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"yes?"
"There's no one named Ian in this town, no one with the last name Zeon."
Jason Brown, a middle-aged man with gray hair and a hint of white in his eyes, the village chief of Ailon, shook his head as he looked at the letter.
"Well... it's not like he's someone who lived in the past or anything like that, right?"
"Well... I tend to remember most of the people who lived in this town..."
"Hmm.."
She scratched her cheek for a moment, then thanked Jason, who apologized for not being able to help her, and then picked up the letter and was about to leave his house.
"Or how about going to Mr. Hound?"
"You've lived in this town the longest, so it might be a good idea to ask."
"Oh, thank you..!"
Hound Oliver, aka Mr. Hound, was a scholar who lived slightly northeast of the town center.
Well, he is a very ordinary old scholar, except that he is over 130 years old this year due to side effects from researching something. Okay, let's say that's true.
After leaving the village chief's house, she got on a passing wine cart and headed to Mr. Hound's house. She arrived at a two-story cabin that looked even more bare because the already thick, gray paint had peeled off.
When she carefully knocked on the thorny wooden door, it opened by itself, and as if by coincidence, a puff of smoke burst out from inside.
"Kellogg, Kellogg, oh my... Teacher, how many times have I told you to ventilate the house!"
"Oh my, Gray, you're here? I just finished my research, and was just about to get some fresh air, haha."
"You've been retired for over 50 years!"
As she said that, he playfully frowned at the tip of his pretty nose. The old man just smiled kindly and stroked his beard.
"By the way, you've just published a new book, so you must be busy. What are you doing here?"
"Oh, that's not all. A letter came to my house yesterday..."
Gray, who had said that, carefully took out the white envelope he had been keeping in his jacket pocket and held it out in front of him, and Mr. Hound looked at it carefully.
"Ian Zeon? Heh heh, it's been a long time since I've heard that name."
"Do you know who it is?"
"Of course! As expected, he was a young man as unique as his name, so I couldn't forget him."
The old man, who had cleared his throat for a moment, invited Gray to sit on the sofa, and as she sat down, he began to speak slowly.
"It must have been more than 80 years ago that I first saw that young man."
"...Huh? 8...80 years?"
If he had been young 80 years ago... he would have been over 100 years old by now, right? ... Is that person still alive?
Gray, who had been listening to his story, was momentarily confused and doubted his ears, but Mr. Hound continued talking without paying attention.
"Yes, that day was a busy day in the village.All HallowsI was preparing for, .. ah, it's Halloween now,"
That day was unusual even for a Halloween night, because there were two full moons, both large and round.
At that time I was performing a magic trick to levitate a ghost doll to scare the children, like lifting an apple without touching it, oh, that's for you, it's fresh from the orchard this morning,
Anyway, while everyone was enjoying the festival, something strange came to me, you know, that strange sensation that wasn't touch or hearing... Yes, yes, sixth sense! Oh, man, I'm getting old and I tend to forget things often.
So I looked back without realizing it, and there was a young man I had never seen before standing there blankly, looking around as if he was looking for something.
He was a young man with skin several times paler than others, completely devoid of any blood, and wearing a strange black robe-like cloak that was centuries out of fashion. But it was Halloween, so no one thought him suspicious, not even me. I just thought he was dressed up as a vampire, I guess everyone did at the time!
So I was really excited because I was enjoying the festival, so I approached him and called out to him in a friendly way, well, actually I had a few drinks and was feeling pretty good, huh? What did I say then? Oh, right, that's right, what did I say then?
"Hey, vampire friend! What are you doing standing there? Come here! Tonight is very special!"
But then the young man suddenly got startled and ran off somewhere. Seriously, was my voice really that loud?
Anyway, I was secretly shocked, but I thought he must be a very timid person, so I didn't think much of it, but not long after, the young man suddenly appeared and approached me.
"Teacher... I'm sorry about earlier. I'm not used to festivals, so..."
Wow, he was such a handsome young man that even now, when I think about it, I can't forget him. For a moment, even I doubted if I was a man!
This is clearly not the face of an imperial citizen, with deep and calm features, but I heard that people from the East across the sea have faces like that? Oh, right, it feels a bit like your brother. Didn't you say that your brother was also from the East before coming to the Empire? ...Oh, I'm sorry... ..I talked nonsense, so please forget it.
Anyway, I thought the young man was a stranger who had just arrived in this town, so I took him around to various festivals. Well, he wasn't that interesting, but he was a good and honest guy.
But there are so many foods that he is picky about. When I tried to buy him chicken skewers with garlic sauce, he was really scared. Oh, those chicken skewers are really delicious. You should try them at the festival too.
The young man didn't eat anything other than Heymansan red wine during the entire festival. With so many things to choose from, how could he possibly survive?
After the festival was over, I asked the young man where his house was and tried to take him home, but he disappeared again. My name isIan ZeonI will leave you with just one word,
".....So.. you know this person, right..?"
"Okay! Just keep listening for now!"
Gray, who had already eaten all the flesh and thrown the remaining apple into the trash can, reluctantly continued to listen to his long story.
"After that, I ran into him a few times when I went to the rocky mountain to find herbs, or when I encountered a wild animal and he saved me."
"...Ah... Rock Mountain... ...? Huh? Rock Mountain? No way, over there?"
Gray, who had been quietly listening to those words, came to his senses at the unexpected words and asked again, pointing with his finger to the northeast of the village. Mr. Hound nodded and even opened the window to gesture again toward the rocky mountain to the northeast.
"That young man, he might have been quite a force in his time."
"I've never seen anyone tear a bear apart with their bare hands in my life."
"...? Huh? Are you tearing the bear apart?"
"...The more I think about it, the more I realize he's a strange young man."
Mr. Hound, who had said so, turned his gaze again towards the rocky mountain, and in his dark green eyes, whose depth was unknown, he saw the flag of a black mansion fluttering.
"I ran into him a few times after that, but somehow, even after several years, or even decades, the young man never seemed to age."
"Uh... maybe it's because he looks really young or something..?"
"It's hard to say that maintaining the appearance of a 20-year-old for over 30 years is simply youthful."
"Hmm... So, is that person a wizard? Like Mr. Hound, whose lifespan was extended?"
"I don't know about extending lifespan or anything, but not aging at all is impossible for a human, even for a wizard."
"..."
Hearing his words, Gray's expression revealed his confusion, as if he still found it difficult to understand. He had asked questions to find out the identity of the unknown man named Ian Zeon, but instead, he fell deeper into the maze.
"Well, maybe,"
"He might really have been a vampire,"
"..."
"Oh, I've been holding you back too long. I guess I should just go now. The sun will be setting soon."
"....yes.."
Finally, with still unanswered questions in her chest, Gray packed an envelope and left his house. When she absentmindedly looked up, all she saw was a black flag fluttering in the wind.
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