Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 537: Blind

"But sorry to say this, I thought you would be arriving with a team, like other students," the Village Chief continued, his tone apologetic yet honest, as though he feared his assumption might come across as disrespectful.

Hearing the Village Chief’s words, Asher replied, "I’m alone, and the Star Academy approved me to come alone because they know I’m enough," he stated with a calm tone that bore neither arrogance nor hubris, his voice steady and unwavering, as though he were merely stating a simple and undeniable fact rather than boasting of his own capability.

The Village Chief paused for a brief moment, then smiled faintly. "I’m sure you have some questions; ask away and I will answer to the best of my knowledge," he spoke with composed courtesy, his glass of water still resting in his hand, untouched for the moment as his attention remained entirely fixed on Asher.

"How did you know my name?" Asher asked without hesitation, as that detail had continued to linger in his mind. Although he had formed a reasonable assumption, a guess remained merely a guess, and speculation could never equate to certainty or fact.

The Village Chief blinked at him once, then smiled gently as though he had already anticipated such an inquiry. "As you can see, I have no pupils, as I was born without them, hence rendering me blind," he began, his tone neither bitter nor self-pitying. "As a result, my other senses were extremely enhanced even before my awakening, and after my awakening, my awakened ability further focused on strengthening those senses," he explained calmly. Even though he could not see, he did not close his eyes; instead, his empty white gaze remained directed toward Asher’s purple irises as though he perceived something far deeper than physical sight.

Asher nodded slowly, choosing not to probe further into the matter of the Village Chief’s blindness or awakened ability. Instead, he decided to move directly to the heart of the issue. "I want you to tell me everything you know, from the very beginning without missing a single detail. Even if you believe the detail is unimportant, I still want to hear it," Asher stated calmly. He would only begin asking more specific questions after hearing the entirety of the Village Chief’s account.

"I don’t exactly know how the disappearances began because they did not originate from my own village," the Village Chief took a slow breath before continuing. "But during a meeting between the Village Chiefs within our region, I heard that it started in Hazing Village, and at that time, a total of ten people vanished on the same day." He paused briefly, as though expecting Asher to interject with a question or request clarification, but Asher remained silent and attentive.

"That was the beginning of it all. We within Blackstone Village barely knew about it because no one from our village had gone missing, and there is hardly any consistent communication between villages, so the information was not immediately passed along," the Village Chief continued in a steady voice.

"After about our third meeting, however, people within our own village vanished, and that was when we decided that the Adventurer Guild was not reliable enough for this matter, so we turned instead to the Star Academy. That is all I know," the Village Chief concluded, his expression composed yet tinged with quiet frustration.

Asher sat there in faint confusion. He had expected at least a clue, something tangible, anything at all that could guide his investigation. Yet the Village Chief had offered nothing concrete. During such meetings between leaders, information should have been shared more thoroughly... or so he believed. But at the same time, if a group of kidnappers could operate so swiftly and with such power, what could a gathering of Village Chiefs realistically uncover about them?

Asher exhaled softly at the thought, realizing that he would likely need to uncover every piece of information himself, as relying entirely on the villagers might prove to be futile. "How many villagers vanished from this village, and when?" he asked, transitioning immediately into direct questioning.

"Six, three men, two women, and one child," the Village Chief answered without hesitation. "As for when, approximately two weeks ago," he added in finality.

Hearing this, Asher immediately frowned. Two weeks ago, that changed everything. Two weeks ago meant the culprit was almost certainly long gone. It was unlikely that whoever orchestrated the kidnappings would abduct villagers and remain in the same area for two additional weeks without reason. That realization meant he would have to leave Blackstone Village as soon as possible after completing his preliminary investigation.

"Did you hear anything prior to the disappearance of these people?" Asher asked. "I’m sure with your senses, you can hear and perceive nearly everything happening within the village," he stated, testing the extent of the man’s abilities.

The Village Chief nodded slightly. "Yes, I can sense what happens within the village, but that does not mean I am actively doing so at all times. Even as I sit here speaking with you, I do not know what is happening beyond five meters around this building," he explained with patient clarity.

Asher sighed once more, understanding perfectly well that if the Village Chief’s sensory abilities were constantly active, they would overwhelm him with countless fragments of irrelevant information, potentially causing more harm than benefit.

"What time and where did they disappear?" Asher asked calmly, his expression unreadable.

"I believe from their homes," the Village Chief replied. "We only realized they were missing when none of them showed up for work the following day, and within this village, everyone knows everyone else. Their absence was noticed immediately."

"And how certain are you that they were taken from their homes rather than from the streets before they could return?" Asher asked, wanting to understand the basis of that conclusion.

The Village Chief paused briefly, as though weighing whether he should disclose what he was about to reveal. After a moment of hesitation, he sighed. "One of the villagers claimed he was with one of the vanished women in her home that night," he said carefully, "and that he left afterward. According to him, she was still inside her house when he departed."

Hearing this, Asher did not know what to say. He simply stared at the Village Chief in silence. ’Was he listening to them with his senses, or did an actual villager openly confess this?’ Asher wondered internally, briefly imagining the absurdity of someone spying on two adults in such an intimate moment.

"Since they were taken from their homes, I will be going there," Asher stated as he rose to his feet with decisive intent. "Lead the way." He did not concern himself with how exactly the Village Chief had acquired that information. What mattered was that he now possessed a starting point. Although he was certain that whoever had committed the kidnappings would have erased nearly every trace of their presence, there remained a possibility, however faint, that he might still sense or uncover something that others had overlooked.