Chapter Seventeen: The Altar

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Zohan withdrew his mental and magical detection, confirming that there were no ambushes or traps nearby.

The likelihood that Lady Aldos, Old Ding-Dong, and Gwen had joined forces to scheme against him had fallen below five percent.

Quite low indeed.

In an unfamiliar world and an unfamiliar environment, an individual’s ability to obtain information was limited.

Even with meticulous powers of observation and sound logical reasoning, one could never claim with absolute certainty that something did or did not exist.

As for Lady Aldos’s performance behind him, he had seen through that as well.

Old Ding-Dong enjoyed a certain amount of prestige in Red Hazelnut Town. Winning his support might prove useful someday.

Zohan understood Lady Aldos’s little calculations even more clearly. She was always deliberately, or seemingly inadvertently, proclaiming that her husband had left the town.

Once that became common knowledge, people would naturally accept the suggestion that she ought to manage the Aldos family during this period.

What a cunning woman.

Zohan entered Gwen’s room.

Old Ding-Dong’s house was typical of the dwellings found in the northern reaches of the Roland Continent.

Large stones had been piled together, with the gaps filled by a mixture of lime and yellow earth, making the structure solid and sturdy.

The room was rather dim as well. Only the blazing fire in the hearth built into the wall cast an orange-red glow.

Gwen lay on her side in bed, the thin quilt wrapped around her delicate body. Even at her fullest, her bottom was not as large as Lady Aldos’s breasts.

Sensing movement, Gwen’s body trembled.

As though jolted awake from a nightmare, she suddenly turned her head, her hands clenched tightly into fists over her chest.

When she saw that it was Zohan, Gwen finally relaxed and revealed a look of pleasant surprise.

“Mr. Mage, what brings you here?”

“Stay lying down. Don’t move.” When Gwen poked her head out in search of the shoes beside the bed, Zohan pressed a hand against her shoulder. “Rest properly. Don’t let the warmth out from under the covers.”

A girl as frail as this one would have trouble warming the bed even by herself.

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Gwen obediently remained still. Her eyes glistened with tears as she said gratefully, “When Lady Aldos brought me home, she told Grandfather that you had rescued both me and Grandfather Linde, and that you had used extremely precious magical potions to treat our injuries.”

Zohan smiled. “There’s no need to thank me. When your grandfather came up to the mountain, he even helped me build the hearth. He’s a very capable man.”

“Mr. Mage, I’ll be able to return to the estate tomorrow. Please let me serve you then!”

The girl had nothing of value to offer as thanks. The only thing she could do was wait upon him with the utmost care and attentiveness.

“Tomorrow?”

“Your magical potion was incredibly effective. I was actually well again long ago, but Grandfather made me stay at home.”

Gwen spoke with some worry. “I have to work until spring before I can collect the rest of my wages. If I don’t return to the estate now, the master will certainly deduct them… He might even make me repay whatever losses he claims to have suffered.”

“What losses could he possibly have suffered?” When Zohan was in elementary school, he had once studied a passage about Skin-Peeling Zhou, yet even that notorious exploiter was nothing compared to this master.

Zohan gave a cold laugh. “It doesn’t matter. Master Aldos will be leaving Red Hazelnut Town for quite some time. Lady Aldos is managing the estate now, and she’ll settle your wages for you.”

At this point, the people of Red Hazelnut Town could completely afford to believe in Lady Aldos’s kindness.

Of course, Zohan was under no obligation to help every resident of Red Hazelnut Town rise from serfdom and sing in celebration.

There had never been any savior. Zohan would heal the dying and rescue the injured out of a doctor’s habit, and he would draw his sword when he saw injustice—but he had no desire to become a saint.

Lady Aldos came in after exchanging a few words with Old Ding-Dong.

Based on her observations over the past several days, Lady Aldos was certain that the young Mr. Mage preferred full-figured, mature women.

He also spared a few extra glances for the master’s sturdy, plump maids, but he showed little interest in a girl like Gwen.

He had already seen Celia De completely exposed, yet his attention and enthusiasm toward her did not seem especially intense either.

Otherwise, Lady Aldos would not have minded letting the mistress of the estate, the young lady, and the little maid provide him with the highest pleasure together.

However, since he had some connection with Old Ding-Dong’s family, Lady Aldos was a little gentler toward Gwen.

She offered a few words of reassurance, telling Gwen to rest without worry and that she could return to the estate whenever she wished. Lady Aldos would guarantee her safety, and she also promised Old Ding-Dong that Gwen could settle her wages and return home at any time.

“If only the Aldos family could remain under the lady’s control forever,” Old Ding-Dong sighed sentimentally as he watched the woman he had known since childhood.

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Zohan drank a few cups of wine with Old Ding-Dong before leaving.

The sun had begun its slanting descent. More scattered branches blocked the sunlight, tearing it into fragments of gold across the snow. The uneven houses, the gleaming streets, and the shadows gradually stretching outward made Zohan quicken his pace.

“While we were drinking just now, Old Ding-Dong said he had gone into the mountains yesterday and seen many footprints near my camp belonging to beasts he couldn’t identify.”

Zohan thought for a moment. “Old Ding-Dong was an experienced hunter in his youth and knows the distribution of the local beasts extremely well. If even he says they were unfamiliar, could it be that some kind of pack monster has appeared?”

“No.” Although such matters were not Lady Aldos’s area of expertise, she answered with absolute certainty. “Ever since the monsters and Dark Souls that once infested the area around Red Hazelnut Town were completely eradicated during the nation’s founding years, there have been no records of monsters harming people here—or even appearing.”

“Wouldn’t the monsters come back?”

Zohan knew almost nothing about Red Hazelnut Town. Only now did he suddenly understand why Master Aldos exploited the residents so ruthlessly, yet so few of them were willing to flee, preferring instead to eke out a miserable existence here.

Monsters could be found everywhere across the Roland Continent, posing a grave threat to humanity.

For ordinary people, rather than live outside in constant terror, forever on guard against monster attacks, it was better to endure the oppression of wealthy nobles.

At least under normal circumstances, a human being would not swallow you whole. They would merely drain you slowly, savoring every bit of blood with leisurely deliberation. It was not nearly as viscerally terrifying.

“I have heard since childhood that deep within the Golanthis Mountains, to the northwest of Red Hazelnut Town, there is an ancient altar.”

Lady Aldos raised a finger to point in that direction. Her sleeve slid down along her smooth skin, revealing a long stretch of arm as pale as snow, as well as a clean, hairless underarm.

“A long time ago, that altar was activated. It can suppress the power of monsters across a vast area around it. That is why the monsters nearby were wiped out, and why they no longer wished to approach this place.”

Northwest?

Ye Lantis Island lay in that direction.

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