𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟕
𝐚𝐰𝚎𝕓𝚜𝕥ȯ̇𝐫𝙞ᴇs.𝘤𝚘𝐦
The explanation itself wasn’t difficult. The situation on-site was consistent with our testimonies, and each individual’s identity was clear.
“There are no signs of a struggle, and it certainly seems like there’s no problem.”
It would make sense since there were four students from the academy, one of whom was even a member of the Baek family.
The exorcists from HQ didn’t seem to have any particular doubts about us because of that.
“By the way, what are the exorcists from HQ doing here . . . . . .?”
“The exorcists from the Defense Corps who were dispatched near here have gone missing. It was judged that they were attacked by yokai, so the matter was passed on to us.”
The radio signal still hadn’t been found, but the exorcist from HQ seemed to be used to this kind of thing as he skillfully summoned a shikigami and sent it flying into the sky with a cell phone.
Flutter!
After moving the shikigami to a point where it could pick up a signal, he summoned the pair again and relayed a voice message from a distance.
“Yes. That’s right. We’ll preserve the scene here.”
The HQ exorcists’ seasoned response made Yoo Ha-on’s group look at the sight with slightly raised gazes.
Afterward, the exorcists from HQ, who had been talking to the villagers for a while, began to take action in earnest, looking around the area.
“Would it be okay if we looked around the entire village once?”
“Oh my. Of course. We’d be grateful.”
At the same time, they approached us and cautiously made a suggestion.
“It might be dangerous to walk around this area right now. Would it be okay if we escorted you to Dongaksan Mountain after we finish a brief investigation?”
“Yes. That’s fine.”
Since this area was pretty much under the Baek family’s jurisdiction, the HQ exorcists were quite respectful toward Baek Eun-seo, a direct descendant of the family.
Baek Eun-seo turned around and stared at me with a somewhat bashful expression, so I forced a wry smile.
“We looked around like that and left, but we haven’t seen them since.”
“So, after they left the village, there was no more information, is that it?”
“Oh, yes. This is the first time we’ve heard that something happened to the exorcists.”
The villagers answered the questions honestly, but their answers weren’t very different.
The exorcists from the Defense Corps who had previously visited the village had also left after conducting a brief investigation.
Since everyone’s testimonies were the same, it was likely true, but if that was the case, it meant that the exorcists from the Defense Corps had vanished in an instant.
The three exorcists dispatched from HQ exchanged glances with troubled expressions.
“Hmm, something is strange. . . . . . .”
“Jung-il, was there any response from the boundary you set up when you arrived?”
“Yes. There were no particular things to note.”
Just like in the original story, they were all quite strong, in the early 40s in level.
Although they hadn’t reached the level of a 2nd-grade exorcist, they were experienced and skilled mid-level exorcists.
In fact, if the three of them joined forces, they could have been considered a force that wouldn’t lose to Sori-soe, but unfortunately, Choi Jin-hee, the only female among them, was killed while she was acting alone for a short while, which led to their forces being insufficient in the final battle.
In the original story, Yoo Ha-on’s group made up for that, but now that I know the whole story, Choi Jin-hee shouldn’t be killed so easily.
Therefore, solving the incident should definitely be easier than in the original story.
「. . .𝙄𝙛 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙮.」
There’s a high chance that there’s something I don’t know. That’s why what happens from now on is important.
「𝙒𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙨 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨?」
Sori-soe must have been contemplating how to deal with us when we first met.
If it absorbed the knowledge of the villagers, it would have been aware of the Baek family’s territory on Dongaksan Mountain, and it must have known that if we encountered any problems, they would immediately start tracking us.
However, it already caught the attention of too many people, including us. If things turned out this way, Sori-soe would have nowhere to run.
Therefore, it will probably show its true colors now, take care of everyone here for sure, and move its hideout.
「. . .𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚.」
I kept my guard up and continued to watch the villagers from among our group.
However. No matter how much time passed, there was no attack.
Thirty minutes, fifty minutes, and like that, two whole hours passed before the exorcists finished their search.
“It seems like this will take quite a while. Jung-il, should we take the kids back first?”
“. . .I think that would be best.”
When things turned out that way, I felt a sense of unease. If things went like this, it would definitely be a different development from the original story.
「𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙩?」
There have been no changes in what’s happened so far.
The villagers have already been devoured by Sori-soe. Why isn’t it making any moves?
As questions started to arise, a sudden thought crossed my mind.
「𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙮. . . . . . .」
As if possessed by something, I began to thoroughly search the entire village, and Yoo Ha-on, who saw me like that, spoke to me with concern.
“Is something wrong?”
“. . .This is strange.”
Something was definitely bothering me.
I frowned and left the group as it was and slowly approached the direction where the villagers were.
Then, I ignored the curious gazes of the HQ exorcists and took out the talisman I had on my waist.
“Hey, what are you. . . . . . .”
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