Incomplete Clues

Old Jack lay listlessly across the counter, watching the bustling hall before him. The hunters had just brought down a big bear in the mountains and now had enough gold to pay their old bar tabs. That left Old Jack content, but also a little bored. After all, a tavern in the countryside could only cater to hunters like these. There used to be a few mercenaries who weren't afraid to die, but now there was no sign of them either... Little wonder, though. Beyond the Mist Forest lay the ruins of that evil kingdom. Who would be idle and foolish enough to go in there and get themselves killed?

"Hey, boss, another mead."

"If you're not afraid to die, drink yourself to death!"

Old Jack called back as he raised his head, picked up a wooden mug at his side, and began filling it with fine liquor made using his family's traditional craft.

Just then, the tavern door opened.

Wind and rain raging outside swept through the open door, bringing a chill into the warm tavern. Old Jack looked up at the new customers and was about to greet them, but froze instead. The hunters, who had been laughing and talking, fell silent as well. They quietly studied the newcomers, just as surprised and puzzled as Old Jack.

"Some food, please, and something piping hot to drink."

The young man in the lead took off his damp outer robe, pulled a gold coin from inside it, and placed it on the table. Beside him stood a small, adorable girl, quietly holding his hand. Her long, silver-white hair drew everyone's attention, and her blood-red eyes were especially striking as well. Standing with them was a pair of twins who looked almost identical, traces of rain still clinging to their long, flaxen hair. Their beautiful azure eyes also suggested they were from the south. Both sisters had slender figures, and their rain-soaked robes clung tightly to their bodies, leaving their shapely forms almost completely on display.

Hmm, was the one with the bigger breasts the older sister?

"P-please, come in and have a seat."

Old Jack hurriedly perked up, then quickly emerged from behind the counter and led the four to seats near the stove. It was cold, and they had been caught in such heavy rain. Judging by their pale faces, they clearly needed somewhere warm. Old Jack thought no more of it. After taking the gold coin, he immediately turned to warm some fine food and drink.

"Big sister... it's a little cold..."

"No virgins, not even a prostitute... Must I really feed on these filthy boars?"

Fina's uneasy words mingled with Angela's murmured complaint, making for a particularly strange sound.

"Bear with it. And Fina, you can't feel the cold."

Li Lin patted Angela on the head, then spoke to Fina. Having become a vampire, she couldn't possibly feel cold. Rather than feeling cold, Fina was a little uncomfortable with the looks the country bumpkins sitting nearby were casting her way. It was hardly surprising, though. Country folk weren't very worldly, and most of them didn't know how to be discreet with their stares. Even Mina, who always wore a cold expression, was blushing slightly. After all, neither sister had ever been stared at so brazenly, whether back when they were human or since.

Angela evidently had no objection. As she put it, "A few looks won't take a piece out of me," so the sisters didn't make trouble for themselves either. As for Li Lin, he seemed entirely detached from the matter, too lazy to bother and unwilling to interfere.

"Master, what exactly should we do?"

After learning Li Lin's "true identity," the priestess sisters had been deeply shaken. For one thing, having lived in the temple, they had heard evil legends and stories about the Magic Empire since childhood. Naturally, they knew all about the death of Li Lin, the "Arcane Mage." When they preached their doctrine, they had even used his death in their preaching for a time.

And now, this "last, most powerful, most evil Arcane Mage" was sitting right beside them. For the sisters, both their excitement and their unease were at the highest possible level.

Whatever else could be said, he was the terrifying demon king who had once fought the Five Heroes until both sides were nearly destroyed.

Li Lin, however, had little in particular to say about the sisters. From the beginning, as far as he was concerned, they were toys given to Angela and had nothing to do with him. Therefore, whether Angela sacrificed them or saved them was none of his business. And for Li Lin, who was accustomed to being in a position of authority, having a few people to serve him wasn't a bad thing.

"Next, I plan to visit Wensains."

Li Lin took a map from inside his robe. It dated back to the Magic Empire, but apart from the different colors marking each country's territory, it was much the same as a modern map.

He reached out and pointed to a spot on the map.

"That's... do you mean the Magic-Banning Prison?"

"A prison?"

At Li Lin's question, Mina hesitated, but explained nonetheless.

"We don't know the details either. We've only heard that mages who violate the commandments are imprisoned there. The Knights Templar are in charge of it, and it's heavily guarded. But that's only what we've heard. Priestesses like us aren't qualified to enter a place like that."

"That's only because they're afraid you'd abandon your faith after seeing certain things, isn't it?"

Angela smiled coldly and picked up where Mina had left off.

"Humans who have lost their hands kneel on the ground, licking up food that has been rotten for months. Women are used like tools, passed around for the soldiers to play with, and even when they pass out like corpses, those men don't stop. Scenes like that are everywhere in human prisons. Screams, wails, death, despair—they have everything, except hope."

As she spoke, Angela narrowed her bright red eyes, her icy smile piercing the sisters like a blade.

"Good little children like you, who only have to memorize the contents of a book to get top marks-would you still cling to your faith after seeing that?"

Mina said nothing, and Fina trembled all over. Though they had begun to grow accustomed to Angela's vicious words during this time, just as a person stabbed ten thousand times would never be able to ignore it, their faith had been shattered and broken, brought to its deepest brink.

"I once left a weapon there... my weapon. I don't know if it's still there now."

Li Lin said nothing more. He had more to think about.

But when Old Jack brought the warm mead, he decided to set those matters aside for the moment. After all, some things needed careful consideration.

He had also chosen this place as his first destination because he didn't want to return to the land of his fallen country and see an enemy nation's flags flying over territory that had once belonged to his own. Beneath those flags, the people lived happy, peaceful lives, paying no attention to how many corpses and how much blood had once been spilled there. They had lost their lives defending their homes, yet even so, all they had gained in the end was defeat and death.

A thousand years later, new corpses and blood would fill this land.

Mages who violated the commandments? Perhaps they could be of help.

While Li Lin studied the map in his hands, Angela suddenly twitched an ear. Then she narrowed her eyes, an excited, expectant expression on her face.

At the same time, someone pushed open the tavern door once more.

"I'm freezing to death! Boss, bring us some good liquor!"

The burly man in the lead strode into the tavern, breathing heavily. He called out to Old Jack, then swaggered over and sat down on the other side of the stove. The men who had followed him scattered to their seats, busy shaking off both the rain and the chill it had brought.

Perhaps because they were hungry, the people who had just come in from the downpour immediately gazed longingly toward the enticing aroma of the food on Li Lin's table next to them. When they saw Angela and the twins, their eyes widened in surprise, just as the hunters' had earlier. After all, it was rare to see beauties like these in such a remote backwater.

"Hey, boss, look... how about we..."

One of the men whispered to the burly man, sneaking ill-intentioned glances at the girls before him.

"Hmm..."

The burly man was silent for a moment, but finally shook his head.

"We're not bandits. You're lucky enough to see women this pretty in a poor place like this, so stop getting any funny ideas! Once we finish this job and get back, I'll take you to Nightingale and let you have a damn good time!"

The tense atmosphere immediately eased considerably, and the hunters, whose hearts had been in their throats, relaxed. After all, they had seen scenes like this in the tavern many times before...

"Hey, brother!"

As he gnawed on some steaming roast meat, the burly man called out to Li Lin through a mouthful. Li Lin turned halfway around and quietly looked at him.

"Can I help you?"

"Where the hell are you from? You don't look like a local."

"I come from a very distant place..."

Li Lin paused.

"But if you mean nearby, I just came out of the Mist Forest."

At that, everyone's eyes shifted slightly, and the looks they gave Li Lin grew much stranger.

The Mist Forest? Was this some kind of joke? That place was notorious for people going in and never coming back. This young man looked to be in his early twenties at most, and the three girls with him were just youngsters too. What strength did they have to come out of the Mist Forest alive?

But it didn't sound like a lie either. After all, they could find out simply by asking the old militiaman who guarded the gate...

"Oh, I see..."

The burly man was taken aback by Li Lin's answer, but quickly recovered.

"In that case, we've just taken a job that requires us to visit that godforsaken place. Could you give us some information?"