-Vol 6: Dusk of An Era-

-The Case of Mass Disappearance(2)-

“Stand up old man, don’t bow to us like that. we are here because we are given a mission. We do not deserve your bow.” Kenshin felt a little embarrassed when the old man bowed to him, since not long ago he was complaining this task to be a drag. Joy was also in the same situation as him and felt embarrassed.

Only Chiba didn’t feel anything serious and these complicated emotions. From the beginning, she came here to help these people. She didn’t feel any awkwardness from the old man’s request. She did feel bad for the old man who was bowing so came forward and helped him to stand up, “don’t bow to us like that. We will help with all our ability, that’s why we are here after all.”

‘Nice save Chiba!’ both Kenshin and Joy sighed inwardly at Chiba’s save. They were at the edge.

“T, thank you!” the village leader smiled and wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes. He felt relieved at the assurance of these people. Hope was once again rekindled in his heart. He couldn’t explain it clearly but seeing these people, he couldn’t help but regain some hope. That’s why he bowed before them in the first place. It’s because he felt hope after seeing these people. He somehow believed that they could achieve what others couldn’t.

“Alright, tell me about this deity more,” Kenshin asked with narrowed eyes. He suspected that this so-called deity must be responsible for this. Magic had a bad habit of bringing people’s beliefs into life. And since this so-called deity wasn’t worshipped for a few years, it must have harbored negative intentions towards these people. The only problem was what sort of deity these villagers believed it to be. If it was an overly strong one, he would have a hard time fighting it.

“Atub is the god of dreams and fertility. Our ancestors worshipped him because he would bring good yield to our crops. We used to plant opium back then and supply all over the country. Due to the government’s crackdowns, we had to stop our opium productions. And from then on, we slowly stopped worshiping Atub.” Murata explained everything and didn’t hide anything. He even told about their history of opium plantations. Nonetheless, he wanted to save his village at any cost.

“God of dreams?” Kenshin frowned. No wonder the people just vanished like that. It was really a thing that could manipulate people’s dreams. That means a mind-controlling type monster with a deity background. Talk about an annoying opponent.

After brief thinking, Kenshin concluded the whole thing. No wonder other hunters didn’t find anything. It was because this creature was a mental manipulator with a deity background. Unless there was someone with a powerful WIL or mental strength to counter it, they would also be manipulated by it. Probably that’s what happened with all those hunters who couldn’t solve the case.

“Well, it seems like we have to wait for a while. Everyone let’s wait until night. That’s when the thing’s going to appear most probably.” Kenshin announced before sitting on a sofa not far away.

“Is it now?” Joy asked before sitting on the couch opposite to him while placing his foot on the table in front. He looked completely at rest, as he waited for the evening, together with Kenshin. Again, it's only Chiba who had other plans. Instead of waiting for the night, she decided to explore the village and understand more about the situation. She wanted to gain as much experience from this mission as possible.

“Mr. Murata, you won’t mind if I go with you right? I want to explore the village and understand the situation more in-depth.” Chiba asked politely while giving him a sunny smile. From the very beginning, she was a kind girl; her smile naturally had a disarming effect. The old man had long since lost all inhibitions towards her.

“I don’t mind young lady. Please follow me.” He smiled and acted all gentlemanly with a smile. It was the first time in many days or months that he was smiling from the bottom of his heart, not just a show of image. He decided that even if this group didn’t succeed in helping them, he wouldn’t at least hold a grudge against this girl.

After Chiba and Mr. Murata left the mansion, Joy and Kenshin’s face stiffened as they lost all their relaxing posture. It was Joy who asked Kenshin first, “you felt it right?” there was a graveness in his tone.

“I did. It was just for a second, but I felt it… a brain wave strong enough to shake anyone below a 1st Awakened hunter.” Kenshin narrowed his eyes and looked at the door, staring right into the back of Murata, who was yet to get out of their range of vision.

“Is Chiba alright?” Joy asked in worry. When the brain wave attacked earlier, he used all his WIL and power to protect himself instinctively, he forgot about Chiba almost entirely.

“For now, she is… that brainwave was too sudden. I couldn’t do anything to stop it from reaching her. Although I didn’t know what it did, it had done something to her.” Kenshin frowned. If it's not for the fact that the main body of the culprit was still hidden, he would have already rushed off to slaughter that thing for even daring to lay a hand on Chiba. Looking at Ena he said, “follow Chiba and keep her safe always.”

“Yes, don’t worry.” Ena nodded and ran out, following behind Chiba.

…

“Where are all the people, Mr. Murata?” Chiba asked confused. She heard him saying there were still a few people in the village, but what she was seeing was a completely deserted village. Not a single person was in sight. Houses, shops, everything was closed shut.

“Few are inside their houses. Too afraid to come out. Others must have gone to the temple of Atub to worship. They must be trying to please the god so that he would spare them.” The elder said with a shake of his head. He didn’t believe worshipping him only now would be of any help as they had already stopped pleasing him for a few years. The anger of a deity was the hardest to calm.

“Oh… but why did you guys stop worshiping?” Chiba asked.

“Why did we stop?” the old man sighed, “we weren’t worshipped Atub only because we wanted to have a good yield every year. It was a place for us to gather and connect with each other in the name of worshipping. People would share their happiness and sadness with others… we would be happy in their happiness and sad in their sadness. If someone in trouble, we will be able to discuss and find a solution for him together. it was a place for us to connect with each other every day.”

Then the old man looked Chiba directly in the eye. The young girl could see emotion such as pain, hurt, and anger in them, “Atub loved this gathering. More than the offerings, more than people’s belief in him, he loved this atmosphere. He loved seeing people gathering and sharing their happiness and sadness in his abode. Although he could never join them, he loved seeing them happy. But ever since their harvest stopped, and the village got urbanized, people became distant from each other. They no longer gathered in one place to share their happiness and sadness. They became selfish. Phones and television entered people’s homes making them even more distant from one another. Instead of going out and hang out, people preferred to stay at home and watch programs or play with their phones.”

Suddenly the old man’s voice became grave, “Atub hated it. He hated that people changed. He hated that they abandoned him, leaving him alone in that small temple. This was his way of retaliation. He wanted to make these people feel the same loneliness he felt all these years…”