After finishing dinner, Rin took the bowls and dishes to wash them clean.
Meanwhile, Tris spread out a mat to serve as their resting place inside the small wooden hut.
That evening, sitting on the mat, the two quietly continued their self-study under the glow of a magical lamp. Time passed peacefully.
When it grew late, the children silently packed away their pens, books, and other small items, then extinguished the lamp, the only source of light in the room.
As the room sank into darkness, Rin instinctively enhanced her vision, a reflex honed through long practice. Thanks to this, she saw Tris take out several items she never expected him to use at such a time.
. . .
In the dead of night, when people usually sleep after a long day, the surroundings were filled with silence.
The weather was still a little chilly, and not even the sound of insects seeking mates could be heard.
But then, within that quiet night, countless figures suddenly appeared and gathered. They moved stealthily, as lightly as possible, almost without a sound.
A few particularly tall figures advanced toward the small wooden hut said to be used for storage. The door, which had no lock, was slowly pushed open. They stepped inside quietly.
Two of them raised their weapons, wooden clubs with metal heads, and brought them down hard on what should have been the heads of the two small figures sleeping under a blanket.
A dull thud resounded. The recoil was so strong it felt as though they had struck solid iron. Their hands went numb, their wrists aching.
"What the hell was that?"
"Something feels wrong."
They muttered in alarm.
One pulled away the blanket, revealing the two children beneath.
By the faint moonlight filtering through the doorway, they saw the children lying still, staring back at them. But their eyes seemed lifeless, like soulless corpses. A chill of fear ran through the intruders.
They quickly raised their weapons again and struck down. But this time, the children were no longer lying there. In an instant, both sprang up and darted straight toward the group.
The shed fell silent once more. From outside, the others could not see what happened in the darkness. They only saw the door, which had been opened, slowly close again.
Though uneasy, those waiting outside remained still.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes passed… impatience grew, along with a sense of dread. A few more stepped forward, opened the door, and went inside to check.
From outside, the rest saw only shadows pulling those who entered back into the darkness, before the door quietly closed again.
By now, it was clear to everyone that something was wrong. The silence grew heavy, suffocating, oppressive.
The shed they had chosen as their hunting ground now felt alien and terrifying, like a monster waiting to devour any prey that entered.
They could no longer remain quiet. Whispered arguments broke out:
"What are they doing in there?"
"You go check."
"Why don't you?"
"Stop bickering. Light a fire."
The group began to kindle flames, illuminating the night.
And now, it became clear that the crowd was made up of the entire village. Among them were not only men, but also women and children, all carrying weapons in their hands.
. . .
* * * * * * * * * *
On a rooftop not far away, two small figures blended into the night, sitting silently as they looked down at the villagers gathered below.
Those two figures were none other than Tris and Rin, who were supposed to be sleeping in the storage shed.
Seeing the commotion beneath them, Rin muttered her feelings aloud:
"Truly a disgusting bunch of people."
Her expression carried both nausea and anger, brimming with indignation.
Because the spot where they sat was protected by several layers of magic, including one that blocked sound from leaking outside, her words could only be heard by Tris.
Tris: "They're probably just a band of bandits or criminals who settled here and prey on travelers passing through."
Rin: "Since when, and how did Master realize that?"
Tris: "I didn't know for sure earlier. It was only a suspicion."
Rin: "Just a guess?"
Tris: "Yes. A village not marked on the map, villagers acting overly cheerful when guests arrive, bringing food straight to us… When suspicious signs keep piling up like that, it's only natural to stay on guard. In the end, the outcome isn't surprising at all."
Rin: "I see. And of course, the porridge was poisoned, wasn't it?"
Earlier, right after Lary left, Tris had secretly disposed of all the porridge. He also warned Rin not to casually eat food given by strangers.
Tris: "I don't have any skill to detect toxins, so I can't be certain. But judging from what's happening now, it's safe to assume it was."
Then Tris stood up, brushing the dust from his trousers.
Tris: "All ready now. Time to clean up the rest of this trash. Do you want to join me? If not, you can wait here for now."
He spoke up, knowing that what came next might not be very pleasant.
Rin also rose to her feet and drew her weapon, making it clear she had no intention of letting Tris handle everything alone.
* * * * * * * * * *
Two men holding torches carefully approached the small storage shed.
When they drew near, they gently pushed the door open and shone their torches inside. What they saw next was a horrifying sight.
Dozens of corpses had been neatly arranged, stacked one atop another. Naturally, they were the ones who had entered not long before.
If examined closely, one could see that every single victim had died from a broken neck. But those who had just opened the door had no time to study the details. Right before them stood the silhouettes of two children, expressionless, staring directly at them.
Before they could react or do anything else, the two children rushed forward.
With a knife in hand, they swiftly slit the throats of the men standing near the doorway, then calmly stepped outside.