[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 52: The Missing Children (2)
“Who are you?”
A hunched old woman asked with a wary look, clutching a club in her hand.
Hal stepped forward and presented his credentials.
“I am a priest of the Order.”
“……A priest? What brings a priest to a place like this……?”
The old woman reached out a trembling hand towards Hal's credentials.
Hal placed them in her hand, and the old woman finally nodded her head in understanding.
“This symbol…… It is indeed the Order's insignia. Co in.”
The old woman finally relaxed her guard and opened the door wide.
“Thank you.”
Hal said, brushing off the snow from his clothes as he stepped inside.
The warm air inside, unlike the cold outside, filled his lungs and ward his body.
“Follow . I will lead you to the drawing-room.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
The old woman slowly led the way, and Hal and his companions followed cautiously, ready to draw their weapons at any mont.
“…….”
Hal exchanged glances with the others.
They all sensed sothing strange without a word being spoken.
A luxurious mansion appearing suddenly in the middle of the mountains was certainly out of place.
While they should be wary, they needed to follow the old woman's lead and assess the situation for now.
Their goal was to rescue the man's family.
“Warm yourselves first.”
The drawing-room the old woman led them to was even cozier and warr.
A fire crackled softly in the hearth, and the air was filled with the scent of burning wood.
Once everyone was seated, the old woman finally asked with a puzzled look,
“So, what brings a priest to this place?”
“…….”
Hal gazed at the old woman for a mont before speaking.
“We are looking for soone.”
“……Soone?”
The old woman's eyes narrowed slightly, her expression suggesting she was hiding sothing.
Hal kept a close eye on her as he continued,
“Yes, a man on the outskirts of the forest asked us for help. He said his wife and children entered the forest and haven't returned. Have you seen them by any chance?”
At Hal's question, the old woman averted her gaze and let out a low groan.
But eventually, she seed to give up and sighed, asking warily.
“And what if I have?”
“Then we must take them back with us.”
“Even if they don't want to?”
“……?”
Hal tilted his head in confusion.
The old woman pressed on,
“What if the wife and children ran away from the man to escape him?”
“…….”
When Hal couldn't answer the unexpected question, the old woman sighed and said,
“I have seen them. I am protecting them. The husband, the woodcutter, becos a beast when he drinks and beats his family. The wife, unable to bear it any longer, brought her children to .”
“……Who are you?”
“I am the caretaker of Lord Lonely Ridge's villa. His Lordship and his wife co here every sumr.”
Hal was bewildered by this unexpected story.
Thinking back, there were indeed strange aspects to the man's story.
For instance, why didn't the man go into the forest to search for his family himself?
Noticing their unease, the old woman sighed and explained,
“This mansion is under a perception-altering spell. Without my permission, even the woodcutter cannot find this place. Though a priest like you sohow managed to break through……”
“Ah.”
Hal nodded in understanding.
That explained why the man had asked him for help.
“I need to see them.”
“Very well. Have sothing to eat while you wait.”
The old woman gestured towards the wine, bread, and fruit on the table and slowly left the room.
“Whew.”
Hal let out a breath as the tension eased slightly.
Though things weren't going as planned, it wasn't a bad situation.
Just then, soone's stomach growled.
Hal turned to his companions, but they all shook their heads.
“It wasn't .”
“What are you looking at? It wasn't either.”
"It wasn't either. Ono, was it really not you?"
"You little brat... even if it wasn't ?"
"..."
No one said anything.
Hal nodded as if he understood.
Co to think of it, he was hungry. It had been a while since he missed his alti.
"Those who want to eat, please do. But don't touch what's on the table."
"Alright."
The group nodded and each rummaged through their pockets to take out sothing to eat.
It was still difficult to completely trust the old woman.
They each took out and chewed on dried at, biscuits, and other dry provisions.
Just then, Ono tossed sothing to Hal.
It was a fruit called a winter plum.
"What's this for?"
"I picked it from the front."
"When did you... sigh, Thanks."
"Suit yourself."
Ono shrugged and offered so to Daniel and Lena as well.
The two, tired of their dry provisions, accepted the fruit while glancing at Hal.
'....It's not stealing, is it?'
After all, there were plums among the fruits laid out on the table. Hal swallowed a sigh and nodded.
The two bit into the plums.
The ripe plums, juicy at first glance, burst with sweet juice as soon as they were bitten.
Even Hal, who was watching, found himself swallowing unconsciously.
'I guess they were tired of the dry food.'
Hal closed his eyes tightly and shoved the dried at into his mouth. The jerky felt especially tough today, like chewing on tree bark.
After chewing and swallowing the at for a while, Hal slowly opened his eyes.
An unbelievable sight unfolded before him.
"......!"
All three people who had been eating just monts ago had collapsed.
He quickly checked Lena's pulse, who was closest to him. Her breathing was even, and her heart was beating steadily.
She was asleep.
'We've been had.'
Hal drew his sword and jumped to his feet.
Was there poison in the fruit?
'But how did they know and prepare in advance....'
Hal's thoughts were cut short. He felt his body tilting before his head hit the floor.
"......?"
What was going on? He hadn't even touched the fruit.
As Hal's mind grew hazy, the crackling sound of firewood reached his ears.
'...Ah.'
It had been happening since they entered the room. Sothing in the air had done this to him.
Now that he thought about it, there was a faint scent in the air.
Perhaps that was the reason why he felt strangely drowsy and relaxed.
Hal gritted his teeth and tried to get up.
As he managed to raise his upper body, a familiar voice ca from behind him.
"Oh my, there's still one wriggling around. Is it the religious zealot? Or the pathetic knight?"
The old woman muttered in disgust and approached him.
Then...
Thwack!
With a dizzying blow to the back of his neck,
Hal collapsed to the floor.
As his consciousness faded, he heard a faint voice mocking him.
"Whatever you are, you crawled in here on your own. How foolish. Tsk tsk."
That was Hal's last mory.
***
"... Ugh."
Hal opened his eyes with a throbbing headache.
His surroundings were dark, but not so much that he couldn't make out shapes.
The first thing he saw were iron bars.
And handcuffs on his wrists, shackles on his ankles.
'Handcuffs?'
Hal, montarily dazed from sleep, abruptly opened his eyes.
'Am I still alive?'
He was surprised to find himself alive and quickly examined his surroundings.
Inside the iron bars, Hal and his companions were all tied up together.
The others were still asleep, seemingly unconscious.
Hal gritted his teeth and strained to break free from the handcuffs.
Crack!
Blood trickled from his wrists where the cuffs were fastened, but it was no use.
He couldn't muster any strength.
His stomach churned.
The mana within his body was also running wild.
'Poison?'
Hal frowned.
If the sleepiness and lack of strength were due to poisoning, it would explain everything.
With his sword taken away, there was nothing he could do.
"...I made a mistake."
It was at that mont, as Hal muttered to himself, that he heard a voice.
"Hey... are you awake?"
A boy's voice ca from beyond the wall.
The trembling voice was cautious and filled with fear.
Hal answered in a calm voice.
"Yes, I just woke up."
"Ah!"
The boy seed surprised that Hal answered.
Then, he suddenly continued in a brighter tone.
"I saw the witch drag you down here earlier. I'm glad you're alright."
The fact that the boy witnessed him and his companions being imprisoned here ant he was captured earlier.
Hal easily deduced the boy's identity.
"It's you, isn't it? The woodcutter's son."
"Huh? How did you know?"
The boy asked in surprise.
Hal quickly replied,
"Your father asked us to co. Where are your mother and sibling?"
"My dad did?"
The boy's joy was short-lived, and he suddenly sobbed.
"My sister... the witch took her. And my mom..."
He couldn't continue speaking for a while.
Only after sniffling a few tis did the boy stamr,
"M-my mom is here beside ... but she's turned into a tree."
"...A tree?"
"Yes... At first, sprouts grew from her head, then her skin gradually turned into bark... Now she doesn't move at all."
Hal was silent after hearing the shocking story.
As if rembering sothing, the boy wiped his tears and added urgently,
"N-never eat what the witch gives you! Mom changed after eating it."
Food.
Hal suddenly lifted his head as if he had rembered sothing.
He quickly checked his companions again.
"......"
As expected.
Small sprouts were growing on their heads.
Hal finally realized what he was facing.
He had read about it in a book once.
A blood-drinking flower that parasitizes the human body and expands its influence.
The high ranking demon, Carnosa Vinea.
However, there was sothing puzzling.
Why didn't he sense any demonic energy from the plums his companions ate, or from this mansion?
How could the old woman conceal her true identity?
Nevertheless, identifying the enemy was a significant step forward.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I know who we're dealing with."
"Huh? Oh, yes."
The boy seed flustered, as if he didn't expect to be thanked.
A brief silence fell between them.
After a mont of contemplation, Hal hesitantly asked,
"Are you alright?"
"Huh? ...?"
The boy replied with an awkward laugh.
"I'm still okay."
"'Still'?"
"..."
After a mont of silence, the boy spoke with a trembling voice.
"The witch said she'll feed the fruit to my sister if I don't eat it today."
The boy took a deep breath.
Then, he murmured as if he had made up his mind.
"I have to eat it now. I waited to warn you when you woke up."
The clattering of dishes could be heard from beyond the wall.
Hal urgently stopped him.
"Wait a mont."
"...Yes?"
"I have a way."
The boy was silent for a long ti at Hal's words.
Then, a trembling voice reached him.
A faint hope glimred in the tearful voice.
"R-really...?"
"It certainly won't be easy, but it's worth a try."
Hal hesitated for a mont, but then affird with certainty.
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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