“Ugh, what the hell is this? Man, it’s fucking pouring…,” said a man who seemed to be a merchant.

He stepped into the tavern with his wet clothes dripping rainwater. The tavern owner let out a chuckle while instinctively receiving the drenched items from the man. There were already people gathered around the fireplace to dry their wet clothes in the relatively small hall. They were all victims to the continuous downpour outside.

“It’s not even the monsoon yet… why is it raining so heavily?” someone grumbled.

“Haven’t you heard the rumors? Apparently, there’s a huge mess in the south,” the tavern owner responded.

“A mess?” Someone asked.

“Seems like a demon appeared in Tantil, murdering a huge number of people there, and even brought down the Ash Tower. Everyone’s saying that it’s a sign that something ominous will happen, which includes this downpour. There are even people saying that the gods are coming back,” the tavern owner answered.

“His Majesty is still clearly in the capital, so that’s bullshit,” the merchant shot back, but he fidgeted with his rosary as if he was bothered by what he had heard.

Juan and Anya watched the entire interaction play out from a corner table. This village was on a major route going through the Laus Mountains; thus, there were many eyes and mouths. It was the perfect spot for gathering information. No one would take notice of the woman and small child.

“It looks like those bastards are not around here yet,” Anya remarked.

“They would be pretty loud if...