Chapter 63: A Human More Twisted than a Demon!
It was obvious; the contractor, whom Ken knew very well, was more twisted than the devil itself.
And, as equal contractors, he must have been the one who caused the slow death of the victims and made it seem like a plague.
There was obviously a reason for such a thing. A devious reason.
For now, he’d observe them from afar, and once night came, he’d know exactly what to do.
After a certain time, Ken and Ralf went to the doctor, one of the most helpful individuals in the village.
"Since the start of this plague, he’s said to be the one who has done the most work after the village head." Ralf explained as they knocked on the doctor’s door and waited.
"I can see that." Ken replied.
When they came here, the man was obviously doing his best, not even caring about them.
The one who opened the door for them was Darek; he was sent here by Ken to help the doctor as well as see if the perpetrator would make a move on the victims any time soon.
"Sorry to disturb." Ralf apologized before the doctor’s hoarse voice came from inside.
"Enter, don’t stand there."
And so the two of them entered inside.
The doctor’s house was very simple with not much decoration; the first floor only had a kitchen and a living room, and the second floor was more obscure.
The doctor, seeing the guests coming in, served each one of them some liquid and gestured for them to sit.
This was the first time Ken confronted the doctor directly, but by the way he was already familiar with Darek, he didn’t have to be worried.
"Welcome, Mr. Ralf, esteemed sir." The doctor addressed Ken respectfully, which meant that he already knew who they were and why they were here.
"Doctor Han, please be at ease." Ken smiled at the doctor and sat before he took a look at the cup and took a sip.
Then, Ken gazed at the doctor.
A Chinese-looking man, full of wrinkles on his face, not looking young at all, but for whatever reason, he looked calmer than usual; maybe it came with age, or it was simply the confidence a doctor had.
One who had seen many atrocities throughout the years.
"I believe Darek already told you why we are here." Ken spoke.
"Yes, he did." The doctor, gazing at Darek with a smile, replied.
"Then allow me to ask you a few questions, seeing as you’re the one who had the most interactions with the victims." Ken took another sip and said.
"Please do so. I will reply to the best of my ability." Without looking back at Ken, the doctor took a sip of his own drink after he spoke.
"First, I’d like to thank you for holding out before we came." Ken expressed his gratitude.
"Mhm." The doctor smiled slightly without responding.
This slight expression told Ken more than he needed to know.
"When was the first day?" Ken asked.
"... It was 13 days ago." The doctor replied.
"How long did it take for the victim to die?"
"Have you ever seen something ?"
"Plagues aren’t my specialty, and this one by far is the most dangerous."
"It seems almost... extraordinary."
"Yes, that is why we are here."
"It’s not your specialty, but you were able to find a cure for it so fast..."
"A cure would be an overstatement; even the latest victim would die in 2 to 3 days."
"Do you have any idea how we could save the current victims?"
"... I’d love to say so, but I am not sure."
"I guess we can only take care of the source and hope the victims are cured."
"Doctor Han... You’ve been with the victims for the most time; have you ever come across something strange?" Ken then asked the most important question.
"Are you saying a human has something to do with this?" the doctor asked.
"Very likely. From what we know about the village’s situation, it’s a combination of both."
"A supernatural event and a human..."
"Yes, a collaboration of sorts."
"So people who sell their own species really do exist."
"I’d say the fact that a supernatural world exists is more of a surprise." Ralf, who was on the side,, took a sip of his drink and commented.
"It’s very rare that mortals come across such things." Ken looked at him and replied.
"Esteemed Sir Ken... do you have any idea about what could be happening? or even who could be behind this." The doctor asked, deep in thought.
"If this continues for a few more days, the casualties will be catastrophic for the young children."
"Indeed we know a little; our mission has some details as to what’s happening." Ken said.
"However, if you’re asking if we know the thorough details..." Ken didn’t continue.
He knew the doctor was asking if they knew exactly what was causing this, the devil, what it was, and what it is capable of.
"Don’t worry, Doctor Han." Darek spoke.
"We’ll take care of this as soon as possible." He added.
"Well then, we won’t disturb you anymore." Ken got up, and Ralf followed.
"Darek will be assisting you if you need anything." Ken said as he left.
And once they did, the doctor who was following Ken with his gaze looked at Darek.
"He’s your leader, right?" The doctor asked.
"You could say that." Darek took another sip of his drink.
"He’s promising." The doctor smiled faintly.
"With him around, we won’t have to worry about this plague for too long."
"Hopefully." Darek smiled too.
With these words echoing through the house...
Night knocked on the village’s door once again.
Everyone who was outside locked themselves at home, and some who feared for their lives more than others started crying, while others decided to bond more with their families.
And while all of this happened.
Ken’s eyes, like a hawk atop his cloud, watched silently.