Lord Evolution: Starting With SS-rank Skills

Chapter 180  Migration ( 30 )

It was still midnight, and Winterseed was as quiet as usual; the villagers were asleep.

The soldiers were stationed in the guardhouses as usual, scouting the surroundings for danger.

After what had transpired the previous night, none of the soldiers dared to fall asleep on duty. They kept their eyes wide open, extremely vigilant to prevent any further casualties.

Those who found it difficult to stay awake were asked to retire for the day to their homes.

Roland especially did not allow any of his soldiers to take even the slightest nap. He could still recall the deceased soldiers asking him to let them rest, which ended up being their last. He could not repeat the same mistake.

Rowan and Blaze were also active throughout the night.

Both of them spent the night walking up and down the village, moving from one guardhouse to another to ensure the soldiers were safe.

After a few hours of nonstop patrolling around the village, Rowan felt tired and sleepy, but he didn't succumb.

At the moment, Rowan and Blaze were strolling through the village, heading to the eastern guardhouse.

Blaze's eyes were glowing brightly as he scanned the area.

Rowan walked beside him, his eyes scanning the surroundings with his [Eclipse Vision] skill that granted perfect sight even in the moonless night.

While his eyes were fixed on his surroundings, his mind slowly wandered, wondering if Dragun and Vishirk had been able to obtain the awakening potion.

His heartbeat fluttered as he couldn't help but wonder what affinity he would awaken.

Apart from awakening and affinity, Rowan also made plans in his head for the hunt scheduled for tomorrow.

He was planning on moving away from the village for a whole week, leaving its security under the control of Dragun.

A week's worth of hunting might guarantee the evolution of his soldiers.

Also, with his new Hunter occupation skills, baiting monsters and demonic beasts out of the forest would be much easier and faster.

Not to mention, Rowan had an almost unlimited food and water supply, so he had no fear of his soldiers starving during that period.

Rowan's mind was occupied with so many thoughts as he strolled with Blaze.

They were just a few minutes away from their destination when, all of a sudden, the loud voice of a woman rang out.

"My baby!"

Rowan and Blaze heard the cry at almost the same time.

Their heads darted towards each other at once before they began sprinting towards the location of the voice.

"My baby! No!!"

The same voice cried out once again. Hearing this, Rowan and Blaze added more strength to their feet and bolted forward without a single thought.

A few soldiers on their way to or from the guardhouse heard the voice as well and ran toward the location to see what was happening.

Rowan and Blaze were the first to arrive at the location despite being the farthest away.

"My baby!!" The woman was still crying.

Rowan pushed the door open and barged into the house.

The house consisted of a single large room, which served as both a bedroom and a sitting room, so Rowan and Blaze were able to spot the woman immediately upon entering.

She was holding her baby, who was wrapped in neat clothes; her eyes and face were covered with tears.

When both of them entered, her eyes darted towards them.

Rowan saw her eyes and could swear they were the saddest eyes he had ever seen.

"My baby is not responding to me anymore," she said in a low, sad voice, looking at Rowan.

Rowan rushed towards her and gently took the baby from her.

"What happened?" he asked while analyzing the physical condition of the baby.

He looked fine from the outside; his face was clear and smooth. But the baby wasn't breathing anymore, which confused Rowan.

As he held the tiny, lifeless body in his arms, a surge of despair washed over him. The weight of the baby was almost nothing, yet it felt as heavy as a mountain pressing down on his soul. His hands trembled slightly, and a knot formed in his throat, making it hard to breathe. The innocence of the child, now gone, tore at his heart more than any battle ever had.

"What happened?" he asked while analyzing the physical condition of the baby.

He looked fine from the outside; his face was clear and smooth. But the baby wasn't breathing anymore, which confused Rowan.

He even made the system analyze the condition of the baby.

[DEAD!]

The system reported back, confirming the thoughts Rowan refused to accept.

"No!" Rowan muttered lowly while looking at the little, innocent-looking infant in his hands.

"This can't be..." he continued muttering, with a deep revelation of self-guilt and anguish in his voice.

The mother of the baby was already on the ground, crying her heart out and wishing for her baby to come back.

Blaze had a dark expression on his face as he looked around, trying his hardest to sniff out any sort of abnormality in the area.

Just like the other day, there were none.

He smelled nothing strange, not even the scent of another human in the room.

"We heard a loud cry; what happened?"

The group of soldiers who had been sprinting finally arrived and asked with worry when they saw Rowan and Blaze had already arrived.

They observed the room, saw the lady crying, Blaze observing, and Rowan holding a baby with a dark expression on his face.

"Don't tell me..." Their eyes and mouths widened at once as they realized.

They were five of them.

They all rushed to meet Rowan.

"Lord Rowan, what is happening?" they asked.

Even though they already suspected what had happened, they didn't want to accept it—just like Rowan when he got here.

"The baby's dead," Rowan let out in a cold voice.

The soldiers all gasped for breath at once.

The cries of the woman became even louder after hearing the confirmation from Rowan.

"Why my baby? My baby was healthy just this evening! It ate and played without any sign of unhealthiness," she cried out.

"Is it my fault? Did I not take care of my baby as well as I should've?" She even blamed herself.

Rowan heard her cries, and his heart ached even more—it wasn't her fault.

An overwhelming sense of responsibility gripped Rowan. He felt a deep-seated guilt gnawing at him, questioning his ability to protect the people under his care. 'Am I failing them?' he thought. 'I vowed to keep everyone safe, yet this darkness continues to claim lives. I must find a way to stop it before more innocent souls are lost.'

"It is not your fault."

"Please calm down."

The soldiers went to console her at once.

"Tell me how it's not my fault? Tell me!" she cried out even louder.

The soldiers tried their hardest to console her.

At the moment, a few houses nearby started opening up, and the villagers began gathering.

They were all beyond shocked and turned sad when they heard about the death of the baby.

None of them blamed the mother.

Those close to her had seen her take care of her baby, and they knew she did it really well.

Some of the villagers began to suspect that something dark and evil was in the village.

"First, six people died in the morning, and now a baby is dead? All of them were perfectly healthy, and there were no signs of injuries on them. How could they die like that?"

"This is not natural."

"I am scared for my life now. Who knows if I may be the one to die tomorrow?"

They reacted.

Rowan didn't blame them for feeling as such.

He didn't blame himself either.

He blamed whatsoever dark creature is causing all these.

At this point, Rowan even wondered if it was the Dream Weaver, the dark creature Dragun told him about.

Dragun mentioned that the Dream Weaver is definitely involved with Ren and Liara. He mentioned that the Dream Weaver would use Ren and Liara when a certain time reaches.

'But Ren and Liara are being watched in their room all night. How could the killing involve them?' Rowan wondered.

'Also, if it was really Ren and Liara, how would they be able to kill these people without inflicting injuries?' his mind wandered.

Rowan didn't even want to believe both of them were involved.

The noises in the room—with the woman crying, villagers petting her, and also worrying for their lives—continued.

Rowan was still holding the deceased baby in his hands.

Blaze strolled towards him.

['There is no trace of anything anywhere, just like this morning,'] Blaze reported.

'I know,' Rowan replied telepathically.

['This is getting serious,'] Blaze commented.

Rowan could only nod his head.

Determination ignited within him like a burning flame. 'This has to end,' he resolved silently. 'I can't stand by while my people suffer. Whatever this darkness is, I'll uncover it and put an end to its terror.' He clenched his fists, his gaze steeling as he prepared himself for the challenges ahead.

He heaved out a long sigh.

Burying adults was painful, but burying an infant is a next level of sorrow.

Rowan walked up to the mother with the baby and consoled her with nice and gentle words.

He told her not to worry and made her realize nothing was her fault.

He was still consoling her when, all of a sudden,

Two loud cries of women rang out from another location.