Xander spent the next few hours searching around the castle, combing through old records, inspecting hidden chambers, and even questioning a few of the more talkative servants. Yet, despite his efforts, he found nothing concrete—just old rumors and whispers that had been passed down from one terrified resident to the next. Ultimately, his search led him back to the Castellan’s study, where he now sat in a high-backed chair, nursing a glass of wine with a brooding expression.


    “Is there any other method to locate the source of the anomaly, Ser Xander?”


    “The only other way is to wait for that monster to come for the girl tonight,” Xander said.


    “It is said that this week’s target is the daughter of the tavernkeeper of a small inn,” Louis said. “The tavern that you are staying in.”


    “The Old Corneal.”


    “Hmm?”


    “That’s what the place is called,” Xander said. “Never mind. We will have to wait for the monster to come for her.”


    “Will it be more difficult in that case?”


    “Far worse. The monster will be in its element when hunting for prey.”


    “Is there no other way?”


    Xander didn’t say anything in response and continued brooding.


    Louis sighed, sensing that further questioning would yield nothing. “So… I shall get back to my duties. Do let me know if there is something you require of me.”


    Xander didn’t say a word until the man stood up and hesitated for a moment before vacating the room.


    A few seconds after the Castellan’s departure, a man entered the study with slow, deliberate steps. The lack of a knock made Xander raise a brow at the man’s conduct.


    “Ser Hallowed,” the man spoke in a deep, firm voice.


    “Hmm?” Xander turned to look at the newcomer. “What is it?”


    “Would you mind giving this servant some time to tell you something? Something about the previous lord of this castle and city.”


    “Oh? Did Louis send you here, or are you here of your own volition?”


    “Myself, ser,” the man said. “He is unaware of my actions.”


    “Speak, I’ll humor you.”


    “Thank you for your grace, Ser Xander. I served under the previous lord. He was no benevolent leader; if anything, he was stingy with his resources and—“


    “I care not for these trivialities. What happened to him?”


    “Yes, of course,” the man said. “A few years ago, the man disappeared, said to have been assassinated. The family reacted as expected, putting out bounties for the perpetrators, but it all died down within a few months without any resolution. Lord Louis was appointed to this castle soon after that happened.”


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    “If we go by the exact time frame, did that previous Castellan disappear three years ago?”


    “That sounds about right… I remember the records, mere days after his disappearance, these abductions started. They have gone on for three years now. Four every month without fail. This city used to have a population of over a million at its heyday, but currently, you wouldn’t even find a hundred thousand residents here because everyone evacuated because of the bad omens surrounding this place.”


    “Three years for a decent low-tier city to turn into a barely functioning rural village,” Xander said. “Intriguing. So you assume that this assassinated lord of yours is the monster that I am looking for.”


    “I cannot say as such definitively, but Lord Louis has never attempted to contact any forces to take care of this issue. The only ones who have attempted to go against that…monster are those hired by the people who live in this town.”


    “Yet, he enthusiastically invited me into his castle the moment word of my presence in Lausanne spread. Not only that, he has made it seem as if he is staking everything on my actions.”


    “The commoners have tried many things. The first attempt was when they realized that the Castellan had no intention of calling for support from the Marquis behind him. They tied a virgin woman to a stake, believing that if they sacrificed her, the monster would leave them alone. Tens of people surrounded her on the night of the new moon and burnt her to ashes. The following morning, her charred remains were nowhere to be found, and everyone who participated in the event was found dead with horrified looks on their faces.”


    “Charming.”


    “Things got worse after that,” he said. “A sellsword company, fifty armed men, were hired to protect an affluent merchant’s daughter. The following morning, all fifty were found dead, with the daughter gone. People, in their desperation, have tried many things; the worst was during the eighth moon of the previous year, where twenty men raped the innocent virgin girl in hopes of tainting the monster’s target, discouraging it from coming after them. They were all found dead in the morning, with the woman nowhere to be found.”


    “What if it was consensual? I can imagine a father wedding her daughter off in hopes of letting her survive.”


    “The man is killed and left to rot, and the woman is taken away, never to be heard from again. Even if the woman does something out of wedlock and is no longer pure, the monster still kills the man who took her purity and takes the woman.”


    “Oh?” Xander smiled a dangerous smile that sent shivers down the man’s spine. “Is that the case? This seems more the work of a hunter than a monster who relishes virgin blood. Tell me, how old was the youngest woman that was taken?”


    “There was a fourteen-year-old once early on,” he said. “After that, most people with young daughters left the city. Unless one has a major stake here, they won’t stay. Except, of course, opportunists. To them, it’s cheap land. What I don’t understand is why these people don’t send their daughters away. Do you know it, Ser Xander? Why some people stubbornly cling to their kids, even at the threat if imminent death.”


    “A mix of stubbornness, ignorance, and unfounded confidence,” Xander said. “They don’t even consider that something like that could happen to them.”


    “I have given you all the information that I possessed, Ser Xander,” the man said. “I cannot speak for the Castellan, but I would very much like for this city to be rid of this threat.”


    Xander didn’t say a word up until the man left the room.


    “This Castellan seems fishy to me,” Xander spoke to himself. “This whole situation screams of a scheme… But for what exactly? Could they be unaware of the Hallowed Plight? Could be. On the other hand, if the previous lord was indeed embroiled with dark magic, it is possible that they are targeting my power to use as a catalyst for something. I don’t like getting embroiled in the politics of these noble houses. Next thing I know, that guy who just told me these things is from a rival march.”


    Xander sighed a tired sigh and stood up.


    “As much as I would like to ignore this and leave, I am duty-bound to see this through to the end, at least until tonight.” He left the study and made his way out of the castle on his still unnamed mare. “I haven’t had the time to restock on my potions either.”