Chapter 649: The Abandoned Frontier Village
We reached the destination village without incident. It appeared to be the current frontier settlement. Was the forest visible in the distance unexplored monster territory?
“Lionel, is that forest monster territory?”
“No. Part of the wasteland beyond it is.”
“Then the builders of the old settlement failed to realise that.”
“So it appears.”
A forest or mountain with a clear boundary would have been manageable. The wasteland beyond this forest, however, contained monster territory in a complicated, irregular pattern.
I wanted to deal with it eventually, but for now, our only option was to kill the monsters that appeared little by little.
If only monster territory could be purified like the defiled land.
We might drain the mana from the soil, but that would damage the environment. What a difficult problem.
“Is something troubling you, Lord Julius?”
“I was thinking how difficult it is to reclaim monster territory.”
“It requires a great deal of time.”
Lionel looked towards the forest too. Perhaps we could gradually reduce the mana without disturbing the surroundings. Monster territory was also a valuable resource, after all.
The village had been informed of our arrival. The welcome was not enthusiastic, but it was respectable.
“Do the villagers know ghosts gather nearby?”
“The site lies beyond the forest. They probably never travel that far.”
“Could the ghosts cross the forest?”
“It is unlikely. Ghosts are monsters, so they should not leave monster territory. However…”
Lionel stopped. I stared at him, urging him to continue.
“If they retain their resentment, they might travel as far as an inhabited place.”
The surroundings fell silent. The nearby knights had heard him too.
So little was known about ghosts. Stories claimed that they appeared in old castles and mansions because of powerful hatred towards the living.
“Do the people of the old village resent us?”
“The possibility is not zero. The project was not compulsory; volunteers were recruited properly. Even so, it is true that the surrounding area was surveyed inadequately.”
No one had expected patches of monster territory across the wasteland. The absence of monsters in the forest may have lulled them into carelessness. Several misfortunes had combined.
“Then we must settle the matter. As a descendant of the margrave who promoted the project, I shall ensure that they are purified.”
“Indeed.”
Equipment clinked as the knights readied themselves. Without saying a word, they clearly shared our resolve.
Even if we had to perform an unpleasant duty, we had to remove this future danger.
After lunch in the village, we entered the forest. The ruins of the old settlement lay beyond it.
The forest itself was perfectly ordinary—bright and open, with sunlight filtering through the branches and flowers blooming among the grass. I sensed small wild animals nearby.
“This is definitely not monster territory. None of these plants are potion ingredients.”
“Agreed. There are many signs of living creatures too.”
Monster territory was different. Ordinary life was scarce, and one sensed only the thick, unpleasant presence of monsters. Wild animals had a much lighter presence.
The village we had eaten in was probably safe. It might suffer damage from ordinary pests, but not an attack from this direction.
We emerged from the forest after nearly an hour. As described, wasteland spread before us, the scenery changing abruptly where the trees ended.
The forest was not large, but seemed rich enough to supply plenty of food, including fruit trees.
“The terrain changes rather drastically.”
“Probably because of the monster territory. Until several years ago, grass grew thickly here as well.”
That gave me an unpleasant feeling. Was the monster territory expanding? I asked, but Lionel said there was no evidence of that.
He first guided us to the former village. It was now a complete ruin, with only building foundations remaining. It was difficult to imagine that people had ever lived there.
“The ghosts don’t appear here?”
“No. They gather around a shrine farther ahead.”
“Perhaps that was their last refuge.”
The residents’ final moments weighed on me. Yet we could not leave them trapped here for ever. We had to release them.
“Let us proceed. I shall guide you.”
“Please do, Lionel.”
We checked our equipment again and reviewed how to use the Holy Droplets before continuing.
The shrine stood atop a low hill some distance from the old village.