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~Chapter 26~
In the center of the square, a man stood on a platform.
As the event was about to start, lights turned on and the announcer’s voice came through.
A banner above the platform read: “Meeting the Bear.”
Eric made a small sound of interest.
“It seems to be an event hosted by the organizers. Let’s watch together.”
“Sure!”
I followed Eric closer to the platform. People were gathering.
Meeting the Bear? Does that mean we’ll see a bear?
Soon, several people brought out a cage covered in black cloth.
“Inside is a lovely baby bear, born a few months ago in Sinks’ sanctuary.”
The announcer smiled at the crowd.
“Today, we’ll have a short time to greet this baby bear. To avoid stressing it, the event will be brief. Please be quiet and greet it calmly.”
The announcer approached the cage.
“Now, let me introduce the lovely baby bear, Lily!”
He lifted the black cloth.
With quiet cheers, a small black bear appeared.
I looked at the cage, heart beating with excitement.
But then—
“Why isn’t the bear moving?”
People tilted their heads. The bear was still.
The little bear lay motionless.
“Is it sleeping?”
Whispers came.
No.
I widened my eyes in shock.
The bear wasn’t breathing.
The bear was dead. Cold and lifeless in the cage.
As murmurs grew—
BANG!
A loud sound rang out.
A huge banner unfurled above the platform:
“We will drive the bears to extinction.”
Screams erupted.
“What… what is this? What’s going on?”
People panicked, pointing between the banner and the bear.
Murmurs spread fast.
“So… the bear’s dead?”
“And that banner? Who killed it?”
The red letters on the banner looked like they were written in blood, jagged and uneven.
“It’s clear. Someone killed the bear. This proves the other dead bears weren’t accidents!”
People clenched fists, shouting.
Some cried at the dead cub.
“Who keeps killing our bears?!”
“This is definitely terrorism!”
“…It must be them.”
The announcer, who had been silent, finally spoke softly.
Everyone turned to him.
He looked sadly at the bear, then pointed at the banner angrily.
“Look at the letters. They tried to write neatly, but the spelling is off. …Who else but those who don’t know our language could have done this? And in Sinks, that means immigrants.”
“Are you saying… the immigrants?”
“Yes. That’s what I believe.”
People nodded.
“Yes. No one else would do this.”
“Exactly. Since they came, bears have been dying.”
“They even use magic. They must be attacking the bears with their power.”
The crowd grew louder.
“Because we rejected them, they’re killing bears to threaten us!”
Angry shouts spread.
The square became chaotic.
“Let’s hunt them now! They killed our bears—they must be punished!”
Some tore off masks, ready to attack immigrants.
The people’s anger was at its peak.
Meanwhile, I crossed my arms, eyes on the bear.
Something felt wrong.
There were no signs of natural magic on the cub.
After the chaos, I went back to the train.
Sophie and Deon urged me.
“For your safety, young lady, don’t go out again. It’s too dangerous.”
I nodded gloomily as I entered the cabin.
I wanted to travel more but listened.
I had already seen much of Sinks thanks to the festival.
No need to risk staying in a city ready to erupt.
Still… thinking about what happened felt strange.
The dead cub. The angry citizens.
But—
The marks I saw on the cub were from a magic tool, not natural magic.
Magic tools leave different, less natural, more artificial traces.
If immigrants killed the bear, there should be signs of natural magic.
And that banner. Who would reveal themselves like that?
At first, it looked like immigrants were guilty.
But the more I thought, the more suspicious it seemed.
I shook my head.
No need to think more. The locals would handle it.
I was just a traveler; it wasn’t my problem anymore.
Right now, I had another problem—
The train wouldn’t leave for ten hours.
What should I do?
I thought hard.
Options:
-
Read books for bored travelers.
-
Visit the art gallery on the Ramier Express.
But I didn’t want to view art alone or read.
Then Sophie suggested:
“Young lady, since we’re back early, how about the social club? You could play games with others.”
“Oh?”
That sounded really good!
My eyes sparkled at Sophie.
