Chapter 521: Resentment

The town of Stratford had been completely surrounded by the trees that were once part of the Weeping Woods.

Their faces carved on the trunks contorted in pain and agony as they continued to howl at the residents inside the town. Despite everything, none of the trees moved an inch closer.

It was as if they were given some directive to only surround the town.

The city's residents huddled together, fear and panic deeply etched on their faces. The people who resided in the outermost part, near the walls, had now moved further in.

While some residents had gathered at the town square, around the statue of their founder, most of the people had holed themselves in the underground bunkers.

They were unable to stand the wailing sounds that the trees constantly produced.

"M-Mother, what is happening?" Said a little boy as he pressed his hands against his ears and sobbed incessantly. "What are those monsters?"

A middle-aged lady crouched and hugged her son tightly, choking on her tears. "I-Its nothing, my child... It's just a bad dream... Everything's going to be alright!"

Scenes like this were taking place all throughout the town. Children hugged their parents and wept. Lovers tightly embraced one another, thinking tonight would be their last. At the same time, the aged people dropped to their knees and prayed to the spirit of their ancestors.

It was a scene of desperation and sorrow. The townsfolk were completely and utterly helpless in the face of so many grotesque, mystical trees that had surrounded them.

There was no escape for them whatsoever.

In the midst of all this, Valerian silently flapped his wings and landed on the outskirts of the town. Adam had made sure to cast a concealment spell on everyone, ensuring no one would be able to notice their arrival.

For if they did, the town would descend into a frenzied riot. After all, they would begin to look at Valerian as their only means of escaping this cursed town.

When people became desperate, whether they be mortal or Magi, they would go to any lengths to save themselves and the ones they loved.

This is why Adam cast a concealment spell on his squad members and the young dragon before they landed.

After canceling the spell and making their presence known, the trees in the near vicinity turned to look at them and screamed at the top of their lungs.

They flailed their roots around violently, yet none of them attacked Adam and his squad.

Seeing such a bizarre scene, Adam's eyes narrowed as he thought, It's like they want to keep us alive...

The possibility of that evil entity using all the townsfolk for a ritual solidified even further in Adam's mind.

His expression turned darker by the moment as he looked around and saw that the entire town had been completely surrounded with no way out.

I'd never expected things to take such a drastic turn, he thought with a grim expression.

Despite having considered all possible variables in his planning, Adam had never for once thought that the humanoid-shaped trees would come alive.

Worse yet, he didn't think they would be under the control of that entity!

His eyebrows twisted into a knot, a deep frown forming on his face as he wondered, How would I lead the townsfolk to safety now? I'm sure these trees wouldn't grant us passage.

Suddenly, his eyes widened and he thought of a terrifying possibility, The trees came alive so suddenly and then they surrounded Stratford... did the townsfolk even have time to fetch water from the wells and drink it?!

Damn it! If this is true then all my planning will have been for nothing!

He dashed toward the nearest well and examined its insides. The water line had barely decreased, indicating that there hadn't been much use recently.

Adam then turned to look at the ground around the well. There weren't many footprints, trampled grass, or muddy areas.

"There's barely any recent activity around this well..." he muttered under his breath.

He ran toward the next well and found the same thing. One by one, he visited all the wells and could confirm that perhaps only a handful of people had used them.

If it were a normal day, the townsfolk would have woken up early in the morning, fetched water from the wells, and gone about their daily work.

However, the ominous arrival of the weeping trees had disrupted their routine.

"Damn it!" Adam cursed aloud, making his way toward his squad members at the edge of the town.

"P-Professor, what happened?"

"My Lord, is everything alright?"

They couldn't help but feel anxious seeing Adam in such a state. He had suddenly disappeared

and had now returned with a distraught expression on his face.

Adam took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself down.

This is not the time to panic! I must act now, he said to himself.

He looked at his squad and found a person was missing. His brows furrowed and he asked,

"Where's Kenley?"

"My Lord, he has gone to check up on his wife," said Wagner.

Adam nodded, understanding how worried Kenley might have been for his partner.

He looked at his remaining squad members and solemnly stated, "I need you all to gather as many buckets as you can, fetch water from the wells, and make the townsfolk drink it. Understood?"

"Professor, Lord Valerian had mixed those antidotes in the well," Eleiney began. "Does that mean all the residents..."

"Yes," Adam solemnly stated.

"H-Have none of them consumed the water in the wells then?" Wagner asked nervously.

"I'm afraid not." Adam shook his head. "That is why it's imperative that you feed the water to all of them. Don't force it on them, lest they become suspicious. Be friendly and accommodating, okay?"

"Yes!" The squad members simultaneously replied and split up, running in the direction of the wells.

They knew just how crucial it was for all the residents to consume the potion. If not, it would lead to gruesome consequences.

Seeing all of them leave, Adam stood standing at his spot, altering his plans and trying to think of a way out. When suddenly the space beside him rippled and a small portal to the Spirit

World was formed.

The youth instantly went on alert but soon relaxed when he saw that it was the Brotherhood's messenger. The white owl delivered a letter to him before promptly returning through the

portal.

Adam opened the letter while muttering, "This must be the response from the Brotherhood's Herbalist."

A couple of weeks ago Adam had sent blood samples to this person through Elrick. He wanted to confirm whether his findings were accurate.

As he read through the contents of the letter, Adam bit his lower lip in anger and resentment.

"It is as I had thought," he said.

"The venom I extracted from the werewolves' blood is also present in the blood of this town's

residents..."