Moonbrook, Part Two

A white figure flashed past in the distance. Still shaken, Linda pointed anxiously in that direction. "A ghost! It was right there—I saw it."

Everyone looked where Linda was pointing. Siso, in particular, wore an unbelieving expression. "Where? Miss Linda, were you seeing things?" Alpha also teased, "Even if there was one, you took part in a war. You've seen dead people, yet you're afraid of ghosts? You're hardly much of a priest." Linda immediately snapped back, "Why can't I be? I've been afraid of those floaty ghost things since I was born. If you're so capable, don't come looking for me when you get hurt." Peru secretly laughed from the side. "And you!" Linda glared at Peru and said viciously.

The matter of the ghost quickly passed. After the group had gone far away, a pale, translucent woman emerged from the shadows and stared in the direction they had left.

The sky gradually darkened, and a faint glow shone from the distance. Peru checked the map again. "That's it. It's right ahead." He led everyone forward.

"Who goes there? Halt! This is a military zone. Unauthorized personnel are forbidden from entering," a soldier said, stopping them. Peru glanced at Alpha. "We're a patrol from Sentinel Hill. We happened to pass by, and since it's getting late, we came here to stay the night and learn about the situation here." He handed over his military badge.

After inspecting the badge, the soldier's expression softened considerably. "So you're from headquarters. Come in quickly. It's fortunate you made it here. It would have been dangerous if you'd spent the night in town." With that, he led them into the camp. Bringing them before the largest tent, he reported, "Reporting, sir! Personnel from headquarters have arrived. I have brought them here." "Come in," a voice called from within. They lifted the tent flap and saw a refined middle-aged man sitting inside, reading a book. When he saw them enter, he hurriedly stood up, put down his book, and walked over. "Welcome to our camp. You've traveled a long way, so you surely haven't eaten. Someone, tell the kitchen to prepare more food." He quickly ushered them to the table and seated them, smiling warmly. "Please wait a moment, and dinner will be ready. Make sure you eat your fill. Here, have some water to warm yourselves up and get some rest."

They could not refuse, so they sat down. Everyone held a cup of water, but no one drank. The middle-aged man opened the conversation. "By the way, my name is Rudolf. I'm the commander here. May I ask what you people from headquarters have come here to do?" After exchanging looks, everyone pushed Alpha forward. "Hello, sir. My name is Alpha, captain of this squad. This is Miss Linda, Peru, and Siso." He introduced them one by one. "We were ordered by the lord to conduct an investigation here."

Rudolf asked in surprise, "An investigation? This place has always been peaceful. What is there to investigate? It's full of abandoned houses, and hardly anyone lives here." Alpha asked curiously, "Sir, don't you know about what happened a few days ago? The Defias Brotherhood's stronghold has been identified. It is somewhere in this area, though we don't yet know its exact location. That is why the lord sent us here to investigate. We hope for your full cooperation, sir, and that you can assign some men to assist us."

Rudolf hurriedly said, "It is my duty. I will certainly give you my full support. Come, the food has just arrived. It is only simple fare; I hope you won't mind."

After dinner, they were led to a tent to rest. Siso poked his head out and looked around before nodding at Alpha. "There's no one else nearby." Linda immediately said, "Wasn't that too rash, sir? You revealed our purpose completely. Is that really all right?" Before Alpha could speak, Peru cut in, "Miss Linda, please don't say that. You are questioning our faith and the oath we soldiers have sworn." Peru became more agitated as he spoke. Linda knew she had said something wrong, but she could not bring herself to back down and silently sat off to the side.

Alpha stepped in to smooth things over. "Uncle Peru, don't take it to heart. Linda was only concerned about our safety. We do not doubt a soldier's oath, but we cannot lower our guard. We must always remain cautious. And Linda, I had my reasons for doing this. If we conduct our business under someone else's nose, they will eventually see through us. It would be better to say it sooner. Perhaps we might even gain some unexpected information."

Knowing she had misspoken, and hearing Alpha's words, Linda awkwardly said to Peru, "Uncle Peru, I was wrong. I shouldn't have doubted your faith." With that, she bowed deeply. Peru immediately did not know what to do. He wanted to help her up but did not dare, so he could only say anxiously from the side, "Priest Linda, please rise. My tone was too harsh as well. As a knight, how could I allow a lady to bow her head to me?"

Watching the two before them, Alpha and Siso exchanged a glance. One problem had been resolved.

Everyone had a rather pleasant first night. Early the next morning, Rudolf immediately found them a soldier to serve as a guide and help them investigate Moonbrook. However, the soldier's face was deathly pale.

Just as they had learned before, Moonbrook was truly desolate beyond belief. It could be said that not even animals could be found here, much less people. The soldier explained, "Other than some thieves, there are only undead here. But these undead come in two kinds. The undead that appear during the day are not very dangerous, and they are quite shy. You can hardly even see them. But at night, the undead slowly begin to appear, along with another type of undead that is far more dangerous. Especially their wailing—it can rupture a person's eardrums." Without noticing the group's expressions, the soldier continued, "Actually, you're quite lucky. You found our camp. If you had camped in town at night, you might have encountered those undead. If you were lucky, you could have made it out alive. If you weren't..." The soldier did not continue.

Linda's face turned exceptionally pale. "I-I saw undead yesterday. When are we leaving this place? I have a worse and worse feeling about this." Siso quickly supported Linda to keep her from falling and comforted her. "Don't be afraid. I'm here. If the undead dare come, I'll make sure they never return." Countless thoughts arose in Alpha's mind as he watched the two of them.

The soldier led them on a circuit through the town. "Aren't there supposed to be thieves here? Why isn't there a single person in sight? It's so quiet too." Peru voiced everyone's doubts. As though he had anticipated the question, the soldier answered without hesitation, "Thieves come according to the season too. Besides, the commander has been managing things strictly lately. How would they dare come out and cause trouble? There's nothing worth taking here, and it's dangerous, so they've probably all left."

After hearing this, no one said anything more.

After returning to camp and having dinner, they went back to the same tent to rest.

A conversation came from Rudolf's tent. "How was it? Did they say anything? Did they notice anything unusual?" "No. I'd say they're probably just here for appearances. They even brought a woman along. That woman is terrified of the undead. You should have seen her expression when I told them about the undead today." "Enough. Don't say so much. Whether it's real or not, the leader has already given the order. Tie them up first, then talk. Once they are fully asleep, secretly release sleeping incense into their tent. After they are completely unconscious, bind them with iron chains. Wrap several extra loops around that knight in particular. Then gag every last one of them. Better safe than sorry." "Yes, understood. I'll handle it immediately." The tent fell silent once more, and the night remained as tranquil as ever.