Chapter 170: visit

Tier Two Divine Skill—Bone-Eroding Parasite.

Rosalia had silently infested Peer. In fact, Grolova had already been parasitized as well. With a single thought from Rosalia, both of them would be beyond saving.

It was just that the parasites had yet to erupt, so the two remained completely unaware.

Phield politely invited the siblings into the carriage, the killing intent hidden deep within his calm gaze.

Nothing happened that night.

By noon the next day, Phield arrived at Baron Mountain Ape’s small city. It was tiny—at a glance, there were only fifty or sixty households scattered sparsely. It didn’t even compare to Starnight Manor. The outer stone walls, however, looked solid and reliable.

The castle sat on elevated ground in the northeast corner of the town, nothing more than a two-story stone structure. The place was utterly impoverished.

A city in the mountains was destined to remain small.

"Dong—Dong—"

Before Phield’s army even approached, the church bells began ringing. A flock of birds was startled from the western woods.

The gates of Mountain Ape City slowly shut. A dozen or so soldiers climbed onto the walls, watching Phield’s army warily. Soon after, mercenaries in mismatched clothing also climbed up, grumbling.

"Oh? Finally, some actual soldiers. Though I don’t see a single piece of proper armor on them."

The guards he had killed earlier were barely stronger than militia.

These soldiers at least looked somewhat capable, though their equipment was still poor—mostly animal hides. Their numbers were small as well. Even including the mercenaries, there were fewer than fifty.

"Greetings, sir! State your purpose!"

The commander on the wall looked extremely nervous, shouting with a noticeable accent. Phield’s army greatly outnumbered them, putting immense pressure on him.

"Hello. I am Baron Phield of Nightfall Domain. I’ve found your baron’s daughter—ah, and his son as well—and have come to pay a visit," Phield said calmly as his warhorse stepped forward. "I must say, Baron Mountain Ape’s way of receiving guests is rather... unique."

With that, Phield gestured, and his soldiers dragged the siblings out from the formation.

Your way of visiting and delivering people is even more unique!

The commander wiped his sweat. "Please wait a moment. I will inform the baron."

Phield shrugged, smiling gently. "By all means. I come bearing the friendship of Nightfall Domain. As you can see, I haven’t even brought siege weapons."

Not long after—

A man and a woman arrived on the walls with ten guards wearing half-scale armor, clearly in a hurry.

"My children!" the beautiful woman cried out. "Open the gates! My dear daughter has returned! You sewer rats—don’t you recognize your future master?!"

With the creaking of mechanisms, the gates slowly rose.

"My lady, be careful."

Baron Mountain Ape was clearly not a decisive man, looking flustered. In the end, all he could do was remind his wife to be cautious.

The woman ignored him entirely and ran out to greet them.

The Baroness of Mountain Ape had a striking figure. Having borne two children, her body was full and powerful—when she ran, it was like a force crashing forward. Her nose was sharp, her seductive triangular eyes half-lidded, as if she could lie down and sleep at any moment, exuding mature charm.

The eyes of everyone from Nightfall Domain unconsciously followed the movement of her chest.

"Not bad... could she be their stepmother? She’s far more attractive than her daughter."

Phield mused briefly, then glanced at Baron Mountain Ape.

His appearance matched his title—thin, worn down, and exuding exhaustion.

"Wait, honored madam." Phield casually waved his lance in front of the siblings. "I understand a mother’s love, but you should know that rescuing Miss Grolova required considerable effort on my part."

"I understand. The bounty has long been prepared." The noblewoman clasped her hands in front of her and bowed gracefully. "And my son... he must have caused you trouble?"

"Unfortunately, he attacked my army. For a moment, I thought I had encountered bandits."

"You’re lying! You knew who I was!"

Peer shouted in protest.

Phield remained completely composed. Nobles required dignity. If Baron Mountain Ape refused to maintain it, Phield would do it for them—though it would take a bit more effort. "I believe he was frightened. His guards were poorly trained—perhaps of bandit origin. Too much of that rogue nature."

The noblewoman bowed apologetically. "We’ve caused you trouble. Peer has been spoiled by us."

"Yes, yes, please don’t take it to heart."

Baron Mountain Ape forced an awkward smile, his eyes constantly scanning Phield’s troops. They were nothing like his own soldiers—each one from Nightfall Domain radiated killing intent, as if they fought every day.

Phield had expected Baron Mountain Ape to be domineering, given how arrogant his son was. Instead, he seemed timid. It also appeared that his wife handled most of the territory’s affairs.

"We are willing to compensate you with an additional two thousand gold coins," the noblewoman said after a moment of thought. "Any more than that, we cannot afford. As you can see, our territory is in decline. Two thousand gold coins would nearly empty our treasury."

"Deal."

Phield agreed without hesitation.

"B-but...!"

Baron Mountain Ape’s chest rose and fell. He hadn’t even had the chance to speak before the gold was given away. He nearly fainted from frustration.

"It’s getting late, and the mountains have been unsafe recently. Please, Baron, come into the city to rest. Allow me to properly thank you."

The noblewoman’s gaze flowed like water, her eyes almost dripping with allure. Beneath her dress, the outline of her thighs and abdomen formed a subtle triangular silhouette.

Phield felt an inexplicable sense of caution at her invitation.

"Be careful, Phield. I sense a faint threat coming from the direction of the castle. The city is filled with a heavy aura of death."

Just as he was about to step forward, Rosalia’s voice sounded.

"Understood. I’ll be careful."

Phield opened his minimap and scanned the area. Around the castle, there were numerous skull icons. Judging by their size, they were all low-tier undead creatures.

A two-story stone building—even with a basement—how many could it possibly hide?

What exactly were they doing with those captured girls? Phield’s vigilance only grew.

"Then I’ll have my troops enter the city as well."

Phield turned to Baron Mountain Ape, seeking his approval.

The baron nodded with a grim expression.

Once inside, Phield finally saw the true state of the town—it was more like a mountain village. Dilapidated stone houses with mud packed into the cracks. Strips of dried monkey meat hung alongside tattered clothes. The ground was dirt roads mixed with waste, making it feel like walking through a pigsty.

Phield had his men set up camp near the city gate.

"Please come to the castle. I must let you taste the specialty cuisine of the Mountain Ape territory."