The escort for my safety, along the 3 of us arrived at the village, which was closest to the grey zone.
For my safety, an escort of 12 royal bodyguards were sent with me. They were forced to swear an oath before coming with me, to not assist me in my assignments anyway or form, along with keeping me safe outside the grey zone and not betraying me till we reach back.
Due to all of them being rank 3 and the captain himself being a rank 4 magi, none of them, other than me bothered to get a mode of transportation, as they could literally use a spell to travel.
The captain, however, casted a support spell on Ellis to let them keep up with the speed of the group, as Ellis wasn't fast enough with his rank 1 magi spells,
The village was 3 hours walking distance away from the grey zone, thus putting them in relative safety. However, the gloomy atmosphere surrounding the air let one know that they weren't completely free from the grey zones influence.
The report stated few people have gone missing from this village along with neighbouring villages. The people who have gone missing are mostly men above the age of 18.
Although it is a few people from each village, the total amount reaches to roughly 80 people if put together. That was enough people to form a small village.
These numbers were not revealed to the public to stop them from panicking, which can lead to riots or even abandoning the village, which is not good for the local lord managing these areas.
I directly came to this village and didn't bother meeting the lord of this area, as any information he probably has for me will be either useless or are already tampered with. Along with not wanting to deal with any hassle he might bring to me. So not to waste time visiting him we directly came here.
The villages' scouts had seen us arriving from a long distance away and came to us inquiring about us and our purpose.
Although they were at first guarded at the group of the armoured strangers they saw from afar, but as they approached us and saw the imperial badge on my chest they were shocked. The knelt down as they bowed towards me who was wielding the imperial badge.
I had them rise as I told them I came for dealing with the recent reports about hauntings. They were happy and ecstatic as I send them ahead to the village to inform everyone.
By the time we reached the village entrance there was quite a crowd, and standing in front of them was a lanky middle-aged man in his 30's. He was the first to greet and welcome us.
They were informed along with several neighbouring villages by the lord who controlled these areas that an important imperial official will be passing through here, to investigate the hauntings. However, they just didn't that official to be staying here.
I assumed he was the village chief and went to him and explained that we were going to stay here while dealing with the hauntings. We were taken to his house as he offered as accommodation, food and all the necessity we needed till we leave here.
I just asked him about the route towards the grey zone and the history behind that particular area of grey zone. He said that the before the grey zone appeared there, it was the area of a certain bandit group. The bandit group occasionally pillaged and abducted women from any villages nearby or any travellers unfortunate enough to cross them. None of the people captured or taken by them ever returned.
However, the local lord got word of this and send a team to take care of them. The soldiers who came killed every last one of the bandits, in a surprise attack, while only capturing their leader, who was later tortured to death.
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'So that must be the reason for negative zone forming there, due to the number of innocents' grief at being captured as well as being killed, along with the bandits that were killed.'
This had happened only a year ago, and it seems that the negative zone grew from the time it was left alone and coincidentally a mana zone just arrived there for it to transform into a grey zone.
The people here believed that the bandit leader was soo furious and indignant about being captured, that he rose back from his grave to haunt them.
They believed the grey zone to be the lair of the bandit lords ghost and none of them even dared to go near it.
I nodded and dismissed the village chief as I sat on the chair while Kristof, Ellis, and the guards awaited my instructions.
"We will move to the grey zone tomorrow by 3 pm from here. Till then rest and be refreshed. Dismissed." I informed the guards as they went out and dispersed, while Ellis and Kristoff stayed behind, to formulate a plan with me for tomorrow's fight.
"My lord do you have a plan for tomorrow?" asked Kristof while Ellis who seemed increasingly depressed just stayed by the side listening in silence.
"I do but before that can you expand on your award for me?" I asked him as I wanted to know what he can do, from him rather than reading it from a paper.
Kristof looked at me with his short blonde hair, for a moment before saying "My award is a one used to control everything in a specific area. I call it the Rule maker.
I can set down rules in an area that will affect that area until I am there or for a maximum of 20 minutes if I am not in range of that area.
However, there are quite some problems with my ability, and among them, there are 3 main ones. 1 is that it's impartial to both allies and enemies, including me. If I were to set down a rule as in, no one can use weapons inside an area, it won't let me, any allies or the enemies use weapons.
The second problem with my ability is that my ability won't affect someone stronger than me, or in simple terms, I can't create a rule to affect someone stronger than me.
3rd problem is that I can't create impossible rules. The rules I create should easily be able for everyone in that area to carry out. For example, if a paralysed man was in my area of award and I set down a rule such as 'No one should stay still.', my award simply won't work. It can't force a paralysed man to move, so I won't be able to create a rule there.
Along with that, there are other similar conditions but these 3 are the main ones." Kristof replied.
"That's fine then. All I want you to do when we enter the grey zone is to create a pathway for me to the ghost. Then I want you to stop anyone or anything from interfering from my meeting with the ghost, after that both of you should get out of the grey zone, as I don't want both of you to be feeding the grey zone while I am trying to do my thing in there.
I then want both of you to come back in just 10 seconds before the effect of your Rule maker wears off, and try and avoid hunting the undeads when you come in. If you don't see me after waiting for 1 minute and the undeads keeps on attacking you, that is the sign that everything has gone haywire and I am dead. So just run. If nothing like that happens then escort me out.
Ellis, you are to provide support for Kristof through your magi. Any problems?" I asked them.
Ellis frowned for a moment before saying "Your highness if you are still alive and incapacitated in there, how would you let us know without us abandoning?"
"Ellis don't underestimate a ghost. An award user who is not an exorcist will struggle to fight a ghost of same rank grey zone.
If my plan with the ghost hasn't gone as expected then 20 minutes is enough for it to kill me a hundred times or do with me what it wills.
You expect me to let me live and stay incapacitated in there for 20 minutes with it if my plans have failed?" I replied back.
He stood silent for a few minutes. I saw a struggle in his face as I smiled and guessed what he was about to say. "Then let one of us come with you."
I shook my head as I replied "I can't do that. As you have heard Kristof's award isn't focused on the attack direction but more towards restricting things. He would need your help if he encounters a troublesome situation."
Kristof inputted into the conversation as well "Besides the rule I am going to set down will stop anyone other than his highness from going in there Ellis.
Besides neither, you nor I can even possibly think of even helping him even if we accompany him. Along with that even if we were to team up against the ghost, the most we could do is stall it enough time for me to escape. None of you other than me would be able to escape from that ghost."
Ellis sighed in defeat as he listened to both of us explaining why no one should be accompanying me.
"If that's all rest up both of. Both of you should be tired from the long journey to here and I need both of you in your top conditions tomorrow." I said as I dismissed them as well.