Chapter 1-9 : The Girl, The Cat, And The Miraculous Saviors
Elle and Yoyo’s journey was not easy.
They encountered another pack of wolf-like monsters and a swarm of giant flesh-eating bees in the forest. After that, they were almost sucked into quicksand.
However, Elle solved all those problems using magic stones.
She used a lighting magic stone to kill the monsters and a storm magic stone to drive away the flesh-eating bees. When she fell into quicksand, she used a water magic stone to produce a lot of water and make it easier for Yoyo to pull her out with his telekinesis ability.
They planned to get to the village, which was their first destination, around noon, but because of all the problems they encountered in the forest, they ended up arriving in that village when the sun was about to sink.
Elle knew the location of this village from the map she saw in Moritz’s library, but she didn’t know anything about this village.
She could see many houses lining up here and there, and smoke rising from each one of them.
It looked larger and livelier than the dilapidated village with the crazy villagers near her house.
「I think this is the village.」(Elle)
「Phew… Finally we can get some rest…」(Yoyo)
「I hope the villagers here are nice people… Hm?」(Elle)
Just when Elle hoped she would find some good people who could help her, she saw a bizarre sight near the entrance to the village.
There was a strange group of people lining up. They were dressed in black and wearing bird-like masks. In their hands, they were carrying bird cages and large bags.
「Yoyo, what are those people…?」(Elle)
「Geh! They look super suspicious!」(Yoyo)
Elle was about to step forward, but then she decided to hide behind a tree as soon as she saw those people.
「So, what are we gonna do? I think we better skip this village.」(Yoyo)
「But our next destination is quite far from here. We need to resupply in this village.」(Elle)
「You’re right but… Are you sure you want to stop by this place? Those people in bird masks look creepy…」(Yoyo)
「Perhaps there’s some kind of festival going on.」(Elle)
Elle once read a book about festivals. There were some weird festivals all over the world, for example, the festivals where people were fighting rampaging bulls, people were throwing tomatoes at each other, and people were running in the wild naked.
She had never read about the one where people were wearing bird masks, but she thought it might be one of those weird festivals.
「Festival, huh? Do you really think so?」(Yoyo)
「Well, I think we should go and see what happens.」(Elle)
「Ugh… Alright, but I think it’s best not to get too close to those weird people.」(Yoyo)
「You’re right. Let’s wait for a bit then.」(Elle)
While hiding behind the tree, Elle waited for the people in black to enter the village. She then slowly approached the entrance after those people were gone.
The sun had completely set when Elle and Yoyo entered the village. It was getting dark, but they couldn’t see lights coming from any of the houses.
However, that wasn’t the only weird thing they noticed because they didn’t see any villagers either while they were walking down the main street.
「Ugh… I’m feeling people’s presence but why haven’t we seen anyone? This is so creepy…」(Yoyo)
「I once read a book about villages where the residents ended their day at sunset. Perhaps this is that kind of village.」(Elle)
「I see… But there seem to be no shops or inns either. Don’t tell me… This is one of those villages that doesn’t welcome outsiders…」(Yoyo)
「I can’t be sure about that. At least until I speak with the villagers.」(Elle)
「Didn’t you learn from your past? I don’t think it’s a good idea…」(Yoyo)
The last time Elle visited a village and spoke to the villagers there, she ended up being nearly killed by them.
「Ugh… I know, but… Hm?」(Elle)
After walking for a while, Elle reached the village square before she realized it. She saw a lot of people gathered there surrounded by dim light.
It seemed that the villagers were not sleeping but they gathered there instead.
She thought of approaching the villagers but then she realized something was wrong with them.
「No way… Yoyo, look at them…」(Elle)
「It can’t be…」(Yoyo)
Elle and Yoyo were startled when they noticed the black spots on the villagers’ faces and the big lumps on their necks.
They knew very well that those were the symptoms of black spot disease.
「We need to save them!」(Elle)
「Wait! Don’t be so hasty!」(Yoyo)
「But!」(Elle)
「Argh! Come here!」(Yoyo)
Elle was about to dash to the village square, but Yoyo quickly pulled her sleeve and urged her to hide behind a house.
「Look. Don’t you see those familiar figures?」(Yoyo)
「Ah…」(Elle)
While hiding, Elle observed the village square and saw the people with bird masks from earlier.
The villagers were kneeling and folding their hands together in front of those people as if they were praying to them.
It seemed that the people in bird masks were very important beings for the villagers.
「What are they doing?」(Elle)
「I think they’re worshiping those suspicious people.」(Yoyo)
「Yeah, but… why?」(Elle)
「Beats me.」(Yoyo)
After worshiping the people with bird masks for a while, the sick villagers made a line and started taking turns to lie down on a spread rug that had been prepared there.
The first one was a young man. As he lay down on the rug, one of the men in bird masks sat next to him and began to check his body.
「I see. Perhaps those people are doctors.」(Elle)
「So they came to save the villagers?」(Yoyo)
「Probably.」(Elle)
After checking his patient, the man in a bird mask who seemed to be a doctor took a small bird from one of the birdcages. He then pushed the bird against the neck of the patient.
The small bird couldn’t help but cry and flap its wings violently, trying to escape.
「What is he doing?」(Yoyo)
「I don’t know… It doesn’t look like a medical treatment at all. Perhaps it’s some kind of ritual?」(Elle)
After holding the bird on the patient’s neck for a while, the doctor put the bird back into the birdcage.
Next, he took a knife, heated it in the fire, and pressed it against the lump on the patient’s neck while chanting.
「Gaaaaaaaaahhh!!」(patient)
The patient screamed and started writhing in pain, but the other doctors immediately grabbed the patient’s arms and legs to hold him down.
「This is horrible…」(Elle)
「Is that how you treat black disease?」(Yoyo)
「Of course not! That’s just a torture!」(Elle)
「I see…」(Yoyo)
「He’s chanting something, but I can’t hear it very well. Yoyo, can you hear it?」(Elle)
「Of course.」(Yoyo)
As a cat fairy, Yoyo had sharp ears, so he could hear what the suspicious doctor was murmuring about.
「Hm? He’s not chanting. He’s talking in the ancient language.」(Yoyo)
「Ancient language? Can you tell me what he’s saying?」(Elle)
「”Dayflowers are a good plant for salad and it goes well with bacon”…」(Yoyo)
「Huuh…?」(Elle)
Most of the people in this era don’t know the ancient language. Yoyo knows because he’s a fairy who has lived for hundreds of years.
「It sounds weird, but that’s exactly what he’s saying.」(Yoyo)
「Hmm… If that’s the case, he was probably just saying random things in ancient language to sound as if he was chanting a healing spell or something.」(Elle)
After writhing for a while, the patient started to calm down.
The seemingly fake doctor then took a small jar that seemed to contain ointment and applied it on the burned skin of the patient while chanting again.
「What is he saying this time?」(Elle)
「”I’d like to go on a picnic tomorrow if it’s sunny”… What the heck?」(Yoyo)
「…..」(Elle)
After the ‘treatment’ was done, the patient thanked the doctor by bowing to him and handed him a leather bag that seemed to contain money.
「I see now… I think I know what’s going on here.」(Elle)
「Those people in bird masks seem to be fake doctors.」(Yoyo)
「Exactly. I think they are evil people who give haphazard treatments to the villagers and extort money from them!」(Elle)
「Unbelievable… Those bastards!」(Yoyo)
Elle couldn’t help but gritted her teeth and clenched her fists while hearing the sounds of the little birds who were trying to escape and the screams of the villagers echoed throughout the village square.
She wanted to help them and expose those evil people pretending to be doctors, but she was just a child and she didn’t think people would believe her.
As she thought about it, the scary faces of the villagers from the dilapidated village popped into her mind.
She became scared. She didn’t want to repeat what happened in the dilapidated village. She was afraid that the villagers here would chase her away.
She closed her eyes and covered her ears with both hands so as not to hear the screams of the villagers.
While she was thinking, trying to find a way to save the villagers without turning them against herself, suddenly, someone approached her from behind.
「Young lady, what are you doing here?」(??)
「ー!!?」(Elle)
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