Chapter 62: A Slice of Life

Chapter 62: A Slice of Life

I didn't talk with any of the people inside.

They were all looking at me suspiciously, and trying to be too friendly might cause that distrust to grow even further.

After finding a place in the corner to lie down, I took out a paper map from my backpack.

"Damn it." The map was wet. The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

I had used a pen to cross off a couple of mountains, and the ink had smudged along the paper. Thankfully I was close enough to the destination I was looking for that I didnt need a map too much. I could just memorize the thing before it broke down.

Despite concentrating on memorizing the map, I kept on guard and ready to draw my sword out at a moment's notice.

My thoughts of cautiousness broke when I heard a cough. At first, I didn't think anything of it. But the cough continued getting more robust and rawer.

The source was a young girl; she looked small, thin, and frail. She didnt seem older than two or three years old.

Usually, I might have ignored something like this. After all, I wasn't a doctor. But a village like this was so far away from any town.

Was there anyone who could take care of the young girl? I took out a small healing potion, something an exorcist would use to heal minor wounds.

It was created by using demon corpses as base ingredients. At the same time, potions were relatively expensive for the average human. They were relatively cheap for exorcistsespecially small brews like this.

As I got up, every villager had their eyes on me. A couple of them had pitchforks and other weapons for basic protection.

It seemed like they didn't trust outsiders.

"The coughing child," I took out the small potion bottle. "I used to dabble in medicine during my time as a merchant. This is a cold medicine."

The village head frowned but didn't say anything. Another one of the villagers said. "Don't play with us, young man. Your medicine is rather precious, if it does what you say. Why would you give it to us?"

Jeez, why did it have to be so hard to help people? If Agon was here, with his friendly face, I bet everyone would take any potion vial from him.

Judging by how precious these people seemed to consider simple medicine, it felt as if they rarely left their village. They were at least fifty years back technologically and how their houses were built.

"Well, you opened your doors for me. Saving a stranger you knew nothing about from a storm. I want to repay that favor." I looked toward all the men with pitchforks, machetes, and hoes (the tool). "If I'm lying in any way, and if Im the kind of guy who would poison kids. Then those guys with weapons would no doubt kill me. Why would I do something like that?"

Youre damn right! Hollered one of the villagers.

The village elder took the potion vial from my hand, and stared at it for a couple of seconds. He approached the kids mother and whispered some words of assurance. "Don't worry. Your baby will be okay. Our God wouldn't let your daughter die so young."

She nodded and quickly pulled her coughing daughter upright. "Here honey, drink this. It will make everything better."

But despite knowing what the logical answer was. I couldn't just leave a kid to possibly die just because I wanted to go somewhere a couple of hours earlier.

I wasn't a good guy. I was kind of selfish most of the time, but I had a soft spot for kids.

"You aren't going to leave?" Asked the girl suddenly. She no longer seemed so joyful, like when telling me about the adventures of the strongest demon slayer.

"No, not yet," I leaned back and sighed.

"You are a kind man," she smiled. Then she turned and called out. "Father, I want this man to leave!"

Huh? Did I do something wrong? Why was she asking for me to leave all of a sudden?

Her father, who seemed to be the village elder, only stared at her for a couple of seconds before sighing. "Yes, he is a kind man. You can leave now, youngster."

Okay, this was a bit weird.

It was right then that I noticed that the rain had stopped. Did the storm go away after the village elder called me a kind man? Or was it just a coincidence?

Still, I was worried for the younger girl. "I can guide you to a nearby town with a hospita-"

"Young man," the village elder stopped me. "Don't let your kindness blind your eyes. You know another storm will be there for us."

As soon as he said that, everything clicked into place.

I see. Now it made sense why this place seemed to be so old.

Sometimes when humans die, their obsessions can pool togetherforming weird phenomenons.

Looking at the people, they all seemed real, as far as I could tell.

Were they already dead? I wanted to ask that. But I decided not to for my own safety.

"Thank you, mister," the young girl who had drunk my potion suddenly said. I didn't even know she could speak before. "But you don't belong here with us."

The village head's daughter pushed the book into my hands. "This is for you. Read it when you have free time."

The village head opened the door, showing a sunny outside. There wasn't a stormy cloud in sight.

"If there had been a kind man like you back then. Maybe we wouldn't have ended up like this," the old village head sighed. He seemed regretful of something. "No matter what you do, don't look back. Or else there won't be anything we can do about it either. You will be stuck here with us until the end of times."

What the fuck had I walked into?