Chapter 262: The Empty Town |
The princess's carriage, which was on the route to Grind Sail Town, suddenly had its windows shut tight. Strange noises began to emanate from within.
Even with the windows closed, the half-carriage maid walking alongside could still catch faint traces of those peculiar sounds.
Blushing at the odd, fragmented noises, she murmured to herself, “Princess, seriously… already starting in the carriage?” While eavesdropping as discreetly as she could, she couldn't help but grumble under her breath.
Others near the carriage also noticed the odd sounds, their reactions ranging from disdainful glares to weary headshakes.
Fortunately, everyone was well-acquainted with the princess’s... peculiar ways. No one went to interrupt. The groups pretended as if nothing was happening.
The head knight, anxious to put an end to such outrageous behavior, hastened the formation and urged the group to enter the town as soon as possible to find a place to rest.
But just then, a scout ran up with news: the town gates were locked and no one was responding inside.
The head knight and his group immediately grew displeased. Though they had come of their own accord to discuss a marriage alliance, this was still no excuse for a border town to show such disrespect.
“Break the gates down. Then find the finest house in town and have the owners vacate it.”
When they pushed it open, they saw the wooden beam used to bar it had already snapped and fallen to the ground.
“Hmph. Locking up this early in the night? No wonder this border town is so impoverished,” a soldier sneered. They exchanged smug looks. One soldier ran back to report, while the rest led the way in.
Only the guide—who had spent several years in the Borderfall City—looked uncertain.
“As far as I remember, Grind Sail Town used to be bustling. Why are they locking up so early? And why is it so quiet...?”
A sense of unease crept into him. Even the summer night breeze felt a little too cold. He rubbed at the goosebumps on his arms, wondering if he should put on an extra layer.
That unease, once rooted in the guide alone, quickly spread throughout the entire group.
As they walked through the silent village streets, their initial arrogance gradually gave way to nervous suspicion.
Eyes darted left and right, hoping to catch sight of another living soul.
But even after reaching the town center, not a single person was seen.
“Something’s wrong. Check the houses along the road. Even if people are asleep, drag them out!”
Unable to hold back any longer, the head knight barked an order at the soldiers around him.
Although the eerie silence of Grind Sail Town had the soldiers on edge, courage returned when they moved in a group.
With loud shouts and rough shoves, they stormed into one of the houses, breaking the door down with brute force.
But as the last soldier entered, the door suddenly slammed shut behind them.
The people still standing in the street jumped in fright.
And just like that, the rowdy noise from inside the house vanished completely.
They waited a long while, but no further sound came from within. Nor did the soldiers returned.
Those already unsettled by the strange closing of the door began to glance at each other, worry growing in their eyes.
The head knight yanked the guide toward him, “Are you sure this is Grind Sail Town?”
“This is it—definitely!” The guide, sensing that a single misstep could cost him his life, stammered frantically, “I even saw the town’s name carved above the gate.”
The head knight had also seen the town’s name carved into the wall, but the oppressive unease gnawed at him. He couldn't help but confirm again.
“I’ll ask the wizard.”
Grind Sail Town supposedly had two First Rank apprentices. It was plausible something strange might occur if something had happened to them.
But the head knight took comfort in the fact that their own group included a Third Rank wizard apprentice.
He tugged the reins and galloped toward the last, unassuming carriage in the group—a carriage no one dared treat lightly.
“My lord, something’s off about this town. Would you please step out and take a look?”
He quickly dismounted and approached the carriage, intending to help the wizard down personally.
But he waited a while, and no response came from within.
“My lord?” he called again, louder this time.
Still, no answer.
The knight, now visibly shaken, threw caution aside and leapt onto the carriage, yanking the door open.
The carriage was empty.
Hoo… hoo…
The lantern inside still flickered steadily. A piece of parchment lay spread on the small table, a quill fallen to the floor at some point. A drop of black ink had splattered onto the fine sheepskin rug.
But the arrogant wizard apprentice was gone.
The knight bolted from the carriage in a panic and seized the coachman by the collar, hurling him to the ground.
“Where is the wizard?!”
The coachman was so terrified he could hardly move. Trembling on the ground, he stammered, “I-I don’t know… Before we entered the town, the lord asked me where we were. But after that, he didn’t say a word…”
The knight questioned everyone nearby—had anyone seen the wizard exit the carriage?
Every answer was the same: no.
“All of you! Turn around, now! We’re leaving this town immediately!”
The knight, practically falling apart, mounted his horse in a frenzy and galloped toward the princess’s carriage.
“Your Highness! Please sit tight—we need to leave! This place is not right!”
The words tumbled out in panic, but the strange noises from within the carriage still hadn’t stopped. It was as if the two people inside were still... enjoying themselves.
He could bear it no longer. Turning his head aside, he shoved open the carriage door.
“Ah—AH—!”
The knight didn’t look inside, but the nearby maid did, and what she saw made her shriek uncontrollably.
Her piercing scream stabbed at knight’s eardrums, making his heart lurch. He couldn’t hold back anymore and turned to look.
“AH!”
Even the normally composed knight couldn’t suppress his horror.
His legs buckled beneath the weight of his armor, and with a clang, he collapsed to the ground.
The princess hadn’t disappeared, or rather, she still existed in some form.
Her lavish court gown remained, draped elegantly on the seat.
But the figure inside was no longer a beautiful woman, but a grotesque mass of swollen blood blisters.
When the door opened, the creature within the gown began to stir.
It twisted slowly, as if trying to turn its head. But it had no face, no hair—no way to tell whether it was turning toward or away from them.
As it moved, the blood blisters rubbed against one another, producing a faintly lurid, heart-racing, rustling sound.
A slit slowly opened in the mass of bubbles where its head should’ve been.
“H…elp…”
But before the plea could escape its throat—
The countless blisters that formed the humanoid figure burst all at once.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Blood-red fluid surged forth from the ruptured blisters, soaking the gown’s support structure and flooding the floor of the carriage.
When the carpet could absorb no more, the crimson liquid flowed outward.
Some of it dripped through the seams of the carriage; the rest surged toward the door.
Whoosh—
At that moment, the knight thought he heard the crashing of waves.
“Run…” he whispered, almost afraid to disturb the blood.
Forcing himself to his feet, he turned and sprinted toward the town gate.
Gone was the noble bearing of a knight, gone were his responsibilities and composure. He didn't care about the terrified crowd behind him.
He just wanted to escape.
More and more of the blood-red fluid poured from the carriage. With a great crash, the entire carriage gave way, shattering into splinters and washing outward in a crimson tide.
(End of Chapter)
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