Eran asked, "Should we wake the people in the house next door?"
Haruki shook his head. "It's not morning yet. We'll search for him ourselves. He couldn't have gone too far. You go left, I'll go right. Meet me at the palace in a few hours."
Eran groaned. "Why are we working so hard? They have to die so they died what can we do now anyway. Let's sleep and deal with it in the morning."
Haruki snapped, "Enough nonsense. Let's search."
Eran mumbled, "Hmph…"
Both of them sprinted in opposite directions—left and right—searching for hours, but found nothing. The night sky still loomed overhead. After three long hours, they returned to the house.
But what they saw left them stunned.
The house was completely empty—no pillars, no signs of a struggle, not even the dead body. It was as if nothing had ever happened there.
Haruki muttered, "So... the villagers were telling the truth."
Eran scoffed. "What are those angels of yours even doing? We didn't see a single guard. If demons had attacked tonight, everyone in the palace would've been caught sleeping."
Haruki sighed. "Let's just sleep now."
Eran nodded. "Fine, let's go to the palace."
But Haruki stopped him. "No. We're sleeping here. On the roof."
Eran said, "You're joking, right?"
Haruki replied calmly, "No," and lay down on the roof next door.
Eran sighed. "Alright, fine," and lay down beside him.
Before long, Eran drifted off to sleep. But Haruki couldn't close his eyes. His thoughts kept racing—he just wanted the morning to come.
He stayed awake the entire night, silently watching over the village.
As the first light crept into the sky and birds began to stir, Haruki gently woke Eran. "Get up. Let's head to the palace."
The sun hadn't fully risen yet—just a faint glow as birds flitted across the sky. On the way to the palace gate, they passed a few villagers, already awake and starting their day. Near the gate, they saw many soldiers standing guard.
Haruki narrowed his eyes. We didn't see even a single soldier in the village last night… But there are always guards outside the palace, day and night.
A quiet anger rose in him—an anger directed toward the Seven Angels.
Just as Haruki and Eran were about to enter the palace, they saw Yakushi stepping out. The soldiers at the gate immediately saluted him. Yakushi approached Haruki and offered a respectful bow.
Haruki didn't return the gesture. "Why was there security only near the palace last night—and not throughout the village?"
Yakushi replied calmly, "You should already know—only the Seven Angels possess magic in this entire village. Since two of them went missing, the remaining five have been working nonstop, protecting the village day and night. But last night, after your arrival… all of them were asleep."
Haruki's gaze sharpened. "So the villagers were telling the truth… about those children. Torn black pillars were coming out of the corpses."
Yakushi's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that?"
Before Haruki could answer, Eran cut in. "Haruki just said the villagers were right. Why are you asking so many questions?"
Haruki turned to Eran with a deadpan look. "You've been talking too much lately."
Then to Yakushi, he said, "Come with us."
Eran sighed internally. I thought staying with them would make me stronger… but I've ended up just investigating strange deaths.
Haruki glanced at him. "Did you say something, Eran?"
Startled, Eran shook his head. "No, just… thinking. Though apparently, my thoughts are being heard now too."
Together, the three of them walked through the village and reached the house. The roof was gone.
Yakushi stopped, staring up. "What happened to the roof?"
Around them, a crowd had gathered. Villagers murmured among themselves, eyes filled with fear and curiosity.
Haruki stepped forward. "We removed the roof. The same thing happened here. Last night, we saw a shadow sitting on the opposite rooftop. When we climbed up, black pillars burst from the house. We tore the roof away and found the family… dead. Pierced by those same blood-soaked pillars."
Haruki continued, "And after we followed the shadow and came back… everything was gone. Not a single pillar, not even a dead body remained."
The murmurs in the crowd grew louder. One man's voice rose above the others, trembling with emotion. "First, it was the children… and now the parents. What's happening in this village?"
Haruki turned sharply toward the voice. "What did you just say?"
The man hesitated, startled, taking a nervous step back. But Yakushi gave him a reassuring nod. Encouraged, the man spoke, his voice low but clear.
"All the families whose children died… now their parents are also dying. It's happening slowly, one by one. Two days ago, a couple disappeared on the southern border. They never came back. Their child had already gone missing weeks before. And now—these two people, the ones who just died in this house—their children were also taken before."
A tense silence fell over the group. The crowd even the air felt heavier.
Haruki clenched his jaw, eyes narrowing