113: The King Who Fears Death

Chapter 112: The King Who Feared Death

Above the night sky, dark clouds piled up thickly, yet there was not a drop of rain.

Arthur, standing outside the house, pulled his fur coat tighter.

The temperature in Qingfeng Valley was much lower than outside.

The night was deep, and aside from the occasional croaking of frogs and chirping of insects, it was silent around the house.

Arthur couldn't sleep.

Ever since he dispelled the Night Mist, nightmares had followed him like a shadow, disturbing him again and again.

Just then, Gedada walked out of the house.

Her big, round eyes glowed in the darkness.

That appearance was truly unsettling.

After dinner, Arthur had ordered a short rest here.

Granny's small house was large enough to accommodate all of them.

"You are troubled by nightmares, young man."

Granny spoke, pinpointing Arthur's problem with a single sentence.

"You are—" As soon as the words left his mouth, Arthur reacted.

Night Hags were most adept at entering dreams.

They would invade the dreams of humanoids while they slept.

They would inject fear and doubt into their victims' minds, causing the victims to perform evil deeds upon waking.

Afterward, the Night Hag would visit every night until the victim died in their sleep.

"You said a lot just now, but you also concealed a lot," Granny said again, "If there are too many secrets in your heart, it will attract dream demons."

Arthur sat on a stone, his gaze directed towards the dark swamp not far away.

Gedada had cast a spell in this body of water to conceal her tracks.

"I dispelled the Night Mist, that mist that turns living beings into undead," he said slowly, "But inside the mist, I saw some things."

"I know those were illusions, but they turned into nightmares, constantly tormenting me."

"You dispelled the mist?" Gedada was quite surprised, "No wonder my scrying pool reflected your image many times."

"I can't interfere too much with the affairs of Qingfeng Valley, and my sisters would never allow me to do so."

"They see me as an anomaly and wish to completely erase me from this world, so I can only hide here."

Upon hearing this, Arthur asked, full of confusion, "The Dark Lord has fallen into a deep slumber."

"His control over Qingfeng Valley is not what it used to be."

"You could easily leave here and live outside."

Granny chuckled softly, replying, "I have thought about it, but I can't leave that little girl."

"Are you referring to Miss Heir?"

"Yes, that little one has excellent magical talent."

"Children like her, in Qingfeng Valley, would soon be abducted by the Throne Seers and trained to be wizards loyal to darkness." Seeing Arthur's confused expression, Granny explained, "The Throne Seers are a group of wizards who serve the Dark Lord."

"They seek out and interpret all magic-related matters for the Dark Lord."

"Now that their master is gone, these wizards are like mad dogs without a home, biting anyone they see."

"They perform sacrifices day and night, hoping to find a way to bring the Dark Lord back."

"And Heir, she has ancient blood flowing in her veins, making her the perfect sacrifice."

"I see." Arthur nodded. "You've lived here for so long; you must know a lot about the Dark Lord, right?"

Granny laughed again: "Just some ancient legends."

"If you really want to hear them, I can tell you."

Seeing Arthur nod, Gedada began to narrate slowly: "His true name is Marcus."

"He doesn't belong here; a long, long time ago, he led his army to occupy this place, and then he crowned himself king, becoming the sole ruler of Qingfeng Valley."

"But like most mortals, he would grow old, and he feared death."

"So, this king who feared death recruited a large number of wizards and formed the Throne Seers, sending them to find any method that could grant immortality."

"As for the story after that, it's nothing more than a king craving immortality falling into darkness and becoming an undying vampire monster."

"Bards would love a story like that," Arthur said, "But there seems to be a lot more hidden within."

"Many things, like the mist in Qingfeng Valley, are ethereal and illusory, and the truth and falsehood are no longer verifiable."

"Only that slumbering king himself knows the truth."

"If you're interested, you can investigate it yourself later."

"The most urgent matter right now is the undead attacking Mist Town."

"Indeed." Arthur agreed. "So, do you have any clues?"

Gedada shook her head: "I haven't left this small island for a long time."

"Heir and Mr. Zai told me about the outside world."

"Regarding these undead, I really can't tell you too much."

"However, my friends in the forest told me that the undead are gathering near Mist Town."

"But since you dispelled the mist, I don't think they will launch an attack rashly."

"Why?"

"Because they need to rely on the mist to resist the power beneath the church."

This means there are about two days to prepare.

Arthur thought to himself.

Granny finally looked at the holy book slung over Arthur's shoulder: "I can feel a power flowing within that book."

"It is very similar to the power beneath the church."

"Did you dispel the mist using this power?"

Arthur nodded.

Granny didn't ask further, she just pulled out a palm-sized cloth doll from her pocket and handed it to Arthur: "Take this with you." "Heir used to have nightmares when she was little; I made this for her, it can help ward off dreams."

Arthur thanked Gedada and took the cloth doll.

Granny murmured: "Heir isn't a bad child, it's just that successive blows have made her very desperate."

"I think, perhaps your appearance can bring her some hope."

"According to our investigation, many cultists who worship Night Mist have appeared nearby," Ilay said to the others at dinner, "I think we can make good use of these guys."

Ingabado interjected with his unpleasant voice: "Leave this to me."

"These people can serve as manpower to govern that land."

"Do you want me to send more people to you?" Ilay asked.

Ingabado shook his head: "No need, I am a priest of the Prince of Lies."

"Deception and exploitation are our strengths."

"What do you plan to do?" Alfred asked.

The priest replied, "Didn't you say that the commander is preparing to deal with the undead creatures near the fortress?"

"Then I can guide these blind fools to attack the army."

"Arthur brought them hope, so I will personally extinguish that hope."

Alfred took a sip of wine and said with a smile, "A group of insignificant cultists probably won't cause much trouble for the army, will they?"

"Then I will find a way to make them useful," Ingabado said, "Don't worry, my lord, I have my ways."