Chapter 89

Chapter 89. A Common Occurrence (1)

Empire’s border.

A carriage was speeding down a rural road littered with vegetation and stone fragments.

Vroooom.

Though it was called a carriage, it wasn’t the kind pulled by horses like in the old days.

Its official name was the Magic Carriage.

A type of magical tool created by the Republic’s technology, it used magic stones as its power source instead of horses.

When it was first developed, its exorbitant price made it accessible only to a handful of imperial nobles, high priests of the Holy Kingdom, or Republic tycoons. However, with the mass production of magic stones, it had now become one of the most common means of transportation, alongside warp gates.

Of course.

For those who couldn’t even afford to be part of that “common” class, the Magic Carriage was nothing short of an alien artifact.

“Phew. Driving on rural roads is never easy.”

Professor Elisha, sitting in the driver’s seat, flicked ash out the window and frowned.

While the imperial capital and major cities had smooth paved roads, driving on rural roads like this meant enduring jolts every second, feeling the shocks throughout her body.

“If it’s too tiring, should I drive?”

“Hm? Do you have a Magic Carriage license?”

“…Ah.”

Come to think of it, I didn’t have a license during my Candidate days.

Back then, I was so broke I had to split bread from the convenience store. There was no way I could afford to get a Magic Carriage license.

I only got my license long after graduating.

‘Even then, it was because the mercenary captain forced me to act as a driver and made me get it.’

Anyway.

Right now, I didn’t even have a license, let alone a test certificate.

“I don’t have a license, but I can drive.”

“That’s very reassuring.”

“I really can drive.”

“I appreciate the thought, but I’ll decline. We’re almost at the village anyway.”

At Professor Elisha’s words, I shrugged.

“Well, at this speed, we’ll arrive in about 2-3 hours.”

“Right. That should be enough time to get there… Hm?”

Professor Elisha tilted her head and looked at me with a questioning gaze.

“Candidate Dale, aren’t you from the Republic?”

“Ah, yes. That’s correct.”

“Then how do you know how long it takes to get to this remote imperial village by carriage?”

“……”

At Professor Elisha’s pointed question, I firmly shut my mouth.

‘How does someone from the Republic know the geography of an imperial backwater?’

I’ve been wandering all over the continent for thousands of years searching for the Primordial Flame. There’s no way I wouldn’t know about some imperial backwater or a Holy Kingdom sanctuary.

Of course.

I couldn’t tell Professor Elisha that.

“I studied hard during the first-year basic geography class.”

“For someone who studied so hard, your grades were… Ahem. Well, never mind. It’s not important.”

Perhaps not wanting to pry further, Professor Elisha turned her gaze back out the window.

A typical rural road with rustling trees and the sound of a babbling brook.

“……”

Professor Elisha gazed at the unremarkable scenery with a distant, nostalgic look in her eyes.

“Come to think of it, Professor Elisha, you said you’re from a rural village too, right?”

“Well… yes.”

Professor Elisha nodded.

“I’m from one of those common, tiny villages you can find anywhere on the empire’s borders.”

Perhaps reminiscing about her childhood memories.

Professor Elisha slowed the Magic Carriage and continued in a low voice.

“A village with less than a hundred people, barely scraping by with farming and hunting… That kind of place.”

“Isn’t the place we’re heading to similar?”

“Yes.”

Professor Elisha, who had been gradually slowing down, stopped the carriage by the side of the road.

“Let’s have a quick meal here before we go.”

“Huh? Aren’t we arriving at the village soon anyway?”

We’d reach the village in 2-3 hours, so there was no need to eat by the roadside.

“That’s true, but…”

Professor Elisha smiled wryly and continued.

“The smaller the village, the more fear and reverence they have for outsiders. Especially in a situation like this, where they’re the ones receiving help, they’ll go out of their way to treat us excessively.”

Excessive treatment, huh.

“So you don’t want to empty their already scarce village storeroom.”

“It’s not like we’re starving or anything.”

“Haha. Well, that’s true.”

Her cold demeanor didn’t match her thoughtful consideration.

‘I heard she personally runs a foundation.’

I recalled what Instructor Vincent had told me as I got out of the carriage.

“What food did you bring?”

“I didn’t bring any.”

“…You didn’t bring any?”

I looked at Professor Elisha with a dumbfounded expression.

‘If you were going to do this, you should’ve told me to bring something.’

Since Professor Elisha had only told me to come, I didn’t bring any food either.

“Well, the place is full of food. No need to bother bringing any.”

Professor Elisha chuckled and headed toward the stream by the roadside.

Snap.

With a flick of her hand, thin silver threads shot into the stream.

Splash! Swish!

The silver threads violently stirred the water.

In an instant, the tangled threads formed a small net.

“Hup!”

Tug, tug!

When she pulled the net, two fish the size of forearms came out.

“See? Just as I said.”

Professor Elisha shrugged as she lifted the two flapping fish from the net.

I stifled a laugh as I watched Professor Elisha catch fish in an instant.

“Spiders catch fish these days, huh.”

“Evolution is the greatest strength of living beings.”

Professor Elisha skewered the fish on a sharp stick and turned to me.

“Can you start a fire?”

“Yes.”

I gathered nearby branches and started a small campfire.

Meanwhile, Professor Elisha was rummaging through the nearby bushes.

“What are you doing there?”

“If there’s a meal, there should be dessert too.”

As she said this, she returned to the campfire with a handful of colorful fruits the size of thumbnails.

“These are simple fruits for a light snack. I used to pick them near my house when I was young.”

“…You’re more resourceful than I thought.”

The sight of a beautiful woman in a neat black suit picking fruits from the bushes gave off the strange vibe of a noblewoman tilling a field.

“Hehe. How about it? Feeling a different kind of charm?”

I nodded with a chuckle as I watched Professor Elisha shrug.

“I like you much more now than when I first met you.”

“This is getting troublesome.”

“What is?”

“I didn’t expect to get a proposal from a fresh-faced Candidate.”

“What?”

What is this woman talking about?

“Just kidding.”

Professor Elisha smiled mischievously, a playful grin that didn’t match her cold demeanor, and took a bite of the grilled fish.

* * *

After finishing our simple meal, Professor Elisha and I got back into the Magic Carriage and headed toward the village.

After driving for about two more hours on the bumpy rural road, the village came into view.

Perhaps having heard of our arrival, an elderly man with a cane was waiting for us outside the village.

“Are you the heroes who’ve come to slay the monsters?”

The old man approached as we got out of the carriage.

“Yes.”

“Ohh! Th-thank you! Thank you, heroes!”

The old man bowed repeatedly, his face filled with gratitude.

“And you are?”

“Ah, my apologies for the late introduction. I’m Oliver, the village chief.”

“I see. Can we take a look around the village?”

“Of course! Ah, have you eaten? If you let me know, I’ll prepare a meal right away…”

“No need. We’ve already eaten.”

“I-is that so? I wanted to show our gratitude for your efforts, but it’s a shame.”

Despite his words, a look of relief flashed in Oliver’s eyes.

“Please, come inside.”

Following Oliver, we entered the village.

The small village, with less than a hundred residents, was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere.

People peeking out from behind old window frames.

People hastily retreating inside when our eyes met.

People sitting dazed on the roadside with haggard faces.

It felt more like entering a cemetery than a village.

“Haha… My apologies. It wasn’t like this before…”

Oliver looked around the village with sad eyes.

“Is it because of the monsters?”

“…Yes.”

Of course.

With a Palan-level monster abducting villagers, it was only natural for the village to be shrouded in gloom.

“When did the monsters first appear?”

“About… a week ago.”

“How many people have been abducted so far?”

“Seven.”

“Seven.”

Professor Elisha frowned and continued.

“So they’re abducting one person every day?”

“…Yes.”

Oliver clenched his fists and bit his lip.

“That vile monster is toying with us, abducting one villager every night!”

His eyes trembled with anger.

Oliver’s wrinkled cheeks quivered.

“…And yet, you stayed in the village?”

“Wh-where would ignorant folks like us run to in the empire? If we lose this village, we…”

For villagers who barely scraped by with farming and hunting, losing their home and moving elsewhere was practically a death sentence.

“Hmm.”

Professor Elisha crossed her arms and let out a low hum.

“I heard there was someone who witnessed the monster.”

“Ah… yes. That’s correct.”

“Where are they?”

“Th-this way, please.”

Oliver led us into a nearby house.

Inside the house made of old wood sat a man.

He looked to be around forty.

For someone living in such a rural village, he had a surprisingly neat appearance.

“H-Harris is my name.”

The man stood up hesitantly as we entered.

“You’re the one who saw the monster?”

“Y-yes!”

Harris nodded with a tense expression.

“Describe the situation and the monster’s appearance in as much detail as possible.”

“I-it’s as I wrote in the report. Around 1 a.m., I heard a commotion outside and went to check… There was a monster that looked like a two-legged crocodile, dragging a villager away with its long tail.”

“It took them alive?”

“Y-yes.”

“Which direction did it go?”

“Toward the mountain behind the village.”

“Any other witnesses?”

“There were others who saw it, but… they were too scared and hid inside.”

“Hmm. I see.”

Professor Elisha nodded.

“Alright. We’ll be on our way then.”

“P-please! Please slay that terrible monster!”

Harris knelt on the ground, bowing his head.

“We’ll do our best.”

Professor Elisha gave a short reply and turned away.

“H-Harris, calm down a bit.”

As Oliver tried to comfort the sobbing Harris, Professor Elisha and I left the house.

“Phew.”

Professor Elisha took out a cigarette and lit it, exhaling deeply.

“Is something wrong?”

“That man, Harris.”

Click.

The lighter’s flame lit the cigarette.

“He’s lying.”

Professor Elisha exhaled smoke, her violet eyes gleaming.