The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

Chapter 279 - 279: 279 - The Cursed Meadow of Roses [1]

Sofia and Justo quickly left the office to go see the infected villagers. Their footsteps faded down the hallway, leaving behind a quiet tension that settled heavily in the room.Raye, Jerusha, and Lycus were left behind.

Right now, the three of them were gathered together, speaking among themselves in low voices as they tried to process everything they had just heard from Justo.

Or to be specific, what they were discussing was the suspicious group that appeared shortly before the mysterious disease began spreading throughout the village.

According to Justo, five people wearing white robes had visited him exactly a week before the incident in the meadow of roses happened.

And just like the group and Cole suspected, Justo himself also believed that the timing was far too perfect to be a coincidence. He thought the group was connected to everything.

After all... Justo declined the offer they were pushing on him, and right after he did—

"You will all pay for this!"

One of them shouted that at him with a voice filled with pure rage.

So basically, the group introduced themselves as a religious organization, claiming that they served a powerful and beautiful goddess.

Then after that introduction, they told Justo that this so-called goddess was the very one responsible for the creation of the meadow of roses. According to them, she was the one who blessed the land and created the beautiful field of flowers.

Which meant, in their words, she was also the reason for the village's success.

At that point, Justo already thought they were acting strangely, but even so, he simply nodded with a polite smile on his face. He didn't want to cause trouble immediately.

"Then, I'm grateful for her gift to us."

That was what he told them.

But after those words, things immediately took a bad turn. The group suddenly started demanding things from him— and not just from him, but from the entire village.

They claimed that the goddess was now seeking sacrifices as repayment for her generosity.

Their first demand was an absurd amount of gold.

Justo had been a heartbeat away from kicking them out right then and there. After all, if he gave them the amount they were asking for, the entire village would be doomed. They might not recover for years. He didn't even have a real reason to entertain them; he only listened because they were visitors and he was the acting chief. That was the only reason.

But before he could even tell them to stop and leave—

The strange group suddenly demanded that the prisoners they have confined to be executed on the meadow of roses as an offering to their goddess... all of them.

Hearing that made Justo go silent. Completely silent. He couldn't even form words as he stared at them, shocked that they would even suggest such a thing.

So with a deep frown on his face, he outright rejected them and banished them from the village on the spot.

And that was when they threatened Justo, saying he would regret his decision.

Then, exactly one week after that encounter... the black roses began appearing in the meadow, slowly spreading, and the mysterious disease started crawling through the village as if it were following their threat.

...

...

...

"..."

Raye and the others went quiet as they recalled everything Justo had told them.

"No matter where you look at it, the group was guilty as fuck. They're the ones behind this phenomenon."

Lycus said that bluntly, crossing his arms.

Jerusha and Raye agreed completely.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Raye murmured with a frown tightening on his face.

"They're fucking demon worshippers, no question about that."

He muttered those words under his breath. The others thought so as well, not doubting it for a second.

"They were asking for a lot of money and sacrifices..."

Raye looked at the two, annoyance clear in his expression. Then, parting his lips—

"They're trying to summon something... Two demons, to be specific."

He said that with certainty.

"They're trying to summon someone from the Lust Clan and Greed Clan."

"We should head to the meadow immediately and investigate. We have to act fast before it's too late."

Jerusha said, tone firm.

Raye and Lycus nodded before standing up at the same time. Without wasting even a moment, the three of them left the office and headed straight for the meadow of roses.

The three of them were among the most agile students of Zion Academy, so they arrived at their destination not long after leaving Justo's office.

*****

After reaching the meadow of roses, Raye, Jerusha, and Lycus took in the scene before them.

There were patches of black roses scattered across what was once a sea of red. The infected roses looked like they were slowly consuming the rest, spreading in strange, uneven patterns.

Yet even with the corruption creeping across the field... it remained beautiful.

But at the same time, undeniably ominous.

Raye and the others felt something pulling them toward the black roses. An unusual attraction. The black roses were strangely enticing, giving off a vibe that made the air feel heavier.

If Raye and the two didn't already know the truth about the meadow, they probably would have plucked one of those roses without hesitation just to take a closer look.

Anyway—

-You guys are finally here.

-Meep!

What snapped them out of their daze were two familiar voices. Zephyrus and Pyro.

The two spirits came flying toward them the moment they sensed Raye's presence.

And it wasn't just them.

-Kyu!

-Kyuuu!

The three pixies Jerusha had sent earlier to help in the investigation flew toward them as well, happily greeting the group.

Jerusha smiled at them all, but without wasting any moment...

"Did you guys find something?"

She asked that, looking at the five spirits.

Zephyrus looked back at her, then, with a serious expression—

-The meadow is cursed. This is definitely the work of someone related to demons.

He stated that clearly.

"It was demon worshippers. We heard a story from Justo."

Raye nodded as he spoke, then he explained to Zephyrus everything they had just learned: the group wearing white robes, the bizarre demands, the threats, and finally, his suspicion that they were trying to summon two demons.

-Hmm, that's what I thought as well.

Zephyrus replied, then lightly flapped his wings before landing on top of Raye's head. He settled there comfortably as he continued talking, his tone serious.

-The black roses are continuously absorbing mana from the surroundings. They act as a medium for the curse I mentioned before.

He paused for a second, letting the three process it, then went on.

-In short, the black roses poison the air, but it isn't a normal poison. It's not something you can cure with herbs or healing spells. The roses release vile energy, and once humans—especially normal, untrained ones—come into contact with it... the energy settles inside their bodies.

He raised one wing, as if pointing to the roses.

-It clings to them like a parasite. It stays inside and keeps draining their life force. Slowly. Quietly. And when they eventually die, the energy leaves their bodies and looks for another host, or returns here to infect more red roses... turning them into the black ones you see now.

He finished explaining the mechanism behind the curse, leaving a heavy silence behind.

"..."

Raye, Jerusha, and Lycus were speechless. Completely speechless. They exchanged looks, unable to believe that Zephyrus and the others had broken down the curse so quickly and so accurately in such a short time.

"How did you know this?"

Raye asked without thinking.

Zephyrus frowned, his feathers puffing slightly.

-We spirits can sense and follow the flow of energy. And by the time we got here... we already witnessed five red flowers becoming infected.

-That also means at least two people have died since we arrived here.

Then he muttered those words quietly.

"...!"

Raye, Jerusha, and Lycus froze, stunned.

The three of them felt their breath catch. Even though they knew the situation was dire, hearing that people had already died while Zephyrus and the others were investigating— it hit harder than they expected.

Pyro floated closer, his flames dimmer than usual.

-...

The pixies also lowered their heads, wings drooping and movements slow. They had followed Zephyrus the whole time, helping him move around the meadow while tracing the curse. So naturally, they had witnessed everything.

They saw the red roses darken one by one.

They sensed the life force vanish from the bodies of the villagers near the meadow.

They followed the trail of vile energy slithering in the air like smoke, heading back toward the flowers.

None of them enjoyed what they saw.

Jerusha quietly clenched her fists. Her usual calm expression tightened, revealing her frustration and worry.

"This is worse than we expected..."

Lycus muttered, voice low.

Raye exhaled slowly, trying to keep himself grounded. He looked over the meadow again, the red and black roses swaying gently with the wind. There was something eerie about it— beautiful yet suffocating.

Raye narrowed his eyes.

"If the curse is already this widespread, then the summoning ritual might be close to happening. They could be preparing the final step somewhere."

Jerusha nodded, gaze sharp and focused.

"We need to figure out where the core of the curse is. The place the energy is gathering in."

Zephyrus tapped Raye's head lightly with his talon.

-We already checked the edges of the meadow. The energy isn't centered there. It's spreading outward, not concentrating outward. Meaning the source is deeper inside.

Pyro floated forward, sparks crackling.

-Meep! The center... maybe the center!

One of the pixies spun in circles, wings flaring.

-Kyu! Kyu kyu!

Another pixie pointed deeper into the meadow with its tiny hand, insisting that they sensed something earlier, something faint but undeniably sinister.

Jerusha turned toward Raye and Lycus.

"We should head in. The center of the meadow is the most likely place. If there's a core, a ritual site, or some kind of anchor for the curse... it would be there."

Raye nodded slowly.

"Yeah. If the summoning is meant for the Lust Clan and Greed Clan, they'd need a strong anchor. A place with a lot of mana flow."

The group glanced again at the black roses.

The air felt thicker.

Even though the meadow looked peaceful at a glance, Raye could tell it was changing minute by minute.

Zephyrus hopped lightly on his head and spoke again.

-We need to hurry. If this continues, the curse might reach the village more aggressively. And the more people die, the stronger the cycle becomes.

Jerusha let out a slow breath, trying to steady herself.

"Then we have no choice. We have to find the source and destroy it."

Lycus nodded firmly.

"Let's move before another person dies."

Raye looked ahead, toward the deeper part of the meadow, and tightened his fists.

They didn't know what was waiting for them in the center.

But they knew one thing; The time js ticking.