A Trail of Blood and a Search for the Village Chief

“Ms. Monira…”

As Fanny spoke, South Creek felt the situation growing increasingly convoluted, but she found herself with no desire to hear more.

“Let’s just leave it at that,” South Creek declared. “I really don’t want to get involved in any more strange occurrences. Have you forgotten the pain already?”

“Don’t be so quick to dismiss it,” Fanny urged. “This matter is now known throughout the entire village. I heard some people say that Mr. Wede has fully mastered the blacksmith’s craft, so he stole some tools and secretly left the village with Ms. Monira to start a new life in the city.”

Fanny’s bizarre little gossip came from who knew where, but recalling her usual interactions with Wede, South Creek couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t the type to do such a thing.

“Now, everyone in the village is looking for Mr. Wede, especially Barry the blacksmith. He’s already circled the village several times, and by the looks of him, he won’t rest until Wede is found.”

“I’m not interested.”

South Creek maintained her resolute, hands-off approach. She had promised Elise she would become a strong individual capable of protecting others, and the first step to becoming strong was to act like a mature adult. Having promised not to cause trouble again, South Creek naturally intended to keep her word.

“Wait, wait, don’t go!” Seeing South Creek rise to leave, Fanny hastily tugged at her clothes. “If you’re worried about trouble, we can just go with an adult!”

“An adult?” Halting, South Creek eyed Fanny skeptically. She didn’t believe any adult would accompany them, two children, on such a pointless farce.

“If, say, the Priestess was willing to come with us…”

“Sister Elise isn’t home today.” South Creek had lost count of how many times she’d said that. Her head was spinning; she knew Fanny would come up with some outlandish idea.

“How could this be!” Fanny’s small face immediately fell. Yet, no matter how unwilling she was, it was no use. She could only sit down, resigned.

“Alright, this isn’t really our business to begin with… I’m bored anyway, so just stay and chat with me.”

“What’s there to talk about… How about you tell me again, in detail, what happened when you encountered Mr. Wede today?”

“…Fine.”

It seemed difficult to extinguish Fanny’s burning curiosity. However, seeing that Fanny had made a concession, South Creek reluctantly agreed.

“Follow me. There’s really not much to say.”

Leading Fanny into the connecting corridor and opening the bedroom door, South Creek pointed towards the window. “It was right there. This morning, because I was bored, I was looking at the scenery when I suddenly ran into Mr. Wede. He did look strange at the time, but I didn’t think much of it.”

“Oh, that sounds like an important clue.”

Fanny clambered directly to the window, cupping her hands and straining to peer outside. Her two small legs dangled, swaying back and forth. Suddenly, she spotted something.

“Hey, hey, look, what’s that?”

“What is it?”

South Creek leaned her head against the window, bewildered, and followed Fanny’s gaze. On the grass beyond, several torn strips of white cloth lay scattered in a puddle. If one didn’t look closely, they would be difficult to spot.

“Look, look! These cloth strips must have been left by Mr. Wede—ah!”

“Now what?”

Fanny skillfully climbed out the window and dashed into the rain to pick up the cloth strips. But as soon as she grasped them, she let out a shriek. On the plain white strips of cloth, several dark red bloodstains were starkly visible, terrifying her.

“This… this has blood on it!”

Her face instantly paled, and Fanny nearly dropped the cloth. Carefully pinching a corner of a strip with her fingertips, her arm held straight out, Fanny scurried back into the house, leaving South Creek speechless—her house actually had a back door.

“This must be an important clue!”

“…”

In that moment, South Creek’s memory suddenly awoke. She vividly recalled that when she spoke with Mr. Wede, he seemed to be carrying something on his back, but his body had been hidden beneath a coarse cloak, causing her to overlook it at the time.

“We must quickly give this to the Village Chief.”

“Eh, to the Village Chief?”

“It’s the only way…”

As soon as she saw the bloodstains, South Creek knew she couldn’t remain uninvolved. These cloth strips were likely very important clues, but her understanding of the situation was still too limited. She could only entrust them to someone who understood the truth, and currently, only the Village Chief met that criterion.

“But, since noon, the Village Chief has been constantly questioning people and searching. We don’t even know where he is right now. How are we supposed to give him these cloth strips?”

“There’s no choice. We’ll have to go out and find him.”

“Oh—”

Hearing that they could finally go out and investigate, Fanny gave South Creek a knowing glance but was completely ignored. South Creek rummaged through a cabinet and pulled out two uniquely styled cloaks.

“These are what my sister and I usually wear when it rains… Their waterproofing is much better than your burlap clothes. If you catch a cold, I can’t be held responsible.”

“Hehe, you’re the best.”

And so, the two little figures, cloaked and daring, ventured into the rain. The white cloth strips were wrapped in a handkerchief, but Fanny adamantly refused to carry them, so South Creek held them. They walked through the rain, treading along muddy paths, and inquired with villagers about Mr. Reed’s whereabouts. Soon, they learned that Mr. Reed had headed towards the southern farm.

Hurrying towards the farm, they suddenly encountered someone both unexpected and, in hindsight, entirely predictable.

“Are you two also looking for that ungrateful scoundrel?”

It was Barry the blacksmith. He stood shirtless in the rain, letting the water wash over his body. His face was a knot of muscle and fury, clearly displaying his anger.

“We’re looking for the Village Chief. Do you know where he is?”

“Is that so? Good, I need to find him too. He said he’d help me catch someone, but it’s been so long, and I haven’t seen a soul.”

Barry grumbled. Despite the heavy rain, he seemed to have no intention of seeking shelter. Now, thoroughly soaked, he also appeared to be searching for Mr. Reed.

“I’ll take you there. You’re probably not very familiar with the path to the farm…”

“Alright…”

Though a little apprehensive, the two decided to follow Barry towards the village’s farm.