The family of three nodded while Brad glanced at Viktor with squinted eyes before nodding to Mijo's question.
Viktor only shrugged as he also eagerly listened on to hear what Mijo's story was.
Seeing everyone nod, Mijo smiled, "Of course, not many wouldn't know about a terrifying character like him who shaped our history and the world at that time. So, since you all know about him, I assume you all have read about the Battle of the Frozen Lakes. Would you all believe that during those times, the climate was very icy, unlike how it is now. The river you see here was completely frozen, and the landmass was not exactly like this since lots of natural changes had occurred due to earthquakes and so on, making the place look totally unrecognizable compared to how it looked during those times. But one thing that the experts of the Fujo Clan came to a conclusion was that the Battle of The Frozen Lakes took place near or the place where the Wailing Hills are now."
Derek questioned with a puzzled look, "How could that be possible? Wouldn't there be some sort of trace of a battle that big and bloody left behind in those hills? I am sure the archaeological experts would have made it big news if they found something."
His wife and son eagerly looked on to hear Mijo's answer.
Brad also asked in pure curiosity, "Yes. A battle of such magnitude surely should have left something behind. Or was the battle, after all, just a myth? After all, I still find it hard to believe that a single man took on all 500,000 men on his own and that the battle lasted for only a single day."
However, inwardly, despite what he said, Brad felt that it might not be really unbelievable if Viktor's story was true.
Viktor was the only one who was calmly leaning back while looking at the distant hills with a complicated glint in his eyes.
Mijo motioned with both his hands as he said, "As I said, this place had undergone a lot of geographical changes due to which whatever traces that remained would have already disappeared. Also, the Fujo Clan never let any archaeologists explore or dig up the Wailing Hills for proof. They only let them survey the hills. That's all."
Mijo then looked at Brad and said, "As for your question, why do you think he was named as the Blood Demon? Could someone like him be a normal human? He was literally a demon which drank the blood of his fallen enemies and massacred anything that came in his way."
Brad and Derek, including his family, were surprised to sense the tone in which Mijo said his words because it seemed as if Mijo truly believed that General Raoul was a demon in human clothing.
Mijo saw the skeptical expression on them and the strange way they were looking at him. But he didn't mind since he was used to it, especially since he had been a guide for a lot of years and never really expected anyone to believe his story.
However, Mijo noticed how Lucien was the only one who did not have any disbelief or skeptical look on his face and instead was gazing at the hills from afar. He felt that this guy was peculiar indeed in some way.
Derek still asked, "But why did the Fujo Clan refuse the experts from digging around? Wouldn't it be really great and helpful for our history if they found some remains?"
Brad chimed in, "Yes. And we already know about the rumors of the battle taking place somewhere in this country, but how could you be so sure to say with certainty that it took place in those hills, near the river?"
Mijo let out a sigh and said, "Well, this may come as superstitious, but not only the Fujo Clan but all the local people like me also believe it. The thing is, we still believe that the countless men who died a bloody death in those hills have their spirits wandering around, which became evil in nature due to their resentment, hatred, and anger because of how they died under the hands of General Raoul. That is why the hills are named the Wailing Hills because of the cries of the evil spirits wandering about. So the last thing we want is to disturb and anger them even more. The rumors of people getting lost in those hills and never coming back are all true though you all might find it hard to believe or think that it's just some stories we made up to lure people."
Mijo added, "Otherwise, why do you think we have so many guides escorting only twenty people at a time? It's to make sure none of you does anything that could anger the spirits. Otherwise, a huge calamity could befall us."
Derek's wife Rita felt a chill down her back hearing this story, even if she told herself that it was just a myth. Her son, Dory, however, had an excited gleam since he apparently had an interest in horror stories.
Derek took the story since he was still of the belief that these were exaggerations.
"Evil spirits? Do you believe in ghosts?" Viktor finally opened his mouth as he asked with a raised eyebrow. He didn't believe in the concepts of ghosts and spirits at all since he only believed what he saw with his own eyes.
And so far, he had never come across a ghost or anything like that in his long life because of which he believed that they were just figments of man's imagination and fear.
Mijo lightly chuckled as he said with a smile, "As I said, you all are too free to think of what I said as just a story. I never planned to scare anyone with this or expect you all to believe it. But this is the story we have believed since the early times. The Fujo Clan has a long ancestral lineage that dates back to more than a thousand years, and as for how far back, I have no idea since I am nothing more than a mere retainer for them. So surely they know more than us and stand to gain nothing by telling lies. They only care about our safety, and if they wanted to earn more money, they wouldn't spend so much money and effort in putting up so many safety measures."
Viktor looked at Mijo's eyes and also realized from his tone that he clearly believed in what he said.
But he shrugged it off, thinking that people who believed in these things were the ones who usually were adamant about their beliefs and believed in them blindly.
He had already heard a lot about ghosts, spirits, and what not in his past during the medieval times when people believed in these things more than they did now.
He even investigated such events where people said they spotted ghosts or that people were getting haunted or getting attacked by spirits.
But whenever he investigated these haunted places, he never found anything out of the ordinary other than some wild animals howling and making sounds in the night.
Sometimes he wondered how long it would take humans to get rid of their instinctual fear of the dark.
Still, he didn't try to refute Mijo's claims since everyone was entitled to their own beliefs.
However, just like Mijo said, he was entertained by the story he said and joked to Brad, "Gramps, you sure you want to visit this scary place. I am afraid you might get a heart attack or something."
"Hmph, brat, I have served in the army and been through a lot of shit you couldn't possibly think of. A mere ghost can't make me piss my pants."
"Hahaha…" Mijo and the others laughed heartily seeing this pair of grandfather and grandson.
"Dad, but I want to see one of these evil spirits. They sound cool!" Dory said with sparkling eyes, making Rita sigh as she gave him a light slap on his shoulder, "You are reading too much of those fantasy novels."
"Mom, don't tell me you are scared of these ghosts?" Dory asked with a laugh.
"Of course, I am not!" Rita said with a playful glare though inwardly, she always had a fear of ghosts.
Derek couldn't help but smile in amusement seeing his wife and son. But at the same time, even if he didn't believe in the stories and rumors, he was excited to walk through the hills because of people saying how beautiful the scenery was at the top of the tall hills, which were covered by clouds.
"Hmm, we have already reached the shore. Get ready, people," Mijo said as everyone looked ahead to see large hills covered with a dense number of trees and greenery.
The slope of the hills wasn't steep, so even a child could easily walk up the hills if they wanted to.
However, a glint of surprise and reverence flashed past Mijo's eyes when he spotted a figure standing on the shore.