Gate Guardian - Song of the Frozen Soul 78 CHICKEN TINOLA MAKES PEOPLE BRAVE

It was already seven in the evening. I was standing in front of the girl's room, waiting for Tiara to pack her things up.

As I said before, we will have a slight detour because we're going to the place of her origin, the Brightmore Town.

We specifically scheduled our visit this Thursday night, and go back here to the hotel before afternoon tomorrow. We would want to avoid staying there for too long because my happens on Friday afternoons. Consider this as a tactical way to face our problems and avoid being screwed.

When the door opened, it is revealed that Tiara was already switched to her shrine maiden outfit. She is also carrying a small backpack. "Let's get going, Rikkun!" She pumped her fists jollily.

I'm quite ashamed of myself. She's fully prepared for anything that might happen, even for combat. But I… I just have a pair of clothes and pajamas stuffed on a plastic bag. To hide this shameful baggage, I pretended to act like a gentleman by carrying Tiara's bag. But in exchange, I'll have my clothes mixed on her things.

When we are about to depart from the hotel, the white van we used during the mall tour is parked in front of us. Macho Steel is on the driver's seat, and he seems to be waiting for us.

"Hop in!" Macho Steel smiled at us. "You'll reach the town faster if I escorted you two."

Tiara and I looked at each other with a smile, then proceeded to go inside the van. Then, our trip to that mysterious town began.

<>

While driving, Macho Steel started to open up a topic… about that place.

"You know, there are rumors that Brightmore townspeople are fans of cannibalism and satanic rituals. They even said that the Illuminati has full control of that place, and naive tourists mysteriously disappear after they spend the night in there."

"You talk like it's a haunted town…" I forced a smile to hide my fear.

"Yes, it is. There is even news about them sacrificing a beautiful woman once every decade. They burn them at the stake, like Joan of Arc. And also, that town was in the news two or three years ago, about a Japanese shrine being burned."

Suddenly I felt a warm yet soft sensation on my left arm. It was the scaredy pup, who just clung me! Her breasts are being compressed on my bicep! I would like to yell, but Tiara is so scared and shaky right now. She's even mumbling soft cries like "R-Rikkun! I-I don't want to d-d-die…"

"H-Hey, hey… Stop making stories up… Tiara's already scared…" I said.

But the truth is, I'm creeped out too!

"There's no reason for me to scare you. I'm just telling you guys to be careful. You two have superpowers, so I'm quite confident that nobody would try to mess with you two." Macho Steel made a deep masculine laugh.

<>

After forty minutes, we finally arrived at the entrance of the Brightmore Town. If Macho Steel's story is creepy, this is the place where you will say "Oh, Macho Steel is wrong. This place is way more horrifying than his bedtime story!"

You can tell it straight when you notice the rusted arc that says WELCOME TO BRIGHTMORE TOWN. It's crawling with vines that give a witch village feel. There are even thunder effects in this place.

Speaking of the houses… well, the concept of electricity has not yet reached this area. Most of the bungalows have fire-lit lamps beside their wooden doors. There are even ignorant-looking women and children who gazed on their windows as they heard the sound of the van engine.

This village looks familiar. Have you guys seen the Wicker Man?

As soon as we two stepped out of the van, Macho Steel gave us a horrified smile. He's even sweating like a cold glass of water! "J-J-Just call me when and where I will pick you up. S-See ya!" Then the van boosted away with full nitro!

I didn't know that Macho Steel is a scaredy cat.

But anyway, we should move on and investigate this place. I turned to Tiara and asked, "So, where should we start?"

"...I…" Tiara scratched her head and stuck out her tongue. "I-I don't quite remember this place since I was still a four-year-old kid when I last went here… Ehehehe…"

Normally, I would smack her head while yelling "Idiot!" but it's not her fault for forgetting this place. It's my part of the blame for not formulating a plan whenever I take a trip with this fool.

"I think we should find an inn first." I said.

"Yeah, that's sounds right! You're so smart, Rikkun!" Tiara said.

We strolled around the town, looking for any signs of a safe haven for us two. But we found nothing. We didn't find any other person on these streets. This creepy town is too quiet during the night. Every second goes by, the chill on my spine becomes worse. Tiara is feeling the same way too.

We feel like we're being watched. From those empty windows, I know that some residents are observing us.

I had a glimpse of a running child in a window of a certain house. I made up my mind to knock on their door to ask for any in nearby, but nobody is opening their door for us. Talk about the worst hospitality.

When we are about to go back to the streets, we witnessed a parade of middle-aged to old women who are dressed in black wedding gowns. There's roughly about twenty of them, and each of them is holding a candle. They are followed by a cart that contains piles of hay, and on top of it, is an inverted cross.

There is a nailed baby doll on that cross.

And these ladies are praying some inaudible words, but there are English phrases like "The time has come! Judgment has come! They shall witness the trial of the celestial maiden! Burn the witch! Burn the witch! Burn the witch! And feed on its flesh!"

We hid in a giant bush when the black parade passed by. Seriously, this place is weird in so many ways!

Meanwhile, Tiara is hugging my elbow again. She doesn't care if she's pressing her private parts to my arm. She's more focused on trembling and crying softly like a beat-up puppy.

"Auu! Auuu! L-Let's g-get out of here, R-Rikkun! Let's call Mr. Kent!"

"Right!" I said as I reached my phone. But the phone won't respond to any button I press. "Looks like my battery's empty."

"I'll give you a charger!" Tiara pumped her fist.

"Can't you see that there's no electricity everywhere?" I said with a facepalm. "You have your phone there? Or maybe a power bank?"

"I...I left all those things at the hotel…"

"You dumb pup," I whispered under my breath and made a deep sigh.

"I left my brain too!" Tiara answered with a forced smile.

Okay, I give up.

It seems we have to stay here and wait for the sunrise. But it's still eleven in the evening! I can't even wait for another ten minutes in this psychotic place, but we still have to wait for seven hours!

"Wait, there's a shrine here, right?" I said. "M-Maybe we can ask help from them…"

<>

Finding the shrine is not that hard, because most of the Japanese people built those establishments on top of a mountain. We just followed some old road signs until we saw the wooden gate that has been half-burnt for some reason. And that led us to the shrine that is supposed to be abandoned.

Unlike Kozukata Shrine in Heightsburg, it only has about eighty steps. When we reached the end of the stairs, we were greeted by a single shrine maiden who appears to be sweeping with a traditional broom. She has this short black hair and brown eyes.

"Good evening, travelers." The shrine maiden said. "You must be tired and be seeking refuge."

I don't know if I would freak out. First, why is she sweeping in the middle of a dark night? Second, this shrine maiden is positioned at the very front, as if she was certainly waiting for someone. Third, how did she know that we're seeking refuge?

I...I don't know what to do. I don't trust this woman at all.

While thinking of a reply, I scanned the surroundings.

The shrine looks half burnt. The right side has been converted to charcoals, but the left wing of the shrine seems to be operational and a little too clean and neat. The sources of light are still the same flame-lit lamps.

The creepily peaceful air of the night was interrupted by a loud roar. No, it's not a ghost. It's not an Eidolon either. It's... Tiara's stomach.

The mysterious shrine maiden chuckled. "It seems that you're hungry too. Come in. I am cooking chicken tinola."

"R-R-Really!?" Tiara shifted her mood as she jumped excitedly. "Let's go, Rikkun! It's been a while since I last tasted a Filipino dish!

I can list Tiara's priorities in proper order. Her life is just second. And food wins the top spot.

Anyway, the shrine maiden seems nice. We don't have much of a choice, so it will be the best to go with the flow. Beggars can't be picky, and there's no time to be skeptical about everything.

But I won't let my guard down. There's so much mystery in this place. I will sleep with my eyes open tonight.

Chapter end