Night had already fallen, and Crowne and Ronan had stepped out of the house. Now they were standing at the village square. The two of them nodded at each other and prepared to split up.
"Master, please be careful! We still don’t know if that creature is truly a Wendigo or something even more terrifying," said Ronan.
Crowne nodded. "Of course."
The two immediately went in opposite directions. They divided the patrol area into two parts: the northern and southern regions of the village.
Crowne would patrol the northern side, while Ronan would patrol the southern. Neither of them was allowed to cross into the other’s area. The only common ground they could both enter was the village square, which served as the heart of the village.
"Be careful, young master!" Ronan shouted.
Crowne kept walking forward. The night was dark. The only light he carried was the torch in his left hand.
Several villagers’ homes had no lamps lit. Their torches had been put out, afraid of drawing unwanted attention.
The small dirt path Crowne walked on was somewhat muddy, the result of heavy rain earlier in the afternoon. It had only lasted for a few minutes, but small puddles of water still remained.
Crowne touched his shoulder. "My hair is standing on end."
He glanced around, but there were no signs of movement. Some houses looked terribly worn down.
Many of the villagers in Garlun lived in poverty. And yet this village was known as one of the suppliers of high-quality livestock and also produced goat and cow milk.
It would not make them rich, of course, but at least it should be enough for survival and a decent standard of living. Building proper houses should have been possible. Perhaps luxurious homes were too expensive, but at the very least, livable ones should not have been out of reach.
"This is truly strange. By all logic, this village should have enough income," Crowne muttered.
He continued walking, rubbing his chin as if trying to piece together the most reasonable explanation.
As he moved along, his eyes fell upon the village chief’s house. It always stood out because it was the brightest and liveliest place at night.
"The village chief is always suspicious. Could he be the one behind all of this?" Crowne whispered.
At first, Crowne wanted to dismiss the thought, believing the chief to be the kind of man who looked suspicious yet was not truly evil.
However, just as he was about to ignore the house, he suddenly saw two soldiers dragging a man toward it.
Crowne’s eyes widened. As he stepped forward, the man was quickly taken inside. It was clear that the man’s arms were being pulled by force, not guided willingly.
"What the..." Crowne’s mind immediately recalled what the granddaughter of the old woman who owned their lodging had said. "Don’t tell me!"
His eyes went wide as blood rushed through his veins. His body grew hot, and his heartbeat doubled in pace.
"No. I have to stop this!"
"Do you know about the Wendigo?" the granddaughter asked.
Crowne and Ronan glanced at each other. They were shocked that the little girl knew of the Wendigo. That name was supposed to be a myth from distant lands.
Ronan looked closely at her. "Where did you hear about the Wendigo?"
The girl looked nervous. She glanced left and right several times, as if making sure no one else was around.
Once she felt safe, she leaned closer to Crowne and Ronan. "I once heard that name when I was passing in front of the village chief’s house. I heard them saying, ’The Wendigo will be summoned again in two weeks.’ I don’t know what kind of creature it is, but I think it’s the one that’s been taking our livestock."
Crowne and Ronan exchanged glances, both frowning. Ronan stayed silent for a long time. He could not recall any account of Wendigos being summoned.
"As far as I know, Wendigos are naturally born creatures," Ronan muttered as he scratched his head, trying to recall. "Maybe it was just random chatter from the soldiers."
The girl shook her head. "No. It was—" Get full chapters from 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝕟𝕖𝕥
Crowne interrupted with a shake of his head, signaling her to stop. The girl lowered her gaze and fell silent.
"Thank you for the information," Crowne said.
The little girl nodded and went back inside the house, leaving only Crowne and Ronan outside. The two stood quietly for several minutes.
Then Ronan broke the silence. "There’s no way the village chief would do something that insane, right? He’s supposed to be a cheerful and kind man, isn’t he?"
Crowne nodded. "You’re right."
Ronan walked alone along the southern path of Garlun. For nearly two hours, he found nothing.
Scratching his head, Ronan muttered, "Did I make a mistake? Maybe the creature isn’t a Wendigo after all?"
He fell silent, lost in thought for a moment. Then his gaze shifted toward the north. Deep down, he still worried about his master. After all, he was a servant. His duty was to protect his master.
If he failed to protect Crowne, it would be a disgrace he could never atone for.
"Is young master Crowne safe right now?"
Ronan almost considered heading north since there seemed to be nothing unusual in the south. But before he could move, he suddenly felt a dark aura from behind him.
His eyes widened. "Damn it."
A lightning-fast claw strike came at him. Ronan turned around as quickly as he could, but he was too late.
Blood splattered from a deep wound across his back. Gritting his teeth, Ronan quickly took his stance.
What he had hoped not to encounter was now standing right before him.