The mont the news Zephyrus brought reached our ears, the weight of the situation hit us hard. We completely forgot about our plans for dinner and imdiately threw ourselves back into our work without a second thought.
Sofia didn't waste a single mont and ran straight back toward Justo's office. Her goal was to mass-produce the dicine she had developed so she could provide so relief to those who were suffering. Zephyrus warned her that the number of people falling victim to the curse was likely to shoot up drastically and very soon.
anwhile, Jerusha, Lycus, and I rushed out of the inn. We returned to our assigned search areas, feeling a new sense of urgency driving us forward.
We already knew that our window of opportunity was closing fast, but hearing that we only had a couple of days left before the ritual reached completion made the situation feel desperate.
There was absolutely no more ti to waste on resting or breaks. Even the thought of trying to get so sleep felt like a luxury we couldn't afford anymore.
*****
Without caring about our own exhaustion, we all set out to tackle our respective tasks, focused entirely on the crisis at hand.
"Fuck, this level of difficulty is definitely not fit for a first quest on the way to the Demon King."
I muttered those words as I dashed along the outer periter of the village walls.
By this point in the story, Leon has probably already taken care of the demon in the first village they visited and is likely preparing to set out for his next destination. Their opponent was only a mid-rank demon, which shouldn't be a problem for a group like theirs, but I originally thought they were the ones who had it hard.
Now, however, we were stuck in a nightmare where a noble demon might actually be summoned right under our noses! NOt just one as well, but two of them!
'Ugh, this is just so incredibly unfair...!'
I grumbled in my head, but I didn't let it slow my pace. I couldn't stop looking because I knew that countless lives were at stake here. With a look of pure determination on my face—
"I'LL FUCKING KILL THOSE WORSHIPPERS THE SECOND I CATCH THEM!!!"
I exclaid that at the top of my lungs, letting all of my anger out into the empty air.
*****
An entire day had passed since Zephyrus delivered the terrifying news about how the summoning ritual was speeding up.
Since that mont, Raye, Jerusha, and Lycus had been searching around the village without a single break, desperately looking for any clues that might lead them to the worshippers.
But despite their best efforts and the lack of sleep, they still hadn't found anything useful.
Sofia was working herself to the bone mass-producing her potion. She was also trying to improve the formula to better help Justo and the rest of the villagers who were suffering. The number of people affected by the curse had jumped up significantly; now, more than half of the entire village population had beco infected.
Zephyrus and Pyro remained stationed at the adow, keeping a constant eye on the dark energy and watching for any changes in the situation there.
The six of them only managed to et back at the inn for very short periods, usually just long enough to grab a quick snack and exchange whatever information they had gathered. But so far, the reports were always the sa, and there was no progress to speak of.
Sofia admitted to them that she was barely keeping up with the demand for potions for the infected. Raye and the other two searchers had to report that they still hadn't found a single trace of the enemy.
Zephyrus and Pyro confird that the dark energy at the adow was still gathering at a terrifying speed and wasn't slowing down at all.
Nothing new.
And just like that, another day slipped through their fingers, bringing them even closer to the end.
... ... ...
(Raye's POV)
"Ugh..."
I groaned softly as I approached the familiar entrance of the inn where the rest of the group and I were staying. It was already late into the night, and I was heading there to et up with everyone else so we could share whatever little information we had managed to find.
It had been two full days since Zephyrus first warned us about the ritual, and yet we made absolutely zero progress in finding the source of the problem.
'Sofia is probably reaching her limit as well.'
I thought about how hard she was working as I stepped inside the inn. I looked around the common area and realized that the others hadn't arrived yet.
'I guess I'm the first one back for once.'
I walked over to the receptionist, deciding that I should order so roasted at for the group so they could have sothing to eat while we talked.
"The usual again tonight, for all of us."
I said.
"Got it... Thanks for all the hard work you're doing."
The receptionist responded with a tired but sincere look. I just gave him a short nod, feeling a heavy sense of guilt in my chest because he was thanking even though I hadn't been able to accomplish anything yet.
He moved quickly to pass my order to the kitchen staff while I made my way toward the dining area to find a suitable table for all of us to sit at.
"Hmm?"
I noticed two people already sitting there and eating— one man and one woman. It was a bit rare to see people out this late, but it wasn't exactly unusual since so of the villagers had to work night shifts.
I decided to just ignore them and took a seat at a table located near the entrance.
I sat there and waited, lost in my own dark thoughts, wondering where in the world those worshipper bastards could be hiding.
"Haaaah..."
I let out a long, exhausted sigh. I hadn't managed to get a single second of sleep, and I barely eaten anything either. I knew I wasn't the only one; everyone else in the group was pushed to their absolute breaking point.
'These worshippers are much better at hiding than I originally thought. We've been searching as thoroughly as possible, but we can't find them or even a tiny clue about where they are.'
I thought to myself. I didn't want to lose hope, but as every hour passed by, it felt like the situation was becoming impossible to solve in ti.
But then...
Just as I was spiraling deeper into my own thoughts, a voice broke through the silence of the room.
"Hah...! I honestly can't believe that old fart is still clinging to life."
I heard a man's voice coming from a table far from . Hearing that made imdiately snapped out of my daze. I tried to act natural and decided to just ignore the comnt at first. However—
"He's really stubborn, isn't he? It's just like that ti when he refused to give us any money, even though we were asking him so nicely."
What I heard next made my heart skip a beat and I imdiately perked up my ears.
A specific mory resurfaced in my mind— it was the story Justo had told us about a group of people who had visited him and demanded money. These were the very people we were suspicious of, the ones likely behind the curse that was destroying the village!
"..."
I didn't let myself act impulsively. I stayed completely calm and didn't move a muscle. Without using any of my mana, I tried my absolute best to sharpen my hearing while pretending to be busy with my own things.
"You should really learn when to shut your mouth."
Said a woman's voice, sounding annoyed.
"Bah! It's just the two of us here... and that kid over by the entrance who looks like he's about to drop dead from exhaustion. He can't hear what we're saying anyway."
The man answered her with a dismissive tone.
Hearing that they were paying attention to , I did my best to suppress my mana even further, making it feel small and hidden. I wanted to hide my strength from them so they would continue to think I was just a normal, tired villager.
"Haaah... You really are too carefree for your own good."
The woman spoke as she stood up from the table.
"Whatever, let's just get out of here and head back to the others."
Then she followed up with that suggestion.
"Stop nagging all the ti, you're not my mother. Because if you were, I'd probably have killed you for abandoning at birth."
The man stood up as well while he gave her that nasty reply.
Then, after that exchange, the two of them walked right out of the dining room and headed all the way out of the building. I didn't follow after them imdiately, knowing I had to be careful not to tip them off.
"Here's the usual order."
At that exact mont, the waiter who always serves us ca out from the kitchen, carrying a large tray filled with the food I had ordered.
I stood up from my seat quickly and looked him directly in the eye.
"Tell the others to co find as soon as they get here. Tell them that I finally found them."
I said those words with a very firm look on my face.
I didn't waste a single mont after that and imdiately rushed out of the inn to follow the pair before the waiter even had a chance to respond to .
The enemies just slipped up. I won't let them get away again.
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