Just from how Marsha told him about Granny Linsa, he already knows how to poke her.
She was obsessed with control.
And that obsession for control can be seen instantly the moment Deklan stepped into the hamlet.
People were hungry, but all of them lined up like obedient dogs. People didn't dare to look her directly in the eyes, and that spoke of her temper. And people didn't do anything in front of injustice, and that spoke to what kind of method she used to rule.
Violence.
It was the simplest but the most dominating method of ruling to ever exist.
And the sword must be her son, Adrian.
Since she was using violence, Deklan had to repay it with the same kind.
It's only fair that she gets the same treatment.
Even in this world, I won't disappoint Paul. I'll uphold your teaching to the absolute, Dad!
Deklan looked at Granny Linsa, who couldn't hide the sourness anymore as the people around cheered in excitement. For weeks, the hamlet has been suffering due to the road blockage—and now, finally, a real solution has come.
Not the empty promise, but an actual solution.
And seeing the people becoming hopeful and alive again irked Granny Linsa to her core.
It was a clear sign that the frail foundation of her reign was crumbling.
And that's exactly what Deklan was aiming for.
"Can you show me my lodging? I'll move after I'm prepared enough." Deklan demanded.
Forcing a smile, Granny Linsa politely led Deklan to his lodging.
Behind, Marsha wanted to come with him as she loathed the thought of being anywhere near Granny Linsa or anyone she was close to. But Deklan gave her a soft shake of his head, forbidding her to come close to him.
Best for her to stay put.
Deklan turned away and followed Granny Linsa from behind, staring at her back in thought.
Keeping Marsha beside me might make this granny too restless, and that'll make her act more cautious.
I can't have that.
Besides, what I'm about to do to this… old bones… cannot be seen by Marsha whatsoever.
Later that night.
Adrian stepped out of a house and exhaled heavily through his nose.
He headed back to his home and found Granny Linsa, his mother, waiting for him in the dark.
She was facing away, staring out the window.
"How did it go?" She asked.
"Bad," Adrian also took a seat on another chair—and shook his head, "Marsha didn't say a single word, no matter what I say or do to her. It seemed she was really hurt by what you did. But then again—you have no other choice. Who would've thought that young master Deklan was that strong?"
Hearing this, Granny Linsa gripped the chair's handle tightly—her body shaking with rage.
Living here was already bad enough as it is.
If she lost her power over the people, then it'll be a nightmare; she can't have that.
"Marsha is never the problem—the root of this problem is the young master. As long as he's been dealt with, she will go back in line," She said hatefully before turning to face her son. "Bring Hendrick and follow the young master. Find the opportunity to kill him, best if he died by Ghosts, so there's an alibi."
"What about the blocked road?"
"Let him fight with the Ghosts, and when he's tired, kill him. Don't let him kill the Alpha."
"Yes, mother."
Adrian nodded and left the house again, not forgetting to take his sword with him.
His mother always knows best, so he's going to do as he was told.
As for Granny Linsa, she stared out into the woods with a subtle smile on her face, anticipating the good news her son would bring. "In case you forgot, young master… we live here way before you came. We know the forest more than you can imagine. All the Ghosts and animals, we knew them all."
Meanwhile, Deklan departed to deal with the roadblockage.
On the edge of the hamlet, the people gathered to see him off, which was quite a pleasant surprise.
"Heh, that felt nice…" Deklan rubbed his nose, feeling pumped. "Now I understand why people back in my home world are obsessed with fame and power. If I come back, should I tell Paul that I wanted to become an actor?"
Just as he imagined that scenario in his head, he quickly shook his head.
It wasn't feasible.
"Unless I want to get the belt, I suppose I'll stay away from the actor path." He mused inwardly.
Before departure, Adrian came to tell him about the situation.
Deklan didn't trust Adrian at all, so he also cross-checked the fact with a few people in the hamlet.
Based on what he had gathered, normally, the people of Slosa Hamlet trade in exchange for food in Ingver Town, not too far away, outside of the forest. And the only way to get to that town was by crossing the Snake River.
It's called that because of how long it was.
And the only accessible path was through an old bridge.
Recently, there was a strange phenomenon where the river water became corrupted with mana, and the area around the bridge and along the river was suddenly crawling with Ghosts. None of the Ghosts are above the iron rank, but there were a lot of them.
In order to clean these Ghosts, the hamlet has to hire an Exorcist.
But with the bridge blocked, the hamlet was completely helpless and isolated.
Nobody knew what to do; thus, the extreme famine.
Going around the river is possible, but it's very far, and it also involves going deeper into the forest.
Some people tried out of desperation, and it ended badly.
A few died, and the rest were badly wounded.
Other than that, Deklan also learned that in the past, this forest experienced an outbreak of Null Zones.
Officially, there are ten recorded Null Zones, but the people were certain that there were more since the forest still crawled with Ghosts. Those ten Null Zones were identified because the Alpha Ghosts from those zones were quite strong and dangerous.
Ghosts that are capable of causing ruckus in the kingdom's territory.
Alpha Ghosts are basically the boss of the Null Zones, the key that connects the Rift of Dusk to here through the Null Zone. Exorcists would kill these Alpha Ghosts to cut the connection and thus shut down the Null Zones for good
And though it was unlikely, the villagers warned him he might encounter an Alpha Ghost.
One that ruled over a small Null Zone.
For the kingdom, these Alpha Ghosts are nothing—but for normal people, they are a nightmare.
Rare, but not impossible.
"I wonder how the hamlet could survive all this time," Deklan thought aloud—as he followed the main road, walking alone with a spear over his shoulder. "Since this place is filled with Ghosts, how do they survive without an Exorcist protecting them? Luck? Maybe."
Deklan decided to focus, pushing away useless thoughts from his mind.
But he regretted it almost instantly.
"Fuck, it's so silent…" Deklan muttered, looking around warily.
He could only hear the sound of insects and the blowing wind—other than that, silence.
Now that he was focused on the moment, the moment became chilling.
Deklan was paranoid, feeling that the darkness around him hides a Ghost—that's stalking him like prey.
"Man, the things we do for girls…" Deklan shook his head and picked up his pace.
Soon enough, he could hear the sound of water ahead, which meant he was close to his destination.
Instead of sticking to the main road like a moron and being swarmed by the Ghosts, Deklan went straight to the bushes, going from tree to tree as he kept his eyes open. Pumple is not a scary Ghost, so I'm positive that the Ghosts here are gnarly—that's my luck.
Deklan named the Red Pumpkin Head, Pumple.
It's a mouthful to refer to that pranking creature without a name, so he settled on Pumple.
Of course, he didn't discuss the name first, but even if Pumple didn't like it, who cares?
Besides, the name was quite catchy and cute.
Pumple was now imprisoned, so it probably went insane if it knew the name Deklan gave.
Krrk…
"Haha~"
Deklan stopped and hid behind a tree when he heard laughter, not the creepy laughter that he anticipated, but the laughter of a kid. He peeked at the river ahead, and immediately hid again. Fucking hell, what are those things?!
Even before arriving, Deklan already expected the worst.
But his expectations were still shattered by how creepy these Ghosts are.
Calming his nerves with a few deep breaths, Deklan peeked again and assessed the situation.
Along the riverbank were crowded with small-bodied Ghosts—their bodies are hairless and grayish like wet clay under the rain. Their heads were round and smooth, their eyes bulbous and far too large for comfort, glinting faintly in the moonlight.
Each one's arms hung grotesquely long, almost twice the length of their bodies.
Such disproportions made these Ghosts drag their arms behind them across the damp soil as they scuttled along the riverbank.
It was the action that made the wet scraping noises as their fingers dragged against the earth.
All of them looked like overgrown babies, and they were fast.
Just like what the people warned, the Ghosts are small and agile. And there are a lot of them.
…
[Pale Draggle]
Rank: 2-star Iron
Potential: E
Rarity: ★
…
Deklan mentally counted, and there are at least twenty of them in this area alone, and there would surely be more as he traced the river. He could take them out if he really tried, but he was afraid that the number would be too much even for him.
Compared to Pumple, these Ghosts are weaker, but there were still a lot of them.
More importantly, he never fought this many enemies at once.
Swish!
Deklan ducked down when one of the Pale Draggles stopped and turned towards him.
For a weak Ghost, their perception is quite sharp.
Since he was here to take care of the problem and also complete the sudden quest, he decided not to be rash and inspect the area further. From the looks of it, these Pale Dragles aren't aimless—Deklan felt like there was intent behind their presence near the river.
And finding out the reason would be his ticket to handling the situation.
Once I'm done with this and return to the hamlet, I'll rub it on Granny Linsa's face and then taunt her to make a move against me. A good plan indeed, and I can't wait.
Swish…
Deklan paused when the bushes rustled, and a Pale Draggle emerged.
For a good second, the two of them stared at each other before Deklan eventually recoiled.
"Fuck, you ugly bastard! Get that face out of my face!"