[ Episode 240. The
village where the disappearance incident took place was a small village called Faren.
I hadn’t seen the name in the game, so there was no information.
As soon as I arrived, seeing me leave for Paren, Amy said that I didn’t have to go out, but she had already made up her mind.
“That’s Farren.”
An official from Yeongju Castle, who followed for directions, pointed out a small village visible down the hill in the distance.
I wondered if I could take a little rest because it took me almost a full day, but I didn’t expect much from the pitiable appearance of the village.
In the case of a city, magic power provides convenience no different from modern times, but this remote corner was really the medieval countryside itself.
“Be quiet.”
Vivian, who had come with her, murmured.
Just as she said, the small town with maybe 50 houses was cold as if no one lived there.
“There must be a village chief in this village too, right?”
“of course. We will take you right away.”
Only then did the villagers look at us with wary eyes as strangers entered.
Then the official in charge of giving directions shouted.
“What are you doing! The owner of this land, His Excellency Earl Cromwell, has personally visited. Come out and kneel!”
I was torn apart with the thought that I should have said something beforehand at his sudden sudden acceleration.
“I am fine. I didn’t come here to be treated, I came to solve the problem, so I want to finish my business as soon as possible and go home.”
“Okay, sir!”
Somehow, he had been sending me a respectful look since I said I was going to solve the case myself, but it was embarrassing because he was showing excessive loyalty.
As the commotion broke out, the village headman ran out with his tabi.
Then, after hearing my identity, I started fighting with five bodies.
“Meet Sir Cromwell!”
“wake up.”
It would be a little uncomfortable if I had to experience this every time.
I treated the trembling village chief kindly and headed for his house.
Upon arriving at the house, we immediately heard the circumstances from the village chief.
“Actually, it was an occasional thing for people to disappear. It has been several years.”
“How many years has it been?”
“Yes, sir. It’s been about 5 years. However, since this is a village in a very remote area within the territory, everyone has been living as if it were so.”
“But that is not the case now.”
“you’re right. Recently, the frequency of sudden disappearances has increased. Not too long ago, it seemed as if the disappearances that had lasted for five years had subsided, and within a few days more people had disappeared than the number of missing people that had ever existed.”
If it disappeared 5 years ago, would it have nothing to do with the butterfly effect?
First of all, I’ll have to check it out since it’s increased a lot lately.
“Can you guess anything?”
“It is really strange.”
The village chief showed hesitation, as if he was reluctant to say something.
When the official next to me tried to say something, I ended up asking first.
“You can just tell me.”
“That…it seems like the work of a beast.”
“beast?”
Unbeknownst to me, my expression was frowned upon.
He also lowered his head, probably feeling that he was too insignificant after he said it.
“I’m sorry, sir. It’s not a big deal, but I never dreamed that His Excellency would come in person…”
“I don’t understand. Are you saying that so much damage was done to the beast?”
“Actually, I have never seen it myself. However, eyewitnesses testified that a dark-furred beast was seen in the surrounding woods.”
A black-haired beast?
If I came here only because of the beast, it would be like using a knife to catch a cow while catching a real chicken.
“A beast with black fur…”
The official who followed me then muttered, his complexion turning pale.
Looking at him as if he knew something, the official felt his gaze and said,
“Oh, nothing.”
“When you say that, it makes me more curious.”
“That’s it…”
When the official paused, the village chief stepped out.
“There is a legend handed down from the southern part of the Empire. It’s about a beast in the shape of a wolf with black fur. However, since it was just a legend, I accepted it as an absurd story and did not report it.”
“Are eyewitnesses now saying that the legendary beast has appeared?”
“Yes, but you don’t have to listen.”
The legend of the Black Beast of the southern Empire.
It was something I knew.
Because it’s a story about a real spiritual being.
‘Unlike other spirit creatures, it cannot be tamed.’
To be precise, if you don’t raise it from the time it’s a baby, you can’t tame it because of its violent nature.
Knowing this was also valuable information obtained while raising Summoner Playable.
“I’ll have to check first.”
“Is His Excellency planning to step out in person?”
“yes.”
Perhaps the word that I was going out made me nervous, the village chief seemed restless.
But since I’ve come this far, I’ll take a look around myself.
Besides, if the spirit creature I was thinking of was correct, ordinary knights couldn’t solve it.
‘Come to think of it, that guy must be in the empire by now.’
The only playable summoner character.
Now I am also a necromancer, a type of summoner, so it is no longer the only one, but it was a job that was different from me.
It’s awkward to call them the same summoner.
“Adrias. I will go with you.”
It was Vivian who woke me up from my thoughts.
Of course, I was going to take her too, so I nodded my head.
Her powers are on par with most named characters.
Even if this situation turns out differently than I expected, with her strength and mine, I’ll be able to deal with it to some extent.
“I’ll go find the witnesses first.”
The first was information gathering.
**
After investigating in the village for about half a day, we headed to the forest where people were said to be missing in earnest.
The forest was very thick and lush like a primeval forest, but I was less impressed as I had experienced the Great Forest of Vayatra.
“Nothing.”
I went deep into the forest for nearly two hours and searched all over, but not a single trace came out.
Eventually, Vivian stayed quiet the whole time and then said a word.
“That makes it even weirder.”
“why?”
“Surely, people who entered this forest were said to be missing. However, there is not even a trace of the people who went missing.”
“ah!”
If there is no trace this neatly, it is rather that it left a trace.
In a situation where I had already heard eyewitness accounts of spiritual creatures, I was somewhat suspicious, but when a characteristic that only this guy showed came out, I gradually began to be sure.
“The beast might be right.”
“Black fur?”
“yes.”
“Adrias knows nothing.”
“I studied a lot.”
The moment they go deeper into the forest while having trivial conversations.
My senses alerted me and Vivian threw herself at me.
‘Earth Wall.’
Increased magic skills were manifested only by willpower, so it was possible to respond faster than pulling out a sword.
In an instant, the ground rose and something bluntly hit and disappeared.
“Adrias!”
“it’s okay.”
Vivian, who had approached me before I knew it, drew a sword and was wary of the surroundings.
The person who attacked me had long since disappeared without a trace.
“That beast is right. Shadow Fang.”
One of the spirit creatures, the Shadow Fang.
Like its name, it never left a trace and was a brutal wolf.
Anyway, I really didn’t expect to meet you here.
Most of the spirit creatures live in demonic realms or remote areas, no matter how outskirts they say, I never thought they would be in a place like this.
“Let’s go after it.”
“I would like to chase him if I could, but…”
Now that it was confirmed that he was really a guy, the headache ached.
It was a rare creature as a spirit creature, but it could not be tamed, so it had to be killed in the end, but it was one of the most difficult spirit creatures to hunt.
In the end, digging a trap was the most ideal way to catch a stealthy and swift guy, but like a spirit creature, his intelligence was very high, so he was not caught by most traps.
“I can chase you.”
“yes?”
“Follow me.”
Vivian suddenly started running somewhere.
I wondered how to go after the Shadowfang, which had the ability to erase traces, but seeing his confident movements, I somehow believed it.
As soon as I followed her, I asked.
“How are you chasing me?”
“It smells like milk.”
wet?
I tried to raise my senses using mana, but I couldn’t feel anything.
I didn’t feel anything at all, but there was nothing to lose by trusting her in the first place, so I continued to follow her.
“hmm?”
As I was following Vivian, a sharp, lifelike body suddenly stabbed me.
Feeling suspicious about the shadow fangs revealing their presence, Vivian and I stopped.
‘You dare to reveal your presence?’
Contrary to its savage nature, Shadow Fangs do not radiate any energy, including killing.
Its characteristic is that it acts leisurely like a shadow.
However, the guy who was able to follow Vivian and accidentally chased him was clearly breathing life.
“It’s right in front of you.”
After thinking for a while listening to Vivian’s words, I realized something.
‘Suddenly increased number of missing people?’
No matter how you think about it, there is only one conclusion.
“Looks like there might be a baby nearby.”
“young?”
The guy who didn’t seem to understand what I was saying suddenly appeared and started attacking.
However, we, who had already drawn our swords, blocked the wolf’s attack and naturally counterattacked.
Kang!
Squeak-!
Vivian’s sword was blocked by the mineral-hard bristles, but Galaksur gently slashed through the ligaments in the Shadowfang’s forelegs.
Whiik-!
It was unbelievable that it had been slashed, and it kept its nimble movements and lunged at us again.
But the opponent was bad.
Chijijik–
Wood Deuk!
The yet immature swordsman shook the space.
The space that could not be cut cleanly like Maximin and shook in a mess turned the shadow wolf into porridge.
“Ah…”
Vivian watched me in admiration, and I shyly put Galaksur back in.
“Practice is different from practice.”
“no. It was great.”
There was talk of a sword for a while, but first it was the dead Shadow Fang.
No, the guy continued to breathe while being crushed by the persistent vitality.
Feeling a little sorry for that appearance, as I tried to draw the sword again, Vivian said,
“I’ll do it.”
“yes.”
She caught her breath, corrected her posture, and copied the pattern I used.
I taught it once, and Maximin showed it to me, so I wanted to follow it to a certain extent……
Sigh-
I stared blankly at the tip of the knife falling almost without making any noise.
Took!
Soon, the head of the fallen Shadow Fang stared at me with a helpless expression.
“Vivian.”
“how is it?”
I called her name, but nothing came out.
I certainly knew she had talent, but I didn’t expect it to be this great.
“It is different.”
cut space?
It wasn’t such a grand concept.
It was the feeling that her sword only cut the opponents she concentrated on.
That’s why it felt so much better.
“huh. I changed it because I didn’t like copying it.”
Vivian, speaking calmly, seemed to shine.
And for some reason, I nodded my head, puzzled by myself for some reason.
“As expected, Vivian has a brilliant talent. I really couldn’t have imagined it.”
“You worked hard.”
She shoveled her sword in and looked at me silently with a look of praise.
At the puppy-like expression, as if asking for more, my sympathy disappeared without my knowledge, and only laughter came out.
“If I had missed Vivian, I would have been in big trouble. I’m so glad I brought him.”
“huh.”
It was sincere.
It was fortunate that I had brought her… It was also fortunate that I changed her destiny.
“What about him?”
Vivian saw the dead Shadowfang.
I was stunned for a moment by Vivian’s shocking performance, but I immediately captured her.
Shadowfang’s leather was light and as strong as iron, so it was a good material in many ways.
In the first place, we were too strong, and if the 2nd grade trio had been against it, it was so hard that even the leather couldn’t pierce it.
“It is done.”
“Didn’t you say you had a baby?”
“I guess. We have to look for it once.”
If it really is, the fate will probably change depending on the growth of the cub.
Since they cannot be tamed once they have grown to a certain extent, they cannot be kept alive as they will become a threat to the territory.
[ Episode 240. Spirituality ] End
