CHAPTER 11: CHAPTER 11: MIDNIGHT WEEPING

"Don’t overthink it, Lord Baron’s health is quite good, there’s no major issue," Emil looked at Herag’s expression and knew he had misunderstood.

"Then what’s the reason?" Herag asked.

"It’s said that Behard’s Simon contacted a mysterious wizard," Emil said in a deep voice.

"Wizard? Do they really exist?" Herag was immediately intrigued.

"I haven’t seen one with my own eyes, but they probably exist, otherwise, Lord Baron wouldn’t be so eager to seek assistance," Emil said.

He took a swig of his drink and continued, "Lord Baron and Simon’s family are sworn enemies, a feud that can never be resolved. Not long ago, after Simon’s youngest son died in a horse race, he completely lost his mind, firmly believing it was Lord Baron’s doing."

"Lord Baron is a Great Knight, ordinary people can’t deal with him at all. Simon probably realized this, which is why he reached out to a wizard, though what price he paid is unknown."

"After discovering the news through an insider, Lord Baron arranged the marriage alliance with the Duke of Tulip. With the Duke’s backing, the wizard likely won’t target Lord Baron."

"With Lord Baron around, the people of the territory will be safe."

"So, how could I be with Melissa? Lord Baron already said I’m not suitable for her, we can’t be together. This marriage alliance must succeed, and I came here to avoid affecting it."

"By the way, do you know why I brought you here?" Emil seemed drunk, talking to himself.

"Because if I didn’t bring you over, Lord Baron might eliminate you. You overheard the conversation between me and Melissa at the training ground. Lord Baron is ruthless, anyone who could affect the marriage alliance, he might eliminate them. Coming with me to the Pumpkin Farm is the safest."

"I see," Herag didn’t expect there would be such a reason behind it.

"Does Melissa know about all this?" Herag asked.

Emil shook his head, "She doesn’t know, maybe she’ll find out in the future."

"When is the wedding?"

Emil tilted his head back and finished his drink, "In a month, Lord Baron will send Melissa to Lime Province for the wedding."

According to local customs, since Baron Buck’s status is lower, the bride must be sent to the groom’s home for the wedding. On the wedding day, a banquet will be held at the castle to thank friends and family from their side.

The two drank into the night, and the wind outside began howling, causing the door to rattle loudly.

"Woo... woo woo..."

Emil suddenly put down his glass and said, "This wind... sounds like someone is crying?"

Herag laughed, "You must be drunk, the wind sounds like this when it blows."

"No, listen carefully," Emil said seriously.

Seeing him so serious, Herag began to listen as well.

"Woo woo... woo woo woo... ah..."

Herag took a deep breath, confirming that he indeed heard the crying.

"Massimo said that at night no matter what you hear, you shouldn’t go out. It seems there really is something strange here, those missing guards might not have met with wild animals," Emil said with a serious face.

"There certainly is something strange, we’d better not act rashly. Massimo has been here for many years without incident, indicating that staying inside should keep us safe," Herag analyzed.

"Tomorrow we’ll investigate around the area," Emil decided to look into it but opted not to risk going out at night.

Herag returned to his room, slowly falling asleep with the help of the alcohol.

The howling of the cold wind by the window continued, mixed with the crying in the wind.

But just as Massimo said, as long as you don’t go out, you’re safe.

The next morning, Herag and Emil were both unscathed.

The weather was good today, Massimo was lying on a chair enjoying the sun, looking very relaxed.

"Massimo, did you hear any crying last night?" Emil decided to ask the old man who had been there for forty years.

"Huh?" Massimo didn’t hear clearly.

Emil walked closer and asked again.

"Crying?" Massimo recalled, "You mean the wind? Heard it when I was young, after my ears got injured, I haven’t heard it since. Now that I’m old, even listening to you guys talk is a chore, let alone hearing the wind."

Herag smiled and gestured for Emil to go check outside.

The Pumpkin Farm was surrounded by mountains, making it impossible to determine where the crying came from, so they could only walk around and see if anything unusual was happening.

Herag rode his horse across the plains, feeling a sense of freedom looking at the distant snowy mountains.

"Let’s check the north first," Emil, after looking at the map, decided to head north first.

The north was a region of snow-capped mountains, with a deep lake at the foot, its bottom unseen.

"This lake is strange, it only has water in winter, the rest of the year it’s dry," Emil explained by the lake.

"That’s so odd?" Herag looked at the calm lake surface, not noticing anything peculiar.

He crouched by the lake, feeling some strangeness suddenly.

"A bit dizzy?" He found that staring at the lake bottom made him feel slightly dizzy.

"This lake water is unusual."

He lowered his body a bit, intuition telling him something was in the lake bottom.

A pale human face emerged on the water surface, indistinguishable if male or female, with hollow eyes.

"Warning! Warning!"

"Unknown radiation detected! Effects unknown!"

"Herag! Wake up!"

Herag realized he had fallen asleep at some point, and Emil was shaking him awake with a serious expression.

"What happened to me?" Herag asked, confused.

"You fainted by the lake, I called you for a long time before you woke up," Emil explained.

"Fainted?" Herag had no memory of this, "Right, I just saw a person at the lake bottom, looked like they had been soaking in the water for a long time..."

Emil didn’t doubt his words but cautiously pulled Herag back, "I also looked at the lake bottom but didn’t find anything unusual. But since you fainted by the lake, it means there’s something strange here. Though I can’t see anything, my intuition tells me it’s dangerous. Let’s go, don’t come here again."

Emil had no desire to investigate further, he was curious but rational, avoiding matters beyond his capabilities.

"Unknown radiation..." Herag was contemplating the unknown radiation, pondering what it could possibly be.

"The detected radiation matches the constitution, stored in the body, usage unknown, lacking effective information."

"Spiritual Power increased by 0.3."

Seeing these messages, Herag was intrigued, it was the first time he’d seen his Spiritual Power change.

The food and training methods he’d encountered could only increase Strength, Agility, Constitution, never Spiritual Power.

He hadn’t seen anyone with high Spiritual Power, even a Great Knight like Baron Buck only had 1.3.

"Query body data."

"Herag Merlin: Strength 2.0, Agility 1.6, Constitution 2.2, Spirit 1.5."