Upon reaching the village, the first person to greet them was the village chief.

He stood before his mansion, its walls painted dark brown and its door a deep scarlet. His long black hair fell loose down his back, framed by a gray jacket, its hood pulled low to nearly hide his face.

"Welcome, my lord," the village chief said, bowing.

His servants mirrored the gesture, showing respect to the man who had come to save them from the terror of the monster haunting their nights.

"So, what is the situation here?" Zayden demanded, glancing around.

Although the report stated a monster had been looming over this place, strangely, he couldn’t find anything peculiar. It was as if it didn’t even exist.

"Well..." the elder man replied, folding his hands behind his back, "I would like to show you something."

Zayden gave the man a curt nod, signalling him to proceed.

The knights didn’t hesitate to follow their leader, even without him needing to ask.

The village chief led them through the narrow streets near the capital. It was a long walk from the elderly man’s mansion.

"My lord, take a look at this," he sighed, gesturing toward the body on the ground.

A young woman, no older than twenty, lay lifeless on the harsh, cold soil. The only thing that identified her as a woman was the dress she wore. Her face was marred by deep claw marks, as if the monster had left a message behind: This was my prey. As for the rest of her body... it had been torn apart.

Perhaps eaten.

The blood had already dried, and the snow surrounding the body had melted away, leaving only darkened ground behind.

Zayden didn’t flinch at the sight. It wasn’t as horrific as he had imagined. In truth, he had grown used to seeing corpses—even those with missing limbs.

The battlefield was not a good place. It had a way of making one accustomed to such horrors.

He sighed.

The knights behind him barely managed to suppress their revulsion. Their stomachs twisted in disgust. Some turned away, unable to look at the body for long while others rushed near to throw up.

"This is—"

"This was last night’s victim..." The elderly man cut Helain off before she could finish.

Helain narrowed her eyes, displeased. She despised being interrupted—even by someone of higher rank.

Was basic respect really too much to ask?

"Does it do the same thing to all victims?" Zayden asked, folding his arms.

The village chief nodded, lifting a hand to his mouth as if about to speak—only to lower it again.

Zayden narrowed his gaze, wondering what the man had been about to say. He didn’t press. If it were important, the chief would have spoken.

"It will get dark soon. We should return to the mansion."

"Why?" Zayden asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah... has the report not mentioned it? The monster only appears at night, my lord."

"Oh." Zayden nodded and turned on his heel without another word.

Still, everyone understood—they were to return to the mansion at once.

Some of the knights sighed in relief.

"Looks like we can relax for a while until tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, then we can search for the monster during the day."

Although he heard the conversations behind him, Zayden didn’t bother correcting them.

They would be searching for the monster tonight.

If it attacked at night, then wouldn’t night be the best time to find it?

***

When night fell, Zayden stepped out of the room the village chief had assigned to him.

He exited the building to find his knights still wide awake, gathered around a bonfire they had lit to keep warm.

"It seems the village chief could only arrange one bedroom..." Zayden muttered as he lowered himself beside Helain and Aaron.

Liam had come along as well, though he kept his gaze lowered—like a thief caught in the act. He didn’t dare meet the General’s eyes, not after what had happened. And surely, Yusha hadn’t hidden it from Zayden.

"What brings you here, my lord?" one of the knights finally mustered the courage to ask.

The others exchanged puzzled glances. Who in their right mind would leave a warm bed to stand out in the cold? Even though the General was wrapped in thick and warm clothes, the chill in the air was unmistakable.

Zayden grinned, glancing at the knight.

"We’re going to hunt the monster, of course."

The soldier blinked, forcing a smile.

"You... are joking, right?"

The other knights began to force out laughs, as if trying to play along with the jest. However, Zayden’s sharp gaze swept over them one by one, and they quickly fell silent.

"Get ready," Zayden ordered, rising to his feet.

Once they were ready, the General led them back to the spot where the body had been found.

Some of his subordinates trembled like leaves, memories of the corpse they had seen earlier still fresh in their minds.

"M-My lord... why are we here?"

"R-Right... isn’t this where we saw the body? Even though they burned it..."

Zayden nodded, folding his arms.

"We will start tracing it from here. The village chief said all the bodies were found in this area. If we track it from this point, we are bound to find it."

The knights swallowed hard, exchanging uneasy glances. They looked behind them—the dark forest loomed in silence, as if waiting to swallow them whole once night fully claimed the land. After all, monsters were known to lurk there after dark.

They didn’t want to become the monster’s meal. Not tonight.

Zayden’s sharp gaze swept over his men.

"Knights, stay alert and move quietly. Mages, prepare your tracking spells. Start tracing from here—and tell me immediately if you find any signs the monster may have left behind."

The mages nodded, stepping forward with hands glowing faintly as they began chanting softly. Symbols shimmered in the air, leaving a faint trail only visible to those who could see it.

"Ah, there it is," Zayden said with a grin, pointing at the gray smoke curling through the streets. It was leading somewhere.

"Keep your eyes open," he added, his voice low but firm. "It hunts at night, and it won’t hesitate to attack if it senses us."

The knights exchanged nervous glances but obeyed without question, spreading out in a cautious formation.

Yet, strangely, the trail didn’t lead them toward the dreaded forest—it led deeper into the village.