Chapter 525 117.7 - Second Mission

Chapter 525 117.7 - Second Mission

"What about the family named 'Carpenter?'"

The name hung in the air like a sudden chill. The Mayor's reaction was immediate and telling. His face paled, and his breath caught in his throat. His hands, which had been tapping nervously on the desk, stilled completely, gripping the edge of the wood as if to steady himself.

Maria's eyes widened in recognition of the name, a flicker of something like sorrow crossing her tired features.

Damian, who had been glaring at Astron with suspicion, now looked slightly down as if something had been revealed. Something that he wanted to hide. Celia, who had been simmering with irritation, now stared at her father, her expression shifting to one of shock.

The Mayor's mouth opened, but no words came out. It was as if the very mention of the name had robbed him of his voice. The room seemed to grow colder, the oppressive weight of unspoken truths pressing down on everyone.

Astron's voice cut through the silence, his tone still calm but carrying an undeniable edge. "It seems the name does ring bells for everyone here." He said while looking at everyone. "That is good, as this makes things easier."

Celia's voice cut through the thick silence, her tone defensive and strained. "That name... it can't have anything to do with what's happening now," she insisted, her eyes flicking nervously between Astron and her father. She tried to muster her earlier confidence, but there was a tremor in her voice that hadn't been there before.

Astron turned his gaze to Celia, his expression unreadable. "Really?" he replied, his voice carrying a weight that silenced any further protests. The single word hung in the air, challenging the very foundation of her denial.

The room remained silent as Astron began to speak again, his tone steady and deliberate, each word carefully chosen. "Let me tell you a story—a story about a family named Carpenter, who once lived in this very town. They were a family of three: a father, a mother, and a daughter. Simple farmers, like many in Shange Town, living a quiet life, tending to their crops, and contributing to the community."

Astron's voice remained calm, but there was an intensity in his eyes as he continued. "But then, things began to change. Rumors started to spread—rumors that the Carpenter family was involved in something dark, something unnatural. Witchcraft, they called it. The townsfolk whispered that while everyone else was struggling with their crops, the Carpenters were thriving. Their fields remained green, their harvests plentiful, even as others withered away."

He paused, letting the weight of the words settle over the room. The Mayor looked down, his face a mask of guilt and fear, while Maria's eyes brimmed with unshed tears, her sorrow palpable. Damian's earlier defiance had crumbled, replaced by a look of quiet shame, his eyes fixed on the floor. Celia, though still trying to maintain her composure, was visibly shaken, her earlier bravado now a distant memory.

"But," Astron continued, "the truth was far less sinister. The reason for the Carpenter family's success wasn't witchcraft. It was something much simpler, much more mundane. They refused to use the seeds that most of the town had been provided with—the seeds that had been supplied by a company with ties to a certain influential figure in this very room."

At this, the Mayor visibly flinched, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the edge of his desk. Astron's gaze bore into him, unyielding. "Those seeds were of low quality, bought at a fraction of the price they should have been. They were subpar, and they were the reason why the crops failed across the town. But the Carpenters, being prudent, chose not to use them. They stuck to their own methods, their own seeds, and that's why their crops thrived."

The realization began to dawn on the others in the room, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. Celia's eyes widened in shock, her gaze snapping to her father, who sat trembling in his chair, unable to meet anyone's eyes.

"But someone couldn't afford to have that truth come to light," Astron said, his voice now edged with steel. "Someone who had made a deal embezzled money and provided those faulty seeds to the town. Someone who needed a scapegoat to cover their tracks. And so, the rumors of witchcraft were born—whispers seeded by that very person to turn the town against the Carpenters."

"Does that ring a bell?" Astron asked, his voice as empty as his gaze.

Celia recoiled slightly, her body trembling. The intensity of his stare sent a shiver down her spine, a cold, paralyzing fear taking hold of her. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. The truth, or perhaps the fear of it, had stolen her voice.

Astron turned away from Celia, his gaze shifting to Maria and Damian. "But well, that doesn't mean it ends here, does it?"

He paused, allowing the weight of his words to settle. Maria looked down, her eyes filled with tears, while Damian clenched his fists even tighter, his body shaking with barely restrained fury.

"While all of this was happening," Astron continued, "there was one family in this town that did not believe the rumors about the Carpenters. A family of two—a mother and her son—who knew the truth. The mother was an herbalist, knowledgeable about herbs and plants, and she understood that the Carpenters' success had nothing to do with witchcraft. She knew it was because they had refused to use the low-quality seeds that had been forced on the rest of the town."

Maria's head dipped lower, her shoulders trembling as she recalled the painful memories. Damian's eyes, now brimming with unspoken pain and anger, remained fixed on Astron.

"That family of two," Astron continued, "decided to help the Carpenters. The woman provided them with medicine, helping to ease their worries, while the boy played with the Carpenter girl, Abigail. He didn't want her to be alone, especially when the rest of the town had turned their backs on her. They even wanted to speak out, to defend the Carpenters, but the one who was truly guilty couldn't afford to let that happen. So, the rumors spread to them as well. They were also ostracized, associated with witchcraft, and shunned by the town."

Maria's silent tears fell, each drop a testament to the burden of guilt she had carried for so long. Damian's face was contorted with anguish; his teeth gritted as he struggled to contain the storm of emotions raging within him.

"The boy didn't care about the town's rejection," Astron continued, his voice a low murmur. "He had already begun to hate the townspeople for their cruelty, for their willingness to believe lies over the truth. He continued to visit Abigail, only to find one day that she was no longer there. Surprised, he assumed she had left with her parents, perhaps to find safety elsewhere."

Astron paused, his voice growing even quieter, more somber. "But when the Carpenter parents returned to their home, they found it empty. Abigail was nowhere to be found, and their panic set in. They came to the family of two first, desperate for answers. When they saw that she wasn't there, their panic turned to terror. And when the truth finally emerged..."

He looked back at the Mayor, whose face was ashen, his eyes wide with horror as he relived the events Astron described. "The family of two could no longer contain their anger. The truth of what had been done to that innocent girl was too much to bear."

Astron's voice hardened, the cold edge returning. "From then on, the deaths of two people occurred in this town. Two lives were taken, not by accident, but as an act of vengeance. To bury the truth, to ensure that the full extent of what had happened would never come to light."

The room fell into a silence so deep it felt as though the air had been sucked out.

But then, suddenly, a voice echoed all across the room.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHHA!"

It was a mad laugh of someone.