Ruins

After leaving the Snow Village, the convoy traveled for about five or six days before finally leaving the area of the Offen Mountains. The surrounding landscape changed from a vast expanse of white to familiar green vegetation. The group walked along the Forest Path, listening to the chirping of birds in the branches. They no longer had to breathe that icy air and experience the feeling of their lungs being frozen.

"I remember there's a small village a little further ahead; our team used to stop there to resupply. But we still have plenty of supplies left from the Snow Village, so it looks like we won't need to spend any more money this time."

Frog yawned, touched his slightly depleted wallet, and couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

You don't know how difficult it is to manage a household until you're in charge. Maintaining the operation of this caravan requires a lot of effort and money.

"If you really think about it, this trip cost a fortune, and I estimate my profits will be at least 30% lower than before... Damn it, it's all those damn noble dogs in Weise's fault! Are they trying to make a living? If they raise the tax rate again next time, I'm going somewhere else."

He muttered curses.

When Galan heard those three words, his body trembled as if he had been electrocuted.

"Did you originally come from Weise?"

He looked at Lancelot and asked.

This was the first time he'd heard them mention where they came from since he got on the bus, but he hadn't asked.

As for Weise, Duncan's hometown, considering that Duncan wasn't even born yet, it was just a city that sounded familiar to Galan, and didn't hold any other significance.

He once read in a book that:

There are many places in this world that you know or have heard about from others, but those places have nothing to do with you. In fact, only the places you have been to and the places where your friends live constitute your entire world.

This must be the feeling I'm experiencing right now.

"Hmm, did you recall memories of Weise? Oh, could it be that you're one of Weise's people?"

"How is that possible, Lancelot? The place we found Galan is so far from Weise. Even if he has amnesia, how could he have walked that far? Besides, the road there is incredibly dangerous. How could he have gotten there alone?"

Frog seemed dismissive of Lancelot's views, apparently finding his ideas impractical.

"Hehe, you're not getting senile, are you? Looks like I was right last time, time really does catch up with you~"

"I think you deserve a beating... Next time I encounter a monster, you'll be the first one I throw out."

In response to Frog's teasing, Lancelot still retaliated with a "death threat".

Seeing the two of them bickering like clowns again because of him, Galan gave a wry smile, shrugged, and didn't answer.

The caravan took over a week to travel from Weise to the forest where they met in Galan. Of course, I didn't walk there directly, because I seemed to have appeared out of thin air...

Around noon, the caravan stopped under a large tree and began to cook.

Galan and Lancelot patrolled the perimeter, keeping watch for any monsters or Demons that might appear.

However, we're not that far from [Äußerst] now, so theoretically we're unlikely to encounter any danger.

But for some reason, the further Galan went, the more uneasy he felt.

And it was often at this time that he inexplicably trusted his intuition, believing that something was bound to happen.

They encountered no accidents until everyone had finished lunch and rested, and when they reloaded the truck and prepared to set off.

You seem a bit nervous the whole time.

Lancelot suddenly patted Galan on the shoulder from behind, asking with concern.

He had noticed during his patrol that Galan seemed a little uneasy, as if he was worried about something.

"Hmm... I have a bad feeling about this..."

Galan took a long knife from his back and held it in his hand. When people are nervous, they always want to grab onto something to gain a sense of security.

"We're almost at [Äußerst], what else could possibly happen? Don't overthink it. Once we're in the city, maybe we'll find a way to recover your memories."

"Don't you have some kind of agreement with Lady Serie? Maybe getting her help can solve your problem."

"But you're truly blessed to have won Serie's favor..."

Galan could hear Lancelot's constant muttering; it seemed he was trying to distract himself from getting here, even though he himself felt nothing more would happen. "Hey! Stop it, all of you!"

Suddenly, Frog's voice came from the front of the caravan. Galan seemed to sense something and immediately ran to the front with Lancelot beside him. Then, like Frog, they saw the horrific scene. Several crows that were pecking at the corpses were startled by the commotion and flew into the air, cawing and circling above the village.

Several villagers' corpses lay on the ground, looking from a distance like carelessly discarded scarecrows or broken toys.

Because of their physical disabilities, it was impossible to tell who was who. The only distinguishable ones were the soldiers in armor. They were guards stationed in the area by the empire. In the past, caravans passing through the area had to go through their inspection. However, due to frequent exchanges, everyone had become familiar with them. On the last occasion, they even had a banquet with these guards.

The captain of the guard was an excellent warrior sent by the Empire, and he had previously clashed with Lancelot, leaving a deep impression on Lancelot.

Right now, all that remained of the enemy was a head amidst the mountain of corpses; the body was buried somewhere hidden, leaving Lancelot speechless with shock and his heart clenching.

What happened? How did the village become like this?

Frog's lips trembled slightly, and the words that came out were, "Is it a monster? No... It's impossible. There aren't any monsters this ferocious here."

Galan looked around at the ruins of the vast houses and the charred bones on the ground, his heart filled with indescribable anger and shock. The air was thick with the stench of decay and the bitterness of wood ash, causing some of the caravan members who had never witnessed such a scene to vomit on the spot.

He stepped forward and carefully examined the soldiers' severed bodies. The cuts were very smooth, which couldn't have been the work of a demon. Combined with the residual Mana on the ground, he gradually began to suspect, "It was Demons. A very powerful Demons came here and attacked the village."