Beyond the Eternity

Like that, we set out to investigate the mysterious phenomenon that threatened to bring ruin to the entire village. The party speculated on possible causes, perhaps a monster attack, a raid by bandits, or the presence of a hidden enemy. But these were merely fragments of countless possibilities, which were as likely to be true as it was to be false.

The trial's setting was a secluded village nestled deep within the mountains.

There was countless possibilities that could be considered.

Firstly, if monsters were responsible, there would have been signs of their presence lingering around the vicinity prior to the attack. However, given the atmospheric conditions, only a few monsters could adapt to such extreme cold. Even if such creatures existed, there would have been evidence—tracks, corpses, or other traces.

Yet, when we questioned the village chief, he simply stated that the hunting squad had reported nothing unusual. With that, the possibility of a monster attack was discarded.

Secondly, if the culprit was a bandit raid, then their approach would have been different. Under normal circumstances, bandits don't attack immediately as they usually targeted wealthy individuals, caravans, or villages with something valuable to steal.

Of course, there were exceptions like those who kidnapped women and children for slavery or other depraved reasons, or those who caused destruction for the sake of chaos.

Given these possibilities, it was difficult to determine whether bandits were truly responsible.

Finally, there was the possibility of a hidden enemy within the village, which was the most dangerous scenario of all.

Not only would we have no way of identifying the true threat, but we also couldn't gauge their strength. Worse yet, the enemy could observe us without revealing their presence, putting us at a serious disadvantage.

Truly, this was a complicated predicament we found ourselves in.

After separating to question the villagers about any strange activities, the group gathered at the meeting spot. Unsurprisingly, none of them had good news.

"It's just as you said, Jakga-ssi. None of the villagers know anything."

"Same here."

"Me too. But some of them were really nice and even offered me fruits."

"Miyuki, you didn't accept it, right?"

"Of course not! Obviously, I wouldn't take things from strangers! Nee-san would kill me if she found out."

"Uh… I don't think that's the reason she's asking you that…"

Hearing the party members speak among themselves eased my heart a little, but the situation remained unchanged.

None of the villagers seemed to know anything. At the very least, there didn't appear to be anything noticeable in the first place, so it was natural that we would be stuck and we couldn't make progress without any relevant information or clues.

Certainly, intellectual scenarios were far more difficult to clear than fighting a few ugly monsters.

... I wonder what Soo Jinyoung would do in this scenario?

Perhaps she could identify the culprit using the Demon Dragon Eyes, but execution would be the real problem. Then again, what the hell do I know? She might act completely differently in this situation.

In any case, what now? The villagers might grow hesitant if we keep asking the same questions, so we need an outside perspective.

I glanced up at the frosty sky, my thoughts feeling clouded. Even in a place like this, surely, they would be watching.

[The constellations are looking at you.]

There were three rules restricting a challenger's performance in the Tower, but none prevented them from asking the constellations for hints.

After a brief moment of hesitation, I opened my mouth and asked,

"Dear constellations, do you have any clues on how to resolve this mystery?"

[Some constellations are pondering your question.]

[Some constellations are hesitating to answer.]

[The constellation 'Primordial Mother of Dragons' suggests killing any suspicious person.]

Thank you for the advice, but unfortunately, that won't do.

['The constellation that loves mysteries' suggests that the village chief might be the culprit.]

A mystery-loving constellation? Was it anything like that constellation obsessed with gender-changing?

Hmm. Suspecting the village chief had certainly crossed my mind, but how was I supposed to approach this? I could use my authority as a noble, but my instincts told me he might not be the culprit.

How could this constellation accuse that poor old man? I just don't see it.

[The constellation 'Judge of War and Wisdom' is looking at you.]

Ah, yes. This was exactly the goddess I needed at the moment.

While ancient mythology often referred to Athena as the Goddess of War, she was primarily known as the Goddess of Wisdom and Craft.

…Wait, now that I think about it, wouldn't her wisdom lean more toward strategy rather than mystery-solving?

Either way, she would certainly have some useful insight, right?

[The constellation 'Judge of War and Wisdom' averts her gaze.]

Eh? What was this? Did something happen on her end?

Ah… could it be that I was being ignored because I had decided to create my own Guild? As expected of a constellation from Olympus. Or… was it because she didn't know the answer herself?

[The constellation 'Architect of Destruction' is looking at you.]

Oh, this constellation. Let's see what they has to say.

[The constellation 'Architect of Destruction' suggests that the answer you seek might be something irrelevant.]

Something irrelevant? What exactly did they mean?

Perhaps it was referring to the information given by the villagers. Naturally, there would be an endless amount of useless gossip among them, but the real question was out of all that worthless chatter, which piece of information was actually useful?

…And I didn't have the luxury of aimlessly talking to villagers until something valuable surfaced.

Raising my head, I saw Lee Suhye, Jung Yunhee, Miyuki, and Yoo Jinsung.

They had also spoken with the villagers. Maybe, at some point during their conversations, they had dismissed something crucial spoken by the villagers as meaningless.

Yes, yes, that should be the case!

With a newfound sense of urgency, I gathered the party's attention.

"Everyone, think carefully. Did the villagers mention anything—anything at all—that seemed unimportant or unrelated to the case?"

The group exchanged glances, their brows furrowing in thought.

Jung Yunhee was the first to respond. "Most of what they said was just everyday complaints… things about the weather, their crops, and minor disputes between families."

"No, that's just utterly meaningless conversation."

"Well, you're the one who asked, yes?"

"Ehm... I wasn't talking about that. I meant something strange—like someone acting out of place or something of great importance going missing."

Then, after saying that, I turned to the rest of the group and asked,

"So what about you guys? Did the villagers tell you anything that fits that description?"

Yoo Jinsung answered first. "I think I overheard one of the villagers grumbling about the well freezing over more often than usual."

"The well?"

Certainly, that was completely natural in extreme cold. Even so, there might be something strange going on over there, so let's mark that for later.

Afterward, Miyuki raised her hand and added,

"Oh, I think I heard one of the villagers, an elderly lady, complaining about her cat suddenly dying…"

"A cat?"

"Yes. She said it just fell from somewhere high and… died. She buried the cat's corpse behind her house."

That was certainly odd. Cats were known for their agility and balance, often landing on their feet even from great heights. For one to fall to its death like that… something seemed really off.

If it was a great enough height, then naturally, it could have died upon impact. But why would a cat that was usually cautious enough to navigate rooftops without issue suddenly fall? Disease? A hidden force? A timely curse?

That incident alone warranted an investigation, though it still lacked the right amount of ominousness to be the key clue.

Lastly, I turned my gaze to Lee Suhye and asked, "What about you? Can you remember anything?"

"Well, that's a bit difficult." She scratched the back of her head. "Those old geezers really love to talk, so there was a lot of irrelevant information."

"I see. Then it can't be helped."

"Ah, wait…"

Lee Suhye's eyes suddenly lit up as if she had remembered something truly important. Her expression turned hopeful, so I decided to hear her out.

I asked expectantly, "What is it?"

"One of the villagers mentioned a certain family of three; a father, mother, and daughter."

"Yes? What about them?"

Lee Suhye swiftly gave a rather detailed explanation.

"The father of that family reported a theft to the village chief. He recalled hearing a strange noise outside the window, and their door was suddenly blown open, maybe by the windstorm. When the couple fearfully stepped out of their room, they realized that the Magic Furnace, which regulated temperature by providing heat, was missing. Outside, there were footprints… but they had already been partially covered by the snow."

I nodded.

"Hmm. Interesting. That is indeed strange. What did the village chief say in response to this report?"

Lee Suhye crossed her arms and her brow furrowed in thought.

"From what I heard, the village chief seemed to dismiss the whole thing as an unfortunate accident. He told them that the windstorm probably knocked the door open and that some desperate villager must have taken the Magic Furnace to survive the cold."

"That's quite the convenient explanation."

Yoo Jinsung frowned. "Wait... if the Magic Furnace was stolen, why didn't they sound an alarm or organize a search? That thing is essential in this weather. They should've been more urgent about it."

"Right?" Lee Suhye nodded in agreement. "The family was angry, but with no clues and no one willing to help, they could only endure."

No. That was not possible.

Enduring this extreme cold without a Magic Furnace was unthinkable and more importantly, unreasonable. The natural body alone could not withstand these temperatures, especially not a child's. At best, they would suffer frostbite before morning. At worst, they would freeze to death before midnight.

Moreover, if a villager had stolen it, the village chief would have acted immediately. A search would have been authorized, homes would have been inspected one by one, and when the culprit was found, they would face punishment at the hands of the Executioner.

Something didn't add up.

I tapped my fingers against my arm and quickly processed through all the facts inside my head.

A theft occurring in the middle of a storm. A missing Magic Furnace. Footprints leading away, erased by snowfall. A well freezing over despite the presence of magic-based heat sources. And a cat suddenly falling to its death.

The more I thought about it, the more these incidents painted an eerie picture.

Something unnatural was definitely happening here, but which of them was true?

"...We're checking the family's house," I decided. "There might still be traces left behind. If the Magic Furnace was stolen, we need to know why."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Let's move," I said, turning toward the village.