Those Living in the Past: Mysterious Little Girl (33)

The story began a week before the Marines received the notification, when the quiet town of Kolkra on Korkura Island welcomed two unusual visitors.

One was petite and delicate, around ten years old. The other wore a mask, its exquisite and ornate patterns declaring that its wearer was no ordinary person.

The combination of costly, luxurious clothing and a young girl quickly drew the attention of the island's thugs. That day, they sneaked into the inn, intending to kidnap the little girl and force the man to pay a ransom.

Then...

There was no then.

The town sheriff did not discover the thugs' bodies until the following evening, at the edge of a remote forest. Although everyone hated the gang of criminals who had terrorized the town, they also feared the culprit who had slaughtered them so easily.

Of course, the townspeople did not yet know that the pair of old and young visitors were the killers.

On the third day, perhaps because they had failed to find what they were looking for, the two paid a visit to the mayor. The mayor warmly welcomed them inside.

The mayor's greed was renowned throughout the town, so no one found this surprising.

Until the fourth day, when the mayor's wife returned from an outing and discovered that the mayor had been nailed to the wall of his study. The entire mansion had been ransacked as though burglars had torn through it.

At that point, the town erupted in uproar.

Since the town was small, the residents quickly confirmed that the only missing people were the old man and little girl. The mayor's wife immediately declared them the murderers and ordered the security force to search the mountains.

And they actually found them in the forest.

But it was utterly useless...

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