A month had passed since Mikael left the capital. The caravan moved through cities, towns and villages, trading goods every few stops. Illegal transactions—for sex slaves, weapons, and drugs—unfolded before his eyes, but he chose to keep silent. Mikael merely watched and recorded everything in his mind. After all, his objective was to assess Lark Marcus, one of the twenty-eight candidates for the throne. These illegalities could be reported later.

Elaine must have given birth to my grandchild by now. The healer said it’s a boy, so he must be Bernard.

It was a pity he could not be there when his grandson was born. To make things worse, this mission would take several years, probably until the king decided who would ascend the throne. By the time Mikael was finally free of his duty, the child would have grown considerably.

I’ll make it up to them once I return. I promise, Mikael vowed to himself. He opened the locket, looked at the hand-drawn portrait inside, and closed his eyes. He missed his family so much.

“For a serf, that’s a pretty expensive-looking locket.”

Mikael opened his eyes and saw Big Bun, the leader of the caravan, looking at him. He closed the locket and smiled. “A family heirloom. This is my treasure.”

It was not a lie. Even serfs could sometimes carry an expensive item like that.

Big Bun bobbed his head. “Take care of it. Once we’ve arrived at the town, you’ll no longer be under the protection of this caravan.”

“Of course,” said Mikael. “Thank you.”

“We’ll arrive at Lion City in a day or two. Get ready.” Big Bun squinted as he looked to the distance. “We’ll be passing through that place soon.”

His word felt ominous, and Mikael soon learned why.

After exiting the forest, the caravan passed a lake. It was big, probably twice the size of the capital. Mikael remembered what the lake was.

The Lake of the Full Moon.

This lake was famous for its peculiar character. Throughout the month, this lake was relatively peaceful, safe enough for families and fishermen. But during a full moon, things took a drastic turn. Monsters would come out of the lake and attack everything in the vicinity. Records said that although the monsters were weak, they come out in droves; their numbers enough to rival that of several armies.

Mikael looked up. It was almost dusk. Judging by their speed, they would have to camp near the lake in the middle of the night. It was a dangerous move. Mikael could not understand why the merchants would choose to do that.

Big Bun seemed to have read his mind. “There’s a garrison nearby. The lord of Lion City created it originally to deal with bandits, but it can be used as a safe haven during this time. My brother’s a sponsor. We’ll be free to stay there during the night.”

Mikael doubted that stronghold could withstand the onslaught of monsters, but since this merchant had full confidence in it, he had no choice but to concede. He was portraying a mere serf, after all. He had no power to alter the caravan’s direction. If worse comes to worst, he could just escape by himself and go to Lion City.

By evening, their caravan reached the garrison. It was a small village with wooden walls, and a watchtower overlooking the surrounding regions.

“Ah, Big Bun! We’ve been expecting you. Just in time!” A middle-aged man wearing light armor greeted their group. “Come in. We’ve already prepared a sumptuous feast.”

So it’s true. It seems that Big Bun’s brother is a big shot sponsoring the military.

Mikael took note of this.

There were around a hundred soldiers in the garrison. Each well equipped with leather armor, iron swords, and stout shields.

Archers stood on the watchtower, with full quivers on their backs.

Although this army was decent enough to drive away bandits, Mikael doubted it would be strong enough to hold back the monsters that would come out of the lake.

“So this is the myonite?” Big Bun touched the large red crystal at the center of the stronghold. It was about the size of a man’s fist, with purple particles moving inside.

The leader of the soldiers grinned proudly. “That’s right. As long as this crystal’s here, this place’s safe. Those monsters are afraid of it. They won’t even come close.”

Mikael learned that the red gem was the crystallized blood of a red galparus snake—one of the peak predators in the surrounding seas and oceans. Creatures living in water naturally avoided the scent of such a monster, making the crystallized blood the perfect deterrent from the waves of monsters coming out of the lake during the full moon.

There used to be a city next to this lake, but the monsters that came out of the water burned it to the ground. This happened several hundred years ago, and according to records, the survivors of that city built Lion City.

Mikael was grateful that the lessons he took during his knight training were proving useful now he was on the road.

The merchants started eating the prepared feast. Laughter filled the air as the soldiers joined in. Mikael looked toward the cages, particularly at the beastmen locked inside. They were naked and given nothing but water and bread.

Mikael sighed. He did not feel sympathy for them, but he did not feel hatred either. Once they had arrived at Lion City, those guys would probably become toys for the lord. A pathetic end to a pathetic life.

The bell of the watchtower rang, signaling that the monsters had started coming out of the lake. In spite of this warning, the soldiers were calm.

Mikael left the banquet and climbed stealthily to the top of the walls. He was stunned by what he saw. A good distance from them, the lake glimmered in the moonlight.

Shadows moved along the surface, their soft screeching sounds heard even here. Mikael estimated there were ten thousand of them, probably more.

If those monsters attacked this place, the wooden walls would collapse in seconds.

Why do these monsters only come out during the full moon? On normal days, the lake was relatively peaceful. Where did the monsters come from? The deepest parts of the lake? But records stated that anyone who swam during a moonless night failed to find anything inside.

Such questions ran through Mikael’s mind. He heard a howling sound. Mikael amplified his eyesight with magic.

A wolf? No… That’s…

Standing on the surface of the lake surrounded by monsters was a creature that seemed both humanoid and wolf-like. Its silver fur glimmered underneath the moonlight. It was beautiful, and, for a moment, Mikael was at a loss for words.

As he was staring at it, his eyesight still amplified with magic, the humanoid creature turned in his direction. Its red eyes locked with his.

It grinned.

Mikael shivered. The creature had noticed him.

It lifted a finger, pointing at the stronghold. One after another, monsters started walking toward the stronghold, their screeching sounds even louder than before.

The bell of the watchtower rang a different tune. The watchers must have noticed something was wrong. A shout reverberated throughout the garrison.

“The monsters! The monsters are coming this way! Thousands of them!”

The rowdy crowd fell silent. The laughter vanished entirely. Everyone stiffened.

“Impossible! We’ve been stationed here for over a year without seeing this.” The voice of the captain was hysterical. “As long as the myonite is with us, those monsters wouldn’t dare attack!”

“But, sir!”

The captain climbed the watchtower. After seeing the monsters with his own eyes, he was struck speechless. His jaw fell open.

A howling sound was heard from the direction of the lake. The monsters started charging head-on.