Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: In Search of the Queen (5)
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We set off for the next village without delay.
The next village wasn't far away. We could reach it in about two days. We hurried along in the carriage, not resting for even a moment except for camping one night.
By the time the sun began to set again, we arrived at the next village.
"What in the world......"
Standing at the village entrance, I could only let out a hollow laugh once more.
That was because the sign marking the village entrance lay toppled over, cleanly split in half.
"Th-there's no way...... this village hasn't burned down too, right?"
El asked me anxiously. I closed my eyes and sniffed the air. There was no smell like in the previous village.
"......No, it doesn't seem like it. But we should still be careful."
We entered the village proper in a state of high alert. Past the entrance, we saw well-tended fields and houses that looked steadily maintained. Clothes hanging on lines fluttered in the breeze—a scene that seemed peaceful at first glance.
But something was off.
'No Dark Elves in sight.'
The actual residents of the village, the Dark Elves, were nowhere to be seen—not even a glimpse.
"This is strange."
There were traces of life everywhere—clothes scattered about, baskets full of what looked like freshly harvested fruit—but no people. No people at all.
As if they'd vanished into thin air.
The thought sent chills down my spine.
In the previous village, all the Dark Elves had burned to death.
But in this one, the Dark Elves had evaporated without a trace.
What in the world was going on?
If even one villager had been left, we could have asked, but as it was, there was no one.
"Hard to believe."
We slowly searched the surroundings. But even after looking around again, we found no clues.
"Theodor, what do you plan to do now?"
At Lloyd's question, I fell into thought for a moment. I'd never even imagined a situation like this, so it took time to reach a conclusion.
"......There doesn't seem to be anything we can do right now. Other than heading to the next village as quickly as possible."
"Prepare to move out?"
"No. We've already pushed ourselves getting here. We need to leave as soon as possible, but not at the cost of overdoing it. Something could happen on the way to the next village. We might even get ambushed. Or, honestly, I have no idea what to expect."
"......"
"Where did the Dark Elves of this village go?"
"There were no signs of an attack."
"That's why it's even stranger. It really feels like they just...... 'vanished.'"
Lloyd nodded. Even he, a knight of long standing, had probably never seen anything like this. The same went for Darion, who was older than Lloyd and an elf besides. I glanced at Darion's pale face and shook my head.
"For now, let's spend the night here."
"Isn't that dangerous?"
"No choice. Spending the night might reveal what happened. Someone could come back, or......"
"We could 'vanish' too."
"......Well, yeah, that could happen. Anyway, resting here and conserving our strength isn't a bad idea, right?"
"Agreed."
Lloyd began preparing camp with practiced ease. We lit a bonfire in the central square and started getting food ready. There were plenty of empty houses around, but we didn't want to go inside them. Who knew what might happen, and if someone returned, it could lead to misunderstandings.
'Still, borrowing some fruits and vegetables should be fine.'
I grabbed a few fruits and vegetables from the baskets. I even used my [Nature Purification] skill before preparing them—just in case they were poisoned. I dumped the cleaned produce into a pot, added the rabbit meat we'd skinned earlier that day, and seasoned it with various spices. It was oddly fascinating how hungry I still was, even in this eerie situation.
As we ate, we discussed where the Dark Elves might have gone. Darion worried they might have dabbled in black magic, while Lloyd guessed they'd noticed something and fled.
"What if they saw us coming and ran away?"
At El's words, I shook my head.
"I doubt it. We're only four people. Dark Elves are skilled in both magic and combat. They could have easily overpowered us, so abandoning the village doesn't make sense. But the idea that they 'fled' has merit."
"I see......"
"The question is, what were they fleeing from?"
Dark Elves were powerful enough to make the notoriously dangerous Dark Forest their home.
What could have forced beings like them to flee?
"Sigh......"
Was it connected to the queen's condition somehow? It'd be great if there were someone to ask. I let out a deep sigh and stood up.
"Well, speculating like this won't change anything. We've pushed hard to get here, haven't we? Let's focus on resting tonight. Tomorrow, we head to the next village."
"Got it."
"Yes!"
"Understood."
We set the watch rotation and prepared our sleeping spots. Lloyd would take the first watch.
"You must be tired. Thanks for handling it."
Lloyd nodded curtly. I left Ayla outside for guard duty and entered the tent. I was exhausted enough to collapse, but for some reason, sleep wouldn't come even with my eyes closed. Was this what being in an awakened state felt like......?
Falling asleep in the middle of an abandoned village was a bit creepy. A ghost would be better than this inexplicable situation......
"Snore......"
Lost in such thoughts, I must have dozed off. But I couldn't sleep deeply, waking and drifting repeatedly. Was I asleep or awake? Dreaming? In a daze, I shifted position.
-Shunk!!!!
My eyes snapped open at the chilling, familiar sound.
'What happened?!"
I bolted up and scrambled out of the tent.
-Crackle, crackle.
The bonfire still burned, its flames flickering. And in the shadows beyond......
"L-Lloyd?"
Lloyd stood with his sword drawn.
To be precise, he'd driven his drawn sword into the ground. More precisely, a young Dark Elf lay pinned beneath him. The blade had grazed right by the child's right ear before embedding in the dirt, leaving the young Dark Elf trembling like an aspen. Her teeth chattered audibly—clack, clack.
"What is this?"
"As you can see."
"......"
"An intruder."
An intruder? That young child?
"......W-W-Waaahhh!!!!"
......As if reading my mind, the young Dark Elf burst into tears. Her wails echoed loudly through the forest.
"Stop, stop crying. Shh."
Her cries woke Darion and El from their sleep. Emerging from their sleeping bags, the two rubbed their sleepy eyes and looked at us.
"Master? What's going......"
"Waaahhh!!!!"
"......A kid?"
El jumped in surprise at the Dark Elf who looked much younger than her. I was shocked too. I turned to Lloyd, who still hadn't sheathed his sword.
"L-Lloyd, put the sword away for now."
"Didn't you hear me say intruder?"
"I did. But......"
I glanced at the crying Dark Elf.
"......She's too young. Isn't it more logical to think she's a villager from here rather than an intruder?"
"......"
"Of course, that doesn't mean I trust her completely. But......"
"Better safe than sorry."
"......I agree. So let's put the sword away and try another approach."
I pulled some seeds from my pouch and scattered them around the young Dark Elf. Thick vines sprouted up, forming a circular fence around her. Seeing this, Lloyd finally sheathed his sword.
"If she keeps crying, we can't even ask questions."
"......"
"I get your concern, but......"
"Theodor."
Lloyd cut me off with a whisper. It was rare for the taciturn man to do so, so I listened closely.
"......I didn't sense her presence until she was right up close. Ayla didn't either."
"......"
"You know what that means."
I did.
She might not be a normal 'child.'
I glanced at the child inside the vine fence and nodded to Lloyd.
"We'll stay vigilant."
Lloyd nodded back and sheathed his sword. Only then did the child's cries begin to quiet. I waited until she calmed, then offered her a polished, shining apple when the tears stopped.
"What's your name?"
"......"
"Don't want to say?"
"......"
"Fine. How about something else?"
"......"
"Where are you from?"
"......"
"Are you from this village?"
"......"
"Do you know what happened here?"
"......"
The child didn't answer once. Frustrating. I looked at El. If she wasn't responding because I was an adult, maybe El could ask? Catching my eye, El approached the fence and repeated my questions.
"......"
Of course, the child stayed silent.
'This isn't helping at all.'
Scratching my head, I looked at the child. Her tear-streaked face clutched the apple I'd given her, her large eyes darting about in fear.
-Hello, I'm Darion. What's your name?
Then, Darion, who'd been watching silently, spoke to the child in Elvish. The child looked up at him for a long moment (probably checking if his ears were elven), then replied.
-......Pebl.