Only I Am Human (4)
"We're sealing off the village for the duration of the investigation. No one leaves without the lord's permission from this point forward."
"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!"
"Save your thanks for after we catch the culprit, my lord. Report the damages so far. Number of victims, times of death, discovery locations. Leave nothing out."
"W-well, that is—"
The knight captain demanded the details without a hint of interest in excuses.
The village chief began stammering out his explanation. The knight captain listened with eyes closed, occasionally asking for clarification—he seemed highly competent.
Once the report wrapped up, the knight captain nodded.
He scanned the surroundings once more, as if searching for something.
His gaze drifted... then suddenly locked onto one spot.
Me. After a few seconds of silence, his eyes narrowed. Was he trying to read me? It was deeply unsettling.
But I didn't let it show. I just bowed my head and averted my eyes.
Not like he could intimidate me into confessing.
Or could he? With a knight captain's authority, maybe he could pull it off.
"I-I want to help too!"
Ethan jumped in front of me, blocking the line of sight, and shot his hand up high.
The gaze shifted off me, moving sideways. The knight captain sized Ethan up from head to toe.
"Your name."
"Ethan! I'm from this village!"
"Do you know how to use a sword?"
"I've learned the basics!"
Ethan struck a determined pose.
That sparked the other village men to raise their hands one by one, echoing his plea to be allowed to help. Had one of the dead NPCs been dear to them? Hard to say.
A brief silence fell. The knight captain swept his eyes over the men.
Whether their enthusiasm swayed him or something else did, who knows.
"Fine, Ethan. Guide us through the village layout."
"Yes, sir!"
Ethan's face lit up.
The knight captain issued orders to his knights and started to move.
...Or tried to.
He glanced back at me again. This time, his stare was even more blatant.
"And that girl?"
"Oh, she's my childhood friend. Ailin."
"Childhood friend?"
"Yeah. She lost her memory in an accident recently. I'm looking after her."
"...I see."
The knight captain's reply was curt.
His eyes lingered on me, his expression hinting at something nagging him. Suspicion? Caution? Either way, it grated.
But in the end, he turned and walked off. Ethan hurried after him. I stood there, watching the two NPCs recede into the distance.
"......"
Before long, the sun dipped low. The knights had spent the afternoon combing the village, checking corpse discovery sites and questioning NPCs. Ethan looked busy shadowing the knight captain as his guide.
Only at evening did Ethan finally track me down.
He spotted me killing time out front and gave a sheepish smile.
"Sorry, Ailin. Been swamped today."
"You said you'd protect me."
"...I'm really sorry."
"Whatever."
"Ugh... The knight captain says full investigations start tomorrow. Interviews with everyone in the village."
Interviews. The word lodged in my brain.
On second thought, it made sense. If the knight captain handled them personally, I'd be called in too. No issues there—nothing to trip over.
"Sounds dangerous."
"Huh?"
"Knight stuff. You might run into the killer...?"
Ethan paused.
His eyes widened, then he slowly smiled.
"Worried about me?"
"......"
"It's fine. Gotta do this much to protect you."
"...Thanks."
"Don't sweat it. I'm doing it 'cause I want to."
"Yeah."
"Lock the door tight. I'll pick you up in the morning."
"Okay. See you tomorrow."
I watched Ethan's retreating back, then headed inside. My thanks were genuine. Strange to feel that toward an NPC.
Pitiful, too.
Clinging to the childhood friend script, never once suspecting me as the killer. If he were human, maybe I'd warm up to him a bit.
I shook my head to clear the thoughts. The girls in the mirror stared back. Same thought every time: fucking gorgeous. Lust started stirring before I knew it.
"......Mm."
A thick, musky scent tickled my nose.
I lay there panting raggedly, staring blankly at the ceiling. My whole body thrummed with aftershocks. Hope they didn't hear outside. Gotta be careful not to get addicted...
I wiped up the puddle on the floor and reined in my hazy mind.
Outside, the knights' patrols continued. Knights with torches paired up with vigilantes, circling the village. Shifts every... three hours?
Gaps existed, but breaching them wouldn't be easy.
I'd been extra cautious. No need to rush. Take it slow. No telling how long the knights would stay, but impatience was the enemy.
Peeking through the window cracks, I watched two knights and two vigilantes pass the house. When torchlight swept the window, I held my breath. Footsteps faded; I peeked again.
East-to-west patrol. North wall team. Square loop.
Patterns emerged: divided zones, crisscrossing routes.
Not flawless. Fifteen men wasn't a huge force.
That revealed shift-change gaps—about ten minutes? Surveillance slacked during handoffs.
Don't kid yourself. First night would be the tightest. Strike when they relaxed.
I halted my hand reaching for the black cloak. Tonight, rest.
I pulled back from the window and lay on the floor.
The knight captain's gaze nagged at me.
Amnesiac girl. Pitiful ward of her childhood friend.
No one suspected so far. But the knight captain was different. I knew it instinctively.
Kill him?
"...Not yet."
Soon, though. I'd get my chance eventually.
Dawn broke, and the village buzzed again. The knights kicked into high gear.
They herded NPCs into the rundown building at the central square—just as Ethan said.
Called a full sweep to catch the killer: interviews with every resident. No complaints amid the mounting deaths. Hope for capture electrified the air.
"Ailin, don't stress."
"Yeah."
"Just a few questions, done. I went first—nothing big."
"Really?"
"Promise. Knight captain looks scary, but he's not a bad guy."
Ethan looked anxious but forced cheer to reassure me. Half duty to his childhood friend script, half fear of the knights?
A long line snaked out front. Waiting NPCs wore varied expressions: nervous, indignant, protesting innocence.
"It wasn't me! I swear I don't know anything!"
"Nobody said it was. Just an interview."
"But the vibe... feels like they're treating us like suspects..."
Villages crawling with NPCs were the worst. I pinched my brow; Ethan asked cautiously.
"You okay?"
"...No."
"You'll be fine. Trust me. I'll protect you no matter what."
"Yeah."
Time passed; the line dwindled. My turn came.
"Next."
The knight guarding the entrance called me in flatly.
I endured Ethan's worried stare and stepped forward. A faint voice trailed after me.
"If you don't remember, just say so. It's not a lie."
I turned to look at Ethan.
Devoted. Utterly devoted.
Which made it all the more futile.
The childhood friend he fretted over was long gone.
"Got it."
"Good luck. I'll wait here."
I nodded and stepped inside the building.