allonlinenovel Chapter 187 Mysterious Man, Exploring the Village
Chapter 187 Mysterious Man, Exploring the Village
Chapter 187 Mysterious Man, Exploring the Village
"What a strange guy."
Lucy watched Eclair's departing figure and muttered to herself.
"Um, I'm sorry, Eclair has some prejudice against mages." An apologetic voice came from inside.
A fluffy yellow bird toy flapped its wings and hopped onto the table, its round eyes looking somewhat adorable.
"The little bird puppet is talking?!" Lucy exclaimed in surprise.
"Hello, my name is Mengmeng, and I'm Eclair's partner." Mengmeng introduced herself by raising her paw in a friendly manner.
"Hello, I'm Lucy." Lucy replied with a smile.
Thinking of her own guild, with its sharp-tongued blue cat Harpy and Biggles's few repeating puppets, she quickly accepted the idea that the yellow bird could talk.
After greeting Mengmeng, Chess looked up at the old village chief sitting opposite him and asked, "Was that girl named Acreya from your village?"
"Although she didn't grow up in the village, Acreia is indeed considered a member of the village."
The old village chief nodded slightly, a look of reminiscence appearing in his cloudy eyes. He sighed softly, "It was probably four years ago when we found her unconscious outside the village."
"The child seems to have suffered some kind of trauma, forgetting his past and even why he came to the Forest of Boendali. His mental state is somewhat unstable."
This village was originally founded by adventurers who got lost in the forest, and even now, the villagers still maintain this tradition, taking in homeless people who come here and are willing to stay.
This is also the main reason why remote villages have been able to continue to exist: new residents are constantly joining them.
Therefore, even though the timing of Aclaya's arrival was very close to the time when the village began to experience unusual phenomena, the old village chief and others never suspected Aclaya.
But Chase, who knows Acrea's true origins, might not be so sure.
After listening to the old village chief's description, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he became even more convinced that the "demon egg" was most likely connected to Eclair and the Phoenix Stone in some way!
"So that's how it is..." Lucy said softly, her expression somewhat gloomy. She suddenly felt sorry for Acreia and was no longer upset about the other woman's impolite behavior.
At least she couldn't imagine what a painful and sorrowful scene it would be if one day she forgot Natsu, forgot Chess, forgot her guildmates, and even her father, Jud.
"Please be more understanding of that child. She is kind-hearted and wants the village to return to normal more than any of us do," the old village chief said apologetically.
"Don't worry about such a small thing," the dark magician girl waved her hand dismissively.
Before coming here, Chess hadn't mentioned anything about Eclair and the Phoenix Stone to her; that's just his personality.
"So, Lady Lucy, shall we go to the village now to check on the situation, or rest for the night and set off tomorrow?" Chase asked Lucy with a smile.
Lucy was a little flustered by this strange address, but she quickly understood what Chase meant and could only give a cooperative reply:
"Ah, let's rest first. I'm a little tired after traveling all day."
"If you need a rest, we have empty rooms specifically reserved for mages who come to carry out commissions."
The old village chief overheard their conversation and said, "It's just that the temporary setup is a bit rudimentary; I hope you won't mind."
"It's okay, it's okay, having a place to stay is great!" Lucy said, indicating that she was perfectly fine with it.
Then, the scene changes.
The little wooden house was empty.
Looking at the only wooden bed in the room, Lucy's beautiful face was filled with despair.
Although she felt safe sharing a room with that deadbeat Chase, what's with the stench of sweat and alcohol in the whole place?!
They could offer such a high reward of 18 million, so why couldn't they manage it properly?
Even working people deserve basic treatment!
In fact, she misunderstood the villagers.
After all, the four hounds had just left when these newcomers arrived, leaving no time to clean up.
"Isn't it good enough to have a place to stay?"
Chase stretched and yawned, then slowly walked towards the wooden bed. "Lucy, you can have the wide floorboards. I'll take care of this dirty bed."
"Hey! Wait a minute! Doesn't Chesgo know the principle of ladies first?!"
Seeing that Chase was about to lie down on the bed, Lucy panicked and rushed over to stop him.
After glancing at the dusty floor covered with footprints, the decent wooden bed no longer seemed so resistant.
"Do you think I look like the kind of gentleman who would care about that kind of thing?" Chase asked with a smile.
"Not at all!" Lucy answered affirmatively without hesitation.
Her eyes darted around, and she immediately came up with a new excuse, "I... I'm Chess's sister, you know! It's only natural for a brother to give in to his sister, right?"
"There's really nothing I can do with you." Chase sighed helplessly.
He really couldn't refuse that reason.
Seeing him compromise and turn to give up his place, Lucy beamed with joy: "Hehe, Chess is the best!" Then, the next second, the light from the magic circle immediately illuminated the entire cabin.
Chase, having found an empty spot, swung his arms and used card magic to conjure up an exquisitely crafted single bed.
Just like the camping blankets and food that he "conjured" when chasing the Turtledove Squad last time, he has a lot of daily necessities stored in his cards because he is often away from home, so he can use them anytime, anywhere.
Even through the magical barrier, Lucy could smell the fresh scent emanating from the entire bed. The clean, soft sheets and blankets, and the comfortable latex pillows left her speechless, wishing she could immediately take off her clothes and pounce on them.
Why didn't he bring out such a good thing sooner? That bastard, that stinky card player, he must have done it on purpose!!
Despite the inner turmoil of her mind constantly cursing Chase, Lucy still rushed to his side at lightning speed and shamelessly grabbed his arm and shook it.
"Chesgo~"
A sweet smile appeared on her lips, perfectly embodying the meaning of "changing face".
"What's wrong? Didn't you want a wooden bed instead of a floor?" Chess asked cheekily, feigning confusion.
To be honest, it's quite amusing to tease Lucy every now and then and see her looking so pathetic and embarrassed.
No wonder Happy often does this. In the end, Chase certainly wouldn't actually send Lucy to sleep on the hard, dirty wooden bed, but let the Dark Magician Girl take her back to the room in the card space.
He could actually enter the card space if he wanted to, but he was worried that if the village chief came the next day and found that they had disappeared, it would frighten the old man.
So, after a quick wash, Chase passed through the magical barrier that blocked out the odors and lay down on his comfortable single bed.
He lay down but did not fall asleep immediately. Instead, he pondered the various intelligence and information about the village, including Eclair, and devised several possible plans to facilitate the exploration of the village the next day.
At the same time.
The entrance to the Forest of Boendali, a dark path shrouded in the cold moonlight.
The four-headed hound squad, having failed to complete their mission, had just emerged from the perilous forest when they bumped into a middle-aged man clad in heavy armor. "Excuse me, the road is a bit narrow. Could you please move aside a little?" the man said slowly, his voice deep and cold.
"What a joke! Why shouldn't you be the one to get out?!" Roca, the mage with pincer-like twin ponytails, shouted angrily.
They were already short-tempered, and were already furious because of SS's commission. So when they encountered such an rude person, they naturally wouldn't give him a good look.
"Oh, I see—"
A cruel smile crept across the middle-aged man's lips as he slowly raised his hand.
Seeing this, the four-headed hound mages were not intimidated at all and took their positions, ready to fight.
"Get out of my way!" Pakas, the leader, suddenly shouted.
The strongest and most arrogant member of the squad actually moved aside and made way for them!
"Lord Parcas, you—"
"Stop talking nonsense and do as I say!"
As the strongest mage of the four-headed hound, Pakas's words carry considerable weight.
Even though the others didn't understand, they still gritted their teeth and walked to the sides of the path with resentment.
"Heh, not bad judgment."
The middle-aged man chuckled and glanced warily at Pakas, whose forehead was covered in cold sweat.
His armor and cloak fluttered in the wind. He lowered his hand, which he hadn't fully raised, and casually walked past the crowd, heading into the depths of the dark forest.
Only after his figure completely disappeared from sight did Pakas' tense nerves gradually relax, and he let out a long sigh of relief.
"Lord Pacas, why do we have to make way for that bastard?" The four hound mages all gathered around.
"That guy's aura is stronger than a human's."
Packas, his hands and feet ice-cold and still somewhat frightened, said, "If we had really fought, we might all be dead here!"
"Damn it! When did such a person ever exist on the mainland?!"
Upon hearing this, the four hound mages froze instantly, some standing there dumbfounded, unsure of what to do.
This was the first time they had ever seen Pakas, who was always fearless, use such words to describe a "person"!
"Hopefully, that monster wasn't after the SS commission."
Packas frowned and looked up toward the village at the edge of the forest.
Recalling the heart-pounding feeling he had when his eyes met that man's, and the chill that seemed to freeze every cell in his body, he let out a heavy sigh, his expression grave.
"Otherwise, Chess and his crew will probably be in big trouble—"
The next day.
Unaware of the mysterious man's situation, Chess greeted the villagers, including the old village chief and the guard Berest, and then left the cave with Lucy and the dark magic girl, heading to the village to investigate.
In front of that heavy, cold door, they encountered Eclair and Mengmeng, who were standing there in a daze.
"Good morning, Acrea, Mengmeng," Lucy greeted her.
After learning about Acrea's ordeal, the kind-hearted girl really wanted to be friends with her.
The missing clothes were never found, and the Canis Minor Star Spirit Robe was too conspicuous; she was currently wearing the same pink robe as Dark Magician Girl.
The two women were strangely well-matched in height and figure, and both had long blonde hair. When they stood together and looked at each other from behind, they really looked like twin sisters.
(Harpy's comment: Doesn't this make it less noticeable?)
Upon hearing the voice, Eclair turned around and, seeing that it was the same group of mages from last night, coldly turned and left.
Lucy's lips twitched: She's still really annoying, with this kind of personality!
"Um, Eclair, Lucy and the others are guests in the village."
Mengmeng glanced at Eclair, who was walking away, and then at Lucy, who looked embarrassed, trying to salvage the situation.
Seeing that Eclair had no intention of responding, the creature caught in the middle quickly bowed to Lucy to apologize, then hurriedly followed Eclair, muttering that it shouldn't be so rude.
"Chesco, should we follow them?" Lucy asked tentatively.
From the guard Berest, she learned that Eclair went out every day to search the forest for the cause of the strange occurrence of the magic egg.
Every time I come back, I'm covered in injuries.
Despite disliking the other person's cold attitude, she couldn't just sit idly by.
"They haven't had any problems over the years, so you shouldn't worry about this kind of thing."
"Completing the commission is the greatest help we can give her."
Chess waved his hand and walked towards the closed door, completely unconcerned about Eclair's safety.
To put it bluntly, even if everyone in the village died, she, with her immortality, would not be in any danger!
Although Lucy cared a lot about Eclair, she chose to trust Chase's judgment, took a deep breath, and quickly followed.
Metaphor.
As Chase gently pushed open the door, a chilling aura immediately rushed towards him, and the first thing he saw was a dark, sinister mist.
The thick fog blocked out most of the light, and only the outlines of houses within a few meters could be vaguely seen.
Further ahead, it was pitch black.
It seemed as if some terrifying monster lurked deep within, and hoarse, low roars could be heard from time to time.
"Wow, this village is really scary—"
Lucy got goosebumps and quietly crept up behind Chase, hugging herself.
"Don't be so scared, Lucy. That voice must have come from an ordinary villager who has turned into a demon," the dark magician girl comforted her with a smile.
With her incredibly vivid imagination, Lucy immediately conjured up an image of a brutal demon with sharp snouts and claws: "You're making it even scarier!"
"Let's go."
With a calm expression, Chess walked slowly through the open gate onto the main road of the village.
Dark Magician Girl followed closely behind.
Soon, only Lucy was left alone at the door.
"Wait, wait for me, Chess!" She hurriedly followed and rushed into the thick black fog.
It wasn't until he had fully entered the village that Chess realized it wasn't as backward as he had imagined.
The road underfoot is a cement road paved with neat stone bricks, and the houses scattered around are also sturdy and durable brick and wood mixed structures.
Although it is far from reaching the level of Magnolia, basic facilities have not been neglected, and one can glimpse some of its former prosperity and stability.
If nothing unexpected happens, and this trend continues, this place may be able to reach the size of an ordinary town.
pity·--
It's now a desolate village!