CHAPTER 69: FARCE

If the lord almighty didn’t send that angel that terrible night, our village would surely be wiped off the face of the land, the innocent lives of hundreds filling the stomach of the ravenous beasts.

Due to our positions being a little further from the general populace of the village, most didn’t even know the miracle that had allowed them to live the next morning.

They moved along after thanking the heavens, glad to just live, not inquiring, not daring to find out however they did.

But not us. We were standing in the deeper forest, emboldened by our relative knowledge of the woods due to frequent visits and the hunter tagging along with us.

The hunter was skilled, very skilled. He was the only one that was still doing this profession despite the perils of the forest.

Alas... being closer to the entity harmed us instead of providing further protection.

Her bloodthirst was not satiated, even after mauling the beasts.

It sought further targets... More blood, more flesh... choosing us as next targets is the entity... caged us in... a strange temple to let us suffer for the sin of being good close to it.

Too close to the eye of the storm, larger than what even nature has conjured."

Noctis heard the man recounting the whole incident without pause, like he had been entranced by the memory.

For the most part, that is.

Before he could even begin to analyze what he had said, he felt a change in the body language of the man as he reached the end of the tale.

The cause for their current predicament, to be precise.

From the trance he slipped into a faint hesitation before continuing as if nothing had happened.

"She did this to you after saving your lives? Right...

And rather than killing you instantly, she did this... a curse much more profound just to prolong the suffering without any grudge whatsoever?"

"...What can ordinary mortals do to a deity? We just happened to be at the right place at the right time... or the worst place at the worst possible time.

Help us mortals, dear lord. You have a magical gift like that angel. Please help us."

The man said slowly and kowtowed in front of him.

Noctis’ every instinct told him he was hiding something as he stared at the man’s prostrated back.

"What were you doing this deep in the forest? Where’s this hunter who gave you such confidence that you entered the forest deemed cursed by the village?"

He kept asking coldly.

"W-we.... were brought here by the woman.... And.. She also killed the hunter! Yes! She killed the hunter."

Noctis massaged his temple and exasperatedly sighed before turning around and starting to leave the area towards the outskirts.

The man named Dunk looked up as he heard the footsteps on the grass.

"P-please wait. Please help us, my lord."

"Why?"

"U-uh... the heavens would bless you?"

"For saving a bunch of lying paedophiles?"

"We-we aren’t like this...it’s just... the last.. we have been stuck here for the last 6-7 years or more...We just.. just wanted to... to talk to you...?"

Noctis’ expression turned into a deeper and deeper scowl the longer he went and almost snapped at the last part.

In the end he just rolled his eyes and turned to walking once again.

"She did right."

Not without adding thus.

"P-please wait young lord. We were wrong. Please punish us all you want but free us from this curse. All we want is to die a peaceful death. Many of our companions are stuck in a horrible condition, it’ll ruin their afterlife"

*Sigh*

"You have half a minute to tell the whole truth. A single lie and you’ll never see me again."

Despicable as they were, the thought of some innocent people being stuck in this abomination did make him stop, if only for a second.

"E-uh-aa-uh.. umm..."

"Can’t make a sentence now?"

"This.. so.. after killing the beasts, actually the deity approached us after noticing us. Despite the valiant stand and none of the beats getting even a little closer to her she looked very tired and full of injuries.

Blood trailed on the forest floor from deep wounds over her arms and torso. But she still looked as majestic as an incarnation of knightly virtue and beautiful... Oh she looked so beautiful...so so.. just (gulp).. I tell you no mortal could ever resist her.

It was as if her eyes bewitched everyone that it fell onto. It was no wonder.. no wonder then that when she handed the child she was so desperately protecting, to the childless old hunter and his wife and started heading back in the forest, we had to look for her.

She refuted every attempt of ours to stay back to tend to her injuries-"

"What.. what.. what? What was that about the hunter and the child?"

Noctis interrupted suddenly as he heard something peculiar.

"Huh... oh uh.. yeah she gave the toddler peacefully sleeping in her arms to the hunter and his wife and said to take care of him while she was away."

"The hunter that lives the west of the village near the outskirts?"

Noctis’ voice hurried a bit as an incredulous expression came into his face.

"Y-yes?"

"What did the child look like? What did he say to the couple?"

"I-I didn’t look closely at the child but he was about 2-3 ft, glistening silver all over like he was submerged into a metallic river."

Noctis frowned and came closer to the man, scaring the wits out of him as he said seriously,

"Do you remember anything about the child and the woman’s features?"

"N-nothing really...? Oh... uh, maybe... I think the child had the same beautiful white hair just like ...."

The man’s breathing quickened as he remembered the details about the woman.

"Just like...?"

Noctis implored.

"Just... like... herself... just..."

A chill ran down the spine of the man.

The more the man looked at the kid in front of him, the quicker his breathing became.

"And this happened at least 6-7 years ago?"

"Good... heavens... I... I... I..."

"Tell me what happened next."

Noctis suppressed his emotions in an instant as his face turned ice cold and voice monotone.

"So... she said she would be back soon for the kid and started moving... but... but... seeing as she was gravely wounded, we followed her to try and convince her."