Sword of Salvation-Chapter 117: - Tower of 9 Gods

THE JOURNEY to Cluthu Village—the westernmost village of Denland Kingdom—finally ended after five and a half days. It was a large village with more than 800 households. The majority of the residents made their living as fishermen, while the minority were farmers, craftsmen, traders, and salt miners.

However, the village was not as lively as it had been during Julia’s last visit. Mariel didn’t need to ask about the village’s condition back then to understand the situation. Fear painted the faces of the villagers, even though it was still broad daylight. When Mariel asked some of them, they said the demon attacks came unpredictably.

Wanting to gather more detailed information, Mariel, Julia, and Sean headed straight to the village chief’s house.

The village chief, an old man in his sixties, welcomed them personally. The dark circles under his eyes showed that he hadn’t been sleeping well—not just for a day or two, but for many days. His face was filled with worry and anxiety, burdened by the fear of demon attacks that could come at any moment.

However, the moment Mariel told him they had come to deal with the demon terrorizing the village, his expression brightened instantly. He quickly invited them inside and offered them food and drinks. But Mariel politely declined and got straight to the point about what he needed from the village chief.

"So, Village Chief, we need more detailed information from you. Tell us everything you know."

Just as Mariel said that, a woman entered the living room carrying drinks. She was quite beautiful—her posture and curves rivaled Julia’s. The village chief introduced her as Eya, his daughter-in-law. However, she was now a widow. Her husband had been killed by a demon on the night of their wedding, two months ago.

"My husband was a good man. If he had run away without caring about me that night, he might still be alive. But instead, he sacrificed his life for me. I wish I could have had at least a part of him, but we didn’t even get to spend our first night together. That’s why I hope you can kill the demon that took my husband and my future away."

The brown-haired woman smiled softly before excusing herself from the room. The village chief then gestured for Mariel and the others to drink. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Julia was the first to reach for a glass of tea, but Sean stopped her hand. Like Mariel, she seemed to have noticed that Eya was not an ordinary woman. Though faint, Mariel could sense a murderous aura from her. And though subtle, he could also feel the presence of suppressed prana within her.

"We’re in a hurry, Village Chief," Mariel said before the village chief could ask why Sean had stopped Julia. "We’ll take the tea with us on our journey. So please, explain what I asked."

Hearing Mariel’s words, the village chief nodded in understanding and began his explanation.

According to him, the demon’s first attack began two days before his only son’s wedding. The first victims were two young girls under ten years old. It happened past midnight. However, the villagers only discovered the demon’s existence after the village chief’s son was killed. The demon had hair made of snakes and arms and legs resembling octopus tentacles.

The village chief recounted that the demon had also slaughtered all the soldiers and Sterminatore members who happened to be in the village. When a Sterminatore squad led by a Rank 2 member arrived, the demon didn’t appear at all. But after two days of searching, they found traces leading to Shit Island—the location of the Nine Gods Tower.

When the Sterminatore squad reached the island, they found no one alive. The tower workers and guards had all been wiped out. The demon had massacred everyone.

However, they managed to find tracks leading to a hidden cave between two large rock formations. The village chief didn’t know exactly what happened, but the Rank 2 Sterminatore was killed along with more than half of his subordinates. The survivors fled the village immediately. They said nothing except that they would return.

"But they never came back," the village chief continued bitterly. "We’ve been losing two or three people every day since then."

Losing two or three people per day? That might not be a huge number for a city, but for a village, it was devastating.

"Alright. Thank you, Village Chief," Mariel said, placing three gold coins on the table. "We’ll be taking your three glasses, so these coins are in exchange for them. As for the demon, we’ll head straight to the cave to eliminate it."

After leaving the village chief’s house, Mariel, Julia, and Sean made their way to the pier. Along the way, they disposed of the tea Eya had made and destroyed the glasses beyond recognition. Sean mentioned that she felt like she had seen Eya before but couldn’t remember where.

"You think that woman is involved in the demon attacks?" Julia asked. "She probably tried to harm us with something like slow-acting poison so we wouldn’t interfere with the demon. But why? Maybe she made a deal with the demon to limit its killings?"

If Julia’s assumption was correct, then in a way, Eya had good intentions. Her fear of the demon forced her to protect the village in her own way. Perhaps the poisoned tea was both a test and a precaution. That might also explain why she expressed her hope that Mariel would kill the demon.

"That’s possible. But Lady Julia, that woman seemed to be suppressing her prana. It was as if she was trying to appear as an ordinary woman. While I do believe she didn’t want us interfering with the demon, I doubt her reason was to protect the village," Sean replied.

"Being optimistic about others is admirable, Julia," Mariel interjected. "But that kind of thinking will get you killed. If Sean hadn’t stopped you from drinking that tea, we wouldn’t know if you’d still be alive or not. Never trust someone just because they saved you."

"Your last sentence reminds me of someone who takes advantage of opportunities," Julia retorted, casting a sidelong glance at Mariel.

"I thought that person had done the right thing. Seizing an opportunity in a desperate situation is a form of intelligence and keen perception. You agree with me, don’t you, Sean?"

"More importantly," Sean ignored Mariel’s question, "what do you think about that woman, Mariel? I’m curious to hear your opinion."

"You’ll find out tonight."

"What do you mean?" Sean and Julia asked in unison.

"If she is as I suspect, she will do something interesting after the demon is dead. We won’t return to the village until nightfall to let her act. I hope I’m wrong about her, but my instincts have rarely been wrong. That’s why tonight, we will find out."

"Or," Mariel continued, gazing at the towering structure, "we might not have to wait until nightfall or return to the village. Eya may come to us and reveal the truth herself. It’s no coincidence that Sean feels like she’s seen her before."

Mariel’s instincts were only dull when it came to matters involving women. In those cases, he had to rely on his intellect and knowledge. "Women’s intuition" was too strong for his instincts to counter.

"I feel sorry for the fishermen," Julia remarked as they stepped onto the dock. "How long has it been since they last went out to sea because of the demon’s threat? These boats look like they haven’t been used for weeks."

Mariel said nothing in response to Julia’s words. His eyes were fixed on Shit Island, just about 150 meters from the dock. More precisely, his gaze was locked on the Nine Gods Tower, which stood at the center of the 6,400-square-meter island. As described in books, the structure—also called the Nine Gods Lighthouse—was truly towering.

With only 150 meters between them and the island, they could have reached it without using a boat. However, since they had already received permission from the village chief, Mariel, Julia, and Sean decided to take a boat there.