HBWnovel Chapter 76: The Creeping Terror (1)
Chapter 76: The Creeping Terror (1)
Chapter 76: The Creeping Terror (1)
Mistwood Hamlet.
Once a thriving town with hundreds of bustling streets, it now lay deathly silent. Eateries that sold delectable snacks were permanently closed, as no trace of food remained. Buildings that once stood tall had been reduced to crumbling heaps of stone and wood. Walls and streets had been cracked, and grimy streams gushed from the cracks like open wounds. Not much remained from the once-thriving town, which was littered with shattered glass, fallen bricks, and broken buildings.
The air was suffocating as ashes and dust snowed from the sky. Distant cries for help were prevalent as paramedics scurried from tent to tent, carrying the bodies of the heavily wounded. On the side, several well-built men were clawing into fallen debris, hoping to find any traces of life that the earthquake had buried. Occasionally, they would find a body... and the Gods flipped a coin.
Did they save a trapped person who needed help urgently? Or a lifeless corpse without any respite for peace?
Nevertheless, the rescue efforts were on full display. The atmosphere was heavy, as no one was in a chirpy mood. The flickering sunlight that pierced through the ashen clouds showed the weary faces of the refugees and the exhausted expressions of the volunteer corps.
They had been working day and night just to excavate Mistwood Hamlet, and they needed some rest.
And that's when their salvation arrived.
"The Solaris House has sent help!"
An echo reverberated through the silent town. Survivors who had given up hope lit up their faces, with many rushing towards the flying ship that landed on the outskirts of the hamlet. Many rushed forward, grabbing onto the supplies that arrived. Some grabbed onto the volunteers, thrusting photos of their loved ones who had been missing for days.
"Please! Save my daughter!"
"My father is still missing! Please find him!"
"Help me!"
The survivors' desperation turned into a chaotic scramble, forcing the experienced Knights to intervene and restore order.
"Stand back!"
"We will get to you, so please return to the shelters!"
"U-Unhand me!"
"Get back!"
The voices of the Knights and refugees blended in a disorganised requiem, and the shouts only got louder with each passing second. The chaos unfolded, bringing silence to the Solaris volunteers, particularly those from the younger crowd. Ever the golden-hearted child, Leon was dumbfounded by the disastrous scene.
The blending of death, destruction, suffering, and despair melted his bubbly personality. It was the first time he'd encountered such a heart-wrenching experience, and he was half-desperate to throw himself into the fray and help every man, woman, and child affected.
But before he could leap out, a sturdy hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Halt, what do you think you're doing?" Amon's cold voice beckoned to the reckless youth, who could only yell back in defiance.
"Let me go! I need to help them!"
"And what are you going to do?"
"!!!"
Leon didn't think that far ahead. His kind heart overloaded his mental faculties, and Leon moved instinctively without a plan.
"Are you going to search for every missing person yourself? Or would you expend your mana to heal the wounded? Or are you thinking of individually handing out food and rations for the refugees? You're just one person, Leon. You can't do everything."
"B-But!"
"Listen to me," Amon sighed. Leon's kind-heartedness drew Amon to like him as a character in the first place. But at the same time, it was a pivotal flaw usually exploited in [Bright].
"There's a central command coordinating the relief efforts. They know every missing, injured and starving person. After reporting to them, they will assign tasks that best suit our talents. If you want to be a commissioned Knight, you'll first need to learn to follow orders."
"I see... I'm sorry; I must have lost my head there."
Only after hearing that he would be of service soon did Leon finally calm down. He took one deep breath in as he gazed at the pure destruction the earthquake caused. As Amon's squire, Leon was delighted to join his master during a relief mission. But as he realised the lives that needed saving, Leon's heart filled with determination.
A Five-Star Knight in the Black Dragon Order's Eighteen Squad. There wasn't anything remarkable about the man, and he wasn't a major or even minor character in [Bright]. In Amon's view, he was just an extra that wasn't even worth mentioning. Since Amon joined the Black Order, he'd received cold treatment from Torin.
It never once reached the level of mutiny or physical bullying, but it was evident that Torin disliked Amon.
However, Amon couldn't care in the slightest.
So what if one or a million Knights hated him? He wasn't here to please them. Amon just wanted to save Hyades from the future Calamities. And if he ruffled some feathers along the way, he simply didn't have the energy or bothered to expend effort to care.
Amon would leave Torin alone if he didn't disrupt him.
"So what's your plan?"
"Hmmm?"
"Don't tell me you dragged us thousands of miles to Mistwood for no reason? And don't feed me bullshit that it's from the kindness of your heart. You've never actively volunteered for aid missions. You must have an objective here."
"..."
Amon paused for a moment, stunned by Lucia's acute reasoning. The woman was intelligent, and Amon was well aware of it. Otherwise, Lucia wouldn't have quickly climbed the brutal Solaris Black Dragon Order's ranks as someone without Solaris blood.
And honestly, Amon trusted Lucia to a certain extent. She was loyal, strong and intelligent. Everything that Amon liked in a comrade. But alas, letting her in on the Blood Demon's threat may be too much. Hence, he lied:
"I don't have a plan, but if you were to ask my motives... I just wanted to give Leon field experience without exposing him to danger. Sending aid to Mistwood was the perfect chance."
"Oh hoh? You seem to treasure your little squire quite a bit."
Amon's words genuinely baffled Lucia. She'd never expected the self-centred and wild horse that was Amon Solaris to be caring for another.
"Perhaps you have grown! Your elder sister is touched! I remember when you would run off without caring about the mission!"
"..."
Amon squinted at Lucia's blatant teasing but quickly brushed it off. More importantly, he was dying to discover if the Blood Demon had awakened. Given the timeline, the monster should have claimed its first victim by now, and the traces of its awakening would have shown themselves.
Before Amon could find an excuse to escape this situation, a desperate cry came from an old woman just metres away from the duo.
"E-Emery! Please find my grandson, Emery! He wandered into the woods to get medicine for us, and he hasn't returned yet."
"Ma'am, please calm down. We have submitted your missing person form. A search team will be dispatched to find your grandson."
"Please! Something must have happened to him if he hadn't returned by now! You must send help now!"
"Ma'am!"
The pair stopped and watched as a volunteer steered the elderly woman back into a shelter. They paused for a moment and shared a sad gaze.
"You're right; this is no time to be teasing you. We came to help, not squabble."
Even though Lucia was a bona fide member of the Black Order, she had a kind and noble soul. Assisting the desperate in Mistwood was a perfect break from the constant deadly missions she was used to, and Lucia would cherish every second.
But as she headed over to the old woman, Amon stopped her and gave a warning:
"Lucia... If you find anything suspicious, let me know."
"Haha, what kind of suspicious things could there be?" The spearwoman laughed heartily before turning her back. "However, your concern is well-noted. Though, shouldn't you be more concerned for yourself? Your wife is sending a suspicious look your way."
"..."
Amon turned over his shoulder and saw Yue sending death daggers his way. Seeing this, Lucia took the opportunity to escape the crime scene, leaving Amon alone to deal with the aftermath.
"That lass..."