Adrian reported the merchant's information to Captain Roland.
The captain immediately arranged another meeting.
"The creature may be connected to the disappearance of the previous expedition," he said.
Leon leaned forward.
"Then we should investigate the mountain."
Captain Roland shook his head.
"Not without proper preparation."
Kael spoke.
"The stone tablet may be important."
Everyone looked at him.
He explained the symbol on the emblem and its connection to his family.
Captain Roland considered the information.
"Do you know where the tablet was taken?"
The merchant had provided a rough direction.
A ruined settlement several kilometres north of Frostmere.
The captain finally made his decision.
"We will investigate the settlement tomorrow. But nobody enters the mountain."
Adrian quietly examined the map.
The ruined settlement was close to the abandoned watchtower.
Much closer than he had expected.
That evening, Adrian returned to his tent.
He opened the system.
[Quest Progress]
Investigate the ancient bloodline signature.
[Current Progress: 35%]
[Optional Objective: Discover the origin of the wolf emblem.]
[Current Progress: 50%]
He looked at the notification.
Then he noticed something new.
[Hidden Opportunity Detected.]
[Ancient Knight Inheritance: Nearby.]
Adrian sat upright.
The forgotten watchtower.
It was nearby.
He examined the map again.
The settlement was less than an hour from the tower.
He had finally reached the opportunity he had been searching for. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
But there was a problem.
If he visited the tower with the expedition, others might discover its secrets.
And if he went alone, he might not survive.
He needed a plan.
Adrian opened his notebook and wrote:
Primary objective: Locate the knight inheritance.
Secondary objective: Avoid direct confrontation with the Frostfang Wolf.
Additional objective: Determine what emerged from the mountain.
He closed the notebook.
The northern expedition was becoming far more complicated than he had expected.
Chapter 22 – The Ruined Settlement
The expedition reached the abandoned settlement shortly after noon.
Frostmere had once been a prosperous mining village.
Now most of its buildings were empty.
Broken carts stood along the road.
Several houses had collapsed.
Snow covered the remains of the old marketplace.
Captain Roland ordered the students to search in pairs.
Adrian was assigned to Gareth.
Leon and Kael explored the northern section.
Elena remained with the medical team.
Adrian and Gareth entered an abandoned house.
The furniture had been overturned.
There were scratches on the walls.
Gareth examined them.
"Something attacked this place."
Adrian nodded.
He noticed several small footprints near the fireplace.
They were not human.
He followed them toward the back room.
A wooden box lay beneath a broken table.
Adrian opened it.
Inside was a collection of old documents.
Most were damaged by moisture.
One page remained readable.
It contained a drawing of the abandoned watchtower.
Beneath it was a sentence.
Adrian read it twice.
The watchtower and the Frostfang Wolf were connected.
He folded the paper and placed it inside his coat.
"Find anything?"
Gareth approached.
"Some old documents."
Gareth looked at the drawing.
"That tower?"
"Yes."
"I've heard stories about it."
"What kind?"
"People say an ancient knight died there while protecting the northern villages."
Adrian nodded.
"Interesting."
They left the house.
Near the marketplace, they encountered Leon.
He was examining a broken statue.
"Have you found anything?"
"Some documents," Adrian replied.
Leon looked at the paper.
His expression changed.
"This symbol..."
He pointed toward the drawing.
"It resembles something I saw in the academy's ancient history records."
Adrian folded the paper again.
"Perhaps."
Leon looked toward the mountains.
"We should investigate that tower."
Adrian gave a small smile.
"Captain Roland may disagree."
Leon laughed.
"Then we'll have to convince him."
Adrian wasn't convinced that would be a good idea.
The tower was an inheritance site.
He had no intention of allowing Leon to discover it before him.
But he also couldn't openly oppose him.
For now, he would wait.