‘What is this?’
There was something else strange about this village that I hadn’t noticed before.
Everyone was missing a body part.
The young boy I’d met earlier was missing a finger, and several other villagers I’d spoken to were missing things like a hand or an ear, as though those parts had been cut off.
Don’t tell me…
1. All transactions are conducted through barter only.
However, due to Monter Village’s shortage of wealth, parts of your body may, in certain circumstances, be accepted as trade items. Please keep this in mind.
This wasn’t good.
…
Wearing a grim expression, I turned around and retraced the directions I’d been given earlier.
‘They said it was in the commercial district toward the center of the village.’
Suppressing the unsettling thoughts creeping into my mind, I passed through several alleys. The area gradually became quieter until, before long, there wasn’t a soul in sight. Only fierce gusts of wind swept through the empty streets.
Despite the warm sunlight overhead, an inexplicable chill ran down my spine.
“Why is this place so creepy?”
Could the public safety in this village really be that bad?
For a moment, I worried that someone might kidnap me, but that fear quickly disappeared.
There wasn’t a single person around!
If no one was here, then getting kidnapped would be impossible… right?
Just then—
“Ugh… what is that smell?”
A faint but unpleasant odor drifted through the air.
It was a foul stench that assaulted my nose—something close to the smell of rotting, bloody meat. It was easily the worst smell I’d ever encountered.
I instinctively frowned and looked up, only then noticing a sign hanging at the end of the alley.
<Luden Trading Company>
The place I’d come looking for, assuming it was an ordinary trading company, turned out to be…
“…A butcher shop?”
Under a large awning shielding it from the rain hung countless slabs of butchered meat.
‘This… is the Luden Trading Company?’
Trying not to look too shocked, I carefully examined the scene before me.
Blood dripped steadily from the hanging meat, pooling on the ground below, while swarms of flies buzzed around it.
What image usually comes to mind when someone says “trading company”?
Honestly, I wasn’t entirely sure, but I’d at least imagined something like a large general store displaying all kinds of goods.
‘This is completely different!’
Even after rubbing my eyes and looking again, the sign still read Luden Trading Company.
The building itself actually looked quite respectable. Every floor had glass windows lined neatly in a row—a rare sight in this village—and it wasn’t difficult to imagine that, in its heyday, it had been a thriving trading company brightly lit even at night.
But now?
Everything above the first floor was practically abandoned. Wooden boards had been nailed over parts of the building, giving it a bleak, eerie appearance.
The outdoor display stands, which should have been filled with merchandise, held nothing but hanging cuts of meat.
No matter how many times I looked, it was simply a butcher shop.
I alternated my gaze between the fly-covered meat and the lonely sign overhead.
Unable to bring myself to step inside, I stopped in front of the entrance.
‘Did they change businesses?’
Come to think of it, they’d said they’d lost contact with the manor, and deliveries had stopped completely at some point.
Had business gotten so bad that they switched industries?
They even recreated the hardships of running a small business.
It was bewildering, yet somehow it made sense.
So… what should I do now?
Considering this was part of a quest, simply turning back probably wasn’t the right answer.
As I stood there thinking, a large shadow began moving inside the building.
“A customer?”
A deep voice reached my ears.
“Uh…”
A moment later, an enormous man emerged from inside, so large he made the already-wide entrance seem cramped.
He was tall enough to make my neck ache from looking up at him, broad-shouldered and powerfully built, moving with an easy confidence.
Like everyone else, his face was just a dark void, but the thick beard stretching from his temples down to his chin made it easy to guess he was a middle-aged man.
“A customer! Welcome!”
“H-Hello.”
“It’s wonderful to have a customer again after so long.”
The man welcomed me warmly.
There was just one problem…
‘Why does he smell so bloody…?’
The closer he came, the stronger the metallic scent of fresh blood became.
What was I supposed to do in a situation like this?
Frantically thinking, I finally came up with a solution.
‘Right. I’ll just stop breathing through my nose.’
Why can humans breathe through both their nose and mouth?
So they can use either one.
From the moment the man came within about a meter of me, I breathed only through my mouth.
“Um… who are you?”
“I am Scrooge, proprietor of the Luden Trading Company.”
His voice was polite, yet strangely intimidating.
The owner?
This man?
And his name was Scrooge?
It sounded like the kind of name that belonged in an old story.
Trying not to make it obvious, I discreetly looked him over.
Only then did I notice that his leather apron was covered in blood.
‘So he does the butchering himself.’
That explained the overwhelming smell of blood clinging to him.
Come to think of it, the meat on display was all ragged and roughly cut instead of neatly trimmed.
If the trading company had gone under, forcing him to turn it into a butcher shop where he even handled the slaughter himself…
I couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for him.
“H-Hello. I’m Nadia. I actually came looking for the trading company… but I guess you don’t run it anymore?”
“…Pardon?”
“Well… all I see is meat hanging everywhere. Did you change to a butcher shop? Times must’ve been hard… You must’ve had it rough.”
He listened quietly before letting out an odd little chuckle.
“A butcher shop…”
Then, a large hand clad in a leather glove was held out in front of me.
“I suppose… that’s not entirely wrong.”
The glove was visibly soaked with sticky blood.
Looking up, I soon realized he was offering me a handshake.
“Ah, haha… well… yes. Hang in there. Sometimes people have to change businesses when things get tough… That’s just how self-employment is, right?”
Pretending not to notice, I awkwardly tried to brush it off.
But…
He never lowered his hand.
Unable to ignore it any longer, I reluctantly shook it.
The glove felt damp and unpleasant.
Mr. Scrooge lightly held my hand, giving it two small shakes as if weighing or examining something, before gently letting go.
“…Now then, what brings you here?”
“Oh, right. Actually… I came from Belmont Duke’s Castle.”
“The castle?”
A hint of surprise entered his otherwise calm voice.
“Did you say the duke’s castle?”
“Y-Yes. Is something wrong?”
“I was under the impression that the village had lost contact with the castle long ago.”
“They told me the castle still needed many supplies from the Luden Trading Company, but they haven’t been able to get any news from you.”
“No. More accurately…”
He shook his head.
“We’ve been unable to reach the castle.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because the forest separating the castle and the village…”
His voice grew heavier.
“…changed.”
“Huh?”
“The forest?”
The village rules had certainly implied that the forest was dangerous, but I’d personally walked through it without any problems, so it was difficult to understand what he meant.
“Hmm. This will take some explaining.”
He gestured toward the interior.
“Would you come inside?”
The terrible smell made me hesitate, but I nodded anyway.
“If you don’t mind me coming in.”
“Of course. This way.”
Well, whether they resumed deliveries or not, it was probably best to hear the whole story.
It might even contain a clue I needed to complete the quest.
Following behind Mr. Scrooge as he turned, I stepped inside.
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