But I Believe You

Search. Search.

But how were they supposed to search? Where were they supposed to look?

That was the question.

Linton turned his gaze toward the protagonist of this mission.

Ever since the girl had finished recounting her "glorious exploits," she had fallen into a dazed state. Her figure was also becoming increasingly transparent—her emotional turmoil was rapidly draining the magic that formed her spirit body.

He did not have much time left if he wanted to complete the second mission.

"Iris," Linton said gravely, "think about it. What information have we gathered since entering the village?"

"I don't believe anyone is born good, nor do I believe anyone is born with pure malice. There must have been a third party involved."

There was no way to tell who that third party was. Relying on his thoughts alone could easily leave gaps, but if Iris recalled what had happened, he could fill in the missing pieces as an observer.

Iris closed her eyes and carefully reviewed every scene in her memories.

"Since entering the village, in chronological order, we met the old woman, the middle-aged man, Bella, and those children. Aside from Bella, all of them were ordinary villagers affected by abnormal kindness."

"No, there were more than just them." Linton narrowed his eyes slightly. "There was also the merchant and the 'bad people' Bella mentioned."

"The merchant and the bad people?" Iris pondered for a moment. "Didn't you say merchants occasionally passed through here? They wouldn't stay long, so they shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Whether they were a problem or not could wait. First, we needed to separate them from our preconceived notions. As for the 'bad people'..."

Linton suddenly looked at the girl, his tone rising slightly.

"Bella!"

"Huh?"

Bella seemed startled and looked up blankly.

"Tell me, you said you led your parents to the bad people, right?"

"Yes."

"Had you ever left the village before?"

"No."

"Then how did you know there were bad people outside?"

Bella said blankly, "The merchant told me."

"The merchant said he encountered a group of bandits on his way into the village and nearly got captured by them. He also said those people were desperate criminals, and falling into their hands meant certain death."

"At the time, I was wondering how to deal with Mom and Dad, so..."

"Do you remember the way there?"

Bella nodded.

"Then lead the way."

Linton turned and walked out of the courtyard.

The girl timidly followed beside him. She instinctively wanted to reach for his hand, but suddenly remembered something and froze.

Yet when that hand, already beginning to turn transparent, was about to fall, it could no longer come down.

She abruptly looked up and saw a stern face devoid of sorrow or joy.

"Let's go."

Iris walked on Linton's left. Looking at the girl, whose complexion was clearly much better than before but who still did not dare speak, she frowned and asked,

"Since you know about her previous 'glorious record,' aren't you afraid she's lying to you?"

Linton chose his words carefully. "Iris, I think we can temporarily trust who she is now. Her current state is badly fractured. The malice that once occupied all of her emotions is no greater than the rest now—perhaps even less. In a sense, she may be more purely 'kind' than the villagers here."

He had never believed that a child could be born so utterly evil, especially after exchanging emotions with Bella.

Of course, Linton was no saint. He could not pity a murderer for no reason.

From the emotions flowing back to him, he could tell that all the traits a child should have possessed—innocence, liveliness, and so on—were completely absent, like ice cream scooped out with a spoon, leaving behind enormous hollows.

And the remaining malice was like an animal that had lost its natural predator. It began to breed and grow wildly, burying those great pits until it swallowed reason itself.

—This was absolutely the result of outside interference, not something natural.

The villagers were the same.

No one in the world would tolerate everything you did without distinguishing right from wrong—except parents.

However, Iris could not empathize with Bella. Faced with Linton's persuasion, she refused firmly.

"Sorry, but even if you say that, I can't give her even a sliver of trust. I can't believe someone who killed seventeen people simply because of her own preferences, even if she's a child."

"All right."

"But I believe you."

Linton was stunned by the sudden turn in the girl's words.

"Don't misunderstand. I mean, you're the one I'm loyal to. You may not trust me, but I must trust you completely." At the end, she added, "Loyalty is a quality every knight must possess."

Linton nodded, gentle ripples stirring in his eyes.

"Thank you."

"Tch."

Iris turned away, unwilling to let anyone see the delectable blush blooming across her lovely cheeks.

Bella had actually been watching their interaction the entire time with her head lowered. Hearing this, a trace of envy appeared in her eyes before quickly turning into loneliness.

As they passed the house where they had stayed the previous night, Linton suddenly stopped.

"Wait for me."

He knocked on the door several times. The one who opened it was still the same middle-aged man.

"You're back? Are you staying here again tonight? I can have my son sleep with us—"

"No need." Linton smiled. "May I ask, how often did that merchant who gave you candy usually come to the village? And how long did he stay?"

"Hiss... let me think."

The man racked his brains for a long time before slowly speaking. "The first time he came, I was only eight or nine. I think he stayed for nearly a month? After that, he came once or twice a year, staying around one or two weeks each time."

"That continued until about six years ago. After that, he never came again. New merchants have come by in the past two or three years, but they aren't part of the same group as that earlier one."

"Do you remember where he stayed back then?"

"Well..."

"Please, try to remember carefully!"

"All right."

The man strained his mind for a long while. "I don't think he stayed in the village. Every time, he came in from outside... I think from the west. Sorry, that's all I can remember."

"It's all right. You've already helped us tremendously."

After thanking him, Linton returned to the other two.

The doll-like young lady, who had heard the entire conversation, spoke first. "That merchant really is suspicious."

"That's right. And according to my guess, this 'merchant' is the key to everything." Linton spoke calmly. "If he warned Bella that there were bandits outside, bloodstained desperate criminals, then why would he risk his own safety to stay outside the village?"

"Perhaps we no longer need to look for the 'bad people.'"