Belk Loren walked step by step along the path leading to the inner city castle area, the sharp pain from several small wounds on his body constantly stimulating his already fatigued spirit, keeping him awake.
The mist was thin, but the lingering scent of blood in the air refused to dissipate, suspicious shadows still flickered past, and footsteps echoed from deep within nearby alleys. Every shadow and every footstep could potentially be a lurking monster—they might have completed their transformation or were in the process of transforming. Regardless, Belk couldn't take the risk.
That voice still lingered in his mind:
"Turn into this... as long as you eat stone, you'll survive... Sir."
For this reason alone, a person could willingly become a monster.
At this moment, the young Marquis suddenly recalled a sentence he had seen in a report:
... Grain requisitioned six times, households empty, even leaves consumed, number of starving people...
