Chapter 657: Night

The Pied Piper continued to travel with the boy, showing and teaching him many things.

How to play the flute.

“Yes, that’s how you play it. Doesn’t it sound prettier now?”

How to carve a flute.

“I’ll give my first creation to Dad.”

There were times he almost accidentally taught the boy Dark Magic.

“Other than playing the flute, I want to learn that too.”

“What do you mean by ‘that’?”

“The thing that deals with emotions like… this and that.”

“…Can you see that now?”

“Yeah! But it looks like other kids can’t see it. Even if I tell them, they don’t get it.”

The boy pouted his lips.

“They’re so dumb. How can they not see something this obvious?”

“…”

“Other adults are the same. They say they can’t play the flute like Dad.”

“…”

“And they can’t use Dark Magic either.”

The Pied Piper placed his hand on the boy’s head, who was speaking in a grumpy tone.

“Actually, Dad isn’t very good at Dark Magic.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I only learned the basics before I gave up… even if I could use it, it wouldn’t make me any better.”

“Why not?”

“Because those people can farm.”

“Is that amazing?”

“It’s definitely amazing. Everyone is good at different things, but we’re all equally amazing. Do you know why?”

“No.”

“Because your mom told me so.”

“Really…?”

“Yes, really… when I was struggling, your mom told me that. It was your mom who taught me to play the flute.”

“Really?!”

“Yes, really… Should I teach you Dark Magic instead of the flute?”

“No! I like the flute!!”

“Alright, then I’ll teach you a new song today. It goes like this-”

“-Dad.”

“Yes?”

“Can you tell me about Mom next?”

“…”

“I want to hear about Mom.”

“…I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you about Mom.”

The Pied Piper said as he patted the boy’s head.

Time passed, and they arrived at a small village.

“Get lost before I punish you!”

A grumpy old man shouted at the Pied Piper.

He was the village chief and had completely changed his attitude since asking for help with the rats.

The villagers were no different.

They showed suspicion, distrust, even jealousy and hostility.

The Pied Piper had anticipated this, but he still spoke.

“Chief, I got rid of the rats as promised, so you should pay me the agreed amount. I even lowered the price for you.”

“Shut up! Do you think I haven’t heard the rumors?”

“Rumors? What rumors?”

“Don’t play dumb! We know everything! You’ve been releasing rats into towns and then charging money to get rid of them! Did you think we’d fall for such a trick?!”

The village chief was referring to one of the widely spread rumors.

That the traveling musician and his son, who got rid of rats, were actually conmen releasing the rats themselves.

There was no evidence behind these rumors. Nobody had ever seen it happen.

So why did such rumors spread?

The reason was simple.

The Pied Piper’s name became too well known.

A man with amazing skills traveling with his son, earning money by ridding towns of rats—this fairytale-like story was enough to provoke jealousy.

Fame is like that. It can generate hate and jealousy regardless of one’s character or actions.

Especially if that person is someone who travels freely with their child and has incredible talents.

In truth, the Pied Piper neither wanted to travel nor possess such a skill.

But people didn’t care about such facts.

“As if a promise matters! You must be rich by now anyway! Going from village to village, from town to town! We’ve heard you even have enough money to buy your own country!!”

The Pied Piper didn’t respond.

Not because what the chief said was true, or because he had nothing to say in return.

But because he could see the deeper emotions in the chief and villagers.

They were simply being stingy.

They couldn’t bear to give money to the Pied Piper, even though he rid their village of crop-destroying, disease-spreading rats.

Not a single penny.

“So you better leave before we force you out. I’ve heard rumors you’re a Dark Sorcerer. If you don’t leave quietly, I’ll run to my shrine and report you!”

The Pied Piper’s face hardened at the chief’s threats.

His usual careless smile vanished, causing the chief and the villagers to recoil in fear.

It looked like something could happen at any moment.

But nothing did. The Pied Piper left quietly.

After they left the village, the boy asked.

“Dad. Do you think what Mom said is true?”

“What?”

“That you’re the same as everyone else? I don’t think so.”

“…”

“They’re all foolish, cowardly, and greedy… They seem different from you.”

The Pied Piper was silent for a moment, then placed his hand on the boy’s head.

“You’re right. We are different.”

“I knew it!”

“Yes, people like us are a bit different. They can’t see as well as we can, they can’t play the flute like we do, and they can’t travel freely like us. We’re different. But…”

The Pied Piper trailed off.

“We’re still the same as them. We’re different, but the same.”

“Hmm… I don’t get it!”

The boy, who had been sulking, thought for a moment, then shouted, returning to his usual self.

The Pied Piper patted the boy’s head a little more.

The boy grinned at him and then, as if he remembered something, pulled out an object from his pocket.

It was a familiar item.

A flute. An unfinished, roughly made flute.

It was the old, crude flute that the Pied Piper always kept in his hand.

The boy proudly waved the flute.

“Hehehe! Isn’t it cool?”

“It’s amazing. It’s almost done.”

“Yeah! I’ll play it once it’s finished.”

“Didn’t you say you’d give it to me?”

“It’s so well made. Oh well, I’ll give it to you… but can you tell me about Mom in return?”

The Pied Piper looked up at the sky.

“…Where did I leave off?”

“You were talking about how you met Mom in the Dark Sorcerer group… Did the leader really say you were special? That you might even be a prince?”

“Yes, he did. He said my bloodline was special… that I was special. Maybe even a prince.”

“Really? Are you a prince, Dad?”

“No, that was a lie. Your mom taught me it wasn’t true. I’m just your dad.”

“…What was Mom like?”

The Pied Piper remembered. The image of her burning on the pyre, her request to take care of the boy.

“…She was a very beautiful person.”

“Even prettier than that noble lady we met the other day?”

“Pretty is pretty. There’s no ‘prettier’. That’s different for everyone.”

“Then could she be not pretty to me?”

“How could that be? You’re my son. Of course, you’ll think she was beautiful. To me, she was the most beautiful.”

“Really?”

“Yes. And not just beautiful; she was brave, smart, and very talented. Did I mention she could play the flute?”

“Really? Is she better than you?”

“Of course. When we traveled together…”

The Pied Piper continued to tell stories about the boy’s mother as they wandered through the Central Continent.

And in the Central Continent, there were many strange rumors spreading.

A strange rumor about a royal family with a wood symbol offering countless virgins to demons to save the princess.

However, this strange rumor was soon overshadowed by stories of a stranger who rid towns of rats.

Another rumor surfaced in a swan-marked royal family, where they said the new queen had consorted with a demon to get her position.

But even that was overshadowed by tales of a stranger who earned a fortune by ridding towns of rats.

Somewhere else, there were rumors of offering sacrifices to demons for a good harvest.

But that too was buried when stories spread about a minstrel kidnapping children.

The Central Continent, tangled with many kingdoms, was filled with strange rumors, leading people to grow fearful, suspicious, and eventually filled with hostility and greed.

A fear that if they didn’t get rid of this stranger, they’d be in danger.

A hostility that made them want to eliminate him.

And a greed that made them want to steal his wealth.

In truth, the Pied Piper had very little money saved up, since he often accepted bargains. He frequently donated to orphanages, reducing the rat population and improving life compared to the previous year. But no one cared about those facts.

Because they didn’t matter to them. He was just a stranger.

Perhaps that’s why the Pater Church, fed up with the rumors, started hunting down the sinister stranger. The Pied Piper decided to leave the Central Continent, hiding his identity.

Crackling.

“Hehe, thank goodness.”

In front of a torch-lit stew pot, the boy laughed.

“This town is nice.”

He wasn’t wrong. Since the rumors started spreading, the Pied Piper’s journey had become more and more difficult.

Not paying him for work was one thing. Some villages wouldn’t even let him enter, making it hard to get food. Others went further, setting traps or reporting him to Holy Knights out of greed.

So later, he traveled hiding his identity, but even that didn’t always work.

Luckily, they were passing through a village where he had once rid the rats for cheap, so they could buy food.

They were out of supplies, so it was lucky.

The Pied Piper, thinking of how their journey had become increasingly tough, spoke to the boy with a hint of guilt in his voice.

“Isn’t this really hard for you?”

“No, it’s not hard at all.”

“Should we stop traveling?”

“But we have a reason for traveling, right?”

“…Did you know?”

“Hehe! Because I’m your son?”

“…Yes, you are my son.”

“What’s the reason?”

“…There are people who misunderstand your dad.”

“Because you’re special?”

“Yes.”

“They must have nothing better to do.”

“Heh!”

“What is it?”

“You said something similar to your mom.”

“Am I like Mom?”

“Yes, you’re just like her.”

“…Heh heh.”

“Don’t you miss your mom?”

The boy thought for a moment and then shook his head.

“No, as long as I have you, Dad, I’m fine.”

“…Is there no place you want to go?”

“Anywhere is fine as long as I’m with you, Dad!”

“Then let’s sleep after eating. We’ll think about it tomorrow.”

“Okay!”

The Pied Piper said as he scooped stew into a bowl.

The stew was filled with the vegetables and meat they bought from the village.

After eating the stew, the Pied Piper and the boy went to sleep.

***

The next day, under a clear sky.

A sound that couldn’t be described echoed lonely in the forest.

A grim, haunting sound… but compared to the vast forest, it was hardly noticeable.

Indeed, the villagers in the distant town didn’t hear the mournful cry.

Except for a few exceptions. The village headman and a few young men from the last village the Pied Piper visited heard it.

Because they approached the source of the sound.

“What? He’s not dead? Didn’t it work?”

“How could it not work? He was in such bad shape after being chased by the military and Holy Knights, there’s no way it didn’t work.”

“Do you think he noticed?”

“No way. The shopkeeper just sold the vegetables I asked him to. He wouldn’t even know what was on them! It’s not like he’s running his first business!”

“But we can’t be sure. He managed to escape the military and the Holy Knights.”

“Then why would he still be sitting there?”

They pointed to where the Pied Piper was sitting.

He was holding the boy’s cold body, letting out inhuman sounds.

The sounds were so eerie that even those who poisoned him hesitated to approach.

They had done this many times, seen sights like this often, but…

“What are you hesitating for…?! Haven’t you heard the rumors?! He has an unimaginable fortune!! You’ll be living a good life!”

“Y-Yeah! Money, fame, it’ll all come to us! So, you go.”

“M-Me? But he’s a Dark Sorcerer!”

“He can’t fight! He just runs and does nothing when he’s kicked out of villages. He can only deal with rats!”

“You’re right! That’s it!”

“D-Damn it…”

The young men, gripping axes, clubs, and pitchforks, repressed their fear with greed and approached him.

Thanks to that, they could hear it—the low murmurings of the Pied Piper.

“Don’t die, please, don’t leave me, oh God, don’t go, don’t leave me, what will I do if you die, your mother too, please don’t leave me, oh God, is this because I ran away, is this your punishment, is this the fate I tried to escape, then just take me aaaargh.”

Rustle.

The headman and the young men, who were quietly approaching, made a sound that sent shivers down spines.

Silence.

At that moment, everything fell silent—no murmuring from the Pied Piper, no wind, no birds, no rustling leaves, nothing. Only a heavy, overwhelming silence.

A silence as though sound itself had ceased to exist.

The strange silence left the headman and the young men paralyzed with fear. Meanwhile, the Pied Piper, still holding the boy, slowly lifted his head to look at them.

“…”

And they too looked at the Pied Piper.

The face that once held a smile was now void of any emotion.

It was truly an eerie and unsettling sight.

It was as if he had lost something crucial, something that made him human, almost like a lifeless corpse.

The headman and the young men, blinded by greed, had their minds go blank at the indescribable sight.

“All for some money…?”

The Pied Piper finally spoke, realizing exactly what had happened—that they had poisoned the vegetables through the shopkeeper out of greed.

He saw directly into their intentions, skipping the process.

Tick-!

A small crack appeared on the Pied Piper’s face.

A crack like a broken egg, yet no blood came out.

Because it wasn’t a physical break.

As the dark smoke filled the Pied Piper’s eyes.

Drdrdrdr…

In the end, he found himself looking at Oliver from another time.

[Hell Summon]

And with that, the cracks spread across the Pied Piper’s entire body as black energy erupted, engulfing everything around.

Everything in sight turned into a black void.

The concepts of sky and ground vanished. Even the directions disappeared. That’s when it happened.

“Are you satisfied now?”

A paradoxical voice, both familiar and strange, came from behind.

Oliver turned his head and saw.

A man sitting on the couch, his face shrouded in shadow.

A man who should be a gardener, yet had abandoned tending to his garden.

He held a cookie as he looked at Oliver.