The old man frowned slightly, then gave a confused smile. "Bloodsoul Flower? I'm afraid I've never heard of such a thing."
Klyde snorted inwardly.
'This old man can really act. If I hadn't read the novel, I might've bought his lie.'
In the novel, this village wasn't as simple as it seemed. The protagonist had stumbled upon this place by accident, only to discover that a Dark Magus had been using it as a base for years.
That Magus had been hiding while secretly cultivating the Bloodsoul Flower — a taboo and dangerous material that grew by feeding on human life.
Moreover, that Dark Magus was this old man's son.
The same son who fathered the young girl and the hunter Klyde had recently killed outside the village.
Klyde kept his voice calm as he fabricated a story: "My organization detected a pattern. People from nearby villages have been going missing over the past two years, and caravans have been disappearing without a trace at commom routes."
He glanced around at the silent crowd.
"We've pinpointed the source of all these strange occurences to this place and suspected that a Dark Magus had been cultivating a material which requires the lives of others."
The old man's face tightened slightly, a bead of sweat forming at his brow.
Klyde sneered faintly. "This village's remote location makes it easy to hide things. Thus, I suspect it was grown near this place. I even suspect some of these villagers are colluding with that Dark Magus!"
"Lord Magus…" the old man said slowly, struggling to keep his voice steady. "We're just a small village. I promise you, we have nothing to do with—"
Klyde waved his hand in a dismissive manner, his tone taking a more dangerous edge.
"Hmph! Speak without permission once more and I'll kill everyone here."
The old man stiffened. His hand tightened slightly around his staff, but he said nothing. He knew an answer which didn't satisfy this Magus would simply makes things worse.
Klyde's cold gaze swept over the crowd.
'Of course, I can't actually kill them all,' he thought.
'After all, I'm only a low rank Magus at Tier 1. If a few of them rushes me, I'd quickly be overwhelmed and forced to retreat.'
However, this was why he had decided to take those two's lives with his limited mana capacity.
Blowing apart the woodcutter's torso and revealing the severed head of the old man's son...
This had been a method to plant the seeds of fear among these people, giving Klyde an overwhelming presence befitting a Magus.
Even a village elder who had some knowledge of Magi wouldn't be able to judge his true rank, not with the display Klyde had showed.
"I want that flower," Klyde said again, his tone sharp.
"You have two hours."
He turned around with a flick of his cloak, his voice trailing back as he walked away, "After that… Hmph! Don't blame me for what happens next."
His footsteps then faded toward the central hut.
The old man stood in place for a moment after Klyde disappeared into the hut.
His face was calm, but his mind was heavy.
'A Magus...'
This was extremely bad news, especially as the Magus had come with information that this village may be colluding with a Dark Magus.
Should that be the case, their village would undoubtedly be destroyed!
He glanced at the severed head again, then at the villagers who still stood frozen in fear.
His son had warned him if such a situation were to occur.
He usually came and went without staying long, only appearing once or twice a month.
'Although he suspects a Dark Magus was behind the disappearances. He still doesn't know that it is my son behind it.'
The old man understood that he had to tread carefully. If he reacted too strongly, it would raise suspicion. If he handed over the flower without hesitation, it would confirm Klyde's doubts.
His goal now was simple.
Buy time. Give him what he wanted so they can keep their lives, but make it seem like the village had nothing to hide.
He turned to a group of sturdy-looking men standing nearby.
"You five," he said, his tone firm, "Go east and search the forest. Turn over every rock if you have to. The rest of you, check any where near the outer perimeter of the village."
One of them frowned. "What are we looking for, Elder?"
"I don't know," he replied. "But a Magus came here. If we don't give him something, we're all dead! All we know is that it is a flower. So find something! I don't care what it is!"
Klyde had essentially blackmailed them with their lives if they did not find this flower.
The villagers hesitated for a second, then quickly moved out.
'He doesn't know about my son. As long as he doesn't find out, this village should be able to escape destruction...'
His son had never told him the exact purpose of the flower, only that it needed to be grown in secret, and that it would aid him as a Magus.
The old man didn't understand the details, but he wasn't blind. He'd seen how it was raised, and what it required.
He knew it wasn't anything good.
And now, it had drawn danger to their doorstep.
He had a grim expression.
'I'll hand over the flower... However, I'll make it look like we found it during the search. That way, I can hide the connection.'
...
A long hour swiftly passed.
The villagers, still pale from fear, had all scattered in search of a flower.
Among them, deciding it was time, the old man had discreetly signaled a trusted follower.
The two took a hidden path deep into the forest. After confirming they were alone, the old man ordered him to dig beneath a specific tree root.
Not long after, a strange flower revealed itself.
The Bloodsoul Flower.
It was a dark crimson with veins like pulsing capillaries, faintly emitting a chilling aura. A few blood-red seeds could also be seen jutting out the flower.
The follower's face paled. "This... is what the Magus seeks?"
The old man spoke flatly. "Take it to the others. Leave it half-buried near the east. Make it seem like they found it during the search. Do not let them see where it came from."
The man hesitated, then nodded and vanished into the forest.
The old man stood in silence for a moment, then turned toward the village, his expression conflicted.
'This is the only way. Let him take the flower. As long as he doesn't dig further, we may survive this storm.'
A short while after returning to the village square, the old man resumed his overseeing position.
Before long, hurried footsteps approached.
A young man ran up, panting, his voice filled with barely-contained urgency.
"Village Head! I think... I think we found something near the east!"
The old man's brows furrowed, but he nodded slowly.
"Take me there."
But before they could move, the door of the central hut creaked open.
"So... you've found something?"
Klyde's voice was calm.
The old man forced a respectful nod.
"We're not certain, but something unusual was found near the eastern part of the forest. It may be what you're looking for."
Klyde said nothing, his eyes only narrowing imperceptibly.
"Lead the way."
The village fell silent as they departed toward the eastern part of the forest.
The group moved quickly.
No words were exchanged. The villagers kept their heads low, and the atmosphere was heavy with nervous tension.
Soon, they arrived.
Half-buried in the ground, nestled between roots and damp soil, Klyde spotted the Bloodsoul Flower. Crimson veins twisted along its petals, and the chilling aura it gave off confirmed its identity.
Klyde crouched briefly, narrowing his eyes.
'This is it,' Klyde muttered in anticipation. After verifying it hadn't been tampered with, he told one of the villagers to pick it up and store it.
He then stood slowly, brushing the dust from his cloak. Then, turning toward the old man, he let out a soft chuckle.
"Haha… as expected! The flower is here!"
He stepped forward and patted the old man's shoulder lightly.
"No need to be so tense, Village Head. This flower is quite important to me. Since you cooperated, I'll overlook today's matter."
The old man bowed slightly. "Thank you, Master Magus. We are only simple people. We wouldn't dare get involved in anything dangerous."
"Haha, good. Very good."
Klyde seemed in a better mood now, his expression relaxed and even slightly warm.
But behind that smile, his thoughts were cold.
He sneered inwardly, 'I've gotten what I came for, but you still don't know that your little secret that you're trying to hide has already been exposed to me...'
Klyde's inky-black eyes held an ominous glint, shooting a brief glance to the old man's shoulder.
He naturally had placed a spell on him.
Moreover, during the search, he had wandered around a few notable houses under the pretense of investigation. At those homes, he had also placed a few traps.
Since this Dark Magus was related to this old man, he knew it would be wise to not leave loose-ends. While he won't be able to thoroughly destroy his traces due to the villagers, he can still create enough chaos that would hinder some investigations on him.
"Mm. I've taken enough of your time," Klyde said, turning to leave once a villager came back with the flower and had stored it in a box filled with soft soil.
After he verified the contents in the box, his cloak fluttered slightly as he began to walk away.
…
Meanwhile...
In a dim and ominous cave, a man clad in a dark, tattered cloak suddenly snapped his eyes open.
His face was pallid, with faint red veins wriggling beneath his skin.
The entire cave reeked of blood and rot.
It was at this moment that he felt a connection suddenly sever.
"Impossible..." A ghostly and rigid voice sounded.
"That flower was just about to mature… Who dares!"
He could infer that it was either destroyed or removed, which meant someone had found it!
Crack!
He slammed his bony hand against the stone wall, sending cracks through the rock despite how brittle it looked.
His eyes had become bloodshot as he began to laugh madly.
If any Magi were here, they would all be able to tell that this man had clear signs of corruption!