"Easy."
The Graveknit continued speaking.
"There is another town as well, my lord."
"Oh?"
"To the north. Roughly the sa distance."
Aiden raised an eyebrow.
"Another one?"
"Yes, my lord."
The Graveknit lifted its head slightly.
"The second town is called Stoneford. It is larger than Riverfall. Their population should be around eight hundred."
Aiden’s eyes sharpened a little.
"And their strength?"
"Roughly two hundred warriors. Nine body tempering practitioners."
Aiden fell silent for a mont.
Two nearby towns.
Both within half a day’s travel.
If either of them heard about what happened here, they might beco cautious or even send scouts.
That would be troubleso.
After a few seconds, Aiden spoke again.
"So there are two towns close to us."
"Yes, my lord," the Graveknit replied.
Aiden looked toward the town walls in the distance.
The skeleton soldiers were still patrolling. The Carrion Knight stood near the gate like an unmoving statue.
Aiden smiled faintly.
"We should attack them first."
The Graveknit remained silent, waiting for the rest of the order.
"Before they find out what happened here," Aiden finished.
Aiden looked back at the Graveknit.
"Go and tell the Carrion Knight to prepare."
The Graveknit bowed imdiately
"As you wish, my lord."
Aiden turned slightly and looked toward the gate again.
"We’ll be leaving shortly."
The Graveknit stood up and quickly walked toward the villa entrance. Its stitched limbs moved with quick, efficient steps as it headed toward the gate where the Carrion Knight was stationed.
Aiden remained standing in the courtyard.
The morning sun had just begun rising above the rooftops, casting long shadows across the town.
Skeleton soldiers marched along the walls.
Wraiths floated silently through the air.
Zombie citizens slowly repaired damaged buildings from the battle the previous day.
To anyone outside, this place would look like a cursed land.
---
It didn’t take long for everything to be prepared.
Before leaving, Aiden had already made so arrangents in the town.
He left Vayne behind, along with four basic-grade skeleton soldiers, to guard the town and the villa. With the Carrion Knight gone, soone strong still needed to remain there.
Vayne stood silently near the villa gate when Aiden departed, his sword resting across his shoulder like an unmoving sentinel.
The Dark Mana Fountain continued pulsing quietly in the center of the town.
A short while later, a simple carriage rolled along a narrow dirt road.
Unlike the skeletal carriage from the night before, this one looked ordinary.
Two wooden wheels creaked softly as it moved forward, pulled by a normal brown horse.
But the undead warrior no longer looked like the terrifying creature from the night before.
Its body was covered in a large cloak, and a rough hood hid its skull-like face in shadow. Leather gloves covered its hands, hiding the unnatural look of its necrotic skin.
From a distance, it looked like nothing more than a quiet traveler.
Inside the carriage, Aiden sat calmly.
The interior was small but comfortable enough. Through the small window, he watched the forest slowly pass by.
Occasionally they passed other travelers on the road.
A farr pushing a cart.
A rchant leading a mule.
Another carriage heading in the opposite direction.
This road wasn’t completely empty. Even though the region was remote, there were still people traveling between towns.
Aiden kept the curtain slightly open, observing quietly.
"So this is the road network around here," he murmured.
The Carrion Knight said nothing, simply guiding the horse steadily along the path.
Hours passed.
Eventually the forest began to thin.
Up ahead, wooden walls appeared in the distance.
The town of Riverfall.
It wasn’t very impressive. The wooden walls were about the sa height as the Dustwind town, maybe slightly weaker. A few watchtowers stood along the periter, and smoke rose from chimneys inside the settlent.
Several guards stood near the gate.
Aiden looked at them through the window.
He could already tell most of them were ordinary fighters.
Attacking the gate directly would be possible.
But that would be... stupid.
Aiden smirked slightly.
"No need to cause a scene outside."
The carriage rolled forward until it stopped in front of the town gate.
One of the guards stepped forward, holding a spear.
"Halt!"
The man looked at the hooded Carrion Knight first, then at the carriage.
"State your business."
The Carrion Knight remained silent.
Aiden pushed the carriage door open and stepped out.
The guard’s eyes moved to him.
Aiden gave a small, polite smile.
"Just a traveler passing through."
The guard frowned slightly.
"Traveler, huh?"
He glanced at the carriage.
"Open it. We need to inspect it."
Aiden sighed softly, as if annoyed.
"Is that really necessary?"
"Orders," the guard replied bluntly.
Aiden stepped a little closer to him.
Then he lowered his voice slightly.
"What if I told you..."
He slipped a small leather pouch from his sleeve.
"...that inspection might not be necessary today."
The guard blinked.
The pouch clinked faintly as Aiden lightly tossed it into the man’s hand.
The guard caught it instinctively.
His eyes widened slightly when he felt the weight.
He opened the pouch just enough to peek inside.
Gold coins.
Several of them.
The guard quickly closed the pouch again and cleared his throat.
"...Well."
He glanced at the other guards nearby, making sure none of them were paying too much attention.
Then he waved his hand casually.
"Go ahead."
Aiden smiled faintly.
"Much appreciated."
The guard stepped aside and signaled for the gate to open.
The wooden gates creaked as they slowly pulled apart.
The carriage rolled forward again, entering the town of Riverfall without inspection.
As the carriage passed through the gate, Aiden leaned back inside and looked through the window.
People walked along the streets.
rchants shouted about their goods.
The carriage rolled slowly through the streets of Riverfall before stopping near a small open square.
People walked around casually. rchants shouted about their goods, a butcher was chopping at behind a wooden stall, and a few children were chasing each other through the street.
To them, it was just another ordinary day.
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