Chapter 17: The Town of Lies
Ron struggled for a long time but ultimately returned to where he started. Everything was as the mayor had anticipated, without devising from the past. The mayor had been sitting there all along, saying nothing. They might have assumed the mayor was lifeless if one didn’t know better.
Ron had intended to dispel the magic, yet the mayor’s attitude hadn’t soured because of it.
Instead, the mayor unexpectedly said in front of the house, “Would you like to come in and rest?”
He knew Ron had been struggling for so long. He must have been exhausted.
If there’s no way to understand what’s happening in this place, simply considering it a labyrinth is fine. However, this maze will always repeat at some point between six in the morning and noon.
Ron leaned on his thighs, panting, “Okay.”
Although this mayor isn’t a good person, he indeed needs rest.
The mayor treated Ron well, telling him where he could sleep and where there was something to eat despite concealing the method and location to dispel the magic. Setting aside his concealment of how to dispel the magic and its location, Ron truly couldn’t blame him for much. Moreover, the mayor didn’t hinder him. He let him wander around the town center freely.
Ron, by the fireplace warming himself, asked, “You really don’t want me to dispel this magic? Why don’t you just kill me?”
“Do you think I, looking like this, could kill anyone?” The mayor sat near the door and spoke.
“So, you’ve thought about it,” Ron suddenly found the bread he’d just eaten less appetizing.
The mayor suddenly said to Ron, “I’ve killed people who came here before… just like you said…”
He hadn’t just thought about it; he had already done such things.
“I hope others would be like me… sacrificing themselves to freeze those people…” He paused for a while.
He continued, “Back then, I was probably… in my fifties…”
“So, how old are you now?” Ron suddenly realized the gravity of this question.
“I’ve lost count…” The mayor shook his head, patting the squirrel’s head.
“I have a question for you, Ron,” he said, “After you dispel that magic… what do you plan to do?”
“What do I do? Of course, leave the Town of No Winter,” Ron answered without hesitation.
“The ones you’ve freed aren’t ordinary people… they’re a group of madmen…”
“They’ve long been monsters disguised in human skin… they’ll only become a menace if they leave the Town of No Winter…” He closed his eyes.
Even now, he was still trying to persuade Ron to give up. Ron fell silent. After all, he couldn’t answer this question. Some answers made him feel guilty towards others, while some made him feel guilty towards himself.
“I’ve rested enough.” Ron packed his belongings, ready to continue exploring. “I’ll come back another time.”
The more the mayor stayed silent, the more it indicated that there was a way to access that magic. The mayor wouldn’t need to stay tight-lipped if this were an unsolvable prison.
Ron still believed he had a good chance of leaving the Town of No Winter. He continued exploring the Town of No Winter while the mayor remained seated in front of the house.
Occasionally, when he felt he had time, he would lean on his cane and place food on the table. He wouldn’t have done such things in the past because it would have been too strenuous for his body.
Perhaps it was because Ron was different from the previous individuals. But what exactly made him different?
Upon careful consideration, Ron was just an ordinary young person, perhaps with more determination.
“You’re still persisting..,” the mayor remarked, looking at Ron covered in frost.
“What else can I do?” Ron countered the mayor.
Ron hadn’t managed to convince the mayor to reveal the method to dispel the magic, and the mayor couldn’t persuade Ron to stop searching for the location of that magic. So, they spent ten days together in the chaotic center of the town.
“This town isn’t large..,” the mayor said, “You’ve probably searched all the places you could find…”
However, Ron ignored the mayor several times, as they had already had this conversation. After resting, he simply organized his things and prepared to set off again.
“Do you look forward to this world outside…?” The mayor asked when Ron stepped out of the door.
Ron looked at the mayor, puzzled, “Why wouldn’t I look forward to it?”
Could this mayor be a pessimistic person? No wonder he couldn’t be persuaded at all. Even though this bicolor world seemed unfriendly, he was still looking forward to it.
How should I put it? The conspiracies and schemes between people wouldn’t affect his desire to see more magnificent sceneries, taste more exotic foods from other realms, and meet more lovely girls. His grand encounters were meant to start with cute girls, not with the grumpy old man in front of him.
With that thought, he cast a resentful glance at the mayor. Ron then closed the door and left the house, just like before. But this time, Ron slammed the door a bit too hard, causing the wooden house to shake. As a result, the picture frame hanging near the windowsill fell.
The crisp sound made the mayor involuntarily shudder. He awkwardly leaned on his cane, walked to pick up the picture frame, and noticed that the glass on the frame had shattered. The picture frame had fallen several times before, but was the most severe this time. He reached out and touched the shattered glass, sighing deeply.
“Since everything remains trapped this time… why not fix you..,” the mayor murmured, placing the picture frame back in its original spot.
The house remained immaculate, the food in the pantry never diminished, and footprints outside vanished in the blink of an eye. But this photo turned yellow, and the glass never restored itself. He sat in the chair, his gaze fixed on that yellowed photo.
Running his fingers over the squirrel’s fur, he spoke in a distant tone, “Go find him…”
The squirrel lifted its head, seemingly surprised by the mayor’s words.
The mayor lowered his tired eyelids, “Then take him there.”
He had been weary for countless years, but today was particularly exhausting.
“He might be killed…” He sighed softly, “No, perhaps I will be killed…”
He released his grip on the squirrel, which landed gracefully on the ground. It turned its head to look at the mayor, seemingly wanting to confirm the mayor’s thoughts once again.
“Don’t worry… even if the magic is dispelled, it’ll be the same…” the mayor’s hoarse voice reached the squirrel’s ears, “I just want to see him for a moment…”
The snow-white squirrel darted out, leaving only the mayor alone in the house. And it had been long since the mayor tried being alone in the house.
