Chapter 44: Sager Town

  At night, the snowfall had nearly ceased, with only a few scattered fkes falling, leaving a thick yer of snow on the ground.

  The town was dark and silent, with people log their doors and windows, calling their children inside. Only the baron’s castle remained brightly lit.

  A stone marker at the entrance bore the name: Sager Town.

  This was a small town located oskirts of the La family’s domain, surrounded by open aile nd, ideal for farming. A tury ago, an aor of the La family had led his followers here to cultivate the nd aablish Sager Town.

  It was a bustlilement with over a thousand residents, providing a stant supply of grain to the surrounding areas.

  However, due to its remote location, the town had beeedly visited by brutal creatures such as frost giants, yetis, and even white dragons, f multiple restrus. Only about four hundred residents remained.

  Most of them were serfs who couldn’t leave, with a handful of small merts, mill owners, stable hands, and servants attending to the nobles.

  Only less-favored members of the La family would be assigned here to supply food for Northwind Fortress.

  Soon after Baron Todd was stationed here, rumors of a “night devil” emerged, with young women mysteriously disappearing at night, filling the town with fear as residents lived in stant dread.

  Ihe baron’s residence.

  Baron Todd La sat with his hands propped under his , his expression dark as he stared at the ornate wooden table, a silver goblet filled with thick red liquid before him.

  “That damned Embers .”

  At the mention of this name, a shadow seemed to pass over his face.

  All the men he’d sent to the mi time were wiped out, and his former steward Hart was said to have been captured, with only a few worthless serfs managing to escape.

  He had initially thought these reports were lies fabricated by those base sves, but just a few days ter, the La family’s elite Northern Wind’s Eagle Guard suffered severe losses in that pown as Embers .

  Only then was he forced to aowledge the truth of the report.

  A monster ir even Northern Wind’s Eagle Guard couldn’t take dowedly the stronghold of a red dragon known as “Flying Fme.” With only his guards, how could he possibly mount an attack?

  The gold was gone.

  So were the soldiers.

  All he had left were worthless, weak serfs and guards dispatched by his family.

  Although he wasn’t the family’s eldest son, he was still a trueborn son of the duke.

  Was he really destio spend his life stationed in this remote pce, providing food for the family while forever barred from the ter of power?

  “I will return to Northwind Fortress.”

  “Father will reize me eventually.”

  At this thought, the baron’s thin face grew darker, with a hint of hunger gleaming in his eyes.

  It seemed he o feast on something fresh tonight to calm his mood.

  “My lord, outside there’s…”

  A guard rushed in, opening the door hurriedly, clearly with something urgent to report.

  But upon notig he’d interrupted the baron’s ption and the ravenous look in his eyes, the guard quickly fell silent.

  Todd, seeing it was a guard, suppressed his bloodthirsty urge, staring at the guard and speaking slowly:

  “What matter is sent?”

  “Sent… that you dare interrupt my rest?”

  The guard felt a chill down his spine uodd’s gaze.

  Though he’d only been assigned here retly, the baron was already whispered about as the “Bloody Baron.”

  A maid had mysteriously disappeared after soiling his attire while ing, o be seen in Sager Town again.

  With this memory in mind, the guard replied, trembling:

  “M-my lord, it’s Hart.”

  “Someoside cims to be Hart, requesting an audience.”

  At this familiar odd spped the table, standing abruptly as he shouted:

  “Impossible!”

  “Wasn’t he captured?”

  The guard shook his head nervously, quickly replying, “I don’t know, my lord.”

  Todd coldly ordered, “Bring him in.”

  The guard hesitated, saying:

  “He… requested that you step outside to meet him, g to have something important to offer.”

  The guard’s voiearly trembled with fear.

  Thinking of the lost gold, the soldiers, and the rumor of Hart’s capture, Todd’s fury boiled over as he sneered:

  “Fine, fine!”

  “Where is he? I’ll go see for myself.”

  “Let’s see how this deserter of mine, my dear subordinate, has been faring.”

  The baron’s voice was tinged with barely suppressed anger.

  “Yes, my lord.”

  The guard, terrified, obeyed ahe baron outside.

  The baron’s newly structed mansion wasn’t rge, and after passing through the hall and a narrow, dozeer-long corridor, they arrived at the entrance.

  Outside stood a ragged, filthy figure with tangled hair, appearing almost like a beast at first gnce, bearing no resembo the once fident steward.

  But Todd smelled the familiar st of his blood, instantly firming it was indeed Hart.

  The baron spoke first, his tone ced with mockery:

  “Hart, long time no see.”

  “Isn’t this my once most trusted subordihe one who promised t me gold.”

  “Why have you returned after such a long absence?”

  Hart, visibly anxious, responded, “My lord, I have important information to report.”

  “Oh? What information?”

  Todd gazed at him with a half-smile, his eyes gleaming with hatred and hunger as he struggled to retain his posure.

  Just as he reparing to devour Hart after extrag the information, seeing him as a meal that had lost its value.

  “I would request that yuards withdraw.”

  Hart’s voice trembled slightly.

  “Very well.”

  “Everyone, leave us.”

  Todd agreed, dismissing his guards and leading Hart to a secluded spot in the back garden of the mansion, aligning perfectly with his own iions.

  To Todd, Hart was walking right into his trap.

  Baron Todd’s eyes had turned blood-red, and he sneered, “Go on, Hart, I’m curious to hear how you pn to expin yourself.”

  Hart’s trembling intensified, and his forced smile looked more like a grimace.

  In a shaky voice, he replied, word by word:

  “The… dragon… has… e.”

  Todd, taken aback, asked in fusion:

  “What?”

  But in the moment, he found himself engulfed in a massive shadoings spanning a rge part of the night sky, blog out the moonlight.

  The red dragon looked down at the baron, its terrifyiwisted into a smile, with golden slit eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.

  “Need me to repeat it, Baron?”

  “The dragon has e.”