It was dinnertime.
The members of the Record Society gathered in the first-floor dining room.
Old Jerry seemed to notice everyone was in low spirits, so he had gone out of his way to prepare a feast, hoping good food would lift the mood.
"Mr. Snowy Owl, in the movie... thank you."
Miss Seagull toyed with the medium steak on her plate with her fork. Biting her lip, she glanced up at Gilan, her eyes darting away as she quietly thanked him.
After an afternoon of rest, she was clearly feeling much better. Aside from her still-pale complexion, the phantom pain in her abdomen had also eased.
Mr. Stork and the others around the table all looked surprised.
They exchanged discreet glances.
Ever since Miss Seagull had joined the Record Society, the general impression she had made on the others was that she was cold, with a deep-rooted arrogance that slipped out unintentionally.
They hadn't expected her to have such a girlish side.
"We're all members of the Assembly. We should look out for one another."
Gilan ate a chicken pot pie and smiled faintly.
He didn't particularly like Miss Seagull. He was just in a good mood because he had made progress with the White Cross Body-Forging Technique, so he offered a polite, perfunctory response.
Just then, Old Jerry carried another platter over to Miss Seagull. With an exaggerated flourish, he lifted the metal lid to reveal a fist-sized piece of seared meat drizzled with coffee-colored sauce, its fragrant steam rising into the air.
"Roasted lamb kidney with truffle, specially prepared for Miss Seagull. Enjoy your meal."
Old Jerry clasped one hand behind his back and smiled.
But Miss Seagull wore a strange expression. She opened her mouth several times without speaking, then finally couldn't help explaining:
"I was only shot in the abdomen in the movie. I don't need..."
"Yeah, Mr. Snowy Owl punched me in the face, and it still hurts. You can't see anything wrong in real life, but we should be careful. Maybe my organs were damaged."
Mr. Oystercatcher pointed at his face with a hearty laugh, swallowing down a big mouthful of smoked fish bread.
He suddenly noticed Miss Seagull glaring at him.
"Ah, sorry... I mean, really, all we need is a few days' rest to recover. There doesn't seem to be any need for special food, either! Haha!"
Mr. Oystercatcher hurriedly changed his tune.
But Miss Seagull's expression had grown even darker.
Seeing that, he immediately clammed up and obediently returned to his meal.
"Mr. Snowy Owl, you can have it." Miss Seagull took a deep breath, controlling her anger, then pushed the platter toward Gilan and smiled. "Old Jerry's cooking is pretty good. Better than a lot of the high-end restaurants in Horst."
Mr. Stork and the others exchanged glances once again.
Was Miss Seagull... hinting at something?
"Hm?" Miss Seagull noticed their expressions and realized they had misunderstood her gesture. Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she gritted her teeth. "I just..."
"Thanks." Gilan accepted the platter and nodded.
Miss Seagull froze for a moment, then quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
As if to ease the awkwardness, Miss Sparrow quickly changed the subject.
"It's strange... Why were Mr. Oystercatcher and I the only ones affected by that unknown, mysterious force in the movie? You were all fine."
"I read the intelligence report. Nothing like this seems to have happened during your last exploration of Black Lake..." Gilan mused. "So it's very possible that you and Mr. Oystercatcher did something during this viewing that you hadn't done the last time."
Mr. Stork thought of something and spoke gravely.
"Miss Sparrow drank Fima's beverage, while Mr. Oystercatcher drank the inn's liquor."
Everyone froze.
Thinking it over, they realized he was right.
"So the drinks and alcohol in Fayelane Town have some kind of mysterious power that causes hallucinations?" Miss Sparrow's mouth fell open.
Gilan stopped eating and voiced a startling theory:
"Perhaps the suspicious person you saw on the second floor of the inn wasn't real at all. You might have both been hallucinating... Otherwise, there's no explaining how he suddenly disappeared."
"If your theory is right, Mr. Snowy Owl, then the most suspicious place is the Black Lake deep in Forest Park... From what I've found, the water sources for the local Bright Moon Beverage Factory and Black Lake Winery both connect to the underground river beneath the lake."
Mr. Stork furrowed his brow and spoke slowly.
At that moment, the members of the Assembly finally saw how the pieces fit together. Miss Sparrow cried out in surprise:
"What? So there's something wrong with the water in Black Lake?"
But then she thought it over and realized something didn't add up.
"But... the people in the tavern drank the alcohol too. Why weren't they affected?"
"No, it's not that the people in the tavern weren't affected by the alcohol. It's that the locals weren't affected."
Mr. Oystercatcher seemed to have suddenly figured it out. His eyes widened with surprise.
"Old Toto and the others were born and raised here, but we weren't. Pierre the sheriff and his people weren't locals either... We don't know exactly why, but it seems only outsiders are affected by the mysterious force."
"Then..." Mr. Stork's expression changed as he followed that line of reasoning. "The so-called 'Elixir of Immortality' could very well be nothing more than an illusion brought on by the lake water!"
"Anyone affected by the lake's mysterious power would see a piece of parchment about the 'Elixir of Immortality.' That would fill them with an overwhelming desire, driving them to kill and perform human sacrifices... Could this be the true reason the Lake God Cult came into being?"
"The local Tourism Bureau and Public Security Bureau are made up of outsiders. After being affected by the lake, they turned into vicious Cultists who worship the possibly nonexistent 'Lake God.' They joined forces to set a trap, loudly promoting Fayelane Town as a beautiful tourist destination to lure visitors here, then sought out suitable targets to hunt..."
"That would explain everything."
Miss Seagull nodded thoughtfully.
Everyone fell silent for a moment, apparently stunned by this theory.
"But there's no denying that a Demon really does live in Black Lake!"
Mr. Oystercatcher spoke gravely.
"We all saw it with our own eyes. It couldn't have been a hallucination... In the end, we have Mr. Snowy Owl to thank for staying behind alone and buying us time to return to reality."
"To reach Black Lake, we have to face the Demon." Mr. Stork massaged his temples, troubled. "But the few of us probably aren't strong enough to take it on."
Gilan, however, had an idea and suggested:
"Perhaps we can start with Pierre the sheriff and investigate the local Public Security Bureau and Tourism Bureau... If the Lake God Cult roams the woods, why aren't they attacked by the Demon? If the Demon considers those who drink the lake water and are affected by its mysterious power to be 'one of its kind,' then Mr. Oystercatcher and Miss Sparrow should have been treated the same way at the time, yet they were targets of the Demon's attack. So that theory doesn't hold up... The Lake God Cult must have some special method or means of avoiding the Demon."
"Mr. Snowy Owl makes a good point."
Mr. Stork thought it over for a moment.
"Next time we enter Black Lake, we'll split up and start by investigating the Public Security Bureau and the Tourism Bureau..."
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