On the yellowed parchment, there were messy scribbles recording someone's ramblings, saying things about successfully completing a demon summoning and the like.
Everyone was in high spirits from drinking and assumed it was just the nonsense of some lunatic who worshipped evil cults.
But on the back of the parchment, the steps for summoning a demon were recorded in detail.
Enzo felt that something was not quite right.
How could someone deliberately make something like this look old and then stuff it into the wall of such a remote tavern?
The faded handwriting on the parchment clearly showed that it had been there for quite some time.
One of his friends took a gulp of alcohol, burst into laughter, and pinched the parchment scroll between his fingers. "Does anyone dare to try following what's written on this? Maybe you can really summon a demon."
The rest of them laughed even louder.
"Stop joking, Hugh, how could something like this work! If I manage to summon a demon, I'm going to hit the jackpot and get rich overnight!"
"When you make it big, don't forget us brothers!"
"No problem! When I win the Powerball jackpot, I'll buy you your dream car!"
"…"
The bar owner named Rodin held a cigarette between her lips as she casually poured drinks for the customers at the counter.
Amid the swirling smoke, the details of people's faces became blurred.
Her wrinkles were no longer clearly visible and only the defined features could be seen set upon well-structured faces.
Time does not defeat beauty and even now, one could still see traces of her youthful charm on the owner's face.
Hearing these people noisily talking about demon summoning, she was reminded of something from many years ago.
She moved the cigarette away from her lips with her fingers and exhaled lightly.
The smoke near the counter thickened even more.
As it dispersed, she let out a soft sound. "I remember, about ten years ago, there was a passing man who stayed here for quite a long time, always talking about some kind of demon summoning ritual."
The tavern in this remote countryside was filled with regulars.
The customers teased the owner. "A man you remember for ten years, Rodin, must have been quite something."
Laughter and teasing rose one after another in the tavern.
The owner laughed and scolded them lightly, then continued, "He wasn't like you lot. He was actually a rare good man. A bit crazy, maybe, but he kept talking about wanting to summon a demon to cure his wife's terminal illness."
The laughter in the tavern came to an abrupt stop.
A man worthy of such respect was not someone anyone could laugh at.
When a loved one had a terminal illness who could blame him for losing his sanity?
Someone asked, "What happened after that?"
"Later, one day, he excitedly said that his wife's condition had taken a turn for the better. After that, he never showed up again."
One of the men in the tavern raised his glass.