Reborn as shield hero with Garps Template

Myne leaned on the wall with one hand and vomited for a while before recovering, but when she remembered what she had just eaten, the feeling of nausea surged through her body and mind once more.

"Vomit~~~"

There was another bout of gut-wrenching, miserable vomiting, and Myne didn't stop until there was nothing left in her stomach. The rising stomach acid burned her esophagus, making her extremely uncomfortable.

In addition to the shock from earlier, Myne's face was almost completely bloodless.

At that moment, Jason stretched out a white handkerchief in front of her.

"Thank you!"

Myne instinctively wiped her dirt-stained mouth with the handkerchief.

"You're welcome, would you like some water?"

Immediately afterward, a water bottle was handed to Myne.

"Okay, alright."

Myne nodded and took the bottle. In that instant, a sudden disorienting sensation hit her—this was not Motoyasu's voice.

There was no one left in the entire Lute Village, so who had suddenly appeared behind her?

The unknown is always an extremely terrifying thing, especially in such a strange atmosphere, filled with eerie silence and the sound of the constant wind.

For a moment, Myne felt her neck go stiff.

She wanted to turn her head to see who was standing behind her, but a voice in her mind kept stopping her, as if something dreadful would occur if she dared to look.

"What should I do? Should I turn my head?"

Myne questioned herself countless times in that brief moment, but she couldn't reach an answer.

"Gulp~~~"

After swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Myne seemed to finally come to a decision and forcefully turned around.

There was nothing behind her—not a single person, not even a stray cat or dog.

Even so, Myne's breathing became labored, her eyes darting nervously around.

Earlier, she had been too occupied with vomiting to notice her surroundings, but now Myne was certain she hadn't heard any footsteps.

Without the sound of footsteps, how did the person standing behind her disappear?

Myne tried to push the thoughts away, telling herself over and over: It must be those untouchables playing tricks. It has to be them. There's no such thing as ghosts, and I—Myne, the future queen—have nothing to fear from them.

Her mind was a jumble, almost as if she had split into two personalities. One part of her was starting to believe in ghosts, while the other refused to accept anything supernatural, convinced the villagers were responsible.

But through constant self-reassurance, Myne eventually calmed down a little.

"Master Motoyasu! Master Motoyasu!"

As she carefully scanned her surroundings, she backed into the restaurant, calling Motoyasu's name.

However, upon entering the restaurant, she found that Motoyasu was gone.

"Master Motoyasu, where are you?"

Myne shouted with all her might but received no response.

"If you hear my voice, answer me!"

Her voice echoed throughout the restaurant and across Lute Village.

Yet, there was no reply from Motoyasu—only the eerie whistling of the cold wind and the rustling of leaves outside.

The shadows cast by the shaking leaves, seen through the restaurant's window, made it seem as if numerous figures were swaying together.

As time passed and there was still no response from Motoyasu, Myne felt her heart beat faster and faster. She stopped looking outside, too afraid she might see something she wasn't supposed to.

At that moment, Myne's gaze fell on the stairs leading to the second floor.

"Did Master Motoyasu go upstairs?"

She wondered, placing one foot on the stairs. Yet, as she looked up, she hesitated.

There was no light at the top of the stairs—only darkness, as if it were a void connecting two worlds. It seemed to be an abyss swallowing everything, even devouring the faint string of lights that attempted to pierce it.

Blink.

Myne blinked, and suddenly, in the darkness at the end of the staircase, a blood-red eye appeared, staring directly at her.

"What?"

She rubbed her eyes hastily, only to find that the darkness was still just darkness—no eyes to be seen.

"Master... Master Motoyasu, you wouldn't be upstairs, would you? I just called so loudly. If you were there, you would have answered."

A nervous twitch pulled at the corners of Myne's mouth, and she slowly withdrew the foot that had been poised on the stairs.

Back in the light of the restaurant, Myne exhaled deeply, feeling a slight sense of security.

But as if fate were toying with her, the restaurant lights suddenly flickered.

Myne noticed that with each dimming of the lights, an unsettling presence seemed to materialize on the first floor, as if something was moving closer to her through the darkness.

"I can't stay in the restaurant any longer. Maybe Master Motoyasu's sudden disappearance has something to do with whatever is hiding in the dark."

The thought made sweat bead once again on Myne's forehead, and her back was already soaked. With the fresh wave of perspiration, she felt sticky and uncomfortably warm. But she knew now wasn't the time to dwell on such discomfort—she had to find a relatively safe place.

But where was safer? Who could possibly help her?

Suddenly, an idea struck Myne, her eyes lighting up.

Just then, the lights in the restaurant went out entirely.

Without a second thought, Myne bolted out of the restaurant, racing toward the village entrance.

Myne ran faster than she ever had before. Her heart pounded wildly, and though her body protested the exertion, she pushed herself forward until she saw the entrance to Lute Village.

About ten soldiers stood at attention on either side of the village entrance, and at that moment, they looked surprisingly comforting to Myne.

"In the name of Myne, the future queen, I command you to come to me at once!"

She tried to control her breath as she shouted, still maintaining her usual haughty tone, despite how "cute" she suddenly found those soldiers.

Yet, the soldiers did not move; they stood there, utterly still, as if they hadn't heard her at all.

"A bunch of bastards! Didn't you hear me ordering you?"

Myne screamed again, but there was no response, fueling her fury.

As her sprint left her gasping for air, Myne paused her shouting, glancing nervously back into the depths of the village, then quickened her pace once more.

When she reached the entrance, she didn't stop to catch her breath. She immediately lashed out, kicking the nearest soldier with a vicious blow while shouting, "A bunch of trash! Pretending you can't hear me, are you?"

With the impact of Myne's kick, the soldier toppled over without the slightest resistance.

The soldier's head detached from his neck, rolling far away...