Not much time has passed since Thaís and Jorge had left but the silence has already become quite intense as both you and Sigmundo have finished eating and now wait quietly for Maebh's arrival. As much as you are doing nothing – and, truth be told, are quite bored – Sigmundo notably avoids looking at you, preventing any conversation from starting, however, even more curious is the way how he does it, almost as if he is in a state of alert because of your presence.

  Immediately, you begin wondering if you knew each other before or if maybe he knows who you are, or even if there is something to be worried about him having said nothing about it so far... And as if all of these question are not enough already to drive you mad, the still – strongly – present smell of the breakfast is beginning to reawaken your hunger. Therefore, motivated by disquiet, you suggest:

-        Hmm, how about we wait for Maebh outside?

  Sigmundo then presents an expression of confusion – but still avoiding eye contact – as if he wonders what about it would be better from now but, for some reason, accepts regardless:

-        Uh... Ok.

  You two get up and head towards the exit but as soon as he reaches for the doorknob, it opens – seemingly – on its own and Sigmundo finds himself face to face with Maebh. She greets him kindly whilst entering the tavern:

-        Good morning Sigmundo, how's she cuttin'?

-        Ah! Goo-Good mor-morning Maebh... Hmm, I-I'm well... An-And you?

  Suddenly there is a visible struggle on Sigmundo's voice as if his brain has not decided whether it should express surprise or joy. Whilst putting her cloak on the coat rack near the door, she responds quite naturally, as if she is already accustomed to Sigmundo's quirks:

-        It's good to hear that. I'm grand.

  However, upon seeing you, her composure shifts to a much colder one and that – almost unnoticeably – hides a hint of worry behind a fake light smile, greeting you as well:

-        Orion...

  Distracted, wondering why she behaves like this when near you, you simply wave your hand in response. As she begins organising the chairs and tables nearest to the entrance, Sigmundo calls for you:

-        Hmm... Shall we go?

  And so, without wasting another second, you leave the tavern and immediately start the tour.

  The village’s layout is nothing out of the ordinary and it brings a strong feeling of familiarity to your mind. There are the main gates; expanding from them and circling the whole village are tall walls made out of wood and stone; there is a market; a little church; a rather open plaza; et cetera et cetera... Sigmundo is talking so much that it looks quite conflicting with the first impression you had of him, however, as useful – and rather important – the information he is giving is, your mind finds itself too clouded with questions about everything and nothing at the same time to pay him much attention. Yet, as you pass by a house – that apparently was burnt down recently – and he makes no comment about it, practically trying to ignore its existence, you feel the urge to ask whilst pointing at it:

-        What happened there?

  He looks at the house and then at you with a hesitant expression, but in the end chooses to explain:

-        Uh... I don't know much, some folk say that a witch lived there and that one day an accident happened, burning both the house and her...

  He seems to omit something, almost as if he changed his mind mid-sentence given how his words slowly die out and at no point during the explanation he looked you in the face even, making it even harder to decipher his thoughts.

  Seemingly unaware of your scrutiny, after a short silence he resumes walking, intent on continuing the tour. You, however, stands still a little longer, observing the carbonised walls and broken windows of the structure, beckoned by a growing feeling of anger as if your flight or flee instincts were being provoked by the house itself. But, before you may question yourself about it, the anger is suddenly gone. Impulsively, a question escapes your mouth:

-        Do you think that the witch could have survived the fire?

  Once again Sigmundo darts you a look of confusion, responding rather jokingly:

-        If she survived, then I'll be leaving this village tomorrow morning! Hahaha.

  Proceeding then to the other side of the village, you two pass by the Cœur D'Argent Manor, where an elderly lady observes the people walking between the habitational district and the market from her porch. At first, Sigmundo grows quiet and changes course to the opposite direction you were going but:

-        Bonjour, Sigmundo! Have you returned of the hunt already? Did you find any tracks?

  He stands quiet for a moment, as if pondering if it is too late to pretend that he did not hear her but eventually chooses to reply:

-        Milady... A-Actually I didn't go,  hehe... Thaís went in my place.

-        Aha! So mon fils finally stopped being hard-headed and allowed the miss to help?

  She asks light heartedly whilst you and Sigmundo stop at the foot of the porch’s steps. Sigmundo looks your way as if pleading for you to be the one talking instead of him but without knowing who this lady is, you find it better to speak only after being introduced, therefore he – reluctantly – answers her:

-        Well... It was somewhat like that, one could say....

  The lady laughs quietly upon hearing Sigmundo's words and then explains, looking at you:

-        Mon fils is a good man, he just needs to be less stubborn when it comes to having people work with him.

  You nod your head without quite knowing what to say, which prompts Sigmundo to realise you don't know who this lady is, and so, he introduces you:

- Oh! Uh... Orion this is Lady Marie Cœur D'Argent.

- Milady, this is Orion, he's the man we encountered passed out on the road the other day.

- Ah! Oui oui... It's a pleasure to meet you Orion. You were quite lucky to have been found by mon fils and the others that night, I imagine that they already told you about the Beast?

- Y-Yes, yes...

  Your response is quite brief for now as what takes the most of your attention is how could you have not pieced things together before... You knew that your conditions were not optimal but not recognising the lady of the village is quite concerning. As panic threatens grow out of proportions in your mind, Lady Marie turns to Sigmundo once again, asking:

-        You're showing the village to Orion, pas vrai?

-        Y-Yes...

   She then directs her words to both of you:

-        Do you know the history of this village?

-        No no.

  You and Sigmundo respond in unison causing her to – apparently – consider something in her head for a moment and then, whilst turning back to the Manor to entre it, say:

-        Follow me.

  You then look at Sigmundo inquisitively but he responds with just a simple shrug and, noticing that the lady continues walking, you two quickly begin following along.

  The grandeur of the manor’s interior immediately becomes visible once your eyes adapt to the change of environment, however, in a reflex of how dispersed you are, questions pop into your mind and them make themselves heard:

-        Uh... How long have you been hunting the Beast?

-        Lord Édouard has been hunting it since the attacks begin two months ago... But me and Jorge got into this just two weeks ago… All because he kept insisting on helping.

  There's a strong note of resentment in Sigmundo's answer but your attention fails once more to focus on a single thing at a time and so, halfway through his words, it simply gets dispersed by the luxury of the manor: Fine pieces of embroiled tapestry cover the wooden floor of this first room; the furniture have details richly carved on their surfaces, where, over some, sit sumptuous sculptures and artefacts – seemingly from places all around the globe – that share the same “impeccable” factor as the painting hung on the walls above. Sigmundo carries the same awe expression as you whilst following Lady Marie, who – stopping every now and then to point at a thing or another – begins to explain the history of her family:

-        During the last Sacred War, mon père received an opportunity that was conceived to but a few privileged individuals, he was recruited by a lord to serve as his ward...

  She moves close to a glass exposition box full of medals and then continues:

-        Through several battles, he climbed the ranks with his prowess in combat and soon reached fame amongst the others in the battlefield. However, since he wasn’t of noble blood and only a few knew him by name, some of the lord's comrades started calling mon père of  Cœur D'Argent, ironically claiming that he was merely interested in the loot and oblivious to any notion of valour or honour... Ces hypocrites. Yet, to their surprise, the lord of mon père and many of the other  soldiers took this title with a different meaning, arguing that he was Cœur D'Argent because he fought to defend the Nameless God's faith and that the honour with which we faced his opponents reflected the purity of his heart, claiming that his heart was as noble as silver.

  Another brief pause as she shakes her head – apparently pondering – and then, she resumes:

-        After the end of the war, he returned to ma mère and I a changed man. He wouldn't laugh as much as before, he didn't talk or smile as he used to... War had changed him. C'est vrai that he was successful at “defending” the worshipping of our God but at the cost of his own faith. But  even then, not all was lost, he then had the idea of using the money he had earned in the war to construct this village: A place where people could live happily and away from both the violence and ailments that trouble the world out there... Or, at least, to try and bring as much good as the pain he had once caused.

  Looking at you and Sigmundo she seems unsatisfied with the tone in which he explanation ended, and so:

-        After the village was constructed and the people started moving in, several things happened, including the death of ma mère, but he continued doing his best to be a good leader and a good father, so much so that eventually he even received the title of Lord by His Majesty...

-        However, as any man, a few decades ago he died and from then until the beginning of this year, when my health started to decline, I have been the responsible for the village...

  She forgets her surroundings whilst looking at an old picture of – supposedly – her father and only a few instants after, upon realising having zoned off, proceeds lightly:

-        Alors, I spoke so much that I probably am starting to bore you two. Is there anything you wish to ask?

  Sigmundo and you trade looks without the slightest clue as to what to say but, looking at the portrait at the other side of the room, you instinctively decide to ask:

-        Um... And Lord Édouard, how did he become lord?

  She moves towards the portrait, seemingly zoning off again:

-        Oh Édouard, mon petit Édouard... I remember when he was little, he and Jacques were inseparable, always playing and talking about how when they grew up, they would be the guardians of this village. Even when they pestered the villagers they were always kind and apologised afterwards...

-        … Upon becoming an adult he served in the Mercenary Army and even participated in the Conqueror's War. However, ever since his return, he has been behaving quite similar to mon père...

  An expression of realisation and sorrow takes hold of her face.

-        I... I would have liked that he talked to me more, more to anyone else actually. Losing mon père to the war was hard enough, I just hope that Édouard don't fall in the same tragedy... He deserves a far better life.

  Hesitant on asking anything else that might result on Lady Marie drowning even further into sorrow, you try to think of something happier to ask but nothing comes to mind, therefore, you start to look about the environment for something, anything...

  Realising that in the family picture there is only her, her father and two boys – whom you presume to be Lord Édouard and Lord Jacques – but not even a clue of her husband, you finally ask:

-        An-And what about Lord Édouard's and Lord Jacques' father? Why is he not in the picture?

  Sigmundo immediately looks your way and then to the other side to pretend he was not surprised by your question, almost as if he knows something that is oblivious to you. Curiosity bothers you about it but Lady Marie's brief silence – almost as if she is pondering about a delicate subject – provokes you to reconsider the adequacy of your question. A small second later, she responds:

-        De Dieu de Dieu! Look at the time, mon fils and the others must already be coming back. Maybe you two should go wait for them at the tavern.

  Lady Marie's words sound more like an invite for you to leave than anything else, so you and Sigmundo immediately say goodbye and head back to the tavern without wasting any second. Halfway there – but out and far away from the Cœur D'Argent Manor – enough, you ask him:

-        Did I say something wrong?

-        Looking to the distance and shrugging his shoulders, he answers:

-        Um... I don't know... Now is too late anyway.

  Sigmundo's lack of interest towards chatting does not alarm you – truth be told, that is something that you already expect from him – but the way how he tried to sound indifferent provokes your curiosity, more so by the way how he continues to avoid eye contact. Indeed, during the whole day you have not seen him look someone in the eyes even once, not even with Lady Marie, the highest authority of the village. Something that you have noticed however, is that most of the time, he looks over one of the person's shoulders, almost as if he is looking at the space – or more precisely, at “something” –  behind them.

  When you finally muster the will and focus to ask him for the why of such behaviour, he is already too far away, since he continued walking after responding your questing and you stopped to think. You decide to ask him another time then and, so, hurry a little to catch up.