Chapter 8: The Disruption (Part 2)
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
Ling Feng’s long hair whipped through the air, making a dramatic whooshing noise by my ears.
Five hundred meters… three hundred meters… one hundred… thirty…
As the “Kalivel” merchant ship soared into the night and sliced through the air towards the towering structure two kilometers away, I didn’t unfurl my black wings or really utilize the Frost abilities; I mainly relied on my sheer physical strength. To be honest, I was a tad worried that I might be moving too fast and causing a ruckus, so as I approached the tower, I intentionally slowed down. Even so, I made the two-kilometer trek in just a few breaths.
In a flash, that tower was practically beneath my feet.
In the dark of night, a stone tower loomed ahead, standing solitary a few hundred meters outside the harbor city’s walls. Surrounding the tower, there was an extensive sandy beach dotted with simple, makeshift barracks, most of which were dark. Several knights brandished torches while patrolling, looking all serious and vigilant, as if they were searching for something… or someone.
Above the tower, flickering lights danced, glowing warmly from the huge arched windows. However, I saw no sign of life within.
…I should be able to land unnoticed, right?
Even if someone does notice, whatever…
I shrugged, my expression relaxed in the darkness as I casually peered below, feeling the pull of gravity as I began to descend. At that moment, I flipped and twisted, akin to a gliding falcon, plummeting straight down from the night sky. With a gentle push, I released a cloud of Ice Mist to slow my fall and landed with a soft thud on the protruding steps of the tower. Quickly, I leaned against the tower wall, hiding my petite form in the shadows outside an arched window, pulling my hood down snugly.
“Drag them away, drag them away!”
I could hear voices clearly from beneath the tower.
“Alive or dead, I want all of them dragged behind the tower… find a spot to bury them, and clean the bl**d thoroughly…”
“Chris! Any findings on your side?”
“Looks like two of them got away…”
“Don’t worry, they can’t run far; the Captain of Knights is personally chasing them down…”
I leaned over the edge and squinted down, spotting a knight dragging an unconscious figure in front of the barracks next to the tower, conversing with someone as they slowly moved towards the tower.
Nearby, a handful of unlucky souls lay scattered, either unconscious or, quite unfortunately, dead. As I scanned the area, I noted about a dozen knights lingering near the barracks, but more of them were raising torches and fanning out in search of something further away.
In the dark, I could barely make out some conspicuous bloodstains on the beach and the stone steps in front of the tower.
Seems like there’s been quite the ruckus here…
The crew member from the “Kalivel” who had shouted about the knights killing someone must have come along with the Captain and the Sailmaster for the council, then something suddenly went awry, leading to this chaos. After that, he probably took advantage of the confusion to escape from the knights, wanting to alert the “Kalivel” about the trouble brewing here.
…So then.
Where’s the Sailmaster?
Is he inside the tower…?
With an expressionless demeanor, I withdrew my gaze from below the tower, leaning my head out from the edge of the arch, cautiously peering inside. From here, I could get into the tower’s middle level, but it was eerily silent. Was the council being held downstairs… so everyone must be below?
But it seems like there’s also no noise down there…
…Forget it.
I might as well go in and take a look around.
I adjusted my cloak and stepped out of the shadows behind the arch. As I crossed the threshold, my soft shoes creaked on the old wooden planks, emitting a subtle yet piercing sound—an accidental slip I had no intention of covering up.
The middle level of the tower was empty… The upper floor probably was too; it looked like this place hadn’t been touched in ages. Only the candles on the walls provided light, illuminating the interior.
This level was bigger than I expected, but everything felt ancient, as if no one had cared for it in years. The wooden beams were rotting, riddled with munch holes from mice or bugs, and there were heaps of filthy, haphazard boxes piled in the corners, the air thick with an unpleasant stench reminiscent of the Bell Tower in Cataloma—tonight’s scene was astonishingly similar.
But that rapid heartbeat, the feeling of adrenaline coursing through my veins, the indescribable tension, was now completely absent.
I practically strolled down the staircase.
One floor down, then another. The creaking footsteps became clearer, no longer bothering to hide. I could hear sounds coming from the very bottom, the dragging of heavy objects mixed with faint exchanges of conversation fading away as the tower door creaked shut behind them.
There were people down there…
But had they left?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, someone below spoke up, “Hey, did you hear something…?”
Oh…
There are still some left.
“What?”
“The creaking sound… the footsteps?”
“…Must be a mouse?”
“Doesn’t feel like it…”
A skeptical exchange floated up from the lower levels. My pace quickened a bit, and I headed toward the staircase leading to the tower’s ground floor.
“Should we go check it out…?”
“…Not necessary, right?”
“There’s no one on the tower’s top; it’s probably just a mouse or something…”
The conversation below continued, seeming to come from only two individuals, standing toward the right side of the ground floor… Hmm, the knights outside the tower seemed to have wandered off.
“Wait…”
“That’s definitely footsteps!”
“Who—”
With a couple of sword clinks, the people downstairs seemed to be about to step this way, but before they could, I stepped down the staircase, entering their startled sight.
My pitch-black eyes quickly scanned the ground level of the tower.
The stout stone walls still lit up with the glow of candles, and the space seemed even larger… The large door on the left side of the tower was closed, and no one outside could see in here. The whole place felt empty, but the floor was marked by several fresh bl**d trails—clearly, a chaotic scene had started here. Following the bloodstains with my gaze, I noticed they converged towards another closed double door on the side of the room. Those doors, too, were shut, and guarding them were two silver-armored knights, now pulling out their blades, bug-eyed and primed to charge at me.
But I didn’t care.
I casually moved down the staircase, furrowing my brow. Just then, it struck me that upon my arrival, I’d noticed that behind this tower, visible against the night sky, was a smaller annex building. So, this double door must lead to that annex.
“Who goes there!”
“Are you—”
Moon Step.
Boom!
My foot hit the stairs, the wooden steps splintering loudly, and in that moment, I darted forward right in front of the two knights. I squatted low, nonchalantly grabbed their heads, and with a slight twist, I banged them together with a satisfying thud.
And just like that, their cries were silenced.
Clang, clang—
The knights’ swords clattered to the floor as their eyes rolled back, their bodies slumping down weakly into a quivering heap.
Maybe I went a bit too hard…
But that was hardly a concern. I thought about it casually as I stepped over their fallen forms, arriving in front of the double doors. Raising my hands, I was ready to push the door open, but then I tilted my head, turned around to glance back, and paused—no footsteps could be heard from outside.
I shrugged, indifferent, and shifted my focus back to the double wooden doors.
Sailmaster…
Are you in there?
With a sudden burst of determination, I pushed the doors open with a resounding bang.
