Mythos Reboot

Chapter 12

“It was about fifty years ago, one night when the Nelson family held a grand banquet. Apart from family members returning from out of town, they had also invited local dignitaries—the priest, the mayor, town council members…”

The innkeeper recalled: "Midway through the banquet, the Nelson family members suddenly turned violent. They locked the manor gates and attacked every guest present - killing, setting fires, drinking blood, and hanging victims' bodies from flagpoles."

“The priest and several council members escaped from the manor, but the deranged Nelson family wouldn't relent. They chased on horseback to the town and continued the m******e. That night, flames and victims' screams filled every corner of the town…”

“I was just a child then, terrified, sent to the church by my parents at midnight. All the children from town gathered there.”

“To resist the inhuman Nelson family and protect their homes and children, the townspeople organized a counterattack. At dawn's first light, they successfully drove the Nelson family's madmen back to their manor.”

“By then, the manor was already engulfed in raging flames, consuming those vicious madmen. It's said they sang and laughed while bathing in the fire, holding hands and dancing, as if death were the destination they longed for…”

“After the incident, investigators from Lundan stayed for a long time. The priest and council members who survived the catastrophe all became strangely temperamental, as did the townsfolk. Many people moved away to other places and never returned to their hometown.”

The mad night happened fifty years ago, becoming a terrifying taboo the town of Carfono refuses to mention. This incident directly caused the town's decline, from which it has never recovered.

As it was so long ago and the innkeeper was just a child at the time, the information he could provide was very limited. When Veronica asked whether any members of the Nelson family survived that night, the innkeeper looked bewildered.

There probably were survivors, otherwise it would be hard to explain Mike's surname.

……

Outside the window, the heavy rain continued and showed signs of intensifying.

Wayne felt extremely frustrated - the morning had been perfectly clear, but the weather suddenly took a turn for the worse. If this kept up, they'd soon be facing a classic "snowstorm mountain villa" scenario.

The innkeeper and the two young ladies had already left. After eating the mushrooms, they would sleep soundly tonight and remember nothing about the interrogation. Just to be safe, Wayne went the extra mile by tucking standard payment into the young ladies' collars at market price.

He paid, Veronica treated.

Veronica stood by the window cradling the black cat, deep in thought. Based on preliminary intelligence, she deduced that the Nelson family had always been devout followers of the Goddess of Death. They committed killings to gain their deity's favor, and this tradition passed down to Mike, who once again received Death's special attention.

This explains why Mike suddenly became a Deathwalker and mastered powerful magic.

But here's the question: Did Mike really return to Carfono Town just to get married？

"Rather than marriage, the most likely scenario is continuing his ancestors' unfinished work - sacrificing the entire town to Death in exchange for greater power," Wayne frowned.

The unfinished business of my ancestors shall be completed by me; the unslaughtered sacrifices of my family shall be slaughtered by me. That's definitely the pattern here, no mistake.

William nodded, putting down his chocolate, indicating that Wayne's thoughts aligned perfectly with his - this is what you call tacit understanding.

Wayne didn't want to, he turned to Veronica, hoping to share some tacit understanding with the beautiful girl.

After a moment's consideration, Veronica decided to head straight for Nelson Manor immediately. Time waits for no one—who knows how far along Mike's sacrificial ritual had progressed？ To prevent innocent townsfolk and their group from becoming victims, the Deathwalker must be dealt with tonight.

At this moment, Veronica set aside the thought of lifting the curse—in terms of priority, stopping the ritual took precedence.

The rain poured down as the blue sedan cut through the oak forest in the downpour. To avoid alerting their target, Wayne drove in complete darkness without turning on the headlights.

The oak-lined path was the only road from the town to the Nelson estate. After the manor burned to the ground and became a forbidden taboo, the townsfolk never set foot here. Years of neglect left the road overgrown with weeds, and the accumulation of rotting leaves made the already rough path muddy and slippery.

A mere two-mile journey took Wayne a full ten minutes to navigate.

Spotting the estate ruins in the distance, Wayne parked the car at the edge of the oak forest. The trio and their cat proceeded on foot under umbrellas.

Boom—

A pale bolt of lightning split the night sky, abruptly illuminating the estate shrouded in darkness.

Less of a manor and more of a castle, it stood with towering walls and several watchtowers gazing into the distance. The missing main gate yawned like a gaping maw in the night.

Passing through where the gate once stood, the once-grand garden square lay desolate and chaotic—littered with withered grass, dying shrubs, and rows of cross-marked tombstones.

Townsfolk definitely wouldn't be buried here - they'd avoid this place at all costs. If predictions hold true, these graves contain the remains of the Nelson family members from back then.

Monica's sharp eyes spotted a fresh bouquet of flowers in front of a tombstone, indicating someone had recently visited the grave.

Shortly after, Monica noticed something peculiar - numerous candle remnants before the tombstones. Some candles had burned completely, others were partially consumed, with significant quantities suggesting frequent grave visits.

If this person is Mike, he returns to Carfano Town every year. If not…

There are other surviving members of the Nelson family.

Veronica took a deep breath, her expression growing graver. She instructed William to protect Wayne, then gripping the glass jar, took the lead.

William followed closely behind, walking alongside Wayne who was responsible for holding Monica.

The cat showed slight disdain for Wayne's embrace, but found the muddy ground even more intolerable. After some consideration, it resigned itself to the arrangement.

As fellow devotees of the Moon Goddess, being a little closer was perfectly appropriate!

The wooden structures of the manor were consumed by fire, leaving only ruins buried in weeds. The attic attached to the stone castle remained intact. Worried about potential traps, Wayne ended up walking too close behind Veronica.

Simply put, with their magic sealed, Veronica—as a descendant of dragon blood—was the strongest fighter in the team. As for William…

He was a good man!

This positioning made Veronica extremely uncomfortable. She turned around and glared fiercely at Wayne, but it was too dark for him to notice. Because Veronica suddenly stopped, Wayne accidentally bumped into her.

The group groped their way through the castle corridors. A few fist-sized observation ports on the outer walls occasionally let in flashes of lightning. Without Monica's guidance, they would have been going in circles.

After what felt like an eternity, Monica began suspecting she was lost, prompting Wayne to halt.

He called out to Veronica ahead, pointing at the brick wall beside him: "The scent of a stranger—I can smell it. It's not any of ours. We haven't been down this path before. Search carefully; there must be a mechanism nearby to open a hidden passage."

As he spoke, he ruffled Monica's cat head: "A cat's sense of smell is sharper than a dog's. You must have smelled it too, right？"

Monica tilted her head to avoid his touch and remained silent. Veronica couldn't hold back anymore, rolling her eyes as she retorted sharply: "What do you mean？ Do you have a dog's nose？"

“……”

Well, as a matter of fact, he actually did!

Veronica didn't trust Wayne's "dog nose," but she agreed with his speculation—there must be hidden mechanisms in the castle, and the Deathwalker was lurking in some corner.

The group fumbled around, searching for the mechanism to open the door. William accidentally triggered a trap, the ground beneath him giving way. Instinctively, he grabbed Wayne's arm beside him, and both of them slid straight down the chute.

Wayne looked exasperated. He reached out, hoping to drag someone down with him, but Veronica was too far away—completely out of reach.

Monica dodged him.

As everyone knows, a cat's speed is seven times that of a cat. The moment she started falling, she used Wayne's shoulder as a springboard and leaped to safety, landing gracefully on the ground.

Veronica hurried forward, peering into the pitch-black slide chute. A glow emanated from below, accompanied by Wayne's vigorous cursing, making her gradually relax.

A fall doesn't matter—as long as they're unharmed.

The heavy rain abruptly ceased. The dark, gloomy sky seemed to have hit a switch, replaced by an unreasonably massive moon casting silvery light across the land.

Monica leaped onto Veronica's shoulder, peering through the observation port. Sensing the eerie atmosphere in the moonlight, her pupils dilated to their limits:

“The town…”

“is on fire!”