I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 52 Graveyard Mission
There are 20 days left until your repayment deadline.

Your current assets are 13 gold and 4 silver.

You changed your "Stick Mastery" to "Nailhead Hammer Mastery".

You have learned the Flame Hand technique.

After handing over 12 spell scrolls, DuPont cursed Benjamin, that fat bastard, for scheming against him once again.

He hadn't taken a third-circle spell class yet, but it was clear that his homeroom teacher had reported it overnight, and even William's roster had been changed, leaving no room for leniency.

This week, in order to become a level three mage, he only copied two scrolls a day. This sudden requirement squeezed out all the scrolls he had on hand.

Fortunately, he had used his extra money to buy 5 first-ring scrolls with others in advance. After learning the Flame Hand skill, he now has 7 Flame Hand scrolls and 12 first-ring parchments.

You fatso, just wait and see if I don't ruin your reputation in a little while.
After saying goodbye to Judy and buying some rations, DuPont packed his things and headed to Barley Village.

He still has 196 experience points, and his copying speed has reached 20 minutes per page. Now, as long as he can concentrate, copying 5 pages a day is not a problem, and he can sell the 7 pages he has.

Thomas wasn't sure exactly how many scrolls his siblings would receive, but given their ongoing battle of wits with the goblins, they probably wouldn't have much extra money; they'd be lucky to buy up all the goods they had on hand.

The carriages on Saturday did not go to Damai Village, and DuPont removed his apprentice badge and hurried north.

The scenery along the way was still beautiful, but DuPont, who already had a destination in mind, didn't have much time to appreciate the pleasant natural scenery. An hour later, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the small mountain village where a few more militiamen were on duty.

"What's wrong?" DuPont showed the badge to the militiamen, only to find them looking worried. "Master, you should go to the tavern and ask. We don't know the specifics either."

The pub was much quieter than last week. DuPont didn't see Thomas and his sister, so he went to the bar and asked, "How much for a comfortable room and the best food you have here for a day?"

"The best room costs 10 silver coins a week and 1.5 silver coins a day. Meals are included, but drinks are at your own expense." The innkeeper took two silver coins: "Would you like a glass of cherry juice? The ones we just picked taste good, and we've added sugar and honey. It's only 10 copper coins a glass."

"I'd like a drink, and I'd like a glass, not a wooden one."

The tavern owner smiled kindly and held up two fingers: "Then add another copper coin."

"Wait, give me this cup." DuPont took it and magically cleaned it: "I should have brought my own cup."

"Haha, you're quite young now, aren't you? This is just a small country tavern. Most of our customers are farmers who aren't too picky. These glasses are for adventurers; only they don't care about the extra cost." The owner said, picking up a vessel similar to a beer mug, but it only held about 600 milliliters when full. He poured it two-thirds full and screwed on the lid. "But don't worry, although our place is simple, the ingredients are absolutely top-notch. You won't get diarrhea after drinking it."

"That's for the best." DuPont took a sip, finding the cherry juice so sour it made his teeth ache, but the rich fruit flavor was indeed quite unique. "By the way, why are there so few people here today? Is that why I arrived early?"

"Something big has happened in the south recently. It's said that the green dragons and black dragons in the swamp are fighting over territory, and the lizardmen and gnolls are fighting to the death. Many adventurers are going there to see if they can make a living." He pointed to the door as he spoke: "Last week, the goblin tribe contract here, which was relatively easy, was completed. However, that adventure team suffered heavy losses. They found quite a few bear goblins, and they only managed to cut off some goblin ears to collect the bounty. Now, the only contract quest is the one that pays 1200 silver to clear out the bear goblin camp. As long as you get 6 bear goblin ears, you can collect the whole bounty. You can get 200 silver for each extra ear."

"A goblin? That's definitely not a simple task. These monsters might produce professionals, so the danger level is hard to estimate." DuPont shook his head, feeling this was unreliable: "Has anyone completed the deed for the graveyard?"

"No, many people complain that the place is unlucky, and some adventurers say the ghosts are troublesome." The shopkeeper's eyes lit up at this: "Did you come here last week?"

“Yes, I came here to take on this mission.” DuPont said, pointing to a fairly detailed map behind the boss, though some of the edges were obscured by oil stains, making the details unclear: “Approximately where is that graveyard?”

"Here." The shopkeeper took out the map and pointed north: "This is our village cemetery, about 10 miles away. But the incident happened further north, on a hill that's always surrounded by crows. It used to be a mass grave, but nothing ever happened there, and nobody cared. Recently, it's been haunted, and there are supposedly spirits of the dead. You can visit Brother Jerram in the village for details; he's the one who's paying the reward."

DuPont determined the location, picked up the room key, ordered food, and headed to the village church.

This is probably the most magnificent building in this small mountain village. The church is entirely built of white stones of similar size, and a bronze statue of Mystra is located in front. When you get close, DuPont can even feel a hidden but magnificent energy around him.

"The church must have set up a magic circle here," Dupont thought.

There was no need to knock on the church door. DuPont entered and saw the pastor, an old man with a distressed look on his face. After hearing DuPont's purpose, the pastor breathed a sigh of relief: "Finally, someone has come to take care of this place."

“The priest said you’ve been there.” DuPont took out his mage badge. “My companions and I are preparing to take over this contract, and we hope you can provide some specific information to avoid any additional casualties.”

“I can’t really say for sure.” Jerram’s face darkened as he spoke, and he instinctively gripped the seven-star holy emblem around his neck. “Some villagers said there was a ghost there, but since no one had died, I didn’t take it too seriously. I took four militiamen and some holy water and went to exorcise the ghost. But before we even entered the catacombs, I suddenly felt a strange fear. The young militiamen in my group were so scared they wet themselves. I smashed several bottles of holy water before I felt a little better, and then I quickly led everyone away from there.”

He frowned as he spoke: "That mass grave has been abandoned for many years, but I smelled blood. Something is definitely not normal inside. It's very likely that there are ghouls or zombies or something like that."

"To make all five of you feel genuine fear without even going inside, that's a bit tricky." DuPont had a few guesses in mind, but didn't say them out loud: "Since there's blood, there must be a killer. And since you felt fear during the day, we can be sure there's an undead creature inside, right?"

“I’m a priest, after all. Though my abilities are mediocre, how could I be wrong?” Jerram was somewhat displeased upon hearing this, but quickly slumped down: “Of course, I’m not very capable either. I was so scared back then that I didn’t even manage to get through the door to that underground tomb.”

“I’ve accepted this contract, but of course, there’s no guarantee it will be fulfilled. We need to find out exactly what’s inside first.” DuPont thought for a moment and said, “If my men only gather relevant intelligence, can they receive a portion of the reward?”

"If it is a monster that is so dangerous that the town must send people to suppress it, then I can give you one-tenth of the bounty."

Jerram pointed to the shrine in the church that radiated a holy light: "You'll need this to complete the mission. The shrine has the power to suppress the undead. But you'll have to use your mage badge as collateral. No matter what happens, you must bring the shrine back within a day. And you absolutely cannot give it to anyone else. If it is lost and falls into the hands of someone else, the church will hold you accountable, and you might even end up in jail."

DuPont nodded and handed over his badge.

　I'm begging for some monthly votes at the end of the month to help this humble author climb a bit higher and try to get into the new book charts or the overall charts, so this country bumpkin can see what the big shots look like.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)