Lord Brad Cree's estate is located next to the Balchis Mountains in western Backlund. The main building is a tall castle built on a small hill.
Hundreds of years ago, nobles had a habit of building castles in the wilderness. Sometimes it was because the nobleman's castle was the only decent building in the entire fiefdom, and it looked as if the castle was built in the wild.
Some were built for hunting or for holding banquets.
The castle that Brad bought was originally intended for hunting and banquets, as the Frankish family was quite wealthy at the time.
Upon arriving at the main gate of the castle, the manor's butler and servants greeted us.
Brad got off the carriage and introduced Odis to everyone, saying that he was a friend of his who had come to help him find out some things, and that everyone should cooperate.
Upon entering the castle, it was not as damp and dark as I had imagined. It was clear that it had undergone considerable renovations, with huge gas lamps illuminating the originally dim interior, and the floors and wall tiles had been treated to prevent moisture.
Although it has the exterior of a castle, the interior decoration is no different from that of a modern house.
Since it was already past noon, Brad invited Odice to lunch first.
During their tea and conversation after lunch, Brad began to gaze frequently at the lakeshore, which increasingly convinced Odis that Brad was being bewitched or influenced.
This is why he was unwilling to report what happened here to the Church of the True God, because he knew that doing so would hurt Miss Eleanor, and the influence he would have on her would make him reluctant to do anything to harm her.
However, his survival instinct led him to believe that he should conduct some investigation, so he sought out Odis, a wizard who had just arrived in Backlund and had already gained some fame.
Amidst her swirling thoughts, Odis said to Brad, "Find someone to show me around, and you don't need to worry about me. You can go about your business."
"Alright, alright." Brad immediately summoned the head valet of the manor and had him show Odis around.
Then Brad hurried to the lakeshore to meet Miss Eleanor.
While drinking his tea, Odis asked the head valet, "Do you know where the village that was once inhabited by a collateral branch of the Frankish family, but was destroyed by a fire twenty years ago is located?"
The head servant nodded: "I know. I was the one who investigated that place before. I asked many people and it took me most of the day to find it."
Odis hummed in agreement: "Take me there and have a look."
The head valet asked, "Can you ride a horse?"
Odis nodded: "I've learned that before."
The original owner had memories of horseback riding skills. At that time, he was the son of a small farmer, and horses were the most common means of transportation on the farm.
So the wizard, holding a staff in one hand and reins in the other, rode behind the head sergeant.
As soon as Odis left the castle, he saw Brad walking and talking with a woman on the other side of the lake.
Odis did not rush over to alert the enemy; he still planned to first visit the village that had been destroyed twenty years ago.
The manor is surrounded by mountain paths lined with trees, and soon Brad's situation will be out of sight. However, they have talked about it many times before, so they believe that nothing unexpected will happen in the short term.
After walking for about an hour along the mountain path, circling half of the mountain behind the castle, we finally arrived at the ruins of that village.
The area is now covered in vegetation and looks much like a typical wilderness.
Only a few dark walls stand there, indicating that people once lived here.
Odis looked around and asked, "Where have all the villagers gone?"
Theoretically, there should be survivors, since this is a village, not a cage or prison, and someone should be able to escape the fire.
The head servant replied, "I don't know."
"Don't you know?" Odis asked again. "Didn't you ask around?"
The head servant gave a bitter smile: "I heard that everyone here has been burned to death."
Odis laughed and said, "At least Miss Eleanor wasn't burned to death or burned, was she?"
The head servant did not answer. Odis glanced back at him and saw that the other man had a strange expression, as if he wanted to say something but dared not.
Odis didn't take it too seriously, after all, in the servants' eyes, this was the lord's business, and they would avoid discussing it if possible.
He then asked, "Where is Miss Eleanor currently living in village?"
"On the mountaintop over there," the head servant pointed in a direction.
Odis glanced around and saw that there did indeed appear to be several houses on the mountain.
He then asked, "Have you been there?"
"No," the head sergeant said. "The lord once ordered me to deliver some things to that village, but no matter how hard I searched, I couldn't get into the village."
"Unable to enter?" Odis asked, puzzled.
He's always the one who pretends to be a ghost to fool others; this is the first time he's encountered someone else pretending to be a ghost.
"Yes," the head servant said with certainty, "from a distance, you can indeed see the village, but you can't get close to it no matter what you do."
Odis nodded: "Wait here for a moment, I'll go take a look."
As he spoke, he sprinkled a handful of "flying powder," took a few quick steps, and flew into the air.
Amidst the chief valet's exclamation, Odis rushed from the treetop to the mountaintop.
As the "flying spell" was about to end, Odis sprinkled another handful of "flying powder" and continued flying forward.
Perhaps because he was flying and didn't pass through that dense forest, he didn't get lost and reached the summit after two "flights".
Upon landing, Odis's spirituality immediately sensed a very evil power permeating the area.
Moreover, this is not a village at all, but a cemetery!
As far as the eye can see, there are graves of all sizes, some new and some old, some with tombstones and some without.
All the graves were clean and tidy, without any weeds or even a single rock around them.
In the middle of the cemetery, there is an open space with several thatched huts that do look somewhat like houses from a distance.
Inside the thatched hut was a three-tiered altar, with a strange symbol painted in the center.
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Odis didn't dare to look closely at the symbol, but he was certain that it didn't represent the Church of the True God.
Odis did not observe more closely; his spiritual senses told him that the atmosphere was very strange and that it would be dangerous to stay too long.
So Odis used his "flying magic" to leave the place. As he flew down the mountain, he thought to himself: "What's happening here has far exceeded my original expectations. I must report to the church immediately."
Odis had initially thought that Eleanor was likely a strange evil spirit, but now it seemed that her condition was far more complex than that of an evil spirit, and Odis suddenly lost confidence.
After flying down the mountain, Odis said to the chief valet, "I have looked, and there are no villages there."
The head servant was slightly taken aback: "What's there?"
"There's nothing there," Odis smiled. "Perhaps I haven't found the village either."
The head servant was stunned again; he had clearly seen the wizard land in that village.
"Let's go back." Before the other party could ask any further questions, Odis smiled and said, "It seems I was overthinking it. There's nothing wrong here."
As they were about to return to the manor, Odis suddenly said he wanted to ride around the area, and as a guest of the lord, the head valet naturally did not stop him.
Odis initially moved forward slowly, but once he left the castle, he began to urge his horse to gallop at full speed.
He wasn't trying to escape, but rather to get a message to "Mechanical Heart" as soon as possible.
On his way there, Odis noticed a small town about seven or eight kilometers from the manor. When he arrived at the town, he found the telegraph office there.
So he quickly sent an urgent message to the "Mechanical Heart," asking them to notify the "Night Watchers" and send reinforcements immediately.
The reason the "Night Watch" was notified was because Brad was a follower of the Church of the Goddess of Night, and according to the usual practice of the official extraordinary beings, the "Night Watch" should actually be in charge of this case.
However, since Odis has already joined the case, "Mechanical Heart" also has the opportunity to participate in the investigation.
After sending the telegram, Odis rode back at a leisurely pace. Although the return journey was somewhat dangerous, his sudden departure would arouse suspicion, and Miss Eleanor might have already vanished by the time the official extraordinary arrived.
However, in order to deal with the potential dangers, Odis took a cloth bag from the "Wilderness of Knowledge" and put several extraordinary weapons in it.
So Odis, staff in hand and backpack on his back, returned to the castle and immediately asked the steward where his lodgings were. He had put his backpack in his lodgings beforehand to avoid being seen by Brad.
It was already past four in the afternoon. Odis estimated that the "Mechanical Heart" should be mobilizing manpower and contacting the "Night Watchers" by now, and they should be able to set off around five o'clock.
So by the time we get here, it will be at least 7 p.m.
If I can manage to get through dinner in a little while, I should be fine until around 7 p.m.
Odis sat in the room she had prepared for herself, gazing blankly at the beautiful sunset outside.
The scenery here is indeed beautiful. Under the setting sun, the lake surface is also dyed with the color of the sunset. A gentle breeze blows, making it seem as if the sunset is rising and falling.
As he was admiring the beautiful scenery, the butler came to invite him to dinner.
Odis arrived at the lobby on the first floor and saw Brad and a young lady already seated.
The young woman was very beautiful; Odis felt that her appearance matched all her aesthetic standards, especially her eyes, which seemed to speak volumes. Odis felt her heart race when she was looked at.
"Mr. Wizard, let me introduce you. This is Miss Eleanor, whom I told you about," Brad said warmly, standing up.
Odis nodded slowly: "Hello."
Eleanor smiled and said, "I know this wizard. He came to my house this afternoon and even took a look at the altar I set up."