“Renny.”
“W-what?”
Renny’s cheeks were flushed red in my sight. She seemed to be shy like Viola, clearly not immune to such situations.
“Just try to think of it casually.”
“Could you stay calm in this situation?”
Renny was fidgeting, cross-armed, her face heating up. Thankfully, it seemed that the residents of Paradise perceived it as merely shyness… I leaned in as if I was about to whisper sweet nothings to my lover.
“Do you remember the location of the Temple?”
“The Temple… If it hasn’t moved, it should be to the north.”
Well, I guess we should head to the Temple first.
If Paradise is rejecting the Kalon Church, there’s a high chance something has happened at the Temple.
Either the Temple has been destroyed, or perhaps they’re worshipping that Lugaru instead of Kalon. But who exactly is this Lugaru?
The name never came up in the original or here. It’s likely an Outsider or something claiming to be a god… But could it be strong?
And what about mental contamination?
The Outsiders I’ve met so far were all over the place, making it hard to gauge. There was the Outsider that turned people into brainless zombies, one that was nearly an alien, and now this mysterious Outsider.
Perhaps Outsiders aren’t a homogenous group but a collection of multiple gods like in Greek or Roman mythology or Hinduism.
If Lugaru is an Outsider, this hypothesis could be put to the test.
“Hey, we’ve arrived.”
“…It smells like blood.”
Blood in a holy Temple… That’s definitely strange. In all my previous tours of Temples, I’d never encountered such a thing. It’s not a battlefield or a slaughterhouse, yet there’s a strong stench of blood.
Unless the Temple has switched careers to be a slaughterhouse, something must have happened. Looking up at the pristine white Temple, I felt an eerie holy atmosphere even amidst the thick smell of blood.
“Is this the Temple?”
“It doesn’t seem much different from when I was a kid… but there’s an odd vibe.”
“An odd vibe, huh.”
I hesitated to step inside. It felt as if I was walking straight into enemy territory. With no idea what awaited us, I wasn’t keen on barging in recklessly.
Should we circle the village first for a check? There’s stuff I’d like to experiment with if possible.
“Renny. Let’s save the Temple for later. Right now, it seems better to focus on finding your friend or anything suspicious.”
“I agree. But what should we do?”
“I want to meet your friend. Do you know where they live?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure about their exact place. Wouldn’t people know if I ask around?”
“Then we should start searching. Let’s go ask around the village for your friend.”
We turned away from the Temple and headed toward the village center. A suitably sized square with people milling around. The faces of the people wore blissful smiles.
Honestly, approaching people with such expressions was a bit nerve-wracking, but we had to do it. I approached the oldest-looking man among them.
“Excuse me, sir. I was passing by and wanted to ask. Do you know someone named Priya?”
“Ho ho ho… Priya, huh… Was there such a child here?”
“I’ve come to find an old friend, but I don’t know where they might be.”
“I don’t know where she is, but she must be living happily in this Paradise!”
The old man answered with a hearty laugh. He looked like a nice grandfather on the surface, but his overly upturned lips made him look bizarre. It was more like a forced grin than a natural smile.
“Thank you for the advice.”
“Sure thing! May you too find happiness here in Paradise!”
Afterward, I asked several people, but the answers were all pretty much the same.
They rambled on about Paradise but didn’t provide any real information, just telling me to enjoy my life here endlessly. Like a bunch of NPCs, we had no choice but to take a break in a corner of the square without any significant leads.
“How could it be that despite mentioning all my friends’ names, nobody knows a single one?”
“Maybe their brains are too filled with Paradise. Or maybe they’re just hiding something from us.”
“Should we go to the Temple after all?”
“That seems the most certain.”
“So, we’re headed to the Temple next?”
“I guess that’s the plan.”
Just as we decided on our next destination and were about to rise from our spot, I felt a tap on my back and quickly turned to see who it was.
“Are you outsiders?”
A skinny kid, looking maybe twelve, stood there. With an extremely thin build and a buzz cut, it was hard to tell if they were a boy or girl.
“…That’s right.”
“Will you follow me?”
I silently glanced at Renny. She seemed to be thinking the same as me, our eyes met.
“…Alright.”
We followed the kid into the unknown.
—————–
“My name is Sara.”
“Hmm, sure. Sara. Why did you bring us here?”
We stood in a shabby house at a corner of the village.
We faced the kid who introduced herself as Sara. With a sickly appearance, she looked up at us. Ironically, she had the most lively expression of anyone we had seen in the village.
“Do you know anything about this place?”
“Yeah.”
“You came walking into such a dangerous place. You’re pretty reckless, huh?”
“We came to investigate what’s happening here and to find a resolution.”
“Just the two of you?”
Why’s she looking at us with distrust? Does she not know who I am?
“Do you even know who I am?”
“I don’t know, I’ve been stuck in this village for years.”
Oh dear.
I could only look at this poor child with pity. Just then, a growl erupted from my stomach.
“Uh…”
“I have some food. Want some?”
“Thank you.”
I pulled out a generous amount of food from my bag and laid it in front of Sara. She eagerly began eating, her eyes sparkling like those of a kid her age.
We quietly waited for Sara to finish her meal.
“I-I’m so sorry. I was just so hungry…”
“It’s okay. I can get you more if you need it.”
“No, I’m full now…”
“Let’s start talking then. When did this village change like this?”
I had a mountain of questions, and I needed to gather information piece by piece. Sara fidgeted with her hands and began to speak.
“It was three years ago… three years ago, during a famine when our village was struggling, we suddenly heard a loud noise from the Temple… After that, everyone changed.”
“Lugaru blessed us and made us eat meat raw…”
Raw meat?
That sounds completely insane. Instead of a fire, they’re eating raw meat?
“What kind of meat?”
“I don’t know. But I don’t think it was pork or beef… we hardly raise those here. There isn’t enough for everyone to share…”
A foreboding thought crossed my mind. Please don’t tell me it’s human meat.
“…Next question. Looking around, it seems like the people here are relatively well off. What’s this place for?”
“People here don’t believe in Lugaru. We’ve been gathered here as non-believers…”
Surprisingly, they didn’t kill them, huh.
“They say believers become happy, so why aren’t they?”
“They take a good look at all my body parts and then click their tongues. It’s terrifying.”
Perverted jerks… Or maybe it’s just that they don’t seem to be gaining much weight.
In any case, the smell of blood from the Temple was surely from butchering people. I grimaced at the very disgusting fact. Renny seemed no different from me, grinding her teeth in outrage.
“Those damn bastards…”
“Well then, it’s clear that Paradise is a very dangerous place.”
“So you must escape quickly. It’ll be tough, but…”
“Aren’t you planning to escape?”
“If I get caught trying to escape, I’ll be dragged away. I’ve never seen anyone who got taken return. But a traveler might find a way to slip out…”
Worrying about us even in this situation. What a kind-hearted kid. There’s no way I can leave a kid like her to rot here.
“How many others are hiding here like you?”
“Uh… about thirty of us.”
“Hm. Got it. I’ll help you escape.”
Investigation aside, we first need to get these kids out so we can focus on whatever chaos we want to cause afterward.
“Renny, I’m sorry, but I’ll rescue these kids first.”
“Huh? But what about the villagers…?”
“Don’t worry. That much will be easy for me.”
Unless that Lugaru or whatever directly intervenes, nothing can stop my escape show.
“So from now on, will you gather everyone?”
“…Yes!”
And so, the emergency escape operation began.
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