16 – A Night Mission

Celia's body entered the lush leaves and landed on a large branch. But as usual, it wasn't smooth. She slipped. Luckily, she managed to hold on to the branch.

"Not again." The young lady hissed.

[Are you okay?] Alan sent a message, and Celia just replied with a thumbs-up emoji.

She then carefully climbed down that tree so no one could hear her. After that, she sneaks, occasionally hiding in trees or buildings to check the situation.

The female fighter followed the path that those people probably walked. Occasionally, she tripped over something because there was only light from the full moon and oil lamps in some houses.

And as soon as she saw two armored people on the street, she hid behind the stone fence of a building. Those people walked without saying anything at all.

Celia held her breath as they passed her hiding place. Not only because she was afraid of being found out but also because their expressions made her uncomfortable.

Those expressions were the same as those of the villagers who looked at Celia and Alan when they first came. Their faces weren't stiff, and their gazes weren't blank, but they gave off a strange aura that couldn't be explained.

Moreover, Celia saw it this close.

Once the two patrolling people had gotten far away, Celia continued on. It only took a few minutes until she saw the white church-like building where Hilda hosted Celia and Alan.

The building has a large hall and courtyard. So, it is a suitable place to accommodate many people. Alan and Celia hadn't explored the village very far, so they couldn't suspect other sites.

Seeing that the surroundings of the building were guarded by various people, Celia hid in a bush. She then did something widely used in stealth-themed games: picked up a rock and threw it far away. The crashing sound of a rock landing summoned a few guards. So Celia has the opportunity to get closer to the building and hide behind other bushes, eavesdropping on what's going on inside.

"Those are people sent by God for us! Don't let us make them uncomfortable here!" Hilda did her speech. "God has answered our prayers! Don't waste this! They will give us salvation in this crazy world! They are a gift! They are miracles! They are saviors!"

Celia continues to provide updates to Alan through the in-game chat feature. Starting from the contents of the speech to the conditions around the building.

However, after a while, she could detect a pattern in Hilda's words. What the priestess was talking about was more or less the same. The point is Celia and Alan are saviors sent by God. Village people should treat them well.

The old woman repeats her speech with different intonations and words.

What's the point of all this? Why did she have to gather so many people? Celia didn't really understand what was going on.

"Keep all of this in mind, or we will be the ones to suffer the consequences! May God keep us all safe!" Hilda kept on talking, and Celia felt like this was the end. So, the female warrior chose to sneak away before the villagers left the building.

***

Being used to the darkness of the night, it took only a short time for Celia to arrive at the guesthouse. The window on the second floor was already open because she had told Alan that she would be back.

Alan looked outside, checked the situation for a while, then motioned for the female fighter to jump. However, as she did her stance, the house's door opened.

"Where were you?" Paul, just stepping outside, asked in a sharp tone. "Why are you out at this time of night?"

Celia grimaced. "I just wanted to take a walk. The village looks beautiful at night, especially the windmills. I haven't done anything suspicious at all. I swear to you, sir."

The scarred man turned to Alan. "I told you guys just stay in this house tonight."

"Forgive us." Alan shrugged. "We're just a little curious."

"Geez, you kids." Paul scratched his hair. "Please don't make this difficult for us. We have nothing to hide. There is nothing for you guys to find out. You guys just need to wait for us to finish processing your wind crystal. After that, you can leave."

"So, we can't get out of this house at all?" Alan chose his words carefully. Paul is part of this village mystery. Alan couldn't predict the behavior of that scarred man.

"Nobody said that." Paul sighed. "You two should stay inside at night… Let's end this conversation." He pointed at Celia. "You come in, miss. Don't make me force you."

The female fighter was still grimaced. "Okay, I'm sorry I have…."

Celia's words were cut off by the arrival of the villagers who had just returned from the meeting.

"Hope you enjoy being here!" One of them waved to Alan and Celia.

The young man narrowed his eyes, observing their faces. Instead of having that unpredictable expression, they smiled broadly at him and Celia, some even showing their teeth.

This doesn't help at all. Alan was even more confused. Those smiles felt unnatural to him.

Celia took a few steps back because of that. She flinched when Paul tapped her on the shoulder from behind. "I said, come on in."

"A-all right, sir." She hurriedly went inside.

"And you." The scarred man pointed at Alan. "Close the window and the curtains. This is a final warning."

The young man kept looking at the residents. They were already far away but still smiling; some even waved at him.

In the end, he complied with the scarred man's request to close the window.