Chapter 128: The Full Moon Deception

Chapter 128. The Full Moon Deception

My fingers moved again. The remaining scalpels descended in a beautiful, coordinated dance.

The monster’s hide peeled away in sections. Its muscles separated along their natural divisions, while its internal organs were carefully extracted and arranged across the courtyard.

The creature’s final roar dissolved into a wet gurgle as its body finally stopped moving.

Finished already? What a shame.

I lowered my hand. Before me lay the results of my little experiment. Its hide had been separated into several large pieces, its flesh arranged in neat sections, and its organs placed carefully beside the exposed skeletal remains. Practically a textbook illustration.

I approached the remains, my boots leaving crimson footprints across the stone. Near the center of its chest cavity, something glimmered. I reached inside and extracted a fist-sized monster core.

Blood coated my fingers as I raised it toward the moonlight. The color was different from the corrupted monsters I’d encountered in Hollowgrave. Those creatures had possessed a certain intelligence, their corrupted mana integrated deeply into their bodies.

But this one?

Its dark energy resembled scattered particles suspended within ordinary mana. They hadn’t properly fused. Almost as though someone had forcibly contaminated an otherwise normal monster.

I slipped the core into my dimensional storage ring for further examination. Then I turned.

Lord Veymont. Theo. The soldiers. Every single one of them was staring at me.

Some looked pale. Others appeared genuinely horrified. One soldier was gripping his sword so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. Right... I’d almost forgotten about my audience. Judging by their expressions, they finally understood why people called Rey Valen the Mad Magus.

They probably considered what they’d witnessed an exhibition of sadistic tendencies. Personally, I considered it a necessary sacrifice for the advancement of magical knowledge. Science required dedication. And occasionally, a considerable amount of blood.

I snapped my fingers. The sealing formation dissolved, its violet runes fading into the night.

The courtyard fell silent. There were still several soldiers breathing heavily, a few groaning from their injuries, and one unfortunate man who appeared to be reconsidering his entire military career after witnessing my little dissection. Not everyone appreciated the beauty of magical anatomy.

I wiped another drop of blood from my cheek and glanced around the training ground.

The twelve standing stones were still there. Except... One of them had broken.

I approached the broken stone and crouched beside it. Something had caught my attention. A carving. Several thin lines scratched into the surface. At first glance, they resembled the same incomplete runes I’d discovered earlier.

I picked up a fragment and turned it toward the moonlight. Wait... That wasn’t a magical formation. It was... A flower?

I blinked.

There were five uneven petals surrounding a circular center. Beside it, someone had carved another circle with several crooked lines extending outward.

A sun.

Oh, you have got to be kidding me.

I’d spent hours examining what I thought were fragments of a forbidden reincarnation formation, only to discover that at least some of these suspicious symbols were children’s drawings?

Something wasn’t right.

The flower and sun were ordinary drawings, but their arrangement wasn’t entirely random. The circular centers and surrounding lines resembled simplified components of the reincarnation formation.

"Sir Valen," Lord Veymont said as he approached cautiously. His gaze fell on the stone in my hand. "Oh, you found the children’s carvings."

I slowly turned toward him. "Children?"

"Yes. The children who train here on weekends." He gestured toward the surrounding stones. "They sometimes carve little pictures into the rocks after their lessons. We’ve told them not to damage the training ground, but children can be rather stubborn."

An ancient reincarnation mystery involving twelve kidnapped brides, and now we had children decorating potential ritual anchors with flowers.

"They like to carve flowers, suns, stars, strange symbols, and things like that."

"Strange symbols?"

Lord Veymont nodded. "Apparently, they learned some of them at a restaurant."

My fingers tightened around the stone. "Explain."

"One of the waitresses liked giving children paper to draw on. Sometimes she’d teach them amusing pictures or show them how to combine simple shapes." He smiled faintly. "Quite thoughtful, really. It kept the children occupied while their parents ate."

"Which restaurant?"

"The Smiling Fish, near the eastern market."

The restaurant where I’d eaten lunch.

Theo suddenly stepped closer. "Wait... the Smiling Fish?"

I glanced at him.

His eyes were fixed on the stone in my hand. "Is this... Is this a clue about Elena?"

I didn’t answer immediately. "Theo, did Elena enjoy teaching children how to draw?"

His expression changed. "Yes. She loved children," he continued. "She sometimes taught them how to draw or write during her days off. For free. Sometimes she did it at the restaurant, too. The younger children would get restless while their families were eating, so she’d give them paper and teach them little pictures."

I stared at him. "And symbols?"

He hesitated. "I... I think so. She liked teaching them how to draw different shapes together."

I didn’t like where my thoughts were going. Before I could question him further, hurried footsteps echoed from the courtyard entrance. Several soldiers entered through the gate. I recognized some of them. They were the men Chief Marr had stationed at the suspicious locations earlier. Apparently, the monster’s roar had attracted practically everyone.

"Lord Veymont!" one soldier called. "We saw the signal flare! Do you require assistance?"

The lord gestured toward the remains of the Gravefang. "It’s already settled."

I glanced toward the courtyard entrance. "Where’s Chief Marr?"

The soldiers exchanged looks. One frowned. "We... haven’t seen him since the signal flare."

My smile faded. I looked toward Lord Veymont. "Does Chief Marr have a large mana reserve?"

He blinked at the sudden question. "Well... he’s a skilled swordsman. Not nearly as powerful as you, of course, but his mana reserves are unusually large for someone who specializes in swordsmanship. That one of the reasons he became chief. He has excellent stamina and can maintain his reinforcement magic for extended periods."

The ritual needed someone with a strong body. A substantial mana reserve. Someone accustomed to circulating large amounts of mana through their muscles and internal organs. And the chief was suitable for the job.

"Chief Marr is in danger," I said.

Theo stared at me. "W-what do you mean?"

I turned toward the soldiers. "He’s going to be the vessel."

Lord Veymont’s expression changed immediately. "The vessel? You mean for the ritual?"

"Exactly." I faced the soldiers. "Where did you last see him?"

One of them immediately stepped forward. "At the old coastal watchtower, my lord. He told us to investigate the lower passage while he checked the upper ruins."

"And then?"

"We heard the roar from town. The chief ordered us to respond to the signal and said he’d follow after checking something."

I clicked my tongue. "All of you, search the surrounding area. Check every passage, basement, and abandoned building near that watchtower."

The soldiers straightened.

"And close the town gates!" I added sharply. "Nobody enters or leaves until I say otherwise. Now!"

"Y-YES, MY LORD!"

They immediately scattered. Lord Veymont began issuing additional orders, sending his remaining soldiers toward the gates and surrounding streets.

I activated my magic.

[Voidwind Manipulation]

A powerful current of wind gathered beneath my feet.

My cloak fluttered as I prepared to launch myself into the night sky.

But before I could leave...

"Wait!"

Theo stood several steps away, his face pale but determined. "Take me with you!"

I stared at him. After everything he’d experienced today? And now he wanted another ride? He really was a stubborn little bastard. But then I noticed his eyes. He was thinking about Elena.

Ah... How ironic. But he deserved to know.

I extended my hand. Another current of wind wrapped around his body.

Theo’s feet lifted from the ground. He swallowed but didn’t scream.

I looked directly into his eyes, my expression turning cold. "Don’t blame me for your disappointment. And if you get in my way..." I paused, letting the warning sink in. "I’ll kill you."

He frowned. "My lord?"

I didn’t explain.

The wind surged beneath us, carrying us across Lumenford’s rooftops and toward the abandoned watchtower. This time, I didn’t bother maintaining a comfortable speed.

Within moments, we landed among the ruins. Theo stumbled, but I was already examining our surroundings. Empty. Not a single person.

[Abyssal Hunter’s Domain]

My perception expanded across the watchtower, sweeping through its collapsed chambers, underground passages, and surrounding cliffs. Nothing. No Chief Marr. No missing brides. Not even a suspicious mana signature.

Damn it.

"My lord?" Theo called nervously.

I ignored him and turned toward the coastline, mentally reviewing every possible escape route.

Where would someone take a powerful swordsman without attracting attention? Then my gaze caught something.

A small ship.

It floated near a secluded stretch of coastline beneath the cliffs, far from the busy harbor. Its dark sails blended almost perfectly with the night.

Wait a minute. We’d searched the caves. The ruins. The abandoned buildings. Practically every suspicious location on land. But the sea?

I’d noticed the ships earlier without giving them much thought. A moving hiding place.

"So that’s where you’ve been hiding the victims..."

I narrowed my eyes and studied the ship’s position. If the culprit wanted to escape, they would’ve taken the ship farther out to sea. Instead, the vessel was following a secluded route along the coastline, heading toward the cliffs. I traced its possible route with my eyes. The cliffs, the isolated paths and the training ground.

The monster hadn’t been summoned merely to distract us. It had been summoned to draw every available guard toward the administrative building, leaving the coastal routes practically unguarded.

The perfect opportunity to transport twelve captives and one unfortunate vessel to the ritual site.

I grabbed Theo’s shoulder.

[Voidwind Manipulation]

The wind lifted us again. "W-wait! My lord!"

"Listen carefully. Once we reach that cliff, I want you to launch a signal flare. We need the guards to come and evacuate the victims."