Chapter 104: Watchman in the barley field (3)
rS6On a dark night, Vlad lay on a low hill with the soldiers.FYM
69bBiIt was a bit amusing, but it was better to remain hidden as he was doing now to see who came and went in the barley field in front of him.1OTZg
xPD4zA“The child who was said to have disappeared actually disappeared nearby.”bl5d
2xZKF“…”MWXtrC
uWPTGThe basis of hiding is secrecy.6qjxT
n7E6a1It would be common sense to hide nearby as if they weren’t there, but the commander of the knights who kept chatting next to Vlad seemed to not have that concept in mind.KieP
WMuvUZ8“They said they dug a very deep hole right next to where the child disappeared.”iMb
OBPJI know why he pretends to be so friendly and clings to me.ERu
ICKSince he’s a knight, you’d want to use him as much as possible.wdYU
8p5pinKPerhaps Baron Dalmatia would want to take responsibility for the missing child this morning.URJ2M
rAibvYM“That can’t be possible.”AXv2WE
dkZbIt’s a pity the child disappeared, but that doesn’t mean we can take care of all of Dobrechi’s problems.7v5
q4hvlwEI accepted this mission to protect the barley field because I thought it was definitely related to the spirits.RiNZG
UIhVYTI only accepted it because I thought the guardian’s mission to protect the barley field was definitely related to the spirits.NOY9
BrA“The young girl was a very straight and decent girl, how unfortunate. Today again, the mother came to the residence crying and lamenting…”DmWe
udYH“Wait a moment.”HrV1
w66The leader of the knights fell silent when Vlad hurriedly reached out his hand.cvH
wyvZbVlad may not have done it on purpose, but the clod of earth filling his mouth made a frown appear on the leader’s face.lxJwMu
WDCNKf“Can’t you hear?”7Ub
awOQyzZ“Tsk, tsk. What’s that…”0RiN4NF
d65ZC5iIn the darkness, Vlad’s ears began to tremble alertly.TGkHnA
icKMy ear, trained from a young age for smuggling, was doing its job.fJI
A10Pgxy“God.”owk
fiutQJust a moment ago, Vlad was trying to hide even the sound of his breathing, but now he was running down the hill as fast as a wolf running to its prey.ysc
hktrwI“Keep going! Follow Lord Vlad!”h8SlSfH
nHQ7vThe soldiers who were hiding at the sudden charge from Vlad hurriedly followed him, but they all simply crashed, fell, and rolled down the dark hill.qlrK0C
4DKYGOn the contrary, Vlad’s agile movements in a place where the moonlight was not visible seemed strange.emXlm1G
F0gbbbs“Ah. Lord Vlad. Why all of a sudden?”bq6
7nQPsMxHowever, the only thing the soldiers who managed to get down the hill saw was Vlad looking down at the barley field with a dejected expression.kS8
lER“It’s been stolen.”SfNFoB
Bmn“Yes?”Ct8OUhe
TJ9lIn the barley field that was hastily illuminated with a torch at Vlad’s words, the seeds that had been sown during the day had vanished and were nowhere to be seen.0eZMupm
Sm5IS“How can this be?”6dx
kkmtgBaron Dalmatia’s Knight Commander was bewildered by the sight, which was hard to believe.KgZ
LLI6ZiuNo matter how dark it was, they were clearly watching, so how could this have happened?nVNVD
8p0G8“Did you bring a shovel?”TwMSp8
Ci1NvY“Yes. Here.”2te
Kr4KY6IThe leader and the soldiers were all embarrassed and didn’t know what to do, but a soldier standing next to him handed Vlad a shovel and began digging in the barley field.oV8B
zAqXI couldn’t stop him, but I had to do my best until the end to find at least one clue.n7Jf2
O1Kt“I heard it clearly.”5lB
KjqI definitely heard something moving.ClN
RuSgmTBut now there were no tracks nearby, and nothing was moving even with his sharp senses on the hill.MkHMd12
GtYXOIf that’s the case, wouldn’t there be only one possibility?qxIb3
A51“…Captain. How far is it from here to where the girl disappeared that I mentioned earlier?”WtPk1
9omZACs“Not far. It’s just a matter of climbing that hill.”kkP9
2lxVlad finally finished digging.TYl1
tWtZ5Seeing Vlad looking at the hole he had dug seemed unusual.epwS
JMnG0t“But why is there…”gZP
l4Bf“Torch.”EWYO9
ldCTBQKInstead of answering the question, Vlad took the torch handed to him by the soldier and looked at the spot he had dug.0UcFL
DEK0v“What is this…”6ctb9
XmVHxcY“Huh.”CLaS
jliNuUnderneath the barley field, they finally saw it.2diQ
YhRThe leader and the soldiers couldn’t help but be surprised by what they were seeing.AgUfDQ4
h8vK3The place Vlad looked at with the torch was a deep hole that had already been dug even though Vlad hadn’t dug it.PYZVw42
wn4“Did you say there was a hole where the girl disappeared?”R7Jdjr
D7BXvhA deep hole dug under a barley field.JWGxKh
LkQxBAlthough it was small in size, the depth of the pit was so dark that it was impossible to look underneath even with the light from a torch.Ya5l5e9
O1SN“I suppose I should go take a look. Over there.”Qw4t5D
OzuNo one dared to open their mouth as they looked at the hole that didn’t seem to have been dug by humans.HIP6y
acoLverBecause everyone could see that something unknown surrounded Dobrechi.NOYdO
UKF7ZDhOn a dark night, Vlad, standing alone under a lit torch, looked down at the black pit and silently closed his left eye.Uqgj3e3
8Cl***1iq
0W5It’s too strange to be the work of an animal or a monster.oZHW
IzatnkuIf hungry creatures from the forest fell, would it be necessary to unearth only the seeds, leaving behind the houses and cattle right in front of them?dpoGQG
f7xauxvThat too, while digging the hole.zUfbOKw
WG0xk“So, what does Mr. Vlad say he’s doing now?”Pm5xS
9TFuWppThe knight commander who guarded the barley field with Vlad last night tilted his head and reported to Baron Dalmatia.UKK9gtw
hSE3eASince there were only two knights in the territory, he, as the leader, knight, and advisor, had to show his face here and there.EYLm0ho
hIdJ“He went with me to the place where the child disappeared… and now we’re gathering the village elders.”T4tp
WvKfF“The elders? Why on earth?”WHjZq1
HlDnDgAlthough it was something I asked for, I don’t think it’s a great inconvenience.ral5Q
ImtzHowever, what couldn’t be done now was the fact that behind the knight called Vlad, there was a great ally named Bayezid.4X7
EQhtEven limiting his investigative authority here would have been a great insult, and it was possible that something even more difficult would arise later than now.FfE
7TO“I think they’re trying to ask the elders about their past.”A5Ml2t
nSN“What happened in the past?”vOMCi
eNNnVBaron Dalmatia. seemed a little displeased after hearing the leader’s words.ZanrQ
ldw39A mountainous territory on the central periphery.cilz9
7IAThis is because in this place outside the sphere of influence of the church, ancient traditions that have been passed down for a long time still persist.JiAqQ
2708fcP“Older people won’t say anything strange, will they?”gxkHFN
KSv“Don’t you get wiser as you get older? They won’t say anything that could put the church in front of an unknown knight.”rbDU
nXFZY8In response to the leader’s reply, Baron Dalmatia. rubbed his temple and sighed.lwp6f
jffLJnI thought it would just be a matter of catching a monster, but I never thought it would be this big.UGJjCpD
wrxiv“Put someone by his side. Don’t ask about weird things for no reason.”fTSMDLZ
tMth“Okay.”ZsX
pWJB7lLStill, there would be no change in the fact that Vlad is the person needed to solve this problem.VatA
u8oIt was clear that his sword would be sharper than that of the knight commander bowing before his eyes.6Qzt
VSNlAHi***de95EVW
De0WHNo“Elders. Don’t you feel sorry for the missing girl? At least a clue you know could save that girl!”CF31
zsGaHf5Elders are wise, but they may not always make the right decisions.Exo8
ntYEspecially when there’s a swindler speaking in front of you.Ds01rHf
tBi0hSY“Perhaps he’s still trapped in some hole, crying…”cdR
kGTUtWX“The knight I serve has no intention of harming you. You’re simply burning with passion for this job!”uMVgXu
6fmv2QPIn front of the gathered elders, Goethe’s tongue was constantly moving.2LP3
uXR1tHDVlad, who was observing the scene, thought he looked like a medicine vendor.Gemo
YfP8Gd“Isn’t there really something you’re wondering about? All of this…”V1ZNC
i1X0“…It existed.”0aTf4
lJlmsTrust in Vlad, sympathy for the missing girl, and even the threat of imminent danger.s1gcV
M2Pci“Oh, old man. At last.”wdkr0JF
GlyOne elder finally began to be drawn in by the swindler’s well-utilized blend of threats and conciliation.QMZWf
cwEOz0“The disappearance of the barley has been happening for a long time.”rUQ
1al“When we were young, we used to perform ancestral rites.”2UMyl
5OK5u1n“The church comes and tells us not to do that.”OeVc
27JPKAs soon as one person fell for the swindler’s deception, testimonies began to emerge from all sides.IchXN
0KLisI4It seemed that the elders were also somewhat frustrated with the current situation.2jGP
lhtrJEc“But a child has never disappeared.”1nov4ZA
iEt“I’ve been bitten by wolves, but never swallowed by a hole. Well then.”9xu03F
QmUThe Dalmatia knight listening to the elders began to grow uneasy.tgN1QYU
UQKThat’s because the smile Vlad showed was deep and meaningful.6dLy
eYGj“What’s the sacrifice for?”U2chGwd
eiPIEE“….”UQmT
0FJDHJThe elders turned their heads at the sudden question, looked into Vlad’s bright blue eyes, and began to clam up again.TaEW
i61aQA“What kind of sacrifice is this? Elderly people. If you don’t tell me, I won’t be able to save the child.”gB96v
q91msHI“Earth spirits. There are earth spirits in the forest.”KAFcXq
UtD“It’s not so bad, it’s the kind of person who makes the land fertile if you perform a ritual for them.”xEVhlv
nnV“But nowadays, forests are burned to clear the land.”Bnx
CtGdOGoethe shrugged as he looked at Vlad, who was behind him listening to the elders.dzBX
ekee8yIt was a reaction that Vlad, with his fierce eyes and shining armor, could not achieve.HEvD3M
Q3EfPXa“Find out what an earth spirit is and I’ll be outside.”kPgFkFk
S9bVHRL“Understood.”axv1H4
qrw4NAs soon as Vlad realized he was only in the way, he whispered quietly to Goethe and left.PMhxPe
i18EeAs expected, people had to be used in the right places, and Goethe was more suited as a swindler than a stable keeper.xi4zMQK
VKv7Iz“Mr. Vlad. There’s nothing strange about ancestral rites.”VHN
gkeUhB“I know.”ON0FXM
3wxUVlad, who had been smiling significantly a moment ago at the knight’s excuse, suddenly began to wear a dignified smile on his face.CrJ
43ToMIt was the smile Countess Oksana had taught him to wear in front of women.RwZ
IvLDUJ“As you’ve lived for a long time, there are rules you have no choice but to follow. I understand.”O6Y3X
z59cLkeOffering sacrifices to beings other than God amounted to idolatry.CqZoAy
02HZQAlthough the treatment of elder beings persisted not only in Dobrechi but also elsewhere, all of them were banned by the Church.HUGn
ya88If something were to be discovered, it could have been a great disaster, so the knight was in trouble at the moment.SrOBpi
cEn8“I swear to God that I will only concern myself with finding the missing child and the barley thief.”nC8
w1w4However, Vlad pretended not to know what had happened and said he would ignore it, so Baron Dalmatia had no choice but to nod.AGQD
1uHZU“Ahh. Thank you, Mr. Vlad.”HHoLKN
oqMA swindler inside and a pickpocket outside deceived people.n4w5Mv
aa86QStill, the reason they could have more confidence than before was probably because they were genuinely trying to solve the problem in Dobrechi.V8o
gsjxBecause Vlad and Goethe with the banner were no longer criminals but knights and squires.PNL
cd7E***icAlY9
7Nxc“It feels like some kind of spirit. They say that in ancient times, ancestral rituals were performed for them.”EB2Lg
D0k5“Hmm. Yes.”aeJdGv
h4AFgPcIt was fortunate that it was a rural area where ancient customs were still maintained.GfNCHAJ
yZnxIndeed, in Dobrechi, there were still customs related to spirits.nwvm7
uqRecv“They say the lord burned down the forest and cleared it to expand his field. The place where ancestral rituals were already performed was supposedly the barley field that the captain had dug at that time. Isn’t it eerie?”NK28Q
KWD52pXGoethe grasped his shoulders with both hands as if he were enjoying his own words.R2QfrH
ZnDUFrom Goethe’s perspective, it might be a boring story.jGF5
2LiUFbCelebrating an ancestral rite and offering sacrifices to an unknown being.ztmRizo
Wb2atHowever, from Vlad’s perspective, upon hearing it, it felt like finding water in a dry desert.8oxeQgp
5B5H3YH“What are earth spirits?”M0hD3
Ukxnkg“Earth spirits are now a story related to agriculture.”bXqh
hzgXMuThe beings that have been worshiped in Dobrechi for a long time have been those related to the earth.v84VdII
KQ7H6From the perspective of the people of the territory who lived and cultivated in the barren land, there would be nothing they could trust more than earth-related spirits.7hYtY4v
c0HeJj1“They say that when ancestral rituals were performed, the land became fertile. To cultivate, one must dig deep into the soil. They say the earth spirit did that. It doesn’t make sense.”8qM
S9vfHJZWhy doesn’t it make sense?e9xn9RF
gDvQ2There are also snakes that live in trees.R06rc0
rge1The snake even had the ability to change the weather.7gXVP3
NfRBgCompared to the white snake that even helps lemons grow in the cold north, fertilizing the soil would be an easy task.4LT3VtI
Z46i9N“…Anyway, I think it likes barley and lives underground.”kHyI
OjRT3EVlad raised his head and looked at the sky.ilEfb
UNA2Night was approaching.A1CZJC
LQmOzR“It seems he also likes dark places.”zAL
pLXLpgThe barley always disappeared at night.oJwwAcT
fPmC6Naturally, those who live underground prefer dark places to sunlight.FWq
1VmKbI don’t know if it’s related, but it was cold, so we’ll have to act quickly to find the missing girl.HjxZwU
JpaWh“Go fetch some barley.”JcRk51Q
owJ61w“Barley?”MCGdC8E
N9qvkJoseph always liked to predict his opponent’s moves.SlDx
Uh5DfHe was a man who planned the game, predicted it, and thus produced results.dQQ3ud
ir3FHOQ“Yes. barley.”IabQj
tPp5xU0I didn’t know his exact identity yet, but I knew what he liked.JnJ5OhS
nriIf so, maybe I can make some predictions.2yyd
bmxjBecause there was something I learned from observing the man with dark eyes.wckkDv
kQH6gFGNight was approaching.PVrpvF
jEFc***k5cB
fcX3Z3A completely dark night.atVcK
a7vf1SZVlad and Goethe.Xhe8qTA
TjLBNRrNeighing—CjtOJt4
k4V6SFEAnd a dark mountain road with only Noir.IAu7
AY9qE“Captain, are you alright?”2SO
KdHeGoethe looked at Vlad with an inquisitive gaze. The barley brought overnight was scattered here and there on the mountain path, but would this be enough to find the barley thief?HRfg
sTVITLR“But why do you have to put it on a rock?”aDTqoEy
c9imQq“Shh.”Ealn
warLStill, Vlad thought he could do it.sRYhVl
qRPehCOI know he’s a guy who digs the earth, but he couldn’t even break the rock.gxAvLMz
Ob4The sensation of the hard stone I felt while digging testified to that fact.jAv
pKK“Go.”k9Io
N6RhIn that case, the only way to get the barley would be to climb the rock.4FJy0
h66XNNo matter what.5ghL
JvKvOn a dark night. Something smelling the scattered barley seeds was digging into the ground.r9AiO
PmKOJClimbing onto the ground and the rock, sniffing with its wet nose.i7aQmE
4hCKwieek!yBfG4
Ig6The remnants of the voice, the protection of the white serpent, and Alicia’s amber stone. And even a black horse with spirit blood.CGI
6s2Vlad, carrying everything related to the spirit, finally saw the being that had climbed up the rock and gently closed his left eye.RwtbjLw
Cka7y3“It’s a mole.”Ex5uy
Z0k“It’s not just any mole.”L9UqKr
d4KldBzA small mole reflected in the moonlight.vraii
59qThe mole seen with the remnants of the voice had a faint yellow glow even though it was dark at night.qs9LBsz
gA9R“A glowing mole.”SvCvi3
UYek18Even now that the church spreads God’s will under a single name, the forest of Dobrechi remains a mystery.9uSopcT
G7kqJXNThe mysterious name was Shining Mole.og1Pk
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