The world shifted. The jumble of human voices, which had sounded like a flock of angry geese, suddenly snapped into focus. Words, phrases, even jokes, he understood them all. It was dizzying.
Yuji blinked, trying to adjust. So this is what a cheat skill feels like. Not bad, system. Not bad at all.
He crept closer to the village, hugging the shadows, and found himself near a rickety tavern. The place was alive with noise, laughter, the clink of mugs, and the low hum of gossip. Yuji slunk beneath an open window, ears flicking at every new sound.
Inside, a group of villagers sat around a battered table, mugs in hand. Their faces were flushed, their voices loud and careless.
"We've captured so many goats this time. What do you think the lord wants with them all? We never see them again," grumbled a man with a bushy beard, swirling his drink.
"Probably some kind of experiment. Or maybe a ritual. Who knows?" slurred another, his words thick from too much ale.
A woman snorted. "Ritual? More like a feast. You know how they are with their fancy parties. Besides, we've only been here for a few days. What do we even know?"
Another man leaned in, lowering his voice. "I've heard something bold. What if the lord, " He hesitated, making a crude gesture with his hands.
The woman recoiled, disgusted. "What the hell is wrong with you? That's sick. Why would a noble bother with goats like that? If he wanted company, he could have any girl in the county."
"Hey, I'm just saying. We don't know anything about the lord or his servants. We barely know the guards," the man muttered, glancing around.
"I heard he has a wife and a son, but they don't live with him," the woman said, her voice dropping.
"See? Why wouldn't his own family stay? There's definitely something fishy," the man who pushed this conversation said, shaking his head. "Besides, where are the people who lived here earlier? There are still some houses that are empty. What if those who lived here before us are gone?"
The table went quiet for a moment. Everyone exchanged uneasy looks. Sensing the tension, the bearded man broke into a laugh. "They left because their contract ended. Besides, who cares, as long as we get paid at the end of the month? Living with your family and getting paid for basically doing nothing, can't complain."
He leaned in, lowering his voice. "But let me clear up one thing. This is what I heard from one of the guards: the lord really is doing experiments on the goats. Supposedly, he's trying to help them evolve."
The table erupted in laughter as someone joked, "Evolve? What, is it going to sprout wings and fly away?"
After that, the conversation veered into weird territory. Yuji, pressed for time, didn't stick around. He'd already heard what he needed. Now he knew where Bojo was, and there was no time to waste.
He edged away from the window, careful not to rustle the barrels stacked nearby. His mind raced. The "Lord's Place", which had to be where they were keeping Bojo. But where was it? He scanned the village, trying to spot anything that looked grand or important.
He crept through narrow alleys, dodging stray chickens and weaving between piles of crates. The sights and smells overwhelmed him, roasting meat, sour ale, the tang of sweat and woodsmoke. Every step felt risky.
He was about to move closer when a low growl froze him in place. A dog, big and shaggy, padded out from behind a barrel, nose twitching. Its eyes locked onto Yuji, and for a moment, time stopped.
Yuji's mind went blank. Don't move. Don't breathe. Maybe it'll go away.
The dog sniffed the air, came closer, and pressed its nose almost to Yuji's flank. Yuji squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for teeth. Instead, the dog snorted, sneezed, and turned away, apparently bored. It trotted off, tail wagging, more interested in a discarded bone than a trembling goat. Yuji didn't linger in that place for another single second; he moved immediately.
Yuji crouched low in the thicket, belly pressed to the damp earth, heart thumping so loudly he was sure the dog could hear it. The Leader's Place loomed ahead, a sprawling estate walled in stone and iron, lanterns flickering along its perimeter. He'd expected something grand, but this was ridiculous, more palace than farmhouse, with banners fluttering from the rooftops and a pair of statues flanking the main gate. Human taste, Yuji thought, was always so extra, not interested in those kinds of things. He always preferred a simple village life.
He watched as guards paced the grounds, their armor glinting in the moonlight. Some carried spears, others strange rods that pulsed with blue light. Servants moved in and out of side doors, arms full of crates and baskets. Yuji caught a whiff of something sweet, fruit, maybe, or wine. There were even glowing symbols etched along the walls, pulsing softly, like magical wards.
No system skill for this one, Yuji grumbled internally. He'd tried to activate anything that might help, Stealth, Appraisal, even that useless "Goat's Intuition", but nothing pinged. Guess it's up to me and my goat brain. He scanned the estate, looking for patterns, for anything out of place.
Finally, he found it. There was a narrow servant path, half-hidden behind a row of hedges, barely used. He watched as a sleepy servant ducked through it, glancing over his shoulder before vanishing around a corner. Yuji's ears flicked. That was his shot.
He waited until the guards' backs were turned, then slipped from the bushes, hugging the shadows. His hooves barely made a sound on the soft ground. He darted behind a stack of barrels, then along the hedge, heart pounding with every step. The servant path was muddy and overgrown, but it led straight toward the back of the estate.
Yuji pressed on, slipping past a pair of distracted guards arguing about rations. He held his breath as he crept beneath an open window, catching a snatch of laughter and the clink of glasses from inside. The human world was so loud, so chaotic, nothing like the quiet of the farm..
He reached the main hall, peering through a crack in the ornate doors. The place was enormous, all marble floors and gold trim, with chandeliers glittering overhead. Paintings lined the walls, humans in elaborate robes, a few with animals at their feet. Yuji's nose twitched. The air was thick with perfume and something else, fear, maybe, or anticipation.
Where are the goats? He wondered. He scanned the hall, but saw nothing, no pens, no cages, not even a stray tuft of fur. Just humans, bustling about, setting up tables and arranging flowers. Yuji's stomach twisted. Did I come all this way for nothing?
Suddenly, footsteps echoed down the corridor. Yuji's ears shot up. He darted behind a massive pillar, pressing himself flat against the cold stone. The footsteps grew louder, closer. He could hear voices, sharp, authoritative, not the lazy chatter of servants.
A moment later, the main doors burst open. Yuji risked a glance.
A ship-no, a floating vessel descended from the sky outside, its hull gleaming with runes and strange engines humming beneath. It hovered above the estate, casting a long shadow over the hall. Humans rushed to the windows, pointing and whispering.