Chapter 11: Discussion and Exploration

After recounting this sudden and inexplicable encounter, Miss Edwina looked at the black-haired girl tapping her chin on the table as if seeking help.

“So that’s how it is, Miss Vilyric. While I did some thinking on the way here and came up with a few speculations, they all seem rather unreasonable, so I hope to gather your opinions.”

“My opinion, huh…”

Miss Vilyric pondered before answering, smiling as she scanned the room filled with people.

“Since we’re all here, why not share our thoughts? Collaboration can yield better insights!”

“Oh! That’s true! As expected of Miss Vilyric!”

The Holy Knight, involved in the matter, nodded vigorously, wearing a face that said, “Exactly!” However, in reality, the Priestess responded similarly no matter what, so it didn’t carry much weight.

The other girls exchanged glances, and it was ultimately Tilysha who shivered and couldn’t hold back any longer.

“It must be a haunting! This has to be a haunting, right, Miss Vilyric! I’ve heard of a story called ‘Ghost Wall,’ and it’s very similar to what Miss Edwina described!”

“Okay, good. Next speaker, please.”

The Priestess calmly motioned for the one who provided no constructive input to sit down before looking at Leila beside her.

“I think it might be some illusion magic. Edwina may not have actually left Demon Town at all.”

That response… was quite routine and sounded somewhat plausible; clearly, Leila had genuinely thought it through.

But before Miss Vilyric could speak, Edwina shook her head immediately in denial.

“I considered that possibility too, but Holy Knights are blessed by the Goddess, making them highly resistant to illusions and abnormal magic. Moreover, everything in that misty mountain was very real—it didn’t seem fake at all.”

“Plus, there’s one more important point. If it were an illusion, unless everyone nearby was trapped in it, how could no one notice me standing there for so long?”

“Well… speaking of that…”

Miss Vilyric chimed in appropriately.

“Didn’t you ask the nearby witnesses for their accounts? How did you appear from their perspective?”

This question was clearly anticipated by Edwina, who nodded immediately.

“I asked, but that area was somewhat secluded and I heard it was under curfew that afternoon for some reason. Most people didn’t go out, which is probably why it felt particularly quiet to me. By the time I returned to Demon Town, the curfew had already been lifted, but to those residents, I just seemed to pop out of a remote corner, rather than standing still.”

“A curfew, huh…”

It seems something indeed happened there; Edwina’s experience might not have been coincidental.

At this moment, the relatively shy younger sister Renée tentatively guessed.

“Could it be spatial magic? Perhaps someone teleported you to that place, and after a while, brought you back… or something?”

That was even less likely. Miss Vilyric outright rejected it and provided a brief explanation.

“Spatial teleportation has a clear process; it’s impossible to suddenly appear or disappear without warning. Short-range instant movement in space might be possible, but the scenes Edwina described clearly went beyond Demon Town.”

Finally, the Priestess turned her gaze to the Little Dragon Daughter beside her.

“Xiao Guang, what do you think?”

“…A small dimensional space, perhaps.”

“Uh-huh! As expected of you, just like what I was thinking! Our little Xiao Guang has become smarter too—rewarded with a head pat!”

Miss Vilyric happily lifted her head to rub the Giant Dragon’s head, while the latter leaned contentedly against her owner, narrowing her eyes and purring.

Clearly, the focus shifted to this so-called reward, with everyone’s eyes widening in unison. Even Edwina, the victim, was quietly muttering something enviously like, “Wow! I really want Miss Vilyric to pat my head like that…”

“Ahem…”

Feeling a bit embarrassed under those envious and expectant gazes, Miss Vilyric could only end the interaction with her pet early, drawing back the topic as the dragon looked unsatisfied.

“All in all, from Edwina’s description, my preliminary conclusion is that it could be a chance occurrence or that certain individuals deliberately sent her into a special small dimensional space, where she was trapped for a while before coming out… of course, this is just speculation and may not reflect the truth.”

“A small dimensional space…? Do you mean something like a reflection of the Forgotten Land?”

Edwina, having personally experienced events in the Forgotten Land in the United Kingdom, immediately understood, reflecting thoughtfully.

“Not completely off the mark; while we have some leisure, let’s finish our meal and head to the place you mentioned and see if we can find any clues.”

After that, the waiters began serving the dishes, and the group shifted topics, sharing their observations since parting, especially after hearing Miss Vilyric recount the potential connections between the official updates and the current situation, and their expressions varied accordingly.

After a satisfying meal, the group took advantage of the dimming night and followed Edwina to the spot where she encountered the strange event.

This was the north side of Demon Town, at the end of a small street, not overly bustling but still populated. Even at night, various night stalls and lit shops lined the roadside.

“Miss Vilyric, it’s right around here. All those shops were closed, and there weren’t many pedestrians. It was when I felt the surrounding area turn strangely quiet that the environment and scenery suddenly changed.”

“Uh-huh…”

Focusing on the Holy Knight standing in the night, Miss Vilyric frowned slightly.

The position where Edwina stood wasn’t in the central area of the street but wasn’t exceptionally secluded either. If one paid attention, it should be noted quickly, so the idea of an illusion can probably be dismissed entirely.

Moreover, this street only had two main paths heading north and south, with only dead-end alleys branching off. If the authorities were enforcing a curfew here, the first thing that came to Miss Vilyric’s mind was activities such as capturing something.

What were they looking to catch?

And why was Edwina suddenly teleported into a small dimensional space?

It was too early to judge, after all; merely relying on that Holy Knight’s description might not reveal the full event; her observations must contain biases and subjectivity.

If only a personal experience could clarify everything.

Regrettably, the group wandered around the vicinity for quite a while without encountering any notable anomalies. Consulting local residents yielded no valuable clues either; they only knew that they were prohibited from going out in the afternoon, but didn’t have any comprehensive understanding of the reasons.

The misty mountains sounded more like Edwina’s own imagination.

However, Miss Vilyric knew this individual wasn’t one to speak recklessly. The sweat on the Holy Knight when they met in the evening was solid proof, suggesting that there likely existed some kind of suppressive effect akin to a Law within that mountain.

The Priestess had also attempted to dive deeper into the investigation using SP discreetly, but still found nothing—this was indeed an utterly normal space, without any hidden entrances.

“Eh? Miss Vilyric, look, what’s this?”

Suddenly, Tilysha’s puzzled exclamation drew attention, and everyone crowded around to see her crouched beside a roadside plant, lightly rubbing her finger against the bark of the tree.

   

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