“You feel it, Alexander? A benevolent wave of happiness that washes over you.”

Greg, the leader of the village hunters, was close to tears as he saw the newcomer kneel next to him.

Surprisingly, before he and the rest began their daily prayers, Arthur, or better say, Alexander, requested to join them.

Of course, all of them were delighted to welcome him into their midst. As someone slightly familiar with the ‘traveler’, Greg offered to explain things, including the ceremony and the specific things to do and say during the praying process.

Arthur listened with perked ears, a serious expression on his face. Soon, when it was time, he followed Greg and imitated everything, from the words to the subtle motions.

The reason Arthur opted to do this wasn’t out of boredom but out of genuine interest. Basically, he wanted to make sure that their fanatical worship was, indeed, pointless and directed at a possibly non-existent celestial deity.

Truth be told, as it was his first time, Arthur was anticipating some sort of a reaction, either positive or negative, but, eventually, he felt literally nothing. No ethereal voice inside of his head, no magic, no response.

However, he did not let it show… instead, he beamed at Greg and nodded excitedly.

“Yes. I feel as if I've been blessed. So this is how it felt like…”

As he stood up, Arthur raised his head and looked at the altar with elation and anticipation as if he had already become a zealous devotee. Greg, Gary, and the usual party Arthur would hang out with were currently surrounding him.

“I told ye he’s one of us! Welcome, Alex!” Gary slapped Arthur’s back and cackled like a fool.

Even the usually quiet Adam was looking a bit eager and happy. Then again, after successfully ensnaring another person into their ridiculous and made-up religion, such a joyous reaction was to be expected, or so Arthur mockingly thought.

“I expect you’ll be joining the hunt today too, right?”

Vanraz, the ex-soldier, inquired with a wide smile, to which Arthur enthusiastically nodded.

“I’ve got nothing to do. Moreover, it’s fun to hunt with you guys.”

“Ye damn right!” Thaman cracked his knuckles and agreed with his obnoxiously loud voice.

“People are still praying ye dumbass! Shut yer trap!”

Gary reproached his loud friend then proceeded to pull the rest of the group away from the altar, which still had a handful of villagers- mostly women- kowtowing and praying.

When their weapons and crude armors were worn and prepared, they met up at the exit of the village. However, another person decided to join them too.

The Village Chief, Dominus, was present; He wore slightly better armor than the rest and had an unfamiliar sharp polearm on his back.

“Good morning, Alexander! I’ll be tagging along too!”

The elderly but stalwart man heartily laughed but did not deign to strike a conversation. Instead, he followed Greg’s instructions and stayed at the back.

Soon, they departed and, as always, Arthur took the front along with the talkative Gary and Greg.

“Is the Chief a hunter too?”

“Ye bet! He trained all of us!”

“Is that so?”

Arthur sneakily glanced at Dominus then switched the subject.

“Gary, aren’t you a trader? Why do I never seen you sell things or go to other villages to procure goods?”

As is his wont, the fat man, while dragging his tired feet and sometimes gasping for breath, replied in complete honesty.

“Ye think I’m a merchant or what? I own a small shop that sells miscellaneous stuff and whatnot.”

“Bullshit!” Interrupted Greg as he chuckled mockingly, “You’re too lazy to travel. If you weren’t the only trader of our village, no one would buy from you.”

“Ha! Say that again and I’ll double the price of Ale when your wife visits!”

“Don’t be that way, hahahah…”

Overall, it was a relaxing atmosphere and the hunting wasn’t particularly dangerous. They did not dare to take on a strong monster or beast and were wholly satisfied with the meaty boars, which provided more than enough food for practically everyone.

Still, Arthur paid close attention to Dominus and saw how the old man fought. He did have the body of a fighter and his moves were swift and accurate, nonetheless, he wasn’t at the level of a Knight. In fact, Arthur was almost certain that Evelyn was much stronger than Dominus.

If he had to pick the strongest of the hunters, then it was either Vanraz, the ex-soldier, or the silent Adam. Their blows were fatal and, once a battle started, their whole mood would drastically change, so much so that it was difficult for Arthur to match Vanraz’s normally easy-going attitude with the one applied in battle.

Their daily hunt lasted for approximately three hours, but before they could return, Dominus wanted to check something. He took them to one of the nearby swamps and, in silence, inspected the water then looked around, seemingly looking for something.

The rest chatted and did not seem interested, but Arthur paid close attention. Alas, he did not notice anything, though he made sure to remember this spot.

It was one of the sixteen inter-connected swamps he had mapped: Nothing was of interest when he dove underwater and checked for any suspicious thing worthy of investigation, but the fact that Dominus had to personally come and check it proved that there must be something lurking here.

Actually, Arthur suspected that Dominus joining them today was merely a pretext to come here. Then again, the Village Chief was strong enough to come here alone yet he did not and preferred this company, which was strange, to say the least.

If he wanted to hide a secret, he wouldn’t do this, no matter how ‘friendly’ and ‘kind’ he was to a newcomer like Arthur.

Either Dominus was onto him and was doing this to lead him into a pointless search or he did not feel threatened enough to warrant secretive measures.

It could be that Arthur was massively overthinking the whole matter, but he did not care. The glass bottle led him and he will not leave until the mystery has been uncovered.

*****

It was late at night yet her Master did not return. Instead of worrying, Evelyn spent her time stealthily following Ami, who had run off exactly at the same time as the previous days.

Like Arthur, the maid also found it strange and finally made a move. Since the village was poorly guarded, it wasn’t a difficult feat to tail the girl to her small home and see the cause of her untimely anxiousness that rises every evening.

The sky had already darkened and most villagers had retreated to their homes. The hunters were drinking in the Tavern of the Gods and the housewives were preparing dinner.

The place was dominated by an eerie silence, the main road was dark and illuminated only by the light emitting from the dimly lit shallow building. Ami ran straight to her home and jumped on her bed, covering half of her body with an old blanket as she sobbed and sniffed.

Through the one and only window, a small one, Evelyn peeked inside and saw Ami on the bed, trying to cover her head. At some point, however, when she grew tired of crying, she revealed her face.

It was then, within that dark room, that Evelyn saw the girl’s eyes show with a golden glow. It wasn’t a blinding light, but it was still too eye-catching. However, even after this revelation, the maid was confused about Ami’s actions and the need to hide.

Since she grew up in this village, the folks should know about her condition, or so assumed Evelyn.

Ami dazedly looked at the ground for an indeterminate amount of time then she lit up a torch and pulled her drawing notebook. With teary eyes and a sad expression, she drew for an hour before being interrupted by a knock.

At first, she flinched, then she hid her notebook and hesitantly walked to the door. When she opened it, Dominus was standing there, a frown plastered on his slightly wrinkled face.

“It’s still happening?” He questioned with a strict and serious voice, to which Ami meekly nodded once and lowered her head in an attempt to hide her golden eyes.

“I… I…”

She tried to say something but eventually quietened down and stood still, looking afraid.

The Village Chief stared at her, seemingly frustrated. “The Lord has spared your life once but will not do so twice. Your foul existence cannot be tolerated any longer.”

When he said his piece, he spared one last look at the girl then left as soundlessly as he arrived.

All of this was witnessed by Evelyn, who neither revealed herself nor opted to intervene. It was better to spectate and think things through along with her Master. Still, this was definitely a much-welcomed discovery after three days of boredom and inactivity.

By the time the maid returned to the inn, Arthur was already sitting on the bed. He had to sacrifice more time in order to thoroughly search the aforementioned swamp. Unfortunately, he found nothing, quite literally.

Apart from the local Hollow Alligator and the small fish lurking beneath the murky waters, the swamp was devoid of any clues.

Nevertheless, all that time spent was not for nothing as Arthur had completed the mapping of the inter-connected swamps. When he tried going farther, the swamps became more numerous but smaller in size. Furthermore, he did not want to get too close to the creek itself as it was infested with ungodly and unholy abominations, monsters that he neither had the motive nor the power to fight, especially with Mort missing and Evelyn absent.

“Master, I’ve discovered a few things…”

The maid proceeded to recount the strange occurrence with Ami and her brief conversation with Dominus. Arthur quietly listened as he laid down and looked at the ceiling, seemingly in a world of his own.

Only when she was done did he open his mouth,

“Golden and glowing eyes? Such unique particularities originate from special and presumably extinct tribes. Moving past that, the fact that Dominus personally visited her and uttered those words could only mean we were spot on from the beginning.”

“Spot on? Please explain, Master.”

The parasite sighed and turned his head so that he could look at the maid, “It’s still unknown whether the villagers know of Ami’s condition or not, but I’d like to think they don’t… or they pretend not to. Why, you ask? Maybe it’s what Dominus… no, what their Lord declared. She has been spared once, he said? Does that mean she met this ‘God’? We need to probe more, I guess.”

“I’m closer to her. I’ll try asking her.”

“I doubt you’ll be afforded an honest answer. It wasn’t really surprising to find out that, beneath her mask of joy, there is sadness and fear. After all, isn’t everyone like that?”

“...”

“Alright!”

He sat up and clapped once, startling the maid.

“As for me, I’m done with the map. All that’s left is finding that cave.”

“What about Ami, Master? I suspect she won't have much time if this goes on.”

Arthur furrowed his brows, looking a bit confused, “And what, pray tell, do you suggest we do? Only when all the pieces fall together can we do anything. Don’t forget that our lives are the most important.”

“...”-Evelyn

“Don’t misunderstand me. I pity the girl… I do! But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to risk my neck when half the truth is still buried. If we succeed, maybe she’ll get to accompany us out of this shit hole.”

“I hope so, Master.”

“Just yesterday, you were a bit skeptical about Ami. Did her unfavorable circumstances resonate with you? Is that the origin of your worries?”

“I just think it’s unfair.” Retorted the maid as she walked to her own bed and sat right in front of the parasite.

“She is persecuted because of something she has no control over.”-Evelyn

“Persecuted is too much of a word, my dear Evelyn. Feared, I would say. Anywho, let us sleep, tomorrow is also going to be a long day.”