Chapter 79: Second day of the Grand Spring Tournament (Part 1)
After the first day of the Great Spring Tournament, time continued to pass while, in the darkness, various forces moved in coordination.
Several kilometers from the city, Karlos and his group had settled in a remote village. The atmosphere there was deceptively peaceful.
The farmers worked diligently under the warm sun. Some herded the few cows toward makeshift stables, locking them behind patched fences. Others threw handfuls of feed to the pigs while repairing the nets on the fish ponds, reinforcing them against nocturnal predators.
Their faces showed satisfaction, not because of hope, but because of habit. It was the expression of those who had learned to smile.
Karlos continued until he came to a rather isolated house that was about to collapse. There, in an old apple tree, on one of its branches.
A decomposing corpse swung gently, hanging by the neck. The torso was bloated, covered in burst sores and greenish flesh, while swarms of flies buzzed like a living cloud around it.
High in the sky, a group of red-winged vultures circled patiently, waiting for the intruders to leave the scene so they could descend and feast.
Karlos frowned slightly and brought his sleeve up to his face. The stench was thick, as if death had rotted in layers.
The information was correct. He thought coldly.
According to what the young man with the coin mask had revealed, a wild beast of Viscount rank was lurking nearby.
So they continued after verifying the information given by the young man.
As you entered the forest, the dampness of the ground absorbed the rustling of the leaves, and the wind barely stirred the branches. With each step, the signs became more evident: hoofprints pressed deep into the ground, broken branches, traces of mud. It wasn’t one or two. It was a herd.