In the days that followed, after going to Autumnwind City to exchange ancient gold coins for a large amount of small change, Yvette settled down in Sanglen Village to study the faith element.
During this time, because of her cold, aloof temperament and her remote residence, she had hardly any acquaintances besides Lucia, who would come by from time to time to chat, tell widely circulated legends of the continent, and bring her some local goods.
Even so, as a newcomer shrouded in mystery, she remained the village’s favorite topic of conversation for quite a long stretch afterward.
Some guessed she was a fallen noble lady. She spent freely—hiring people to tear down and rebuild the abandoned warehouse into a two-story wooden cottage and fence it in—and, more tellingly, she never cooked for herself, always paying others to prepare and deliver her meals. A girl whose ten fingers never touched spring water—if that isn’t a noble, what is?
Others thought she was a mage from the Snow Country. Rumor had it that some mages took many potions for their cultivation, causing their hair color to change. Her silver hair might be potion-related, and her cool air fit people’s image of an ice-cold beauty.
Still others believed she must be an angel fallen from the divine realm. Not only did she frequently visit the church to watch people pray, she also had a face so beautiful it stole your breath. On that face alone, many villagers swore she had to be a goddess from the heavens—untouchable by mortals.
However, as half a year slipped by and people grew familiar with her, they never saw Yvette display any special ability beyond being well-off. The “noble lady” theory gradually became the mainstream in the village.
Yet the villagers were baffled: if she truly were a fallen noble lady, why, after being amnesiac for so long, had no agents of her family come to find her?
Had her family been destroyed, and she lost her memory while fleeing?
With such speculation rising, the village’s mood grew restless.
After all, here was a breathtakingly beautiful, delicate, rootless rich miss—temptation incarnate, wasn’t it?
The next spring, on a gloomy afternoon, three youths gathered in a quiet alley of Sanglen Village. The saddle-nosed one said anxiously, 「Mars, are we doing this or not? If you don’t, I will!」
Mars Kent shot him a look, hesitating.
The speaker’s name was Gil; the freckled one was Ron. Together with Mars, the trio were the village’s most notorious bullies—reviled by all, idle every day, despised by people and dogs alike.
Since the appearance of the amnesiac silver-haired girl last year, the three had, without prior agreement, fallen in love at first sight with her. Their itchy thoughts never ceased. But with Lucia always watching them, and rumors that the girl’s background was remarkable—surely noble retainers would eventually come searching—they never dared act on their wicked impulses, at most daydreaming.
Now, though, half a year had passed. The amnesiac beauty paraded around the village daily, and no missing-person notices had surfaced anywhere around Autumnwind City. This slowly emboldened the trio, their vile desires rising beyond control.
「Gil, how are you planning to do it?」 Ron asked, rubbing his hands.
「How else? We tie her up and live it up elsewhere! She’s rich and gorgeous—where couldn’t we enjoy ourselves?」 Gil’s face twisted into a leering grin.
「But your mom’s still in the village—can you really leave her?」
「That chick’s loaded. We leave some money for Mom and call it filial piety,」 Gil said after a moment’s thought.
Then he added, 「If you don’t want in, I won’t force you. In fact, I should thank you—so I can enjoy that beauty all to myself…」
「Damn it, stop. That’s disgusting. I’m in!」 Ron couldn’t take it. The thought of such a stunning girl being defiled by Gil made him sick. At least let him have a share!
Gil turned. 「What about you, Mars? Your folks are gone—you can’t still be hung up on that.」
「I’m in too!」 Mars said viciously. 「I planned to treat her nice, but she spurned the toast for the penalty wine—serves her right!」
Decision made, the trio began to scheme.
Since the silver-haired girl lived on the village’s edge where it was less noticeable, their plan was to sneak in under cover of night, quietly bind her, and carry her off before dawn. She had money to spare; all they needed was a bit of luggage. They’d buy a carriage in Autumnwind City, and life afterward—unimaginably blissful.
As for failure, they didn’t consider it. They’d trained in militia swordsmanship to a decent level and even grasped the most basic enhancement scripts of magic swordsmen—about Black Iron, even Bronze-tier among adventurers.
If they couldn’t subdue a dainty girl with no strength to truss a chicken, they’d be laughed out of town.
The necessities were easy to procure. So, though they’d only decided that afternoon, by nightfall the three had gathered, ready to act.
「Big Brother Mars, what are you doing here?」 A curious voice sounded. Mars turned to see Hank, a chubby village boy who admired their “free and easy” lifestyle and often played their lackey.
「Nothing. It’s late—why are you still out? Get home, now,」 Mars barked.
「Oh—」 Hank answered timidly. He then saw the three heading into the woods by the country path. The woods didn’t lead anywhere meaningful, but he knew them well—because the silver-haired girl who drew all the village’s eyes lived deep within.
Were they going to see that noble lady named Yvette?
Hank watched a few times in confusion, then didn’t think much of it and turned homeward.
Night deepened, ink-black, soaking into Sanglen Village. The trees lost the day’s calm; swayed by the night wind, they became clawing, grimacing phantoms.
「Gil, was this place always this creepy?」 After two steps and a sneeze from the chill wind, Mars felt a prickle of unease. He couldn’t help touching the sword at his waist for a bit of security.
「Don’t know.」
「It’s probably our guilty consciences,」 Ron concluded. 「We’ve never done anything this thrilling before.」
Mars and Gil found that reasonable and ignored the shadows that felt full of watching eyes. They moved on, gradually making out the silhouette of the fenced-in woodland cottage.
They stood outside, watched cautiously for a while, confirmed a candle burned in the second-floor window while the first floor was pitch-dark, and relaxed—time to climb the fence and go in through the window.
But just as they vaulted the fence, nerves taut and excitement high, Mars suddenly felt the ground beside him wriggle. He stopped, watched his companions continue forward, hesitated, and said nothing.
The next instant, he stared, dumbstruck, as a bony white skeleton clawed up out of the courtyard soil and, with swift efficiency, seized both men by the shoulders from behind!
「Mars, what are you—」 Gil and Ron hadn’t noticed the horror behind them. They turned with a whisper of complaint—and froze solid.
A moment later, an ear-splitting shriek tore from both their throats: 「Aaaah—!!!」
「It’s just a skeleton! What are you screaming for!」 Mars snarled, thinking they’d just alerted the target.
Forced to act, he drew his sword and—clang—hacked at the skeleton’s skull. To his shock, a skeleton, supposedly bottom-tier as monsters go, behaved abnormally. His blade did nothing; instead, a painful vibration numbed his hand!
This wasn’t a normal skeleton!
Where did it come from?
The unexpected turn set Mars’ senses tingling. After a few seconds’ hesitation, he abandoned Gil and Ron and turned to flee—only to see, in the woods they’d come through, a dense swarm of horrifying human faces crawling out, every one of them staring straight at him.
「E—evil spirits—」 Mars’ eyes glazed; he went slack. Of the trio, he was the most accomplished magic swordsman, but a single wraith was trouble enough—let alone a whole horde!
Never mind him—if a swarm like this ran loose, no one in the village would survive!
How could this be?
Driven by terror, he arrested his own flight and turned back again. Gil and Ron were already pinned to the ground by the skeleton, helpless. He suddenly understood something; his gaze lifted—and there, by the second-floor window, stood the silver-haired girl who haunted their days and nights. She looked down on the three in the yard. Cold moonlight draped her doll-like, indifferent face, casting a chilling ghostly sheen.
With skeleton and wraiths together before him, Mars finally understood: the source of it all was the silver-haired girl on the second floor.
She wasn’t ordinary. The amnesia was fake; the noble lady was fake.
She was a mage—a necromancer! A top-tier necromancer who could easily slaughter an entire village!
But why would a powerhouse like that hide out in a remote little place like Sanglen? Shouldn’t she be out making a name for herself, becoming a renowned figure?
Mars couldn’t fathom it, but now wasn’t the time. He cried in panic, 「D-don’t kill me!!!」 He paused, then, mustering bravado, shouted a warning: 「If I die, there’ll be serious consequences—you won’t be able to keep hiding here!
How about letting me go? I swear I won’t tell—」
「That’s not for you to worry about,」 the silver-haired girl finally spoke, her voice still cool as ever.
Staring into her cold, dark-red eyes, Mars’ heart sank into stillness—and despair showed on his face.
.
!
Book 3: Chapter 194: Evil Spirits
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