Chapter 21: A Low-Level Task

"Here are the details. It's equivalent to a newbie task for a Nightblade trainee, a simple task to gather intelligence that shouldn't be too difficult or dangerous. Usually, we issue such tasks when the targets are stationary and easy to suppress, at least for the short term. It'll be a practice assignment for both of you."

Garcia handed Wang Yu some sheepskin parchment on which quite a bit of text had been written. The writing was neat and orderly, and looked as if it had been printed rather than written by hand.

He didn't know whether printers existed in this world, or if Garcia had relied on some strange magic.

"Let me have a look." Wang Yu carefully scanned the document. Garcia observed Wang Yu's performance intently. Though this was training, it was simultaneously a test for Wang Yu.

So far, Garcia was quite pleased with Wang Yu, though there were still parts of Wang Yu's behavior that he wanted to examine in more detail. The Nightblade task might have been simple in difficulty, but there were plenty of requirements for Wang Yu.

The parchment stated the task clearly and in great detail. This was a low-level investigative task targeting the town of Oakclaw, a small town not too far away.

It was large compared to the unnamed village by the Forest of Fog that Wang Yu and Avia had been in, but far smaller than the cities of the kingdom.

A few people had recently gone missing in the town, before being found in the form of withered corpses.

The local jurisdiction identified this as a supernatural incident and passed it to a higher authority.

The Nightblades, as an independent organization that specifically dealt with void-related matters, was eligible to handle the request as well.

Garcia had accepted the low-level investigative task and passed it on to Wang Yu and Avia as a test.

The task had a deadline of three days. The target location had been pinpointed as a hunter's log cabin, and all civilians in the vicinity had been evacuated.

A magic detection array set up around the location detected only low-level magic, explaining the classification of the task.

"I have a question. If I were handling this on my own and had pinpointed my target, I'd simply blow the entire log cabin up. I was going to do the same with that void entity, too. If I had no other option, I'd burn down the entire forest. Can I do the same here?"

Wang Yu was evidently a big fan of taking things directly and with overwhelming force.

To be frank, it was a very effective method for a large variety of problems.

In that case, why not do the same here?

It didn't matter exactly what lay within the log cabin. If he blew up the log cabin, anything within would be blown up as well.

In many cases, investigative squads would try to scope out the vicinity in order to uncover the truth, but wasn't it safest and most efficient to simply blow up the log cabin? Not only would that expose whatever secrets lay within, it was also the safest approach.

Perhaps other investigative squads had to be worried about financial compensation, but the Nightblades were an important organization in the kingdom. They were surely flush with funds.

Couldn't they simply rebuild the small log cabin?

Garcia was taken aback by Wang Yu's question. He frowned and thought for a moment, and was forced to nod in exasperation. "I suppose it would work..."

Under some particularly demanding circumstances, the Nightblades would behave in such a manner, but their tasks ordinarily took place within bustling cities.

The mansions and manors in the region were particularly expensive, and wanton destruction would cause too much damage.

More importantly, the nobility needed to maintain their reputation.

Sometimes, they were the culprits for the messes that the Nightblades had to clean up; even if not, the destruction of their land or property was an embarrassing affair, particularly in the social circles in which they operated.

As a result, they wouldn't be pleased if the Nightblades adopted such a violent approach to everything.

At times, matters of reputation were serious enough to lead to the deaths of many an investigative squad. Even Garcia was stymied by this problem.

Though the Nightblades had considerable freedom, that freedom was progressively restricted the closer they got to the capital.

As a result of all these considerations, Garcia hadn't expected Wang Yu to propose such a violent resolution, but he supposed it was his own fault. They weren't in the capital now, after all, but a rural forest out in the middle of nowhere. Wang Yu's approach could very well prove optimal.

Garcia shook his head as he ran his fingers through his hair. Had he been corrupted by the nobility? To think his thoughts would have aligned with theirs to such a degree...

This wasn't a good sign.

"This task is an exam of sorts. Use whatever method you'd like to deal with the problem. Given your strength and newfound status as a knight-in-training, it should be easy enough for you to deal with a low-level task on your own." Garcia approved of Wang Yu's strategy.

"Of course. I'll do my best." Wang Yu nodded. He had read through the task objectives in detail and was relatively confident of his success.

"Then I'll have Avia prepare. Make your own preparations as well. You'll only be allowed three days to complete the task. If you're not finished by then, the garrison from a nearby city will take over."

Garcia urged Wang Yu to prepare as quickly as possible while he informed Avia of the situation.

Torrent would easily be able to bring Wang Yu and Avia to the small town within half a day; time was unlikely to be a problem.

The main issue was how to resolve the matter. Upon carefully reading the introduction to the task, Wang Yu grew more and more enamored with the idea of simply blowing the log cabin up.

Though the task wanted him to investigate the situation, the final objective was essentially to deal with the problem.

Wang Yu stared at the sheepskin parchment until he was confident in his approach.

He rubbed his jaw and thought back to the few spells that Avia had learned recently: the first-tier Fireball and first-tier Conflagration. Destruction was eminently viable.

Dark clouds covered up the sky as the bright morning turned unusually gloomy.

The small town tended to be most active during this part of the day, but the untimely weather seemed to have dissuaded them from leaving their homes.

There were only a few shops open, and barely any guests within them.

The western quadrant of the village was almost entirely deserted; the majority of the townsfolk had chosen to live with other people in town that they knew, at least for the moment.

A few townsfolk, those who were poor or friendless, were forced to sleep overnight on the benches in the local pub. The owner of the pub glared at them disdainfully, but ultimately didn't turn them away.

Ever since dead bodies had been discovered within the village, a pall had been cast over the peaceful, if not particularly prosperous, town.

That people would die and their corpses would suddenly appear out of nowhere left the townsfolk panicking. Ordinary people could hardly do anything against the supernatural, after all.

The town had just a few adventurers, the strongest of whom were at the level of knights-in-training. They weren't particularly interested in handling this clearly sinister task, and the town had little money with which to pay them, at any rate.

As a result, the townsfolk had lived in panic and fear over the past few days.

None of them wanted to emerge from their houses—but even so, they were afforded no protection from death.

Frequently, the townsfolk would awaken to discover that someone's corpse had appeared on the street, a withered husk of a corpse from which all blood had been drained.

The fear propagated. A few days ago, the guards from the nearest city had finally arrived, and they had pinpointed the source of the trouble to a small log cabin by the western quadrant of the town. Only that had curbed the advance of death.

The guards had the townsfolk evacuate from the western quadrant. Some among them were unwilling to leave their homes and valuables behind, worried that opportunistic thieves would arise, but even those desires paled against their fear of death and the city guards' weaponry.

The western quadrant therefore ended up silent and isolated. Though the other parts of town remained quieter than usual, when no further deaths were reported, the town returned to life to some extent.

Indeed, however, some of the townsfolk's fears were well-founded. There were always thieves who valued gold and treasure more than their own lives.

As dark clouds covered up the sun, the western quadrant of town, which bore few large or tall buildings, became shadowed in darkness as well.

This was perfect weather for bandits and thieves. The night was too dark; using a lantern or lit torch at night would cause them to stand out. Rather, the dim shade of an occluded sky was perfect for committing crimes.

They snuck toward the buildings in the western quadrant of town. Benjamin was a little afraid; he had witnessed the corpses from a few days ago personally. Their bodies drained of all moisture, their faces withered but clearly contorted with fear—they had paralyzed him for a moment, but he was a gambler and addict, and unable to curb the worst of his impulses. He had lost all his possessions recently, and the owner of the pub was not to be underestimated. His smiles were reserved solely for the nobility and wealthy.

If Benjamin didn't repay his debts by the next day, he would likely have his hands chopped off.

He had no choice. There was only one place where he could get some quick cash: the western quadrant of town. Though the majority of the townsfolk had evacuated with their valuables, there was sure to be some treasure left unguarded.

As long as he could acquire any, he would be able to pay off his debts.

He carefully hid himself to ensure that no other townsfolk would be able to see him from afar. Then, Benjamin broke a window in a certain house and snuck in from the outside.

The interior of the house was untidy. It was clear that its occupants hadn't had much time to pack up before they were forced to leave.

Even so, they had likely taken their most valuable treasures with them.

Benjamin sighed. No matter what, he'd be fine as long as he could steal something of some value. If he got more than he needed, he'd be able to pay for a few mugs of beer, too.

No longer worried about being seen now that he had entered a house, Benjamin began to dig through cupboards and drawers.

He had had prior experience as a thief, and had been caught red-handed before.

Considering that Benjamin and the would-be victim were both from the same town, and the fact that Benjamin had groveled and begged for mercy the moment he was caught, the victim had reluctantly warned him before letting him leave scot-free.

Benjamin had, of course, conducted more such thefts, but he had only been caught the once.

He dug through the house, but to little avail.

There was some clothing that might be worth something, but it wouldn't be easy for him to leave with it or even sell it.

He couldn't help but be disappointed. He was out of luck, then. But could there still be some valuables hidden somewhere out of sight?

He suddenly recalled that his miserly drunkard of a father frequently hid his beer money under his pillow, and his father had given him a huge beating when he discovered that Benjamin had pilfered it. Could the inhabitants of this house have a similar habit?

Benjamin shrugged. No harm trying, after all. He headed to the bedrooms and ran his hands underneath each pillow.

His eyes widened when he actually found something: a small cloth bag. When he shook it, it jingled with the sound of metal clinking against metal.

As a regular gambler, he was all too familiar with the sound of coins. He could even tell that it was filled with silver and copper coins.

Benjamin was exuberant. One silver coin was equivalent to a hundred copper coins. He needed only two to pay off his debts, and what money remained, he could use to buy more beer and enjoy himself for a few days. Perhaps if he were lucky, he might even increase his gains by gambling.

Triumphant, Benjamin couldn't wait to return to the pub—but his success had also roused his sense of greed.

If just robbing one house had allowed him to pay off his debts and then some, why not rob more? Perhaps he would be able to earn even more coins—no, he surely would be able to! Greed had washed away his fears.

Such was human nature: sufficient profit could overcome all else.

Suddenly, a creak could be heard from behind Benjamin, who was kneeling by the side of the bed.

He guiltily whirled around, worried that he had been discovered by another townsfolk.

A small, rather short figure appeared before him: a small boy with brown, curly hair that was messy and matted, and bruises and bloodstains on his forehead.

His clothes were dirty, as was his face. His arms were holding onto a teddy bear whose stuffing was leaking.

He glanced at Benjamin and the bag of money in his hands.

Benjamin almost jumped up in fear, only to relax upon seeing that he had been discovered by none other than a small child. All his fear quickly dissipated.

"Hey, brat, what're you doing here? Go on, shoo! Your mom's calling you back for milk!" Benjamin made a fierce, intimidating expression.

A child wouldn't be a problem at all. He looked to be seven or eight years old. Education wasn't widespread in this world; there was little the child could report on.

At worst, he would return to the house at a later date. However, he knew he had to hurry. According to the guards, people had already been dispatched to take down whatever monster had been killing the townsfolk and draining their blood.

However, Benjamin's expression didn't manage to scare away the little boy, who continued to eye Benjamin as he hugged his teddy bear tightly.

Benjamin belatedly noticed that the front doors to the house were open. He had had to climb in through a window; could this be the boy's house?

Benjamin frowned. This wasn't good, especially if the boy recognized him later. He would have to run.

"Brat, you'd better watch out. You'd better not tell anyone about what you saw today—or else."

Benjamin stowed the bag of money away and shot a malicious glare at the boy as he rushed toward the open window and made to vault out.

Just then, he suddenly felt something amiss. His actions had turned sluggish, and a shocking sense of discomfort suffused his body.

He tried to lift a leg out the window, only to find it paralyzed by the time he moved it up halfway. He tried to exert more force, only to sense something holding his leg back.

A thin, skeletal arm had emerged from the shadows and had caught his limbs and body.

The shadowy hands caught Benjamin's body firmly, preventing his escape.

He stared in fright at the boy who had appeared out of nowhere, realizing where the arms had come from. His bulging eyes stared at the boy caressing his teddy bear.

The teddy bear's black claws melded into the shadows as they reached out for Benjamin, clutching his mouth firmly and entering his body through that opening as he attempted to scream. Before long, a withered corpse fell to the floor by the window.

The boy hugged his teddy bear tightly as he smiled. "Sister, I'm back..."