Star-Embracing Swordmaster - Chapter 105

Sentinel of the Barley Field (3)

On a dark night, Vlad was lying flat on a low hill with his soldiers.

It looked a little funny, but it was best to stay hidden like I was doing now to see who was coming and going in the barley field in front of me.

“The child who was said to have gone missing actually disappeared near here.”

“…….”

The basis of hiding is secrecy.

It would be common sense that they would hide closely as if they were not there, but the knight commander who kept chattering next to Vlad seemed to have no such concept in his mind.

“They said there was a very deep hole dug right next to where the child disappeared.”

I know why he pretends to be so friendly and clings to me.

Since it’s a cheap article, you’ll want to use it as much as possible.

Perhaps the Dalmatian Baron wanted to take on the responsibility of the child who had gone missing this morning.

‘That can’t be possible.’

It’s unfortunate that the child went missing, but that doesn’t mean we can take on all of Dobrechti’s problems.

I accepted this mission to protect the barley field because I thought it was definitely related to spirits.

I only accepted it because I thought that the watchman’s mission to protect the barley field was definitely related to spirits.

“The late girl was a really upright child, but it’s such a pity. Today too, my mother came to the residence and cried and cried…”

“Wait a minute.”

The knight commander was completely speechless when Vlad urgently held out his hand.

Vlad may not have done it on purpose, but the lump of dirt filling his mouth made a frown appear on the leader’s face.

“Can’t you hear?”

“Tsk tsk tsk. What is that…”

In the darkness, Vlad’s ears began to perk alertly.

My hearing, which had been trained since childhood for smuggling, was doing its job.

“this.”

Just a moment ago, Vlad was trying to hide even the sound of his breathing, but now he was rushing down the hill like a wolf running towards its prey.

“Follow along! Follow Lord Vlad!”

The soldiers who were hiding with Vlad’s sudden charge hurriedly followed him, but they all just bumped, fell, and rolled around on the dark hill.

On the contrary, Vlad’s agile movements in a place where no moonlight was visible seemed strange.

“Huh huh huh. Lord Vlad. “Why suddenly?”

However, the only sight the soldiers who managed to get down the hill saw was Vlad looking down at the barley field with a dejected expression.

“I was robbed.”

“yes?”

In the barley field that was hurriedly lit with a torch at Vlad’s words, the seeds that had been sown during the day had evaporated and were nowhere to be seen.

“How is this?”

The leader of the Dalmatian Knights was taken aback by the sight, which was hard to believe.

No matter how dark it was, they were clearly watching, so how could this happen?

“Did you bring a shovel?”

“yes. here.”

The leader and the soldiers were all embarrassed and didn’t know what to do, but Vlad was given a shovel by a soldier standing next to him and started digging up the barley field.

I couldn’t stop it, but I had to do my best until the end to find even a clue.

‘I heard it clearly.’

I definitely heard something moving.

But now there were no footprints nearby, and nothing was moving even in his sharp senses on the hill.

If so, wouldn’t there be only one possibility left?

“……Captain. “How far is it from here where the child I mentioned earlier went missing?”

“Not much. “It’s just a matter of climbing that hill.”

Vlad finally finished digging.

The sight of Vlad looking down at the hole he had dug looked unusual.

“But why is there…”

“Torch.”

Instead of answering the question, Vlad took the torch from the soldier and looked at the place he had dug.

“What is this…”

“Huh.”

Below the barley field we finally saw.

The leader and soldiers could not help but be amazed at what they were seeing.

The place I looked at with the torch was a deep hole that had already been dug even though Vlad had not dug it.

“Did you say there was a hole where the child went missing?”

A deep hole dug beneath a barley field.

Although it was small in size, the depth of the pit was so black that it was impossible to look under it even with the light of a torch.

“I guess I should go take a look. there.”

No one dared open their mouths as they looked at the pit that did not appear to have been dug by humans.

Because everyone could see that something unknown was surrounding Dobrechti.

Vlad, standing alone in the dark night under a lit torch, looked down into the pitch-black pit and quietly closed his left eye.

※※※※

It is too bizarre to be the work of an animal or monster.

If hungry things in the forest came down, would there be a need to dig up only the seeds, leaving behind the houses and livestock right in front of them?

That too, while digging out the hole.

“So what does Lord Vlad say he is doing now?”

The knight commander who was guarding the barley field with Vlad last night bowed his head and reported to the Dalmatian Baron.

Since there were only two knights in the domain, he, as leader, knight, and advisor, had to show his face here and there.

“They came with me to the place where the child went missing… and now we are gathering the elderly in the village.”

“The elderly? “Why on earth?”

Even though it was something I asked for, I don’t think it would be too much of a hassle.

However, what could not be done now was the fact that behind the knight named Vlad, there was a huge ally named Bayezid.

Even limiting his investigative authority here would have been a huge insult, and it was possible that something even more difficult would arise later than now.

“I think they are trying to ask old people about their past.”

“What happened in the past?”

Baron Dalmatia looked a little displeased after hearing the leader’s words.

A mountainous territory in the central outskirts.

This is because in this place outside the church’s sphere of influence, old traditions that had been handed down from long ago still remained.

“Old people won’t say anything strange, right?”

“Wouldn’t you be wiser as you get older? “They won’t say anything that could get the church caught in front of an unfamiliar article.”

In response to the leader’s answer, the Dalmatian Baron stroked his temple and sighed.

I thought it would just be a matter of catching one monster, but I never thought it would get this big.

“Put someone next to you. “Don’t ask about strange things for no reason.”

“All right.”

Still, there will be no change in the fact that Vlad is the person needed to solve this problem.

It was clear that his sword would be sharper than the knight commander bowing before his eyes.

※※※※

“Elders. Don’t you feel sorry for the missing girl? “One clue you give could save that child!”

Older people are wise, but they may not be able to make the right decisions in everything.

Especially if there is a scammer talking right in front of you.

“I might be stuck in some pit crying right now…”

“The knight I serve is not trying to harm you. “You just burn your passion for this job!”

In front of the gathered elderly people, Goth was constantly flicking his tongue.

Vlad, who was watching the scene, thought it looked like a medicine seller selling medicine.

“Isn’t there really something you’re wondering about? All of this…”

“…It did exist.”

Trust in Vlad, sympathy for the missing child. And even the threat of approaching danger.

“Oh my, old man. at las.”

An old man finally began to be possessed by the tip of the tongue of a conman who skillfully used threats and conciliation.

“Barley disappearing has been happening for a long time.”

“When we were young, we used to hold ancestral rites.”

“The church comes and tells us not to do that.”

As soon as one person fell for the scammer’s deception, testimonies started popping up from all over.

It seemed that the elderly were also somewhat frustrated with the current situation.

“But the child never disappeared.”

“I’ve been bitten by wolves, but I’ve never been sucked into a hole. “Okay then.”

The Dalmatian knight who was listening to the old men began to get restless.

That’s because the smile Vlad showed was deep and meaningful.

“What is the sacrifice for?”

“…….”

The old people turned their heads at the sudden question and began to close their mouths again as they looked at Vlad’s eyes shining blue.

“What kind of sacrifice is this? Elderly people. “If you don’t tell me this, I won’t be able to save the child.”

“Earth ghost. “There are earth ghosts in the forest.”

“He’s not that bad of a guy, he’s the kind of guy who makes the land fertile if you perform a rite for him.”

“But these days, forests are burned to clear land.”

Goth shrugged his shoulders as he looked at Vlad, who was standing behind him listening to the old men.

It was a reaction that Vlad, with his fierce eyes and shining armor, could not muster.

“Come and find out what a ground ghost is. “It will be outside.”

“okay.”

As soon as Vlad realized that he was only in the way, he quietly whispered to Goth and went out.

As expected, people had to be used in the right places, and Goth was better suited as a conman than as a stable keeper.

“Lord Vlad. “There is nothing strange about ancestral rites.”

“I know.”

Vlad, who had been smiling meaningfully just a moment ago at the knight’s excuse, suddenly began to have a dignified smile on his face.

It was the smile that Countess Oksana had taught her to wear in front of women.

“As you have lived for a long time, there are rules that you have no choice but to follow. I understand.”

Offering sacrifices to beings other than God was tantamount to idolatry.

Although treatment of old beings persisted not only in Dobrechti but also elsewhere, all of them were prohibited by the Church.

If something were to be discovered, it could have been a huge disaster, so the driver was in trouble right now.

“I swear to God that I will only care about finding the missing child and the barley thief.”

However, Vlad pretended not to know what had happened and said he would ignore it, so the Dalmatian knight had no choice but to nod.

“iced coffee. thank you “Lord Vlad.”

A conman inside and a pickpocket outside were deceiving people.

Still, the reason they were able to be more confident than before was probably because they were really trying to resolve the issue in Dobrechti.

Because Vlad and Goth with the flag were no longer criminals but knights and squires.

※※※※

“It feels like some kind of spirit. “They say that in the past, ancestral rites were held for them.”

“Hmm. good.”

It was fortunate that it was a rural area where old customs still remained.

Indeed, there were still customs related to spirits in Dobrechti.

“They say the lord burned the forest and cleared it to expand his field. It is said that the place where the ancestral rites were already held was the barley field that the captain had dug at the time. “Isn’t it creepy?”

Goat held his shoulders with both hands as if he was getting a kick out of his own words.

From a goth’s perspective, it may be a lame story.

Holding a ancestral rite and offering offerings to an unknown being.

However, from Vlad’s perspective, listening, it felt like finding water in a dry desert.

“What are earth ghosts?”

“The land ghost is now a story related to farming.”

The beings that have been worshiped in Dobrechti for a long time have been those related to the land.

From the perspective of the people of the territory who lived and farmed in the barren land, there would have been nothing they could rely on more than the spirits related to the land.

“They say that when ancestral rites were performed, the land became fertile. To farm, you have to dig deep into the ground. It is said that the earth ghost did that. “It’s nonsense.”

Why doesn’t it make sense?

There are also snakes that live in trees.

The snake even had the ability to warm the weather.

Compared to the white snake that helps even lemons grow in the cold north, fertilizing the soil would be a simple task.

“…Anyway, I think he likes barley and lives underground.”

Vlad raised his head and looked at the sky.

Night was coming.

“It seems like he likes dark places too.”

The barley always disappeared at night.

Naturally, those who live underground would prefer dark places rather than sunlight.

I don’t know if it’s related, but it was cold, so we’ll have to move quickly to find the missing girl.

“Go and get some barley.”

“barley?”

Josef always liked predicting his opponent’s moves.

He was a man who planned the game, predicted it, and produced results that way.

“okay. barley.”

I didn’t know his exact identity yet, but I knew what I liked.

If so, I might be able to make some predictions.

Because there was something I learned from watching the man with dark eyes.

Night was coming.

※※※※

A pitch-black night.

Vlad and Goth.

Purr –

and a dark mountain road with only Noir.

“Captain, is this okay?”

Goth looked at Vlad with a questioning look. The barley brought in overnight was scattered here and there on the mountain path, but will this alone be enough to find the barley thief?

“But why do you have to put it on a rock?”

“Shh.”

Still, Vlad thought he could do it.

I know he’s a guy who digs the ground, but he couldn’t even break the rock.

The feel of the hard stone I felt while shoveling testified to that fact.

“see.”

In that case, the only way to get the barley would be to climb up the rock.

No matter what it was.

dark night. Something that smelled the scattered barley seeds was digging up the ground.

Climb up the ground and onto the rock, sniffing with your wet nose.

Kkueiik –

the remnants of the voice, the white snake’s protection, Alicia’s amber stone, and even the black horse that inherited the blood of the unicorn.

Vlad, carrying everything related to the spirit, finally saw the being that had crawled up the rock and gently closed his left eye.

“It’s a mole.”

“It’s not just a mole.”

A small mole reflected in the moonlight.

The mole seen with the remnants of the voice had a faint yellow glow even though it was dark at night.

“A shiny mole.”

Even now that the church is spreading the will of God under one name, the forest of Dobrechti still holds mystery.

The name of the mystery was Shining Mole.