Swamp People

"Jacob..."

The one-eyed old man leaned on his cane, muttering softly, "It's been such a long time since I've heard that name..."

The person sitting on the sofa chatting with Iver was a short and thin old man.

His cheeks were sunken, and his pursed lips gave him a harsh look. His long, horse-like face had become withered, and a prosthetic eye resembling a gray glass bead was embedded in his left eye... just like the one used by the Old Inspector William.

His hunched body looked precarious, and he even walked with a limp. His withered arms were even thinner than the cane he was using, making him look like a skeleton covered in human skin.

This gentryman of Eagle Cape Village is the richest man in the village, and also possibly one of the most cultured.

Although Iver had no idea where his money came from or why he lived in a remote area like Eagle Cape Village where even newspapers couldn't be delivered immediately...

However, judging from the carpets in his room, the paintings on the walls, and the few antiques and handicrafts in the room, his wealth was at least equivalent to that of a well-off merchant on Glass Island.

Iver ' classmate, John Aiden, came from an antique business. This country gentleman was roughly at that level.

What surprised Lily the most was that... this country gentleman's house didn't have a single servant.

Even disregarding professional male and female servants, there wasn't even a butler or hired maids and cooks.

Keep in mind, this old man looks to be in his early eighties, and he even needs a cane to walk! Let alone taking care of the house, he probably can't even take care of himself anymore.

But when Lily scanned the room with her professional eye, she found that the empty house was surprisingly free of dust.

It's impossible for it to be completely absent, but there aren't many either. It's probably as if it was thoroughly cleaned yesterday.

"Did they just happen to miss it when they arrived?" Lily wondered.

The squire pondered for a long while before slowly speaking, "You are Jacob's grandson... right? Although you are not Alexander, you... do look very alike..."

"Yes."

Iver nodded slightly, turning his body to get closer to the old man. "This time, I also want to follow in my grandfather's footsteps and seek memories of the past."

"My grandfather left me with too many secrets... I have to go there myself. Otherwise, I really can't rest easy."

At this point, Iver changed the subject. "I heard that my grandfather came here more than ten or twenty years ago?"

"Who told you that?"

The squire, however, countered, "Is it William? Or Hai Na?"

Isn't that so?

"Of course not."

The squire replied, "Old Jacob was the first outsider to come here."

"... The first one?"

"That's right. He first came here... I've forgotten exactly when. But it must have been sixty years ago... Anyway, a few days before William came here."

After thinking for a moment, the squire confirmed, "Yes, I remember correctly. He was the first one to arrive, and William arrived not long after he left."

Iver asked, "Did Grandfather also come through that swamp?"

"No, it's Small Forest Path."

The local gentry answered bluntly, "Both times he entered, he came through a side path."

"... But I've heard that outsiders all come in through the swamp road."

"And what about you?"

The old gentry retorted, "Didn't you also come in through the main gate?"

"We are because..."

Halfway through his speech, Iver suddenly realized something.

Why were they able to walk in through the main gate? It was because Hai Na led the way, and also because the kind-hearted townspeople of Bagpipe Town gave them directions.

So, that's how Jacob got in back then?

But why did he emphasize that they didn't come in from the swamp? Iver suddenly realized. "Did people only start entering the swamp after Grandfather arrived?"

The old man looked deeply at Iver with his sunken eyes.

"You don't need to test me. I'll tell you what I can, kid."

The old man paused with his cane, then lowered his head, lost in deep memories.

He was silent for a moment before speaking, "To be more precise... it's not that outsiders can't enter through the main gate. It's that people who come in from the swamp can't leave."

"...Why?"

Iver had a vague premonition of the truth.

"Because they've all died once already."

The old local gentry bluntly stated. "They are all spirits resurrected from the swamp."

On the other hand, Sherlock and Hai Na's questioning also encountered difficulties.

They went to another blacksmith shop in the village.

Unlike Hai Na's father's blacksmith shop, which had closed down... the furnace here was running normally, and there were some customers coming and going.

When Hai Na entered, there were guests talking to the blacksmith.

"I want to give the sickle a new head."

"Your head is alright... I'll have someone grind it down a bit more, don't replace it."

"Sure, I'll treat you to drinks tomorrow."

The blacksmith leaned his elbow against the counter, chatting happily with a customer.

He was dressed in thin clothes, yet he was still drenched in sweat. The air was thick with heat, and the clanging of hammers clattered as apprentices swung them around.

The middle-aged blacksmith, who was about forty or fifty years old, was wearing an overcoat that looked like an old women's apron, which made him look somewhat comical.

Seeing Hai Na push open the door and enter, the blacksmith and the guest turned around together.

"Hey, little Hai Na!"

The blacksmith greeted him warmly, "I heard you were back—why are you only coming to see me now?"

The guest greeted Hai Na with a cheerful smile, "Graduated? Are you leaving again this time? Are you married? Have you found a boyfriend? You're already twenty-two, a grown woman, you can't put it off any longer."

"What are you saying? I just got back a day ago! I just caught a break and came right away."

Hai Na was a little overwhelmed by the direct and sudden pressure to get married, and could only cover her forehead with a headache. "If I'm going... of course I'll still go, but I'm just coming back to visit... Grandpa, what's wrong with you! I'm in the prime of my career, how can I have time for romance? — By the way, have you seen my Griffin? She's super cute! Should I bring her out for you to see?"

"Oh, I see it! I see it! It's so big! How come I can't see it? You're like William who caught a big fish, wandering around the village with it..."

Laughter and cheerful voices immediately filled the blacksmith's shop.

But as the old man, carrying the sharpened sickle, passed by Hai Na and the others, his expression suddenly changed.

"... You guys went to the swamp?"

The old man lowered his voice, glanced at Sherlock, and his expression immediately turned serious. "You brought this back from the swamp?"

"I did go there... to reminisce about my childhood. But it got foggy inside, and it felt a bit dangerous, so I came back."

Hai Na explained, casually telling a lie.

—If this were in the past, she would never have been able to lie so fluently.

It's all Mr. Iver's fault for corrupting me...

Hai Na muttered to herself.

Iver was particularly good at lying without batting an eye.

Perhaps it was because he was handsome... Hai Na thought it was cool! So she would subconsciously think and imitate him when no one was around, figuring out how she would answer if she were in the same situation. As a result, over time, she can now lie without batting an eye.

... This can probably be considered a kind of growth that can be achieved in a big city.

Upon hearing Hai Na's words, the old man breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh, you went together? Then everything's alright... You didn't encounter any other undead, did you?"

--Um?

Sherlock raised an eyebrow, realizing something.

What does that mean? Does it mean that only locals can encounter "Swamp People"?

What were those Swamp People? But he didn't make a sound; instead, he listened quietly from the side.

"We encountered them, but we took them down."

"Oh my, little Hai Na has grown up... She can take down such a powerful undead all by herself..."

The old man chatted happily with Hai Na again.