9. The Village Where Children Disappear (4)
The parents who had lost their children were finally able to reach a conclusion after a long discussion. Othel was somehow involved in the disappearance of the children, they said.
Some shook their heads, dismissing it as an absurd story, while others denied it outright. Some insisted on rational thinking, citing the circumstances of the children’s disappearance, while others trembled with a sense of betrayal.
In a situation where opinions were clearly divided, there was one person who did not make a choice… No, the demon watched the four humans arguing beyond her blurred vision.
‘No matter how much the times change, humans remain the same.’
They insist on rationality, brandishing circumstantial evidence without any concrete proof, and feel betrayed by an uncertain story. They deny the possibility outright, without a moment’s hesitation, even in the face of evidence. They become noisy when faced with such situations, now or in the past.
‘Just… just all of it.’
This was why she had accepted becoming a demon, falling from her divine seat. She had grown tired of waiting, believing that things would change someday.
Of course, there were many other complex reasons. But that was the conclusion.
‘I was tired of these noisy fights.’
Humans have the blessing of oblivion, but gods do not. So she had accepted the position of a demon, carrying those damned memories, living and living until she was exhausted.
‘I never imagined I would see this again.’
It was nice not having to witness such scenes after becoming a demon. The demon sighed inwardly at the thought that came to mind, slowly opening her eyes and looking at the four arguing loudly.
Why does she sigh as soon as she sees their faces? The demon looked at the crowd with a trembling face, then quickly changed her expression and intervened in the conversation.
“Everyone, we don’t have time for this. We need to find the children right now. How long are you going to argue?”
Don’t you feel anxious, not knowing what might happen to the children while we’re doing this? They’re our children, not someone else’s. We have to find them.
At the demon’s words, the people who had been arguing for a long time shut their mouths. It reminded them that nothing changes by just arguing like this.
Except for one, everyone was thinking the same thing when Flora, Bork’s mother, who had been silent until now, opened her mouth.
“…What if something goes wrong? Could the hero kill me?”
She had been anxious for a long time, not about Othel, but about the hero. She was right. Othel is now just an old woman looking forward to her twilight years, without any power or ability.
She’s just an ordinary old woman with no distinguishing features other than being infinitely kind. That’s why the real problem is not Othel, but the hero.
“We can’t possibly face a hero who has defeated the Demon King….”
How could ordinary villagers defeat a hero who is familiar with the royal family? They are outmatched in power and strength. Even if they take Othel hostage, they will only end up dead.
‘Well, it’s not wrong. It’s foolish to confront ‘that hero’ in the first place.’
The demon recalled her days of roaming the demon realm and inwardly shook her head. The two who had been shouting about retrieving the children from Othel also fell silent, perhaps sharing similar thoughts.
Yet, driven by the thought that they couldn’t give up, Mary cautiously opened her mouth.
“Surely, as a hero, he wouldn’t kill us…”
“He’s a human before he’s a hero.”
A hero is also a human. If we were to provoke Othel, the hero would surely move. Everyone in the room fell silent at Miel’s words, which carried such meaning.
Are we doomed to mourn and grieve for the lost child like this?
…Is there really no other way?
In this desperate situation, the demon cautiously raised her hand. Unlike before, the demon felt a fleeting sense of returning to the past in the hopeful gazes, and she opened her mouth.
“Before considering confronting the hero, shouldn’t we first confirm if Othel really took the children?”
“Certainly, that should be the first step.”
Everyone seemed to agree this time, but Miel shook his head in opposition again.
“There’s no way anyone would answer honestly if we asked if they took the child.”
“So, are we just going to stand by? We have to get the child back!”
Discontent poured out towards Miel, who had been showing a negative attitude since earlier. It wasn’t that they couldn’t understand, but they thought she was being too pessimistic. She was always opposing without offering any other alternatives.
Even the two who opposed dealing with Othel expressed dissatisfaction with Miel. A sense of rebellion had grown against Miel, who had opposed everything since a while ago.
Thus, Miel’s opinion was silenced, and the thought of asking Othel about the children’s whereabouts was chosen. Miel began to be ostracized even among the victims, and the once-broken relationship naturally began to split.
As Miel became a public enemy, opinions naturally gathered.
‘If you’ve thought this far and acted… it’s a bit chilling.’
The demon thought so and shook her head slowly. Meanwhile, people agreed to go find Othel, and the demon quietly slipped away from the place.
Her job was done, and from here on, everything would go on its own without her needing to intervene. The demon, who had slipped out of the group engrossed in Othel, entered through the ‘door’ she had opened in advance.
“Hmm hmm~”
As soon as she returned to the other side, she heard a humming sound. Turning her head, she locked eyes with Venus, who was busily writing something with a quill. Seeing the demon, Venus came over with a bright smile.
“Already done? That was quicker than I thought?”
“Stirring up parents who have lost a child is no big deal. What have you been up to?”
“Ah, I was figuring out what suits Olga. Want to see?”
Venus, who was smiling innocently, showed the demon the paper he was holding. There were several names written over a picture that looked like Olga.
Last time, it was Hilda; this time, it’s Olga?
With such a question in mind, the demon returned the paper to Venus and asked.
“Hmm… It seems you’ve already finished with Hilda.”
“Eh? Ah, Hilda? It’ll be faster to show you. Follow me!”
At the demon’s question, Venus began to walk with a broad smile. She was initially taken aback by Venus, who now roamed the castle like his own, but she soon shrugged it off.
She had a vague idea that this would happen from the moment they first met. As she walked down the long corridor with these thoughts, Venus, who was leading the way, turned around.
“So, what do you think?”
The demon had to rack her brain at the blunt question thrown at her, assuming she already knew everything. The question was so broad that it took some time to narrow down an answer, but she was able to come up with one.
“If you’re asking about Olga, I think it would be best to choose an amphibious demon that can molt along with the growth of her body.”
“That’s not what I asked, but it’s good to hear your opinion.”
“Then are you talking about Othello?”
Nodding, Venus gave a vigorous nod instead of answering. Well… Othel…
After a moment’s thought, the demon gave a clichéd answer.
“She’d be dead. If there had been more victims, she would have definitely died.”
“So you’re saying she won’t die now?”
“Yes. Excluding me, at most four households. One of them has been completely ostracized from the group… So the actual number in three households is a total of six.”
If they had tried to kill her, ignoring the hero, they would have needed twice that number. Venus, who was staring at the demon explaining in a whisper, nodded again and turned his back.
“So you’re saying the villagers won’t kill her.”
“It’s more accurate to say that they can’t kill her due to the hero’s influence.”
“I know that much. Anyway, that’s enough. No… that’s just right.”
“Did you never intend to kill her from the beginning?”
“Yep, becoming a being despised by the villagers. That’s what I was aiming for from the start.”
Venus answered with a twisted smile in response to the demon’s question.
“It’s more painful to die alone, languishing in isolation, than to hear that you’re already dead. And if that happens, the hero can’t kill the villagers. Who would he vent on if she died languishing in isolation?”
He would have to keep it all inside. Hatred and anger, regret and self-loathing. All of it. He shivered with laughter as if the mere thought made him happy.
“What do you think the hero will think when he sees his mother, who died in bed in agony?”
Would he suffer as much as I did?
I hope he suffered more than I did.
Venus, laughing while looking far away, suddenly changed his expression when he saw the guest room they had arrived at. Venus, who wore an innocent smile as if she had put on a mask, turned to the demon and opened the door to the guest room.
“Anyway, that’s what I hope!”
Now I’ll show you what happened to Hilda, whom I mentioned earlier.
With that, the door to the previously tightly closed guest room opened.
Thanks.