97
Rohan silently looked down at the woman who had fainted as if a string had been cut. His hand repeatedly grasped and released her neck, and a hint of deliberation seemed to flicker in his eyes as faint killing intent appeared and disappeared.
The dilemma he was facing was simple. To kill or not to kill. Now that he had directly entered the house he learned about while interrogating Kedwin, there was no doubt that the woman before him was his wife and the one who had spoken of receiving revelations.
Every time he recalled that Arpel had almost been hurt because of this woman, his heart leaned towards one side.
“Rohan. Is it over?”
“Yes, you can come in.”
What ended his deliberation was Arpel’s voice from outside. Rohan released his hand from the woman’s neck and turned to face Arpel with a calm response, turning his back on her body. Judging by the faint red marks left behind, it looked like her neck might bruise, but he couldn’t care less about that.
A brief conversation ensued with their backs to the unconscious woman. What the revelation was, how it was received, where the drug came from… It was simply relaying everything he had heard from the woman so far.
While Rohan had subdued her and extracted information, Arpel had been standing beyond the wall. With his good hearing, a mere wall wouldn’t have prevented him from hearing their conversation, yet he quietly listened to Rohan’s account… Perhaps because he liked the sound of his gentle voice.
“It’s highly likely that the existence of the fox god was also fabricated by someone.”
A bitter smile settled on Rohan’s face.
Its purpose was too transparent to be called a god. Even the chancellor’s wife who claimed to have received revelations had ultimately been thoroughly used by something impersonating a god.
The information gained from a single interrogation was quite valuable. The god was a false entity, and whoever was referring to themselves as a god likely had close ties to the Salvation Church. The face that came to mind was that of the village chief, always wearing a kindly smile.
“Is it the village chief’s doing?”
“I’m not sure…”
If so, is that “someone” Maisen? Questions followed, but for now, there was nothing they could be certain of. Given that the matter had grown larger than expected, it was likely that more than just one or two people were involved.
It was a kind of fraud scheme targeting the entire village, using faith in a god that even ignites death as collateral. Rohan clicked his tongue softly.
“Shall we head towards the forest for now?”
There was nothing more to learn from this house. So rather than wasting time unnecessarily, it would be better to go check out the place they had noted earlier. Arpel agreed, so he willingly let himself be led by Rohan’s hand.
The deep darkness that had settled over the village was perfect for hiding and moving about. The two were also moving only in the middle of the night to shake off watchful eyes, but it seemed they weren’t the only ones with such intentions.
“That’s…”
It was when they had almost reached the forest on the outskirts of the village that they sensed someone hurriedly moving. Labored breathing, footsteps that were half-running, a shovel in hand… A man with a suspicious combination that anyone could guess was up to no good hurriedly headed into the forest.
The owner of the familiar back was none other than the village chief, Maisen.
“…Let’s follow him.”
The surprise was brief, and the decision was quick. Since their original purpose was to enter the forest anyway, adding ‘tailing’ to that didn’t change much.
To uncover the truth about what was happening in the village, they needed to investigate the village chief’s background, so this could even be seen as a stroke of luck.
Following the village chief, an ordinary person, wasn’t a difficult task. After a few minutes of tracing Maisen’s steps without making a single noise from brushing against the undergrowth, Arpel realized that the path they were walking was quite familiar.
In the distance, a familiar fox statue came into view. Perhaps because the pure white statue stood out in the faint moonlight, giving off a somewhat sacred feeling, it paradoxically exuded a strong presence. After all, it was nothing more than a symbol of their orchestrated fraud.
Maisen headed behind the altar. Soon, the sound of digging into the earth was heard.
“Damn it, how long do I have to clean up after that bastard…”
What followed was a small grumble. Perhaps because of the silence all around, the voice sounded particularly clear to Arpel, who was holding his breath with his body pressed against a tree.
After that, there were no particular words. He occasionally muttered a few things, but they were mostly complaints about “that bastard.” Treating him like a servant, how he should wash his hands of this and move to another area once this job is finished, endless complaints continued.
The noise of digging decreased, followed by the sound of dusting off clothes and putting away the shovel, indicating that the work was finished. Finally, Maisen, with an face full of irritation, retraced his steps back.
The two revealed themselves only after his figure had completely disappeared beyond the forest. With a light gesture from Rohan, the two figures moved quickly. To the back of the altar, the very place where Maisen had been doing something just moments ago.
“He’s been quite busy.”
A quiet exclamation was heard from him. Although it had been covered up somewhat naturally, one could easily spot the awkwardness that hadn’t been fully concealed if paying a little attention.
After moving some soil using shadows, a hole large enough to hide objects was revealed. It was filled with things that could be turned into money, starting from the gold coins Rohan had offered, various ornaments, and small jewels.
Although the reason for burying them underground wasn’t clear, it was obvious even at a glance that a considerable amount of offerings had been blatantly diverted. Yet the fact that not a single person in the village felt suspicious about this meant that they were all obsessed with the false god. It was enough to make one sigh involuntarily.
“It doesn’t seem like the village chief is the one leading this.”
“Yeah. ‘That bastard’ must be his superior.”
The voice that had expressed complaints was still clear. Cleaning up, playing servant… When combining such words, it seemed the village chief was a henchman of “that bastard.”
Interpreted differently, it meant that information about that superior could be obtained through the village chief. Aware of this fact, Rohan’s voice was unwavering as he formulated the next plan.
“We should finish looking around the forest and then go to greet him.”
An affectionate smile bloomed on his face, and his tone was calm, but his intentions didn’t seem good. What was certain was that the village chief wouldn’t fare well when the two barged into his house later.
There was no hesitation in the hands covering the soil they had dug up. They had only followed the village chief by chance; their original purpose for coming to the forest was unrelated to this.
“Hmm… that way.”
Finding the source of the dense spectral energy filling the forest interior. This was the second reason they had ventured out in the middle of the night.
Arpel, who had been carefully examining the surrounding energy with his eyes closed, pointed in one direction. His keen sense was leading him beyond the forest where a slightly stronger scent was felt.
Getting the direction wasn’t particularly difficult. As they moved inward, Arpel pointed out a specific direction without hesitation, and even Rohan could clearly feel that the air was getting a bit heavier as they followed him.
However, the thought that they could find the source without major obstacles soon crumbled.
“Ugh…”
The first sign of something amiss was when Arpel’s walking speed noticeably slowed. Rohan, worried about him, did ask if he was alright, but the answer was always the same.
He replied with an unaffected face that he was just being more thorough in his examination. Should he have stopped him then?
The moment Arpel, who had been walking ahead, finally staggered with a faint groan, Rohan’s face froze.
It was a face that gave chills as if frost had settled. His features, which looked purely gentle when smiling sweetly, were now honed like sharp blades, and a faint killing intent even lingered on his expressionless face.
Rohan immediately supported Arpel and left the place without hesitation. Far, even farther. Arpel, who had been quietly nestled in his arms without resisting, took a deep breath only after they had moved some distance from where he had staggered. The breath he finally exhaled was much more stable.
“Arpel.”
Rohan’s footsteps stopped, and Arpel reflexively looked up at the call. He involuntarily flinched when he saw the cold face devoid of any expression.
Then his expression changed. A jumbled look that couldn’t decide whether to cry or laugh spread across his face. A faint trembling was felt in their intertwined fingertips. Only after taking a moment to catch his breath did he realize that it stemmed from dense worry.
Rohan didn’t say a single word after calling Arpel’s name. He just stared intently with moist eyes. As time passed, it was Arpel who grew increasingly anxious.
“I just felt dizzy. I’m really fine.”
“…You felt dizzy?”
If he, a demon sword, was complaining of dizziness, it must be no ordinary matter. As Rohan’s face turned not just pale but almost blue at this thought, Arpel closed his mouth. He belatedly realized that the words he had just uttered had actually worsened the situation.
“Now, I’m alri—”
“It’s okay. Really.”
A touch that seemed even more shaky than the trembling voice reached his cheek. It was infinitely careful, as if touching something that might break at any moment, so Arpel quickly leaned his face into his hand. The faint trembling that remained seemed to show his anxiety.
He struggled to keep his brows from furrowing. What was going on, what exactly was happening in this forest… Numerous questions were poured into his already complicated mind.
