Chapter 60 – His Deduction

Chapter 60

His Deduction

Date : Day 3 of Grimleaf 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.

Hyoren and Elise woke up at nearly the same time in the morning. The night had passed. The darkness had retreated. The Ward Stones continued their soft hum. The barrier still held.

Elise stirred first. A golden hue of Sol, followed by a silver ray of Luna, illuminated her face. The dual light fell across her features. Warm gold and cool silver mingled on her skin. Her eyes fluttered. Her lashes cast shadows on her cheeks. She stirred awake groggily, her eyes slow to focus.

Feeling the stir on his side rustled Hyoren awake. The movement beside him pulled him from sleep. He sat up. And turned his face to his side. And smiled.

"Good morning, Elise... You fine now?"

Elise sat up and rubbed her sleepy eyes with the back of her hands. The gesture was childlike. She blinked away to erase her sleepiness. Her green eyes focused slowly. Finding his face.

"Mor.... Yawn…”

She yawned long and deep, taking the air her brain needed.

“Morning, Hyoren..."

She stretched on top of their sleeping bag. Her arms reached upward. Her joints cracked. The sound was soft in the quiet room. Then she properly faced Hyoren and smiled.

"Yeah... I feel better now."

She looked up at the ceiling. Trying to remember something. Her brow furrowed slightly. Her eyes searched the wooden beams above.

"I felt like having the worst nightmare I ever had. But then I felt warm. And a feeling full of love enveloped me starting from my head."

She touched and rubbed her forehead. Rustling some of her silver hair. The strands caught the morning light.

"It makes me feel peaceful. And I can finally sleep peacefully."

She beamed. Her white and neatly arranged teeth could be seen as she smiled widely. The expression was radiant. Transforming her face.

Hyoren coughed. Clearing his throat. He could feel his neck and face warmed. Remembering what he did last night. The kiss on her forehead. The whispered promises. The intimacy of the moment.

"I see, that's good then."

He then stood and stretched his body. His arms reached above his head. His back popped. The stiffness eased. He offered his hand to help Elise stand.

"Let's go, Elise. We still need to investigate this village..."

Elise took his hands and stood beside him. Her grip was firm. She then tried to fix her disheveled leather tunic. The garment was wrinkled. Misaligned from sleep.

"Right. We are still in the middle of the quest..."

She shook her head, trying to dispel the last trace of her sleepiness. Her tangled silver hair swayed with the motion, catching the light. Then she reached to the corner and picked up the glowing blue orb—the Water Orb.

"Give me time to fix my hair and wash my face first, Hyoren..."

Hyoren nodded.

"Sure, I want to wash my face too..."

Both of them then brought the water orb to the bathroom nearby. The room was small, a little dusty, but useable, with a washbasin, a mirror, and a wooden shelf. They used the Water Orb to produce water on the basin. The water flowed from the orb—clear and cool—cleaning and then filling the basin.

Elise then washed her face. The water ran down her cheeks, refreshing her. She fixed her disheveled hair, combing through the tangles with her fingers before finally tying her silver hair with a green leather ribbon. The color matched her tunic and the ponytail was neat and professional.

Beside her, Hyoren also fixed his own appearance. Washing his face. Running his fingers through his hair. Straightening his clothes. Preparing for the day ahead.

With proper appearance and the last of their sleepiness gone, they went back to the reception room slash camp. The space was quiet while the Ward Stones still hummed in the corners.

Elise took her storage bag from beside their sleeping bag. She picked two squirrel jerky—the dried meat was tough but savory—before she gave one to Hyoren.

"Let's quickly eat, Hyoren. No need to tidy our camp yet. We might need to spend another night here if we are still not done with the investigation today."

Hyoren took the jerky from her and nodded.

"Right, the village is large and the clue might be from anywhere. It might take us the whole day just to check every house."

Both ate in silence while relaxing on top of their sleeping bag. The fireplace was already dead, leaving ash that was grey and cold—the only remnants of the warmth from the night before.

***

After eating, they prepared themselves. Checking their weapons. Securing their armor. Fastening their storage bags. After a while they stood with weapons ready and a storage bag on their belts, alert and ready.

"What should we do with the investigation, Elise? Split up? Or together?"

Elise put her hands on her chin while her ears twitched, considering the options.

"I think to be safe, we should go together. Wraiths rarely go out under suns, but they can. They just don't really like bright light."

Hyoren nodded, filing the information away.

"I see, they are not weak to sunlight, just hate it, huh..."

He stepped forward, taking the lead.

"Then let's start with this chief's house. We haven't properly investigated it."

Elise nodded, following his lead.

They started combing the chief's house methodically and thoroughly. Every room was in a similar state—dusty and abandoned but intact. There was no trace of battle or signs of attack. No blood. No broken furniture. No struggle.

In the kitchen, the appliances and traces of meals were still in the pantry and table. Pots. Pans. Dried herbs hanging from hooks. A half-empty jar of flour. The remains of a meal left on the table—a bowl, a spoon, and dried broth clinging to the ceramic. As if the person eating had simply vanished mid-bite.

In the bedroom, the bed was still tidy albeit dusty. The wardrobe was also still full of clothes—tunics, pants, dresses, and shoes—all left behind, hanging neatly and waiting for owners who would never return.

It was a perfectly habitable house—just without any tenants. A home frozen in time.

They reached the chief's room on the second floor. The stairs creaked under their weight while the room was larger than the others. A sturdy table with documents stacked on top of it. A chair. A bookshelf. A window overlooking the plaza.

"This is really unsettling, Elise. If the villagers ran away of their own will, they would take their possessions."

Elise nodded, agreeing with him while her eyes scanned the room and took in the details.

"Yeah... they seem like they disappeared at night. From the kitchen, they seem to have disappeared into thin air during dinner."

Hyoren scanned the room. He checked the documents on the table, reading the dusty paper. The ink was faded but legible.

"Yeah... this is a true anomaly. The chief just finished writing a report about their successful harvest to Baron Akela. It doesn't make sense if they were running away if the village is prosperous."

He then checked other documents—letters, ledgers, and records.

"Baron Akela seems not to be taking too much tax either. So revolting or running away because of high tax is very unlikely."

Elise looked up at the report on the wall shelves. Her eyes scanned the neatly stacked documents. The papers were organized by date and category. Ledgers. Letters. Official correspondence. All dusty from months of abandonment. Her fingers traced along the spines of the folders, searching for anything unusual.

"That's right, Hyoren. They were not running away. They were not kidnapped by bandits or attacked by monsters..."

Hyoren picked up a sealed envelope stamped urgent from the desk. The wax seal was still intact—unbroken despite the months that had passed. Inside was another map of documents. He pulled them out carefully. The paper was yellowed but still legible.

The letter talked about a request for the Adventurer's Guild to issue a request to investigate missing people and if there was anything dangerous in the forest nearby. The language was formal. A plea for help from a desperate village chief.

He then checked the other documents. They were the village chief's reports about missing people. The date label showed this was created in the month of Bloomtide, 2023 AY. Around six months ago. When the disappearance case happened.

He then called Elise.

"Hey Elise, these documents might be a clue."

Elise crossed the room and stood beside him. Her footsteps were soft on the wooden floor. She leaned in to look at the papers in his hands.

"Hmm. Let's see..."

They then read the documents together. The handwriting was neat but hurried. The ink was faded but still readable.

Day 21 of Bloomtide: Kath and Fio still missing. Others last saw those two girls head to forest to forage herbs. It's already been ten days.

The words were stark on the page. A record of growing fear. Hyoren continued to read. The entries progressed. The worry deepened.

Day 24 of Bloomtide: Thyer and Helga parents come to me just now and report their daughters also not coming back after went to forest nearby to play. This has never happened before as those two girls are careful one. I need to issue forest is off limit until Adventurer's Guild sent their investigator.

Both stopped reading. The implications settled over them like a heavy fog.

Hyoren looked up from the letter to face Elise. His expression was grave.

"Four missing people. The date is around the mysterious mass disappearance, Elise."

Elise also faced Hyoren. Her emerald eyes were dark with thought.

"Yeah. Four missing girls before all villagers disappear. It might be connected. There should be no bandit or slaver around here. Baron Akela took territory safety as priority."

Hyoren nodded. His mind worked through the possibilities.

"It might be related. But also might be not. We need to consider our options now."

Elise then crossed the room, wanting fresh air. The documents had made the room feel smaller. More oppressive.

She opened the window to clear the dusty air filling the rooms. The breeze flowed in—fresh and cool—carrying the scent of abandoned fields and wild grass. The morning light fell across the wooden floor. Before turning to Hyoren and resting her butt on the window pane. Her posture was relaxed but thoughtful.

Hyoren then sat on the sturdy desk, trying to brainstorm. His mind worked through the possibilities. The pieces of the puzzle. The connections and disconnections.

"If we consider the four girls missing as unrelated first. Let's see..."

He put his fingers on his chin. His brow furrowed in concentration.

"Villager mass exodus because of bad harvest or Baron Akela's high tax… the usual suspect of mass migration is crossed out. What is our other option, Elise?"

Wind blew from the opened window, rustling Elise's silver hair. The strands danced in the breeze before she caught them with her hands and combed them slowly to fix them. The motion was absent-minded. Her mind was elsewhere.

"Hmm. I'm as clueless as you to be honest, Hyoren."

She smiled weakly. She was a veteran ranger, but her knowledge was limited and she was not all-knowing. The mystery was beyond her experience.

Hyoren then put his hands on his chin in deep thought. His brow furrowed.

Elise let him spend his time thinking. She knew his mind was on a different scale than hers. She would provide knowledge she knew if he asked, but for now she was patiently waiting. She smiled, seeming amused and awed at the same time seeing his face.

Deep frowns on his eyebrows. His mouth kept moving, mumbling without sounds. Eyes which were focused on one point on the floor but definitely seeing something far away. Hands on chin—the posture of deep concentration.

At the same time, Hyoren's mind was racing. If a logical conclusion was useless, he needed to think of an alternative. This world had magic, gods, and blessings. This world of Kresneger worked differently from Earth.

He dug deeper into his own knowledge based on many fantasy novels and games he read and played. The stories. The scenarios. The tropes.

Is it the work of demons?

Demons are cunning and their power usually is outside the human realm. But it was weird. For what purpose did they do this? Vanishing a whole village population. Seemingly inconspicuous village. If they wanted to terrorize humanity and could manage this feat, they should do it in more populous villages or towns.

He shelved that for now.

Or is it ritual magic?

In some scenarios in games, ritual magic can be performed. And the premise of many Isekai Novels is using ritual magic to summon a Hero from Earth. Could it be performed here to make the whole village disappear?

He settled with this deduction for now and finally raised his head.

Elise noticed this and chuckled. The sound was soft and knowing.

"Done thinking, Hyoren? Or do you have a question to ask?"

Hyoren scratched his cheek, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Elise. I was deep in my own thoughts."

Elise shook her head while her silver hair swayed with the motion.

"Fufu. No need to apologize, Hyoren."

Hyoren smiled wryly.

"So, Elise, what if this is the work of demons?"

He presented his first hypothesis.

Elise's emerald eyes clouded with the mention of demons. She put her hand on her chin, thinking.

"Demons. They might be capable of doing this. Yes… I heard high-ranking ones have really absurd abilities. Multiple high-leveled adventurers and knights need to be dispatched to kill one."

But she shook her head, dismissing the possibility.

"But it was unlikely this was the work of demons."

Hyoren agreed with Elise. He also concluded this was unlikely the work of demons, but he asked away to confirm it.

"Why, Elise?"

She started combing her silver hair while her eyes wandered, trying to remember details about demons.

"I'm not really knowledgeable about demons. But based on my knowledge, most of them like to attack frontally. Their purpose is to claim more territory for themselves and destroy humanity at the same time to reduce influence from the Kresneger Pantheon—so their own Demon God Gidol can become stronger. So they always attack our front-line on the eastern part of this continent."

She crossed her arms. The gesture which made Hyoren avert his eyes a bit as her well-endowed chest was even more emphasized. But he tried to focus and gaze into her emerald eyes instead.

A gesture which he failed to do as his eyes still wandered to other parts unconsciously.

Elise, who was oblivious of this, continued.

"The bulk of the Demon Army consists of brutes like Giants, Mechanoids, and Beast-demons such as werewolves or werebears. Oh, Beast-demons are different from Beastkin as they look like monsters and are huge—you can't mistake them over."

Hyoren nodded in understanding.

"I see, so the Demon Army is all brute force..."

Elise shook her head.

"Not all. Some races such as Vampires, Succubi, and Mimics did covert operations and infiltrate humanity. But their purpose is always clear… sought to terrorize humanity, steer nobles to do their bidding, or just provide their army with intelligence."

She gestured with her hands, wagging her fingers.

"Doing something like this is not their modus operandi."

She crossed her arms again.

Hyoren then also crossed his arms. The gesture was unconscious—mirroring Elise's posture. His mind worked through the possibilities. The pieces were starting to align.

"So, if demons are not behind this. What about ritual magic, Elise? In my 'weird' knowledge I read,  ritual magic is performed by multiple individuals and using tools or magic circles."

He talked about fantasy stories and games. He said it as weird knowledge as explaining such was troublesome. The truth was too complicated to explain.

Elise's eyes widened and she clapped her hands. The sound was sharp in the quiet room. Realization struck her like lightning.

"Right... Ritual magic! Why didn't it come to me?"

She smiled, amused at Hyoren's "weird" knowledge. The expression was a mix of wonder and embarrassment.

"You are right, Hyoren. This might be the work of ritual magic. That was the most plausible scenario."

She nodded her head. The pieces were falling into place.

"Your weird knowledge is often laughable, but yes. Ritual magic. How to start."

She put her fingers on her chin. Her expression shifted to thoughtful.

"Ritual magic can be performed with multiple people. They usually write runic arrays, powered with magic tools and their own Aethell, to create magic impossible to be performed alone."

Her emerald eyes clouded while her voice dropped an octave and became chilly. The temperature in the room seemed to drop with her words.

"Some ritual magic even require sacrifice."

Hyoren shuddered. The implications were dark. The word hung in the air between them—heavy and terrible.

"I see. That is... horrible…”

Then realization dawned upon him.

“But wait!"

He took the documents about the four missing girls. His hands moved quickly.  The papers rustled as he pulled them from the stack. Four girls. Sacrifice. Four Wraiths. The numbers aligned in his mind like stars in a constellation.

"Elise! I can be sure this case is caused by Ritual Magic."

Elise tilted her head. Her mind hadn't grasped the connection yet. Her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Think about it, Elise. You said some ritual magic requires sacrifice. There are four missing girls. And we encountered four wraiths. The numbers match!"

Elise widened her emerald eyes. The realization dawned upon her like sunrise breaking over the horizon. Her lips parted slightly. Her breath caught.

"Now that you mention it. You are right, Hyoren.”

She nodded. Convinced.

“This case was definitely caused by Ritual Magic. And the grudge of those four girls might be enough to cause wraith appearance if they were used as sacrifice. I read in the past about ritual magic. The ones used as sacrifice always scream in agony before their soul got consumed in the process."

Hyoren shuddered. The image formed in his mind unbidden. Four girls. Screaming. Their souls torn from their bodies. The horror of it settled in his stomach like ice.

"That was so horrible... how do people actually have the heart to do all this?"

Elise paused a bit before answering. Her expression grew somber. The weight of experience showed in her eyes.

"That's the reality, Hyoren. Not all people are good-natured. There's still evil lurking around, even if we discount monsters and demons."

The words hung in the air. A truth that neither of them wanted to accept. But a truth nonetheless.

Then Elise's expression changed. Her emerald eyes locked on him across the room. She smiled—her eyes now containing awe at how his mind worked. The admiration was genuine.

"Your analytical mind is truly your strong suit, Hyoren. If it was me alone, I doubt I can connect all this."

Hyoren scratched his own cheek and smiled wryly. The praise felt uncomfortable. Undeserved.

"I don't think I deserve the praise, Elise..."

Elise shook her head. And pointed a finger in his direction.

"Again with your self-humility. Please stop that or I will become angry. I know being overly proud is a poison. But your self-deprecation is too much. Please be prouder of yourself!"

Elise's voice was sharp. She rebuked him. The words cut through his deflection like a blade through silk.

Hyoren was shocked a bit. The force of her words startled him. But finally he nodded. The lesson sank in.

"Thank you, Elise... I will try to stop doing this."

Elise nodded. Satisfied. Her expression softened. The sharpness faded.

Hyoren then coughed. Clearing his own throat. Trying to steer their conversation back to their investigation. The moment of vulnerability had passed. They had work to do.

"Ehm. Elise, let's assume ritual magic was performed in this village. For what purpose? And how can we find out?"

Elise stood from the window pane. Her posture shifted—determined and focused. The time for speculation was over. The time for action had come.

"Let's investigate and thoroughly search each house, Hyoren. Ritual magic always leaves a trace even after years of it being performed."

Hyoren nodded and he stood from the table. The chair scraped against the wooden floor. The sound echoed in the empty house.

"Okay, Elise. Let's do it."

Both of them then went downstairs. Their footsteps echoed in the empty house before they exited the chief's house. The morning suns fell across the abandoned village while the mystery waited.