148 – today, maybe yesterday – 1

***

It was a good night.

Of course, he knew that the reason why the wise man was drinking himself was not to do something harsh.

If that was the case, I would have done it a long time ago.

But even so, it was good.

Because I could drink any amount of alcohol he made.

After falling asleep like that, she woke up pleasantly, but Veronica smiled faintly without even opening her eyes because she wanted to get drunk with the afterglow.

Anyway, the big thing is over, so I’ll stay in Trevor’s town for a few days and then go back to church, right?

What to do after returning?

oh Come to think of it, I must also prepare for the ascension of the ghosts in the lake.

The wise man said he could do it alone, but I think it’s too much to leave it to him alone.

Because he always worked hard alone, and he always suffered alone.

I want to be of some help to him.

Veronica, who had been rubbing her face against the big pillow as if she were a wise man, got up thinking she should get up.

“…yes?”

I looked at the people in the room and tilted my head.

“Why are you here?”

Two beauties sitting at a table and sipping black tea.

Cecil and Karin.

Seeing them, Veronica couldn’t help but question.

It is quite strange and a bit unpleasant that they exist instead of Hyeonu, who has been together for the past few days.

That’s because the refreshing morning is gone.

“The wise man left first because he had something to do.”

what to see?

what to see

Hasn’t the curse of this village been lifted now?

“I don’t know. I was sleeping too.”

Naturally, his gaze fell on Karin. She shook her head at Veronica’s demand for answers.

“You didn’t say where you were going.”

It wasn’t that he hadn’t moved first in this way, so it was no wonder.

Sitting on the bed, Veronica groaned and rolled her head.

Was there anything Hyunwoo said he needed to do in the past few days?

Approaching it from there, the answer came out so easily.

“…lake.”

She jumped up from her seat.

A headache comes from the sudden surge of anxiety.

“Ouch…”

“Why don’t you eat that? I think the sage left it.”

On the table next to the bed was a small bottle of medicine, a hangover cure.

I drank a lot yesterday and left these things behind.

Laughter comes out of the sage’s consideration.

Oops. Now is not the time for this.

Veronica quickly inhaled the medicine and went out onto the terrace.

The lake seen from the terrace was just a beautiful lake.

After all, it must be night to check the ghosts that may be in there.

Recalling the traces of the ghosts that can only be seen when illuminated by moonlight, Veronica slightly bit her lip in soaring nervousness.

“We’re planning to leave tomorrow, Cardinal. What are you going to do?”

Normally, I would have believed Hyeonu’s message and went with him.

However.

A feeling of uneasiness gripped her.

So, she put off answering and decided to find out where Hyeonu had gone.

Veronica went out to town alone and calmly walked down the street.

Is it because the night hunt is over and the festival is now in its final stages?

There weren’t as many people as before.

Those who are preparing to go back prepare to go back, and those who stay for a few more days continue to enjoy the village.

Veronica, walking alone among them, felt that she was the only one left out of this place.

‘…Hyeonu… I wonder if that’s the case too?’

Veronica bit her lip slightly.

He didn’t even know that he felt this kind of loneliness.

maybe more than me

That would be too.

“What? Cardinal Veronica!”

A voice full of joy breaks thoughts.

It was Wilkers, a werewolf boy shaman.

He approached with a smile on his face, looked around and asked.

“Huh? Where did the wise man go?”

“Well… I’m looking for it too.”

“I know a lot of people in this town. Can I help you?”

“Huh?! Really?”

“Yes! Actually, the chief of the guard in this village is dating my older sister. We’ve been close since we were little…”

“Let’s go!”

Catching Wilkers who was chattering, Veronica shouted strongly. Wilkes, overwhelmed by this, couldn’t say anything more and headed for the town guard with her.

“Hmm? Sage-nim? Among the people who went out yesterday, the sage-nim isn’t there.”

“…isn’t there another way to sneak out of town?”

“No, the wise man is not a sinner, and there is no way he will go another way.”

“That’s true too, but…”

“Anyway, the wise man is not in the number of people entering and leaving. Um. If not… Maybe he went out through the lakeside.”

The captain of the guard showed the map of the village hanging on the wall.

If it went to the other side through the road leading to the lake, it would be difficult for the guards to confirm.

“However, this road is so rough that people don’t go it well. Well, if it’s the wise man’s level, there won’t be any problems… But why are you looking for the wise man? Didn’t you come with me?”

“I heard you disappeared last night?”

“Really? Shall we mobilize the guards and look for them?”

The head of the guard said it insignificantly, but Veronica couldn’t have known that that was a pretty big consideration.

The guardsman smiled at her surprised.

“No, the wise man has helped us a lot in this way too. When he came before, he fixed all of our guards’ equipment. He also caught all the monsters that were attacking the village.”

“…was it?”

You are really the same wherever you are. Veronica muttered to herself and then nodded.

“Thank you. Will you contact me if you find any traces?”

“All right.”

“And it’s kind of like paying for help, but…”

Veronica took two bottles of holy water from her bosom. The guard captain was surprised to see the mark in the bottle and declined, but she placed it in the captain’s hand.

“Use it when someone gets sick or when fighting monsters.”

“I’m not asking for something like this. Anyway, thank you. I’ll have to use it when there are elderly people or children in trouble.”

If this is the holy water full of blessings, even if diluted with medicine, the effect would be great.

The captain of the guards kept two bottles of holy water in the safe of the guards and shouted to his subordinates.

“The wise man has disappeared. Let’s do a search.”

The guards move busily and start investigating the village.

Of course, Veronica didn’t just leave it to them.

“No, the sage said. He said he would come after his own business. He said this the other day, but why is he so unusual?”

Cecile, who brought a sandwich for lunch to the lakeside to find Veronica, asked puzzled. Veronica had a bitter taste towards her.

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Just a little anxious

Especially.

The ghosts of the lake I had seen before kept haunting me.

“Here are the footprints. Hmm… One human. Three Beasts… One of the Beasts looks like a Beastman using a staff.”

Karin, who was looking at the street, said a word calmly.

Surprised by those words, Veronica and Cecil went there.

At the place Karin pointed to, there was only snow piled up.

“I don’t know?”

“There is a subtle difference. The height of the snow piled up is different. It’s snowing now… so we’ll have to look for it sooner.”

After looking at Karin’s point several more times, the two of them realized what she meant.

It was the footsteps of four people.

Footprints of the join tribe holding a cane.

Footprints of a cat’s hand, thought to be a boy’s.

The footprints of a cat and a beastman that appear to be quite large.

and.

Footprints of an adult human male.

“Are there any other footprints?”

“None.”

Among the footprints along the road from the village to the lake, these four footprints are the only ones connected for a long time.

That’s why Cecil, Karin, and Veronica traced those footprints.

I felt puzzled.

The footprints were cut off by the lake shore.

“…There are traces of people who have fallen here.”

Is it one of those four paw prints?

Examining the fallen traces, it appears to be traces of the human race.

okay.

of the human species.

He is about a head taller than himself.

His shoulders were wide open, and he was presumed to be a man, seeing where he fell. Also, the long marks on the side must be the staff he uses.

Among the traces of that wand.

There are traces that look like drops.

“Ahhh…”

increasingly.

A person’s face appeared.

no.

It can’t be.

It can’t be.

“Uh, hey. Cardinal Veronica. Why are you doing this?”

“… Let’s check the traces of those who returned.”

Veronica, who barely managed to speak with her hardened tongue, began to pursue it with difficulty and found another set of footprints.

those footprints.

Unlike the previous time, there were three footprints.

The footprints of the big cat and beastman were a little deeper than when they came.

It must have happened because I heard something.

“…let’s track this down.”

“Uh. Uh uh.”

Cecil and Karin looked at each other as Veronica’s mood was unusual.

That cardinal has changed like that for only two reasons.

one devil.

second is.

sage.

There is no trace of the devil here, so Veronica is doing that because of the sage after all.

And there were four people when they came, but three footprints when they left, even the traces of the person who had fallen there.

Even in the principality, as the two were famous for being wise, there was no one who didn’t know what the hypothesis was based on.

That’s why the three beauties just followed the footprints without saying anything.

As I entered the village entrance, I could confirm that the footprints gradually faded.

“It must be hard to track now.”

This ideal would be possible only for those who have learned special tracking techniques.

For example, with a thief job.

However, there are only two archmages and one priest here.

“The traces will gradually disappear as time goes by. So, I will have to find a skilled thief… Of course, the festival is over and everyone will go back…”

It was when Cecile muttered softly.

“Falhahahaha!! Aren’t these the Cardinal, the King, and the young wizard?!”

Unusual laughter was heard behind them.

Surprised by the sound of laughter, the three of them were startled when they saw the owner.

“Mr. Edward?!”

The opponent is the head of the Thieves Guild.

No, isn’t it Edward, a former hero who now leaves Chin as the head of the thieves’ guild and retires and travels here and there?

“Because my bones are aching these days. They say that the hot springs in Trevor’s town are so good for arthritis. But what’s the matter, are you frowning?”

As he smiled as he stroked his white beard, Veronica made a serious request.

“Edward. Please help me.”

“Palhahahaha! What’s the matter? Don’t be impatient and have more leisure in life…”

“Hyeonu might have been kidnapped.”

“…Then it’s a different story. So? How can I help?”

“I’m looking for traces.”

“Palhahahaha!! That’s my specialty! Don’t worry!”

Edward skillfully looked at the trail Veronica pointed out and quickly found his way.

A lot of people passed by and now the three of them couldn’t find any traces, but like the former head of the thieves’ guild, Edward found his way very easily.

“…what.”

The trail is the inn where they stayed. It was over in Phoenix.

“…is this the end?”

“Palhahaha! That’s how it is. The traces. It’s inside that building.”

“Let’s go.”

The three of them nodded at Veronica’s determined words.

That’s how you get into Phoenix.

When Marley pushed the staff toward the basement.

Edward’s expression hardened.

“This… it’s a secret door. It’s locked. It’s pretty well made. It’s hard enough for anyone to open it.”

“And Mr. Edward?”

“I’m nobody.”

“Ah! Customer! No! No! This is the owner…”

Ignoring the desperate staff, Edward skillfully opened the door.

When I went down the stairs, I could see that it was a wider space than I thought.

“What the hell is this?”

“…please go back.”

There was an antique door behind the wide space, and I heard the respectful voice of the boy in front of it.

It was a familiar face.

That would also be the case because that boy was a black cat beast boy who accompanied them when they stayed with the wise man.

“Where is Hyeonu?”

“Please go back.”

“Where is Hyeonu?”

“sorry.”

Moment. A tremendous force rises from the black cat boy.

“Ohh. This is true. Did you possess the Beast Tribe’s hero, Kalheitz? I heard that there is a disciple with such a special ability among the disciples of the great shaman, Baron.”

Edward grinned at the mention of the great beastman warrior, but Veronica didn’t care.

So when she tries to walk forward.

“Go back.”

A calm, serious voice is heard.

What came out of the door was none other than the king of the beastmen.

It was Leo, the beast of a lion.

“Go back. This is also what the sage requested. The sage thought of you and said it. Please go back.”

why?

Why did Hyeonu say it because he was worried about me?

Why does the trail end there?

why?

why?

why?

In fact, I already knew the answer.

Ever since I went to the lake.

That the ominous feeling inside the lake, which had been faintly felt, had disappeared without a trace.

That the traces of the fallen man led to this place.

That the two who seemed to be the owners of those footprints were here.

To say that the sage is worried.

to keep them from entering here.

The combination of all of that already yielded an obvious answer, but Veronica couldn’t admit it.

Didn’t admit it.

“Please return.”

“Ho. What if you don’t like it?”

Cecil and Karin raised their wands, and Edward held onto his sword.

“Cardinal. Are you going back?”

two opponents.

This side has two archmages, a cardinal and a grand thief.

Reason was talking.

that you should never see

Instinct was speaking.

must see

“I’m breaking through. I’ll have to see it with my own eyes.”

Eventually, Veronica, who gave in to her instincts, started praying, and Leo and the black cat boy sighed.

It was Veronica’s party who won the battle.

It’s just a level fight to subdue each other without killing intent.

As his skills weren’t overwhelmingly high, he couldn’t beat the numerical inferiority in the end.

“Cardinal Veronica. You are the only one who shouldn’t go in. The sage was worried about you…”

“…Oh My God.”

Cecile opened the door and muttered in a voice full of despair, and Veronica’s rational mind that heard those words cried out.

get out now

Pretend you don’t know, go out and don’t think about anything.

Are you a sage?

Are you Hyunwoo?

I’m sure you’ll come back and smile.

So.

Turn around and get out of this place now.

But Veronica ignored the cry and staggered along.

I caught the sight inside the door with my eyes.

“Ahh…”

The sage was lying on the altar.

so peaceful

so cold

“Hyeon…u… hey…?”

without even taking a small breath.

without even the slightest warmth.

Today, he died.

He died, my everything.

no maybe yesterday