"Hey guys! Co check this!" a woman said while staring at two giant craters inside the grove.
She was with her party of Athyst-Class rcenaries. Their agenda for today was to hunt a few dozens of three-eyed monkeys to sell their taupe-colored fur. However, as soon as they surveyed the forest for their targets, they were stunned to see that a part of the land had been destroyed by an unknown cause.
Curiousity got into them, and they started to track down the culprits regarding the destruction, but aside from the dried blood on one of the craters and a maroon-colored coat drenched in the sa blood, they found nothing. Even a single clue that would lead them to the real story behind the scene before them was not present inside the grove.
"What really happened here?" Asked a man after he regrouped with his comrades.
. . . . .
"Your clothing is a little bit tight," Zeno complained as he walked through the streets of the town they entered as soon as they left the forest.
The place was still under the jurisdiction of the Herish Kingdom, but aside from the weapons on the sides of the streets, rchants were selling thick clothing. The reason for this was that the area after this would be entirely covered with snow, and to survive in that harsh weather condition, the people should equip themselves with clothes that were thick enough to keep them warm.
"Then buy clothes that will suit you," Kizeler said, glancing at the demon walking beside him.
’Why does he look pretty good with my clothes on?’ He thought, then looked at his body.
’I think I should need to gain so muscles,’ he added.
Zeno’s current attire consisted of a plain black longsleeve, which he folded up to his elbows. His well-trimd muscles were now visible due to the tightness of his clothing. Unlike before, they were completely hidden due to his coat.
The eyes of the won across the street continued to gaze at Zeno. They were srized upon noticing his facial features and well-toned body. And the red dice dangling from his ear contributed so much to his charisma that even old ladies were smiling at him.
Zeno wasn’t bothered by the stares; it was Kizeler who surrendered and let the demon walk in front of him before following him within a distance.
"Those who need complete accessories to march in the borders of Frostbloom Kingdom, check my rchandise!" Shouted a rchant, doing his best to interact with the passerby.
anwhile, Zeno kept walking, sotis glancing at the items from the side of the street.
"Co! Co here! Yes, pretty lady, look at this locket; it will be perfect to put in your neck; just a piece of silver will do," another rchant said, entertaining his custors.
Zeno put his hand inside his pocket upon hearing the word locket. He pulled the object out and looked at it for a few seconds while walking, then put it back where he had pulled it.
anwhile, Kizeler was still following Zeno, but he had no concrete idea where the demon was going. He just kept looking left and right, as if searching for sothing.
Then, after a couple of minutes of strolling into the town, the two people found themselves staring at posters from the rcenaries’ mission board.
"Provide information regarding the mystery of the frozen lake." Kizeler read the piece of paper in front of him, and his eyes widened upon seeing that the reward for a single piece of information was a piece of gold coin. Besides that, it was open to all rcenary classes, yet no one was talking about it or glancing at it.
Then he looked at the next poster from his right side.
"Subjugate a tribe of yetis living near the border of the Frostbloom Kingdom." He paused and then looked at the requirents.
"At least a Ruby-class rcenary is present in the party, or all the party mbers are Erald-class rcenaries," he continued.
But after seeing the reward section of the mission, he couldn’t help but complain.
"What? Just four hundred silvers for a tribe of yetis, yet they are willing to pay a gold coin for a single piece of information?" He said while shaking his head.
Afterward, he looked at the other missions, but the rewards were not any better than the first two posters he saw. Then he glanced at the demon beside him. He was still staring at the sa poster he saw when they arrived.
So, out of curiosity, Kizeler peeked into it and read the content of the mission with his thoughts. He was surprised upon seeing that it had the king’s seal of the Frostbloom Kingdom, and the rewards made his eyes sink. It was a lot better than the two posters he saw.
"Is he serious?" He asked out of nowhere.
Zeno just shrugged his shoulders as a reply and turned around to walk away, while Kizeler took a second look at the poster and read it again to confirm that what he read a few seconds ago was the entire truth.
"Find the key and bring it to the Frostbloom Kingdom’s castle. The mission is available to anyone, and choose a reward between ten thousand gold coins or the youngest princess’ hands." He affird that he didn’t read it wrong.
"Why is almost everyone looking for keys?" Kizeler uttered as he rembered the demon’s question when they were still inside the grove.
Then he turned around and went in the direction that Zeno had walked.
. . . . .
Trees that were scattered around the huge lake were covered with thick snow; their leaves were nowhere to be seen as a strong blizzard ca to freeze everything. The snow continued to pile up as the high wind blew, giving the entire area low visibility.
Humans, even monsters, had not dared to stroll in this kind of weather. rcenaries that were out there hunting for monsters like ice trolls chose to go back and wait until the snowstorm dwindled.
"Hey, look! There is a woman in the middle of the lake!" A rcenary shouted, informing his brothers about the figure that he saw.
"Stop being delusional; who the hell would stay in the middle of a blizzard?" His companion replied.
However, the man still insisted, as he blinked several tis and the woman was still there, staring at him.
"No, she’s looking at us! Wait for ! I think she needs help!" He said, walking by himself in the surge of blizzard.
"Brother, co back here! It’s dangerous!" His other companions started to call out to him.
But the man continued to traverse the path towards the lake, and as soon as he stepped inside the frozen water, the snowstorm stopped along with the man’s disappearance.
. . . . .
Zeno went into the nearest tavern, and like the other pub, the place was filled with drunks and constant laughter. All the eyes went to glare at Zeno, but upon seeing the pendant of the man who ca after him, their focus returned to their trifles.
’Erald-class,’ they thought.
The two people sat down in front of the bar counter, and then Zeno ordered two mugs of ale and slid one to his left side.
"Thank you," Kizeler uttered, and he slled the drink as soon as he lifted it up from the table.
As a rcenary, Kizeler knew what Zeno was doing. He appeared to be drinking in peace, but he was listening to the conversations of the drunkards, so he did the sa.
They continued to gather information for hours while drinking, and the alcohol started to take its effect on Kizeler. He looked at the demon beside him, and he was surprised to see that he was still drinking with a straight posture.
Due to the alcohol and the tiredness that had accumulated on his body since morning, his head started to spin and his vision beca blurred. Soon after, his head fell on the bar counter, snoring.
Zeno glanced at Kizeler by only moving his eyes, and then he pulled a gold coin from his pocket before tapping and sliding it into the counter to capture the attention of the bartender.
"Let him stay here for the night," he said.
Then he stood up, leaving the coin on top of the counter.
"Should I arrange a room for him?" The bartender asked while checking the round piece of gold.
"It depends on him," Zeno replied as he turned around to leave.
However, after a second, he halted his steps and spoke again.
"And tell him that I’ll be waiting at the frozen lake," he said.
His voice was a little bit loud, and the people inside the tavern heard him. Then, the mont Zeno stepped out of the door, they burst into laughter.
"Another idiot will turn into a frozen sculpture soon," they chanted.
Even though Zeno heard their remarks, he chose to ignore them and walk in the direction of Frostbloom Kingdom.
And after several hours of walking non-stop, he reached the border, and he felt the sudden drop in temperature.
Despite that, he still walked without any protection from the cold, and soon after, his surroundings turned white as he saw nothing but snow. Then, not far from him, he noticed a crossing with signage that was almost buried in snow. It contained two arrows; the first one was pointing in the left direction with a warning sign.
"Frozen Lake," he uttered as he read the signage.
Then he looked at the other arrow. It was pointing straight to the path leading to the next town.
Zeno didn’t waste ti any longer; he turned to his left and started to walk in its direction.
. . . . .
Seconds after Zeno left the crossing. The wind started to blow, causing so particles of snow from the signage to fall, revealing a few words underneath.
’Once the blizzard cos, pack your things and leave.’
. . . . .
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