"This goes back to my grandfather's time."

  Baron Gideon leaned forward, his hands pressed beneath his chin, his gaze fixed on the tea table as though his thoughts had drifted a long way into the past.

  "He was a knight in the royal army. He was sent to the frontier to wipe out a group of cultists who worshipped the Old God Bazarthos."

  Ethan knew the story.

  There was a book in Willowbrook's public library that recorded the whole tale. It was written in a fairy-tale style, painting a picture of three fearless knights of the royal army and one wicked witch who offered the people of the frontier towns up as sacrifices to an Old God.

  It had been one of the first books Ethan ever read after arriving in this world, back when he was still trying to figure out where exactly he had ended up.

  And like so many fairy tales, it ended the same way.

  After enduring countless hardships, the three brave knights finally defeated the evil witch and brought peace to the towns. To honor them, the king granted all three titles of nobility. Two of them chose to stay in the region. One became Baron Gideon's grandfather. The other remained in Riverbend and devoted himself to the town's development.

  That old friendship between the two baronial families was one of the reasons the two towns stayed so close.

  "I've read the book," Ivy said.

  Time was short, and she clearly had no interest in wasting it on a story she already knew.

  "What details were left out? For example, did the witch leave behind any children or apprentices?"

  "Every follower tied to the witch was executed," Gideon said. "But when they killed her, something strange happened. My grandfather told the secret in his old age. By then, his mind was already beginning to go. He woke from nightmares almost every night."

  Gideon's face had gone pale.

  After a long hesitation, he finally forced the words out.

  "After defeating the witch, they cut off her head. But even after she was beheaded, she stayed alive for a long time. She cursed the town and said she would return one day and kill everyone here."

  "No one was braver than my grandfather. He would go into the woods alone and face any beast without hesitation."

  Gideon spoke as if he were trying to defend the honor of his family.

  But soon his clenched fists loosened weakly.

  "And yet the nightmares shattered him. He would scream himself awake, tumble out of bed, snatch up his sword, and slash at empty air while shouting, 'She's back.' A few times he even injured servants who rushed in to help. He had to keep his sword by his bed before he could fall asleep. Even then, it didn't last long."

  Gideon's father had kept the whole thing quiet.

  Very few people knew that Willowbrook's hero had died in old age consumed by fear and confusion.

  The Baron lowered his head.

  "But the witch's curse didn't end there. A few months later, my father was found drowned in a pond by the guards."

  Now it was Riverbend's turn.

  He seemed to be remembering his grandfather's cloudy, frightened eyes. The hero of the town had lost every trace of courage. All that remained had been fear and despair, along with the same muttered words over and over.

  She's back. We're all going to die.

  A sudden crack of thunder split the sky.

  Heavy clouds swallowed the light, and the whole town seemed to sink into shadow.

  The storm was almost too fitting.

  A chill ran down Ethan's spine. The lightning had made him jump.

  A dead witch returning to life. A town wiped out in a way no one could explain. All at once, everything around him seemed touched by something cold and unclean.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  "So you think it was the witch," Ivy said.

  After a moment of thought, she turned to Ethan.

  "Ethan, what kind of witchcraft did she use?"

  "How would I know?"

  Three question marks practically appeared over Ethan's head.

  The Baron had made the witch sound more like a vengeful ghost than a person. It was seriously unsettling.

  "What, you don't know? I thought you were the expert."

  "I’m a clerk who's read a few books on the occult. I've never actually dealt with a witch." Ethan paused, then added, "That said, coming back from the dead isn't impossible. A Beginner's Guide to 100 Dark Creatures mentions that the Old God Bazarthos, the one witches worship, is a god associated with death. His followers have a very deep understanding of death. The book also says that high-ranking witches can summon creatures from the underworld through contracts."

  Ethan glanced at Baron Gideon, who looked like he was barely holding himself together, and decided not to continue.

  The book also said that sacrificial rituals were a form of contract.

  The followers of Bazarthos traded souls for power. Which meant the worst-case scenario was obvious. The witch might already have sacrificed the entire population of Riverbend to her god.

  That many souls...

  If so, she was probably unbeatable by now.

  Honestly, Ethan would rather have run into an actual ghost. The books said ghosts looked terrifying, but usually were not that dangerous.

  "It's over. We're dead. We're all dead..."

  Baron Gideon kept trembling.

  Ethan thought he was only a few minutes away from curling up like the merchant and trying to become a mushroom.

  Drawing on his vast wisdom, Ethan carefully assessed the town's situation.

  Then he made a difficult decision.

  Two years was enough.

  It was time to leave town and begin a brand new adventure.

  From what he had seen, Chloe could fly. With her strength, carrying him on a journey should not be a problem.

  As for Willowbrook, he wished everyone the best.

  Then Ivy spoke.

  "I know what happened with your grandfather. He was a Tier Two knight recognized by the Empire. When the order came, he and the others went to the frontier without hesitation."

  Ethan assumed Ivy was trying to encourage Baron Gideon.

  Unfortunately, her voice was so calm that it sounded more like criticism than comfort, which only made the Baron look more miserable. He covered his face in pain and muttered, "Yes. If only I were as brave as my grandfather. As strong as he was... He taught me swordsmanship. He even left behind his knight's handbook. But no matter what I do, I can never become someone like him."

  "So what are you going to do?"

  The sudden question left the Baron frozen.

  He stammered for a long time without managing to produce a complete sentence.

  "You're the descendant of the town's hero. The witch will never spare you, no matter what. If your plan is to sit here and wait for her to come kill you, then I won't waste any more time on you."

  Then Ivy turned to Ethan with complete seriousness.

  "Three Tier Two knights managed it once. Why can't we? If we prepare in advance, set traps, rally the Guild hunters, and make use of Chloe too, we still have a chance. Ethan, go bring her back to town."

  Ethan noticed Ivy's gaze drifted right past him and toward the storm outside the window.

  She already seemed to be thinking through the town's defenses.

  At least Willowbrook still had one sheriff he could trust.

  Which meant he could finally leave for his adventure in peace.

  And just now, Ivy had handed him the perfect opportunity.

  If he happened to be attacked by the witch on the way back with Chloe and tragically died, then even if he never returned to town, no one could really blame him for running.

  With that in mind, Ethan turned to go.

  "Wait."

  Ivy suddenly called out to him.

  Ethan's insides clenched.

  She was smart. Had she somehow seen right through his escape plan?

  He immediately began reflecting on his mistake. He had agreed far too quickly. In a life-or-death crisis like this, he should have looked conflicted first. He should have made it seem like he had summoned every ounce of courage before making up his mind. That would have been far more convincing.

  While he was still lost in thought, Ivy had already walked over to him.

  Right in front of him, she unfastened the revolver at her waist and placed it in his hand.

  "Don't die on the road."

  The weight of it felt heavy enough to leave him dazed.

  It was the first time Ethan had ever studied Ivy's revolver up close. The workmanship was exquisite, and an unfamiliar family crest was engraved into the grip.

  He had not expected to be thrown into such a moral dilemma.

  He was about to run away. But if he took the one weapon Ivy might need to turn things around and disappeared with it, that would be a little too awful even for him.

  He wanted no part in anyone else's feud, but he did not want to get people killed either.

  So he tried to refuse.

  "That's not necessary."

  Ivy was firm.

  She frowned and urged him on.

  "Stop talking. Go, and come back quickly."

  In theory, Ivy was smart.

  Being admitted into the Society of Enlightenment was proof enough of that. But recently Ethan had discovered that in some areas, she could be shockingly naive. She was handing over her personal weapon to an outsider this easily.

  Ethan was sure plenty of people at the Guild could walk off with that gun without losing a second of sleep, sell it on the black market, take the money, change their name, and go live comfortably somewhere else.

  The only explanation he could think of was that Ivy had never really dealt with a true bad person in her life.

  In an age like this, that alone felt almost unbelievable.

  And now the same opportunity was sitting right in Ethan's hand.

  On the eve of his departure, Ivy had even generously provided him with a little startup capital for his new adventure.

  "You really aren't worried I'll take your gun and run?"

  The moment the words left his mouth, Ethan regretted them.

  He had a horrible feeling that without noticing it, Ivy had dragged him down to her level.

  Ivy blinked in realization.

  "Oh. Right. That's possible too."

  "I was joking..."

  "If you really are going to run, then run far. Head for one of the big cities. When you get there, find an officer and show him this gun. Tell him Ivy Margaret sent you. Tell him what happened in Riverbend and Willowbrook, and have him send the royal army to kill the witch."

  Ethan could hardly believe his ears.

  "And one more thing."

  Ivy shot him another look of pure contempt.

  "Next time you're planning to run, don't announce it. That's how people get tied up."