Chapter 8

In a vast field with green pastures, a place surrounded by wooden fences, horses graze. Beside the fence, in a cubicle no more than 100 square meters, chickens peck at a large trough. And in the small lake located in the middle of the expansive field, swans bathe, swimming from one end to the other for hours, slowly, as if they were simply letting the wind carry them.

The sounds of the animals, to some, might seem normal, sometimes even soothing. However, to others, it was nothing but an irritating sound, at times deafening, shaking their brains and causing discomfort.

In a separate area of the field where the horses roam and the small barn where the chickens reside, a strange sound filled the air where the cows were kept. From time to time, the sound of liquid pouring into a bucket repeated in a manner that seemed timed.

The ground beneath the feet of those animals was vast, as large as the horse field beside it, but there was no grass, at least not in such vast quantity. Half of the pasture had already been consumed, which indeed caused the animals to typically head to one side of the field. However, the "scarcity" in the pasture was far from enough to confine the poor cows to the boards, forcing them to huddle against the fence, almost crossing it, while mooing repeatedly.

"What the hell!" exclaimed Aiden, turning against the trembling cows with his gaze. "Is it over? How long are you going to keep doing this?"

With a firm grip and repeating precise movements, but with a frightened expression and drops of sweat trickling down his face. Or were they tears? A poor farmer found himself surrounded by three frightening demons who invaded his property and... asked for a bucket of milk?!

"...It'll still be a few more minutes..., sir..." replied the poor man, hesitantly.

Death lurked beside him. Obviously, delivering the half-filled bucket would be the best and certainly the correct choice. However, despite knowing this, he refused to leave a task unfinished. "Good habits create a healthy life and mind." that's his motto. And leaving something incomplete, in his mind, would be akin to denying all his years of effort maintaining a strict and flawless routine. If not even illnesses could stop him all these years, demons won't either.

"As for the remaining ingredients..." pondered Clovis, observing the steady increase in the volume of white liquid in the bucket. "Next is the sugar?"

Sugar? Damn demons! The stories that circulate throughout the kingdom are far from false or exaggerated. These monsters...! Now they're concerned about the flavor we'll have?!

"Yes," replied Riley, sighing as he tucked the small list into his pocket. "And ice is what comes next."

Ice? Thinking pests! Soulless creatures! Are they already planning the future?! The use of ice in food preservation... us! Will I be the first to be taken? The pioneer in their cursed experiments?

Clovis, looking around, pondered again. The clarity of his thoughts was nowhere near ideal. The return of the princess, his lack of knowledge about Ethan's whereabouts, and that noise... that damn noise, continued to cloud his mind, turning everything into a whirlwind without resolutions: "You..."

"I don't have good taste, I assure you!" exclaimed the farmer, interrupting Clovis and, for the first time in many years, missing the bucket in front of him.

The demons exchanged glances, but none of them had the answer to the question they were all thinking: what was that man talking about?

Realizing his mistake, the farmer quickly fell silent. However, unlike his external situation, his insides were far from calm or quiet: I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!! What have I done?! Why the hell did I have to interrupt him? Damn it! It's my fault... my sweet Maria... Pedrinho... Forgive me!

Looking at the trembling figure of the man, Clovis sighed: "Anyway, do you have sugar in this place?"

"...Sugar..? ...That's something only the nobles have access to."

"I see..." Clovis pondered, that could be risky. Depending on his decision and how everything unfolded, the milk they had taken so long to obtain could end up being lost. "And who is the nearest noble to this place? And where is their house located?"

A noble...? For the first time since the demons arrived in that place, that poor farmer felt even slightly relieved. After all, why would they waste their time on mere commoners when they could aim for something even better? Yes! A noble makes much more sense!

"If it's the closest one... It would be Baron Elinton, he's the one in charge of this town. His house is in the center of town, surrounded by very high walls."

"Really?" said Riley. "Not a marquis or duke, but a baron is in charge of a town bordering the Frost Peaks?"

"No, think about it. It actually makes sense, I guess," replied Aiden. "Militarily speaking, it wouldn't be wise to allocate too many resources to an area that theoretically should be dangerous but hasn't received a single attack in years. The Frost Peaks are seen as dangerous, and indeed they are, but the truth is that the monsters rarely leave that place, and even if they do, they would all die shortly afterward."

"But wouldn't that be even more reason for a marquis or duke to want these lands? A vast amount of land without mountains and only a few hills. And from what we've seen on the way here, it's also a very fertile place, where various trees and plants grow easily. Plus, the climate, probably because of the nearby Frost Peaks, won't even get ridiculously hot here even in summer."

"In theory, yes," replied Clovis. "But probably, the fact that this Barón Elinton or anyone else is living in this town isn't because this land is good. Well, mainly the Baron, he's probably only here as a 'shield,' someone who will receive most of the damage if something uncontrollable and unpredictable happens. As for the villagers..."

A villager, just one. But even though he's nothing more than a mere commoner, he still owns so many animals, so much land... an amount comparable to the estates of minor nobles... Could this Baron Elinton be so kind? Absolutely not.

"Where else in the kingdom would you see a mere commoner owning such a large amount of land? Although not many, certainly some people come here in search of a better quality of life... even if the possible cost is their own lives. These people..." looking at the poor farmer, Clovis analyzed him. His calloused hands, while the state of the surrounding area was in a completely different situation, where even the areas with many animals were very well cared for. "They are probably the bravest within this kingdom."

Taking the bucket in one hand, Clovis took the lead. Followed by Aiden and Riley, he walked towards the cows, heading for an open and uncovered area.

"Maybe this will be quicker than we thought," said Aiden, walking casually with his hands behind his head. At times he seemed to be even stretching after waiting for so long. "...We'll have to return to the castle..."

"Who knows..." pondered Clovis, as black wings appeared on the backs of the members of that demonic group. "Getting the ice might take longer than expected..."

"Huh?"

Their wings flapped three times, propelling them upward and generating a wind strong enough for the poor farmer to cover his eyes to prevent the entry of dust spreading through the air.

"...Did you smile, right..? Riley, did you see Clovis planning something? Did you see?!"

The altitude at which they moved made it almost impossible for any normal person to see them. However, all three could clearly see everything below. The small town beneath their feet, whose unsuspecting inhabitants lived peacefully while beings who could easily, on a whim, take their lives lived.

"I didn't see anything," replied Riley, his eyes sweeping the entire town in moments. "If it's a noble... A baron. I can't shake the feeling that that's the only property in this place that even has a chance of belonging to a noble."

Surrounded by walls twice as high as the trees around it, a field covered with flowers of different types and colors, and several fruit trees stood, in its center, a large house of apparent two floors. Its simple construction tried to bring with it the pride of a noble, the constant search for unnecessary luxury highlighted that construction compared to the others around it.

"No... that one is definitely a noble's house."

"Okay, so what's the plan?" questioned Aiden, analyzing every part of the large property. "Apparently, the guards who should be guarding the border are mostly here. This Baron Elinton might have accepted to act as a 'shield,' but it seems he's not ready to admit defeat yet. This bastard doesn't plan on dying anytime soon."

"The plan..?" spoke Clovis, handing the bucket to Aiden. "...Try not to kill them all. We're not here for that. And under no circumstances let that bucket fall, protect it as if your life depends on it..., I don't want to wait through that eternity again."