Chapter 276: Is Something Amiss?
When the village gate came into view, the many gatekeepers inside popped their heads out.
“Oh, thank goodness! We were so worried when it started raining and you didn’t come back. Are you both okay?”
“You must be chilled to the bone. Here, have some hot tea.”
“Oh, what a relief. We were so worried about you both.”
I was a bit taken aback by the words that were being hurled at us. I hadn't thought they would worry about us this much.
“Sony we scared you,” Druid apologized. “We found a big hole we could pop into for shelter from the rain, so we stayed there for a while.”
Druid was bowing, so I did the same.
“Oh, really? Well, I’m glad to hear that.”
Wait, is that... Yes, it’s the same lady gatekeeper who greeted us when we first arrived in Hatow. I thanked her for the tea and took a sip. My body throbbed with warmth. Mum, I must’ve gotten really chilled without realizing it. That’s odd, since we weren’t in the forest that long. Ahh, I feel like I’m coming back to life.
After warming ourselves a little by the station where the gatekeepers took their breaks, we headed the rest of the way back into town. The cold air felt extra chilly this time since we’d warmed up our bodies again. Maybe I was just imagining it...
“Ivy, are you doing okay? I’d like to go straight to the guild to see Captain Tableau, if it won’t be too much of a strain.”
“Sure...”
We walked along Main Street, which was sparsely dotted with people. They were talking 111 loud, excited voices, so I was able to hear bits of their conversations. They all seemed happy that it was finally snowing. Gee, I sure hope things stay calm like this for a while.
The guild was mostly empty, but we did see some adventurers getting ready to go out on a mission. It was a sight I hadn’t seen much of when it was raining, so it made me a little excited.
“I’ll go ask to speak with Captain Tableau. You wait here, okay?” Druid headed to the front desk.
Hm? Why has my bag been rustling so much...? Is it Sora?
“Sorry, guys. We have to talk with Captain Tableau at the... guild...”
Wait... Huh? Something’s not right. The guild? Captain Tableau? What’s strange about that? I took a look around me. We’re at the adventurer guild, and we ’re here to speak with Captain Tableau... Oh!
“Mr. Druid, wait!”
That’s right! This is the adventurer guild. Tableau is captain of the village watch, so he wouldn’t be. here! I ran to the front desk and tugged on Druid's arm just as he was about to talk to someone.
“What’s wrong?” Druid looked quite surprised, but I knew we couldn’t discuss it right there.
“We have to talk about something. Um, excuse us, we'll come back later!” With a bow to the startled man behind the counter, I dragged Druid over to an empty part of the room. I don't know why, but my head has been throbbing since we got here. Well, anyway, I need to tell Druid about what’s so strange.
“Are you okay, Ivy? Your face is so pale.”
“It doesn’t matter. I have to tell you something, Mr. Druid.”
“What do you mean it doesn’t matter? Are you really—”
“I'm fine for now! So, um, let me ask you something. Just who were you going to talk with at the adventurer guild?”
“Captain Tableau. Is there a problem?”
As far as I could tell from Druid's expression, he had no doubts about the situation. I was right. Something was off here. Druid would have noticed a mistake like this by now.
“Mr. Druid, this is the adventurer guild. Tableau is captain of the village watch.”
“Hm? The adventurer guild? Village watch?”
Druid tilted his head in confusion. It looked like he didn’t understand. Oh dear. What should I do?
“Ow! My head!” Druid pressed his hand to his head in pain. Was he feeling the same way as I was?
"Ack.. .okay, wait a minute. Let me figure this out.”
“Okay”
“It got us... It’s that summoning circle.”
“The summoning circle?” Did he mean the one that trapped Snakey?
“I’ve felt this headache before. You get it whenever you stop a summoning circle’s magic by erasing it.”
“Oh, so that’s what this is.”
But since we stopped the summoning circle’s magic... can I assume that means everything’s fine now?
“Ivy, check your bag to make sure all three are still there.”
“Huh?!”
“We don’t technically know when the summoning circle’s magic started affecting us.”
Does he mean we might have accidentally left Sorci or the others behind? But I know Ifelt my bag jiggling earlier I looked around to make sure the coast was clear before I opened it.
“Oh, good... Everyone’s here.”
Druid and I heaved a huge sigh of relief together.
“Okay, at least for now, we can be pretty confident we’re not in the worst possible condition.”
I wasn’t sure what Druid meant by “the worst possible condition,” but I knew we'd be all right as long as the trio was with us.
I wasn’t sure what Druid meant by “the worst possible condition,” but I knew we'd be all right as long as the trio was with us.
“Okay”
So... did we really free Snakey’ from the summoning circle? And were those black orbs actually there? No, stop that. Once you start questioning reality, there’s no end to it.
“Anyway, let’s go to the village watch. This definitely isn’t normal.”
“Yeah. Do you think Snakey is okay?” I was worried it might get captured again.
“Well, one thing is clear: Something’s changed.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because the adventurers are happy that it’s snowing.”
I followed Druid's gaze and saw some adventurers merrily talking about the snow. Oh, so that means I didn't just imagine the rain changing into snow.
“Well, it’s still too early to completely put our minds at ease.”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s go.”
“Okay”
Druid and I turned to leave the adventurer guild. Boy, I’m sure glad we figured that out before he asked the front desk if we could speak with Captain Tableau. Urrrgh, my head hurts so bad.
“Druid? Ivy?”
“Huh?!”
I turned around at the sound of my name to see Guild Master Priya looking anxiously at us. It made me feel a little uncomfortable.
“Um, I’m terribly sorry for being so nide to you the other day”
Rude? The other day? What is he talking about? I looked at Druid, but he seemed just as confused as I was. When Priya saw our reactions, he looked bewildered in turn.
“We have a problem,” Druid said.
I looked at him and saw that he was pressing his hand to his head. What was wrong?
“Ivy.. .remind me who he is?”
“Huh?! Why, he’s Guild Master Priya...”
“Ohh.. .right. So he is.”
“Mr. Druid?”
What’s going on...? This is scary’. I mean, why would Druid forget who Guild Master Priya is?
“Please forgive us. Guild Master. Our memories are a little wonky.”
“Oh dear, are you all right? You both look awfully pale.”
“We're fine, sir. And no need to apologize. It’s water under the bridge. Anyway, please excuse us. We’re in a hurry.”
And with that, Druid took my hand and we scurried away. His forceful behavior worried me. Um...this is my Mr. Druid, right?
“Mr. Druid...”
“That summoning circle.. .it’s really dangerous.”
“Huh?!”
“I might be missing some of my memories. Are you okay, Ivy?”
Oh no! His memories are missing? Are mine missing, too? Um...I’m not sure.
“Ivy, stay calm. Take your time to think it over.”
I retraced our steps over the last few days and didn’t find anything that seemed odd 111 my memory. “I think I’m all right, but I’m not sure.”
"Okay... Well, let’s go see Captain Tableau for now.”
We quickly headed out onto Main Street to head to the village watch—only to stop in our tracks. Ahhh, I don’t know how to get there. Druid looked equally confused.
“Ha ha ha.. .where is it again?”
“I don't think it’s very funny.. .but I just have to laugh.”
Apparently, I was also missing some of my memory. Our situation was so absurd that all we could do was laugh. But we had to calm down and find a way to look for the village watch headquarters.
“Hey, you two! Are you okay?” Priya asked.
I looked at him with a start. He was so worried that he'd followed us out of the adventurer guild.
“Should we let him help us?” Druid asked.
“Yeah. I think we need to solve this problem quickly, for more reasons than one.”
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