A Failed Operation, A Cruel Trap

Gelan, for his part, was stationed beside Yodel, his sole responsibility to identify their target.

“Don’t be so anxious,” Yelica reassured Gelan. “No matter how powerful the Everlasting Society may seem, they are merely a cult; they cannot possibly stand against the Church.”

Gelan nodded vigorously, yet a profound unease churned within his heart.

How could he not be nervous? That core member held sway over the records of every Corpse Herder, and if they failed to apprehend him this time, there was no telling what retribution he and his family might face.

Time flowed onward, the sun ascending to its zenith before beginning its descent westward, yet their target remained elusive.

Even as night fell, the medicine vendor’s stall remained deserted, and the patrolling detectives offered no new intelligence.

A full day of heightened tension had left everyone utterly exhausted, compelling them to declare the operation a failure.

“How could this happen?”

Gelan, utterly disheartened, collapsed onto the ground.

Aiding Yodel in capturing that bald man had been his prime opportunity to atone for his misdeeds and earn merit, yet the plan had crumbled.

A mounting dread seized his heart, a fear that Yodel might believe he was lying. Should that happen, the Inquisitor, following Yodel’s previous instructions, might very well execute him on the spot if he were found to be deceitful.

Cautiously, Gelan raised his head, intending to gauge Yodel’s reaction, only to find their eyes meeting directly.

“I… I’m so sorry,” he stammered, “I don’t know why this happened. I wasn’t lying; that bald man truly was supposed to appear today.”

Yodel clapped him on the shoulder, offering words of comfort:

“I believe you. There’s no such thing as a foolproof plan in this world; failure is a natural part of any endeavor.

Most likely, your capture put the Everlasting Society on high alert, causing that core member to go into hiding. It’s hardly an unusual turn of events.”

Just then, Lauren and Collins returned, bearing yet another piece of disheartening news:

“We regret to inform you, Mr. Gelan, that the cult’s hiding place you provided turned out to be false.”

“That’s impossible! Every single time, I was instructed to herd the living corpses to that very location. The cult should undoubtedly be hidden somewhere nearby.”

Lauren shook his head. “My hypothesis is that you are not the only Corpse Herder. To maintain secrecy, the Everlasting Society likely employs a segmented transportation strategy, meaning you were only responsible for the initial leg of the journey.”

“This…”

Gelan was utterly at a loss. He had genuinely wished to repay Mr. Yodel, yet he found himself incapable of providing any useful leads whatsoever.

He was not alone in his despondency; seeing the chance to apprehend the Everlasting Society slip through their fingers, everyone’s morale had plummeted.

It was Yelica, surprisingly, who stepped forward to speak:

“There’s no need to be so disheartened. Dealing with cultists is never an easy task. I’ve heard the Church elders say that if all participating members return from an operation, even without a capture, it’s considered a great success.

We merely failed to catch anyone today; there will certainly be other opportunities in the future.”

“Let’s hope so,” Yodel replied.

Yelica’s words offered some solace to Yodel, yet as his disappointment receded, a profound sense of unease took its place.

His instincts screamed that a crisis was drawing near.

As if guided by some unseen force, Yodel glanced around. The city appeared perfectly normal.

He then observed his teammates: Yelica was directing the monks to fall into formation, Collins seemed somewhat vexed, and Lauren stood beside his close friend, patting his shoulder and murmuring something softly.

And Gelan, who was preparing to return home…

His gaze lingered on Gelan.

Yodel’s abrupt silence drew the attention of several people.

Yet, among them, only Yelica understood the grave implications when Yodel’s eyes settled upon someone in such a manner.

She left the monks, approached Yodel, and gently touched the back of his hand.

“Gelan is going to die, isn’t he?” Yelica whispered, her voice barely audible to anyone but him.

Yodel slowly closed his eyes, striving to banish the sickening vision from his mind.

“Yes, and… the manner of his death will be excruciating. I suspect that core member didn’t go into hiding; he was silenced. No, he *must* have been silenced. Those beasts of the Everlasting Society are absolutely capable of such depravity!”

“Are you alright? What exactly did you see?”

Yelica had never witnessed Yodel in such a furious state. He now resembled a volcano, compressed to its absolute limit, poised to erupt at any moment.

What could he possibly have seen on Gelan?

****

On the other side of the Westin District, in Gelan’s home, a young mother was lulling her child to sleep in her arms. This was Gelan’s wife, Julie.

As she watched her precious one drift into slumber, a relieved smile graced Julie’s face.

She gently placed the child back into the crib, then returned to her chair to await her husband’s return.

Only recently, their child had been born, and shortly after, her husband had lost his job, plunging the entire family into worry for a considerable time.

Fortunately, a kind stranger had learned of their plight and offered her husband a job. Though the pay was modest and required him to leave early and return late, it still provided a stable income.

Strangely, despite securing employment, Gelan seemed far from happy. He appeared perpetually troubled, and whenever she inquired if something was amiss at work, he would merely prevaricate, refusing to elaborate.

A creak echoed through the house.

The sound of the door opening reached Julie’s ears, and she rose, hurrying to greet her returning husband.

Before she could reach the entrance, however, she realized it wasn’t her husband who had entered, but another man.

Yet, Julie did not panic, for she recognized him. This was the benevolent individual who had offered her husband a job.

With that distinctive bald head, Julie knew she couldn’t be mistaken.

“Good evening, sir,” she said. “It’s quite late; is there something you need my husband for?”

The bald man offered no reply, merely advancing slowly toward Julie.

“Sir? Is something wrong?”

When the man remained silent, Julie’s unease began to mount. Instinctively, she recoiled, seeking to create distance, but the thought of her child sleeping in the bedroom behind her made her halt.

“Sir, what is it? Please step back, or I’ll call the police.”

The man’s hand rose in an unnatural posture, his index finger pointing directly at Julie, as he monotonously chanted a series of incantations.

Julie saw a beam of black light strike her, and then consciousness fled.

When she awoke, she found herself bound and sprawled on the floor, her mouth gagged tightly with a strip of cloth.

The lights in the house had been extinguished, and by the faint glow of the moon, she could dimly discern the bald man lurking behind the door.

‘He’s here for Gelan!’ she realized.

Julie instantly understood: the bald man had positioned her in front of the door, intending to use her as bait. He planned to ambush her husband from behind the moment he entered and attempted to free her.

Grasping this horrifying truth, Julie began to struggle desperately, yet the ropes were too taut, far beyond the strength of a lone, vulnerable woman to break free.

Nevertheless, her frantic movements created a considerable commotion.

‘Please, someone has to hear me,’ Julie prayed, hoping someone would detect the anomaly and call the police.

Like a marionette, the bald man’s head snapped around with an audible click.

“Dare to make another sound, and I will kill you instantly!”

Julie continued her struggle, forcefully striking the floor and walls. Rather than become the bait that led to her husband’s death, she would sooner die herself.

Yet, she had gravely underestimated the ruthlessness of the mastermind behind this scheme.

The man spoke again: “I know the child is in the bedroom, asleep in their bed. Make another sound, and I will kill them.”

Julie’s struggles ceased abruptly, her body freezing as she agonized over the heartbreaking choice between her child and her husband.