One chapter of Fourth Prince was posted just now...
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"They died yesterday, and they were killed by magic beasts," Regina said after she observed the remains of the victims. "Most likely, a group of magic beasts attacked the village and killed everybody in it. Perhaps a wolf pack?"
"It wasn't a wolf pack." Princess Elwha shook her head. "Look at this, this is the footprint of a horse, or perhaps a bull. And this one belongs to a lizard. Also, you can see feathers right there. They probably belonged to a flying magic beast."
"In other words, they were attacked by a group of different magic beasts?" Eres asked, and Elwha nodded. "I think so."
Bloed fell deep into thought. He ordered Oculus to fly around the village to see if he could find traces of the monsters, but the eye in the sky found nothing noteworthy.
That was normal, though. The attack had happened yesterday. The beasts had enough time to leave.
But–
"Why did these beasts attack this village?" Liu Ying asked the question that was in Bloed's mind.
The group looked at each other with pensive expressions. Eventually, Bloed voiced his guess.
"Something or someone was commanding them." He said with a heavy expression.
Elwha nodded. "Magic beasts generally don't cooperate with other species unless a powerful beast is commanding them. Perhaps a demigod-level magic beast?"
"There is another possibility," Bloed's face was solemn. "Returning Dusk."
Regina and Liu Ying's faces hardened.
They remembered what happened in Calice City, just after they left the Exiled Lands.
Back then, Calice City was attacked by a horde of beasts.
And these beasts were being controlled by Returning Dusk.
That was their first confrontation with Returning Dusk.
When Bloed told Elwha and Eres about his guess, the expressions of the two girls turned serious.
"Do you think that they are behind it?" Eres asked.
"It's possible." Bloed nodded. "However, I'm not certain."
"What are we going to do then?" Elwha asked, and the rest of the group looked at Bloed.
Bloed furrowed his brows and thought about the situation. Eventually, he heaved a sigh.
"For now, nothing."
"Huh?"
"Our goal is to transport the Heart of the Forest. We don't have the leisure to get involved in anything else."
The girls nodded, agreeing with Bloed's opinion.
Thus, the group decided to ignore the destroyed village and continue in their way.
But soon, they became unable to ignore it.
Just a few hours after finding the first destroyed village, they found another. Then, they found another, and another, and another.
When the night arrived, they had found over ten destroyed villages, making the group's expressions ugly.
But it was just the start. The situation worsened in the following days. As they advanced, they met more and more destroyed villages. Once, they even saw a group of magic beasts devouring the corpses of a caravan that they had just eradicated.
Not just that, the number of magic beasts in the surroundings increased greatly, forcing the group to be more careful with their movements to avoid meeting them.
Even though most of the magic beasts weren't that powerful, Bloed wanted to avoid fighting them if it was possible. He was afraid of the fluctuations of the battle attracting more magic beasts, or perhaps the men of one of the churches.
If the latter happened, the men of the churches could discover that the group was carrying the Heart of the Forest.
But as the situation worsened, it became harder and harder to avoid the magic beasts.
Several times, they were close to being discovered.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Liu Ying's brows were furrowed. "I feel like these beasts are blocking our way."
Bloed said nothing, but he was thinking the same as Liu Ying.
... For some reason, he had been feeling uneasy since they learned about the beasts.
It was a strange feeling, as though something evil and wicked was targeting him. He felt like he was dancing in the palm of someone's hand.
Eventually, Bloed decided that they could not continue like this.
"Regina, where is the closest city?"
"… Armero City is fifty kilometers away. It's bordering the Sun Kingdom."
"Good. Let's go there. Perhaps someone there can tell us something about what is happening."
Regina, Liu Ying, and the others nodded. They then changed their course towards Armero City.
But when they arrived, they noticed that the situation was more serious than they expected.
The city was very well guarded, filled with soldiers on the walls and the entrance.
The soldiers were looking towards the nearby forest with tense and wary expressions. Some of them showed signs of fear.
There were traces of battle all over the walls and the city gates, as well as bodies of dead magic beasts and humans that had not been carried away yet.
"… The city was attacked as well," Eres murmured.
Bloed nodded. Fortunately, it seemed like the city's defenses were enough to repel the beasts, but even so, the situation was still serious.
Judging from the expressions of the guards, the beasts had not given up yet.
"Bloed, how are we going to enter the city?" Liu Ying asked at that moment. "The guards are not letting people inside."
Bloed followed Liu Ying's gaze and looked in the direction of the city gates.
Just like Liu Ying said, the guards were not letting people inside in. There were around one hundred people waiting outside the walls to enter the city, most of them refugees, but the guards refused to let them in.
Occasionally, some important-looking people or rich-looking merchants were allowed to pass, but nobody else was given permission to enter.
"What should we do, Bloed?" Elwha asked.
"I guess we need to find another way to enter." Bloed sighed. "Regina, can you do it?"
"Understood, master."
A few minutes later, the five of them flew over the walls and entered the city without being discovered.
The atmosphere inside the city was tense and downcast. It was filled with an air of grief and fear.
Occasionally, Bloed and the others saw people crying, most likely because one of their loved ones was killed by a beast.
The city guards were patrolling the city with grave expressions. Just like the guards in the walls, they were tense and nervous.
Bloed looked around and spoke to the girls.
"… Let's find a place to stay the night and to collect information."
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