Episode 43.
Arrived at Lugi Village with the investigation team.
Lord Deor groaned.
“Um… this is…”
It wasn’t that the horrors had taken place.
It was so ordinary.
Sir Theor said.
“You never expected what might have happened.”
It was a problem because there was nothing strange about it. Literally, only the villagers were gone.
There were still livestock in the village.
If I had thought about leaving as a group, I would have packed a lot.
But much remained.
“It’s just the body gone.”
I didn’t understand.
If so, it would be a story that they were caught up in the incident.
I approached Lord Deor.
“Can Sir Theor guess what happened?”
“If villagers are kidnapped, it is normal for the village to be disturbed. I don’t think there was anything compulsory about it.”
“You think they left on their own, too.”
Who the hell could make all the people in a village disappear?
I thought that if there was such a person, he would not be human.
He looked at Patrick next to him and said.
“You say strange things for no reason and make me have a nonsensical delusion.”
“…is it really a pipe-playing demon?”
“Stop talking nonsense. Even if there were demons playing the pipe, I would do something like this!”
It won’t be a demon.
Besides, if it was a demon, why did the villagers disappear?
“Then, could it be a sacrifice?”
“A sacrifice…?”
“Since ancient times, guys like black magicians have used sacrifices to summon demons.”
“Speak like a horse.”
Even a black magician could not leave a trace like this.
First of all, it was necessary to look around Lugi Village.
Lord Deor had already given orders to his men to inspect the village.
“Come on, let’s check inside the village too.”
“yes.”
I looked around the town with Patrick.
Entered the conspicuous house.
There was nothing strange about it. If there is something that bothers me, it is a little bit of dust.
“I don’t know.”
“If you keep looking, you’ll find some clues.”
“I hope so.”
I’ve been looking for it ever since, but to no avail.
For now, the investigation team gathered at what seemed to be an inn in this village.
Me and Patrick also gathered at the inn.
“Sir Deor, did you find any clues at the investigation team?”
“Not at all. There are really no clues.”
Patrick, who was next to him, interrupted.
“Then maybe it’s magic?”
Theor shook his head.
“I asked our mage, but they say there is no trace of magic being used.”
“If you’re a high-ranking wizard, you wouldn’t know.”
“Well, if you are a high-ranking wizard, you can figure out where they are and what they are doing because their names are known.”
“What about the unknown high mage?”
“It is impossible even if there is a high-ranking wizard hiding himself. The act of erasing the traces of magic.”
How could such a thing happen without magic?
The atmosphere of the investigation team was dark because no clues were found.
It is also dark, so further investigation is useless.
“I think it would be better to take a break.”
“I think so too, Hans.”
Deor and the others enter the room, leaving Patrick and me alone.
Patrick brought a bottle of liquor, wondering where he got it from.
“Where did you get that drink?”
“hahahaha, it looks like the owner’s favorite drink. It was hidden.”
I had no intention of reprimanding Patrick for the owner’s disappearance.
I just felt like drinking a little too.
Patrick started looking for the glass.
“Patrick, please take my glass, too.”
“yes? Master, are you going to drink too?”
I am seventeen. I was too old to drink alcohol.
But what does it matter?
Before returning, I enjoyed drinking occasionally, though.
“okay.”
“Umm… you shouldn’t give the kids alcohol.”
I frowned and looked at Patrick.
“I know the taste of alcohol, so just bring it.”
“yes.”
Patrick’s expression, saying it’s cool.
Patrick sat down next to me with two glasses.
“By the way, Master, why are you suddenly trying to drink?”
I do not know. I just didn’t feel well.
“I just wanted to drink.”
“Well, sometimes that happens.”
Patrick poured a drink into my glass.
I drank that drink.
“Good.”
The alcohol I drank in a long time was sweet.
“Oh, master, you drink well.”
I handed the empty glass to Patrick.
Patrick refilled my glass.
“It’s kind of ominous.”
“yes? Which one?”
“Patrick, if only you hadn’t said anything strange.”
It’s not a problem that I’m losing my place because I defeated the demons.
He recalled the note left by the owner of the exorcism sword.
[They say that those who are killed by demons taste endless hell.]
If this was the real demon’s doing, the villagers would be feeling hell.
I should have hoped it wasn’t a demon.
“Anyway, the lack of clues is the problem.”
“I mean.”
After drinking some alcohol, drunkenness came.
Perhaps because of the intoxication, I started to fall asleep.
So I decided to go to the inn’s room and sleep.
“I’m going to go in and get some sleep.”
“Yes, I’ll go in later.”
Patrick’s expression was not good. It seems to overlap with his work somehow.
I patted Patrick on the shoulder.
“You will be able to find the villagers.”
“yes···.”
I went to my room and went to sleep so Patrick could be alone.
Then, I was awakened by a knocking sound from Lord Deor.
“Hans, I think I found a clue.”
I immediately stood up at Lord Deor’s words.
I opened the door and faced Sir Deor.
“Is that true?”
“I can’t say it’s a clue about the villagers who disappeared, but a person who lived in Lugi Village came.”
“okay···.”
The person who lived in Lugi Village was said to be a young man.
I heard that you left town to earn money and just came back.
“Let’s talk about it together.”
After following Sir Theor, there was a tall young man.
I don’t think I’m a country person at all, but it seems that I’ve become quite wealthy.
“Matt, you’ve been waiting a long time. I am Hans Reike, a diamond mercenary who participated in this investigation as a mercenary.”
Deor, who introduced me to the young man Metra.
I approached the young man and asked for a handshake.
“It’s a pity what happened to the village.”
“…”
Contrary to what I thought, Met’s expression seemed calm.
“Do you remember anything about Lugi Village?”
“Um… I can’t remember at all. It’s been a long time since I left…”
“Then, the family members who should have been in Lugi Village…?”
Matt stopped talking.
“Because they weren’t good people. Not very sad.”
It seems that Met has no lingering attachments to Lugi Village.
Still, you should be able to dig up a little more information about Lugi Village.
“Don’t you remember anything about Lugi Village?”
Matt must have remembered.
It’s just that I don’t like to talk.
“hmm···.”
“please.”
Matt, who was worried, opened his mouth.
“Oh, come to think of it, there is one thing that comes to mind.”
“What…!”
“I remember there was a strange religion in Lugi Village.”
it’s religion
Strange or suspicious religions are highly likely to be related to demons.
“Do you remember what religion it is?”
“I don’t remember. I just remember it as a strange religion.”
“What was strange?”
“Um… that’s… I don’t know either. It’s a very old memory.”
We continued to talk, but all we found out from Met was that the village of Lugi was connected to a strange religion.
However, during our conversation, a doubt continued to arise.
I quietly turned to Patrick.
“Patrick.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Hey Met. a little fishy Investigate somehow.”
It was almost forced to not be able to remember any memories, no matter how old they were.
Matt must have known something.
And I left the inn.
“Hmm… Religion…”
When it comes to religion, there must be a meeting place.
It was necessary to find what appeared to be the meeting place.
“hmm···?”
I found the location of several people from the investigation team.
Apparently, that place was supposed to be a religious gathering place.
“Hey there, Mark.”
Mark, the only wizard of the investigation team, was also there.
“Uh, Hans. You must have met Met.”
“Yes, is this place related to religion?”
“you’re right. I’m guessing the rally was held here.”
It was definitely a big house.
However, since it was far from home, it was possible to know that this place was a religious gathering place.
“But this place is a bit strange.”
“yes?”
What do you mean by weird?
“It’s as clean as if it were newly built.”
“Couldn’t it be a new one?”
“That’s still…”
It seems that there are more suspicious things.
“There is no trace of people to see it as a meeting place. No matter how new it is.”
“Um… is that so?”
It would certainly be difficult to call it a coincidence.
Isn’t it difficult to think that the villagers disappeared at the same time as the building was completed?
like···.
‘Looks like it was created suddenly to give an excuse of religion.’
Met feels increasingly suspicious.
But I don’t think Met could have built this alone.
Something will be behind you.
“Once it’s a religious gathering place, there must be something related to that religion…”
“There is nothing like that at all. It was just a place where many people could gather. It was modeled after a religious building…”
I thought what Matt said was a lie.
That also didn’t make sense.
‘You scratch and make a boil? I just wish I had left Lugi Village.’
There was no need to come back here again.
Besides, how did the meth make the villagers disappear? From the outside, he seemed to have no abilities.
“My head hurts.”
“I mean.”
It seems that the investigation team is also suspicious of Met.
But you can’t interrogate without any evidence.
How to find evidence
“Then I will go.”
If this is a place created by the Met, looking around won’t give you an answer.
You have to look elsewhere.
As I was about to leave, Mark asked me
“Where are you planning to go?”
“Um… I guess I’ll try to find clues outside of town.”
“Yes, our investigation team is also looking for clues outside the village, so please take care of it when we meet.”
I went out of town
Certainly, there were people wearing the uniforms of the investigation team.
The surroundings were flat. If there is anything, it seems to be in a mountain a little far from the village.
“Should I take a look over there?”
As I was about to head for the mountain, a man dressed as a surveyor approached me.
“Mercenary, even if you go there, it’s useless.”
“What do you mean?”
“As a result of checking with follow-up techniques, there is no sign that people have gone there.”
As a result of the follow-up technique, there was no trace of anyone going there.
I had one more question than that.
“I’m seeing you for the first time, who are you?”
They say there are a lot of members of the investigation team, but they remember everyone’s faces.
The person who spoke to me was definitely the first face I had ever seen.