Chương 81: Chapter 81: Pebbles and Leaves Part 1
– …Pebble.
Finally, the child responded. He seemed reassured by the fact that Darion had pointed elf ears just like him. Of course, strictly speaking, they weren't exactly the "same" type of elf… but well, there was no need to bother a child with such details.
And probably because he was young, he seemed to hold no hatred towards the elves of Lysette. That was fortunate. Since Darion could communicate with him, it worked out. Ah, Darion was proving to be helpful after all.
"Darion, ask him the questions I did before."
Darion nodded his head and then asked the child again.
– Where are you from?
– Here.
– Are you from this village?
– Yes.
– Do you remember what happened here?
– I can't remember.
The young dark elf, Pebble, started to sob again.
"Ask him where his parents are."
– Where are your parents?
– They left.
– Where did they go?
– I don't know.
Pebble burst into tears once more.
– Pebble was just hiding. I wanted to surprise Mom, so I hid in a haystack in the barn and fell asleep. But when I woke up…
– When you woke up?
– There was no one there…!
With a loud cry, Pebble burst into tears. It was so heartbreaking to watch him sob that I felt an ache in my chest. I relayed Pebble's words to Lloyd and El. Lloyd still looked upset.
– Don't cry, Pebble. We're not bad people. Maybe we can help find your parents if you help us.
I spoke to him in Elvish. Pebble was surprised that a human like me knew Elvish and stared at me with wide eyes.
– First, eat that apple. You can't think on an empty stomach, that's just how it is.
– That's what my mom used to say…
– You had a good mother.
Pebble began to crunch the apple while sniffing. Good, he seemed to have calmed down a bit. I used [Breath of the Forest] again to wither the vine fence that surrounded him.
"Relax your face. We have a 'clue' now."
"…"
"If you're still worried, I'll ask Ayla to keep watch on him."
I whistled for Ayla and ordered her to stay by Pebble's side. Though he was a dark elf, he was just a child. It was almost impossible for a child barely taller than my waist to overpower the huge shadow wolf, Ayla.
Despite everything, Pebble who appeared suddenly in a village where everyone had mysteriously vanished was an extremely important clue. He could potentially unlock the secrets not only of this village but also of another village that had burned down earlier.
According to Pebble, there were no signs that the villagers were preparing to flee.
It seemed the villagers had been going about their normal daily routines when they vanished all at once.
This isn't some bizarre TV prank show…
Leaving behind just one clueless child while the entire village disappeared was unimaginable.
I had already ruled out black magic. If a spell capable of affecting the whole village had been used, it wouldn't make sense for Pebble to still be there. Besides, there were many other issues. It would have required tremendous magical power to move all the dark elves from the village, yet there was no trace of such power anywhere.
That left only one possibility.
That the dark elves had left the village of their own volition.
But what kind of parents would leave behind such a young child?
The more I thought about it, the deeper I sank into a labyrinth of confusion.
Back to square one, it seems. Perhaps I would find new clues in the next elf village?
I can't keep dragging this young dark elf around with me though…
It would be safe and best to leave him in the next village. As soon as the sun rose, we would have no choice but to depart again…
"Everyone go inside and sleep now. I'll take care of Pebble."
After sending the others to sleep, I sat with Ayla and Pebble in front of the campfire. Pebble seemed hungry, so I warmed up some leftover stew and bread, and I quietly lost myself in thought.
What if the next village is the same?
It was an unpleasant possibility to consider, but it was likely, given that this had been the case in the previous two villages. There was no reason to assume that the third village would be any different. The fourth and fifth would likely be the same.
What if all the dark elves have disappeared…
But why, and how?
These unresolved questions plagued me, and I tugged at my hair several times. Pebble who was gobbling down the stew looked at me curiously.
"Just eat your meal."
Eventually, the sun rose. The day had arrived and I had learned nothing.
Lloyd rode the horse just like before, El drove the carriage, and Darion and I climbed aboard with Pebble. We hurried to the third village just as we had the day before with the hope of finally finding a proper dark elf village.
Of course, that turned out to be a vain hope.
-Kukuk, k-kukukuk!!
-Keeeeeek!!!
Before we even reached the entrance of the village, zombies appeared. And unusually, they were not ordinary zombies but "dark elf zombies"…. Shouldn't it be more difficult for dark elves to fall prey to zombies?
Of course, this wasn't something one could ask the zombies about. I entrusted Pebble to Darion and climbed onto the carriage to retrieve my bow and arrows. I strung a silverwood arrow that I used in the cursed lands and pulled back the bowstring. The taut feeling sent a shiver down my spine.
-Swiiiish!!!
-Thud!
-Screeeeech…!!
The arrow flew like the wind and pierced through the skull of a dark elf zombie. While Lloyd and El were slashing at the zombies ahead, I targeted the heads of zombies that had spotted us from a distance and were charging toward our carriage.
-Thwack!
-Thump!
-Thwack!
The heads of the zombies hit by the silverwood arrows blackened and burned. The arrows imbued with my newly enhanced magical power and its inherent purification power were remarkably effective. The holes that would have been the size of the arrows were now the size of walnuts. I keenly felt my improved skills as I watched the zombies who were still dragging themselves around suddenly fall and lie still after being hit by an arrow filled with purification power.
Ayla barked to herd the zombies and that made it easier for me to shoot them. Kung, kung! Two zombies there. Kung, kung, kung! Three zombies from that direction. The battle quickly came to an end as Lloyd and El safely blocked the front line while Ayla and I continued to smash the zombie's head.
I climbed down from the roof of the carriage and knocked on the window. Darion peeked out with a pale face.
"Is it, is it over?"
"Yeah, it's over. Stay here quietly with Pebble until we're done cleaning up."
"Y-Yes…!"
El, Lloyd, and I gathered the zombie corpses and set them on fire. We would have preferred to bury them properly, but cremation was the only sensible option when dealing with the undead.
"Damn, what's all this about…"
I cursed and just collapsed on the spot. The unexpected battle had drained me. El also slumped down beside me and then just laid flat. I threw a stamina potion to El and checked on Lloyd. He was maintaining his sword without showing any signs of fatigue.
He has a monster's stamina.
I drank the stamina potion. It felt similar to consuming ginseng extract.
Ever since the nature of my magical power changed, I seem to get tired more easily. Of course, it's much more effective against the undead than before… But if this continues, it could be problematic. Maybe it's just an adjustment period?
I need to keep up with my prayers and meditation.
As the potion's effects began to show, I got up and headed back to the carriage to check on Darion and Pebble.
—Creak.
"Darion."
I called his name as I opened the carriage door, but something was wrong. The curtains were drawn inside, blocking the sunlight and darkening the interior. What was going on? Had he drawn the curtains to keep Pebble from seeing something unpleasant? It didn't seem like Darion to be so considerate. Confused, I stepped into the carriage.
"...!"
Darion was not there.
"Darion!"
"Darion Sylvanus!"
"Mr. Sylvanus!"
We put all our tasks on hold and began searching for Darion. It was utterly baffling where he could have disappeared to inside the carriage. It made no sense for him to decide to leave now, especially after he had followed us to the third village…. Besides, the horse he had ridden on was still there. It was unlikely that Darion, a noble of high standing, would consider walking back to the capital.
Then…
I glanced briefly at Pebble who was lying unconscious inside the carriage.
Yes, there had been only Pebble and Darion inside the carriage. When I opened the door, Darion was gone without a trace, and Pebble was collapsed on the floor of the carriage.
Could Pebble have seen something?
Or…
Could Pebble have made Darion disappear?
It was uncomfortable to harbor such suspicions against a child. But…
Pebble was the one found in the village from which all the dark elves had mysteriously vanished.
Even while we searched the village and Lloyd stood guard, no one could detect any sign of Pebble.
Isn't it suspicious enough that Darion disappeared without a trace while he was with Pebble?
"..."
At this point, it would be stranger not to suspect Pebble.
I stopped calling Darion's name into the forest and approached the carriage to look at Pebble, who had fainted. His face was pale and his eyes were closed.
"Pebble."
Even though I have used a healing skill on him, Pebble did not open his eyes. It was odd.
"Come on, Pebble."
"…"
"I need your help."
I whispered softly and placed my hand on Pebble's forehead, and the boy flinched for a moment It seemed he felt my magical power as soon as my hand touched him. I spoke to him with even more confidence.
"…You know where Darion is, don't you?"
Pebble's eyelashes fluttered. Indeed, this boy… he wasn't just unconscious. I carefully dropped a vine seed onto the carriage floor and pretended to know nothing as I shook his shoulder.
"If you don't wake up right now…"
"…"
"You'll never be able to return to your family again."
"…"
"Because…"
"…"
"… I'll make sure of it."
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