Chapter 626:The Source Of Rumours
Chapter 626: 626:The Source Of Rumours
Far away from the villages currently occupied by Arcadian forces, and hidden deep within a dense forest where even sunlight struggled to penetrate through the thick canopy overhead, an old abandoned farmhouse stood quietly amidst the shadows while serving as a temporary gathering place for a small group of people who had no intention of being discovered.
Inside the farmhouse, four figures dressed in black cloaks sat around a worn wooden table illuminated only by a single lantern hanging from above, and although the war outside continued raging with countless lives being lost every day, the mood inside the room appeared unusually relaxed.
In fact, all four individuals seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood.
One of them leisurely lifted a cup from the table and took a slow sip before a grin appeared beneath his hood.
"Hahaha... Did you hear about today’s incident?"
The others immediately looked over.
"Which one?" one of them asked casually.
"The one involving Ethan Blanks."
The moment those words were spoken, several amused smiles immediately appeared throughout the room.
"Ohh... that one."
"You mean the villagers attacking his troops?"
"Exactly."
The man could barely suppress his laughter.
"I heard some villagers started throwing stones at them."
"Not only stones," another immediately added while shaking his head with amusement.
"A few even threw eggs."
The others blinked.
"Eggs?"
The man nodded enthusiastically.
"Rotten eggs."
For a brief moment silence lingered.
Then the entire room erupted into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
"Seriously?"
"That’s even better than I imagined."
The first man leaned backward while wiping tears from the corner of his eyes.
"I heard rotten vegetables were flying around too.They threw whatever they could find."
Another cloaked figure slapped the table lightly.
"What a beautiful sight."
"Truly beautiful."
A third person nodded repeatedly.
"It must have been humiliating."
"Especially for those self-righteous knights who keep acting like heroes."
The group laughed again.One of them folded his arms confidently.
"The best part is that they cannot even defend themselves properly."
"The more they explain, the more suspicious they look."
Another man nodded in agreement.
"The rumors are spreading perfectly."
"People are already convinced that Ethan is some kind of devil.And the stories keep getting worse every day."
The atmosphere inside the room grew increasingly cheerful.
Months of effort were finally paying off.
The stories they had carefully planted throughout villages and towns had begun taking on lives of their own.
People repeated them.
People exaggerated them.
People believed them.
One man shook his head while laughing.
"At this rate, even if Ethan saves someone, they will probably think he is planning something evil."
"Hahaha!"
The others immediately burst into another round of laughter.
"It was one hell of a show."
"Absolutely."
"Honestly, I almost felt bad for him."
The man paused briefly before grinning.
"No... actually I didn’t."
More laughter followed.
The group continued discussing the incident while openly mocking Ethan and the Order of Eternal Blade, and none of them noticed that the atmosphere around them had gradually begun changing.
The air slowly grew colder.
The shadows inside the room seemed darker than before.
Even the lantern flame flickered strangely for a brief moment.
Yet none of them paid attention.They remained completely immersed in their conversation.
Then suddenly a calm voice echoed from behind them.
"You enjoyed the scene, right?"
The voice was neither loud nor threatening.
Yet the moment it sounded, every person inside the room froze.
One of them instinctively answered before thinking.
"Of course we enjoyed..."
His words abruptly stopped midway.
"Huh?"
The four men immediately turned around.
The moment they did, their expressions changed completely.Standing near the doorway was a cloaked man.
No one knew when he had arrived and no one had heard footsteps nor they had sensed his presence.
He simply stood there quietly.A faint smile rested upon his face.
The four immediately jumped to their feet.
Their previous confidence vanished instantly.
"Who are you?"
"When did you get here?"
"How did you get inside?"
The cloaked man remained silent.The smile on his face slowly widened.
A terrible feeling immediately appeared inside their hearts.Without hesitation, all four prepared to flee.
However, the moment they tried moving, their expressions changed dramatically.
Their bodies stopped and the surrounding space itself seemed to have frozen.No matter how much strength they used, they could not move properly.
It felt as though invisible chains had locked the entire area.
Panic immediately spread across their faces and cold sweat appeared on their backs.
Then they finally sensed it.
The aura.
The pressure.
The terrifying presence hidden beneath the stranger’s calm appearance.
The moment they felt it, every bit of color drained from their faces.
One of them screamed immediately.
"Fuck!"
Another stumbled backward despite barely being able to move.
"A Mythic Knight!"
The third man’s voice trembled violently.
"Impossible!"
"Why would a Mythic Knight personally come here?"
The fourth nearly collapsed onto the floor.
"We’re doomed."
The cloaked man simply continued smiling while quietly observing them.
There was no anger on his face.No visible hostility nor any murderous expression.
Yet that only made the four even more terrified.
Because they understood one simple truth.
If a Mythic Knight had personally come looking for them, then this matter had already gone far beyond their ability to control or escape from.
And for the first time since they had started spreading their carefully crafted rumors throughout Xylos...
They truly felt fear.
....
The four cloaked men were dragged all the way back to the military camp without being given any chance to resist, and by the time they arrived, their faces had already turned pale while fear continuously lingered in their eyes, because the moment they were captured they already understood that whatever awaited them would certainly not be pleasant.
Their hands were tightly bound behind their backs while thick ropes dug deeply into their wrists, and their legs were chained heavily which made even simple movement difficult.
Several knights stood around them with cold expressions while keeping their weapons ready, and not a single person looked sympathetic toward the prisoners.
Inside a large command tent, a heavy atmosphere filled the surroundings while dozens of lamps illuminated the area and cast long flickering shadows across the floor.
The four men were forcefully pushed forward.
BANG!