It was quiet all the way, and there was not a single figure on the wide avenue, except for the cold wind and the tired hooves of the stagecoach. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

You've been running south for almost an hour, right? But there was still no sign of Tez, and the paper crane that had been following me had faded away not long ago—my horse had no strength to run anymore, and now it was only dragging its tired body and limping after me.

Alas...... Fortunately, the mana of the Dao rune paper crane has not faded yet, as long as the paper crane keeps following Tez, there should still be hope, right?

Now all I can hope is that the viper will rest on the way - even if he doesn't, his horse will!

There should be hope......

While anxiously rushing forward, he prayed.

。。。。。

As if in response to prayer, when I arrived at a fork in the road, I was surprised to find that instead of continuing south, Terzta had taken the path to the right.

Yes! He's really starting to find a place to rest!

I couldn't contain the surprise in my heart, so I simply tied the stagecoach to the side of the road and hurried forward.

Ha! If memory serves, a short distance west is the village of Newhill. Hey! The villagers there were very friendly, and the sheriff knew him as a junior knight appointed by his father, and he was a very capable and reliable person!

Hee-hee, Tezi, you Tayek's viper, can't you? You think it's safe to run that far? Can you find a village to rest in? Giggle! This is still in the territory of our Dolanal country! - You won't be able to run away!

Now all I have to do is find the village sheriff and arrest Tez who is resting at the hotel! Ha! It's so easy!

The more I thought about it, the more excited I became, and I couldn't help but speed up my pace.

But things were far from being as easy as they seemed - when I could see the village of Newhill in the distance, I suddenly felt a chill instinctively.

Something is wrong.

Hesitantly slowing down while looking around vigilantly.

It's so quiet.

Although it is now close to the night, the ...... Why is there no fire in the village of Newhir in front of you?

Nothing, except for the wooden houses with their dark windows open, which looked mysteriously in the cold moonlight.

What's wrong?

What about the people of the village of Newhill?

Not even the lights of the night watchman's lantern? - Something happened?

Nervously drew his sword. Throw out the Dao rune paper crane from afar.

-- No one. The Dao rune paper crane that I manipulated kept flying in and out of the village's wooden house, but I couldn't detect any breath of life.

What the hell is wrong with the village?

The whole village is gone?

- Could it have been Terz who did it? No way? How could he possibly make the whole village disappear? He alone?

That...... The current situation...... Was it an accident? It just so happened that at this time, the villagers left en masse? Or is it a trap? Tesz found out that I was chasing him, a trap specially prepared here?

What to do?

Look at the dark and silent village in front of you. I instinctively felt fear.

Woo! I knew I'd come with Asa! I'm on my own right now......

Go back?

How can it?! There's a clue about the Masked Man ahead! While I don't think Tesz knew about the Masked Man's assassination of Lacey (because Ez was still wondering about Thresteen's authenticity at the ball - he must not have known the secret of Lacey's long time dead), Tesz must know about the Masked Manipulator. How could I let go of this opportunity?

Kindness......

Never mind! It's just that there's no one in the village! What's so scary?

Sister, I broke through the secret chamber of the mausoleum in Northridge alone! What is this village?

And...... And people's Taoism is so strong...... It's true. It's true! It's really strong! Didn't even Bai Gongzi praise him for being a first-class Taoist master? And...... And sister, didn't I even defeat the Frankish Cardinal?!

No problem! Right! No problem! Even if it's really the snake's trap, sister, I'll definitely be able to crack it!

Taking a deep breath, I first recalled the seven Dao rune paper cranes that had just been released, let them form a defensive array, and swirled around me, then held the moonlight sword in my right hand, and transformed Asa's cryolite into a black ice sword with my left hand - good! This way, there is no fear of either magic or physical attacks!

You're ready!

Lacey - look at my sister's awesomeness!

Holding his breath, he quietly approached the village - there was still dead silence all around. Nothing.

Cautiously leaning his head closer to the dark window, he peered into the room by the moonlight—the fire in the fireplace was also extinguished, and there was no one inside.

That......

Look up at the towering church spire not far away - if something happens to the villagers and they want to take refuge, they should go to the church, right?

Check it out?

Suddenly, a breeze blew in front of me.

Kindness? The strange smell of the wind made me wrinkle my nose unconsciously.

Be...... The smell of blood?

Woo - so thick! Where did it come from?

Hesitating, I took another step forward - one step in front of the church in the village square!

By the light of the moon, there was a terrifying sight in front of me that I had never seen before!

Corpse! It's all corpses!

The square in front of the church was littered with bloody corpses!

A crowd of stiff corpses that seem to be still wailing, who seem to be still struggling!

With the terrible wind, it seems that they can still hear their screams before they die.

I wanted to exclaim, but I couldn't scream.

I want to leave. But the legs couldn't move as if they had been nailed.

Shocked and frightened, I could only watch blankly.

Look at the blood-stained, raised high, praying hands; That pain and despair. wide-eyed faces waiting for salvation; There are also villagers who tried to escape, but were shot in the back by bows and arrows......

It's miserable...... How so......

Lowering my sword, I crouched feebly beside a dead body.

His body was curled up, still kneeling before he died, but the upper half of his body was almost cut in half - he must have been begging before he died, right? However, his killer did not put down his butcher's knife at all because of his plea.

And the praying hands not far away, who was he praying to? To God? Or to those cruel executioners?!

Who is so cruel?! Tez?! Did he come here to vent his anger? Just to kill this group of villagers in order to vent their anger?!

Kill the ...... A cheerful villager?

――They must have gathered in the square to celebrate the spring festival, right?

Celebrating the advent of spring, celebrating the hope after the cold has passed?

And yet they ...... And yet here they are......

It's cruel! It's cruel!

How can it be so cruel?! Tezzy, how can you?!

How can you?!

How can you slaughter the whole village like this?! Even kneeling down to thee, and pleading unto thee. The kind villagers who prayed to you were all killed mercilessly?!

And...... Even those who are trying to escape-

Kindness?

No, it's not Tez!

I looked at the corpse not far away. It's the one with the arrow stuck in the vest.

Tez did not bring a bow and arrows. And...... I reached out and touched the extinguished fire in the middle of the square.

Cold, as cold as a stone on the ground.

That is, the fire has been extinguished for a long time. And Tesz had only been separated from us for an hour - he couldn't have been that fast.

That...... Who will do it?

Suspiciously, he unleashed his mana - the Dao rune paper crane that tracked Tez did pass through here, and then ...... Passing through the square, and towards the west—

The route after that is very strange, one to the north, one to the west, and some will turn back - because the Dao rune paper crane is Tez's trace, which means that the direction of Tez's subsequent movements is not fixed.

Don't...... What was Tez looking for?

Look for...... The one who killed the villagers?

Following Tez all the way, I couldn't help but come up with such a ridiculous idea.

――Is it possible?

- The viper? The poisonous snake that waged a war of aggression against our country?

――Will he go after the murderer for the sake of the villagers who were slaughtered in my country?

How is that possible?

I really don't want to believe it!

But...... This is the only reasonable explanation.

After nearly an hour of long tracking, just when I was tired and almost gave up, I unexpectedly noticed a hint of orange in the sky above the prairie in front of me. It seems that a little noise can still be heard.

From a distance, it appeared that there was a force stationed there. (To be continued)