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c h a p t e r   3 :  t h e   v I l l a g e (1)

The carriage halted in the middle of the forest. Surrounded by fog, Ains could barely see what's ahead. The gentle rustle of leaves and the lightly swaying of trees echoed throughout the forest under the luminescent moon hanging above.

His coat fluttered as the cold breeze of the forest swept past him. The freezing wind assaulted his frowning face; pursed frozen lips, blushing cheeks, and his squinting rounded eyes.

'What the hell? We did not get transported to the North, right? Why is it so fucking freezing in here?!'

Gritting his teeth, he blindly walked forward. His boots stepped on dried leaves and broken branches which were the only blaring sound that could be heard amidst the dreadfully silent forest.

As Ains stared ahead, he caught sight of a small light not far away. With gleaming eyes, his steps unconsciously became faster; determined to reach the village no matter what so he could warm his freezing body.

Being too focused on arriving at the village, Ains did not realize the absence of other footsteps that was supposed to be just following behind him.

Amir had silently left his young master's side.

Ains faced a door made of bamboo with a height of almost 8 meters. Its both ends were stretched widely, serving as a wall enclosing the whole village inside. He had tried pushing the door but it won't open.

He took a step back to get a clear look at it. He looked around and tried searching for a tree he could climb on that was close enough to the wall so he could get inside the village. However, he did not succeed. The trees were mostly 7 meters away from the wall; it was too far, at least for him. He couldn't possibly jump that long with his frail-looking body.

He was only sharp when it came to danger, however, he was as weak as an ant. Yes, not a chicken. At least chickens knew how to flap their wings and they'd be off the ground, that would at least scare their butcher for a second. Well, he could not! The most he could do is run or hide. Dodging a fatal attack could be considered pure luck.

Ains flinched when an arm swiftly snaked around his waist as he was lifted off the ground. His frightened eyes looked behind the person who pulled him away from the entrance door.

"Amir!" he exclaimed loudly.

"Pardon my impudence, young master. But we have guests." Amir humbly bowed his head, not daring to meet his young master's widening eyes.

Amir swiftly landed on top of a thick tree branch. He gently put Ains down in front of him, not having an intent of moving away in case his young master got a fright and fell off the tree.

A frown appeared on Ains' face.

"What guests?"

As soon as his voice fell, Ains heard the distinct sound of galloping horses and the rattles of carriages in the distance.

Not long after, six distinguished carriages stopped just right in front of the village. The carriages carried a symbol of a cross that was enclosed inside a triangle.

'The Church?'

Ains frowned at the sight of that symbol. The Church of Yelus was usually prominent in the Northern part of the continent.

'The Credia Kingdom was located at the South, how could The Church stick their hands in the Credia Kingdom? Their hands couldn't possibly be stretched that long.'

Despite his confusion, Ains remained silent as he watched a group of people gathered in front. They all wore a hooded white robe with gold linings embroidered on its hem—except for one person.

Ains squinted his eyes at that person. He was donning on a belted, slip-on black overshirt and fading brown trousers. Those bright golden shoulder-length hair made him stood out. However, what made Ains took another closer look at the man's appearance was that burnt scar starting from his right eye down to his neck.

"That-!"

"Hm?"

A member of The Church suddenly turned around and stared in their direction. A palm firmly covering Ains mouth as his panic-stricken eyes fluttered around.

Taylor suspiciously stared at the distance.

"What is it?" asked Duval.

"Oh, I thought I heard someone's voice." Taylor embarrassingly scratched his head when he saw Duval shot him a weird look.

"How could there be anyone here besides us, you moron?"

"Well... anyway, how many are we taking today?"

"I don't know, maybe a dozen? I heard the bishop decided to return to the mainland immediately after we got the goods." Duval shrugged as he took the cigarette behind his ears and let it hang on his mouth unlit.

Taylor glanced at him with disgust. "You know we're not allowed to use that, right?"

Duval burst out in laughter. He swung his arms around Taylor and pulled him closer.

"You know there's not such a thing called rules when we're not being watched, right?" The mole a size of a bead near his mouth moved as he smiled disgustingly towards Taylor.

Taylor pushed him away begrudgingly. "Psycho."

"Thank you!"

Mason watched the two play around while he stood not far behind them. He paid them no more mind as he turned his attention to the door of the village.

He thought about his decision to join the party tonight. And even though the job was against his morals, he had no other choice. He had to do it.

Now he was standing right outside a village that would soon turn into hell. It is funny how they were deemed as the children of Yelus—The God of Light—when they brought darkness and hell into some people's lives.

He wasn't stupid. He was aware of how The Church works. And that's why, he had to follow them no matter what; for they had the perfect leash on him.

AINS dared not to move after that incident. They were almost discovered and it would be his fault. He sighed for the fifth time around while Amir looked at his young master helplessly.

Ains stared down. This time, he restrained himself and stood straight. However, as time went by, those people were still doing nothing but stand or chat with each other which made him confused.

"What are they doing?" Ains whispered.

"It seems like they're waiting for someone, young master," Amir answered in a low voice.

They waited for another half an hour before a person stepped out of one of the carriages. He appeared to be sleepy, his curtain bangs hid his barely opened eyes. While he stood just outside his carriage in dazed, the people waiting ceased their chattering and stood upright.

When that person finally decided to walk, the rest naturally gave way and moved to the side with lowered heads.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" A gentle voice that would soothe anyone's nerves reached everyone's ears.

"Pardon us, we dare not disturb your highness' rest."

"You need not be so stiff around me. I will surely praise your party in front of my father, the bishop when we go back."

Their faces lit up in excitement. However, there was one person whose face turned gloomy the moment he heard that gentle voice of the man.

'This fucker! Why is he here?! Just what are they doing here in the South?!'

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