Chapter 14: The Town’s Enemy, An Encounter with a Mercenary Convoy

Liz returned to Holy Light Town with the man in tow.

Ulf and Colin immediately came forward to meet them.

“Big Sister Liz, you suddenly disappeared—what on earth happened?”

“Hm? You are… Brother McKinley?!”

Colin instantly recognized his former companion.

He was utterly shocked to see the man appear here.

Liz’s expression was heavy.

Only after everyone had gathered did she explain what had happened at Williams’ temporary camp.

When everyone heard the account—

A dead silence followed.

Especially those who had only recently joined the town—

A chill surged up from the soles of their feet to the crown of their heads, their stomachs turning over violently!

Had they not been lucky enough to choose to come to Lynn Church, they would already be in a ghoul’s belly!

This man was the only survivor!

He had been saved by a mysterious person—otherwise, he would have met the same fate as the others…

“Hmph, that camp was a carefully prepared slaughterhouse!”

Liz’s voice was ice-cold. “Those damned beasts! They have no shred of humanity! They should be cut into a thousand pieces!!!”

Colin trembled and pushed up his glasses.

He muttered incredulously, “No… this doesn’t make sense.”

“Why would Lord Williams do this?”

“To pretend to shelter the refugees, only to hand them all over to the undead for slaughter—what could he possibly gain from that?”

“U-Unless…”

He raised his head abruptly, a horrified light flaring in his eyes.

“Lord Williams has made a deal with the undead!”

“Not only that…” Colin gripped his chest tightly, speaking out a terrifying conjecture.

“There’s a possibility…”

“That Lord Williams revealed an important secret to the ghoul legion!”

“The night Florence fell—”

“The guards were absent, the banquet was full of guests, and everyone was completely unprepared… That couldn’t have been a coincidence!”

“It was Lord Williams who betrayed Baron Gregor Wells! He was the one who handed the blade to those monsters!!!”

“What?!”

Everyone was struck as if by lightning.

The fall of Florence—

It wasn’t a natural disaster, but a man-made calamity!!

It was that damned lord who killed their families?!

Heavens!!!

Even Liz barely managed to calm herself down.

She analyzed slowly, “Lord Williams’ eldest grandson even married Baron Gregor’s beloved youngest daughter.”

“The two families were closely tied—why would he do something like this?”

“For some kind of… unimaginable benefit, perhaps…”

An old woman who had lost all her loved ones was stirred by the painful memories.

She screamed hoarsely, “For power! For immortality!”

“Those noble bastards would do anything for those things!”

“Those damned scoundrels! Scoundrels!!!”

“My son, my daughter—ahhhh!!!”

Everyone’s faces darkened.

They, too, had lost loved ones. They could feel her grief as if it were their own.

And those beasts—they truly weren’t human!

They had never seen them as human either!!

At first, everyone had been overjoyed to see the Holy Light’s range expand so greatly.

But after hearing this news, their hearts sank to the bottom.

They clenched their teeth in hatred!

From this day forward, they had one more mortal enemy—

One unforgettable target marked for death—Lord Williams!!!

As her enraged companions fumed, Liz spoke up in time.

“This grudge—we must avenge it!”

“But not now!”

“Ulf.”

“Here!” Ulf was panting heavily, but immediately straightened up.

“Gather all the men. Start cutting wood at once—oak and hemlock, the thickest and hardest you can find.”

Liz pointed toward the newly expanded Holy Light boundary.

“Erect a ring of wooden palisades along the border. Dig deep, make it solid!”

“I have a feeling—the greatest crisis we’ve faced so far is coming!”

A Lich.

At least a third-tier undead being.

Liz had to prepare for the possibility that a Lich might appear leading a horde of ghouls against Holy Light Town.

Once again—

They could not rely on the Angel for everything.

The townspeople had to develop some capacity for self-defense if they wanted to survive long-term.

…

Meanwhile—

Lynn, in his disguised form, walked along an overgrown old path, emerging from the edge of Mistwood.

The church lay about seven miles from the forest’s outer rim.

This road, which once connected to the outside world, was likely how that squad of magician cavalry had found the church previously.

Stopping at a three-way fork, Lynn tried to discern the direction.

But then came the dull rumble of wheels and hoofbeats, approaching from afar.

A convoy of seven or eight covered wagons slowly came into view.

Their carriages were coated in dust and dried mud, the draft horses looking utterly weary.

Around them rode a dozen mounted mercenary guards, clad in worn leather armor and armed with various weapons.

Their eyes swept the surroundings warily.

The leader—a burly middle-aged man—narrowed his sharp gaze upon Lynn, who stood alone at the crossroads.

His hand instinctively went to the sword at his waist.

The mercenaries behind him tensed as well.

“Who goes there?” the leader demanded harshly.

Lynn turned calmly, revealing a harmless expression.

“A traveler who lost his way.”

The leader sized him up.

Seeing his plain attire and the absence of that telltale undead stench, his tension eased—though his vigilance did not.

“Lost?”

“In this cursed place, you’re lucky to still be breathing. Where are you headed?”

“Williams Town,” Lynn replied.

The leader’s brow arched slightly.

He exchanged a glance with his deputy.

“Williams? Heh, what a coincidence—we’re delivering goods there too.”

He paused, seeming to weigh the risk Lynn posed, then waved his hand.

“Forget it. Traveling alone these days is dangerous enough.”

“If you don’t mind, follow behind our convoy.”

“Consider yourself lucky to have run into the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps. I’m Elias Reed.”

“Thank you, Captain Reed.” Lynn nodded slightly.

He didn’t refuse and quietly joined the rear of the convoy.

As the wagons rolled on, the atmosphere remained heavy.

After a while, Lynn spoke casually.

“I heard Lord Williams has been taking in quite a few refugees at his temporary camp lately, even offering free porridge. Quite generous of him.”

The moment his words fell—

The mercenaries ahead visibly stiffened.

Reed turned his head, his face expressionless—save for the faint trace of mockery deep in his eyes.

“Free porridge? Heh…”

He gave a low, ambiguous chuckle, offering no direct reply.

Instead, as though musing to himself—or perhaps speaking to Lynn—he said, “In this age, there’s no such thing as a free meal.”

“The minds of noble lords are more twisted than the guts of the undead.”

A younger mercenary beside him muttered under his breath, “Captain, those rumors…”

“Quiet, Harvey!”

Reed cut him off sharply, then sighed with a weathered tone.

“Kid, you look young—let me give you a bit of advice.”

“The less you know, the longer you live.”

“What the nobles are up to… isn’t something we sell-swords can meddle in.”

“We just deliver the goods, get paid, and move on. As for the camp…”

His lips curled faintly.

“Who knows whether they’re cooking rice—or something else?”

“Nobles trading with the undead… has that been rare these past years?”

Lynn listened in silence.

His heart surged with turmoil.

This world was far filthier and more despairing than he had imagined!

He said no more, merely followed quietly behind the convoy—

His gaze, fixed toward Williams Town, was cold as ice.

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