" This is one of our best rooms here. Please, go inside and make yourself comfortable, young master."
Sharon opened the door and gestured for Edsel to enter. The room he would be staying in for the night was simple, furnished with a double bed, a small table, and a narrow window overlooking the village.
It wasn't luxurious, but it looked comfortable enough. Edsel walked inside while Mia placed the luggage neatly beside the bed.
"Shall I heat the bath water, young master?" Sharon asked.
"Yes. That would be nice in this cold weather."
"Very well. I'll inform you when it's ready."
With that, Sharon stepped out and quietly closed the door behind her.
Edsel walked toward the bed and dropped onto it with a tired sigh.
"Phew… that journey was rough. My legs are killing me."
"Young master, shall I go out as you instructed?" Mia asked.
Edsel looked at her for a moment.
"Yes. That should do. You can go, but make sure you return on time. I have a bad feeling about tonight."
"Yes, sir."
Mia left the room, closing the door softly behind her.
Left alone, Edsel slowly closed his eyes and drifted into a short sleep.
***
******
*********
"How dare you speak to me like that!"
Suddenly, he heard a huge noise coming from downstairs. He got up from the bed immediately and frowned at the disturbance. Who would cause trouble in a place like this?
He stood up from the bed and walked downstairs to see what was happening.
When he reached the lower floor of the pub, he saw a young boy with short white hair and long bangs pointing angrily at Perez. Several soldiers stood behind the boy as if they belonged to him.
From the clothes alone, it was obvious he was a noble. But why was he yelling at Perez?
The boy suddenly noticed Edsel descending the stairs. A grin spread across his face.
"Well, well… if it isn't the loser Edsel."
The soldiers behind him snickered quietly, clearly amused by the remark. Edsel stopped midway down the stairs and frowned.
"You… who are you?"
"Huh?"
A few of Perez's soldiers burst out laughing at the reaction. Silas's face flushed red with embarrassment before he quickly tried to regain his composure.
Perez leaned closer to Edsel and whispered quietly.
"That's Silas Torenzo, the only son of Marquis Torenzo."
Edsel nodded slightly. So this was one of his classmates. Which meant he must have witnessed the original Edsel losing to Fiora. That explained the insult.
Still… his behavior felt incredibly childish.
"Ah, I see," Silas said loudly. "You don't recognize me because Fiora must have hit your head too hard that day."
Edsel closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again. As he looked around the crowd in the pub, he noticed something strange. There was a man sitting alone at a table in the corner, smiling directly at him. The man's gaze felt unsettling and made Edsel feel wary.
Edsel ignored Silas's continued talking and was about to move away from him.
"Hey! I'm talking to—"
Edsel turned and glared at him with cold eyes. Silas felt the intensity of that gaze immediately. For a split second, it felt as if his head had been cut off and placed back onto his shoulders. His legs gave out beneath him, and he fell down while trembling uncontrollably.
"Y-young master!" the soldiers rushed forward to help Silas up from the floor.
While they were distracted, Edsel walked towards the strange man in the corner and smiled back at him.
"Hello there," Edsel said while approaching the table.
The man drank the beer that was sitting on his table and looked up at Edsel with an amused expression.
"You've been staring at me for a while. Do you know me?"
"Huh?" The man chuckled softly. "No, not at all." He leaned back in his chair. "I just find you… amusing, that's all."
Edsel could immediately tell the man was not ordinary. There was something strange about him, something hidden beneath his calm demeanor. Even his clothing seemed unusual, as if he didn't belong in this village.
Was he someone important?
"Do you mind if I sit down?" Edsel asked.
"Sure. Why not?"
Edsel pulled out a chair and sat across from him. His eyes briefly drifted toward Sharon, who was busy preparing dinner behind the counter.
"Are you from here?" Edsel asked casually.
"Not at all," the man replied. "I'm just doctor who happened to come here to help. The lord of this village called for me."
Edsel thought about that for a moment. The strange energy he felt from this man wasn't normal. Yet if the local lord had summoned him…
"You're revealing your identity rather easily," Edsel said. "Why is that?"
The man blinked, caught off guard by the question.
"Ah—well, I'm just saying it in case you're interested," he said quickly. "If you ever have body pain or something like that, you can call me."
"Body pain…?" Edsel tilted his head slightly. "Are you sure that's all you deal with?"
The man chuckled awkwardly.
"I just felt like revealing my little secret," he said, glancing at Edsel again with a faint smile. "Who knows? My instincts tell me you're hiding something too." He leaned forward slightly. "I feel like we think the same way."
Edsel frowned faintly, puzzled by the man's words. Then suddenly—
BOOM!
The entire building shook. Everyone inside the pub froze. A moment later, screams erupted from outside.
"H-help!"
"Run!"
"What was that?" someone shouted.
Perez immediately stood up and gathered the soldiers.
"Everyone with me! Let's see what's going on!"
"It must be the orcs…" the strange man muttered under his breath. His expression darkened. "Those poor souls…"
He clenched his fist tightly.
Edsel stood up from his chair and headed toward the door, but the man quickly grabbed his arm.
"What are you doing?!" he said urgently. "It's dangerous out there! Those things are massive!"
"That's exactly why I'm going," Edsel replied calmly. "Besides, if I can't handle it, I'm smart enough to retreat."
The soldiers from the Domitius and Torenzo families rushed outside with their weapons drawn.
Edsel stepped out of the pub alone and then he saw them.
Orcs.
Their green skin glistened under the fading light, their bodies massive with bulging muscles. One of their arms was as large as a full-grown man. Just imagining one of those fists smashing into the ground was terrifying.
The village had descended into chaos.
Men, women even children were running through the streets, desperately trying to escape. Some weren't fast enough.
Edsel watched as one unfortunate man was grabbed by an orc and torn apart while screaming. Others were devoured alive. The air filled with blood, panic, and death.
Yet Edsel simply stood there in the middle of it all.
The death energy spreading through the battlefield wrapped around him like a familiar embrace.
"Aah…"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"My meal…" he muttered softly, feeling pleased by the sight.