Chapter 111: Colson’s Childhood

Chapter 111: Chapter 111: Colson’s Childhood

Laukel tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, finally making it to dawn.

He ate brunch with a heavy heart and finally decided he had to go to Diamond Town to report the bizarre incident again.

But as soon as he told his wife and daughter, he was met with their vehement objections. They insisted Laukel was dreaming, that he was delirious and not in his right mind. If he kept this nonsense up, their whole family would face the villagers’ confusion and ridicule.

And that was the reason for the furious roar Vili and Dane heard from the doorway.

"Mr. Laukel!"

Colson pushed open the half-closed door and shouted, "Someone’s here to see—"

Before he could finish, the sharp voice of the lady of the house cut him off. "Get out, you wretched little brat! Who said you could come in!"

"We’re from the Guard Team."

Laukel’s wife was about to grab a wooden stick to chase Colson out when she suddenly heard someone speak from behind him.

Two young men in Armor, their expressions severe, walked in, giving her a start.

"G-Guards... Sirs, what brings you here...?"

Laukel’s wife looked frightened. She discreetly tossed the wooden stick aside and greeted them meekly.

"We’re here about the case Laukel reported. We need to investigate further."

Vili responded.

When Laukel heard Vili say this, his eyes instantly lit up. He hurried over and said excitedly, "Sirs, everything I told you before was true! Just last night, I saw that horrible scene again!"

"Sir, Laukel hasn’t been sleeping well recently, so..."

Laukel’s wife, apparently finding his behavior humiliating, tried to stop him, but Vili quickly cut her off. "Why don’t you two go back to your room? Let him tell us what happened alone."

Laukel’s wife appeared apprehensive, but awed by Vili’s authority, she had no choice but to take her daughter back inside. Before going in, she shot a vicious glare at Colson, a detail Vili did not miss.

"Sirs, I should be heading back now, too."

Colson seemed to have noticed the hostile glare, but his tone remained cheerful, unaffected. "Thanks for listening to my rambling the whole way... wait, I guess I didn’t actually talk that much... Ah, whatever. See you later, Sir Guards."

With that, Colson turned and left without another moment’s delay.

But Vili called him back. "Wait for me outside. There are a few things I’m curious about and need to ask you."

"Alright, Sir Guard."

Colson’s spirits lifted at once. With the woven basket on his back, he walked out of the yard and sat on the ground by the outer wall.

Vili was quite curious. ’Why would a boy who seems so incredibly talkative and open-hearted be disliked by so many people?’

"Sirs, what happened last night was like this..."

With only the three of them left in the yard, Laukel eagerly recounted everything he had seen the previous night.

Vili listened, lost in thought.

"When you saw the scene on those two occasions, did you hear any strange sounds?"

Vili asked, trying to determine if someone was secretly using a specific melody to induce a kind of conditioned reflex.

Laukel frowned and shook his head. "No, I’m certain. The scene was unnaturally quiet. There wasn’t a single sound."

’Not a single sound, huh...’

Vili’s brow furrowed slightly.

’If what Laukel says is true, then not even I could pull off a feat like that.’

"Looks like this is more complicated than we thought. We’ll need to stay here for a couple more days."

Vili turned to Dane, who simply nodded, offering no objection.

Vili pulled two Silver Rums from his belt and handed them to Laukel. "Prepare a room for us. This should also cover our meals for the next two or three days."

"Of course, Sir Guard."

Laukel froze for a moment after taking the two Silver Rums, then quickly agreed.

’The last Guards who stayed here didn’t give him a single Copper Rum. Instead, they ate several of his family’s fattest chickens.’

With that settled, Vili headed out of the yard.

Just outside, he saw Colson squatting by the wall. The boy had pulled up a wild weed and was chewing on its root.

"Colson."

Vili walked over to him. "You seemed to have more to say before we entered the village. You can continue now."

’This boy reminds me of Alek, the young blacksmith,’ Vili thought. ’Their personalities are different, but they both maintain an extremely stable emotional state.’

’One has a calm that nothing can disturb; the other, an optimism that seems to absorb all ill will.’

Colson hesitated, looking up at Vili with a strange expression. It seemed to be the first time in his entire life that someone had willingly offered to listen to him talk.

"Alright, Sir Guard..." Colson gathered his thoughts. "We were talking about my childhood... Right. My childhood was pretty unhappy. My father died less than two years after I was born. The cause of death was strange. They said he was just walking through the village, tripped, and died. That made the villagers, who already disliked my mother, seem to hate her even more... I forgot to mention, my mother was mute."

Vili said nothing, simply continuing to listen.

’In this world, people who couldn’t speak were seen as having had their throats kissed by the Devil. Such ignorant beliefs were common in this day and age. So, the villagers most likely blamed Colson’s father’s death on his mother.’

’Colson’s father’s death was probably just a common case of sudden cardiac arrest, something I saw all the time in my past life. But once the villagers had a pretext, they had a target for their blame.’

"Later, my mother... she passed away too... I was driven out of the village. I built a little hut for myself just outside it, and that’s where I live now. It’s not so bad, having a roof over my head."

Colson looked like he wanted to say more, but after opening his mouth, he ultimately fell silent.

Vili patted his shoulder and handed him a Silver Rum. "This is payment for guiding us."

Colson looked completely surprised. After taking the Silver Rum, he studied it over and over before slowly tucking it inside his clothes.

He stood up and bowed to Vili. "Thank you. Not just for listening to my chatter, but for giving me a Silver Rum, too. I’ll always remember you for this. Goodbye."

Without any hesitation, Colson briskly shouldered his basket and departed.

Vili watched Colson’s retreating figure, his eyes narrowing slightly. He seemed to have confirmed something.

He sensed a very familiar aura coming from Colson.