Chapter 183: For Lord Kainiber
Chapter 183: For Lord Kainiber
The Swift Crab from the Rift is fast, has a wide field of vision, and can share its vision with Rod, making it the perfect scout. The downside is its large size and bright green color, which make it hard to hide in the winter snow.
Rod is considering getting some camouflage cloth for the crabs, like snow, desert, and ocean camo, to help them blend in better.
For now, they'll have to make do.
The journey to Poppy Town was eerily quiet. Over the ten-kilometer stretch, Rod only encountered three people, all on the same carriage.
They seemed to be delivering goods to Morningglory, and they were quite wary of Rod, a lone stranger, even considering detouring to avoid him.
Rod pretended to ask for directions, sensing no suspicious magic on the carriage, and then let them pass.
Poppy Town was more vigilant than Morningglory. The streets were patrolled by guards, and two guards were stationed at the town entrance, checking everyone who came and went.
It seemed they were just understaffed, not completely inactive.
.
Rod was checked the examination, showing his mission order and asking the guards to keep it quiet.
Lacking trust, Rod left one of the crabs at a distance to keep an eye on them.
The atmosphere in Poppy Town was much tenser than in Morningglory. The streets were nearly empty, with people traveling in small groups, often carrying weapons like clubs for self-defense.
Most shops were closed, and the townsfolk looked extremely uneasy.
Rod avoided the patrols, summoning the Shadow Wolf and blending into the shadows to quietly investigate the town.
At the scene of yesterday's incident, he sent the wolf spirit to sniff for clues. When he passed by a house where a child might have been taken, he quietly slipped inside and took a piece of clothing.
It wasn't very polite, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Just as he was about to leave and send the Shadow Wolf to search a wider area, Rod sensed Worm returning to the Howling Abyss.
He immediately summoned the Crimson Beakbird and flew toward Manjusaka Town.
Starting to abduct people in broad daylight, these Black Magic Cultists were incredibly brazen. By the time he arrived, the fight was already over.
Three black-robed figures lay on the ground, along with two broken staves.
A massive crack ran down the street, as if something had struck it with tremendous force.
Erza was standing on one of the cultists' chests, her sword tip pointed at his throat.
Behind her, a mother held her child, looking terrified at the fallen cultists.
Neighbors, seeing the fight was over, began to gather, and some ran to notify the guards.
Rod circled the town in the air, looking for any other suspicious individuals.
Erza glanced up, then continued her interrogation.
"Don't waste your breath! I won't say anything! Even if I die, my body and soul will be given to Lord Kainiber!"
Rod had just landed when he heard the cultist under Erza's foot shouting.
Kainiber, a demon that feeds on humans, is said to devour not only their flesh but also their souls. It particularly enjoys the bodies and souls of children, which is why the cultists were kidnapping them.
Erza pressed her sword against the cultist's neck, leaving a bloody mark. "One last time: where are the children?"
The pain didn't frighten the cultist; instead, it made him more manic. "Hahaha! They will be Lord Kainiber's nourishment! After tonight, you will all die!"
The other two cultists joined in with fervent cries:
"For Lord Kainiber!"
"Long live Zeref!"
Despite being unable to stand, they shouted with surprising vigor.
What is it about Zeref that makes people so fanatically devoted to him? Is it just the worship of immense power?
This was something Rod found very hard to understand.
He needed to learn more about Zeref when he returned.
“My child! Where is my child?”
A woman with disheveled hair and a weary face stumbled over, crying out, “Give me back my child!”
Before she could push through the crowd and lunge at the black-robed figures, her husband held her back.
Though he was just as desperate and equally filled with hatred for these black-robed figures, he knew they were still dangerous even if they were beaten down. He couldn't let his wife do something foolish.
“Mages, please...”
“Please find our child!”
More parents whose children had been taken soon joined them, pleading for Erza and Rod to help.
Erza spoke firmly, “We will find their hideout and bring the children back!”
“It's no use! After tonight, no one will... uuuh...”
Rod’s foot pressed down on the man's face, crushing half his teeth and cutting off his sentence.
He tried to keep his expression and tone as gentle as possible, “Please, everyone, go back home. We need some time and space to interrogate them, okay?”
The residents gradually dispersed, though the parents of the missing children were eager to do the interrogating themselves until the town guards arrived them and.
.
Erza didn’t seem to mind Rod’s violent interrogation methods at all; in fact, she seemed to want to be even more ruthless.
The kindness of Fairy Tail was reserved for those who deserved it.
...
The three fanatics were stubborn, but Rod managed to extract some information from them during their heated exchanges.
For instance, their leader went by the codename 'Ghost Shadow' and used a dark magic that could shatter a person's entire skeleton with a single strike.
Their ritual site was very secretive and heavily guarded.
Though they refused to reveal the exact location, Erza deduced from the mud and grass on their shoes that it was likely near the northern mountains where the sea met the land.
Also, their summoning ritual was scheduled for that night, and the children, who were to be used as sacrifices, not in immediate danger until then.
Time was short. The two of them handed the three black-robed figures, who were too weak to shout anymore, over to the town guards and immediately headed north.
Rod was a bit anxious.
He had promised to act calmly, but things had escalated again, and all his previous efforts to stay low-key seemed in vain.
If anyone managed to send a message before they arrived, it could comp to complications.
Erza said apologetically, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t control myself when I heard the children crying. I acted on impulse.”
“Under those circumstances, it’s hard to just stand by and do nothing.” Rod didn’t think Erza had made a mistake, but her reaction seemed a bit too intense.
“Regardless, we need to find them and rescue the children before the ritual starts.”
“Right,” Erza’s eyes were sharp. “Even if we have to chase the demons to the depths of hell, we will bring them back.”
(End of Chapter)
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