The next morning, after the incident at the banquet, I was awoken by the ringing sound of the telephone. When I looked at the clock, it was still 7 am. At this time, I am usually still sleeping soundly.
There never was a case whereby the telephone will sound this early in the morning. Did something happen? While thinking such a thing, I answered the phone with sleepy eyes.
Then, I heard the voice of the chief from the other side of the receiver.
“Fujiwara-sama, this is Jiharu.”
“What happened?” I asked.
“I’m sorry, but could some of the people take an absence from today’s work?” He requested.
“Can you tell me the reason why?” I questioned.
“That is….” The chief seems to have a hard time answering. It was clear that there was a problem in the tribe, and the cause might be from yesterday’s incident. “Mira, the girl who caused the problem yesterday, has disappeared…”
“Only her?” I woke up slightly.
“Yes.” He replied.
“Since when?” I questioned.
“I don’t know. But, it was probably last night…” Jiharu answered unsurely.
“Is there a possibility that she is still in the town?” I asked.
“We are searching for her now. However, since the west gate was open…” The chief trailed off.
“I understand. Please gather everybody in front of the gate at once.” I requested.
I have lost my drowsiness already. I cut the call, and left the house to prepare the truck. I have placed a drum at the edge of the site. It was filled with [Oil], which I pumped out to fill up the fuel tank. After topping up the fuel, I moved the truck behind the gate.
When I took off the bolt and opened the gate, the people from the wolf tribe were already waiting outside.
I made everyone move back, and stopped the truck in front of the gate. Afterwards, I got off from the truck, and heard the story from the chief.
“Chief, were there footprints of Mira outside of the town?” I asked.
“There are none. But, even if Mira is outside of the town, it will be hard to leave footprints behind because the ground is hard. They will also be covered by sand blown over by the wind immediately.” The chief answered.
“Hmm. Then, if we assume that Mira left the town, I think her destination is southwards, along the river. What do you think?” I suggested.
“Yes, I think so too. If she moves to the north, she will go back to the place where we came from, and the east is blocked by river. If she goes to the west…” When the chief talked about the prediction if she had gone to the west, his words become a bit evasive.
If she was moving towards the west, then it would be almost impossible to find her. If she didn’t leave a mark, we wouldn’t know where she went to.
“Then, Chief. Will you look around downtown, and around the town with everyone? I will go search the south with the truck.” I requested.
“I understand.” The chief nodded.
I turned my head from the chief towards the people who’ve already gathered.
“From now on, I will go and look for Mira with this truck. With the exception of the chief, I need one person with me. Who wants to come with me?” I asked.
The crowd murmured, and became hesitant. It was because they feel something like fear towards the truck.
Meanwhile, a person appeared right in front of me.
“I’m Bozugado. Please take me along.” He stated. It was the man who hit Mira yesterday.
“Alright. Then, Chief Jiharu, you will direct them inside the town. Please be careful so that there will be no new victims while you search.” I instructed.
The people from the wolf tribe started to search with the instructions of the Chief again.
I taught Bozugado how to open and shut the door, and let him sit at the seat next to the driver. Furthermore, I made him fasten the seat belt. After giving him simple instructions, I went to the driver’s seat.
When I started the truck, Bozugado tensed up. Well, he will get used to it quickly.
After I passed the town’s west gate, I drove the truck southwards.
The clouds of dust were dancing to match the revolving tires. At the first glance, the ground looked flat, but there were uneven parts here and there, unlike the concrete road. If Mira was hiding, it would be difficult to find her. That is why, the speed was only 40 km/h.
I drove the truck at low speeds while observing the surrounding areas. Because Bozugado was sitting at the passenger’s seat, I handed a pair of binoculars to him, and let him look around.
“Fujiwara-sama.” Bozugado stopped using the binoculars, and opened his mouth suddenly.
“What is it?” I asked.