Thank god I had a penchant for growing food. I don’t even need to eat but somehow cooking is still enjoyable. If I didn’t have this habit, then I’d have some trouble explaining how I’d survived out here. Plus, I wouldn’t have been able to serve my guests.

My…uninvited guests. I sighed just thinking about this fiasco. Once everyone found a seat in the main room I was able to watch their conversation.

“A lot of people showed up.” Howes yawned. “I guess news spreads quickly.”

“Well, I was expecting some of you.” Dain narrowed his eyes. “Vole is an advisor to an adjacent lord. He’s also an occult fanatic who wouldn’t miss an opportunity to study a demonic ritual. Rowan works for that unpleasant wisp of a man so this rumor wouldn’t pass him by. Although, I’m a little concerned to see two people I don’t recognize.”

“You’re as distrustful as ever, Dain.” Vole laughed and pointed at Teach. “This is Sir Teach. My lord assigned him as a bodyguard for this trip.”

“I would have done so regardless of the lord’s wishes.” Teach grumbled. “I owe Vole a great debt. It is my duty to protect him.”

“Also, you said something slightly wrong earlier. This area is technically within my lord’s fiefdom. So this is also a proper mission to investigate his territory.” Vole grinned. “Although I would have gone regardless.”

“Well that’s fine and good. Now what about the man who came in with Rowan.” Dain locked eyes with Ten. “You said your name was Ten, correct? I’ve never heard of a hunter with that name. Mind you, I know most if not all of the hunters in this kingdom.”

“I don’t really know what to tell you.” Ten shrugged. “There’s no set criteria for becoming a hunter. If I say I’m one, then I am one.”

And yet you definitely aren’t one. I stared at Ten in disbelief. Fortunately for him, no one else noticed my reaction to his bold-faced lie.

“Then let’s ask a different question…” Dain massaged the bridge of his nose. “Why did you come here?”

“If demons are gathering here then I want to help clear them out.”

“And how are you going to do that?”

“Methods vary between hunters. I don’t want to give mine away for free.”

“Then how do you think we can work together!?” Over the course of this exchange Dain’s face slowly turned redder and redder. At this point he was only a few shades away from crimson.

*Tap. Tap. Tap*

Rowan loudly tapped the table three times. The others turned to look at him. Even Dain reluctantly stopped staring daggers at Ten.

“Look. Right now he may not even need to use his ‘methods’. I’m assuming all of you searched through the town before arriving here, correct? Did anyone find a single trace that demons have been here?”

Everyone shook their heads. Even though I wasn’t involved, I also shook mine vigorously. It was no surprise that no one had found anything. This town has been empty for years, excluding myself of course. I would know if any demons had come by. Although, most demons would choose to steer clear of this town.

“I’m not surprised.” Rowan took the words right out of my mouth. “Now that I’ve come here, I highly doubt this is the site of a grim festival.”

“Why is that?” Vole suddenly lit up. “Did you notice it too? When you stepped into the town?”  

“This town probably used to be a sorcerer’s hideout. I felt a curse placed around the perimeter of the town. It certainly won’t kill, but it’s enough to deter anyone from passing through.”

“That’s right, I nearly vomited. I thought some illness had snuck up on me.” Vole wiped his brow. “Once we made it into the town I felt fine again.”  

I was a little surprised that someone could identify the master’s curse. Rowan not only accomplished that but he also immediately recognized its purpose. I folded my arms. This guy could be a lot of trouble.

Actually… There was something that bothered me about Rowan. I had barely noticed him earlier, since I was too surprised by Ten. Rowan was covered in random bits of cloth like some sort of fabric caterpillar. Only his eyes were visible. No one looked at him strangely so maybe it’s just in-style. Even my master had worn something similar on occasion.

“Oh, so that’s what it was.” Howes laughed. “I was already pretty tired from the ride over. Once I entered the town I actually collapsed.”  

Everyone nodded knowingly except for Ten. He looked a little flustered.

Of course you’d be surprised. I thought, smirking. It affects demons in a completely different way.

“So, what does this mean?” Dain, not one to enjoy a sudden change in a situation, laced his fingers together.

“From what I can tell…it means that this is a farce.” Rowan sighed. “I don’t know how this rumor started but it is likely false.”

“Why is that?” Vole wined.

“It’s simple. None of us have seen any demons since we came here. If this really was the site of a ritual, then it would be crawling with them.”

“What if they’re just hiding?” Sir Teach finally spoke up. Though, it was probably only because Vole looked so disappointed. “A few demons wouldn’t necessarily want to show themselves to a group of hunters.”  

“Grim festivals don’t have only ‘a few’ demons, they can have hundreds. If one was happening here, then we’d have been attacked the instant we entered this town.”

“What about this curse then?” Vole wasn’t done yet. “Is there a sorcerer hiding here?”

“Once again, if we weren’t attacked on entry then he’s either long gone or hiding for dear life. Either way, I don’t think we’ll find anything.”

“Maybe the demons will appear soon?” Howes shrugged. “They might not be here yet.”

“How did the rumor start then?” Rowan sighed. “In fact, even if there were demons here, it’s dubious that someone would know enough to start a rumor about it.”

“You’re right. Although, it’s still entirely possible that we got here too early.”

“That’s not a possibility I’m willing to entertain.” Rowan stood up. “I don’t know why this rumor started but I’m entirely certain that there’s nothing here to warrant it.”

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

“So what are you going to do?” Ten asked.

“I’m going to leave. I suggest the rest of you do the same.” Rowan didn’t even wait for a reply. He grabbed his pack and turned towards the door.

Yes, yes, yes! I wanted to jump up and cheer. Not only was the most difficult of the six leaving but he’d probably take the rest of them with him.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Howes raise his voice. “You can’t possibly determine that with only a few hours of investigation. If, by any chance, the rumor turns out to be true, then you’ll be responsible for letting an abomination run loose in this world.”

“You’re right, there’s always a chance that I’m wrong.” Rowan shook his head. “But time is money. I’ve seen enough and I’m not wasting any more of my time here.”

Rowan left, closing the door behind him. The others, unfortunately, stayed in their seats.

“Well…” In the awkward silence that followed Rowan’s departure, I was compelled to speak. “What are the rest of you going to do?”

“Hmm, maybe he noticed something I didn’t.” Dain replied. He slowly put a hand to his chin. “But I doubt that. Rowan made a rash decision and I don’t intend to follow him.”

“If there’s a chance that something is happening here, then I’ll stay too.” Vole nodded, grinning. “I’m excited to solve this mystery.”

Teach only nodded.

“I’ll certainly stay a bit longer.” Ten leaned back in his chair. “Although I can understand why Rowan left.”

“You already heard my opinion.” Howes said with a smile. “Thank you, everyone.”

At least that’s one down… I sighed. It wouldn’t be this easy to get rid of the rest of them.

“I-I’ll fix up your rooms.” I chimed in. “I’m sure you’re all tired so feel free to sleep once I’m done.”

“Actually, I have some questions for you." I had already turned around when I heard Dain’s voice.

“Dain, Sera saved my life.” Howes chided him. “Don’t bother her too much. “She’s obviously uncomfortable with us being here.”

“…Fine, but I’ll need to speak with you tomorrow.”

I hurried out without replying.

The last leg of my day was spent quickly cleaning, folding and removing the various items that had piled up in each guest room. I briefly thought about setting some sort of trap but I decided against it. At this point the best I can hope for is that everyone leaves peacefully.

Once I finished the rooms, the hunters decided to retire for the night. Everyone was tired from travelling and crossing the master’s barrier. I slumped into my own bed. After such a stressful day, I was ready to collapse as well.  

Huh… I sniffed the covers. This smells like Howes. I was a little ashamed to realize that it smelled good. Demons shouldn’t care about such things.

“I need to talk to you.” I heard Ten’s voice and launched myself off the bed.

“…Eh?” I turned towards the door but it hadn’t been opened.

Ten slipped straight through the wall between our rooms. I clamped a hand over my mouth to stop myself from screaming.

“What the fuck!? How did you do that!”

“Keep it down. I don’t want the others to hear us.” Ten growled. Although, he still kept a deadpan expression so I wasn’t sure if he was actually worried.

The best reply I could manage was a silent nod.

“…You already knew I was a demon right?” A slight smirk appeared on his face.

“Well yes, but I didn’t expect you to waltz right into my room.”

“It was the best way to meet you without the others knowing. I need to fill in some blanks.”

At least he’s not going to eat me. I began to calm down.

“Ask me anything, just get those guys to leave after you’re done.”

“That was always the plan. We’re in a dangerous position and I’m nervous with them around.” Once again, his monotone voice and blank expression didn’t convince me of this.

Ten asked me quite a few questions. They were all easy to answer. I told him about my master who’s currently away and that there were no other demons here.

“So Rowan was probably right. There’s no way a rumor like this could have started naturally.”

“I agree. Although, I’m curious about something.” I had been for quite a while.

“Shoot.”

“Why did you come here? Was it really to stop the ritual?”

“No.” Ten slowly shook his head. “I came here to participate in it.”

I quickly backed away.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to eat you. I heard that the sole survivor of the grim festival gets enough power to grant any wish. There’s something I want, so I would have participated. That’s all there is to it.”

I didn’t have the courage to ask what he was willing to risk his life for. Ten returned to his room and I lay down on my bed. Things had gone a little better than I expected. I hadn’t been discovered, the other demon wasn’t hostile and my master’s things were safely locked away.

At least some things are going right… I thought as I drifted off into slumber.

The next morning, I left my room in a daze. I’d slept fine but yesterday’s fatigue wasn’t easy to forget. I ambled my way around the guest hall, it seemed that no one had woken up yet.

*Splash*

I stepped in something wet. Rubbing my eyes, I turned around to look at whatever mess those guys had made. I looked, blinked, then looked again. That was definitely Vole. He sat against the wall in a pool of nearly-dried blood. I poked him but he was certainly dead.

“Hmm…” I was a little happy that there were only four of them now. Although this was going to be difficult to clean. Then I remembered that I’m supposed to be a human innkeeper.

With a character like that, there’s only one thing to do here… I began to scream at the top of my lungs.