Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Beyond the colorful tent of the market was a deep, harsh voice.

“How can a castle be so quiet? There must be something! What evil trick did that little Lord do!”

An unidentified person wearing a hooded cape exploded in anger.

What do you mean little?

Leticia frowned.

It is obvious at first sight that the author had a grudge against the Halstead Castle. But she had to grind her teeth.

‘I’m sure I’ll find out who that is.’

Hiding behind the post, she continued to sneak up on the main subject.

After a while, all the men who appeared to be subordinates had left. They began to talk about a serious topic.

“As expected, the Lord’s wife is suspicious.”

Leticia flinched. She didn’t expect she would be talked about.

“That little bride he got seven years ago. That child had been a hot topic for countless demons.”

“Is what they say true? Do you really think the little Lord offered his soul to summon a demon? Then the strange phenomenon that is now being surrounded in Halstead Castle is a masterpiece of the Great Devil…”

“It’s quite possible!”

Leticia was nervous.

They never dreamed that the very Lady of the Lord was watching behind her back.

If she’s caught, things will get bigger.

But she couldn’t run away.

‘I need to find out.’

Leticia clenched her fists and strengthened her gut.

She is the only witness now. She had to find at least a clue to reveal who this person is, so she could let the grandmothers know.

Leticia tried to drill him more carefully while hiding herself.

He poked around about Halstead’s castle but rarely revealed his identity. From his manner, she could only assume that he had been somewhere far away for a long time.

Is that all?

Leticia frowned with a serious face.

It was getting dangerous. I had to avoid this position before I got caught.

If Casaro and her family members are waiting for the Mistress, that’s also a problem. If Leticia is not seen, Casaro will completely overturn the market.

At the height of her nervousness…

Little monsters ran in an equivocal way and pushed her hard, and the wind fluttered her hood.

Oops!

Leticia dodged the spot. She blended into the crowd and went to the spot where the carriage was parked.

Mrs. Casaro and her party were already waiting with their luggage loaded. When they saw Leticia empty-handed, they looked puzzled.

“No, ma’am! Didn’t you mean to buy something?”

“Ah… I changed my mind.”

Casaro, who is quick-witted, immediately noticed something was going on.

“Should we hurry up?”

She pressed the horseman and set off right away.

The cart full of groceries ran off. Powerful carriage plowed across the wilderness.

And soon Halstead was seen.

Leticia gave up her ambiguous thoughts for a moment and looked at the castle.

A firm fortress standing over the wilderness.

While reading a book, listening to a story, when she encounters the word “home,” she starts to think of this very scene.

As she entered the gate, she saw people who worked as usual.

Some have been busy caring for the carriage that has been one of the main sources of income for Halstead for the past seven years.

Some took care of Herb, which is another source of income.

Then when they saw Leticia, they all stopped.

“Madame! Did you come back safely?”

Even though it was only half a day, they welcomed everything. Leticia realized how peaceful this place has been.

‘I’ll keep this place safe.’

She smiled sweetly at everyone, pledging to herself in her heart. Then she headed to the command room of the castle.

Casaro left her groceries behind and followed her in.

Alexa and Bastian also followed with serious faces as if they had already noticed what it was.

Alexa immediately asked her after closing the door.

“What’s happened in the market?”

Leticia talked to them.

“Someone is looking for our castle.”

“What?”

Everyone was surprised.

“But we’re surrounded by the fog of oblivion.”

Kasaro raised a question. Leticia replied.

“He looked like he had a deep grudge against Halstead. I think he came from some faraway places, only thinking about paying us back. I guess that’s why the artifact power didn’t work on him. It’s also already running out of energy.”

“What kind of person was he?”

Bastian asked.

“He is tall and big. While I was watching him secretly, his face showed up for a moment, and his skin was dark gray. He was like a stone.”

“Ah!”

Three grandmas shouted in surprise.

“Stone Golem!”

“Stone Golem?”

“It’s a demonic race living in Barroza. Barroza is a Devil’s Castle, which is close to the site of our Halstead.”

Bastian explained step by step.

“It’s a notorious rock maze. It has a narrow, complicated road that only one or two people can walk through. No matter how much people gather, they are bound to be scattered in all directions when walking the narrow maze.”

“It’s going to be very disadvantageous.”

“Where is that? Between the rock mazes, there is a cave where they live. The enemy invades and the Stone Golem on the other side ambushes the cave. They have no choice but to surround and easily destroy the enemy that is scattered all over.”

“They’re very troublesome.”

“That’s right. It’s the closest castle to Halstead, so it’s been like that for a long time. They tease us whenever they have a chance, and then run to Barroza and hide. In the end, the Lord held the day and brawled with them with his own hands…”

“How?”

“He fought one-on-one in the wilderness with the strongest fighters in the tribe.”

Bastian shrugged.

“Maybe the one you saw is Kurax, the greatest warrior of their tribe. He lost to the Young Lord and disappeared into the wilderness.

“I suspect him, too. Let’s see if he’s really back.”

Alexa called in the servants of the castle and gave them a covert order.

That evening they quickly reported the results to Leticia and her three grandmas.

“As expected, it’s Kurax.”

This is what they found out.

After being defeated by Erden, Kurax went far to the northern end and passed the seven trials of his tribe. He was recognized as the strongest warrior again.

As soon as Kurax got back, he took revenge on the farthest Halstead and tried to regain his rights.

“At this moment he would most likely…”

Her grandmother’s face was filled with anxiety.

First of all, they called in the captain of the security guard, who is now in charge of defending the castle, to announce the situation.

“We have seen the Stone Golem warrior Kurax in the common market. He’s trying to avenge us by defeating his fellow tribe members.”

“What?”

The captain of the guard was astounded.

“He still doesn’t know the Lord has left the expedition. So we should not jump to conclusions. We’d better keep an eye on his movements.”

“Okay.”

He retired with a nervous look.

Leticia listened to the information anxiously.

‘Please let the days pass quietly. Just 15 days.’

They had longed for it, but in the end, he came.

The Stone Golem people were known for their quick temper, aggressive enemies, and intelligence.

They decided to move first despite their fear of Lord Halstead.

After seven trials, the former warrior is like their tribal ruler.

Kurax organized the Stone Golems with his authority. The goal was to cut the Lord’s throat. He first left Barroza with his advance team to see for himself the situation of Halstead.

Two days later, the bloodthirsty elite “White Men” followed.

There was tension in Halstead. It was the first fight in seven years.

Leticia felt her shoulders getting heavy.

In the presence of God and the devil, she became the Lord’s wife. So now the owner of this castle is Leticia.

It wasn’t just a place.

Leticia has already saved the castle by annihilating the Giant Ant army at the age of 12.

Everyone in Halstead’s castle remembered that time. Their trust in Leticia was deep and firm.

Leticia felt it, too.

‘It’s up to me to get through this crisis!’

She is rich with knowledgeable; subordinates; and experienced old women. But in the end, she had to make her own judgment.

The butler Alexa asked her carefully.

“Madame, what shall we do?”

Leticia thought for a moment and answered.

“First of all, the most important thing is the safety of the people of our castle. Let the village know. We should refrain from going out at this moment, prepare weapons at home, and provide emergency food.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Following the order, Halstead Castle went into the emergency system in a friendly and secret manner.

For the past seven years of peace, the soldiers left in the castle have been training fiercely without any slackness. When the order was issued, they were immediately put on 24-hours alert. They waited only for instructions from above.

The Stone Golems have kept on approaching in the meantime.

Kurax’s advance team fell into mystery when they were investigating Halstead Castle.

Meanwhile, their master who came late surpassed the advance team.

They camped at a nearby ‘spider grave’ and waited for Kurax’s instructions.

The spider’s grave is not very far away. If Halstead’s pursuers ran at full speed, it would have been only half a day.

Are they really going to be in a war?

Leticia is afraid.

The fog of Tarua will make it difficult for them to find the castle.

But how many days will it last?

When everybody fights the Stone Golem with stone, usually humans would bleed and get seriously injured. Of course, there will be a box of it.

She couldn’t stand it because she thought the people who knew each other’s faces were all dying or getting hurt.

Erden would never let that happen.

“Ah, why now…”

It is driving her crazy. Leticia gulped down the cold water.

‘Get yourself together.’

She pressed on herself.

“I can’t win a good fight, even if I am wielding a sword like Erden. But there must be something I can do.”

She calmed herself and headed to the room. She took out a book that was kept in a secret drawer on her desk.

It was the Book of the Great Rain Mill, given by Erden.

Although there is only the front part, she had been glancing at it every single day hoping for some changes for the past seven years. She was at the point of memorizing every single word that remained undamaged.

She read it so much to her three grandmothers that she has now become the official daughter of Halstead.

Nevertheless, she read from the beginning until the end.

‘For those of us who have experienced a higher civilization, what can we do about those demons?’

She thought about it, again and again, hundreds of times.

She thought about those words from the moment she woke up in the morning to the moment she is about to close her eyes at night.

She thought about it while putting bread in her mouth. The next day and the next day, she felt anguish as the dark shade covered her eyes.

“Madame, what are you thinking?”

Even though the grandmothers were worried, they kept thinking about it. Her eyes kept turning to the calendar.

Nine days till the day Erden returns.

Suddenly, they heard a loud noise. Leticia looked out the window.

“Come on!”

“We’ll win!”

The pursuers were quick-witted, and they had already sensed the tension of the castle. Until a few days ago, she had been playing ball, but they had changed their sport and started a knife fight.

Leticia looked at Halstead’s brave children for a moment.

“Don’t make me laugh! I win!”

“Don’t make me laugh!”

“Do you want to bet, then?”

“Okay!”

The children quarreled excitedly.

It was at that moment.

“Ah…!”

Leticia jumped up.

An idea has struck her.