Coffins

While Darius was shocked by what he saw, Ren and the two girls were heading towards the place the hunters supposedly saw the dead mountain ogre. When the group got there they started their investigation. When Ren and Hilda started looking around Lara left to scout the area.

It didn't even take them a few minutes before Ren and Hilda, came to the same conclusion that there was nothing there.

"How many days ago did he say it was when he saw the head?" Ren who was still looking around asked Hilda.

"The hunter that spotted the head claim that he saw it three days ago." Hearing Hilda's answer, Ren spoke to Silika.

"What do you think Silika?"

"I do not sense any blood in this area, and I'm sure no blood has been spilled here for a very long time, certainly longer than three days."

"As we expected the villagers are liars. So Hilda who was the one who made that request and passed it to the guild?"

"The one who made the request, didn't identify himself and simply pass the quest details, and gave the reward money to the guild."

"Tsk, then tell me what you know about the village."

"This village used to be something like a checkpoint for people who wanted to go to the Goddesses holy shrine that's on the other side of the mountain range. Yet no one passes through here anymore, since they're a lot of monsters and the people found an easier path towards the shrine. That's all I know."

"When did that happen?"

"When did, what happen?"

"When did the people stop coming here? When did this place stop receiving guests?"

"... Around five months ago." At this point, Hilda already understood what Ren was implying.

Ren then started to think, about the villagers that were acting strange. The request that no one knew who requested it. The mysterious boy with no blood that had distorted memory of his past. The village that used to be a famous place to rest before heading to the Goddesses holy shrine. All of these things put together what could they mean?

While Ren and Hilda were thinking about what to do next, Lara who was scouting the area appeared beside Ren.

"Ren I found something you might want to see."

...

Ren and Hilda followed Lara to a place on the side of the mountain. Lara who was running was actually running at a slower pace than usual since Ren warned her that Hilda wouldn't be able to keep up. When Lara heard this she wanted to speed up instead and leave Hilda behind, but she couldn't since Ren might get angry at her.

So while irritated by how Ren treated Hilda, Lara could only grit her teeth and try to accept it. The sooner she accepts the situation the better it is for everyone, which is what she thought.

Even though she understood that Ren wanted to have other women, and was attracted to Hilda. Lara was still having difficulty accepting the situation. Ren already warned her before that she wouldn't be his one and only, he already told her if she wanted to be his, she must accept this fact.

Of course, Lara at that time who was being drowned by passion accepted. Yet now she was having difficulty accepting the first woman that came after her.

'It's alright, once I accept Hilda the others would be easier to accept... I hope.'

...

The trio finally reached the area Lara wanted to show, but since the sun already set, it was quite dark and they really couldn't see the surrounding area properly.

Ren then extended his hand and invoked a spell, "Light."

An orb of light suddenly appeared on Ren's palm. He then pushed it upward and it floated above his head. Lara and Hilda did a similar spell to illuminate the area. As the light of their spells shone on the area, Ren and Hilda finally saw what Lara wanted to show them. They were surprised by what they saw.

It was a graveyard and there were dozens of graves, but that wasn't the surprising part. The surprising part was that someone had dug out the coffins.

"Lara, did you try opening the coffins?" Ren asked Lara as he approached one of the coffins.

"No the moment I saw them, I immediately went to inform you." As Lara was explaining what she did, Ren opened up one of the coffins. The three of them were stunned to see who it was that was there.

It was a fresh body that hasn't decomposed yet, and the person that was in the coffin was non-other than the hunter that supposedly saw the mountain ogre's head. When the three saw who it was, they started to open up all the other coffins. As they expected all of the bodies were of the villagers.

Ren who was thinking that the villagers could either be undead or vampires were now confused. What does this mean? Also if all the villagers are dead and buried here, who was the one who buried them, and who was the one who dug them up? Was it the fake villagers that desecrated their graves? Or was it whoever buried the villagers?

"What is this?" Hilda was also confused as to what was happening, they were all dead, and their bodies were here, if so then who were the people staying in the village now.

"It's obvious that something else is going on. So what are we going to do Hilda? Does the quest sent to the guild still cover this?"

"It doesn't anymore... At this point, we can go back to the guild and report this new piece of information, or we can stay and solve this mystery by ourselves. You decide what we should do, seeing as you are the party leader."

"Backing out on something isn't really my style, and trying to solve a stupid mystery is also not my style." Ren then showed his vicious grin, the one he shows when he gets excited.

"Let's just take the direct approach, and ask the villagers what the hell is happening in this village."