92
“Brother! Are you going to see the village chief?”
“Yes, sister, have a good day at work too!”
“Stop by the store on your way back! I’ll pack you some leftover bread at a discount!”
“Haha, I’m grateful!”
On the way to the ‘village chief’s’ house.
The man’s steps continued inward as if the house was in the center of the village. The warm greetings and inquiries about well-being exchanged with every face he met raised the question of whether this is what an ‘ideal village’ would look like.
Some looked distrustful, but as soon as the man mentioned “guiding to the village chief,” they would immediately soften, leaving with a gentle greeting. This behavior felt quite strange.
It wasn’t long before they met the village chief, whom the villagers seemed to trust and follow as much as a ‘divine being’.
“Ho ho, visitors who want to serve the deity and came in person. I had an auspicious dream today, but I didn’t expect to be rewarded like this.”
The man, standing at the boundary between middle and old age, was like the word ‘benevolence’ incarnate. From the wrinkles of age beside his gently folding eye corners when he smiled, to his relatively slow but dignified voice that had a charm that made listeners pay attention.
In fact, the first thing that caught the eye was the small vegetable garden attached to the house. He was holding what looked like a fairly large potato in one hand, as if he had been harvesting ripe crops, and the next thing was probably his face, smeared with dirt on one side, laughing heartily.
Arpel thought this appearance was quite artificial.
“Oh my, I can’t keep guests standing in a place like this. Would you like to follow me? It’s not much, but I think I can offer you a light cup of tea.”
“That would be more than enough.”
Light introductions were exchanged as they entered the village chief’s house. While drinking a cup of tea with a bitter herbal aroma, Arpel mulled over that name.
Maisen. It was a name that wasn’t particularly special. Yet, the intuition that this name would stick in his memory was perhaps due to the alias he had revealed to him.
Although nothing was certain, if by any chance the village chief was related to the Salvation Church, he might know their names. In the end, as they had discussed before entering the village, Rohan became Jodan, and Arpel became Sel.
“Hmm, I see. Such a thing…”
They continued to exchange small talk after that. A long-held wish, resentment towards a god, hearing rumors of a divine being and deciding to set out to find the village…
Most of the talking was done by Rohan, but Maisen didn’t seem to mind much that only one person was speaking, as if impressed by the appealing voice.
“With such firm and deep will, I’m sure the deity will respond to your wishes. Please stay in this village as long as you wish.”
However… A postscript followed. It was an action that didn’t quite match the bright smile brimming on his benevolent face.
“You see, our village isn’t very large. There are a few empty houses, but most are quite small… If you don’t mind, how about staying at my house? Having inherited the house used by village chiefs for generations, it’s quite spacious for an old man living alone, and there are plenty of spare rooms.”
His face was smiling, his tone was friendly, and at first glance, the content seemed to be considerate of the two.
But considering the village’s strangeness and the Demon Sword’s revelation together, his offer seemed similar to an attempt to keep them within his range for surveillance. It was impossible not to feel uneasy.
The wariness shown by the man who had guided them to the village chief. And Maisen, the village chief who still didn’t let his guard down while pretending otherwise. Arpel glanced discreetly as if trying to gauge their true intentions.
To investigate the village, they needed to be able to move freely at any time. While it wasn’t difficult to deceive the senses of ordinary villagers, it was clear that being tied to the village chief’s house would create many more things to be concerned about.
As Arpel was pondering for a suitable excuse to refuse the offer while tilting his teacup, it was then that Rohan spoke.
“We’re very grateful for your offer, but I’m afraid that might be difficult.”
“…May I ask why?”
Arpel’s gaze, still holding the teacup, turned directly to Rohan. The expression of refusal was too direct. Perhaps because of this, although still smiling, Maisen’s face was strangely stiff as he asked back.
“The sound…”
After a moment of subtle silence, a tiny voice leaked from Rohan. That wasn’t all.
His face, already exposed from having taken off his robe earlier, turned bright red. His eyes, which had turned black due to blocking his magic to hide their unusual color, shook restlessly. His hands, unable to hide their nervousness, rubbed the edge of the teacup.
As these blatant changes registered one by one in Arpel’s mind, just for a moment…
“At night, the sound… might be heard.”
“Kuhp…! Kup, cough, I-I’m sorry. Keck, cough.”
At Rohan’s following statement, a loud cough burst from Arpel’s mouth. At first lost in thought, then stunned by Rohan’s appearance, he had kept the cup to his mouth, and a mouthful of tea overflowed, going straight down his throat and causing him to choke severely.
Arpel’s face turned red as he unexpectedly experienced choking for the first time in his life. He felt something in his throat, kept coughing, and even had the illusion that his vision was wavering. Rohan, with round eyes, hurriedly patted his back, but it seemed to be of no use.
“Ahem. Hmm.”
An awkward cough erupted from Maisen’s mouth. He seemed quite eager to change the topic quickly.
One side was blushing and at a loss, mentioning ‘night sounds’, while the other choked severely upon hearing those words, his face turning equally red. It was a reaction that anyone would see as that of an intimate couple.
“…Then I’ll guide you to a house nearby suitable for the two of you to stay in.”
The conversation concluded more simply than expected, thanks to Maisen quickly wrapping up the dialogue as if he had completely forgotten his offer for them to stay at his house. It wasn’t a bad result for the brief sacrifice of someone’s throat.
***
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you’d be so flustered…”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
After that, things moved quickly.
Maisen, having only changed his dirt-covered clothes, immediately rolled up his sleeves, saying he would guide them to a house. Now, walking through the center of the village again, Arpel naturally focused on Rohan’s voice as he whispered with his head leaned close.
It was a voice that wouldn’t reach the village chief walking ahead. While reflexively answering that it was okay, Arpel’s gaze naturally turned to Rohan. His slightly downcast eyes and drooping eyebrows gave off a deeply gloomy feeling.
Arpel slowly reached out to Rohan and gently rubbed under his eyes repeatedly. As if realizing this was his way of comforting, color quickly returned to Rohan’s face that had looked depressed.
A gentle smile filled Rohan’s face as he docilely accepted the touch. Was it while capturing this noticeable change, the precious emotions pouring out overwhelmingly as usual?
As Arpel recalled their earlier conversation, one question arose in his mind. His briefly moving lips voiced that question without hesitation.
“…Earlier.”
He thought it was a truly valid question, and he was so curious that he was determined to get an answer, but…
“Is it alright if the house isn’t too far from the center of the village?”
The question he was about to ask was abruptly cut off by Maisen, who suddenly turned his head with an unnecessary inquiry. His fingertips, reflexively withdrawn, dangled in the air.
Their eyes meeting and then quickly turning away, Rohan’s flushed face suddenly dropping… Although they tried to cover it up belatedly, their attitude of pretending nothing had happened was tinged with undisguised awkwardness. Maisen’s face, looking back at the two, bore a skeptical light as if gauging something.
Arpel’s eyes, staring at him, were just blank. It was because he was struggling to suppress a strong urge to hit someone for the first time in a long while. If it weren’t for Rohan hurriedly opening his mouth, he might have actually raised his fist.
“As long as we can stay comfortably, anywhere is fine. Ah, I have one question… The person who guided us mentioned that there had been some unfortunate incidents in this village recently.”
The excited look that had been on his face was long gone without a trace. His voice, which gave a diligent answer, even added a question to change the topic, and judging by how Maisen’s mouth corners twisted for a moment, it seemed quite effective.
“You said you came looking for a divine being, right? In this place, there is a Fox God who protects the village and prays for the happiness of the people. The land is fertile, no one falls ill, and everyone lives happily day by day in this blessed place…”
A sound of clicking tongue leaked from him as he slowly walked.
“Recently, one by one, people have been incurring the wrath of the deity. We’re speculating whether someone might have broken a taboo, bringing a curse upon the village…”
His posture, with hands neatly clasped together, resembled that of a devout believer praying to a god. The smile on his benevolent face even shone as if it were a beam of light illuminating the darkness.
“The deity’s footsteps are beyond mere human understanding, but there must be a reason for it. If we continue to atone and beg for forgiveness, someday the deity will also let go of their anger.”
Short sighs erupted repeatedly from around them. As if marveling at the village chief’s faith, the villagers around stopped in their tracks and let out quiet exclamations of admiration. At the thunderous applause that followed, Arpel silently sighed.
