The celebration was actually going pretty well. Jill actually knew how to play the flute, and Mash was thoroughly impressed. Despite all the time the four of them spent together, they rarely did things for personal enjoyment. Honestly, Mash didn’t really know what he would do for leisure. It might be a good idea to pick something up. Music didn’t really seem like something he would be good at, but maybe he could try painting. They were in a small concert hall, and Mash had spent a while looking at the paintings along the walls.

Most were of places he had never seen before. A few of them had been surprisingly well detailed. There was one that looked like someone had painted it while looking down on the world. The whole farm and even surrounding cities and mountains were depicted with amazing detail. With Priscilla’s memories and ability to reveal them to him as images, he would be able to make paintings that were similarly unbelievable.

Mash turned his gaze back to the celebration, watching the people talking with one another. The two brothers were dancing with their sister and Red. Their father was standing in the corner, contentedly watching the scene. The man had been talking to Luke a moment ago, but they seemed to have finished their discussion as Luke was walking towards Mash. Once he was close, Luke whispered something to his ear.

“The poison that was on the girl, felt a lot like a demon’s magic. No wonder they didn’t have a healer around to deal with it.”

Mash could only barely hear him, and he doubted that the others could. Even still, Mash looked around nervously. It was true though, and everyone else was thoroughly distracted by the celebration. Fighting demons would be annoying, but it was at least familiar. So long as there was nothing as strong as the purple demon, they would be able to manage something. However, if he did see one, then they would probably need to run away. It was a strange coincidence though.

From what he had read about the dungeon, it was weird for the dungeon to have a relationship with the adventurers. Mash’s mind raced with the next steps they should take and realized that he still hadn’t found out what he was supposed to do. Red worked as a servant for the sick girl, who he had learned was called Anabelle. Jill was obviously a musician and would be around the noble family and could easily find work in the town. Even Luke would have a place at the local temple. What was the significance of a carpenter’s child?

“I think we should probably head to our respective places. I should find my dad’s place, and you should go to the temple.”

Mash was more confident than he expected. Luke nodded but seemed a bit hesitant. After seeing Mash’s face, Luke explained his concern.

“It would probably be a good idea to stay for the celebration. We definitely don’t want to get on their bad sides. Plus, having them as genuine allies would be very helpful.”

His words made sense, but Mash still felt the need to add something.

“Don’t get too attached to them. Remember that they aren’t real.”

Mash was worried for Luke, as he grew close to people quickly. This would be hard for someone like Luke as he usually felt like he needed to protect everyone. While saving these people would be nice, Mash knew that they weren’t alive in the same way that he was. Still, it was probably related to clearing the dungeon, and wouldn’t be too much of a stickler. Honestly, seeing Red dancing with Anabelle, Mash was a bit worried that she would grow similarly attached. He would warn her about it later, though he doubted that he would need to. Red was usually one of those that were better at separating these things.

The celebration ran for a little bit, and by the time they had finished, it had already gotten late. The old man offered to find them some rooms, but Mash insisted that he needed to get home. However, as he thought about it, he realized that he didn’t know where home was. As he was thinking about it, the location entered his mind. It was a bit concerning that he couldn’t stop the information but guessed that he would need it for the scenario.

[Don’t worry so much, if it was negative then I would’ve stopped it, or one of your other things would have reacted to it.]

Priscilla’s message helped calm him down, and he let out a small sigh. The old man didn’t try and force Mash to stay. Mash told the others he would try and see some of them tomorrow and left them directions to his place, in case they needed to find him. It seemed like the urgent danger had passed, and they still needed more information for the dungeon. They nodded, and Luke added that he would be visiting the local temple in the morning. Jill also mentioned that she would look to get a room in the inn. However, her desire was overpowered as the girl whom they had saved insisted that she could stay at her house. Her father seemed to agree, and it sounded like Jill would be living luxuriously for the duration of the dungeon.

Mash left the house, descending from the hill quickly. His place for the dungeon was near the river. The hill was surprisingly steep in this direction, and his run carried him quickly. The grass was not very tall, and he saw many patches of flowers as he moved. The village was extremely ominous, and the moon let him get a good view of the town. He stopped to get a good look at the place. The river reflected the light of the stars, and the village had a haunting feel created by the night sky. The shadows from each building seemed to stretch until they joined the darkness of the night, and the river seemed like it was carrying the souls of the living. It was a distinctively eerie sight, but at the same time, it was beautiful.

He slowed his pace a bit. By the time he got to the house, he realized that he had no idea how to act around his so-called father. Mash’s house was made of wood and was rather well made. The wood looked undamaged, and it even had a second floor and a basement. Mash slowly approached the door and pushed it open quietly. Thankfully his father wasn’t there, but as Mash stepped into the place, he realized that no one was there. Not a single living thing according to his draconic domain.

That didn’t seem like a good thing, and Mash looked around the place. The first floor had a small living room with a couch that could easily double as a bed. A kitchen took up a third of the first floor, and a quick look inside showed him something confusing. There was food prepared, but it was obviously unfinished. His father had partially made a meal for some reason. That didn’t make much sense. The final room was a bathroom, and it even had a small tub inside. A luxurious item for someone in his position.

The second floor was even more confusing. As he entered what would normally be his room, he was a bit surprised by the carnage. The bedsheets were thrown about, and a chest was turned on its side. Several odd symbols were painted along the floor as well. Now, he was concerned. Something had clearly happened in here and he was worried that he had made a mistake by not heading home immediately. Perhaps he had failed something related to the dungeon.

He was worried about that and decided to check the other room. His father’s room was not in a better condition, and Mash even saw signs of a struggle. A wall that was slightly broken, and a toppled-over chair showed him where the conflict took place. His belongings had similarly been rifled through, and he saw several things scattered across the bed and floor. Mash considered leaving and telling the others, but as he didn’t sense anything within his domain, believed that it wasn’t that urgent. He would see what he could find first, and then go to see them later.

There were several books scattered on the floor, and Mash slowly picked them up. Some were mundane storybooks, obviously meant for a child. Finally, he found something that looked more like a journal. As he opened it, he realized that he was exactly right. His fake father had written accounts of his life for the past few years. Mash began reading, wanting to learn of the history of the town, and his role in this scenario.

Mash wasn’t expecting so much emotion in the text, and the surprisingly genuine kindness of the man. It had described his wife’s death, and the struggle he faced while raising his son. Mash was only playing a role here, but the text still resonated with him. His role seemed to perfectly fit him, and the book described how Mash had received a poor gift. They didn’t have classes here, and instead, people received gifts every ten years. As a child Mash received a worthless gift, but his father didn’t treat him poorly because of it. In fact, he had gone out of his way to make sure that others would treat his son properly too.

The difference between this scenario and the reality he had faced, hurt. He had thought that he had moved past that but reading the text he realized the truth. He still held some animosity and hatred towards those that had treated him so poorly when he was a kid. Unconsciously, he felt his eyes start to water, and Mash shook his head. He had warned Luke not to get to attached to this scenario as it was all fake, and here he was crying while reading his fake father’s journal. So much of this father’s actions reminded Mash of his past, of what he had wished from his real father.

It was silly to feel so much for a fake, for a person Mash had never met. However, reading the story, Mash was able to understand what kind of person his father was in the scenario. The man’s thoughts weren’t particularly complex, but they were genuine and kind. The way he talked about Mash and the other people he had met, made Mash wish that he was more like this man. The man described every encounter he had in detail. Even those moments of disappointment and sadness revealed how much he valued his morals. Through his own personal effort, he managed to find a place for his son, and when his son developed a gift for wood magic, the whole town rejoiced.

Mash decided to keep the journal and placed it in his storage space. There didn’t seem to be anything related to his disappearance or the dungeon in the text, but Mash still wanted to keep it. It was still a good story, and he wanted to show it to his siblings. After he put the journal away, he decided to examine the room more closely. He was relieved to see no blood and hoped that the man was ok. Looking over the room more carefully he could tell that someone had broken in and kidnapped him. Why would someone kidnap a carpenter?

Thinking about what information a carpenter would have, Mash managed to find an answer. The man would probably have blueprints for the buildings he constructed. Depending on what the timeline of events had been, perhaps he was kidnapped for information on the noble house? That would make sense, especially considering the recently failed assassination attempt. If the assassins had information about the layout of the house, they might be planning on returning to the mansion. Considering the implications of that, Mash dashed out of the home. He should tell the others what he had found and warn them. Plus, he wanted to see if the head of the family would help him find his fake father.