Nightly Wails and Ghostly Howls: The Town Demon's Shadow [Chapter 8]

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Chapter Eight: A Bloodstained Morning

Xiu Yi realized the gravity of the situation and hurriedly dressed to go downstairs. But as he picked up his magic sword, another thought arose in his mind.

What did it matter to him if a few people died in this town? This wasn't imperial territory; he, a Gruprita knight, didn't need to fulfill his obligations. Besides, this was retribution for the townspeople abusing him during his childhood! Thinking this, Xiu Yi sat down again, leisurely straightening his uniform.

At this moment, Almiti woke up. She came out of the house in her underwear, almost causing Xiu Yi to have a nosebleed.

"What happened?" Ignoring Xiu Yi's surprised gaze, Almiti asked.

"I heard from people who just passed by that someone in town was killed, and it was done by demons," Xiu Yi quickly replied, averting his gaze.

Almiti's face instantly changed color.

"How could this be? Has the body of the person I killed been found? Or was it the person I turned into a lewd beast last night who did it?" Thinking this, Almiti hurriedly tried to contact her newly created servant telepathically, but the result only made her more panicked: she couldn't contact the lewd beast at all; it didn't react at all.

"No, even if someone kills you, you should be able to sense it. Could it be..." Almiti began to worry.

"Miss Almiti?" Seeing Almiti's pale face and silence, Xiu asked with some concern.

"It's nothing, I'm just a little scared to hear that someone was killed by a demon." "

Don't worry, you're with me. I'll protect you if anything happens," Xiu said confidently.

"Thank you, Mr. Xiu!" Hearing Xiu say he would protect her from the demons' attack, Almiti couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, but for some reason, she felt a warmth in her heart.

“Then please put on your clothes, Miss Mitty. The mayor wants everyone to gather in the square. I’ll wait for you outside.” With that, Xiu Yi went out. Almidy let out a long sigh of relief.

When Almidy and Xiu Yi arrived at the square, the small square was already packed with people. Although the town’s population was small, it was still quite a sight when everyone was gathered together.

A makeshift platform had been set up in the center of the square, and a young-looking man was speaking on it:

“As you can see, a murder has occurred in this town. There are multiple victims, and the methods are extremely cruel. It is very likely the work of demons… Please be vigilant, citizens, and pay attention to your safety and be aware of any suspicious persons around you…”

Although they were late, the citizens of Belan Town, upon seeing Xiu Yi’s distinctive Imperial military uniform, whispered among themselves and made way for him. Almidy followed Xiu Yi to the center of the square.

"...These despicable demons threaten the lives of every human being. We can no longer turn a blind eye. Stand up, citizens! Let us unite to destroy those evil monsters! I need the strength of each and every one of you. Perhaps tomorrow, the corpse of that damned demon will be before you all!" The young man on the stage finished his speech, and applause erupted from below the stage. Many people clamored for the demons to pay for their crimes in blood.

Meanwhile, Xiu Yi looked at the man on the stage and thought to herself: "Being a town mayor at such a young age is quite something. His speech is very persuasive, reminding me of Dr. Goebbels, the Minister of Propaganda of the Empire. He's about the same age as me, but our experiences are so different. He can wield power here, while I have to risk my life on the battlefield. We were both born in this town, yet our circumstances are so different!" Thinking this, Xiu Yi couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

"Look! That's Knight Gruplitta!"

"An elite warrior of the Imperial Army!"

"Look at that confident smile on his face, our town is safe!"

"The events of three years ago will not repeat themselves!"

Hearing the citizens' discussions, Xiu frowned. It seemed that coming here in military uniform was a mistake.

As the citizens' discussions arose, the person on the platform also noticed Xiu. He immediately jumped down from the platform and walked to Xiu, saying:

"It's an honor to have the famous Knight Gruplitta of the Imperial Army come to our town! I am Mayor Glass of this town. May I ask your name, sir?" He extended his hand to Xiu as he spoke.

"Xiu Xiu Christo, Lieutenant Colonel Warlord of the Imperial Azure Dragon Legion," Xiu replied,

shaking Glass's hand. The young man named Glass before him was handsome and had a friendly smile. Xiu's initial prejudice against him lessened considerably.

"It's an honor to meet you! I have a favor to ask, and I hope you can grant it," Glass said eagerly and hopefully.

"Please tell me, I'd be happy to oblige if I can," Xiu sighed inwardly, realizing trouble had finally found her.

"That's wonderful. You know this town is in a neutral zone with little armed force; the town's defenses are very weak, with less than a hundred members in the entire self-defense force. Therefore, I would like to request that you, with your extensive combat experience, serve as the town's security captain. Please don't refuse!"

"If I can do it, of course I'll do my duty without hesitation, but..." Xiu had already prepared an excuse before the other person spoke, but then she suddenly remembered that Miss Mitty knew she was on leave without any reason. The words "military duties" were on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't say them. If Miss Mitty felt she was selfish, she would be very sad.

"But my identity as an Imperial soldier is too sensitive. Wouldn't directly intervening in this matter provoke a reaction from the Kingdom of Eltoia?" In desperation, Xiu could only hastily come up with a flimsy excuse.

"If necessary, I will explain to Eltoia. Please, Mr. Xiu, you won't just stand by and watch the townspeople die, will you?" As Glass said this, the other townspeople present also pleaded.

The phrase "stand by and watch them die" echoed in Xiu's mind: if word got out that he, as an Imperial soldier and a Gruplitta Knight, had stood by and watched the townspeople die, it would have a terrible impact. People wouldn't just talk about Xiu personally, but about the entire Gruplitta Knights of the Imperial Army. The Imperial military would definitely try to salvage its reputation by making him bear the blame.

The thought of possibly being taken to an interrogation room, with the officers of the Imperial Guard interrogating him all wearing reproachful faces... Xiu couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

Under the influence of various factors, Xiu Yi's "kind" nature finally erupted irrevocably.

"Alright! I'll try my best then. Please forgive me if I fall short," Xiu Yi said.

Hearing Xiu Yi's reply, the people in the square cheered, their shouts of "Long live the Empire!" echoing through the sky.

"Xiu Yi, why did you agree so easily? What about your injuries..." Almidi said anxiously, grabbing Xiu Yi's hand. She didn't want Xiu Yi to become her enemy.

Holding Almidi's soft, smooth hand, Xiu Yi felt a flutter in her heart, but quickly calmed herself and whispered in Almidi's ear, "In this situation, I have no choice but to agree. Mr. Glass and I will go. You should go back to the inn first."

With no other option, Almidi watched Xiu Yi and Glass's group leave.

"Is there something you need, Mr. Hugh?" Glass asked, noticing Hugh glancing at him frequently.

"I'm just amazed that Belan Town has such a young and capable mayor. It's truly enviable!" Hugh said with a smile.

"Ah, please don't say that. I'm just benefiting from my father's influence. Back when this town belonged to Altoa, my father was the town's administrator, and I was the captain of the guard. Later, due to the agreement between the Reinga Empire and the Altoa Kingdom two years ago, this town was designated as a neutral zone, and that's when I was elected mayor," Glass quickly explained.

"Benefiting from my father's influence?" Hugh thought to himself. He was no different; if it weren't for his adoptive father, he would have starved and frozen to death on the streets long ago.

"Oh, the murder scene is just ahead. I've already instructed my men to preserve it as much as possible," Glass said, pointing ahead.

What immediately unfolded before his eyes was a hellish scene: bloodstains everywhere like dried-up streams, shattered internal organs, severed hands and feet—anyone who saw this would either faint or collapse to the ground vomiting uncontrollably. But for Hugh, such scenes were commonplace. When he saw Glass covering his mouth with a handkerchief as if about to vomit, he couldn't help but smile, then put on gloves and examined the remains carefully.

"Mr. Hugh, what have you found?" Glass felt a wave of nausea and asked Hugh, fighting back his vomiting.

"The blood is very fresh; it must have been done recently, no later than last night. The killer is extremely cruel; the methods are completely inhuman," Hugh said, examining the organs on the ground.

"It seems the killer is trying to cover something up with an extremely bloody method. Did you notice these dismembered corpses? Each body is missing one or two organs."

Hearing Xiu's words, Glass hurriedly had the corpses pieced together. They discovered some were missing eyes, some ears, some internal organs, some legs and hands... By the end, Glass was nearly fainting.

Ignoring Glass's condition, Xiu continued, "If you put all the missing organs together, it's a complete human body!"

"My God!" Glass felt a chill run down his spine and jumped up, screaming.

"The victims include men and women, even children. I think the killer must have taken the best parts from each body! They might be doing this to conduct experiments on living people's organs, or they might be performing some forbidden magical ritual." As Xiu drew his conclusion, he couldn't help but recall some dark and bloody magical rituals he had witnessed at the Magic Knight Academy.

"Truly worthy of being an elite of the Empire, Mr. Xiu is truly remarkable!" Glass said admiringly.

"It's nothing, I just took an intelligence analysis course at military academy. Isn't there a murder scene here? Let's go take a look!" Xiu shrugged.

Then, when Xiu saw the two slightly desiccated corpses before him, he was startled. Weren't these the same mummies he had found in the forest? Even the expressions on their faces were identical, both bearing eerie smiles.

"It seems they've been dead for several days, and the bodies are starting to stink. There are no wounds on their bodies, the only place with blood is there!" Xiu pointed to the lower body of the corpse.

"This is very likely the work of demons. It's said that demons need to absorb human life essence to survive," Glass said with lingering fear, while Xiu remained frowning.

"How was this corpse discovered?" Xiu asked.

"Since the bloody scene was discovered at dawn, I had all teams spread throughout the town. One of my men noticed that the soil under that tree had been disturbed, so he dug it up and found this."

The two murders were completely different in method and occurred at different times, but it could be determined that they weren't committed by the same person because the methods were completely different. The clues at hand were still too few, and Xiu Yi couldn't help but curse herself for always skipping her elective intelligence class.

"If only we had more clues. By the way, I heard from the townspeople that a demon-related murder incident also occurred here three years ago. Could you tell me the details?" Xiu Yi said thoughtfully, resting her chin on her hand.

Next, Glass recounted what had happened in the town three years prior...

As Hugh listened, he jotted down all the people and events he heard:

the woman's body discovered initially, and later the man's body drained of blood; Astoria, a retired soldier from the capital of Eltoa who helped with the investigation, and his suddenly appearing sister, Alma; the murder of Mrs. Barbara; the wealthy merchant Arno and his entourage being killed by demons in the wilderness; and Arno's fiancée, Francesca—Mrs. Barbara's daughter—going mad and setting fire to the house where Astoria and the others lived, leaving the fate of the four inside unknown. Later, the incident gradually subsided, and no one was killed again until now.

Hugh carefully analyzed the details, finding the retired soldier and his sister the most suspicious, and realizing that if they were demons, the fire might not have killed them. The mayor in front of him, Glass, was still foolishly grieving over the loss of a friend. What a gullible person! He'd probably still be counting money for Astoria after she sold him out! But then again, why did similar demon-related murders suddenly occur three years later? Was there a connection? This time, the methods of killing were completely different. Hugh secretly resolved to dispel the fog before him.

"Is there anywhere here where I can find detailed information about demons?" Hugh asked Glass.

Glass: "The town library might have some, but I can't guarantee it."

"I also need a list of special people in town, such as those who are particularly wealthy or powerful, and those with mysterious whereabouts," Hugh continued.

"This town has almost no industry, and commerce isn't very developed. There shouldn't be anyone like that in your case. Wait! Two years ago, a wealthy merchant named Pikachu came here from Altoa. He took over the business that had been vacant since Arno's death," Glass replied thoughtfully.

"Alright, that's enough. But considering the seriousness of the situation, have we called in any witchers? Their special abilities can distinguish between humans and demons disguised as humans," Xiu Yi said to Glass.

"We have, but I'm afraid it's too late; it'll take her a long time to get here," Glass said helplessly. Then one of his subordinates interjected.

"Since we have Imperial soldiers helping us, why bother calling in witchers? That uninvited woman last time didn't find anything out, just swindled money and left!"

"Shut up, John! You're not allowed to talk about Miss Rebecca like that!" Glass shouted angrily.

Watching Glass reprimand his subordinate without moving, Xiu Yi chuckled inwardly: "Could Glass possibly like that woman named Rebecca?" At that moment, Xiu Yi suddenly remembered the forest where they had encountered the demonic beast.

"That forest is indeed suspicious. Since we can't find anything out from all the surface clues, let's investigate the suspicious things first! Let's check the information first and then investigate that ghost forest. Of course, we shouldn't let go of that merchant named Picard either." With this in mind, Xiu decided to take action.

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Nightly Wails and Ghostly Howls: The Town Demon's Shadow [Chapter 8]

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