Isekai Horror Story

In the midst of the night, the group huddled together in a dimly lit room, discussing the peculiar behavior of the villagers and debating their next steps. Meanwhile, a summons arrived for me, beckoning me to a private meeting with the Head of the village.

"Are you sure it was a good idea for Franz to go see the village chief alone? No matter how I think about it, everyone in the village looks super suspicious," voiced Eva, her concern etched across her face.

"Franz will be fine. You should know that he's like a one-man army, and as long as we're together, we'll be safe. Besides, we'll look for him ourselves if he takes too long," Angelica reassured, trying to alleviate Eva's worries.

"By the way, Jessica... are you okay? For a while now, you've been acting strange," Angelica said, directing her attention to Jessica, who sat atop the large bed in the room. Jessica's sickly pale expression and visible agitation prompted concern from her companions.

"Y-yes, I'm fine, thank you, Angelica... it's just that I've been feeling strange ever since the incident with the bird..." Jessica confessed, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead.

"That's cause for concern! What if you caught the same thing as those men?!" Angelica exclaimed, her worry escalating as she examined Jessica closely.

"N-no, it's not that, believe me, Angelica. It's not something physical, but rather spiritual... you must know that my power allows me to connect myself with animals, right? Well, even when I'm not directly connected with one right now, I still receive signals from all living creatures in the area... that way my power allows me to more easily find living creatures..." Jessica explained, her eyes twitching slightly.

The unsettling revelation about the animals' collective fear hung in the air, sending shivers down the spines of those present.

"The problem now is that I've been getting an unsettling sensation from all the animals in the area for a while... It's like they're all terrified of something," Jessica continued, her voice reflecting the unease that gripped her.

"Terrified of something?" Eva queried, her fear mirroring that of the animals Jessica described.

"Yeah... I'm not sure what it is, but it must be related to the mystery that surrounds this village—UGH!"

"Jessica!!"

"Eva, help me lay Jessica down on the bed!"

Concern turned into urgency as Jessica's condition deteriorated to the point of fainting. Angelica and Eva gently laid Jessica down, exchanging worried glances.

"It's the first time something like this has happened to her," Eva remarked, her gaze fixed on the now-sleeping Jessica. The longstanding trust among the group heightened the gravity of Jessica's unusual reaction.

However, the unfolding situation raised an overarching question: What could be causing this unprecedented reaction?

***

Wandering through the deserted streets under the veil of night, the only source of light emanated from a torch held by the inn owner, guiding me toward the village chief's residence.

Silhouetted against the darkened backdrop, she led me down the main street, where houses stood silent with extinguished lights, and no signs of life were apparent.

To be honest, the scene before me resembled the eerie opening sequence of a horror movie.

'Lucky for me, I've already fought on countless battlefields in the war and seen all kinds of things. So, something like this is not enough to scare me...'

While trying to steady my nerves with such thoughts, we reached our destination.

"We're here, Mr. Franz."

Before me stood a grand house, at least ten times larger than any other in the village, and the sole structure illuminated against the darkness.

As the inn owner retreated, a peculiar expression lingered on her face, unnoticed in the dim light.

'...'

Though she had already left, I found myself staring into the distance for a moment, hesitating before stepping inside.

Passing through the entrance, I encountered a long corridor adorned with paintings on the walls. Dim lighting made it challenging to discern the details, but the straightforward path posed no immediate inconvenience.

'T-this isn't scary at all!'

'I-I've already faced major mishaps in my life!'

Despite my internal pep talk, an undeniable sense of trepidation gnawed at me.

Advancing further, I entered a spacious room where approximately fifteen people gathered around a large table. At its center sat an elderly woman, presumably the village head.

Due to the poor lighting within the room, distinguishing the faces of those present proved challenging.

"Hello, Mr. Franz. It's nice to meet you. My name is Cristina, I'm the village head."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am. My name is Franz. Well, it seems you already know that, though."

With a gesture, the village headwoman invited me to take a seat across from her.

"I was informed that you and your companions came from outside the village," Cristina mentioned, diving straight into the heart of the matter.

It was an expected deduction.

"Yes, we're lost travelers. Actually, we came to this town because we got lost and wanted to leave as soon as possible. However, unexpectedly, we came across a worrying incident when we arrived at the village."

"...A worrying incident?"

"Yes, we found at least twenty dead men in the forest. None had external injuries, so we assumed they'd died of some disease. Due to the lethality of the disease, we expected to find a major pandemic in this place, but judging by the state of the village, it doesn't seem to be the case at all..." I elaborated, attempting to meet Cristina's eyes in the subdued ambiance.

A moment of silence enveloped the room before Cristina addressed my concerns.

"You are right, Mr. Franz. A disease has attacked our village, and some people have been affected by it. But the situation has stabilized, and there have been no more cases within the village."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it's just as I tell you. I called you now to explain the situation beforehand and to get to know you better. We don't get strangers in our town that often, so we decided to check that they're not dangerous people."

Listening carefully to the village head's words, I could instinctively sense the truth.

The harsh truth.

"You don't need to lie to me."

"What are you talking about?" Cristina responded with apparent calm.

Changing my tone to a more serious one, I continued probing.

"It's easy to see the lies in your words... also, ma'am, I can clearly see the fear in your eyes," I stated with a solemn expression, maintaining eye contact with Cristina.

The moonlight managed to penetrate the room through the windows, briefly illuminating the faces of all those present.

I seized the opportunity to scrutinize the expressions of the assembled women.

All of them wore expressions akin to the inn owner's.

Expressions of sheer terror.

"Do you think I lied to you? Several of us indeed lost loved ones due to the outbreak of this disease, and we are still affected... but everything has been resolved, and we are fine."

Of course, the village chief didn't yield so easily.

"If the problem has been resolved. Then let me ask you a question," I declared.

Suddenly, I rose from my chair, resting both hands on the table, leaning forward toward the village chief.

With my face inches from hers, I spoke:

"So, in that case, please tell me, where are the men of this village?"

Having observed my surroundings for a while, I hadn't spotted a single man in this place. The mother and daughter from earlier, the vendors, the inn owner, and even all the people gathered inside this room.

They were all women.

Call me crazy, but this situation wasn't normal for a village with more than two hundred inhabitants.

At my question, Cristina and the rest of the women in the room were visibly shaken, unable to answer.

Observing their reaction, I continued speaking.

"Since you can't answer me, I assume something horrible must have happened to them, and that's why all of you are so scared. Besides, I doubt you would call a complete stranger in the middle of the night for help in this situation."

"Considering that you only called me, the ONLY MAN in the group, I can assume it is related to the disappearances."

"So, wouldn't it be strange to say that you didn't mean well towards me, right?"

The room was cloaked in a chilling atmosphere, even more than outside.

"Well, even if you don't tell me anything, I can assume that whatever you're trying to do, whether on someone's orders or not, is for the safety of all of you."

"So, in that case, I can only tell you one thing..."

"I give up. Do as you wish."

- ???

All the people in the room except for me wore expressions of great surprise.

Observing their perplexed reactions, I decided to clarify my statement.

"Cough cough, of course, I don't mean I'm going to let myself get killed if that's what you all wanted," I added after a brief nervous cough.

I sighed and leaned back in my chair.

"I will give myself to the guilty or responsible for all this; I will not resist. That way, you will not be in danger, and I will be able to know the truth behind all this in the fastest possible way."

"Besides, you don't have to feel guilty even if you don't reveal information to me or feel sorry for me for believing that you are sending me to my death. I won't blame you; it's my decision after all," I stated firmly.

"..."

Even with my declaration, the village chief remained speechless.

I felt somewhat disappointed.

However, suddenly.

"T-thank you, thank you!"

A young woman from the group approached me, tears in her eyes.

"We're so sorry, thank you very much!"

Soon, all the gathered women began apologizing and expressing gratitude while shedding tears.

No. No. No. Wait a minute...

"W-we will always remember what you did for us!"

Stop, please.

If you say it like that, it feels like I'm giving my life for all of you!

It's like they're bidding farewell to a dead person or something.

But I don't plan to die here!

Ugh!!!

Some of them even prayed in the back of the room.

'Are these women crazy or what? So terrifying is what I'll have to face?'

In this way, the courage that I had gathered up to this moment began to crumble...