The Eerie Black Goat

Kraun continued deeper along the hillside, planning to practice his Marksmanship and dig up some herbs along the way.

As his Herbalism improved, he naturally came to recognize that some mutated herbs once considered unusable as medicine actually possessed extraordinary value.

The weeds ahead grew thickly, and the mule could no longer proceed.

He tied his mount to a birch tree as thick as a bowl, tossed the empty medicine case nearby, slung on his pack, and wandered around on his own.

"Gugu." A large gray dove sang a cheerful song as it flew past the branches.

Kraun turned and drew his gun in one smooth motion.

"Bang!"

By the time he turned to see the dove, the arm holding his gun was already fully extended.

Don't open your mouth. The moment you do, you're dead wrong! You were chirping so happily—now you're dead, aren't you?!

Kraun happily stuffed the dove into a bag he had prepared earlier and continued onward.

He used the wooden stick in his hand to part the grass, revealing a stalk of Black Sage within.

Sage had never originally come in black. It was said to be a variant that had only appeared after the great changes in heaven and earth.

Its deep black color was so rich that a faint halo seemed to flow across its surface.

Some said it was a lethal poison tainted by the aura of Evil Spirits.

Taking out his herb spade, Kraun carefully dug up the herb intact, roots and all, then solemnly placed it in a small wooden box.

The new knowledge brought by his increased Herbalism proficiency told him that Black Sage was more than ten times as potent as ordinary sage. In a sense, calling it poison would not be wrong.

With Black Sage, he could make a more potent ointment for treating bruises and injuries.

Although he was only on the outskirts of the mountains, Kraun had harvested quite a lot.

Gorse, Bruise Herb, and Earth Root Herb quickly filled his herb pack halfway. He had also hunted two pheasants and a wild rabbit.

The sun slanted westward, casting a red glow over the surroundings.

Based on experience, Kraun estimated that it was around four in the afternoon.

He began heading back. In this day and age, camping outdoors at midnight was extremely dangerous.

Wandering Evil Spirits or Monsters would happily accept such a feast.

When he returned near his mount, the mule had already eaten all the tender grass around the birch tree.

Kraun set down the game and herb bag, found several larger stones, and prepared to practice Marksmanship.

He had not spotted many prey animals, so he had only fired a few shots.

He raised a stone and hurled it hard into the air, then held his gun one-handed and swiftly took aim.

"Bang, bang!"

He fired twice in a row before hitting the target.

After tilting his head and pondering for a moment, Kraun continued shooting.

Strands of insight filled his mind. By the time he used up all the Bullets in his pack, the chance of his first shot hitting a rapidly flying stone had risen to around eighty percent.

A golden wall appeared before his eyes.

[Marksmanship: 1026/5000; Tier 3] (You never miss stationary targets at short and medium range, and you also have a high hit rate against moving targets.)

At this rate of improvement, his Marksmanship skill would advance in another four or five days.

Kraun nodded in satisfaction and took out six Bullets from the small pouch threaded onto his belt.

His former self had specially sewn it for the purpose of ensuring that his Revolver always had Bullets in it.

After quickly reloading, Kraun gathered his belongings, mounted the mule, and began the return journey.

When he rounded a bend, emerged from the forest, and reached the northeastern corner of Mr. Lockent's ranch, he stopped involuntarily.

The corner was covered by a coarse net and was where the ranch owner raised chickens.

Several fierce lion-headed geese and several goats were also kept inside the chicken yard.

Kraun widened his eyes as he watched what was happening inside.

A long-haired black goat rose onto its hind legs, curled its forelegs like a kangaroo's, and walked toward a small wooden hut with its door open.

Three chickens lined up behind the goat, following it blankly.

After the animals entered the hut, Kraun led the mule back into the forest and tied it to a tree.

He moved to a concealed spot and observed the hut.

Not long afterward, perhaps ten minutes later.

The goat emerged from the hut on all fours.

Its mouth was chewing, with a chicken's claw still sticking out.

It lured them in, then ate the chickens. This goat had become a demon!

Having reached his conclusion, Kraun stopped looking in that direction and retreated to where his mount was.

The sun began to set. Kraun mounted his mule again, left the forest, and galloped toward town.

As he passed the chicken yard, he glanced at the goat that had eaten the chicken and found that the black goat had a mouthful of grass between its teeth and was also watching him with its head tilted.

A humanlike gleam showed in the goat's rectangular pupils.

Suppressing the faint chill crawling through his heart, Kraun urged the mule onward as though nothing had happened.

At noon the next day, at the church.

Kraun told Father Nick about the strange sight he had witnessed at Lockent Ranch.

Nick half-closed his eyes and nodded lightly. "It should be an Evil Spirit possession, without a doubt."

"Evil Spirits—what exactly are they? Can they possess animals too?"

"You can understand them as spiritual creatures of a kind. Ordinary people cannot see their forms without special means. Only Mystics can observe them with their own eyes. Some Evil Spirits feed on human emotions, while others feed on the abundant vitality and blood of animals. Evil Spirits that possess animals belong to the latter kind."

Father Nick stood up and said, "I'm going to change clothes. Interested in seeing how an Evil Spirit is eliminated?"

"Of course!"

Kraun could not have asked for more. He felt that after he expressed his desire to accept the church's training, Father Nick had become much kinder toward him and had even invited him to observe.

Nick changed quickly, leaving Kraun stunned.

He wore a silver half-suit of armor, carried an Iron-clad Round Shield large enough to cover most of his body in his left hand, and held a Flail in his right.

Kraun's eye twitched as he looked at the spiked iron ball the size of a casserole pot.

Father Nick was lean, but the weapons in his hands did not look light at all.

Kraun had once considered being a deadbeat and dragging out his debt repayment. Fortunately, they had not come into conflict.

"Should we notify the Patrol Squad?"

"No. Those people would be of no use against Evil Spirits."

The two led out two fine horses from the church stable and galloped toward the eastern outskirts of town.

At Lockent Ranch, Lockent was greatly surprised to see Nick and Kraun arrive in full battle gear.

He gave Kraun a suspicious glance and asked in confusion, "Father, what happened?"

"You tell him!"

Father Nick turned and gave the order, then said to Lockent, "Take us to the chicken yard."

Kraun smiled at his major customer. "Sir, yesterday I discovered the identity of the chicken thief in your chicken yard."

Lockent became even more puzzled.

He had found the chicken thief. Logically, shouldn't he have told the victim directly? Why had he notified the church's Father first?