“Ah, welcome! I’m glad you’re here.”

The first village that the trucks carrying supplies to the research zone had to pass through.

Despite the late hour, the village head greeted Willes and Oliver.

Of course, the village head didn’t welcome them from the beginning.

Although the village had relatively frequent interactions with the outside world, making it less exclusive for a rural area, it wasn’t completely free of exclusivity.

Yet, the reason for such a warm welcome was the token that Willes presented.

As soon as he handed over the token, the village mechanic, who had been refueling the truck and repairing minor breakdowns, was so surprised that he called the village head as if he had seen the salvation army.

Thanks to that, Oliver was able to receive quite extravagant treatment as a sidekick to Willes.

“But who is that person…?”

The village head, unable to contain his curiosity, looked at Oliver quietly scooping up bean soup in the corner of the village hall and asked Willes.

Willes glanced at Oliver and dodged the question. It was the complete opposite of their positions during the train ride.

“We met on the way here. I thought he could help with the work, so I brought him along.”

“What kind of help do you mean…?”

“Well, first let’s talk about what happened here. We don’t have much time.”

With Willes’s unique, authoritative tone, the village head hesitated and carefully opened his mouth.

“Ah, I apologize. You’ve come such a long way…”

“Don’t worry about it. We’re both Kell tribes, aren’t we?”

“Yes, thank you… Where should I start? As you know, people have gone missing from this village and all the nearby villages. Mostly children, young women, and young men. It’s quite serious.”

The old man was sincere and desperate.

It made sense since the labor force of young people was truly valuable in such small living communities.

Those who appeared to be the families of the missing stood next to the village head, shedding tears.

However, instead of sympathizing and grieving with them, Willes asked questions with no emotions. His will to solve the problem was stronger.

“Have you searched?”

“Of course, we have! Everyone in the village, including me, was born and raised here. I’m not bragging, but this area is like our backyard. But they disappeared without a trace. Without a trace…!”

“It’s the work of ghosts. Ghosts!”

A plump middle-aged woman shouted. She seemed to be a relative of the missing, shedding tears with a sad expression.

The village head yelled at the woman who interrupted.

“Hey! Stop talking nonsense! Why confuse with stories you’re not even sure about?!”

“But…”

The arguing villagers were mediated by none other than Willes.

Although Willes was a stranger, except for the fact that he was from the same Kell tribe, he calmed the villagers down with a dignified voice, like a lord managing his subjects.

“Calm down, everyone… Ghosts? What are you talking about? It’s not something to say lightly.”

The middle-aged woman who had been scolded by the village head hesitated, but soon opened her mouth after Willes encouraged her to speak.

“Every night, we hear strange cries.”

“Isn’t it just the cry of an animal? Everyone knows that there are many animals in this area”

“But this is different. It’s really eerie. It’s not a normal sound. Besides, we know the animals living around here. Wolves, bears, deer… But that creature was something we had never seen before. It was more like a monster than an animal.”

“Yes, I saw it too! I accidentally saw it from a distance… It wasn’t an ordinary animal. It was creepy.”

“And we also felt like it was watching us.”

The herbalist with the smell of soil and the hunter wearing fur added their own experiences.

Thanks to them, the village hall became noisy again, like a bustling marketplace, and everyone closed their mouths only after the village head raised his voice.

As silence returned, the village head spoke again.

“…Although there are some baseless stories, most of them are true. It’s not only happening in our village but also in three other villages that we often interact with. It’s as if the whole area is cursed.”

“Maybe it’s a stupid question, but can’t you get help from the police or the military? Although it’s a bit far, there are police and military forces in Holland at the foot of the mountain.”

Despite knowing it wasn’t his place to intervene, Oliver couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.

He had heard from the café owner that the police and military didn’t help poor villages, but he wanted to hear it directly from the villagers themselves.

Perhaps he would hear something new?

Unfortunately, the situation he hoped for didn’t happen. Instead, he received cold stares.

“I don’t know who you are, but don’t talk nonsense if you don’t know anything. Do you think we’re fools for not asking the police for help? Those guys don’t care about us at all.”

“Especially after those outsiders from the research facility came into the area, we’ve been treated like we don’t exist… Damn it, is this fair? This place originally belonged to us.”

“But thanks to them, our lives have improved a bit, haven’t they? They buy our goods at decent prices, and sometimes we can load our stuff onto their transport trucks.”

“I prefer the old days. Because of those bastards, my relatives had to move to the city below…! And they always talk annoyingly, as if they’re the owners, but we are the original owners of this place!”

“Hey, but still-“

Surprisingly, even among the villagers, opinions about the research facility were divided, and their voices grew louder.

Just as the argument seemed to escalate, Willes gently tapped the table, stopping the quarrel.

His actions were delicate yet authoritative. He asked again.

“Then, can you tell me specifically who disappeared when and how in this village? I’ll take responsibility and look into it.”

⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩

The villagers, who seemed to have strong wills and rough appearances, surprisingly obeyed Willes’s request and explained about the missing people.

Numbers, dates, locations, and other noticeable rumors or news.

Willes calmly took notes of the information to grasp the situation, and they were able to rest after exchanging enough stories.

The villagers led Willes to a bed in the village hall with respect, while Oliver and the truck driver were given mats and blankets to lie on the floor.

Late at night, just as they were about to fall asleep, Willes, who should have been on the bed, approached Oliver.

“Is the bed comfortable? If it’s uncomfortable, I can give you my bed.”

“Huh? No, I’m fine. I’m already receiving more than enough hospitality. This is more than enough for me to sleep.”

He was sincere. Although his living conditions had improved, he hadn’t forgotten his time in the orphanage and the mine.

“You’re quite tough for someone from the Tower. Nowadays, there are many who can’t sleep without a feather bed.”

Oliver wanted to ask why he knew a lot about the Tower, but to continue the conversation, he said something else.

“To be precise, I’m just an employee, so it would be inappropriate to say I’m from the Tower.”

“They don’t just hire anyone at the tower, especially if you’re a professor’s personal employee. Either you’re from a wealthy family who can afford to pay a lot, or you have a talent that interests the professor. I think you’re the latter… Have we met before?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes, we met on the train, didn’t we?”

“…….”

“Excuse me, if it’s okay, can I ask you a question?”

“What?”

“Can I ask why you took this request? You said on the truck that I wouldn’t understand even if you told me, but I still want to hear the reason. Is there a special reason?”

“Why do you want to hear it?”

“Because if I listen, I might have a chance to understand.”

At that, Willes stared intently at Oliver as if trying to see through him.

After a moment, he opened his mouth.

“…As you may have heard earlier, our Kell people have difficulty receiving protection from the kingdom. It may be different in cities, but in remote places like this, it’s hard to rely on security.”

“I understand.”

“And because it’s difficult to rely on security, countless incidents and accidents occur here, more so than in cities. Thieves, warlocks, violent criminals, and cruel landlords, among others. They need help more than anyone, but as I mentioned earlier, they don’t get it. So, our Kell people have created a community to help each other.”

“A community?”

“Well, it’s nothing too special. It’s just a group of people who frequently interact, exchanging greetings and helping each other when needed. I’m just one of them.”

The community reminded Oliver of the District X community he had heard about from Dean in the past. A group gathered to protect each other due to the lack of security.

“So… there was a request for help from the community, and you, Mr. Will, accepted it.”

“Yes. I know a guy from here, and we have a connection. I could have refused, but we should help each other when times are tough.”

He was sincere.

“Um… I may not understand it well, as you said, but it seems impressive. But, Mr. Will, do you need to worry about such things, being an outstanding solver?”

“Whether one’s skills are outstanding or not, people cannot live alone. Especially the Kell people in the United Kingdom. They need people who can help each other. Don’t look at it from the same perspective as Landa.”

“Ah, I see. I’m sorry.”

“…Anyway, I want to solve this case. And I guess the same goes for you. The suspicious disappearances at the Tower laboratory must be somehow related to the disappearances in this village.”

“Yes.”

Oliver did not deny it. The disappearances that occurred in the village and the Tower laboratory, centered around the research zone of Mountain Pace, were likely related in some way to anyone who looked at them.

Willes suggested, “So, how about we help each other?”

“Help each other?”

“Yes, I can easily contact all the nearby villages, but it’s difficult for you. People in this area are exclusive to outsiders.”

“Yes.”

“On the other hand, I can’t even get information from the Tower research facility, let alone enter it. How about you tell them I’m your employee, like on the train, and take me with you and share the information? Then, we might be able to find some traces, right? I’m not bragging, but I have some expertise in searching, so it will be helpful. If you came as a substitute for the professor, there must be some circumstances, so don’t you think we should solve the problem as much as possible?”

That wasn’t a wrong argument. Although Oliver had come instead of Kevin to escape the immediate predicament, solving the problem would be the best course of action.

Frankly, if Oliver returned empty-handed without any results, they might send Kevin again.

Oliver wanted to help Kevin if possible. For one, he was his employee, and although he couldn’t know the exact details, Kevin’s goals and determination were admirable.

While failure was unavoidable, he wanted to solve the problem as much as possible, as Willes had suggested.

“If you think I might pull some tricks, I promise there won’t be any.”

“Yes, let’s cooperate then.”

“…What did you say?”

“I said let’s cooperate. As Mr. Will said, we have the same goal and can help each other. I think it’s fine.”

Willes looked slightly surprised at Oliver’s quick acceptance. It seemed he was taken aback by the unexpectedly easy agreement.

Seeing Willes’s reaction, Oliver felt the need to add on.

“Um, since you promised not to have any ulterior motives.”

“Thank you for trusting me.”

“You seem like a good person, Mr. Will. You even saved the hostage, which could have been troublesome.”

Oliver recalled the train attack.

Despite trying not to draw attention by blending in with the passengers, Willes had taken the risk and stepped forward when the hostage was in danger.

Willes didn’t say anything, perhaps having nothing to say, and Oliver looked at him and spoke.

“Can I ask you a favor since we’re going to cooperate?”

“What is it?”

“Can you tell me about the Kell people or Northland while we’re on our way? I suddenly became interested.”

(To be Continued)

OR

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