A silence lingered within the town as I jumped down from the monster's head.
Glancing back, I touched its body, and the ice around it started to crack.
The crack slowly covered the entire body of the monster before a crumbling sound echoed.
A mist of ice moved along with the wind as the monster's body turned into nothing but dust.
I walked through the crowd, who now looked at with fearful eyes, before I reached Nella.
"Let's go," I said while she passed the child to his parents.
"Where?" she asked, tilting her head. "...Didn't we kill the monster already?"
"That doesn't change much," I replied, walking while she followed. "Killing the monster is nothing but a temporary solution."
"...You think there are more—?"
"Yes, I do," I cut her off, glancing back at her.
She had a thoughtful look on her face.
"Do you know about that monster?" she asked as we once again arrived at the barren part of the town.
"Redom," I replied, thinking about them. "...They are the bastard offspring of a mystical beast.
They hunt alone, and because they kill their birth mother when they beco adults, there are only a small number of them."
"Are they common here?" she asked, walking beside .
"That's the problem," I replied, looking at her. "They are native to Alfheim—the lands of elves."
"Then what are they doing here?"
"I don't know."
....It's weird.
The entire thing with the kidnapping doesn't make sense.
Redom are so of the rare beings who don't like eating humans because of their lineage.
So, a monster like that kidnapping people for food doesn't sit well.
"...Are they being controlled?" I mumbled, rubbing my chin.
If so, then who is controlling them?
Soone from the town?
But who?
"...Hmm."
"Don't do that," Nella grumbled, making turn my head to look at her.
"What?"
"Acting like you're onto sothing," she replied with a cheeky grin. "That doesn't suit your face."
"...You know what doesn't suit you?"
"What?"
"Your face."
She looked at , blinking innocently.
"What do you an?"
"Nothing," I replied as we arrived at the temple. "And yeah, Princess Arianell is a bitch."
"What does she have to do with anything?" her grumbling voice echoed.
"I'm just stating facts," I replied with a light shrug. "She is such a low—."
"How is your stamina?" she cut in. "Can you walk more than ten steps?"
"Haha, very funny," I replied, glaring at her as we entered the temple.
The place was still the sa, but unlike before, that creepy old lady wasn't present here.
The blood was still there, so what I saw wasn't an illusion.
...She just vanished.
"Remind , why are we here now?" Nella asked as I crouched down in front of the wall.
"I noticed sothing last ti." Taking out my handkerchief, I whispered as I started wiping the dust away, "...The patterns on the wall are actually drawings."
"..."
The drawings cleared up, but they were nothing but so random naked woman flying in the air.
"Can I call you a lucky pervert—?"
"No, shut up."
Standing up, I turned around to move towards a different wall.
This ti, I observed the wall for a while, just to make sure it wasn't another naked woman before cleaning it.
...And there it was.
A woman sitting on a throne with people kneeling in front of her as if worshipping her.
"Who is she?" Nella, standing beside , asked, squinting her eyes.
"...Primordial demoness," I replied softly as I sidestepped a little before cleaning the wall again.
"The one the townsfolk worshipped?"
"Yep," I replied, observing the wall.
This ti, her image was clear, showing her three heads and pairs of six arms on either side.
But what caught my interest was how she was holding a single spear with all her hands.
"....A Primordial weapon," I mumbled as I recognized the weapon belonging to her.
It's on the sa level as the one my mother has.
"You know about it?" Nella asked, her curiosity clear in her voice.
"Yep, I do," I replied as I sidestepped again. "Every Primordial being has a weapon associated with them."
"But I've never heard about primordial evils having them," she mumbled, rubbing her chin.
"Because their weapons were scattered," I replied, looking at her. "Broken into three pieces and hidden in different places."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
I replied, walking towards a different wall.
'Do you have any idea, El?'
[...I don't.]
'I see.'
"So their weapons beco worthless?" Nella asked curiously, skipping steps to stand beside .
"No, if one could find all the parts, they could rebuild it," I replied, shaking my head. "...Or one could use those broken parts for their divinity."
...Co to think of it.
Wasn't there a quest related to it in the second ga?
To save the new vessel of Taishareth from the Valentine Highbloods.
[...Was she more suitable than the current one?]
'...She awakened faster than Shyamal.'
[.....]
'...What?'
[Just rember, Shyamal is like a ti bomb. She isn't entirely safe, and neither are you.]
'...I know.'
"Wait, don't these weapons beco weaker after rebuilding?" I turned to look at Nella as she mumbled, confused.
"No, each one of them grows stronger separately," I replied, shaking my head. "I've also heard about so gods splitting into multiple demigods to heal faster."
"That's stupid."
"But still worth it," I replied, shrugging.
Shifting to another wall, I cleaned it, only to find nothing in particular except the headless bodies of children and their blood getting collected in a large bowl.
"...Hmm."
I took a step back as I tried to analyze everything that I had collected till now.
Weapon, worshipers, and sacrifice.
A picture slowly started to form in my mind.
But sothing doesn't add up.
....Redom.
How is that monster related to all of this?
"So, what now?" I turned to look at Nella as she asked, her hands in her pockets.
"...Now, we wait," I replied, glancing up at the sky. "...For night to arrive."
"Okay."
"Wanna eat sothing?" I asked, looking back at her.
"You're paying?"
"Yeah."
"Then, yes."
...
...
...
The Akasha shone brightly in the sky, its light illuminating the dark.
A chilly breeze rushed past us from the south, making flinch a little.
All the windows of the surrounding houses were clung shut, and the square pathway street was utterly quiet.
"...People really do fear the night," Nella, who walked beside , mumbled, looking around.
I nodded my head in response as I glanced at her.
"Are you sure you want to be here?" I calmly asked. "Things can go wrong real quick—."
"You think I'm scared?" she grinned as she replied, "And knowing your stamina, I can always outrun you..."
Her words trailed off as I glared at her.
She really gets on my nerves sotis.
"Any plans, or are we just patrolling today?" she asked as I stopped and leaned against a wall.
"If my guess is right, people will get kidnapped tonight," I replied, looking around the town. "...And in large numbers."
She nodded while she leaned on the wall just beside , her lips parting as she whispered, "...So, evil mother, huh? Never thought of it."
"I don't want to talk about it," I said sternly, ending the conversation before it started.
"...I am sorry," she whispered softly, looking up at . "...For saying all those things—."
"I don't need your pity," I cut in, looking away.
"I'm not pitying you," she replied, her voice soothing. "...I a– just... If you need anything, I'm here—."
"For how long?" I snarled, shifting my focus back to her.
"Co on, don't talk like I'm going to die," she scoffed lightly. "...I will just be gone for a very long ti."
"...You will die a grueso death," I harshly replied, looking at the moon, "...Torn into pieces, eaten alive, fighting till your last breath."
"That's my destiny," she replied with a smile as she stepped forward and stood in front of . "...And I don't plan to run from it."
"....Yeah, go die for all I care," I grunted, looking at her.
"How rude," she replied, taking her hands out of her pockets.
"..."
I looked down at her as she raised her hands up to stretch her body.
She tiptoed as she stretched, her slim stomach peeking through her t-shirt.
"Do you have a thing for navels or what?" she asked, hiding her stomach while glaring at .
"I don't," I replied calmly as I looked away.
"No, you do," she grumbled as I started walking again. "I've caught you a lot of tis trying to take a peek—."
"Stop slandering ."
"It's the truth."
"It's not."
"I can prov...."
Her words trailed off as we both soon noticed sothing.
The town was silent like before, but now sothing else started to cover it.
A thick and heavy fog soon started to fill the streets, making it harder to look around.
"Azariah," Nella whispered solemnly.
I imdiately felt my body turn cold as an inexplicable and baffling sense of gloom arose as the fog tried invading my body.
The fog slowly started to swallow the light around us, turning the place shadowy dark.
....A gentle voice echoed within the gloom.
....A voice of soone singing.
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