Chapter 105: The Cabin in the Woods and Wind Chimes

Since simple brute force methods can’t be casually used, we’ll have to think of another approach.

“Aiste, do you know where Iwen went after the negotiations? Did she return to the Puppeteer Clan’s residence?”

“You’re overthinking it, Miss Vilyric… She’s still at the Magical Beast Fortress handling the arrangements for the first batch of humans returning the magical beasts. I hear she’s been busy every day and hardly has time to leisurely go home for a nap…”

With a flicker of light, the Mage Wolf transformed back into her tall, mature form and helplessly shook her head.

“And Iwen is a wandering member of the Puppeteer Clan, without a fixed home. I heard she left her clan’s territory many years ago.”

“I see. Are there any other great magical generals in the Puppeteer Clan?”

On this question, Aiste hesitated, seemingly unsure.

“It’s hard to say. Their clan is quite low-profile. Iwen is well-known mainly because she’s been traveling for years and has exceptional strength. It’s possible they have more hidden experts; after all, nobody would reveal all their trump cards to outsiders.”

“That’s true…”

In any case, let’s proceed first. The forest looks quite peaceful and serene, not as if it’s encountered some upheaval. Plus, given the Puppeteer’s appearance, they shouldn’t be living in caves like mountain wolves or anything strange.

Stepping into the tranquil forest, although it was still a sunny afternoon outside, the overlapping shade of the trees above grew denser as we advanced. The light gradually dimmed; it didn’t reach the point of being pitch black at night, but it certainly added an air of mystery to the surroundings.

However, it was clear that there were signs of habitation here. Not only were many trees visibly pruned, but there were even beautifully paved paths made of blue stones in the woods.

As Vilyric and the others walked along the path, after about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, they spotted the first building by the roadside.

It was a single-story cabin made of wood, painted a somewhat cute pinkish-white color with some sort of paint, and a handmade wind chime hung on the door, swaying gently in the forest breeze, producing a crisp tinkling sound.

“Aiste, is this a house where the Puppeteer Clan lives?”

“Uh, sorry, Miss Vilyric. I’ve only heard there are Puppeteers living here, but I’ve never been here myself…”

“I knew it… never mind.”

“Um…”

Arriving at the front of the cabin, the black-haired girl glanced around for a while before hesitating to knock on the door. Instead, she tiptoed, seemingly trying to touch the small wind chime hanging from the eaves, but due to her height, she could only try a few times before giving up in disappointment.

However, the little Dragon Daughter, who had already grasped the situation, was quick to react, and only she would dare to act at this moment. She picked up the petite Priestess and lifted her gently.

“Whoa! Xiao Guang, what are you doing all of a sudden?!”

Startled, Vilyric flailed her arms in protest, but since Xiao Guang didn’t do anything further strange, she merely accepted it.

“Mm? I saw the owner clearly wanted to touch that thing, so isn’t this a good way to do it? Or did I misunderstand your intention, and my action upset you?”

“Um, um… it’s not that I’m upset; it’s just you could’ve told me in advance. This position is too embarrassing, it feels like being held like a child…”

Even though her rebuttal was huffy, the Priestess’s voice grew quieter as she spoke until only she and the Dragon Daughter, who was right in front of her, could hear.

Yet, the latter didn’t let go of her grasp; instead, facing the slightly flushed cheeks of her embarrassed owner, she showed a rare smile and lifted her up a bit more.

“So, does the owner still want to touch it?”

“Uh, what does ‘want to touch’ mean?!”

Damn it, what is this shameful play? Leila, why do you look so envious over there? And that Holy Knight, don’t you dare write this down! Do you believe I won’t burn that stupid book of yours one day?!

Feeling the increasingly bizarre atmosphere that had veered off course, Vilyric quickly flicked the nearby wind chime, producing another round of crisp sounds. The Dragon Daughter finally set her back down, though a hint of a smile lingered on her face, suggesting she was actually in quite a good mood.

“Jingle jingle~ Jingle jingle~”

The soft sound of the wind chime echoed through the quiet forest. Vilyric just sorted out her slightly disheveled white robe when the wooden door of the cabin was gently pushed open, and a young girl in a green dress slowly walked out.

“I’m coming, I’m coming~ Huh? Why is it so lively outside?”

Noticing the unfamiliar faces and their dignified demeanor, the girl paused for a moment, and after glancing up at the gently swaying wind chime, she suddenly straightened her posture and elegantly performed a flawless greeting.

“What a surprise to see another batch of outsiders… Dear guests, what brings you to the Puppeteer Forest unexpectedly?”

Although the girl promptly acted politely, as she stepped out from the cabin, Vilyric suddenly froze. She turned in confusion, intending to ask the Mage Wolf with her eyes, only to find that the latter wore a similarly bewildered expression.

“Iwen? Shouldn’t you still be at the Magical Beast Fortress? How come…”

“Oh? Hehe, I see~”

Upon witnessing this, the girl who looked exactly like Iwen smiled as if understanding, easing some of the vigilance hidden deep in her eyes, and in a voice as melodious as the skies, she softly spoke.

“It seems you are a friend of Sister Iwen. I thought you were another sketchy character from last time… How embarrassing. My name is Inee, the current clan leader of the Puppeteer Clan. While I may look similar to Sister Iwen, there’s a reason for that; in short, we are indeed two different individuals.”

“I see, a pleasure to meet you~”

That makes sense; they are Puppeteers after all. It seems hard to judge them with a normal biological perspective.

However, this clan leader girl… has quite a different personality from that Iwen. Although they both give a warm, reliable feeling, the latter is clearly more vibrant and approachable, while Inee gives off a lazy vibe as if she can’t muster the energy, or perhaps describing her as “melancholic” would be more appropriate?

Unable to suppress her curiosity, the Priestess bluntly asked.

“My name is Vilyric… So, what’s your relationship with Iwen? Sisters? Or how exactly are you Puppeteers born?”

“You really are direct, huh? Well, that’s not really a secret… Since you’re Sister Iwen’s friend, I don’t mind telling you.”

The Inee girl from the Puppeteer Clan didn’t seem to have any intention of inviting everyone inside, just standing at the door to explain.

“Basically, we Puppeteers are dolls that have gained self-awareness. Since we’re dolls, there must be a creator. In fact, all of our kind are semi-living beings crafted based on a certain woman using special methods, and it seems our ‘Father’ wanted to use this method to recreate the body of that deceased woman and retrieve that elusive soul.”

“I and Sister Iwen were manufactured from the same batch of dolls, with almost no differences in our data, so it’s no surprise we look alike. Is that satisfactory?”

“Um, um…”

Another hopeless romantic pursuing the resurrection of the deceased… I must say, emotions like love truly provide a strong motivation. This person took it a step further and even created an entire special race because of it.

Vilyric couldn’t help but ponder.

“Then in the end…”

“Hm? Oh, you mean the ‘Father.'”

The self-aware doll girl suddenly burst into laughter, and from that sound, Vilyric distinctly heard a hint of mockery.

“Of course, he utterly failed. By the time we were born, ‘Mother’ had already been dead for nearly a hundred years. They couldn’t even find her body, so how could they possibly bring her back to life?”

   

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