The next day, after Nina’s return!
A procession was being held at Osan city square. A five-storied tower stood at the centre of a huge open space.
The space was now filled with loads of people. The Osan healer’s association had its elevated mini-booth set at the corner of the square. Nina was granted a seat at the booth. And Eren was standing behind her. He could see the tower and the gallery-like platform that was located on the tower’s top floor.
There was a huge open carriage located just below the tower. It had an expensive-looking casket placed over it, adorned with various flowers. There were other small carriages with caskets placed on each of them with similar settings.
Everyone present at the square knew that the most decorated coffin belonged to Isaac while the rest belonged to his friends that had died with him.
A band of musicians was playing a sad tune accompanied by the same level of sadness sung by a chorus of singers.
Almost everyone at the healer’s association booth was bored to death. The healers would rather spend their time researching in their field, hone their craft, make potions to earn money and do everything else to progress further in their ranking journey than attend this ceremony.
Most ranked entities thought along the same lines, not just people in this booth.
But they all had to attend the procession as they represented their respective associations in offering condolences. Baron Isen Osan was known to show displeasure to the slightest of grievances after all.
The ranked entities were talking to each other silently. They used this time to converse and catch up with their friends and acquaintances. The ranking journey and professional life would consume most of their time. They seldom had such leisure time.
“So did you buy the underpants yesterday?”
Aunt Nina asked Eren in a hushed voice while looking in front of her. She too was feeling bored and decided to talk with her plus one.
“Why? Do you want to see them?”
Eren used the same hushed voice with a little bit of tease to give her a reply. He too didn’t look at her while replying either.
“Hmm. Sure. You haven’t used them before. So I wonder how your colour choice is going to be?”
“Show me yours and I’ll show you mine.”
“Little rat, I see that you are becoming bolder by the day. I just asked because you might get a hard-on after I stand up from my seat. And you see my butt in your view again. It will be embarrassing for both of us if that happens, you see.”
“Haah! You don’t need to stand up for that to happen. Your presence and a little bit of my imagination are enough to get a hard-on.
Don’t worry though. I have worn the underpants. There would be a slight bulge that’ll go unnoticed if I were to have a boner now.”
“I see. Good for you, Erni. I can stand up without any worries then. Hehehehe!”
Nina suppressed her chuckle by keeping her hand pressed against her mouth. She was having fun teasing Eren. But Eren wasn’t one to back down either, especially when it came to matters like these. She heard his counter next:
“Yes. Stand away and make my day by all means. You can also walk a little ahead so that I can see some of that jiggle physics. That would be so much better to watch than this boring procession.
No scratch that. That would be so much better than watching anything for that matter.
By the way, I have worn dark blue underpants. What’s your colour today?”
“I guess it’s only fair that I tell you after knowing about yours. Today’s colour is black. Did you start imagining already?”
“Why don’t you look at the bulge that has formed in my pants just now and tell me?”
Nina looked back briefly and saw what Eren asked her to see. She again suppressed her chuckle and resumed her earlier posture.
Before she could reply to Eren though, she noted the music and chorus quieting down. She knew the main event was about to start.
The city lord Isen Osan could be seen approaching the edge of the tower’s gallery. He had a stoic look. The square quieted down after his attendance was known by the spectators.
Isen Osen was a C Ranked entity. He circulated mana in his vocal cords while speaking. Therefore, he could be heard clearly by everyone loud and clear, no matter their distance.
“I thank all the citizens that are present at my grandson’s funeral today at this place. I thank all the high ranked venerable entities for gracing my Isaac before he starts his final journey.
I also thank Osan Braveheart Hunters’ association for finding my boy and doing everything in their power to preserve and safely bring him back here.
These two days have been the most difficult to endure for my family. Isaac was going to graduate soon. We were planning to send him to the kingdom’s army so that he can wholeheartedly serve the soil he was born in.
I’m sure he would have made his kingdom proud with his exceptional performance.
[Unknown to both, Eren and Lin had the same thought running in their head after hearing Isen’s speech till here: ‘Yeah right!’]
Therefore, Isaac’s untimely departure is equally damaging to the Edenberg kingdom as it is to our family.
Isaac was an honest young man. Despite his friend’s insistence against it, he was adamant about completing the on-field experience program given by the LA academy by participating in missions.
[Lin almost had a heart attack after hearing Isen’s absurd claims that twisted the truth like Eren had twisted aunt Nina’s brown buds.]
My caring grandson was always worried about the safety of this city’s citizens. When he heard about the Osan woods disturbance, he was visibly shaken by the grim possibility of the city getting run over by the beast tide.
Therefore Isaac forced his lecturer to assign him the most crucial mission he could find and rushed to the forest. His friends didn’t have a choice but to follow him in his passion to protect this city at the cost of risking life.
[Lin was gripping his hands on his chair’s armrest hard. He had dug his nails in them after hearing Isen’s blood-curdling speech. The armrest was almost about to snap under his D Rank body stats.
But Lin somehow controlled his outburst. He would get in more trouble than he already was if he were to lose his cool during Isen’s speech]
My grandson Isaac and his friends were in the middle of finding the root cause behind the woods’ disturbance. But they never knew they would be targeted for doing the same by some high ranked rogue cultist.
That rogue cultist killed them all in the cold blood as soon as they saw Isaac’s party. We’ve come to know that the cultist has tamed the demon beast. The cultist was probably thinking about hiding their identity when they killed these bright young children.
The cultist must be thinking they got away with it. But let me warn them, no matter where they are, whoever they are, they’ll be brought to justice for committing such a heinous crime. They have robbed the Edenberg kingdom off from receiving bright stars in the future.
Therefore, I’ve got an announcement to make today. The kingdom has allowed the LA academy to deploy an investigation team to the Osan woods. Our Osan city’s law and order will work with this team to find more about the criminal, capture him alive, and punish him for his deeds.
I will also make another announcement in a personal capacity. I will announce a reward amount of 10,000 Edenberg dollars to anyone who helps in capturing this vile cultist.
We have named him The Osan Woods’ Butcher and raised the bounty contract under the same name. This will be a bounty contract active in multiple nearby cities, not just the city of Osan.
The various associations will be given the details about the case we’ve collected so far. They can then activate this bounty contract for their members. That’ll be all.”
The citizens and the high ranked entities started to discuss the new topic that they’ve been given by Isen. Everyone was wondering who the Osan Woods’ Butcher would be.
Meanwhile, the rogue cultist was busy thinking about everything ‘black’. When he heard the bounty raised on him under the pseudonym, he couldn’t help but think:
‘Hmm! Osan Woods’ Butcher! That has a nice ring to it.’