Back then, he had searched everywhere like a madman, but he had found neither a living soul nor even a single body.
Overwhelmed with grief, he had reported it to the police. Yet even after spending days investigating his home, they had found no clues and ultimately ruled it an attack by wild animals.
But there were no wild animals anywhere near his home. That explanation could not possibly have been true.
Then he remembered the local legends he had never believed in and was forced to connect the incident to demons. From that day on, he firmly believed demons existed. He told everyone he met that demons had killed his family and warned them to be on their guard, but no one believed him. They simply thought the tragedy had dealt him such a devastating blow that he had lost his mind.
After years of being disbelieved, he stopped saying much about it. Once the grief had passed, life still had to go on. He remained a traveling merchant, making a living by selling little trinkets from place to place, with no fixed home.
Although he no longer wanted to bring it up, he still offered a few words of warning whenever he met someone traveling at night, hoping no one else would be killed by demons. He had lived alone like that for more than a decade.
Something in the old man's eyes moved Chiba Yo. After a moment's hesitation, he accepted the Jade Pendant the old man held out to him.
"Thank you. I'll take good care of it," Chiba Yo said, looking at the old man.
Seeing Chiba Yo accept the Jade Pendant, the old man smiled, as though a weight had been lifted from his heart.
"That's good..." the old man murmured, then looked up