Nightfall Approaches
When Frieren brought Lia back to the farm from the mountains
The sun is about to set.
The setting sun slowly sank into the gaps between the distant mountains.
The outline of the farm projected onto the land began to blur.
The shadow of the newly repaired fence stretched long, slanting diagonally into the beet field.
The cowshed roof was stained with bruises.
Several crows perched on the wooden roof, occasionally preening their feathers, which had been ruffled by the evening breeze, with their beaks.
As soon as the door opened
Exhausted, Lia threw herself into Galan's arms.
It's like a student who has just finished tutoring and comes home in the evening, throwing themselves into a soft bed.
Her face was full of fatigue.
It seems that Frieren's specialized training, compared to Duncan's,
The level of hardship was even greater.
So even though she was being held so tightly she could hardly breathe,
Galan still affectionately patted Lia's head.
Let her hold me like that until she calms down.
The old man cooked dinner himself in the evening.
I wanted to treat everyone to a good meal.
I cooked a nice dinner for the three of them.
Galan went out to investigate again, but still couldn't find any useful clues.
So he went back early, wanting to lend a hand to the old man.
The four people sat around the dining table, where steaming hot food was laid out before them.
Accompanied by the warm firelight emanating from the fireplace inside the house
It looks very cozy.
In a vase,
The golden flowers swayed back and forth in the airflow around the candle.
This piqued Lia's curiosity.
"This is... Butterfly Orchid?"
She gazed curiously at the dancing golden petals, her eyes gleaming with dazzling light.
Like a kitten discovering something new and exciting, it rests its head on its two hands, which are crossed on the table.
He stared intently at the cluster of flowers, not moving an inch.
As for her words
The old man couldn't deny it, and nodded with a smile.
"Yes."
"--It's golden! What a rare variety!"
Faced with Lia's praise, he couldn't help but show a proud expression.
He chuckled.
It's as if he's very satisfied with his masterpiece.
"It's taken me a lot of effort to cultivate golden Butterfly Orchids in this weather..."
"Just preparing a container that can keep things warm..."
Watching Lia begin a heated discussion with the old man about her flower-growing experiences
A smile inadvertently crept onto Galan's lips.
But when I look at the old man, I can't help but feel sad for him.
Lia couldn't understand why the old man cultivated this golden Butterfly Orchid year after year, a laborious and thankless task.
It's not for sale.
It's not some unusual quirk.
That's seeing an object and thinking of someone.
Seeing the saddle makes one think of the horse.
For the old man, the golden Butterfly Orchid symbolized his deceased wife.
In this decades-long remembrance,
It had long become a source of spiritual support for him, a man who didn't originally love flowers.
Galan sighed deeply.
He reflected on his previous recklessness in only caring about watching the drama unfold, which caused the elderly man to relive that painful past.
This "spectator mentality" is really awful...
"Galan, have you found any useful clues on the farm?"
Frieren, who was eating rice nearby, suddenly spoke up after taking a sip of beet soup.
It interrupted his sincere confession to the Goddess.
"Well, it's practically a complete lack of discovery."
"Besides getting covered in manure and stinking, I just think there's something wrong with the cows here..."
Galan shrugged.
He actually hoped that the cow that had pushed him into the dung heap would be taken to heaven by the Goddess that very night.
However, out of consideration for the elderly person's feelings,
He kept this wish hidden in his heart.
"Have you really done a proper investigation?"
Frieren picked up the bowl and downed another bowl of soup.
His large eyes, peeking out from the rim of the bowl, looked at Galan suspiciously.
They seemed to think this kid had been slacking off all the time.
"Hey... that's not your place to say that... I'm seriously looking for clues, and I really think there's something wrong with the cow itself."
Falling into a pile of dung was even considered as paddling.
No one can withstand such a merciless blow.
He paused, recalling his discovery from earlier that afternoon.
"There are indeed some rather strange aspects..."
"Judging from the marks on the damaged fence, it was all broken from the inside."
"And I carefully examined the footprints on the ground around me; they were all cow footprints, no other creatures..."
"Apart from that, nothing else was discovered."
Lia and the old man, who were having a heated discussion about their experiences, both stopped after hearing this.
He turned to look at Galan.
In fact, the old man had conducted a rough investigation beforehand.
However, he didn't seem to notice from which side the fence was damaged.
Because over the years, every night according to custom,
He would cast a spell on them [that made the animals sleep more soundly].
The cattle are unlikely to wake up at night.
Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the missing cattle were all taken away by the murderer.
"According to your explanation, it seems the only explanation is that the cows escaped from the farm under cover of darkness."
Frieren put down her bowl and fell into thought.
Lia, on the other hand, looked at him as if he were an idiot.
It seems to be saying, "How could a cow possibly disappear without a trace while sleepwalking?"
This caused Galan to fall into self-doubt for a time.
"The farm is surrounded by Wisteria, so theoretically there's no possibility of it being attacked by monsters..."
"Um... speaking of which..."
Hearing Frieren mention Wisteria in her murmurs,
Galan suddenly remembered what he had wanted to say earlier, and looked at the old man, saying...
"The soap you gave me before, was it made with Wisteria?"
The old man paused for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded in confirmation.
The group was still discussing the possible roles of the perpetrator when...
He didn't understand why Galan would suddenly bring up the soap.
"Is it possible that you picked too many Wisteria to use in making soap...?"
He stopped halfway through his sentence.
This time, all three of them looked at him with expressions as if he were an idiot.
"... Feel sorry..."
The old man helplessly rubbed his forehead.
He's not stupid; how could he not know the uses of Wisteria?
Of course, I wouldn't do something so stupid.
Well, at least for now, we still know nothing about the truth of the matter.
"Let's just wait until tonight and see what happens."
Seeing that the group couldn't reach a conclusion...
Frieren decided to stake out the location that night to catch a glimpse of the killer.
The old man nodded, agreeing with Frieren's plan.
"I had thought about going out at night to stake out the area and see what was going on, but I'm getting old, and if I encountered some monster, I'd just be throwing my life away."
He touched his head and stood up.
He pulled out a well-maintained hunting bow from the cupboard.
The moment I picked up that bow
The old man's previously hunched back straightened up again.
It's as if I've suddenly become much younger.
Galan seemed to see that spirited young man again.
--The boy who saved a girl he didn't know from the clutches of a vicious wolf.