Chapter 218
Chapter 218
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 218
Chapter Title: The Cursed Village (2)
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"Let's stay here tonight."
Jin spoke to Jamie while looking at the village sign visible in the distance.
"Sure."
They could have kept moving even at night, but rushing wouldn't get them to Isis any faster, so they stayed in nearby villages once the sun set.
The two entered the village while gazing at the setting sun beyond the mountain range.
It was a village of decent size.
There seemed to be quite a few inns scattered around, likely due to the heavy traveler traffic. There were plenty of pubs and souvenir shops selling knickknacks.
The strange thing was that most places weren't open for business.
"...Why is the village so empty?"
"Hardly any people around."
As Jin said, there were almost no people in the village.
In a village frequented by travelers, the streets should have been bustling at dinnertime.
Sensing something off, the two walked the streets in search of a suitable inn to rest at.
That's when they heard a child's wail from far away.
"Waaah! I'm sorry... I won't do it again!"
"Do you want to get cursed too? They told you your mom gets cursed if you go there, didn't they?"
"Hic... I'm sorryyy... I won't go again."
"Just try going that way again. I'll strip you naked and kick you out of the house! Got it? Or maybe I'll just send you straight to the ghosts..."
"Waaaaah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't, Mom! Forgive me!"
"This is the last time. Understand?"
"Yes..."
"Go wash up so you can eat."
Jamie and Jin blankly watched the mother scolding and the child being scolded from afar.
It looked like the kid had snuck off to the forbidden area and got caught red-handed by her mom.
It was such a common occurrence that the two cleared their throats awkwardly and entered a nearby inn that looked decent.
"Hello?"
Jin called out as he entered the inn.
A middle-aged man with a weary expression emerged from the back. He was a burly fellow wearing a blue turban on his head.
"Welcome. I'm the owner here."
"We'd like a room for the night."
"Will the two of you share?"
"Separate rooms."
"One silver per room."
At the mention of one silver, Jin casually handed over two silvers.
The owner pocketed the coins and shouted toward the stairs.
"Nilba! Two guests! Prepare bathwater!"
"Yes!"
A girl's cute voice replied from upstairs.
After hearing that, the owner turned to the two.
"Go to the room number on the key. We'll prepare dinner while you bathe."
"Thanks."
"Appreciate it."
Jin and Jamie each gave their thanks and headed up to the second floor together.
As they climbed, they could hear water being poured into a tub from inside.
The two exchanged glances before entering their respective rooms.
Jamie unpacked, then used magic to clean his soiled clothes spotless.
One perk of being a sorcerer was never worrying about cleanliness while traveling.
He didn't really need a bath, but Jamie enjoyed soaking in hot water.
"Gonna take a while to fill the tub."
From the sound of the water, it would take some time still.
He considered helping, but shrugged it off.
He sat cross-legged on the bed.
'Even this bed is uncomfortable.'
It was in such poor shape compared to his bed at the Welton estate or the lodgings in the mage realm that it almost felt insulting.
Jamie chuckled at the thought.
Back in his Diablo Volpir days, he'd slept on bare rock without issue, yet after just thirteen years, his body had grown accustomed to comfort.
Now, most beds fell short.
'Doesn't mean I can't sleep...'
His body had gotten picky, but his mind remained the same, so sleep was no problem.
It was a matter of awareness, really.
"All ready!"
The staff girl's voice came from the bathroom.
Jamie stepped out to find Jin emerging at the same time.
He was still wearing his mask; from the past few days, Jin wore it no matter what he was doing.
They opened the bathroom door to find a cute girl with brown hair in twin tails standing there smiling.
She held two towels, handing one to each.
"Call if you need anything!"
The girl scurried out of the bathroom after saying that.
Jin watched her go and remarked,
"She seems cheerful."
"Yeah."
Jamie stripped down, draped the towel over his shoulder, and sank into the hot water.
"Ahh~ Feels great."
Jin, watching with a blank face, said,
"A thirteen-year-old acting like an old man."
After washing up, they changed and headed downstairs.
Dinner was ready, and a delicious aroma wafted through the air.
"Smells decent."
"This inn might actually be good."
The cook at the last village's inn had been terrible.
Terrible enough that even Jin, accustomed to roughing it outdoors, stopped after one bite.
He'd wanted to smash the place, but that was villainous behavior, so he just warned them.
If it was still awful next time, he'd blow the whole inn away.
Whether they'd return was another matter, but if it was, he'd follow through.
"Don't let your guard down till you taste it."
"True enough."
They sat at the table prepared for dinner.
On it were portions for two and a single dish.
Mostly stir-fried meat and vegetables—simple, but it looked tasty enough.
Jamie prodded the food with his fork and spoke up.
"It's kinda weird."
"What is?"
"Who carries a mask just for eating?"
As he said, Jin wore a mask with only a mouth hole.
He couldn't eat with his usual plain white full-face mask.
"What do you care what mask others wear?"
"...Yeah, wear it lots."
Jamie glanced around as he replied dismissively.
"Place is filling up."
"Indeed. Was empty earlier."
"Must be a popular spot."
"Seems so."
Somehow, Jin was already chewing a spoonful as he spoke.
Jamie shot him a glare before stabbing meat and veggies onto his fork and shoving it in.
Not exceptional, but good enough to fill an empty stomach.
They rarely talked anyway, and during meals, they didn't even glance at each other.
They just focused on eating.
"Beer here!"
"Coming right up~!"
The twin-tailed girl was bustling about brightly even here.
Nilba, was it?
She looked about ten, yet worked tirelessly into the late hours without a hint of fatigue.
Admirable, really—even adults couldn't hide their exhaustion by now.
Look around: everyone nursing a beer looked utterly drained.
They'd been working from dawn till dusk.
Nilba, though, showed no weariness.
"Order here..."
"One sec!"
She darted about with beer in one hand, menu in the other, all smiles.
"Got a soft spot for the kid?"
"Nah. Just nice to see."
"Fair. Thirteen's prime age for first crushes."
"...Shut it."
Jin chuckled and kept eating while Jamie glared and finished his meal.
Then, an intriguing conversation started at the next table.
"Saw Billter last night too."
"What a damn town. Why'd this suddenly happen?"
"Is it really cursed?"
"Dunno. Point is, something prowls at night. Horrible enough to faint just looking at it."
"It's those guys' fault. Town went weird after they showed up. We gotta chase that woman and her two brats out."
"That's just speculation. They look normal—people are overreacting."
The oldest-looking man called it speculation, but the grumbler raised his voice.
"Bro, why you defending them? Doesn't make sense!"
"Yeah, problems started when they arrived, like Rio said."
"You really think they are the issue?"
"Never heard Black Sorcerers can't be judged by looks, bro?"
"Cough!"
Jamie choked hard on his food like he'd swallowed wrong.
Everyone in the dining hall stared.
Jin stared too, fork halfway to his mouth with half-chewed food bulging in his cheeks.
Good thing the mask kept it off his face.
Jamie caught his breath, apologized to everyone with an embarrassed face.
"Sorry. Went down wrong."
He mouthed sorry to Jin, who was still staring.
The adjacent table resumed.
"Anyway, the town got cursed after they came. No denying that."
"Hey, coincidence..."
"Bro, you got a thing for that woman? Heard the village bachelors eyeing her looks—were you one?"
"You bastard! Why say it like that?"
"'Cause it's true!"
"Guests. Others are here—keep it down."
As the next table grew louder, the fed-up owner intervened.
His massive build and bushy beard shut them up quick.
In small villages, the strong ruled.
The dining hall quieted; only soft chatter here and there.
Meanwhile, Jin wiped his face clean with a napkin, raised a hand for the server.
"Here."
"Yes!"
Nilba hurried over.
"What can I get you?"
"Beer. You?"
"I'm good."
He wasn't thirsty.
Instead, he asked her something.
"Got a question, though."
"Questions cost one copper!"
"...You charge for info?"
"Kidding~"
The kid already knew how to tease adults.
Though Jamie, at thirteen, wasn't much older.
"What's up?"
"They mentioned a curse over there. What's that about?"
"Oh, it's intriguing for outsiders."
"Village actually cursed?"
"Dunno much, but past couple months, folks seeing ghosts. Town's in bad shape. Word spread to nearby villages as the cursed one, so travelers avoid us."
"Ghosts?"
"Yeah. Couple months ago, a mom and her two kids moved here. Ghosts started then. Folks chased 'em to the outskirts, but ghosts didn't stop."
"Weird stuff."
Jin crossed his arms, nodding interestedly.
"Anyway, better leave quick—just in case."
"You don't seem scared."
Jamie eyed Nilba, who beamed as she spoke.
Nilba pressed her lips with a finger, then grinned wide.
"Gotta stay positive. Beer coming!"
She vanished into the kitchen.
Jamie watched her go, then told Jin,
"Heading up."
"Got it."
No point sticking around without chatting anyway—better rest.
That night, Jamie stayed awake late.
Simple reason.
"Ghosts, huh."
Ghosts were undead.
And curses were black magic.
Together? Necromancy.
"A Necromancer showed up?"
Maybe that mother and kids from a couple months ago were black sorcerers.
Either way, prime material for Jamie's interest.
He sat in lotus position and began meditating.
If ghosts were real, they couldn't evade his senses.
He stood at the pinnacle of black magic, after all.
So eyes closed was fine.
How much time passed?
Jamie slowly opened his eyes.
"For real?"
Outside, he felt the flow of malevolent thoughts.
A congregation of yin energy from the dead.
A resentful spirit.
And resentful spirits were undead, so Jamie rose with a delighted grin.
He didn't know what was happening in the village, but to a mighty black sorcerer, it might prove useful.
Jamie's form vanished like a lie.