Chapter 781: A Fatal Mistake

Berio turns the longsword over in his hands, then clicks his tongue. "Why didn't you buy a better one? This blade lacks both resilience and strength."

Akta shoots him a sidelong glance. "What the hell do you know? This is already more than enough for a kid."

"Don't you know the local laws? Commoners aren't allowed to own longswords."

"That's why most people carry knives for protection. It's how they get around the law."

"This longsword came from the Lumir industrial district. The smithy is only passing it off as its own work."

"It's a factory second from the industrial district, but it's still far better than anything that smithy can make."

"The blacksmith thinks he's a master craftsman. He even made a point of calling this one of his finest weapons."

"The truth is, his work can't compare to a mass-produced weapon from the Lumir industrial district."

"The sword has already been registered in town. It makes a perfect parting gift for the kid."

"Give him anything better, and the villagers might start getting ideas."

"This way, the authority we left behind will keep them in line. No one will trouble the kid over an ordinary longsword."

Sambik is delighted with Akta's gift.

When the squad leaves, he follows them all the way beyond the village, reluctant to say goodbye.

A few days later, Akta's squad joins another team to hunt down and destroy a hidden outpost belonging to the Subterranean River Bandits.

The operation goes smoothly. No water demons are stationed there, and the fighting ends quickly. Most of the squad's time goes into chasing down fleeing calamity creatures.

The following evening, however, a new report leaves Akta's entire squad silent.

Several days earlier, another squad had discovered a concealed calamity-creature nest.

They had won only after a brutal fight, and one Peace Haven soldier had died in the battle.

Only two large calamity creatures had occupied the outpost.

A water demon had caused most of the squad's losses.

It had cast an environmental spell, blanketing the area in mist and saturating the air with moisture.

That environment made the calamity creatures far stronger.

Worse, the water demon could conjure mental illusions and launch a psychic assault.

The Peace Haven squad had suffered badly because of it.

Everyone accepts that casualties are part of battle.

But when Akta's team studies the images and notes in the mission briefing, their composure cracks.

They had assumed the large creature they captured was a water demon. It has since been reclassified as a water demon guard.

A true water demon is an elemental-like creature. Its lower body consists of water that can take any shape.

Its upper body resembles a petite human woman. Ordinary specimens have green hair.

Higher-ranking water demons have blue hair and can match a Battle Knight in combat.

Any squad that encounters one must retreat at once and call for reinforcements.

Capturing a blue-haired water demon requires a force led by at least one Battle Knight.

Learning that their catch was not a true water demon disappoints the squad.

That is not what silences them. The final note in the report is far more troubling.

The Naga-like creature they captured is a water demon guard.

These guards never operate alone. Once Subterranean River Bandits build a nest, a true water demon must be there to preside over it.

Water demon guards earn their name by remaining at a water demon's side, and they never appear alone.

Every sign points to the same conclusion: Akta's squad failed to clear the nest completely.

At least one more water demon guard and the true water demon may still be hiding there.

The soldiers exchange a look and submit a new mission request at once.

They want the two squads that worked with them before to return to the water-demon nest near Lanku Village.

Both squads, however, have already been sent elsewhere to help destroy other water-demon nests.

With no other option, Akta releases a Wolf Falcon and sends an urgent request to company headquarters.

Approval arrives the next day, allowing his squad to detach from the larger force.

The order is strict: scout the area, locate the nest, and determine the enemy's numbers. They must not engage on their own.

Once the situation is confirmed, they must wait for at least two more squads before attacking.

They reach Lanku Village that same night.

A hundred meters from the village, every rider reins in.

They are all battle-hardened elites from the legion. Every one of them senses that something is wrong.

The village is too quiet.

No lamps are burning, but the villagers may simply be saving oil.

Not a single dog barks, though. That is anything but normal.

Two soldiers dismount and creep toward the village on foot.

They return a short while later, just as cautiously.

One leans close to Akta and whispers, "The village reeks of blood, mixed with the fishy stench of calamity creatures."

Nadal looks to Akta. "What do we do? Wait until dawn?"

Akta considers it. "I'll take three men inside. Nadal, hold the village entrance with four others."

"Berio, take the remaining six and watch from farther out. If anything pursues us, scatter it."

Once the assignments are set, Akta and the other three spray themselves with scent-masking potion.

They slip into the village under the moonlight. Blood is everywhere.

They find no survivors. They do not even find any bodies.

Every head of livestock is gone as well.

The village is small, and the four soldiers search it quickly.

Aside from a few tiny fragments of human remains, they find nothing.

At Akta's signal, the rest of the squad enters the village and joins a second, more thorough search.

By the end, they have pieced together several conclusions.

First, the water demon that escaped them had gathered new minions.

It had attacked Lanku Village after the squad left.

Second, the attack had taken place seven days earlier. Nothing suggests that anyone escaped.

The water demon and its minions had struck at night and met almost no effective resistance.

Finally, the villagers had not all been killed. Many had been taken alive.

Berio suddenly speaks. "Someone has been inside the house where we stayed. The stone over the cellar was moved."

The squad rushes to the courtyard and opens the cellar. Akta climbs down first.

A moment later, he calls up, "Throw me two pieces of cloth."

When he climbs out, he is carrying two cloth-wrapped bundles.

Nadal stares at them. "What are those?"

Akta says nothing. He opens the bundles.

Inside lie two sets of remains, one large and one small. Both are female.

Everyone recognizes them. They are Sambik's mother and little sister.