Chapter 80: Finding the Queen Part 5

We set off for the next village without delay.

The next village was not far away. A location that can be reached in about two days. We hurriedly drove the carriage and stopped only to camp for one night without resting at any other time.

As the sun set once again, we arrived at the next village.

"What in the world…"

Standing at the entrance to the village, I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.

And for a good reason. The sign that marked the village's entrance was broken in half and lay discarded carelessly.

"Co-Could it be… the village isn't burning, is it?"

El asked me anxiously. I closed my eyes and sniffed the air. It didn't smell like the previous village had.

"No, it doesn't seem to be the case. But we'd better be careful."

We entered the village in a state of alert. Beyond the entrance were neatly tended fields and well-kept houses. At first glance, the scene of clothes hanging on a clothesline swaying in the wind looked peaceful.

But something was off.

The dark elves are nowhere to be seen.

Indeed, there was no sign of the dark elves who were the rightful inhabitants of the village.

"Something is strange here."

Everywhere I looked, there were signs of life such as hanging laundry or baskets filled with freshly harvested fruit but there were no people to be seen. It was as if they had all evaporated.

The thought sent chills down my spine.

The dark elves from the previous village had all perished in a fire.

But in this village, it was as if the dark elves had simply vanished without a trace.

What on earth was happening?

If even one villager had remained, perhaps I could have asked, but with no one around, that was impossible.

"This is utterly baffling."

We slowly explored the surroundings. But even after looking around again, we couldn't find anything that could be a clue.

"Theodore, what do you think we should do now?"

Lloyd's question pulled me into deep thought. I had never even considered a situation like this, so it took me a while to reach a conclusion.

"It seems there's nothing we can do right now except to head to the next village as soon as possible."

"Should we prepare to move?"

"No. It was a strain even getting this far. While we do need to leave quickly, we shouldn't rush. Anything could happen on the way. We might even be ambushed on the road to the next village. Honestly, I can't predict what might happen."

"...."

"Where could the dark elves of this village have gone?"

"There are no signs of an attack either."

"That's what makes it even stranger. It's as if they've… 'evaporated'."

Lloyd nodded his head. Having been a knight for many years, this must be the first time he's encountered such a scene. It would likely be the same for Darion who was older than Lloyd and an elf as well. I glanced briefly at Darion's pale face and shook my head slowly.

"Let's spend the night here."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"We don't have much choice. A night here might reveal what's really going on. Someone might return, or …"

"We might 'evaporate' as well."

"… Well, that could happen. Anyway, taking a rest here and conserving our strength isn't a bad idea, is it?"

"I agree."

Lloyd started setting up camp with practiced ease. We started a fire in the central clearing of the village and began preparing our meal. Although the surrounding houses were empty, we didn't want to enter them. Not only did we not know what could happen, but in case someone actually came back, we wanted to avoid any misunderstandings.

Still, it should be okay to borrow some fruits and vegetables.

I grabbed a few basketfuls of fruits and vegetables. Before preparing them, I used the [Natural Purification] skill, just in case they were poisoned. I then poured the well-prepared fruits and vegetables into a pot and added rabbit meat that had been skinned earlier in the day, seasoning everything with various spices. Despite the eerie situation, it was surprising how hunger still made its presence felt.

We ate our meal and discussed where the dark elves might have disappeared to. Darion worried that they might have dabbled in black magic while Lloyd speculated that they had realized something was amiss and fled.

"Could they have noticed us coming and run away?"

I shook my head at El's words.

"I don't think so. There are only four of us, right? The dark elves are skilled in both magic and combat. They could have easily overpowered us, so abandoning the village doesn't seem plausible. However, the theory that they 'fled' does have some merit."

"I see…"

"The real question is, what exactly did they run from?"

The dark elves were strong people who chose to live in the perilous Dark Forest, which is known as one of the most dangerous places on the continent.

What could have driven such beings to flee?

"Haah…"

Could it possibly be related to the queen's condition? If only there was someone to ask… I sighed deeply and stood up.

"Well, speculating like this changes nothing. We've pushed ourselves hard to get here, right? Let's focus on resting today and move on to the next village tomorrow."

"Alright."

"Yes!"

"Understood."

After deciding on the order for standing guard, we each prepared to go to sleep. Lloyd was the first to take watch.

"You must be tired. I'm counting on you."

Lloyd nodded his head. I left Ayla outside for surveillance and entered the tent. Although I felt overwhelmingly tired, I couldn't seem to sleep even when I closed my eyes. Perhaps this was what it felt like to be in a heightened state of alert…

Sleeping in the middle of an abandoned village was somewhat eerie. I thought I'd rather deal with a ghost than this unsettling, inexplicable situation.

"Kooh…"

I must have dozed off in the midst of these thoughts, but I didn't sleep deeply; I woke up frequently. Am I sleeping, awake, or dreaming? I blinked and rolled over in a daze.

-Poof!!!

A cold, familiar sound abruptly woke me.

What's happening?!

I hurriedly rose and stumbled out of the tent.

-Tak, tak.

The sound of the campfire crackling continued, and its flickering light cast moving shadows.

"L-Lloyd?"

There he was, Lloyd, with his sword drawn.

To be precise, he had plunged his drawn sword into the ground. And to be even more precise, beneath Lloyd was a young dark elf pinned down by the sword. Perhaps because the sword had grazed next to his right ear and stuck in the ground, the young dark elf trembled like an aspen. So much so that I could hear the sound of his teeth chattering together.

"What's going on here?"

"As you can see."

"..."

"He's an intruder."

An intruder, this young child?

"…. Uh, uh, uhaaaah!!!"

As if he had read my thoughts, the young dark elf burst into tears. His cries were loud enough to echo through the forest.

"Stop, stop crying. Shh."

The sound of his crying had woken Darion and El from their sleep. Emerging from their sleeping bags, the two rubbed their sleepy eyes and looked our way.

"Master? What's happening…?"

"Uaaaah!!!"

"…A child?"

El was startled by the sight of the much younger-looking dark elf. I was just as surprised. I spoke to Lloyd, who still did not put away his sword.

"Lloyd, let's sheathe your sword for now."

"Didn't you hear me say he's an intruder?"

"I heard you. But…"

I glanced at the crying dark elf.

"…He's too young, isn't he? It's more logical to think he's a child from this village rather than an intruder, don't you think?"

"..."

"Of course, I'm not saying we should trust this child completely. But…"

"Being cautious won't hurt."

"…I agree. So, let's sheathe the sword and find another way."

I pulled some seeds from my pocket and scattered them around the young dark elf. Thick vines began to grow in a circle around him before they formed a fence-like barrier. When he saw this, Lloyd finally sheathed his sword.

"We can't ask him anything if he keeps crying."

"...."

"I understand your concern, but…"

"Theodore."

Lloyd cut me off with a whisper. It was rare for him to act this way, given how reserved he usually was, so I listened intently.

"…I didn't sense him approaching until he was close. Neither did Ayla."

"...."

"You know what this means, don't you?"

I knew it all too well.

It likely meant this was no ordinary child.

I glanced at the child inside the vine fence and nodded my head at Lloyd.

"I'll be careful."

Lloyd also nodded his head, then sheathed his sword. Only then did the child's crying begin to quiet down. I waited until he calmed down, and once the tears stopped, I handed him a polished, shiny apple.

"What's your name?"

"...."

"Don't want to talk?"

"...."

"Alright. Shall I ask something else?"

"...."

"Where are you from?"

"...."

"Are you from this village?"

"...."

"Do you know what happened here?"

"...."

The child did not respond even once. It was frustrating. I looked at El. Perhaps if it was because I was an adult that he wouldn't answer, El could try asking? El noticed the look in my eyes before she approached the fence and posed the same questions to the child.

"...."

Of course, the child did not respond.

This is no help at all.

I scratched my head as I watched the child, whose face bore clear tear streaks. He clutched the apple I had given him with his large eyes darting around in fear.

– Hello, I'm Darion. What's your name?

At that moment, Darion who had been silently observing us from the side spoke to the child in Elvish. The child looked up at Darion for a while (perhaps checking if his ears were those of an elf) and finally responded.

– …Pebble.