Tyler was certain his perceptions were accurate; indeed, he had discerned the name “Elle” within Daed’s heart.
Elle, the elder sister of Avril, had met her demise in the Ira Forest three years prior – a fact that Tyler had verified on multiple occasions, and even Avril herself believed so. During a prior hunting excursion with the village chief, Tyler was informed that the chief himself had solemnly laid Elle to rest, her gravestone standing within the cemetery of the Ira Forest.
Yet, it was neither necessary nor plausible for Daed and Beeken to deceive Tyler within their hearts. Therefore, could it be possible that the village chief, Avril, and Granny Kana were collectively weaving a web of deceit?
(…That too, seemed impossible.)
The circumstances were more intricate than Tyler had anticipated.
“Uncle Daed, Uncle Beeken…”
Tyler did not take his leave, disregarding Daed’s dismissal and boldly entering the workshop.
“I observed you two rushing out from the orchard last night; I surmise that you must have encountered Elle, correct?”
At the mention of “Elle”, the hammers held by Daed and Beeken almost simultaneously fell to the ground. Both men looked towards Tyler in a state of panic and confusion, manifesting fear and doubt.
“You, you’ve seen Elle too?” Daed seemed to find solace in a kindred spirit.
“But, how is that possible? You just arrived at Ira Village a few days ago, how could you possibly know Elle?” Yet Beeken discerned a flaw in Tyler’s words.
Of course, Tyler did not personally know Elle. He had merely deduced the only plausible explanation based on the information available to him.
“I may not know Elle, but I am aware that only you two brothers in Ira Village are privy to Elle’s existence. Would you be willing to share with me what you know about Elle?”
–“Combat Occupation Skill ‘Deceiver – Lv1’ has been activated, persistently in effect…”
Tyler understood that the critical moment had arrived. Based on the subsequent revelations from Daed and Beeken, his prior judgments about Ira Village and Avril could potentially be entirely overturned.
Daed appeared to be swayed by Tyler’s words, but Beeken interjected with a defensive gesture.
“Banning, cease your presumptuous pontificating. Begone, we have no words to share with you.”
Defeat was anticipated. Through Tyler’s telepathic insight, he discerned that Beeken perceived his presence as mere mockery. Understanding the point of resistance, Tyler could proceed with his “offensive”.
“Uncle Daed, Uncle Beeken, I am aware of the torment you have endured these past three years. However, if you choose silence now, you shall forever lose the opportunity to speak. In this time, besides me, who else has sincerely sought to understand your plight? Are you not regarded as lunatics by the villagers?”
With the assistance of his telepathy, every utterance of Tyler’s struck a chord with Daed and Beeken.
Daed and Beeken had longed for the truth to be laid bare before the world. Yet the villagers derided them as madmen, mocking their fear of Avril. The villagers’ apathy led them to abandon all hope, fostering a desire to see the villagers pay a “price” for their contempt.
However, the boy known as Banning presented an alternate path.
“You must be aware of my triumph over the Crimson Cloud Bandits. Trust in me. I have the means to liberate you from this suffering.”
With Tyler’s persistent persuasion, Beeken’s hostile demeanor began to soften. Daed, through his glance, signaled to Beeken that the truth should be revealed, to ascertain whether this boy differed from the village chief and the others.
“Very well. Have a seat.”
–“Combat Occupation Skill ‘Deceiver – Lv1’ has been deactivated.”
Beeken heaved a deep sigh, then began to speak.
“Elle did not ‘die.’ She became a ghost and still ‘lives’ in this village.”
In order for Banning to comprehend the full scope of events, Daed and Beeken began their recounting from an incident three years prior.
One autumn day three years ago, Elle, as always, ignored Avril’s advice and went alone to the Ira Forest to gather herbs. As it was past the autumn equinox, darkness fell quickly. By the time Elle finished picking herbs and intended to return to the village, night had already fallen.
The forest was perilous at night. Elle was unfortunately surrounded by a pack of wolves that had followed her scent. She was soon cornered with no escape. Coincidentally, Daed and Beeken were also in the forest that day. They spotted Elle from a distance, surrounded by the pack of wolves, but out of fear, they fled instead of helping her…
When Daed and Beeken returned to the forest with the village chief and others, Elle’s body was found beyond recognition, devoured by the pack of wolves.
Avril witnessed this tragic scene, causing her severe psychological trauma. It was only due to the devoted care of the village chief and his wife that she gradually recovered to her current state.
Driven by guilt, Daed and Beeken strived every day to make amends to Avril. However, at first, Avril refused to see them, and by the time she started recovering… Daed and Beeken saw the deceased Elle in the village.
Elle, believed to have perished and interred within the forest, made an ominous appearance within the village. Under the shroud of night, she wielded an enormous pair of scissors, her body drenched in blood, and held in her other hand what seemed to be a human leg. This horrifying sight petrified Daed and Beeken, who believed they’d stumbled upon a specter or were suffering from an illusion.
Months later, when a similar occurrence had not repeated, and Daed and Beeken were almost convinced they had simply been hallucinating, they once again witnessed Elle committing murder in the village at night. This time, they clearly saw Elle sever the head of a villager with her colossal scissors. Had they not fled in time, they would likely have perished that night.
Having successfully evaded death, Daed and Beeken woke the village chief that night to report the incident. Although skeptical, the chief did investigate with due diligence.
The investigation revealed that a villager was indeed missing, but not murdered. The individual had voluntarily left the village, leaving behind a farewell letter in their own handwriting.
Moreover, to convince Daed and Beeken, the village chief searched Avril’s house. There were no traces of other inhabitants, no signs of blood or bodies–Avril’s house was immaculate.
“Did you ever check the locked room in Avril’s house?” Tyler interjected.
“A locked room? Not that we recall. We checked every room at the time and didn’t miss any,” Daed and Beeken replied, leaving Tyler puzzled.
(Could it be that “that room” was locked after the incident was investigated? But I remember Avril thinking at the time…) 𝗈𝒱𝗅xt.𝗰𝐎𝓂
a”?a”?a”?a”?a”?a”?a”?a”?a”?
Avril: (Ah, I’m so nosy. Banning is so polite; he wouldn’t break into a locked room…)
Avril: (But… I wonder what’s inside the room my sister locked? I’ll take a look if I ever find the key.)
a”?a”?a”?a”?a”?a”?a”?a”?a”?
Tyler realized the timeline of the locked room statements didn’t match up. Was it that the village chief and the others hadn’t noticed the locked room at the time, or was it that Elle, supposedly “dead,” had come back to life and locked the room?
Tyler noted this down and asked Daed and Beeken to continue.
They explained that the villagers didn’t believe them, and they had no evidence to back up their claims. To safeguard their lives, they stopped going out late at night, and henceforth, they never saw Elle with the large scissors again, but…
“Elle has learned to disguise herself as Avril. They take turns going out, so no one knows she’s a ghost,” Beeken said while cautiously scanning his surroundings, as though Elle might appear at any moment.
“That’s unlikely, isn’t it? Even if they’re sisters, one can tell them apart, right?” Tyler rebutted.
Beeken’s current argument made Tyler start to think he was delusional. Perhaps the guilt they both carried caused them to hallucinate.
At this point, Beeken remembered something Tyler might not know.
“Hasn’t anyone ever told you, Banning?”
“Told me what?”
“Elle and Avril are identical twin sisters–they look exactly alike.”