Noname had no idea who Galgadoth was, the reason the name was the first to come to his mind still remained a mystery to him but he knew deep down that he had randomly heard the name from someone, but from who, when and why he heard the name wasn't a clear memory in his head
<<< Earlier that evening <<<
The cow rancher had just arrived at the barn to clean it up and prepare the cattle for their evening graze when he noticed that thirteen of the cattle in the front row of the barn were lying lifeless on the floor and some few others had blood dripping from their udder. Feared flowed like blood through his whole body even to the smallest strand of his hair, he was dumbfounded, he didn't know what to do at that moment for his hands were clean and he needed a witness or two to atest to the fact that it was not his or any human being's doing so he dashed out of the barn with fear induced speed breathing heavily and sweetened profusely. The only thing that crossed his mind was reporting the matter to Lady Chan for he knew that Lady Chan was the only one who would understand him, she was the only one who would be just and fair, he knew that she was the only one apart from the veterinarian who would know what to do in this case and what action to take as well..... and good heavens luck was on his side as he spotted Lady Chan in the botanical farm giving some instructions to the head farmer and few other farmers.
"Lady Chan!,... Lady Chan!" he shouted as he approached her.
"For royalty sake courtesy Sven! Courtesy! This is something you should not forget as far as you work here. Raising your voice from a distance as a means of communication shows nothing of it!" Lady Chan reprimanded him
"I plead mercy my Lady but even thee would put thy courtsy aside upon the sight of this emergency!"
" Tell me Sven what is the matter?"
"I swear on the King's throne that my hands are clean for even the greatest of fools will confess that this is no man's doing!...."
" Stop the jitter and get straight to the point." the head farmer said as he was already feeling tensed from the manner in which the cow rancher spoke
" Let's not rush him please....Sven go on!" Lady Chan insisted
" I arrived the barn this morning to clean up and prepare the cattle for their evening graze but just as i entered the barn i saw thirteen of them dead! The rest had blood dripping from their udder!"
"THIRTEEN?!..... BLOOD?!" the head farmer exclaimed.
" Are you sure of this?" Lady Chan inquired.
"Would I put my only source of income on the line for a joke so expensive that even the richest of Kings wouldn't buy?" he answered in assurance.
" Then lead the way!" the head farmer and Lady Chan said simultaneously.
As they embarked on the journey to the ranch, a sense of unease settled over the group. The air grew thick with tension, like a palpable fog that clung to their skin. Every step felt heavy, as if they were trudging through quicksand.Whispers circulated among the group, each one a reminder of the countless misfortunes that would befallen the kingdom if this was a supernatural case. Their curiosity kept propelling them forward, like moths to a flame. As they proceeded onwards they increased noticably in quantity, on and on they went and were met by two palace guards who voluntarily followed upon the sight of their tension filled faces.
They arrived the scene and confirmed Sven's words causing the air to grow even more oppressive, heavy with foreboding. Tension escalated, becoming almost suffocating. The atmosphere was charged with unease, reaching a boiling point. Every breath felt labored, as if the pressure itself was squeezing the air from their lungs. The mood darkened, with tension hanging heavier than before, like a challenge waiting to be met, not a single word was heard from anyone not until a farmer spoke up
" First the death of the council deputy and now the mysterious outbreak of a disease in which THIRTEEN of them dies"
This statement caused the nervousness to get even more intense
"Nonsense!...." Lady Chan exclaimed trying to wave off any negative thoughts
".....this could have been fabricated by someone just to arouse fear within us, more so winter is near so this may just be a normal side effect..."
"But my lady..." Sven interrupted
"... this is my second year working here and the last winter that came brought forth nothing of such! Even the former cow rancher did not experience such either.... this... this is a bad om..."
"Shut up...." Lady Chan stopped him
"..... if you think this is what it is then you all should be certain of losing your job starting with you
>>>
When sir humphrey arrived the scene and saw Lady Chan he spoke up saying
"it's only because of you that I agreed to come here even after being lied to by these morons so tell me, what be the matter here?"
" We found out that 13 of our cattle died and the others bleed from their udder!"
" Oh! so it is? he asked with more concern
"Yes and that is why I called for you. If you could please tell us the cause... we don't mind waiting a day or two but within a week should be the limit."
"Alright then let's see..." he said as he walked close to one of the dead cattle. With a thick cloth close by and some assistance he opened the mouth of the cattle and shut it back.
" Here is a sample of the blood." Sven said as he handled him a bowl full of the cattle's blood
The spectators stood quitely and watched his action closely, some feeling disgusted as he sniffed the blood and licked a finger which he had dipped in the blood
" Ha ha ha ha..." Humphrey Burst into laughter
"...I knew it! Something like this won't happen so easily in a kingdom so blessed, this is naught but the work of man and i tell you if an ordinary physical chemist like me can find out then he is by no means a wise man. The dead cattle were poisoned and the rest were fed with red cabbage!"
"Thank you for the clarification."
"Don't mention my Lady, i'll be on my way now, i'm expecting some special guests and I can't keep them waiting."
"Bye then."
Sir Humphrey walked out and Lady Chan charged the workers to return back to work giving Sven a strict order to dispose off the dead mammals' body but keep an account in case of reference.
Everything returned to balance and the workers had gone out of the barn, Lady Chan set off for the Palace and when she was a few meters from the building she noticed something that sent a deep feeling of apprehension - the back door to her room was open. She quickly ran towards it to see if anyone was close by, but she found no one. The unease increased even rapidly as she climbed up the staircase into the wardrobe and finally the room itself, her heart sunk with worries like a heavy stone thrown into a river as she met an empty room.
"No! Please don't do this to me my Fuku...."she said worriedly. She turned towards the huge window and looked outside to see if she would find him perhaps loitering about, the only people she saw were the Queen's entourage who were keeping her company on her return from her uncle's, but there was something odd about them that caught her attention. They were all looking up! This weird action distracted Lady Chan's focused and when she looked up she saw the Royal balloon within which there were two people waving down at the Queen - Fuku and the supposed elderly guide.
Lady Chan noticed instantly from the way he waved that the person standing next to Fuku was no elder.....It was her beloved Noname!