The Flame-Well Brigade is the brigade of knights under the authority of Count Keel, stationed around the two towns and one city ruled by the Count. The 3rd Regiment of the brigade was in the town called Stonebridge, a much bigger town than Sunshine Town, which was the current residence of Alvar.
Stonebridge is a town located about 5 km from Sunshine Town and was recently established, about fifteen years ago, meaning it does not have its own knight regiment. This was not a necessity, as it is full of adventurers, and it is easier to have small rotations of knights checking up on it.
When crimes happen, there is a degree to which a guild can handle them. For instance, embezzling guild funds, attacking other adventurers, theft regarding the guild, or petty theft/crime on civilians could be handled by the guild's guidelines.
They didn't have to report some findings as well, unless the matter was serious or the money that could be gotten from it exceeded some level that the Count wouldn't interfere with. This includes minor mysteries like equipment disappearing and some local banditry.
As long as it was in the guild's territory, it is probable the guild can handle it on their own. But what if something petty happened in both Sunshine and Stonebridge at the same time, something that was elaborate and didn't make sense to carry out to such lengths?
Just the day after the knights had returned with Alvar and the bandits, the next day, goblin corpses were found in a forest piled up on top of each other. The cuts were amateurish at best, but the number of bodies exceeded twenty.
The next day!
"Do you think this was done by the same person? I feel that way."
"I think so, too. It looks quite random at first, but it seems a single technique was used on almost every goblin—and always on the same spot. It almost looks like a child's work, and I mean that literally."
"What do you mean, a child? Do you really think a child could pierce a goblin's shoulder like this? Yes, the cuts are wild, but this isn't a child's work; it's an adult's."
"I meant a strong child could do it. What's your conclusion, then?"
"It was probably a normal civilian—an amateur who did this. But to take on all these goblins in a span of a few hours is insane."
They continued bickering with each other, arguing over who could be responsible.
But it was inevitable they would reach a conclusion fast, as there was not much information to go with.
Their conclusion was: the work was done by a single person who, in a few hours, had the raw force and strength to kill all of them, yet possessed a little skill in swordsmanship.
"It was a first time," they collectively agreed.
"I see where you guys are coming from, but..." exclaimed another knight standing slightly behind them. It was Sir Smith, the vice-sergeant under Isolde. "But, it would seem to me it was done by a group of people—at least three, or maybe two if they are trying to throw us off guard."
"Uhh..." They exchanged confused glances before one asked, "Why would you say that? If they came one by one, it's possible. And maybe he was made someone else throw the corpse"
"At first, I thought so too. But look at this for instance."
Smith grabbed one of the goblins by the arms and lifted it. "This one had its shoulder cut off and its neck stabbed."
"And then look at this one," he scrambled over to a corpse with an even bigger cut across the waist. "Do you think the same person was able to display this much strength when they barely cut the first one?"
It was clear that such a jump in power could only be achieved with drugs. "Maybe drugs, then?"
"Yes," Smith conceded, "that's a possibility, just like a single killer. But do you think there's a drug that could last all those hours? Some corpses are five hours apart, and the difference in strength is even greater."
"Not to mention, some of the cuts are clean, and we can't dismiss that as amateur luck, right?"
The knights continued bickering amongst themselves while recording the established facts and packing all the goblin corpses into a bag.
"We can take them to the guild and sell them, I guess," one of the knights said, and they left to make the sale at the guild.
Just a few days later, when Alvar had already received his second mission in the lake:
"This again" smith sighed.
"Again ? did this happened before ?" asked an the old adventurer from that party.
"It did. Last time was just a few days ago," Smith replied, crouching beside the heap of corpses. "We sold the bodies to the guild but didn't mention where we found them. Still, the fact that this time there are wolves mixed in, and the corpses showed up beside oak trees in both Sunshine Town and Stonebridge… that's troubling, like why do this ?"
"It makes things quite complicated, doesn't it?" said the old adventurer, rubbing his thumb along a severed wolf's leg before setting it aside.
"It does," Smith muttered. "Leaving monster corpses out in the open is a petty crime, something the guild can handle quietly. But hauling them all the way from the forest to town—just to dump them? That's insane."
"What forest are you referring to?" the adventurer asked.
"The one around the lake— Brown Forest," Smith said.
"Well, it's more than just that," the old adventurer replied, straightening his back as Smith looked up at him. "The goblins and wolves there don't share any kind of beneficial relationship with each other, their bodies probably came from somewhere else."
"How do you know that?" Smith asked, frowning.
"Well, you see," the old man murmured. He pulled a small pocket dagger—its blade darkened with age—and slit open the bellies of both a goblin and a wolf. "If they'd been fighting, and hunting each other, there would've been goblin remains inside the wolf, and wolf remains inside the goblin. Instead… they both ate the same thing before dying, a cooked boar meat with cabbages. That means they operate as a pack, or did."
Smith's brows rose. He knew it before even cutting them open. The old man's intuition was frightening—his eyes had seen enough beasts to read the truth straight from their corpses.
'It was impressive' Smith muttered softly.
The adventurer wiped his dagger clean on the grass and stood up. "Regardless, it's still a petty crime. Maybe next time, we'll find more clues when whoever's doing this drops another batch."
"You think they'll do it again?" Smith asked.
"Yes. I'm positive," the old man said with quiet certainty. "He—or she—will."
"Let's not dwell on it too much," the adventurer added, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "We'll sell them like last time, then have a drink at the tavern. Come on."
Smith exhaled, glancing once more at the mutilated corpses before following him down the path.
***
Alvar laid on a tree branch, maintaining a perfectly stable breathing form. His legs were crossed, his eyes closed, and his ears were expertly sealed with his scarf tightly; no external sound was to be heard.
Basic mana sense training had three stages: Centering, Probing, and Harmonizing. The most fundamental work was focusing on the body's internal workings: the blood pumping, the breath, the stomach's churning, the slight tremor in his muscles, and the hum of his nervous system. More importantly, he needed to perceive the mana within.
It felt far more laborious than anticipated, stripping himself away from the entire environment, as if nothing else existed—as if he were the sole point of existence. His back began to feel sore, and the wind seemed to seep through him, constantly jarring his rhythm. Wearing more clothes had offered a slight reprieve, but the same problem soon returned.
He let out a long, frustrated exhalation—a sharp "Huuu"—that shattered his focus.
"It is harder than I thought," he muttered.
["I think we have made a lot of progress. For a beginner, we just need to find a way to solve this faster," the voice of his system echoed. "If you can master the basics of magic, you can make your skills more efficient than before—even absorb mana faster than almost all mages in this world. You are special."]
"Huuu," he exhaled, pushing the air from his lungs. "Let's return to the guild, shall we?"
[WE STILL NEED TO FISH FOR ELECTRIC EELS, DID YOU FORGET ?!!!]
Alvar froze after all he had promised—they would talk about magic and being an adventurer with Tibo—but now it had gotten very late. Tibo had likely returned with the adults.
[EVEN I FORGOT ABOUT THAT, BUT I BELIEVE HE HAS RETURNED WITH THE ADULTS, SINCE IT IS RUDE WE CAN APOLOGIZE, MAYBE AFTER TOMORROW]
He stood up, grabbed the rough trunk of the tree, and slid down its bark, landing with a dull thud against the ground. Dust scattered around his boots.
Reaching for the ropes of his cart, he gave them a sharp tug and began pulling it towards the lake.
***
He descended down the slope, his cart moving at high speed, and from a distance, one of the fishermen saw him.
"Hey, Tibo! Your friend is here!" the fisherman shouted toward a tree that had a blanket spread over a figure.
It was Tibo.
Alvar got in front of him, and Tibo said, still in a playful tone, "You were late today, huh?"
One fisherman rolled up his ropes outside the water to go home while observing them. Another tied up his boats while watching them as well.
Alvar felt so much guilt for making Tibo wait more than five hours. He bowed deeply, an apology bow made by the Japanese— he leaned 90 degrees forward closing his eyes.
Filled with guilt, he said aloud, even for the fishermen to hear:
"I am so sorry, I had to make you wait. I have no excuses for this. I simply forgot… but please understand that I meant no harm when that happened!!!"
The little boy, Tibo, was confused. No one had acted this way toward him before.
"Do you know who I am?" asked Tibo.
"Yes, you are Tibo, a friend of mine," Alvar replied before adding, "I apologize again"
By the looks of it, the fishermen had never seen such a thing either.
"I forgive you, my friend," Tibo said.
Then Alvar stood up from his bowing position while Tibo added, "You have to take me home as an apology though."
"Really… you are so kind," Alvar replied.
The fishermen exchanged glances, silently observing the scene.
Alvar grabbed his cart, sliding it along the ground, and went with Tibo to a forest on the opposite side of Sunshine Town.
"Oh wait, lets fish a little bit"
Tibo: "OK"
Next chapter teaser:
"Isolde! Sergeant Isolde, you are telling me we have yet to acquire 'it' yet?"
Isolde paused, her mind screaming: 'This is getting annoying!