An Unexpected Guest.

The sound of crying.

Although she wasn't Banshees, Maria had spent quite a bit of time living in the Banshee Court, so she knew some basic things.

The village chief, who was in charge, lit the bonfire in silence.

The flames grew larger and more intense, igniting black smoke that billowed into the sky.

Meanwhile, people silently led their loved ones to the fire...

The smell of wood was very strong, and the old man next to him would occasionally scatter some kind of dust with an extremely pungent odor, letting it burn completely to mask the smell of the people's flesh and blood being burned.

The ceremony lasted from the afternoon until late at night before finally ending.

Maria sang for a very long time, and even the Doctor standing nearby was somewhat surprised by Maria's abilities.

But at the same time, it also made her feelings for Maria increasingly ambiguous.

Clearly, Maria wasn't as cold as she appeared; she was actually a very sensitive and kind person...

This is completely different from the kind of behavior Kal'tsit described, such as swallowing human flesh and biting bones alive.

Before she could think further, the village chief invited Maria to talk to her on the other side.

Upon entering the village chief's small room, the thin, but sharp-eyed old man silently turned his head and looked at Maria.

"You're not Banshees, are you...?"

He spoke, his words immediately revealing Maria's identity, yet his tone remained respectful.

The Doctor, who was standing nearby, didn't notice this and his expression suddenly turned surprised and tense. He subconsciously moved a little closer to Maria.

"... Yes."

Maria did not deny this, and her attitude remained calm.

"Please don't mind me, I just want to know... After all, Banshees have always been so mysterious. I've heard that Banshees can be seen walking freely in the streets of Kazdel these days, but for us, the existence of Banshees is still quite surprising."

The old man spoke slowly, then looked at Maria beside him.

"I could see that you were quite puzzled when you were saying goodbye to those poor children... Perhaps I can explain some things to you... But before that, I still thank you very much for being there to say goodbye to them."

As the old man spoke, he slowly sat down on a chair to the side, looking somewhat weak.

Although he noticed the difference between Maria and the orthodox Banshees at first sight.

But considering the sorrowful expressions of the surrounding villagers, he hesitated for a moment before deciding not to deny these things.

Although the Banshees is fake... the story of the Banshees bidding farewell to the dead is also fake.

Its real purpose is simply to make people feel at ease.

In that case, it doesn't matter whether Maria was a real Banshees or not.

The main thing is that she does speak the language of the Banshees and wears Banshees clothing... The old man didn't even care how she knew these things; he just wanted the other villagers to believe what was going on.

"Um."

Maria nodded slightly, and after a brief moment of thought, she also asked a question.

"So... what happened to those bodies? They were all young laborers..."

Logically speaking, such a large-scale death toll must have been caused by some major event; if it wasn't a battle, then it must have been an uncontrollable event such as a plague or famine.

But there were no signs of a battle nearby...

But if it's categorized as a plague or famine, shouldn't the elderly and children be in even greater danger? Why are all the dead people she sees young people?

"..."

The old man was somewhat surprised that Maria's observation was so keen, noticing the anomaly almost immediately. He opened his mouth slightly in surprise, but soon that surprise turned into a long sigh. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke softly.

"They... are soldiers."

"Soldier?"

"Yes... soldiers conscripted by the Military Committee..."

The old man uttered a name that Maria recognized, and upon hearing it, Maria's brow furrowed visibly.

"Conscripted soldiers?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"It was probably... a few months ago, or three months ago if you really want to know."

The old man shook his head slightly, his words tinged with helplessness.

Maria, however, paused to consider the time.

Three months ago...

Three months ago was exactly when they left Kazdel.

In other words...

Were these young people recruited while they were evacuating?

Moreover, judging from the number of young people remaining in the village, one can guess that the number of people recruited by the other side is definitely not small.

Is this an isolated incident, or is it the norm?

If it's an isolated incident, it might be easier to explain, but if it's the norm... then why are they conscripting so many people?

The more Maria pondered it, the more she sensed that something was amiss.

She instinctively sensed that something was wrong, but she didn't know what it was, so she could only close her eyes in silence.

But then the Doctor suddenly spoke up and asked a question...

"How could you...?"

360

Chapter 360 Uninvited guest.

"Why aren't you Sarkaz?"

The Doctor asked a question, his words filled with oddities.

She now has a general understanding of the various races of Terra.

Therefore, she also knew that not all people in this world were like the Sarkaz, or even demons.

Most races are actually quite normal, and some are even almost indistinguishable from humans.

But... isn't this the sacred land of Kazdel, the Sarkaz?

Isn't the Sarkaz supposed to be very xenophobic?

Then why isn't the old man in front of you Sarkaz?

Judging from the rabbit ears on its head...

"Cautus?"

Maria blinked.

She was actually quite familiar with this rabbit-like species.

The main reason is that the first person she shared blood with in this world was a white Cautus.

Although the white Cautus didn't treat her very well, judging from how she treated her father and her subordinates, she was actually a very gentle person.

It's simply that I didn't like Maria's tough style back then.

"Yes."

The old man was actually taken aback for a moment when faced with the two people's questions.

It's not that I'm surprised they found out, but rather that they're only bringing it up now.

It's important to understand that Kazdel is not a very suitable place for other races to live in; 99% of the people living here are Sarkaz.

People like them, outsiders, are extremely rare, being outcasts among outcasts.

It's something that can be recognized at a glance.

He hadn't heard anyone's doubts about this before, and he had assumed that the two of them had accepted it.

But who would have thought... were these two simply unaware?

This is really...

The old man let out a helpless, silent laugh, but Maria frowned beside him.

The sudden discovery opened up her mind once again.

After a few moments of silence, she immediately asked another question.

Do you consider yourselves Sarkaz?

"... No, it won't."

The old man shook his head slightly.

"I came here because of the war years ago. Later, I had nowhere else to go, so I settled here. But even so, I still don't consider myself Sarkaz ... Younger people don't feel a sense of belonging to the Sarkaz either... It's not just because we are Cautus, but also because Kazdel has always been bound to the Sarkaz race. Even if we were willing to join, they would never accept us."

"... is that so."

Maria paused upon hearing the old man's words.

She also assumed that Theresis had deliberately recruited most of the young workforce here because he realized his methods wouldn't work for future operations, so he was following Theresa and starting to win over people from different races.

But now it seems... perhaps that's not the case.

After all, the fact that he was willing to recruit even someone like Cautus, who valued the concept of 'family' far more than 'nation,' proves that he wasn't recruiting these Cautus people with the goal of expanding his influence.

But... if that's not the case, then what else could it be?

Maria was momentarily confused about Theresis's purpose.

However, the old man clearly didn't care much about it... He just watched Maria's thoughtful expression, lit a pipe of tobacco for himself, and then slowly spoke.

"More importantly, I haven't asked you two why you came here. Although our village is close to the main road, it's still quite a distance away. Normal people wouldn't come here specifically for that."

As he spoke, he squinted, as if he were being suffocated by the wispy clouds and smoke.

But Maria noticed that the other person's eyes were constantly squinting as they observed the two of them.

"... it's just to find a carpenter."

Perhaps sensing that Maria was deep in thought and needed quiet, or perhaps feeling that he needed to actively engage with the outside world, the Doctor spoke up at this moment, taking the initiative to initiate the conversation.

"Our carriage encountered some problems while traveling in the area, resulting in damaged wheel rims that need to be replaced... If necessary, temporary repairs are acceptable."

"I see."

Upon hearing the Doctor speak, the old man hesitated for a few moments before nodding slightly.

"We used to be carpenters around here. Although we've been out of work for a while, if we're looking, we might be able to find suitable replacements for you. Even if we can't find any... we may be old, but we're still quite nimble. You can start again the day after tomorrow at the latest."

He coughed a few times as he spoke.

He choked on the smoke... but judging from the fluency of his gestures, he probably hadn't smoked a pipe in a long time, which is why he had this problem.

It was only recently that we started again.

Maria blinked, but didn't say anything.

The Doctor, however, failed to notice these small details. Her entire attention was focused on what the old man had said about the existence of a matching device, and her expression brightened slightly.

"Very good!"

The old man spoke slowly while puffing on his pipe.

"You can stay here tonight... but it would be best to drive your pack animal caravan to the center of the village; our men are all over here."

"Um?"

The old man's deliberate reminder puzzled the Doctor.

But the old man continued to speak in his slightly hoarse voice.

"I don't know if you've noticed that gravel road on the edge of town..."