeing George, he immediately called out in a frail voice, “Greetings, noble knight!”
In rural areas, few lived that long, typically the respected elders of the village.
George quickly dismounted, removed his helmet, and tucked it under his arm, saying, “Hello, old sir. I am Sir George, a knight of the Holy Hall, leading an army passing through this place, hoping to rest for a while. We will buy supplies with money, as long as the prices are fair.”
The gray-bearded old man revealed a gap-toothed smile, saying, “Haha, it’s good you’re not here to requisition grain; you look mighty and tall, your armor shines; you must not be an ordinary person. Which noble’s army are you?”
George replied, “We are the army of the Holy Hall.”
“Holy Hall?” The gray-bearded old man shook his head. “I haven’t heard of it, but our village is very willing to welcome you.”
George had become accustomed to this. During his time in the countryside purchasing supplies, not a single villager had ever heard of the Holy Hall. In the countryside, villagers were often sheltered from the world, living and dying in their hometowns, seldom venturing beyond.
“May I ask if your village has enough vacant houses?” George said. “The army has been exposed to the elements in the wild for a month; if there’s a house to escape the wind and rain, that would be great.”
The gray-bearded old man immediately shook his head, “No, we have many people.”
George frowned slightly, “We will pay for accommodations, five copper coins per night.”
“Look at my memory,” the gray-bearded old man said. “We do have a few vacant houses.”
George’s frown remained. “I can understand a lie.”
“Sir, it’s absolutely true.”
“However, I won’t make things difficult for you,” George said. “But please remember, I can tell lies apart; this is an ability bestowed upon me by the divine.”
George called back, “Soldiers! Soldiers!”
“Reporting! What orders does the commander have?”
“Select ten frail individuals; the rest will camp outside the village,” George instructed. “Also, gather the warriors’ needs for supplies to buy together later.”
“Yes!”
George said, “Old man, I have traded with over ten villages; because I can discern lies, I’ve been in charge of resource purchases, so I want to make that clear.”
The gray-bearded old man said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
George shook his head, realizing this time the old man was telling the truth.
After some discussions, George took the reins and walked into the village.
The proud Eve Frostleaf rode her silver horse behind him, not wearing a helmet but a golden crown inlaid with emeralds, her long white ears peeking out from beneath her silver hair.
The gray-bearded old man, amazed, pointed at Eve Frostleaf’s ears and asked, “This, this isn’t human?”
Ji Ma answered, “She is an elf.”
“An elf?”
“In the forest, adept at archery,” Ji Ma mentioned the stereotype people had about elves.
Upon hearing the words “adept at archery,” the temperature around Eve Frostleaf seemed to drop by half a degree.
Ah, the weather is cooler now.
Ji Ma thought, feeling oblivious.
But the gray-bearded old man’s face turned a shade whiter, stepping back in terror, “The Wild Hunt? The elf that steals babies?”
Eve Frostleaf remained expressionless.
Ji Ma felt as if the weather had become as cool as if an air conditioner had been turned on, laughingly explaining, “It’s her distant relative, the wood elf; in any case, this kind of elf doesn’t randomly harm people or steal babies.”
The old man managed to regain some composure, saying, “I see now.”
He then whispered a few words to the villagers. Ji Ma’s hearing surpassed that of ordinary humans; she vaguely caught, “Tell everyone… to hide the babies and young children.”
Eve Frostleaf paid no mind, riding her silver horse deeper into the village.
George and the gray-bearded old man reached the village’s warehouse, preparing to haggle with the villagers over shopping.
Ji Ma urged her horse to follow closely behind the beautiful elven girl, ready to chat, preparing for future opportunities.
As for Eve Frostleaf’s maid, seeing her lady not stick to George but be with Ji Ma instead, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Ji Ma was a succubus, she was female; if she were with the male George, it’d surely be a concern.
Ji Ma caught up to Eve Frostleaf and started a conversation, “The country folk are not well-versed; he mistook you for a wood elf.”
Eve Frostleaf nodded.
“Speaking of which, the Duchy of Casun is very close to the forest of wood elves. I don’t know if you’re aware, but the wood elves have a custom called the Wild Hunt. Every few years, their hunting instincts go wild; men and women wielding bows and knives hunt down anything, even their own kind; some human villages are not spared. What do you think? Is this custom scary?”
Not all handsome men and women who loved archery in the forest were benevolent; they might be hunting humans.
Eve Frostleaf nodded, “Scary.”
“Right? They even think of themselves as the true elves.”
“Shameless; they’re barbaric.”
“And what about stealing babies? Do you think that was just made up by the villagers?”
Eve Frostleaf nodded.
“It’s not without reason,” Ji Ma said. “From what I know, some wood elves, for reasons unbeknownst, stealthily steal human children or infants, coincidentally seen by their parents… I’ve heard they only take those with magical talent.”
“Impossible,” Eve Frostleaf said. “Elves have higher magical talent than humans.”
At that moment, the sound of crying babies echoed not far away, causing Eve Frostleaf to instinctively look. A woman with a blackened face hurriedly grabbed a playful child’s hand, tugging him into a house, and with a bang, the door slammed shut.
Eve Frostleaf’s expression turned grim.
Ji Ma rubbed her plump Lianci cat, grateful that she had hidden her horns, wings, and tail; otherwise, these villagers who couldn’t even tell high elves from wood elves might have been scared out of their wits.
Eve Frostleaf shook her head, saying, “Pitiful.”
Finally, she suddenly said to Ji Ma, “Thank you.”
“Why?”
“I finally understand.”
“Oh.”
Ji Ma felt the surrounding air grow warm again; without even looking, she knew Eve Frostleaf wasn’t feeling as cold anymore. However, with her white attire, white skin, and silver hair, as well as her shiny silver armor, she reflected light so much that Ji Ma was half illuminated.
So she lowered her head, rubbing the cat ears of the Lianci cat, and said, “Fortunately, George gave me a magical item that allows me to hide my succubus identity. Otherwise, who knows, the villagers might have chased me out of the village. This thing is really useful; back when I was on a mission in Marlin City, George seldom took the time or spent money to buy it, but I feel like he got ripped off; it cost nearly four thousand gold coins. By the way, Frostleaf sister, how much would a magical item with similar functions cost among you elves? One that can hide physiological features and provide a force field armor?”
Before she finished speaking, the surrounding air grew cool again.
Eve Frostleaf took a long while before coldly uttering three words, “I don’t know.”
