'He is late.'
Sontra stood outside the house. Nearly an hour had passed since Marvin left, with no sign of his return. He gazed toward the town ahead. Through the thinning fog, he could see lights flickering to life, mostly from the eastern and northern sides.
He deliberated whether to investigate but held himself back. Concerned about leaving his son alone, he could only hope the commotion in the town had nothing to do with Marvin.
He waited patiently, and after a few more minutes, he saw movement from the south gate. Dozens of orange lights, mere dots in the distance, were emerging from the town and slowly making their way toward the hill. The ground subtly shook. A large number of people were approaching.
Realizing things had taken an unexpected turn, Sontra hastily wiped his dirty, mud-caked boots on the grass. He did not have a good feeling about this.
Rattle. Rattle. Rattle.
A large group of men, large enough to be called an expedition, arrived in front of Marvin's house. At least two dozen riders on horseback surrounded five or six empty carts. At the center of the formation was a fancy caravan.
"Sontra!"
As the group came to a stop, Marvin jumped out of the caravan and ran flustered toward him.
"Are you all right? I-I heard what happened..."
Marvin began circling Sontra, lifting his arms and patting his torso, searching for any injuries. Seeing that Marvin was unharmed, Sontra felt a wave of relief. Nevertheless, he took a step back from the merchant's swarming hands.
"I am fine."
Tap.
Marvin's barrage was interrupted by a sudden tap on his shoulder. He jolted in surprise and turned to see an old man smiling warmly at him. Marvin's body froze for a moment before he composed himself, slipping back into the persona of a professional merchant.
"Elder... haha..."
Too focused on Sontra, Marvin had not realized the Elder had also disembarked from the caravan and had been standing behind him, quiet and patient.
"May I have some of your time, Sontra?" the Elder asked.
Though he was smiling, the warmth did not reach his eyes. There was worry, anger, and even anxiety in his usually tranquil gaze.
"...Of course. The honor would be mine."
Seeing the large escort, Sontra questioned whether the Elder had truly come just to talk. He was deeply curious. He wanted to know what the Elder, who usually concealed such strong emotions so well, was thinking.
"This room looks the same as it was two years ago," the Elder said calmly.
"Has it been that long already? Time sure flies..." Marvin uttered.
The three men sat across from each other in the guest room. All the windows were shut, and only a single lantern placed in the middle of the table served as their source of light.
"I assume you are uninjured?"
"My body is, at least," Sontra spoke, touching his chest. With an honest tone, he continued, "Regardless, I am touched by your presence here, Elder."
"This is my duty. My being here should be nothing other than expected."
"…"
"…"
'What is going on?'
Marvin felt something was off. He remembered the only time the other two had spoken was when he first brought Sontra to the forest. Yet, he could feel an unspoken familiarity between them, and for some reason, he sensed a veiled hostility from both sides.
"I'm glad things didn't come to the worst… I could even smell the oil from here. You did well to stop it."
"You flatter me, Elder. I was just lucky."
"Hm... it should be oil made from this region's nuts," the Elder said, taking a quick sniff as he closed his eyes. "It's the kind usually used in oil lamps. Difficult to put out once lit... Sigh, some minds are just too twisted to comprehend..."
"Indeed. It brings me comfort that there is one less person like that in the world now."
Marvin, squeezed by the unseen tension between the two, looked profoundly uncomfortable. His eyes darted between them. He could see the sharpness in their gazes and felt they could leap across the table at any moment. Not understanding the undercurrents, he could only watch and try to make himself small.
"…As Elder, I must apologize. I never wished, nor imagined, that this town would become so unsafe."
"Please, there is nothing to apologize for. Don't you think so too, Marvin?"
"Y-yes, Sontra is right, Elder. No one wishes for these kinds of things to happen."
Surprised to be suddenly addressed, Marvin answered without thinking. Still, his spontaneous response seemed to satisfy them.
"…Right."
Silence swiftly reclaimed the room. The two men did not seem to have anything more to say, as if staring into each other's eyes was conversation enough.
In the middle of the unbearable quiet, Marvin hurriedly tried to fill it.
"Um, Sontra. Actually, the Elder and I had a talk before coming here," Marvin said, then paused.
Seeing the two men's gazes finally break away from each other, he continued.
"With the situation growing more erratic by the day, we felt it would be better for us to move temporarily into town."
Marvin paused again. Although he knew he'd presented the Elder's suggestion rather suddenly, he understood it was a necessary conversation. Earlier, he had agreed that staying in town momentarily was the best course of action.
Since the decision involved Sontra, he had already prepared several justifications to persuade him. Nonetheless, he was confident Sontra wouldn't object in the first place.
"That would be best. With so many people around, the textiles would be better protected too."
"Great. I know it's a little sudden, but we are thinking of moving out immediately. Ah, but don't worry, the Elder has prepared a house for us to stay in, at least for the time being," Marvin explained calmly.
Marvin's house was large but did not contain many furnishings or belongings. With the carts waiting outside, it would not be difficult to move everything in just two or three trips.
"I see. That's very thoughtful of you, Elder."
Sontra could tell one of the reasons they acted so quickly was because of the green boxes surrounding them. The Elder clearly treasured them greatly.
The Elder had gone out of his way to gather so many hunters who should have been asleep, convincing them to help with such a bothersome task. He had done all this knowing public opinion of him was already unstable and that any complaints might be turned against him. Yet, he had still gone ahead with it.
While Sontra appreciated the lengths the Elder had gone to, he could not help but wonder why they had waited so long to act. After all, the custom Marvin mentioned days ago stated that any cloth brought into the forest had to be fully woven, or it would become unusable. The forest, not the town. So there should never have been a problem storing the textiles in town.
"No need to worry about your son. I've already arranged transportation for him," the Elder added.
"About that… I know it's shameless of me to ask, but Marvin, would it be all right if I stayed behind?"
"H-huh? Why is that?" Marvin asked, surprised.
"It's for my son's recovery, and more importantly, his safety," Sontra said with apparent regret.
"That's not all, is it?" the Elder chimed in.
"What else could there be, Elder? The townspeople already hold me in great suspicion. Who knows what might happen if they decide to direct their anxiety and anger at us?"
"B-"
Marvin wanted to dismiss the concern as an exaggeration, but he stopped himself. He was not a fool; he would not let his desires cloud his judgment. 'Rumors that spread among anxious people are dangerous.' He had said it himself, and he truly believed it. He had seen how easily people could become unreasonable when consumed by fear.
"…"
"Marvin, would you mind if I spoke with Sontra privately for a moment?"
"...Of course. Please, take your time."
Though he was curious what the two would discuss, Marvin knew some things were better left unknown. Still, he was certain it had something to do with the tension between them.
Shut.
As the door to the guest room closed, the Elder let out a weary sigh.
"Sontra, I'm a little hurt. Just how many times have you rejected my invitations?"
"I didn't mean to dishearten you, Elder. I wouldn't have hesitated so much if my son weren't here. I hope you understand."
"Ha, of course. I wouldn't trust the safety of my son to the empty words of a senile old man, either."
Sontra remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Seeing that, the Elder chuckled.
"I heard you got rid of him. Would you mind telling me why?"
"You see, Elder, it's hard for me to think straight when it comes to my son's safety. I hope you can forgive my bad temper."
"You've done this town a great service. Why would I need to forgive anything?"
"The Elder is truly magnanimous. I'm thankful."
"...I assume the matter has been resolved, correct?"
"I'm unsure. It's possible he was merely following orders."
The Elder remained quiet. He caressed his old, silvery-white beard before picking up the lantern.
"Lead me upstairs."
Following the sudden but expected order, Sontra led the way. In the lantern's light, droplets of spilled oil were visible on several steps.
"He was in a rush," the Elder remarked.
The uneven spacing between the droplets suggested the person carrying the oil had been running. The Elder's eyes roamed as he ascended, searching for something hidden in the shadows.
Step.
The Elder did not stop on the second floor. He brushed past Sontra and walked toward the jagged holes on the left. His gaze fixed on the wall as he ran a hand along it. Whether Sontra noticed or not, the Elder briefly glanced at his figure before stepping through the opening.
"I have a question. You don't have to answer if you'd prefer not to," the Elder said calmly.
"I will gladly answer, if you'll answer one of mine in return."
The Elder stopped, the lantern still raised before him as he peered into the second hole.
"That's fair."
Moving away from the opening, narrower than the previous one, the Elder walked toward the actual door. While the hole was large enough to squeeze through, he didn't want to risk his loose robe catching on the splintered wood.
As if he already knew what had happened, the Elder went straight to a corner of the room. He pointed the lantern toward the chipped wall, then lowered it to the floor, illuminating dents in the wooden boards and scattered splinters.
"Not even a hair remains. The fervor of youth is a fearsome thing," the Elder let out a soft snicker.
"Sontra, who is behind all of this?"
"A much simpler question than I expected. Did you ask because you are truly clueless, or because you wanted to see how much I know?"
"Not pretending anymore, are we? You're a brave young man, I'll give you that." The Elder's gaze fearlessly met Sontra's. With a firm voice, he spoke, "But you should know, strength doesn't guarantee you'll live long enough to see an old face in the mirror."
"You praise me too much, Elder. The brave one here is you. It makes me wonder where that bravery stems from... Certainly not from those hunters downstairs, is it?"
"...Who knows."
The Elder's expression was that of a young warrior. His eyes, full of vigor, betrayed the wrinkles on his face. Seeing the serious old man, Sontra's lips curled into a faint smile.
"I'm only joking, Elder. It appears you're not one for humor. Please, accept my apologies."
"..."
"To answer your question... I currently have no certainty about who is behind this, if there even is a single mastermind. But certainly, the Arcane is involved."
"So, a mighty Arcanist knows no more than we do."
"Indeed. This random traveler knows as much as the Elder of this very town. Now, I've answered you truthfully. I trust the great Elder of Erla will keep his promise."
"Go on," the Elder said, unbothered.
"On whose suggestion did you order the hunters to be withdrawn?"
The Elder looked surprised. His mouth opened and closed, the words caught in his throat. Perhaps to mask his reaction, he stroked his long beard as he stared into the shadows cast by the young man.
"That's a foolish question. It wasn't under anyone's influence. I ordered it myself."
"Elder, running from the truth doesn't make it a lie."
"...I don't understand what you're trying to say."
"That is not an answer."
"..."
"It was Loik, wasn't it? What did he tell you?"
The Elder fell silent. His eyes wavered, as if the truth he had tirelessly suppressed had finally surfaced. He clenched the metal handle of his lantern, making it squeak quietly.
"...He said it was a provocative thing to do, and should not have been done in the first place."
"..."
The Elder opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself. After a final, searching glance into Sontra's eyes, he turned and left the room.
"It was a pleasure talking with you again, Elder."