The road to the village of Irlam was steeped in the scent of damp earth and pine. I walked alongside the wagon, maintaining a steady pace that wouldn't strain my damaged shoulder. Beside me, Rem led the beast of burden with a silent precision, her blue eyes sweeping the surroundings with a vigilance that I shared.
"The guest-sama seems to be very attentive to the forest," Rem commented, breaking the silence. "Does Rem's guest sense something that Rem cannot perceive?"
"Curiosity, nothing more," I replied with a casual smile, although my internal monologue was much darker. "This forest has a strange rhythm today. The birds are too quiet, and the wind blows with a frequency that makes my hair stand on end."
Rem kept silent. I noticed her hand closing tightly around the handle of her hidden weapon. She ignored what I perceived: the subtle vibration of a mana that didn't belong to this place.
Upon reaching the village, the atmosphere changed. The villagers greeted us with genuine warmth, and a group of children ran towards us, surrounding us with laughter and requests for games. Among them was Petra, the girl with the red ribbons, whose energy seemed to light up the dust of the road.
"Subaru! Rem-rin! You're back!" Petra shouted, pulling on my sleeve. "You have to see what we found near the village edge!"
I let her drag me towards the central square. There, curled up in a wicker basket, was a small dog. Its fur was greyish, and its large eyes shone with a false innocence that made my survival instincts scream a warning.
[Active Skill: Environment Analysis (Tier 1) - Executing...]
My vision sharpened. The world lost its vibrant colors to show me the energy flows that connected living beings. I saw the bright mana of the children, pure and warm. And then, I saw the puppy's flow.
A dark and unnatural spiral sucked the vitality from the air, transforming it into invisible threads that stretched towards the forest.
"What a pretty dog, isn't it?" Petra said, bringing her hand close to the animal. "It gave me a tiny bite on my finger, but it doesn't hurt at all."
My blood ran cold. Without thinking, I took Petra's hand and examined her finger. A small red mark, almost imperceptible, stood out on her skin. To anyone else, it would be an insignificant injury. To me, it was a breach in her integrity. An anchor point for a lethal energy transfer.
"Petra, listen to me carefully," I said, my voice dropping to a serious tone that made her take a step back. "Don't let anyone else touch that dog. Not you and not your friends."
"Is something wrong, Subaru-sama?" Rem approached, her expression turning severe as she noticed my change in mood.
"Curses, Rem. Just as I suspected after speaking with Beatrice. This animal acts as a bearer, far from being a simple pet."
I stood up, letting out my breath slowly. My system window flashed before my eyes, confirming my worst fears.
[Status Detected: Curse Mark (Dream Bond)][Time remaining for activation: 12 hours]
The board had moved again. What had been a technical suspicion had become a visceral reality. The enemy was in the middle of the village, and I only had one night to break the threads before Irlam's heartbeat stopped.
"We need to talk to the village chief," I looked at Rem, my gaze reflecting cold determination. "And then, Rem, you're going to have to trust me more than you've ever trusted anyone. Because tonight, we're going into that forest and we're going to cut this disease at its root."
Rem watched me for an eternal second, her eyes reflecting doubt and a growing understanding that I knew much more than I could explain. Finally, she nodded.
"Rem will follow the guest-sama. If what you say is true... the mansion and the village are in grave danger."
I clenched my fists. The survival game had just leveled up. And I didn't plan on losing a single life in this loop.