[Vol. 7] Chapter 91: Eclipse of Shadows
After that, Ryan led the group to the watchtower. Just like yesterday, he went into Captain Marcelo’s quarters alone to report, leaving the restless thief girl with a chance to quietly voice her thoughts.
"Hey, hey... Am I seeing things because of this eerie place? That old lady named Charlene just now, her appearance…!"
A scholar-looking man, known as [Tree Branch], adjusted his "glasses" and shook his head expressionlessly.
"If you saw something strange because of some kind of influence from this place, then logically, I should have been affected by the same force as well."
The astrologer, Qionghua, who was also shaken, nervously added,
"But… but if it wasn’t just our imagination, then why didn’t that soldier react at all?"
"……Clearly, one of us must be experiencing something unnatural."
[Tree Bow] Enrique tapped his temple, then glanced at the black-haired girl who had remained silent the whole time.
Understanding what he meant, the priestess nodded slightly.
"How should I put this…? She does look strange, but she’s still alive. Her actions and behavior seem too natural to be an act. Ryan… maybe even Charlene herself hasn’t realized that something has changed about her."
"......"
No one knew what to say for a moment, and silence fell over the group.
They were all experienced high-ranking adventurers or powerful individuals, not easily shaken by ordinary events. But what they had just seen was undeniably disturbing.
Even though Ryan, the soldier, didn’t seem to notice anything unusual, to the adventurers, the old woman, Grandma Charlene, no longer looked like a human.
The dim lighting and poor visibility at night made it hard to see clearly, but with Ryan holding a torch, they had all immediately noticed something was very wrong.
More than two-thirds of her face had lost its normal flesh and turned into a mist-like, smoky substance, gently drifting yet still maintaining the shape of a human face. It was eerily fused with the remaining third of her face in a way that was difficult to describe. Almost as if she was in the middle of some gradual transformation.
The same thing was happening to her exposed left hand and parts of her neck. Though most of her body was covered by clothing, it wasn’t hard to guess that the condition extended beyond what they could see.
That was why everyone had such a disturbed reaction upon seeing her.
If Ryan hadn't taken the initiative to greet her, and if that Grandma Charlene hadn't shown any signs of danger or aggression, they probably would have drawn their weapons directly.
Enrique frowned deeply.
"We didn’t see any villagers when we arrived yesterday, so we didn’t notice anything unusual. But… could the others be in the same state? If that’s the case, then why haven’t the militia or Captain Marcelo reacted at all…?"
The priestess shook her head and responded casually,
"Mysteries and abnormalities don’t just happen without reason. This is no coincidence. But if Ryan hasn’t realized what’s happening to the villagers, that means he’s also being affected by this place. Besides…"
Violet turned her gaze to Le Qiaoqiao and the others.
"Earlier, you said that, from your perspective, the group only arrived in this area tonight. But we’ve already proven that what we experienced last night wasn’t an illusion. In other words… you lost that memory."
"This memory loss also happened to Ryan and his fellow militia members. However, those of us who returned to the other side, Enrique, Sophie, and myself, still remember everything…"
"Now, let’s assume that the reason you lost your memories and were sent back to the previous night is due to some kind of influence in this place. And that influence… doesn’t happen all at once. Instead, it builds up gradually with each repetition of the cycle."
"Grandma Charlene, Ryan, the rest of you, and the three of us. We might all be at different stages of this buildup, or you could think of it as being affected by this place’s power to varying degrees… like gradually losing something bit by bit."
"The real goal of whoever is behind the disappearances is probably to take that something away."
Hearing this, Le Qiaoqiao’s face instantly turned pale.
"Eh… W-Wait a minute! If we can’t find a way out, then in the end, we’ll all… No way! I don’t want to end up looking that creepy! Boss!!!"
"Whoa, don’t suddenly cling to my leg! Are you a dog?!"
"……Excuse me, but what exactly are you two doing?"
Just as the two girls started tugging at each other in panic, the rest of the group awkwardly averted their eyes, and the tense atmosphere eased.
But then, a steady, experienced voice suddenly rang out from nearby, making the adventurers freeze and straighten up again.
Accompanied by Ryan, a towering half-bear man with an eyepatch stepped out of the small house and approached them.
Marcelo’s outfit was the same as the last time they saw him. Even within the village, he still wore armor that was heavier than the standard militia gear, with a battle-worn sword strapped to his back. His right arm, likely his dominant hand, was encased in an imperial military-issued mechanical gauntlet. Combined with his naturally large frame and thick fur, his presence was as imposing as a mountain.
"Ahem, it’s nothing. Nice to see you again, old man~"
The priestess quickly kicked a certain someone off her leg, turned around, and greeted the village guard captain with a bright smile.
Marcelo frowned, exuding an air of quiet authority.
"Again? Have we met before? I wouldn’t say my memory is bad. People as distinctive as you aren’t the kind I’d forget so easily."
"Eh… Is that so?"
That made sense. Since both Le Qiaoqiao and her group, as well as Ryan and the other villagers, had already lost their memories of the previous night due to some mysterious force, then Marcelo, the village guard captain, who was also trapped in this area and had no apparent special traits, shouldn’t be an exception either.
In other words, from his perspective, this was his first time meeting Violet and the others from the outside world.
…Or was it?
Unlike yesterday, Violet didn’t bother starting with casual small talk. Instead, she raised a hand to stop Enrique, who had just opened his mouth to speak. Then, she suddenly dropped a bombshell.
"Old man, cut the act. You remember everything, don’t you?"
"Not just our meeting last night, but the entire process of how this village has been changing over time… You remember it all, don’t you?"
"Eh?!"
Le Qiaoqiao, who had just been kicked to the side, got up as if nothing had happened, her eyes widening along with the others. Even Enrique seemed momentarily stunned by the sudden, drastic turn in the conversation before quickly blurting out in shock.
"Miss Violet, are you serious?! Captain Marcelo, he…?!"
Facing the half-bear man's unreadable gaze and Ryan’s utterly confused expression, as if he had no idea what they were talking about. The black-haired girl simply smiled and gave a small nod.
"Of course. Think about it. If the mastermind behind this set up this space with a specific goal in mind, does it really make sense that they wouldn’t leave someone behind as insurance?"
"Just like us, other adventurers must have stumbled into this place at night while investigating. So wouldn’t it be necessary to have someone in place to make contact with them immediately, assess whether they were a threat, and respond accordingly?"
"And tell me, who was the person we interacted with the most yesterday?"
"Wait… you’re right!"
With just that simple hint, Enrique’s eyes lit up as if he had just figured it all out.
"The village guard captain! The only person with a perfectly valid reason to meet every adventurer who comes here!"