75
Chapter 75
We left the village and immediately began searching outside the fence, specifically the forests and plains on the outskirts.
It was a familiar patrol route we had taken for several days.
As always, I was familiar enough to remember every path and thicket, but this time something felt different.
"Damn it, did they even come out here? I can't find a single footprint, let alone a strand of hair."
Baldic said, his voice laced with annoyance.
"I know, right? At this rate, we're going to die of exhaustion first."
Silon also looked visibly exhausted.
We were sweating profusely, and our legs were gradually growing heavy.
Even so, the feeling that we were missing something wouldn't leave my mind.
...Is this really the right way?
Or perhaps they were still inside the village to begin with.
Or maybe they wandered off the path entirely.
"Didn't they say there were no traces when the missing persons first disappeared, anyway?"
Eileen spoke up carefully.
"Well, yeah. Then how on earth are we supposed to find them?"
Baldic wiped his sweat and shook his head.
Without realizing it, my gaze turned toward the hill.
I caught sight of people going in and out of the village, searching.
It wasn't just us. The village people, along with a few mercenaries, were out scouring the area.
If it was to this extent, it meant the rumor had spread throughout the whole village.
And yet, if they still hadn't found anything, this might not be a simple accident.
Woof! Woof!
At that moment, the loud barking of a dog echoed from somewhere.
"...Isn't that the puppy Bill used to carry around?"
Silon turned his head first.
At the edge of the dense brush, a familiar puppy was standing there.
It looked at us for a moment, then barked toward its rear again.
Then, as if telling us to follow, it took a few steps forward and entered the brush.
"...No way."
I moved my feet without hesitation.
"Hey, Riv! Where are you going!"
"Hold on, I think that dog knows something!"
I stepped through the brush, following the puppy.
The others started to follow in a hurry, seemingly surprised.
Deeper into the forest, the dog walking ahead suddenly stopped at a certain spot.
Whining, it circled the area while staring anxiously at something.
"Why is it acting like that? Is there something here?"
Eileen tilted her head.
I approached carefully and looked at the spot.
On the surface, it looked like ordinary ground.
The only things beneath my feet were soft dirt, moss, and a few fallen leaves.
——Zzzzt.
Just one step.
I had merely stepped lightly, yet an unknown, icy sensation spread beneath my skin.
It felt as though a wave were rippling deep down, right below my heart.
Even the air grew thick, feeling as if something was undergoing condensation.
I unconsciously stopped in my tracks.
My vision was directed at the ground, but my senses were pointing toward something unseen.
'...What is this feeling.'
Nothing was visible to the eye, but it was definitely there.
Just as I tried to focus my mana slightly.
Swish.
A feeling of the air trembling.
Along with it, a part of my vision smoothly twisted.
Very slowly, as if a thin membrane were tearing.
And beyond that, a landscape that hadn't existed appeared.
"...A cabin?"
A small log cabin.
Right in the middle of a dense bush, as if it had been hiding.
That exact spot had definitely been nothing but grass and dirt just a moment ago.
"Wait a moment, Riv. What do you see?"
Silon asked, but I didn't answer.
This was a space that only I could see.
It was definitely a place under magical concealment, and a rather sophisticated visual distortion at that.
The reason I could sense it anyway... was probably because I am a magician.
I quietly turned my head and looked at the party.
"Yeah. I guess you guys can't see it."
"What is it that you actually see?"
Silon asked again with a furrowed brow, but I moved straight ahead without saying another word.
The moment I carefully placed the tip of my foot on the distorted boundary.
Swish.
The air in front of me split apart like a thin membrane.
Taking one step inside, the world changed.
"...!"
Even the density of the air was different.
The noise of the forest disappeared in an instant, and only the sound of gentle breathing and a light breeze brushed past my ears.
Behind me, I could no longer hear Eileen and Silon's presence or their voices.
Truly, this was an isolated space.
I turned my head again and slowly leaned my body outside the boundary.
"...Whoa! That startled me!"
Silon flinched and stepped back, while Baldic and Eileen also looked at me with surprised eyes.
"You literally just disappeared..."
"What did you just do? My heart nearly stopped because I couldn't see you for a second!"
"...There's a hidden space inside. You can't see it from the outside, but something is definitely concealed."
I took a short breath and looked back inside.
"Should I go in alone..."
"Wait, it could be dangerous!"
Eileen cried out in a panicked voice, and next to her, Silon peeked his head out,
"Should I give it a try too?"
He stood in front of me with a curious face.
And then he threw his body toward the boundary I had crossed.
...Swoosh.
"...Huh?"
He just cut through the empty air, and nothing happened.
Silon looked back with an awkward expression.
"I just... passed right through?"
Is it really only possible for me?
No, to be exact, it might be a structure only accessible to a magician.
It was then.
"Hold on, let me try once too."
Baldic, who had been quietly watching with his arms crossed, stepped forward.
Then he took a step without any hesitation.
In an instant, as if slipping between sheets of paper, he vanished into thin air with a whoosh.
"...Eh?"
"Huh?! Mister just disappeared!"
Eileen and Silon shouted at the same time.
The spot was as quiet as if it had returned to being a normal clearing.
I stared at the spot in surprise before quietly muttering.
"...Don't tell me, Baldic too?"
Come to think of it, Baldic was a priest.
Setting aside mana, the divine power that priests use seemed structurally similar to mana.
If so, it might mean that not just a magician, but anyone with 'magic power' could pass through.
A moment later, the empty air gently wavered again, and Baldic walked out scratching his head.
"It's really there. There's a strange house inside."
"...Then, the two of us will have to go."
When Silon spoke from the side, Eileen asked with a slightly anxious face.
"Do we have to go right now?"
A worried expression.
Her gaze slyly drifted toward Silon standing next to her.
...It seems she absolutely hates the idea of being left alone with that guy.
"It can't be helped. We need to inform the others first."
I spoke briefly and nodded.
"Just in case, don't wait around and explain this situation to the others. It's almost certain that Bill is inside, so call for people right away if anything happens."
"Yes... understood."
Honestly, I didn't want to send Eileen off on her own.
But right now, it couldn't be helped.
We had no idea what Bill might be going through in there, and it was unknown whether anyone else could even enter this space.
We needed to check as quickly as possible.
For now, the two of us were the only ones who could act.
"I'll be back."
I gave a slight nod toward Eileen and Silon.
Worry was still etched on their faces, but we couldn't delay this any longer.
I crossed the boundary alongside Baldic.
One step.
Just by taking a single step, the bizarre, windless, and completely still space unfolded before my eyes once again.
A silence so deep it felt as though even sound itself had been suppressed.
Beside me, Baldic muttered in a low voice.
"...This is too creepy. That cabin even looks incredibly normal."
"I know, right?"
I replied quietly as I also stared at the cabin.
Small windows, a worn-out roof, and timber walls half-covered in vines.
On the outside, it was just an ordinary cabin that could be found on the outskirts of any village.
"But,"
I said.
"If someone is inside, wouldn't they know we're here?"
Baldic chuckled.
His laugh was full of unease.
"They probably do. Anyone capable of creating a space like this would have set up that much as a basic precaution. They might have already known the moment we stepped foot in here."
I took a moment to catch my breath.
What laid before us wasn't just a simple cabin; it might have been a trap.
"Hold on a second."
I quietly closed my eyes and gathered mana inside me.
It was a familiar sensation now.
The moment I drove the mana toward my eyes, the area around them tingled slightly.
At the same time, it felt as if the mana was trying to escape through the slits of my closed eyelids.
I opened my eyes at the right timing.
[Blue Eye]
The world changed.
Shapes and colors grew faint, and instead, the moisture of all objects gleamed blue, filling my vision.
The humidity in the air, the water seeping beneath the ground, and even the sap flowing through the distant trees.
And-
"...Someone is inside."
I said, looking toward the cabin.
Inside, vaguely shaped like a person, a condensation of moisture was pulsating, however weakly.
A small but certain presence. Someone was breathing.
"Is it Bill?"
"Are you sure?"
"I don't know. But... there is definitely someone inside."
Baldic nodded.
"Alright, let's get ready then."
This wasn't a simple search; it was an infiltration.
And the opponent was someone capable of magical concealment.
It wouldn't be an ordinary opponent.
"We shouldn't just walk boldly through the entrance, right?"
"Are you crazy? We have to go around back."
We kept our bodies low and carefully approached the cabin.
We killed our presence and minimized our noise as much as possible, but there was still no sign of life from inside.
We intentionally ignored the front door and slowly circled around to the back of the cabin.
Since it was under magical concealment, there was no doubt that something was inside.
At the back, a small, simple window was cut out.
There was no way it had glass. At best, it was just a thin board or some patched cloth.
It was only meant to block the wind, a structure that couldn't be opened or closed.
I quietly narrowed my eyes.
'If Bill was in here and conscious... there should be some sign of him trying to make a sound through this window or escape. But why is there nothing?'
Something felt off.
Could it be that he had already lost consciousness, or had his mouth gagged?
Baldic seemed to share the same thought, whispering quietly.
"We need to check a little more to see if it's really the kid in there."
Baldic gave me a silent nod.
It was a clear signal telling me to peek inside through the window.
...Since he was a bit too short to do it himself.
I took a shallow breath and carefully poked my head past the window.
Suppressing my presence and moving as slowly as possible... because one small mistake could change the entire situation.
The window was small and the inside was dark, but my eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness.
A dusty table, an old cloak hanging on the wall, and a firmly closed inner door.
The location I had seen earlier with Blue Eye seemed to be the space beyond that door, not this room.
Because a wall was blocking the way, I couldn't feel any presence from where I was right now.
'Is it the inner room...'
I carefully pulled my head back and spoke in a whisper.
"I can see inside, but I think what we're looking for is past that door. I can't see it in this room right now."
Baldic gave a small nod and muttered.
"Then... it's a gamble. Whether we open the door or break through the wall."
His tone was calm, but his hand had already drifted to his waist.
It meant he was already prepared for battle in case of an unforeseen situation.
Technically speaking, Baldic wasn't someone with immense combat power.
He was originally a priest, and it hadn't been that long since he started working as a mercenary.
In terms of experience, his might be the shortest among us.
But the reason such a Baldic felt surprisingly reliable in battle was thanks to his fiery personality.
His drive to push forward boldly, regardless of the situation.
Perhaps because of that, even in a moment like this when we stepped into an unidentified space, his recklessness felt strangely reassuring.
When push comes to shove, having someone who would charge in first without hesitation is unexpectedly a huge comfort.
"...Do we have to go through the window."
The window was small, but if the two of us crouched low, it was just big enough to barely pass through.
I poked my head back out to examine the inside.
Just in case there were any dangerous objects underneath.
After briefly rolling my eyes around the room, I quietly pulled my head back.
"There doesn't seem to be anything dangerous. I'll go in first for now."
To reduce the noise, I handed my helmet to Baldic.
The helmet clattered at even the slightest movement, so it was better to take it off to avoid getting caught.
I carefully placed my foot on the windowsill and pushed my body in.
― Thud.
Because I had to make a large movement, an unavoidable, small footstep echoed.
My heart flinched for a moment, but... fortunately, the inside remained quiet.
I barely managed to squeeze my body in and carefully stepped onto the floor.
I successfully entered the cabin.
Just as it looked from the outside, the inside was pitch black.
Without a single ray of light, only a damp and silent air lingered.
Looking around roughly, the place seemed to be divided into several sections.
"Hey, hey. Are you okay?"
Baldic's low whisper could be heard from outside the window.
"Yes, hand me the helmet."
"Here."
I reached out, received the helmet, and immediately grabbed a small wooden chair from inside to pass back out the window.
The structure was a bit too high for Baldic to climb through, so he needed a stepping stool.
A moment later, a soft thump of a footstep was heard, and Baldic's body carefully entered inside.
He brushed off his shoulder once and muttered lowly as he looked around.
"...It's quiet. But the smell is a bit strange."
"It smells like mold... and I think there's a rotting smell mixed in, too."
Just as it looked from the outside, this was a small, old cabin.
The interior was divided into a kitchen, living room, and bedroom, and the place we were currently in was the kitchen.
Other than the faint light coming in through the single small window, there was nothing to illuminate the room.
The air was damp, and it felt as though it had been neglected for a long time.
I gripped my staff again and carefully stepped further inside with Baldic.