In a moment of surprise, I found myself in a state of confusion. Even if others said they were all crazy, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that the Duchess, who seemed perfectly sane when I last saw her, might have orchestrated something in the western border area where her hometown was.

“No. The Duchess had no power whatsoever.”
If the villagers collectively engaged in such an act, who manipulated such a suspicious phenomenon? It was truly a mystery in itself.

“I have never witnessed such a spectacle in my life.”

Hecate, who directly witnessed it, must have a more complex mind than mine. So, she and Lilith might have been discussing it privately.

“That’s understandable since the coastal area only had a culture of sending letters to the sea, hoping for calm sea winds.”

Come to think of it, contrary to Hecate’s words, the western border area was not particularly noteworthy.

Except for the Duchess’s hometown, it was not a hub for commerce or trade. The central role was played by a large metropolitan city, and nearby villages were managed under the jurisdiction of nearby nobles.

I was certain because, in my past life, when I united the country and established regulations for the empire, I personally decided it that way.

“So, I decided to investigate further when I was heading to the village hall.”

“Your Majesty, why did you go alone without deploying guards?”

While listening intently, Lilith, boldly interrupting Hecate’s words, expressed concern like scolding.

‘It reminds me of Elaila’s nagging.’

Suddenly, memories of Elaila, who served as my aide when I was the emperor in my past life, came to mind. The relationship between Lilith and Hecate felt similar to that between Elaila and me.

I had chosen the aide as the most loyal among the loyal, and I had even taught Hecate and Jeff to select such an individual as the aide.

“Just listen quietly for now. I had a hunch that led me to the village hall without guards.”

On the other hand, Hecate, while Lilith was formidable, gently suggested that Lilith should continue to listen to the words spoken by Lilith without interrupting.

“During the day, there should be people on the streets, but there was no one.”

The time when the sun was in the sky was when even animals were active, and it was strange that no one in the entire village was moving around as if everyone had evaporated.

Something was seriously wrong unless it was an ordinary day job that earned money at night. For ordinary people, studying during the day, going out for fun, fishing, or farming was normal, and it made sense to rest at night after a tired day.

Even after being expelled from Paradise and going through countless lives, I lived according to that essence. What Hecate just mentioned was not a trivial matter.

“Of course, there were people guarding the village in various places, but it wasn’t difficult to reach behind the village hall without avoiding their eyes.”
Hahaha, still, it’s not reassuring to know that someone was outside. It was necessary to pay attention to the fact that there were only guards patrolling. It made sense that Hecate immediately went to investigate. It was abnormal. I thought even a country would react the same way.

“I climbed the wall to see inside. After that, as I looked closely, I saw people holding hands and spinning around.”

Is this madness?

“It looked like they were possessed by something.”

No, it couldn’t be. That many villagers gathered at the large village hall, holding hands and spinning. I had no idea what was going on.

Hecate wasn’t someone who would lie or make up stories, so it must be true, but even hearing it vividly with my own ears, I couldn’t believe it.

“It’s truly bizarre. Did you get closer to see?”

“No. I felt a strange aura, so I quickly left.”

More than that, Hecate’s personal maid had been with her for hours. When Hecate was investigating like that, where was she waiting? Hecate sensed danger and acted, so she must have been waiting in a safe place, right?

“In a hurry to return to where I originally was, at that moment, I witnessed a child being dragged away by a villain at the intersection.”

“Is it another infiltrator in the coastal village?”

In the midst of speculating one thing after another, I almost lost strength in my legs. It was truly a series of surprises. After all the efforts I put into ensuring the safety of the empire and the comfort of the people, now I witnessed an entire village gathered at the village hall, and later a child being kidnapped.

‘How much effort did I put into the empire’s security, making it near perfection so that people could live comfortably, and I ended up dying!’

Thinking about it, I gradually grew more irritated. The one roaming around the western coastal area was ruining my country.