It was already evening when they arrived in a small town called Alverton. They decided to stop by this town for the night before continuing their journey, but there was a slight problem.
“Who are you guys? I haven’t seen your faces before.”
The guards at the entrance of the town eyed them suspiciously.
Henry took a step forward and said.
“We are from North Pine Town. We got lost because of the snowstorm and we found our way here after the sky cleared up.”
They had already agreed beforehand that they would hide their identities. Alaric didn’t want anyone to know their tracks since they were escorting Yvanna who had a very sensitive identity.
“North Pine Town? That’s quite far from here. Why did you guys even travel during the snowstorm?”
Henry remained calm in the face of their questioning. He had already memorized his answers so he was able to provide them with a believable story.
“…that’s how we ended up here.”
The guards’ faces relaxed a bit after hearing his response.
“Alright. You can go inside after we check your items.”
“Thank you.”
The guards inspected their bags meticulously. From how they were seriously handling their tasks, Alaric guessed that there must be something going on in the town.
When it was time for Yvanna to be checked, Alaric stopped them.
“We have complied with your instructions, so please don’t go overboard.” His firm voice echoed in their ears.
“She is a woman. It won’t be appropriate for you guys to touch her.” Alaric reminded them with a stern gaze.
The guard who was about to inspect her frowned upon hearing his words, but he decided to let it go.
“Fine.”
The guard waved his hand while shaking his head.
Alaric cupped his fists. “Thank you.”
Luckily, the guards didn’t make things difficult for them and allowed them entry after the inspection.
As they entered the gates, Alaric saw the wanted posters pasted on the wall.
There were more than five wanted men which was quite a lot for a small town with only less than a thousand residents.
“Why are the people here on edge?” Yvanna muttered.
“Because it’s winter…” Alaric’s response made her confused.
“I don’t understand.”
Alaric kept his gaze on the road and responded. “Some people don’t have enough food for winter so they rob others to survive.”
Alaric had seen worse things.
Not all families had enough money to prepare for winter and some of them could only resort to robbery to keep themselves alive.
Yvanna seemed to have experienced a culture shock. She couldn’t believe it.
“Why don’t they just give food to those who don’t have enough?”
Alaric shook his head. “For elves, it might be normal to give food and resources to your kind, but we are different.”
“We won’t hesitate to kill someone of our kind for the sake of ourselves,” Alaric added with a calm voice.
Yvanna turned silent at his words.
Not long later, they found an inn in a quiet corner of the town.
Yvanna didn’t say anything and it seemed like she was still thinking about Alaric’s words.
“You should rest. Just let me know if you need anything.” Alaric handed Yvanna the key to her room.
The elf nodded and opened the door using the key.
No wonder she was almost captured by elf hunters. This girl is too innocent.
Alaric shook his head as he headed to his room.
He was tired from their trip so he immediately jumped into the bed.
Just when he was about to fall asleep, a loud noise suddenly resounded, echoing through the whole town.
Hm?
He immediately got up and grabbed his swords before stepping out of his room to check the situation.
“My lord, I think that was a signal from the watchtower.” Arthur who had stepped out from the room across his muttered with a frown.
“Go and ask the townspeople. See if they know what is happening.” Alaric instructed.
“Yes, my lord!” Arthur nodded and went downstairs with haste.
Meanwhile, Alaric knocked on Yvanna’s room and told her to stay put.
“What’s going on out there?” The elf asked.
Alaric shook his head. “I don’t know. Stay here and cover your face. I’ll go downstairs to check the situation.”
He then handed her a dagger and said.
“Don’t let anyone else enter your room and use this if necessary.”
Yvanna took the dagger and nodded her head. “Alright.”
Alaric stepped out of her room and headed down the stairs.
The guests of the inn had already gathered at the reception hall to inquire about the situation, but the owner was also clueless.
Alaric later found Henry and Arthur chatting with the guests.
“Did you find out what happened?”
Arthur and Henry shook their heads.
At this moment, the sound of the signal bell echoed once more, making the guests more nervous.
Most of them were outsiders so they didn’t know much about the town and this feeling of being clueless made them even more anxious.
“Sir Arthur, you stay here and protect Yvanna.”
“Sir Henry, let’s go outside and find out what’s happening.”
“Yes, my lord!”
Arthur went back upstairs while Alaric and Henry stepped out of the inn.
The street was now empty and it seemed like everyone had already entered their homes.
From the distance, Alaric saw a group of guards urgently running towards the eastern side of the town.
Seeing this, Alaric sent Henry a knowing glance before he rushed out.
The old Elite Knight followed half a step behind him.
Most of the town guards were just normal warriors so the two managed to catch up to them.
“Wait!” Alaric called out to the guards.
The warriors were startled by his sudden call.
“Can you tell us what’s happening?” Alaric asked in a low voice.
The warriors were a little bit annoyed after being stopped, but one of them still answered. “The patrol sounded the bell twice so it means that there is a threat outside the town.”
Hearing this, Alaric and Henry frowned.