Chapter 657: Night (3)
The Piper continued his journey with his child, showing and teaching him many things.
How to play the flute.
“Yes, like that—doesn’t it sound prettier?”
How to carve a flute.
“My first work will go to Dad.”
Once, he almost taught the child black magic unintentionally.
“Besides playing the flute, I want to learn that too.”
“What’s ‘that’?”
“The thing you do with emotions, like this and like that.”
“…Can you see that now?”
“Yes! But it seems no one else can. They don’t understand even when I explain.”
The child pouted, lips slightly pursed.
“They’re so clueless. How can they not see something this obvious?”
“…”
“Other adults are the same. They can’t play the flute like you, Dad.”
“…”
“They can’t use black magic either.”
The Piper placed his hand on his child’s head.
“To be honest, I’m not that good at black magic either.”
“Really?”
“I only learned the basics and then stopped… even if I could use it, it wouldn’t make me more special.”
“Why not?”
“Because those people know how to farm.”
“Is that something amazing?”
“It is. Everyone has different talents. We’re all amazing in our own way. Do you know why?”
“No.”
“Because your mother told me so.”
“Really…?”
“She did, especially when I was struggling. She even taught me how to play the flute.”
“Really?!”
“Of course… should I teach you black magic instead of the flute now?”
“No! I want the flute! I like the flute!”
“Alright, then I’ll teach you a new tune today. It’s called—”
“—Dad.”
“Yes?”
“After this, can you tell me a story about Mom?”
“…”
“I want to hear about Mom.”
“I’ll tell you… about your mom.”
The Piper said, stroking his child’s head.
And then, time passed, and they reached a small village.
“Get out! Before we deal with you ourselves!!”
An irritable-looking elder shouted at the Piper. It was the village chief, and his attitude was nothing like when he first asked the Piper to catch the rats.
The villagers weren’t any different. They looked at him with wariness, distrust, and even jealousy and hostility.
Though he’d expected this, the Piper still spoke.
“Chief, didn’t I get rid of the rats as we agreed? You need to pay what you promised. I even offered a discount on the fee.”
“Shut up! Do you think I haven’t heard the rumors?”
“Rumors?”
“Don’t play dumb! We know everything! Spreading rats in villages only to get paid to remove them! You think we’d fall for that scheme?”
The chief’s accusations were one of the rumors now circulating widely.
A tale of a Piper who, with his son, would release rats in villages, only to be paid to eliminate them—a con artist in disguise.
For the record, there was no evidence to support this rumor. No one had ever seen it happen.
So why did such rumors spread?
The answer was simple.
The Piper’s reputation had spread far and wide.
The story of a man with an astonishing talent, traveling with his son, earning a living by ridding villages of rats, was too much for people not to envy.
Such is fame; it breeds envy and jealousy, regardless of a person’s character or actions.
And even more so if that person traveled freely, showcasing remarkable skills alongside his son.
In reality, the Piper had no particular desire to travel or use his talents in this way.
But such details didn’t matter to people.
“Promise? Ha! You must already have plenty of money, don’t you?! Traveling around every village and city, making a fortune! I heard even the government pays you!”
The Piper remained silent.
It wasn’t that what the chief said was true or that he had no rebuttal.
It was simply that he saw the deeper emotions behind the chief’s words and the villagers’ gazes.
They were just being stingy.
They didn’t want to pay the Piper, even though he had rid the village of rats that ate their grain and spread disease.
Not even a single coin.
“So get lost while I’m letting you. I hear you’re a black magician too—if you don’t leave quietly, I’ll run to the temple and have you reported!”
The Piper’s face hardened at the chief’s threat.
His usual playful smile vanished, and a look so severe that it made the chief and villagers recoil in fear momentarily crossed his face.
It was as if something terrible were about to happen.
But in the end, nothing did. The Piper simply left.
Once they were out of the village, the child spoke.
“Dad, was Mom right?”
“About what?”
“That you’re the same as everyone else? I don’t think so.”
“…”
“They all seem foolish, cowardly, and greedy… they’re not like you.”
The Piper was silent for a moment, then gently placed his hand on his child’s head and ruffled his hair.
“You’re right. They’re different.”
“See?”
“Yes, others are a bit different from us. They don’t see as clearly as we do, they can’t play the flute, and they can’t travel freely. They’re different. But still…”
The Piper’s voice trailed off.
“We’re just like them, even though we’re different.”
“Hmm… I don’t get it!”
The child, who had been feeling gloomy, thought hard about it, then shouted, returning to his usual self.
The Piper ruffled his hair a little more.
The child looked up at the Piper with a grin, as if he’d remembered something, and pulled something out from his coat.
It was a familiar object.
A flute. Rough and unfinished.
It was the old, roughly carved flute the Piper always carried with him.
The child waved it proudly.
“Hehehe! Isn’t it cool?”
“Very. It’s almost finished, huh?”
“Yep! I’m gonna play with it now.”
“Didn’t you say you’d give it to me?”
“It turned out so well, I changed my mind! I’ll give it to you… if you tell me a story about Mom?”
The Piper looked up at the sky.
“…Where did I leave off?”
“You were talking about when you met Mom in the black magic organization… did the leader really say you were something special? Maybe even a prince?”
“Yes, that’s what he said. That I was a special existence with special blood… maybe even a prince.”
“Really? Are you a prince, Dad?”
“No, that was a lie. Your mom taught me that. I’m just Dad.”
“…What was Mom like?”
The Piper remembered her. The sight of her burning over the firewood, asking him to take care of their child.
“…She was very beautiful.”
“More beautiful than the noble lady we met the other day?”
“Beauty is just beauty. There’s no ‘more’ or ‘less’ when it comes to that. Everyone sees beauty differently.”
“So, I might not think she’s pretty?”
“Impossible. You’re my son. You’d definitely find her beautiful. To me, she was the most beautiful.”
“Really?”
“Really. She wasn’t just beautiful; she was brave, smart, and incredibly talented. I told you she could play the flute too, didn’t I?”
“Better than you?”
“Much better. When we traveled together…”
The Piper continued telling stories about the child’s mother as they wandered the Central Continent.
And in the heart of that continent, strange rumors began to spread.
A rumor that a royal family bearing a tree emblem sacrificed countless young women to demons to save their princess.
However, this sinister story was soon overshadowed by another—of a foreign Piper who lured rats and made a fortune.
In another kingdom bearing a swan emblem, rumors spread that the new queen had won her place by consorting with a demon.
But again, this rumor was drowned out by talk of the foreign Piper who accumulated riches by eradicating rats.
Elsewhere, a country was said to offer sacrifices to demons in hopes of a bountiful harvest. Yet, this tale too was forgotten when whispers arose of a musician who kidnapped children.
As rumors swirled through the kingdoms of the Central Continent, distrust turned into fear, hostility, and finally greed.
The people feared that if they didn’t rid themselves of this foreigner, they would be in grave danger.
They wanted to expel this fearsome figure.
And some wanted to seize his wealth for themselves.
The truth was that the Piper, despite his reputation, had little money, as he often discounted his fees. Moreover, he regularly donated to orphanages, which in turn kept the rat population down, improving people’s lives. But no one seemed to care about these facts.
Because, to them, these details didn’t matter. To them, he was just a stranger.
Unable to bear the mounting rumors, the Pater Church sent agents to pursue this dangerous outsider. The Piper, sensing the need to avoid trouble, decided to conceal his identity and leave the Central Continent.
...
Crackle.
“Hehe, thank goodness.”
By the campfire, where he was stirring a pot of stew, the child laughed.
“The people in this village are nice.”
It wasn’t just an idle comment. After the rumors began to spread, the Piper’s journey grew more difficult.
People would often refuse to pay him, sometimes even denying him entry into their villages, which made it hard for him to gather food. Some went further, setting traps for him, or even reporting him to the holy knights to claim his earnings.
Eventually, he began traveling in disguise, but even that became less effective.
They were fortunate to pass by a village he’d helped in the past, one where he’d offered his rat-catching services at a low rate, which allowed him to buy provisions.
Their supplies had run out just in time, so this stroke of luck was a relief.
As the Piper reflected on the increasingly weary journey, he spoke to the child, his voice laced with guilt.
“Are you getting very tired?”
“No, not at all.”
“Maybe it’s time we stopped traveling.”
“We both know why we’re on this journey, don’t we?”
“…Did you know?”
“Of course, I’m your son, aren’t I?”
“Yes… my son.”
“What’s the reason?”
“…There are people who misunderstand your dad.”
“Because they think you’re special?”
“Yes.”
“They must have too much time on their hands.”
“Haha!”
“What’s so funny?”
“You sounded just like your mother.”
“Am I really that much like Mom?”
“You’re not just like her—you’re exactly like her.”
“Hehe…”
“Aren’t you curious about her? Don’t you miss her?”
The child thought for a moment, then shook his head.
“No, as long as I have you, Dad.”
“…Is there anywhere you want to go?”
“Anywhere is fine as long as it’s with you!”
“Alright then. Let’s eat, sleep, and think about it tomorrow.”
“Okay!”
The Piper said this as he served stew into their bowls.
He’d made it with the fresh vegetables and meat they’d bought from the village.
After they finished eating, the Piper and the child went to sleep.
...
The next day, under a clear, bright sun, a sound echoed alone through the forest.
An indescribable wail filled the air… a sound of such deep sorrow that it raised goosebumps. Yet, compared to the vastness of the forest, it seemed to fade into insignificance.
As proof, the villagers far away heard none of the grieving cries.
However, there are always exceptions. The chief of the last village the Piper visited, along with a few young men, did hear the sound.
Because they’d come close enough to its source.
“What’s going on? Didn’t he die? Didn’t he eat it?”
“How could he not? His appearance was in shambles, what with the army and holy knights pursuing him. There’s no way he didn’t eat it.”
“Did he notice?”
“No way. All the vendor did was sell him some vegetables. Would he suspect anything? It’s not like he’s new to trading!”
“But you never know, do you? This is the same guy who evaded the army and the holy knights.”
“If he did notice, would he be just sitting there like that?”
One of the young men pointed towards the Piper.
There, he sat, clutching the cold body of his child, letting out a sound that was neither human nor animal.
So chilling was his voice that even those who had put the poison in his food hesitated to approach.
Even though this wasn’t their first time poisoning someone, nor the first time witnessing something like this.
“What’s the holdup…? Haven’t you heard the rumors?! This guy’s loaded with wealth! Do you want to let this chance slip by?”
“Y-Yeah! We’ll be rich and famous! But… you go first.”
“Me? He’s a black magician!”
“They say he can’t fight. He just runs away. Didn’t he just leave when we chased him out of the village? All he does is play the flute!”
“Right! That’s it!”
“D-Damn it…”
The village chief and his young men clutched their axes, clubs, and pitchforks, trying to suppress their anxiety with greed as they approached him.
That’s when they heard it. The incomprehensible murmurs from the Piper’s lips.
“Please don’t die, don’t leave me, I beg you, don’t go, don’t abandon me, what will I do if you die too, your mother… please, don’t go, oh heavens, is this because I tried to run? Is this my fate for escaping it? Then just take me instead…”
Crunch.
As soon as they heard the hair-raising words, the chief and his young men accidentally made a sound.
Silence fell.
At that moment, the murmuring from the Piper stopped, as did the sound of the wind, the birds, and the rustling leaves.
It was an eerie silence, as though sound itself had vanished from existence.
The men froze, while the Piper, still holding the child’s body, slowly raised his head and looked at them.
“…”
And they saw him.
His face, once capable of smiling, was now expressionless and hollow.
It was, in truth, a disturbing sight.
His appearance now resembled a corpse, as if he’d lost something essential to life.
The village chief and his young men, their greed blinding them, stood there, their minds going blank in the face of this inexplicable sight.
“All for money…?”
The Piper finally spoke. Simply by observing, he had deduced that they’d poisoned the food through the vegetable vendor, even understanding their reason.
It was as if he saw directly into the truth, bypassing every step.
Crack.
A fine crack formed on the Piper’s face, like the shell of an egg breaking. Yet, there was no blood.
For this was no ordinary crack.
Black smoke began to fill his eyes.
Thrum…
In that instant, he found himself in another time, staring directly at Oliver.
[Hell Summon]
At that moment, cracks spread across the Piper’s entire body, and a black force erupted from within, darkening everything it touched.
Everything within sight turned into a vast void of darkness.
All concepts of sky and earth, direction and distance, vanished. And then—
“Are you satisfied now?”
A voice, paradoxically both familiar and strange, spoke from behind him.
Oliver turned and saw it.
A man sitting on a couch, his face partially obscured by shadow…
A man who once tended the garden, but had since abandoned it.
He held a cookie in one hand and looked at Oliver.