Chapter 97
Translator: penny
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Village of Silence (3)
Count Wolfhaufen reunited with something that looked just like his late wife.
"Long time no see."
"I figured you'd still be the same even after all this time."
"But you've turned into a real old man."
The count stood there with a dazed look on his face.
'Am I dreaming...?'
Imagination is a human privilege.
The count had fallen into such delusions before.
His dead wife would return to the mansion one day.
And then.
He'd live happily with Anemone and Ei, as if it had all been a nightmare.
How wonderful it would be to spend days like a dream.
It had been his long-held wish.
"......"
I am Anemone's husband.
I had no choice but to recognize her.
My memories, my recollections, my senses all told me.
She was the real Anemone.
She spread her arms wide.
She had returned from death, exactly as she appeared in his memories.
The count stepped forward.
He slowly pulled her into an embrace.
He could feel her.
Her warm body heat.
Anemone's unique scent tickled his nose.
"......"
Tears poured out.
His whole body shook.
He stifled the sounds escaping his throat.
Yes.
This was what life felt like.
A profound peace that could lull him to sleep at any moment.
A simple happiness, nothing more.
Anemone patted his back.
As if to comfort him for all his hardships until now, she enveloped him warmly.
They broke the embrace.
The count wanted to hear Anemone's voice.
She seemed to feel the same.
She held out a memo.
"I want to hear your voice too."
"But."
"We can't do that."
"There are terrifying monsters outside."
"Right?"
The count blinked.
Yes.
They couldn't make a sound.
This was that kind of place.
It was a shame.
He couldn't hear her voice.
"It's okay."
"We can still talk like this."
"And it's not like there's no other way at all."
"Have you eaten? You're not starving, are you?"
"I knew it. Just wait a bit. I'll whip something up quick."
"Hehe, don't be surprised. My cooking skills have gotten pretty good."
The count sat on the sofa.
It felt like his own home, even though it was his first time there.
His mind was blank.
Why had he come here again?
Tak tak tak—
Sounds came from the kitchen.
Ingredients being chopped on a cutting board.
The bubbling of boiling water.
A fragrant aroma wafted through the air.
Familiar, yet unfamiliar.
Had Anemone ever cooked?
Where did she learn? Well, it didn't matter.
I'm hungry.
And my wife is cooking for me.
Nothing strange about that.
So he just waited quietly on the sofa.
Someone entered through the open front door.
A guest?
He shook the count's shoulder.
What a rude person.
He didn't want to do anything right now.
Why interrupt his rest?
It was the peace he hadn't felt in so long.
He didn't know what was so urgent.
Next time...
"Didn't you come here to save your daughter?"
'Ah.'
Looking at the memo in front of him.
Life returned to his eyes.
The count's mind snapped back.
Someone was forcibly pulling him away.
"......"
It was the Noble Slayer.
One of the surviving party members.
He had nearly been in danger.
Thanks to his intervention, the count escaped the house.
Before leaving, the count glanced back.
Anemone was watching him.
He almost lost his mind again at her wistful expression.
But.
The Noble Slayer's grip was firm.
He dragged the count out with all his strength.
Thud.
The count collapsed to the ground.
"......"
It felt like a sweet dream.
A dream that even left a lingering regret.
The Noble Slayer shook his shoulder, looking exasperated.
As if telling him to get a grip.
"You don't seriously think that was a normal person, do you?"
"You said yourself it was a dungeon minion."
"......"
The count nodded.
Right.
This was Dreamland.
Not the afterlife beyond the Black Gate.
There was no way that thing he just met was Anemone.
Simple as that.
"Thank you."
The count bowed to the Noble Slayer.
He let out a silent sigh.
"Never thought I'd live to hear thanks from a noble."
"But thanks are thanks. You saved my life."
"So, who was that woman just now?"
"My late wife."
"I see."
The Noble Slayer crossed his arms.
And then.
"I met my dead little brother too."
He said he'd encountered someone he'd always longed for in his heart, just like the count.
"I didn't fall as hard as you, but... how should I put it? The more we exchanged notes, the more it felt like being bewitched by a fox spirit. Best to stay away if possible."
"Yeah."
It really was a dangerous dungeon.
To think it could craft illusions this perfectly.
"......"
Anemone is dead.
His ailing Ei is waiting for him outside.
He had to keep that in mind.
"Looks like the others are finishing up their investigations. Let's go."
"Yeah."
The Noble Slayer extended his hand.
The count took it and stood.
The party gathered at the well once more.
Fortunately, no one had died.
"Who wants to go first?"
"I'll start."
They shared the information they'd gathered.
The count went first, explaining the 'Village of Silence residents.'
"I went into a house to investigate. And there, I encountered my dead wife."
Of course, she wasn't really his dead wife.
Definitely not.
"She was so identical it felt like 'my dead wife has come back to life.' We could communicate, I felt her body heat... She seemed more like a person than some anomaly."
The Noble Slayer chimed in from the side.
"I met my little brother, who I was separated from as a kid. It felt like he knew what this place was and what situation I'm in."
"The more we talked via notes, the more it felt like being enchanted by a fox spirit. Like I was losing control of my own mind."
"The 'Village of Silence residents' don't harm us like monsters would, but the deeper we get involved with them, the worse our future might be."
In other words, ignore them.
They were kind and warm to us.
But if they let themselves be swayed, they might lose sight of their goal.
That was their conclusion.
"Guess that leaves me."
The black mage shrugged.
"I found what looked like blueprints. Seemed like a device used as a power source in some complex facility... It's called a generator, but honestly, I have no idea. It was in an empty warehouse."
The black mage pointed with his finger.
Among the village buildings, one stood out as particularly large.
That must be the warehouse.
"Might be a useful clue. I'll hold onto it for now."
Everyone nodded.
The half-ogre glanced at everyone.
"I didn't find much..."
"Ah..."
"Yeah..."
"While scouting the elevator, I figured I'd check the houses for anything useful."
"But I tripped in the process. Crash bang..."
"I'm pretty big, so it was kinda loud."
"But seeing how we're all still alive... seems like even that level of noise is fine(?)"
It was fairly useful info.
The black mage flashed a double thumbs-up, and the half-ogre scratched his head.
"Wanna test by yelling my head off?"
"If you're gonna die, die alone."
"Joking. Just joking."
"Nothing special in central village."
"Hm, so the elevator must be outside the village..."
"East and west are forests, north has a river, south is ???, so let's check south first?"
"Sounds good, but let's rest for today. Sky's already getting dark."
The party agreed to rest.
Contact with anomalies was risky, so they'd move in pairs.
"I'll bunk with this big lug."
"I snore pretty loud though..."
"If you roll over and squash me flat, I won't die. What's the problem?"
The black mage and half-ogre paired up.
Naturally, the count and Noble Slayer were left together.
"Let's get some rest too."
"Yeah."
Before leaving, the count peered into the well.
The round object was still floating there.
'Hm?'
It looked different from when he first saw it.
Were there cracks on the surface? Scratches like shattered glass.
"What's up?"
"Nothing."
They found a suitable empty house.
The Noble Slayer entered first.
The count gazed at the moon outside.
Obscured by fog, not clearly visible.
But it looked exactly like the one outside.
A gentle mountain breeze blew.
Warm temperatures unlike the cold north.
The fresh scent of nature stung his nose.
It would be a beautiful place if not for the monstrous lifeforms.
The count turned to enter the house.
But.
Thud thud.
Thud thud.
Urgent footsteps pinned the count in place.
He turned to see Anemone biting her lip, staring at him.
"..."
"I worked hard on cooking."
"...It's probably cold now, but it'll still taste good. I can reheat the soup..."
It's an anomaly.
Not the real Anemone.
"It's been so long since we met."
"I want to spend tonight talking with you after all this time..."
"Would you believe me if I said I've been waiting for this moment...?"
It's an anomaly.
Not the real Anemone.
"Outside is too dangerous..."
"You're not a villager."
"If those dangerous monsters catch you, you'll die."
"So stay inside with me, okay?"
It's an anomaly.
Not the real Anemone.
"Kite, I don't want to be separated from you again..."
"This time we can be together forever... I mean it."
"Believe me."
It's an anomaly.
Not the real Anemone.
"If you become a villager of the Village of Silence..."
"We won't have to communicate like this with notes—we can talk like before... and no need to hide from monsters..."
It's an anomaly.
Not the real Anemone.
"......"
The count repeated it endlessly to himself.
His sanity felt like it would shatter.
Anemone wore an expression on the verge of tears.
Guilt crawled up his back.
It felt like he was abandoning her again.
Bile rose in his throat.
'I'm sorry. Truly sorry.'
It was ridiculous, apologizing to an anomaly.
He mouthed an apology to her and fled into the house.
"......"
Anemone burst into tears.
Sobs muffled from outside the window reached his ears.
But the count turned his head away and closed his eyes.
Dungeon exploration, day 2.
The next day, morning broke.
The count woke up.
The Noble Slayer was still asleep.
As he stretched, a sound nearly escaped unconsciously.
But he quickly remembered he was in a dungeon and clamped his mouth shut.
The count looked out the window.
The sun hadn't fully risen yet.
In other words, it was morning.
The Noble Slayer was sleeping.
The count stepped outside and looked around.
Then.
He spotted a tray covered with cloth.
"Eat up and stay strong."
From the note, it was Anemone's cooking.
The count clenched his fist.