Shioko secured Taya to stay out the door. Along with her companions, she entered the hut.

The visible light from the windows came from rows of candles disorderly scattered across the room. When Yoichi and Enatsu set foot in the village leader's house, dozens of people looked at them fearfully. ??

Women, children, older and young men: some of those who had managed to escape the Hebigure attack were sheltering themselves there in the hope that the great snake would spare their lives.

The villagers were so numerous that they crowded almost the whole ground floor of the hut, occupying every corner of its perimeter. Children were sitting on a chest, others above a closet, perched like owls.

Entire families of survivors were under the protection of that strange little man, seemingly harmless. A narrow flight of spiral stairs led to the floor above, also full of people.

When Shioko got through the door, aided by Enatsu, a group of women approached her. Three fatty ladies, dressed in humble peasant clothes, noticed her wounded arm and rushed to her rescue.

"Please, my lady. Come this way, let us help you," one of them kindly said, coordinating her companions and sticking a hand under Shioko's good arm.

Yoichi nodded, exchanging a stare with his guildmate. The children gathered on the chest looked admiringly at Kenji and Sora, amazed to see two brand new demons.

"Don't worry. Your friend is in very good hands now. She'll be up and around in no time," the village chief spoke, his hands crossed behind his shoulders. "You must be thirsty. Follow me this way, let me offer you something to drink", he continued, accompanying his guests to the other side of the room.

Shioko, walking next to the three women, reached a large thatched bed. With a bit of difficulty, she lay down on it, under the gaze of a group of people.

"Shoo, come on! Get away from here.. there's nothing to look at," the most robust woman exclaimed, waving her arms outwards and driving everyone away. Meanwhile, the other two began to calm Shioko down, moving her hair from her face and preparing everything necessary for her medical treatment.

"Forgive me if I didn't show up earlier. Unfortunately, my poor memory is often mistaken for rudeness. My name is Kuniaki, but everyone here calls me 'Uncle Kuno'. I am the patron shaman of this village" the old man reported. Opening a door of a small piece of furniture tucked under a table, he pulled out a clay bottle.

A shaman? Is he some kind of magician? He doesn't look very strong. It's clear that he wasn't able to protect his people, Yoichi thought.

"Hello, Kuniaki-sama. I'm Yoichi, and this is Enatsu. With Shioko, the wounded girl, we are tamers of the Nightblades, a guild from the capital," Yoichi answered, introducing himself to all those present.

"This must be our lucky day then. No traveller ever comes in Blackborough... if you hadn't been around, probably none of us would have survived that wild beast," old Kuno replied. With his flickering hands, he handed two cups of water to his guests. historical

Without the need for direct order, a young boy took the bottle from the table and ran towards Shioko, making sure she took a sip, too.

"What happened exactly? How did such a great demon approach the village?" Enatsu inquired, trying not to miss the point.

"We noticed that the Crimson Lotus camp is... well, it's gone," Yoichi added. In the eyes of the people around him, the severe pain caused by the losses of their fellow citizens.

"I can't answer that question either. Like any village in Tentochu, Blackborough is protected from its own Crimson Lotus camp, which drives out evil demons prowling hungry at night. Something different happened this time... the flowers began to wither for no reason," Kuniaki explained.

"It was as if they could no longer draw nourishment from the ground" one of the villagers added, attracting the attention of the two travellers. "My son and I have been dealing with the Blackborough Lotus' plantation for years, and we've never had problems. Tonight, we noticed that some flower petals were losing consistency, and we immediately alerted Uncle Kuno," he reported.

"But how is that possible? I am sure that the soil around here is particularly fertile. Your village is located between the sea and the mountains. You should not have problems like this!" Enatsu acknowledged. Having risked his life, the merchant spoke to the two men as if he were blaming them for what had happened.

"But it wasn't a water issue! Uncle Kuno, we watered the Crimson Lotus camp every day nonstop! Why should we have..."

The man's words were interrupted by a gesture of the shaman. Kuniaki raised his hand and silenced his fellow citizen. "I never doubted the work of you and your son. But it can happen to everyone to forget something", the old man commented, implicitly relaunching the accusation.

"Uncle Kuno, we have not forgotten anything!" the farmer who took care of the village camp gulped once again. Beside him, his son looked worried.

As Yoichi realized that all the other villagers were beginning to look at the two poor unfortunates in a bad way, he tried to refocus everyone's attention to the most recent event.

"Did you happen to see a blackish substance?" he asked, out of the blue.

"Um? What are you talking about?" the farmer replied.

"I am referring to a purple gas, almost black. If you had seen that substance in the soil, it would be a crucial clue to solving this mystery", the young tamer repeated. "The Hebigure we defeated just now was soaked in that stuff. It healed its wounds and empowered its body, increasing that demon's level of wickedness," he explained.

Yoichi's words caught the attention of all the villagers in the hut. Families and individuals hung on his every word as if he were a storyteller.

"Father!" the farmer's son gasped. Clinging with one hand to his father's covered in dirt shirt, he looked him straight into the eye. "Perhaps I know what the Goldhaven warrior refers to!" the boy continued, his eyes wide open.