Chapter 10: False Alarm [2]

Davin immediately handed the droppings to the esquire named Auburn. The best hunter among the knight’s men. The madam had sent it for verification and study. Davin told him that madam wanted the results this evening.

Seeing the clumsily tied poop, the young man named Auburn cursed Davin. His spittle flying with hate. He called Davin a dirty poop-picker and smelly scat digger. Lamenting the fact that he could just have called him to the place rather than picking the nasty thing.

With a grumpy face, Davin untied the coin cloth to check the droppings. A wrong move that released oblivion in the house of Auburn. The man roared in fury, cursing Davin to the high heavens before kicking him out.

The esquire then went his way to the Knight’s house feeling a bit aggrieved. Well, not so much.

Tock. Tock… tock.

“Greeting to you, Lord Knight! This lowly esquire has something urgent to report!” The esquire said, standing ramrod straight, his hands on his left chest. Davin raised his voice to emphasize the news he was bringing.

He thought of the encounter with the Deviltusk boar and meeting with the Madam. He felt that there was something fishy going on. He knew that an order from the madam entails something deeper.

Responding to the rhythmic knocks, creaking sounds echoed. It came from the old wooden door, tickling the ears of Davin and some watching gossipy villagers. Unhurriedly, it opened… Though the expected visage of the burly knight was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a jovial smile from a gray-haired kid greeted Davin.

…

“Ah, little lord”, Davin blankly stated.

The one who opened the door was the second son and the youngest child of the knight’s family, Klive.

The child puffed up his chest. Standing through the tip of his toes, looking oh-so-noble.

“Oh, Old Uncle… Where’s mom and dad? Whadda you need?" Little Klive asked, his face sour yet respectful. The little guy seemed to be a little peeved. He sensed the disappointment of the kid after seeing his supposed-to-be handsome face.

The esquire’s straight eyebrows twitched. Isn’t he the one who’s supposed to ask that question? Anyway, there is no point even if he got annoyed. He should get straight to the point and roll away.

“Kuhumm, little lord where’s…

“Elder Brother! Elder Sister! Old man Davin’s here.” Immediately cutting off the words of the esquire, the irritated little guy shouted. He opted to call for a solid backup.

Bah! I ain’t that old yet! The middle-aged-faced esquire quipped. His heart stung by those innocent words.

“Oh, he also brought a very big pig.” Catching a glimpse of the beast, Little Klive added. A glimmer of inquisitiveness arose from his droopy eyes.

Running like a wind, an amber-colored hair popped up out of nowhere. It was Liszt. Instead of talking to the esquire, the kid instead curiously gazed at the dead boar. He then walked towards Davin and gave him a full nod. Not forgetting to tap Davin’s shoulders a few times along the way. It seemed like the kid was trying to show his approval towards the esquire.

Davin’s lips twitched. He then sighed. Ain’t this kid trying to act like his father?

Suddenly, Ciera, the little lady with silver hair showed up. She also threw an inquisitive look at the dead boar. She looked at the rugged esquire. Putting her dainty hand towards her chin, the girl pondered for a moment and asked.

“Uncle Davin, where did you find this fat pig?” The young lady pointed at the mountain-like deviltusk boar. Her gaze lingering at the top of its head. She thought that this deviltusk boar was too big as compared to what they described in the book she read. The book was called - Rutherford Kingdom’s Atlas of Beasts and Monsters.

“Answering the young lady! During the training for the villagers, I patrolled around the area to assure their safety. This esquire accidentally found the beast lurking nearby the outskirts. Thus had to hunt it down.” Davin said as he puffed his chest.

“Eh, this type of beast? Lurking in the nearby forest? Was my father or mother already informed about this?”

“Little lady, Madam is already aware. As for the Knight, that’s what I’m here for,” Davin said, throwing a glance towards Klive and Liszt. “I came here to report everything that happened to milord as ordered by the Madam. But the little lord was the one who opened the door after I knocked.”

Little Klive playfully poked the iron-liked hide of the boar while young Liszt shook the shiny black tusk.

Hearing the explanation of the esquire, Ciera gazed at her grinning little brother. The little lady could already guess what happened next.

“I see… Unfortunately, Dad went outside for a bit. It seemed like he was going to look for something or someone. It looks like Dad’s animalistic instinct is kicking-in in again.” Shrugging her shoulders, the little lady replied. “You know… it is really rare for my father’s instinct to kick in in times of peace like now, right?”

Understanding what the little lady was pointing out, Davin nodded. Remembering the weird actions of the knight during the monster campaign. The esquire could not help himself but scratched his head. Those uncanny actions saved them during those bloody campaigns.

Davin moved his eyes towards the two young lords. It seemed the two were already losing their interest. After feeding their curiosity, they were ready to roll back to their rooms.

Seeing this, a glint of excitement appeared in the eyes of the little lady. It was now her time to play with the monster. Thus, she waltzed towards the carcass, curiously prodding its body. The young lady giggled, taking her time studying the dead monster. She played with the carcass of the beast to her heart’s content.

“Hehe, based on the looks of the Deviltusk beast, it looks like it was a rank 3 monster. The size and length of the tusk and its dark hide were quality proof.” Ciera said as she continued an investigative monologue. “My, my, hm… The broken gold-tinted crown-like hair on its heads shows that it’s at peak rank 3. Oh, and it’s a step away from becoming a rank 4 monster. Interesting.”

The little lady put a hand on her chin, trying hard to emulate her mother. Having such a charming and smart mother, who could blame her? Too much expectation had burdened the young Ciera.

Despite looking like an invulnerable little girl on the outside. The young lady was perhaps the most vulnerable among the three siblings. Such rare sight was only open to people who the little lady trusted. Like her family or the Knight’s family attendants. Or like this uncle…

Looking at the little lady, the esquire sighed at the sight.

...

Suddenly, Davin felt his heart skipping a bit. A stifling cold penetrated the esquire's back. His instincts called for an adrenaline rush. The beats of his heart galloped in haste.

In a few milliseconds, his eyes crept around the place. It darted around, looking for the source of the eerie feeling. His eyes darted around the old village chief’s house, from the windows up to roofs. He didn't even spare the nearby village houses from his scanning eyes.

Davin saw the little lady playing along with the beast's corpse. Then he witnessed a shocking sight. The carcass of the beast showed a series of disturbing twitching movements. Maybe… it was still alive.

He recalled scary stories about the extreme vitality of the demonic beast. Sometimes enabling them to attack even in death. Alarm bells rang and buzzed in the esquire’s head. Nothing must happen to the little lady!

With a whooshing sound, the esquire rushed towards Ciera. He pulled the little lady towards his embrace, away from the twitching beast. He tightly hugged the little lady, with his body as cover.

A few seconds of silence passed.

The nearby spectating villagers couldn’t help themselves but rub their eyes. It baffled them why the hell did the esquire ran and hugged the little lady.

...

”

Now, this was awkward.

The carcass of the beast continued to twitch for a few moments. Then… then it was gone.

It was a false alarm. It was only death stiffness. A common occurrence in dead bodies during wars and subjugation. An event that causes the stiffening of the joints and muscles of a dead body. Occurring mostly after a few hours after death.

The little lady had her mouth wide-open, shocked by how fast things had happened. The young lady flushed-red and released a loud yet delayed yelp. It sounded like a call for help. It attracted the attention of most of the villagers, attendants, and maids nearby.

“Ahh”

Hearing the little lady’s cute squeal, two little kids rapidly ran for a call of duty. They ran inside the house to get their weapons of choice. The gossipers hidden in the corners rapidly formed a crowd on all sides. As if they were trying to witness the creation of a new mythic story.

Seeing the intimate gesture, the villagers and attendants whistled sweetly through the wind. They gave the esquire a thumbs up, acknowledging his very very thick guts.

The two kids’ eyes went saucers. Their gaze shifted to the little lady, the dead boar, the esquire Davin… and of course the burly man standing a few meters away like a hungry lion.

The whistles coming from the villagers jolted Davin awake. He cast a gaze at the deviltusk boar. He sighed in relief. His stiff nerves relaxing a bit. His alertness fading like a receding tide. He carefully released his hold on the little lady.

“Are you alright, my little lady?”

Feeling a little tipsy from shock, Ciera staggered and fell knee first. The young girl even forgot to reply and could only sniff, signs of tears forming like dew in her eyes.

Seeing that the lady was fine, the esquire slow-ly turned around. He decided to clear-ly explain what happened t-to t-the crowd…

...

”

A few meters away from him, Davin glimpsed a thick, burly man sizing him up. The man’s aura slapping his aging face until it felt sour. It was the man he was seeking.

Davin felt like prey. He was like a little sheep in front of a monstrous beast. And he knew this beast was determined to tear him apart and make a soup out of his bones. Of course, he’d be given a chance to explain… after the thrashing.

“K-Knight?!”

Davin gulped. The esquire swerved his eyes, searching for a viable escape route. The only possible key for a chance of survival. Looking behind, he saw two little kids carrying a wooden sword and a terrifying dagger.

Woah! Wait -wait ain’t that the poisonous dagger that killed the Poison Wyvern in one hit. A fearsome weapon during the campaign. Why is that with the kid?

Leaning his gaze towards both sides of the house, he could see a sea of villagers. Gossipers and rumor mongers cornered Davin. He could not force his way without injuring anybody.

“Ah… the rooftop,” the esquire thought.

It was his last hope.

Steering his neck upward, Davin tried to look for a piece of hope.

Gently smiling, he saw the Madam standing there. In her hands were two well-designed cold sword hooks. A freezing gaze zeroing on him.

Dammit! Why is the Madam standing there?! A wry smile crept over his quivering lips.

He closed his eyes and quaffed like a real man.

He puffed out his seemingly deflating chest.

What run? I don’t run! This esquire is going to face this like a man.