The Peculiar House and Unanswered Questions

“Thank you for understanding.”

Phini nodded to Magua, then swiftly moved past him, heading toward Feihu’s wooden house. The door was slightly ajar. With just a gentle push, it swung open, revealing the interior.

Inside, the house was remarkably neat and orderly. There was no sign of a struggle or any disturbance. A wooden table stood in the living room, upon which a loaf of bread, covered by a bamboo basket, rested. It looked as though the owner had set it aside for a future meal.

Phini thoughtfully stroked her chin, her gaze sweeping around the room. Then, she stepped further inside.

‘Could the monster I saw last night have come from this house?’

She pondered this question, her eyes fixed on the food beside her. This thought now dominated her mind. If she had been mistaken earlier, and the monster had actually emerged from Feihu’s house instead of Uncle Macon’s, then all previous inconsistencies would suddenly make sense.

However… while many questions would be answered, several still remained unresolved. Namely, how did the monster get into Feihu’s house? Did Feihu simply forget to lock the door?

Pondering this, Phini’s gaze shifted back toward the entrance.

What met her eyes was a rusty, corroded door lock. It looked as though it had endured centuries of wear, giving off an unsettling aura of antiquity. Logically, a frequently used lock would not be rusted to such an extent. Even in a poor mountain village like this, a front door lock shouldn’t be neglected to this degree.

Staring at the metal, Phini reached out to touch it. Before her fingers could even make contact, the lock crumbled with a soft crack, as if unable to withstand the ravages of time any longer, dissolving into dust.

“…”

Witnessing the shattered lock, Phini’s mind raced once more. She turned her head, meticulously scanning the interior of the house.

“This isn’t the house…”

After another glance around the room and a moment of careful thought, Phini could absolutely confirm that this was not the house she had seen last night.

As for Feihu’s whereabouts, Phini truly had no idea. Yet, every detail within the house suggested something profoundly strange. From the bread—which was still remarkably fresh—to the door lock, now reduced to rusted fragments, everything about this dwelling was contradictory.

After thoroughly investigating the rest of the shack, Phini paused to think. She then slowly exited the room, returning to the daylight outside.

“Well? Did you find anything?” Magua, with impatience clearly etched across his face, eagerly approached Phini the moment she emerged.

“This…” Seeing Magua before her, Phini’s train of thought was interrupted. She slowly raised her head, meeting his gaze. She seemed to want to speak, yet hesitated, evidently holding back due to some apprehension.

“Phini, how was it inside?” Not long after Magua’s question, Angela also inquired.

“I apologize, Magua, but I don’t think I can tell you about that yet.”

Facing both their questions, Phini paused, deep in thought. Feeling it wasn’t the right time to reveal the truth, she ultimately shook her head, choosing not to disclose the events of last night or the bizarre state of the lock.

“…”

“Don’t be so disappointed. If Phini isn’t speaking, it means the situation isn’t terribly bad. Perhaps Feihu simply went into the forest?” Seeing Magua’s crestfallen expression, Angela offered words of comfort.

Angela was well aware of the bond between Feihu and Magua. They were renowned throughout the village as the best of friends. Thus, Angela deeply understood Magua’s concern. After all, she too had someone important far away, striving to make a living. Thinking of Gawain, Angela recalled the promise he had made before leaving. Yet, she didn’t allow her longing for him to influence her present composure.

“Sigh… I hope so…” Comforted by Angela, Magua fell silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh. Then, as if accepting reality, he helplessly lowered his head. Indeed, Angela’s suggestion was a possibility. Now, he could only pray that Feihu had merely gone into the woods.

“For now, let’s just wait. Phini and I will head back first,” Angela said.

From Phini’s hesitant demeanor earlier, Angela clearly discerned that Phini must have discovered something. She simply hadn’t spoken due to the crowd’s presence. As for why she wouldn’t speak of her findings in front of everyone, it was because Phini was an outsider. To these villagers, she was a stranger with whom they had little familiarity. How many would truly believe her words remained a question mark. Only Angela, who had personally witnessed Phini’s return last night, held a slight belief in her. If others had heard about Phini walking among the monsters, they would likely have dismissed it with a laugh, thinking she was spinning tall tales.

“That’s all we can do.” Magua cast a deep gaze at Feihu’s dwelling, then dropped his arms, accepting Angela’s proposal.

“Don’t worry, Feihu will be fine,” Angela smiled faintly, reassuring him once more.

After offering comfort, Angela and Phini departed together.

By the time they were nearly back at their own doorstep…

“Phini, what exactly did you see?” Walking back, Angela recalled Phini’s earlier hesitation. She glanced around, ensuring no one else was nearby, before asking. She knew Phini would tell her everything, even if it was just an unconfirmed conjecture.

“Let’s talk when we get inside.” Phini gently shook her head.

“Ah, I see. Alright then.” Seeing Phini’s reluctance to speak in the open, Angela did not press her. Nodding in understanding, the two walked directly toward their home.

After a few more minutes, they arrived back at Angela’s house.

“So, can you tell me now?” No sooner had they entered, before even settling down, Angela eagerly questioned her.

“Yes, I can.” Phini nodded as she sat down at the table. It seemed she felt it was now time to reveal her conjectures.

“What exactly did you see?”

“I saw something very strange, but one thing I can confirm.”

“Confirm?”

“Feihu’s house was not the one I saw last night. I can be absolutely certain that the house I saw the monster emerge from was indeed Uncle Macon’s.” Responding to Angela’s inquiry, Phini articulated her deductions. She also mentioned the bizarrely corroded door lock inside Feihu’s otherwise pristine house.

“But if Uncle Macon’s house is haunted, then Uncle Macon himself…”

“That’s the intriguing question. So, I plan to go back and check tonight.” While Phini had no real obligation to meddle in the village’s troubles, she considered Angela’s kindness over the past few days. Out of gratitude, she felt compelled to intervene.

“You want to go out again tonight?!” Hearing Phini’s plan, Angela looked at her with severe unease. She still seemed worried, believing Phini’s safe return last night was purely a stroke of luck.

“Yes.” Phini nodded with certainty.

“What if last night was just pure goo—”

“No, I’ve long noticed that those ghosts can’t see me. I simply hadn’t gone out before because it felt like too much trouble,” Phini interrupted, stating that she had known for a while that the ghosts acted as if she wasn’t there.

Ever since Phini arrived in this village, she had been observing the ghouls. Therefore, she was certain that the ghosts either perceived her as one of their own or simply couldn’t see her at all. Perhaps it was because she had lost her human essence. As for why they ignored her, she didn’t know; she only knew that even when she stood directly before them, they wouldn’t spare her a single glance.

“Really?”

“Why would I lie to you?”

“But sending you out, Phini… I truly feel uneasy.”

“Don’t worry about me. I can’t die right now, and those ghosts don’t have the power to kill me.”

“Hmm, that’s true, I suppose. Phini, you have a Holy Sword, so I imagine you must be a Disaster Purger, right?”

Listening to Phini, Angela pondered for a moment. Remembering the blade in Phini’s possession, and the fact that she was found in the wreckage of a Holy Flame airship, Angela naturally associated Phini with the Light of Holy Flame’s knights.

“…”

However, in response to Angela’s question, Phini did not immediately say ‘yes,’ but instead fell silent.

“Huh? Is that not right?” Seeing Phini’s unusual reaction, Angela immediately became flustered, feeling she had misspoken.

“If you think so, then so be it…” After a long silence, Phini nodded with a deeply enigmatic tone. To say whether she was a person of the Holy Flame? Theoretically, yes, because she had an intricate—and bloody—connection with them.

“I knew it! If Phini is a Disaster Purger, then we won’t need that guy Gawain anymore!” Although Phini’s answer was quite ambiguous, Angela’s face lit up with a grin.