Chapter 18: Investigation
On the dirt road leading to the Bone Forest, a five-person squad was walking unhurriedly.
"Boss, isn't this mission a bit too easy? 'Clear the undead'—it's just a Silver Rank reconnaissance request."
"I feel like I could finish this mission by myself."
Walking at the very front was the burly man Boll, who patted his plate armor proudly, producing a series of muffled thud-thud sounds.
He was the team's shield warrior, his muscles nearly bursting through the gaps in his armor.
At the end of the line, a slender young man with his head lowered was carefully wiping his dagger, saying nothing.
His name was Finn, the team's scout and assassin.
"Don't get too optimistic about the job. If pie really fell from the sky, it wouldn't land on our Silver Moon Squad."
The one speaking was the captain, Kayden, an experienced Tier 2 Warrior.
His hand rested permanently on the hilt of the sword at his waist, his eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly.
"Yeah, yeah. The request form specifically marked it in red ink: we need to confirm whether there are undead above Tier 2."
The female mage in the team, Ayla, pulled down the hood covering half her face.
"If we really run into one, whether we can even run away is a big question mark."
"What's there to be afraid of with a Tier 2?"
Boll snorted nonchalantly.
"All five of us are skilled Tier 1s, and Captain is a Tier 2 Warrior."
"Even if we're unlucky enough to bump into a Tier 3, it'll have a hard time dealing with us!"
"Check your blunt weapons."
Kayden's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
"The most effective weapons against skeletons are blunt ones. Finn, I hope you won't use your precious dagger to give the skeletons a scrape-massage when the time comes."
The slender youth named Finn finally looked up, rolling his eyes at the captain's back.
"Except for a certain little priest who can even forget to bring healing potions, who would make such a rookie mistake?"
The priest girl named Ariel, who had just been called out, instantly blushed crimson.
She subconsciously touched her waist. It was empty there, save for a holy scripture hanging lonely.
"I... I am a Priest! My Holy Light is the best weapon!"
She puffed out her chest, forcing a defense.
"Save it."
Kayden sighed, his tone full of helplessness.
"If a straggler rushes in front of you, do you expect to chant it into dizziness with your prayers?"
"This is the last time, Ariel. Make this mistake again, and your pay gets cut in half."
"Here we go again, here we go again. Captain said the exact same thing last time."
Ayla muttered softly.
Laughter erupted in the squad, and even the corners of Finn's mouth twitched upward.
Not long after, the scene by the roadside brought their laughter to an abrupt halt.
Over a dozen corpses lay strewn across the wild grass, most pierced by arrows.
Dried, blackened blood stained the surrounding soil dark red, and swarms of flies buzzed over the bodies.
"Tch. Unlucky migrating villagers."
Boll took one look and looked away in disgust.
"Don't meddle."
Finn's voice turned cold.
"This isn't our mission."
Ariel looked at the corpses, her lips moving as if wanting to recite a prayer of repose for them, but she ultimately kept her mouth shut.
Kayden waved his hand, signaling the team to continue.
They all tacitly walked around that small patch of death, pretending they had seen nothing.
This was the unspoken rule of survival for adventurers.
On the other side, a squad of guards from Iron Fortress was one step ahead of them, having already arrived at the ruins of Bone Village.
The village, razed by fire, was left with only scorched, broken walls.
The air carried the nauseating smell of charcoal and some kind of burnt grease.
"Captain, there's nothing here. Can't even find a rat's hair."
A guard kicked a burnt beam and complained, cursing.
The Guard Captain, Davos, didn't speak. He crouched down, using his scabbard to push aside the thick ash at his feet.
A muddy metal badge was revealed, bearing the Three Holy Swords insignia of the Theocracy.
"Captain, found something here!"
Another guard shouted from nearby; he had also found several identical badges.
Davos walked over, looking at the badges casually thrown on the ground, the corner of his mouth pulling into a mocking arc.
Too deliberate.
These lords always did things so crudely.
He picked one up, emotionlessly wiped it clean with a handkerchief, and carefully tucked it into the inner pocket of his chest armor.
Then he picked up another, walked to a collapsed wall, and half-buried the badge in the dirt and ash.
Only a corner blackened by smoke remained visible. He then stomped on it hard with his heel.
Making it look like it had been buried after a fierce battle.
"Collect the rest. Take them back as evidence." Davos ordered his subordinates.
"Yes, Captain!"
"Alright, since we can't find Sir Kyle's belongings here, we should go check the Bone Forest."
Davos stood up and clapped the ash off his hands.
"The Viscount also asked us to check if that hellhole really has some 'Undead Scourge'."
A guard couldn't help but speak up.
"Captain, can we trust Hamus's words?"
"I reckon he was just scared witless by a few small skeletons and came back spouting nonsense."
"Shut up!"
Davos turned around, glaring at him and shouting.
"He is now Knight Hamus. An Honorary Knight is still a Knight. Is he someone people like you can discuss casually?"
"If these words reached the ears of any noble, your head would be hanging on the city wall as a wind chime tomorrow!"
The guard shrank his neck in fear, shut his mouth immediately, and didn't dare say another word.
The group reorganized their formation and walked toward the Bone Forest not far away.
They only circled the outskirts of the forest. Along the way, they indeed encountered a few wandering skeletons.
Those skeletons had yellowed bones, joints still covered in dirt, moving as slowly as eighty-year-old men.
The guards smashed them into fragments with their halberds in just a few moves.
"Just this trash scared Knight Hamus like that?"
The guard who had been scolded earlier couldn't help but mutter again, his voice full of disdain.
This time, Davos didn't scold him.
Because he felt something was wrong too.
Too quiet.
Aside from the rustling of wind through leaves, there was basically no trace of animals in the forest.
This forest was as dead as a grave.
"How exactly did Sir Kyle die? Can't even find a bone."
A guard asked.
"Captain, are we going deeper?"
"Enough."
Davos shook his head.
He had a very bad feeling, as if something deep in the woods was watching them.
"Our main task is to give the Viscount an explanation."
"Exploring the forest is the Adventurer's Guild's job, not ours."
He bent down and picked up a few relatively complete pieces from the pile of bone fragments on the ground, wrapping them in a rag.
"Let's go. Return to report."
The guard squad left without looking back.
Behind them, the smashed bone fragments silently sank into the soil and vanished without a trace.