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Reinhard x Tensura [Chapter 9: The Silent Town!]
🕑 Added 2025-09-23 16:47:25 +0000 UTCAfter another two hours of traveling, the dense forest finally gave way to open fields, and in the distance, they could see the small cluster of buildings that was Oakhaven.
"I think that's the town over there," Kaval said, trying to sound energetic. "Let's just check it out, ask some questions, and then we can head back." He paused, trying to sound considerate. "But if one of you wants to rest, we can before we go in."
Gido shook his head, leaning heavily on his shield. "Nah, let's just get this over with. Unless Ellen wants to rest or something."
Ellen, who was breathing a little heavier than usual, immediately turned her attention to Reinhard. "Well, I'm not tired, but I think Reinhard probably is, after walking non-stop. Are you okay, Reinhard?"
Reinhard, who looked exactly as fresh and composed as he had when they left Blumund, gave her a reassuring smile. "No, really, I'm fine. I'm not tired at all. Please don't worry about me. You don't have to hold back because of me; I don't want to be a liability to your team."
The three of them stared at him, their own thoughts running wild.
We know that, brat! Kaval thought, annoyed. We were asking for ourselves! How can you not ask for a single break in three hours?
Does this kid have some kind of skill that lets him walk without tiring? Gido wondered.
Really? He isn't tired? How?! I’m sooooo tired, Ellen lamented internally.
The truth was, the trio was exhausted. They hadn't eaten anything all day because they didn't have the money.
That's why they’d chosen this seemingly simple quest, they needed fast coin without a big fight or a long journey.
Sadly, this was the only "easy" quest with a decent reward.
They could have taken a break, but their pride wouldn't let them.
They had assumed the new rookie would be the one to complain and ask for a rest. But he hadn't.
He hadn't complained, he hadn't asked for water, he hadn't even slowed down.
And now, after a three-hour straight march, the town was in sight. They might as well just push on for a few more minutes and get it over with.
…
When they finally reached the entrance to Oakhaven, a sense of unease settled over them. Something was wrong. The wooden gate was open, but there was no one there. The small guard post was empty. The whole town was silent.
"Why isn't there anyone here?" Gido asked, his hand instinctively tightening on the hilt of his sword.
"Maybe they're all in their houses," Kaval suggested, though he didn't sound very convinced.
"And leave the town entrance completely unguarded so monsters can just come and go?" Ellen shot back, her voice a nervous whisper.
"We can check by just knocking on one of the houses," Reinhard said, his voice the only one that was calm.
"Of course we have to," Kaval said, trying to sound like he was still in charge. "Can't go back without knowing anything."
They stepped past the empty guard post and into the town proper. It was a fairly latge town town, with neat houses and a cobblestone main street. But what was deeply, and somewhat wrong was the silence.
There was no sound at all. No people outside talking or walking, not even one, no children playing in the street. The only sound was the wind whistling softly between the buildings. The silence was so clear, it felt like walking into a silent forest in the middle of the night.
"I think something happened here," Kaval whispered, his earlier confidence completely gone. "It's just… too quiet."
Gido, trying to look for so etging, walked up to the nearest house and knocked on the door. Once, twice, three times. When no one answered, he knocked again, harder this time. With a soft creak, the door, which hadn't been properly latched, swung open a few inches.
A thick, coppery smell washed over them. The scent of blood.
Gido held his breath and pushed the door open the rest of the way. He peered inside. A moment later, his eyes went wide with horror. He stumbled back, his face pale, and scrambled away from the doorway as if the house itself were on fire.
"There… there are people in there," he stammered, before doubling over and throwing up on the cobblestones. "No… there were people. They're all dead."
While Kaval and Ellen rushed to Gido's side, Reinhard calmly walked to the house next door. As he expected, the door was unlocked. He pushed it open and stepped inside.
The scene was a massacre. Blood was everywhere, splattered on the walls, pooled on the wooden floor. The remains of a family, a man, a woman, two small children… were scattered across the room. Nothing and no one had been spared.
Reinhard's expression shifted tonine of a grim and seeing a pure horror scene, not that calm in his eyes that was before, and inside, a cold stillness settled over him.
He stepped back outside, his face grim. "Someone killed them," he said, his voice steady. "This house is the same. I think we know why this town is so quiet now. Everyone here is dead."
"What do you mean, everyone?" Ellen asked, her voice trembling. "There has to be someone alive! Maybe they're hiding, waiting for help!"
"We have to get out of here!" Kaval said, his voice tight with panic. "We need to inform the guild about this, immediately! We don't have time to search!"
"Yes, Kaval's right!" Gido agreed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "We have to go, now!"
"But what if someone is alive?" Ellen pleaded, tears welling in her eyes. "What if they're hurt and waiting for us?"
"We can only help them by getting backup from the guild!" Kaval insisted. "Whoever did this is powerful, and we're no match for them!"
"He's…" Reinhard started to say, but he stopped. He turned his head, listening intently. Over the eerie silence, he could hear it. A faint, terrified sound.
The sound of a child crying.
"There's a kid," he said, his voice sharp and clear. "Crying. Over there." He pointed towards a larger building near the center of the village. "You three go. Get out of here and go back to the guild and inform them. I'll see if I can find the kid. Just go. I'll catch up."
Before any of them could argue, he was gone. He didn't run; he just vanished from the spot where he was standing, leaving nothing behind.
Kaval stared at the empty space, his jaw hanging open. "Am I… am I already dead? Did the kid just teleport? Or did he just vanish right in front of our eyes?"
Gido reached out and pinched Kaval's arm, hard. "Ow! What are you pinching me for?!" Kaval yelped.
"I think we're not dead," Gido said, his voice filled with awe. "He really vanished."
"We have to go find him!" Ellen said, her fear now mixed with a new urgency. "We can't just leave him behind alone!"
"But…" Gido started.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Kaval swore, running a hand through his hair. "Okay. Okay. We're going to get Reinhard, and then we're getting out of here, Ellen. But…" He looked at her, his expression deadly serious. "If something happens, if we run into whatever did this, you have to get out of here. Gido and I can buy you some time. You have to run."
"I'm not going to leave anyone behind!" she cried.
"This is only if we encounter something!" Kaval snapped. "If we do, we're not winning. We're just trying to survive. So you have to promise me, Ellen. You run. And if not then we can’t go."
Ellen looked from Kaval's desperate face to Gido's terrified one. They wouldn't go unless she agreed. "Okay," she finally whispered. "Okay, I will. I'll run if something happens."
"You have to promise."
"Okay, okay, I promise!" she said, her patience breaking. "Can we just go now? And find Reinhard and the kid he heard?"
