The village sat nestled in the arms of the green hills, as if time itself had forgotten it.
Thatched rooftops. Smoke from modest chimneys. Chickens wandering lazily down stone paths.
As the Royal Knights entered, silence swept over the people.
Mothers pulled their children close.
Old men paused their whittling.
Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
They had heard of knights before.
They had never seen them.
Towering. Armored. Unsmiling.
Led by the cold flame of the Empire — Commander Darius Kane.
Behind him stood Aqua, eyes half-closed, head slightly tilted, as if already listening to thoughts not yet spoken.
The villagers gathered slowly, hesitant, standing in clusters behind the village elder — an old man with trembling hands and kind eyes.
"W-We are peaceful people, good sirs,"
he said, bowing deeply.
"We do not meddle in noble affairs…"
Darius said nothing at first, his gaze scanning the faces, measuring fear, innocence — and perhaps lies.
Then he spoke.
"We're not here for war. Only answers."
One by one, the villagers were questioned.
About strangers. About unusual behavior.
But everything pointed to the same truth:
This was a quiet, forgotten place.
Still, Aqua stepped forward.
"Let me read them."
Darius frowned.
"You've already exhausted yourself."
But Aqua shook his head.
"It's necessary."
He touched the minds of the villagers — slowly, gently.
And what he saw was…
nothing.
Fear. Simplicity. Grief.
But no guilt. No secrets.
He let out a tired breath.
"They're not involved."
A pause.
And then, softly, he asked:
"Are all the villagers present?"
The elder hesitated, scratching his beard.
"Well… yes. We can say that no one has left the village in months."
Aqua's eyes narrowed.
"Months? Then someone did leave before that?"
The old man blinked, then nodded slowly.
"Ah… yes. There were two boys. Lucas and Peter. Sons of Margaret, may she rest in peace.
She passed from illness — we have little in the way of medicine here.
So they decided to… work outside the village."
He smiled faintly, oblivious to the weight of his words.
Aqua and Darius exchanged a look.
The trail had begun to take form.