Chapter 114: Chapter 114: The Ruined Tower in the Forest
Kelin Town
An old carriage was making its way through the small town.
Suddenly, the carriage stopped by the roadside, and three young men emerged from its shabby interior.
After Ino took a silver coin out of his pocket and handed it to the driver, he began to observe the town that was rumored to have experienced strange events.
Standing beside him were the Grimm brothers. They did not rush in but stood outside the town, examining it as well.
Yesterday, after hearing Clue's account in a tavern, the three of them had packed up and set off overnight.
Unlike the Grimm brothers, who were motivated by adventure and the chance to earn some money, Ino simply wanted to experience the situation firsthand to enrich his collection of stories.
As a bard, it was undoubtedly interesting to go through events alongside the legendary Grimm brothers.
Additionally, this was backed by his newfound confidence from his acquired skills. In the past, encountering such strange events would have made him think of running away first and foremost, without the slightest curiosity to get involved.
...
Outside Kelin Town, a haze hung over like an eternal, unchanging curtain, firmly enveloping the sky.
The clouds were thick and heavy, seemingly ready to crush the precarious town at any moment.
"Something is wrong here!"
Outside the town, Wilhelm pushed up his glasses and suddenly voiced his opinion.
As soon as he spoke, Jacob swiftly drew a silver short sword from his boot.
A magical scene unfolded: the seemingly ordinary silver short sword began to emit a faint glow. Though the light was weak, it radiated a sense of inviolable sanctity.
"Reveal yourself!" Ino held his wand and cast a spell to detect dark magic toward the town, but nothing was revealed.
"There is something wrong here, but my magic cannot detect it!"
"Don't worry! I'm here!" Jacob said, holding his short sword.
At this moment, he was no longer the youth who loved candy in the tavern. He seemed to have undergone a transformation, becoming sharp and courageous.
Ino did not let Jacob's words lower his guard. He was well aware that he was not a legendary protagonist like the Grimm brothers. Some things could not be taken lightly.
After casting a protective charm, he stood aside, holding his wand.
"Let's go in and gather information first," Wilhelm said, looking up at the clouded sky before turning to the others. "Jacob, put your weapon away; it's not time to use it yet."
...
The three slowly walked into Kelin Town.
The town was desolate and even somewhat bleak.
Most of the buildings were small stone houses, their walls covered in moss and vines, and all the doors and windows were tightly shut.
Occasionally, someone passed by, their face clouded with worry.
"Let's split up and gather information. Ino, you go with Jacob," Wilhelm said, looking at the deserted street and then turning to the others.
He was somewhat worried about Ino now. This boy, who looked younger than his own brother, claimed to be a magic apprentice but had done nothing but mutter incantations, without casting a single spell along the way.
Just as they were about to split up, a piercing scream rang out from the other side of the town.
The three exchanged glances and immediately ran toward the source of the sound.
...
On the other side of the town.
By the well, a faceless little girl was stumbling along, followed by a humanoid monster made entirely of mud, hopping along behind her.
A crowd had already gathered by the well, armed with scythes, pitchforks, and other farm tools, attacking the monster.
However, since the monster's body was made of mud, these attacks had no effect. The only thing they managed to do was slow it down slightly.
Though the monster was covered in foul-smelling mud, upon closer inspection, it had a face. Given the faceless little girl, the answer seemed obvious.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Just as the monster was about to catch up with the girl, a white light flashed.
The mud monster instantly froze, its body starting to show white marble-like lines. Moments later, it was as immobile as a statue.
Ino lowered his wand. Though he hadn't figured out the situation, upon seeing the monster, he had decisively cast a petrification spell.
Perhaps a fire spell would have been more effective, but considering the faceless girl, he opted to immobilize the monster first.
"A magician?"
"A demon hunter?"
"Black magic?"
Seeing the monster controlled, the town's residents began to murmur amongst themselves.
Before Ino could explain, Jacob drew the silver short sword from his boot and precisely stabbed the heart of the petrified monster.
With a "crack," the monster shattered into variously sized stone fragments, and the faceless little girl regained her original appearance.
"Mommy!" The previously quiet girl burst into loud sobs.
At the same time, a middle-aged woman with a scythe rushed over and embraced the crying girl.
...
In the girl's home.
Ino and the Grimm brothers listened quietly to the girl's mother's account. Unlike other farm women, the girl's mother, Emily, clearly had a certain level of education, which was evident in her words.
"What do you think this situation is?" Wilhelm asked Emily.
"I don't know, but there are rumors that these strange events are related to the ruined tower in the forest," Emily said, shaking her head, a lingering look of fear on her face.
"This is the ninth strange incident in the past six months. Each time, the victims were young girls around ten years old. I plan to take my daughter and leave this place. The town is cursed."
"Can you tell us about the ruined tower?" William asked.
"There's not much to say; everyone around here knows about it." Emily suddenly stood up, rummaged through a corner of the room, and pulled out a yellowed notebook.
"This is my father's notebook. He used to be a priest here. The records about the ruined tower are all in here. It's said that a hundred years ago, a princess was imprisoned in that tower..."
Wilhelm took the notebook and began to read it carefully.
...
Half an hour later.
Ino had also figured out the story's background. It was clear that the problem stemmed from the ruined tower in the forest.
About a hundred years ago, an old witch coveted a beautiful princess's appearance and wanted to claim it for herself. She used crows to capture the princess and imprison her in the tower.
However, a brave soldier discovered this. He secretly climbed the tower and met with the princess while the old witch was away.
This clandestine affair continued for some time until the old witch discovered it. The soldier killed the witch, but he was mortally wounded and died as well.
Witnessing her lover's death, the beautiful princess went insane. She began studying the witch's dark arts, hoping to resurrect her lover.
However, this reckless behavior drew attention. The church sent a team of exorcists, including Emily's father. The exorcists sealed the evil princess.
Everyone thought that was the end of it, but it now seemed clear that the seal had failed.
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