74
Chapter 74
Unlike what I had feared, the situation didn't immediately turn dire.
I was spending my days fulfilling miscellaneous requests just like before.
The money I saved up was less than before, but I was definitely gaining peace of mind in return.
Of course, it wasn't as if the village was entirely devoid of worries.
The rumors I had heard before about the missing persons were now slowly creeping into the dining room.
The only reason there hadn't been a massive uproar was that most of the missing persons were outsiders or vagabonds wandering outside the village.
Unless there was direct harm among the people inside the village, things like this were generally buried quietly.
This was that kind of world.
Honestly, even if a village resident went missing, there was almost no chance we would make a move unless an official request was posted.
Because no request meant there was no responsibility.
Once I had some free time, I started devoting myself to magic training again.
"Huuph-"
The training I was doing today was the so-called water sorting.
It was an exercise in separating only the relatively clear moisture from contaminated water, but it was much trickier than I thought.
I felt it when drawing water from the muddy water during the previous castle wall battle, but the more impurities there were, the more it doubled the focus and time required.
Still, there were results little by little.
Compared to before, the speed and amount I could draw out had increased.
However, when it came to blood, it wouldn't budge at all.
I wasn't too sure... but was there some other mechanism in the human body, especially in blood?
It was definitely moisture.
...This was why I wanted to read something like a magic book.
If I could just get my hands on a book related to magic, I felt like I could get the hang of it a bit.
Books in this world were truly worth their weight in gold.
Not only were they expensive, but they were also hard to find, and even if I did get one, the contents might end up being useless.
It would be cheaper and more practical to get equipment with that money instead.
There was one book that came to mind at times like this.
Riv's diary, which had been sitting on the old desk in the hut where I first opened my eyes in this world.
The writings that I had roughly skimmed through at first.
Back then, I just thought of it as a simple diary.
Thinking about it now, it seemed like there were quite a few meaningful crests and bizarre drawings inside it.
Recalling what I heard at the information guild, perhaps that forbidden magic was related to that diary.
Honestly, thinking about it like that, it might be better not to know.
From the perspective of someone who had already been caught, it was just unfair to be captured because of a magic I hadn't even seen.
Should I go back there even now?
However, I couldn't even remember the exact location to begin with.
Moreover, the place itself was dangerous.
...Above all, it was highly likely that the guards had already been there to clean up and confiscate everything.
As I snapped out of my rushing thoughts, the distinct sound of huffing and shouting reached my ears.
It was the voices of Silon and Eileen, who were practicing their swordsmanship next to me.
Recently, ever since I started practicing magic alone in the clearing near the village.
Eileen tagged along first, and before I knew it, Silon had joined us.
Since those two couldn't use magic, they each picked up a sword and started training.
However, without a proper specimen to study from or anyone to teach them, it was actually closer to play-fighting.
They were around the same age, and their personalities overlapped in some ways too.
Even though they bickered, spending time together became increasingly natural for them.
"Ack! I said no hitting the head!"
"You should have dodged it."
Honestly, I hear that kind of exchange multiple times a day.
But fortunately, it hasn't escalated into a real fight yet.
It seemed both of them knew where to draw the line.
Anyway, Eileen definitely had her fundamentals down.
Traces of having learned swordsmanship were evident in her every move, and compared to Silon, she was a bit more flexible and composed.
Of course, she still showed shortcomings in physical limitations and technical aspects, but she wasn't just doing a sloppy imitation either.
With a little more polishing, she might be able to hold her own to some extent in actual combat.
I turned my gaze back and looked at the small water drop hovering over my hand.
I still had a long way to go with my own training too.
"Hey, kids! We have a big problem!"
Just as I was about to resume my training, Baldic, who had been leisurely drinking at the inn, came running over while gasping for air.
Startled by the sound, Silon reacted a beat too late and was smacked right on the head by Eileen's strike.
"What's going on?"
"Bill has disappeared!"
"What?"
Bill.
The son of the owner of the inn where we were staying.
With a common name and ordinary behavior, he was like the default setting for a boy of his age.
"Disappeared? To where..."
Eileen asked back, furrowing her brow.
"They said he went out to play for a bit this morning, but he hasn't returned since running outside."
"Could he have gone towards the mountain?"
"I wish that were the case... The problem is, the neighborhood dog that followed him went out and came back perfectly fine on its own. That dog never usually goes far without him."
Baldic caught his breath and continued speaking without a pause.
"The innkeeper said so. Every time he heard stories about the missing persons lately, the kid would be terrified. Despite that, he was unusually excited today for some reason."
"...Could someone have lured him?"
As my words trailed off, the expressions of the party members all stiffened as well.
"Do you know where he was seen last?"
"Yeah. The clearing near the market. They said he was last seen talking to an old woman there."
"An old woman?"
"Yeah, I found it strange too, so I came running as soon as I heard that."
At the mention of an old woman, I frowned without realizing it.
There was no one in this village who could be called an old woman.
There was only one, but she had already passed away last week and her funeral was held quietly.
In other words, there was currently no one in this village who fit the description of an old woman.
An outsider from outside the village?
However, for an old woman to wander around the village alone and talk to a child was quite an unusual occurrence given the atmosphere of this village.
At that moment, a word flashed through my mind.
...Lure.
And, missing person.
"Could it possibly be related to the recent missing person cases?"
"I had that thought too. But, honestly speaking... nothing is certain."
Baldic shook his head while catching his breath.
"The innkeeper suddenly grabbed me and said something, so I just ran out first. The situation hasn't been sorted out yet, there's just a possibility of it."
"I suppose so. Maybe it's just a false alarm."
Silon added carefully.
"For now, should we look for him ourselves? We were planning to take a look around anyway."
"...Shall we? Then let's just grab our equipment and head out right away."
When I said that, Baldic nodded and stood up.
The inn owner had secretly taken care of us all this time, and the kid named Bill was also quite a familiar face.
Given that, it was worth doing at least one search.
'It's not exactly an obligation, but still....'
I quietly grabbed my staff and tightened my belt again.
Just in case. There was nothing more unreliable in this world than the idea of an ordinary day.
***
When we headed to the market clearing where he was last seen, we weren't the only ones searching.
People were gathered in small groups here and there, looking around.
The inn owner seemed quite desperate as well.
I thought people were just worried in passing, but I didn't expect the situation to escalate this much.
Thanks to that, the atmosphere itself was already distinctly different from usual.
I spotted a familiar mercenary I often ran into at the mercenary guild, so I struck up a conversation.
"Mister Nas, did you find anything?"
"Huh? Oh, Riv. No, forget about an old woman, I haven't even seen a single rat."
He scratched his head and shrugged.
Despite his thick beard, clunky armor, and fierce impression, his way of speaking was surprisingly gentle.
"They said he ran out this morning. Did you check that area?"
"Yeah, I checked the nearby outskirts and the warehouse, and Vernel is looking around the stream bank down there. We haven't looked beyond the fence yet."
Most of the people gathered around were either staying at the inn or regular patrons.
Since Bill was a well-known kid in the village, it seemed everyone was genuinely trying to find him.
"...Are there really no traces or anything?"
"Yeah. That's the problem. The footprints are faint, and the dog that followed him came back perfectly fine on its own. There's no way to know if this kid hid somewhere on his own or if someone took him."
He let out a deep sigh and scanned the surroundings again.
"Things like this usually get harder once a day passes since the disappearance, but it hasn't been long, so there's still hope for now."
The atmosphere was definitely unusual.
It wasn't common for a child to disappear in the village. At least, in a peaceful village.
I kept my mouth shut and stared at the empty clearing.
Things are taking a strange turn.
"Not many people went to the outside of the village at all, right?"
"A few guys went out earlier, but well... there hasn't been any news."
At this rate, we might have to go look ourselves.
"Then we'll take a look around the outside."
"Got it. Make sure to let us know if you find anything."
After saying goodbye to Mister Nas, the three of us gathered again to briefly assess the situation.
"It looks like the inside of the village has already been completely searched."
"Yeah. At this point, I'm starting to wonder if something really bad happened."
"Still, the good thing is that there are hardly any dangerous demonic beasts around here. Of course, we can't completely let our guard down."
"Hah, damn it. The whole village is going to be turned upside down over one kid."
Baldic grumbled, but his eyes were filled with anxiety.
We quietly made our way toward the forest outside the village.