*** So an idea struck to me like lightning! I finally found a case that has something to do with the second mystery in the song nazotoki! (English title is too long) Please enjoy! ***
Chapter IX: Paranormal Case
29th December 1889
Len read over the case sent by the City Hall to him. He prayed that it isn't another trick, like Paul William's case. Or else that mayor is going to wish he was never born. Of course Rin wouldn't let Len do that.
Request sent by : Lucy Amberous
Case : Villagers are disappearing. At midnight a sound of a bell can be heard. When villagers investigate the sound, it led them to a lake. The body of a missing villager is found dead at the center of the lake. The case had happened more than once. Usually 3 villagers die each month.
Crime Scene: Ovule Village.
Prime suspect : Gregory Norve
'It sounds like a ghost did this...' Len commented.
"Here's your tea." Rin served tea to Len. He thought Rin many things about what her job, other than keeping Len from doing harm. But Rin only works for around 3 hours, since there's not much to do. After her shift was over, Len let Rin go back to her inn.
"Do you have plans for new year?" Len asked and took a sip..
"No." Rin answered shortly.
"Good. Because we're going to Ovule Village. Tonight." Len said and gave Rin the letter.
"Don't you think it's a unique case? I don't think it'd be as simple as Paul William's case. Because it happens more than once." He commented.
"Where is Ovule?" Rin asked.
"East from here, but it's quite far. If we travel at dusk, we'll arrive at dawn. You should go back to your inn and pack extra clothes. We're probably going to stay there for a few days." Len said.
List of victims October 1889-December 1889
Bill Akrough - Fisherman
Thomas Lure - Fisherman
Aaron Simmerson - Tailor
Cindy Oller – Inn keeper
Ryan Aences – Shop owner
Howard Bowler - Farmer
The list continued on until number 14.
'14 people died in 3 months? It happened from 1885, the case have been going on for 4 years... 95% of the people mentioned in the list are men, only few are women. So many innocent people died... Or maybe they're not innocent?' Len read over the files sent by Lucy Amberous.
Rin looked at the view beyond the train's window. She hadn't seen any buildings so she thought they're near. She slept for 4 hours but kept on waking up because of the bump from the train. While Len kept on reading the files since the train started moving.
The first thing they're going to do once they reached Ovule, they are going to talk with Lucy Amberous. Len needed more data. There weren't any information about the prime suspect, Gregory Norve. But everything else was described in great detail. She even gave a map Ovule Village, and the path towards the lake. It wasn't far, around 15 meters from the village.
'So the culprit carries their victims to the lake, 15 meters from the village, to the lake? Won't the culprit be tired? Carrying his victims like that, in midnight, isn't it tiring? Unless he used a wagon... But Lucy Amberous didn't mention anything about tracks of wheel...' Len put down the files and put it back on the folder.
The sun was already rising from the horizon by the time Len closed his eyes to sleep. ***************
They reached Ovule Village. As expected, Ovule Village is surrounded by nature. Snow decorated the ground as if the ground is carpeted by snow. Rin and Len both were amazed by one thing from ovule village. That is a tall tree. Probably the tallest tree they've ever seen. It's probably as tall as Len's mansion.
Other than that, everything was plain. And very 'village-like'. Smoke came out from the villager's chimneys. Even though they have a large and tall tree, the village was extremely small. They could only see around 20 houses, and they were all small. Except for one that looked like an inn.
They thought the tall tree attracted them, but something else attracted Len's eyes. A stone shaped like a cross was located in front of the villager's house. Len took a few steps closer at the stone shaped cross. It was covered in snow, and Len tried to wipe off the snow from the stone.
'Is this a tombstone?' Len asked to himself.
"There's more." Rin pointed to the other houses.
All the houses in the village all had a cross made from stone. Its height is half Len's height, and Len was sure it was a tombstone. But there were no name carved on it.
"Let's go to that inn first." Len said. "Hopefully it's an inn." He continued.
The largest building is the inn, but there weren't any people there. No one was there.
"Is no one here?" Rin asked.
"I'm sure there is. I saw smoke from the chimney of this inn." Len answered.
"Oh, hello." A little girl greeted them from behind. She's around 9-10 years old.
There were traces of tears and sadness in her eyes. Both Len & Rin wasn't surprised to see tears in the villager's faces. People kept on dying for no reason.
"Are you the inn keeper?" Len asked.
Honestly Rin thought it was an unusual question. Should the inn keeper be that young? But the girl's answer changed Rin's mind.
"Yes." She ran towards the register table. Although the table is much taller than her, and they couldn't see the girl at all.
"Welcome to the inn. My name is Alice." She climbed up to the register table so they could see her.
"We'd like to rent two rooms." Len said.
"Alice!" Someone interrupted their transactions.
An old lady came inside the hotel and took over the register table.
"I'm sorry if the girl caused trouble. Can I help you?" She asked.
"We'd like to rent two rooms." Len repeated.
"Here are your room keys." She gave room number 1 to Rin, and gave room number 2 to Len.
"How long will you be staying?" She asked.
"I'm not quite sure myself. I'm here to do research for my novel. I'm a novelist you see, and I need a background for my story. And the magnificent tree here. It's a wonderful touch to my upcoming novel." Len explained.
"Oh, a novelist. Well, please enjoy your stay." The old lady said, and she was about to left with Alice. But stopped.
"I should remind you, don't wonder off to the lake near here at night. It's dangerous." She said to them and left.
"After we rest for an hour, let's immediately go to the lake." Len said and searched for his room.
Rin thought her room wouldn't be too far from Len, so she walked right behind him.
The room wasn't extravagant, but he should be grateful that there's an inn in this small village. A bed, a desk and chair, and a wardrobe. There was a lamp on the desk as well.
Len carefully released his right arm and put it in a special case. Since Elizabeth nearly destroyed his right arm he had to buy another arm. Len thought his arm was quite old anyway.
Releasing his arm is what Len usually does when he's in his mansion, or if he wants to go to sleep or take a shower. Although he doubts that no one knows who he was in Ovule. Just to be safe, he would wear his arm when he goes outside of the inn.
He opened the wardrobe in that room, and found something disturbing, there was another cross. The half the size he saw, but the same material.
'I need to know what that thing is...' Len thought to himself and put his suitcase inside the wardrobe.
Note :
Ovule Village DOESN'T EXIST (as far as I know). I'm not a resident of England, (I wish I could) so I'm not familiar with their cities. I checked google map but couldn't find a city near London that has a lake, and a village at the Victorian era. That's why I made Ovule Village.
And if you're wondering what Ovule means, it's actually a part of the flower that turns into a seed after fertilization. (Biology exam just passed, that's why I thought of that as a name xD)
