10 Village Massacre (Part 2)

Meuran followed her father towards the eastern entrance, and it would appear that Yeren also followed behind her. It didn't take long before they arrived and a few people had already begun to gather and watch the new arrivals at the entrance.

The moment Meuran laid her eyes on the strangers, her mouth dropped open a little. There were a pair of people wearing fancy armor like those of knights. A closer look, the female knight seemed to be familiar. Then it came to her that the knight once passed here a month ago.

Then there was a male knight, which she didn't recognize, but a knight just passed by here recently.

Then the person who garnered most attention was a beautiful young woman in a dark blue dress, her loose sleeves faintly waved in the gentle wind. Her long silver hair fluttered gently as it reflected the light of the sun. Her eyes were as beautiful as blue water. The smile that played on her lips was sweet and pretty that could captivate any man.

Now Meuran understood why they seemed important. Two knights, and a woman wearing an expensive dress and fancy boots.

Is she a noble?

She asked in her mind.

That could be it. But something was weird, what were they doing here? And from the forest? Furthermore, all of them were strangely too pale.

Meuran watched with interest as the young woman in the blue dress walked within the village with elegance that Meuran knew she couldn't ever replicate.

"Wow, who's the beautiful lady?"

Meuran frowned upon hearing Yeren's casual remark and elbowed him.

"Ow!"

"Shut it."

It would be bad if they offend this important looking person. His parents had always told her to treat people with high social standing with respect. Doing otherwise would only be bad for you, and some would even punish you one way or another.

It was then the three strangers stopped at the center of everyone's gazes.

"Hm, you guys sure there's no one to be wary of here?"

"Yes, there is no one we know that is strong here," the female knights responded.

"Even so, often the strongest hides in plain sight, among the common folk. In any case, we dispersed them to be safer."

Meuran couldn't understand what they were talking about in the open, as she contemplated, she had noticed that her father was already in front of the strangers.

"Greetings, esteemed guests, I am the village chief, if I may be so bold to ask what brought you here?"

Her father asked with a bow.

"Oh my, how respectful. Well then, I am here for a very important matter. In fact, you beautiful people can help out with this!"

The woman said joyfully.

"Um, my apologies, but may I ask for your identity?"

"... Okay…"

The woman looked around and even looked at the surrounding sky. Meuran didn't get why the woman did that.

"My name is Syndra. Now, then, you have a plaza, I presume? Please, gather everyone there."

"B-But—"

Her father was apparently reluctant. Of course he would be, strangers just demanded to gather everyone at the village plaza. Furthermore, Meuran never knew of the name she had given, it would appear also her father. They even had no idea what the woman wanted.

"I am requesting you to do so."

"If we kno—"

"You would do well to follow the mistress's request, buddy."

For the first time, the male knight spoke.

"But…"

"Nevermind then. We'll go to the plaza then, should be at the center, right?"

"Yes, mistress," the female knight answered.

"Alright, by the way, do you have anyone strong in fighting here? I'm asking you kindly, mister."

"U-Um, no."

If anyone could match the knights, then there was no one here.

"Good. then, let's go to the plaza, let's rendezvous at a single place so we won't get disorderly."

She wasn't speaking to the villagers, but rather to her knights. Ignoring everyone's intense gazes, they headed towards the center of the village. Meuran's father chased after them trying to speak to them, but his voice fell on deaf ears.

This situation was weird. Aside from the odd pale color of their skins, they were starting to feel dangerous, and Meuran felt anxious. The others might be starting to feel the same, as well as her father. There was just something wrong with them.

They only treated them like this because they were like humans to talk with. But if they acted violently and were unable to be communicated with, the villagers would have been aggressive in their approach.

That being said, it was hard to be violent since they had to be careful with these people. It would be bad if they're connected to the kingdom.

They arrived at the plaza, and Meuran stood at a corner where Gero was. The latter looked over curiously and leaned towards Meuran and asked in a whisper.

"Hey, who are they?"

"I don't know. Do you know the name Syndra?"

As a travelling merchant, there was a chance that he could have heard of her. Judging from her expensive clothes, she should be somewhat famous at least.

"Sadly no. Is that the name of the girl? This is the first time I saw her."

"Huh."

Strange.

"Now then, everyone please gather up!"

The male knight said after the beautiful girl gave him a nod. Due to his loud call, the other villagers curiously looked towards him and slowly gathered.

"P-Please ma'am, tell us the reason for this."

Her father desperately asked as more people began to gather, he was starting to have a bad feeling about this.

The beautiful young woman, Syndra, shrugged her shoulders and casually spoke.

"Oh, I just have a need for your lives."

"W-What — "

"Aaaaaah!"

It was then that they heard a sudden loud cry from afar. Gradually, more subsequent shrieks echoed in the air and everyone began to feel apprehension from the situation. Meuran rushed towards the nearest shriek.

"Meuran where are you—?!"

She heard Yeren's voice, but she ignored him and headed straight to that nearby frightened shriek. However, as she got nearer, she saw the shocked expression on other's faces.

"W-What the hell is that?!"

"They got her!"

"Get away!"

A few had begun to run away, Meuran was confused. But when she saw it, she felt the same emotion that others felt. Confusion, incomprehension, fear. A pair of horrifying creatures were dragging her fellow villagers by the neck on each of their hands.

Those creatures looked like human corpses, but they still moved. Their strength was apparently greater than the people they were dragging around like simple bags. The captives struggled and tried to escape, but to no avail, they couldn't even remove a finger from those creatures.

Meuran stood there, frozen, thinking about what she should do. Should she run away? Or should she help them? But helping them would only be pointless, that was the rational side of what she was trying to say. However, the emotional side of her keeps saying that she couldn't just leave them be.

But, it was too late to do anything else as a few other of the same creatures appeared and surrounded them. Villagers ran towards the direction where they were free of monsters. It was the direction towards the plaza.

As Meuran realized this, she was suddenly grabbed on the neck. She could feel the rough and cold sensation from the hand that was holding her. The next thing she saw was a horrifying hollow expression of a monster.

"Aaiiieee!"

She shrieked in fear as she was dragged towards the plaza. She writhed around, but that was useless, until they eventually arrived. The monster threw her onto the solid ground and from there she saw the pale young woman casually watching everything unfold.

"The barrier I set up won't let anyone escape, so we're safe on that one."

A moment later, perhaps all of the villagers had been gathered, from children to old people. No one was an exception. What kept them in place were the monsters surrounding them.

"W-What, what's going on, did you do this?!"

She heard her father shout loudly before she saw him running towards her.

"Meuran, you okay."

"Y-Yeah…"

"Where's your mother?"

"!"

She frantically looked around until she saw a woman running towards them. It was her mother. They hugged each other as they were reunited.

"I'm glad you're alright," her father muttered.

"Now then, let's get started."

Spoke the young woman with nonchalance. Meuran had no idea what was going to happen, and that only made things terrifying.

"Who are you?! Why are you doing this?!"

That panicked yell was from the travelling merchant.

"Oh, you look well dressed compared to others, what are you supposed to be? Hm, a merchant?" the woman said after looking at the cart behind him.

"What are you planning to do with the people here?!" he sounded enraged as he glared towards the woman.

"Mistress, this man is being rude to you, shall I maybe cut off his tongue?" the male knight said.

"No, such bravery is to be lauded…" she smiled. "Mister merchant, you ask what I want to do with them, yes? Well then, you shall witness."

She pointed her hand towards a trio of villagers. A family, a mother, father, then a child. As a smile was on her lips, white mist suddenly emerged from the members of the family's entire body. Every one of them.

Meuran watched with wide eyes as the three slowly thinned down, then like a puppet whose strings had been cut, they limply dropped to the ground. They had been turned into husk of corpses.

Meuran felt her breath stuck on her throat as she witnessed the horrifying scene.

She killed them, and she knew this was what was going to happen to her, and to others as well.

"Why are you doing this!?"

Before she knew it, she had blurted that out. She shrank in horror upon that realization. Then, the young woman's eyes shifted towards her.

"I do it because I need it."

"... What…? Then what about us?! We did nothing to you!" she shouted at her, unable to hold back anymore.

For the first time, the young woman lowered her eyes as though she was thinking about everything. A second later, she returned her gaze.

"I no longer have any luxury to think about others. For little of what I have left, my mind and my free will, I will do what I want, and do what is necessary. It would seem you only became victims, innocent to it all."

So she realized it, but in the end, she still decided to carry on with her endeavor. Why? Why did this have to happen to them? Why them?

Why us?

It was unfair. It was so unfair.

She felt hopelessness. She looked at her father, mother, Gero, Yeren, and others. Despair was all over their faces. She must have the same expression as them.

How cruel.

Her life was going well, fun, and peaceful. There were troubles, yes, but they were incomparable to her life experiences, the good experiences she had with the village and its people. Then, the love of her family.

"You… You're terrible."

She murmured, but it was actually louder than she had intended. The young woman walked towards her, and she saw that she was still smiling.

"I know. I am terrible."

She slowly raised her hand and pointed towards her.

"I will tell you something, girl. I know what I'm doing. I realize how horrible it is for you, and I imagine the world also. You will see me as cruel and heartless, a horrible and evil being. And I know that. But, I no longer care. Once you experience hell, you just don't see the significance of everything anymore. In the end, all that matters is what you want to do. But, people wouldn't easily understand me."

A question lingered in her mind.

Does she — this girl — want to be understood?

Then Meuran's life was taken away.

"Meuran!"

The last voice she heard in her fleeting life was the desperate cry of Yeren, calling out her name.