The majestic horse took the leap and the party had to duck to get out of the way. For a few seconds, it genuinely looked as if the house would crush them with the jump but it made a clean break instead.
"We are all going to die, aren't we? That's a Hinoe uma and it has wings. Is it supposed to have wings? And we're going to die," Detective Song cried out in a shaky voice. His eyes widened as he looked at the horse that was fleeting away.
"Detective Song, get a hold of yourself right now. We really will die if you do not hurry and pick yourself up" Commander Yuhan picked up the terrified detective and put him on his feet. The other looked too out of it to protest.
On the other hand, Fu Hua and Xiao Lan had already picked themselves up with worried expressions on their faces. The fire was a big wake up call but the weird thing was that no one actually seemed to find it alarming.
Except for them, the only other person outside right now was a patreon who had stayed in their establishment. He was a traveller as well and had decided to stay the night despite the innkeeper's protest.
"It's alright, we'll get you to safety. Please quiet down or the monster would come back" Fu Hua tried to reassure the terrified patreon who seemed to be out of it. However, Fu Hua's words worked like magic and the man went quiet.
The Hinoe uma was out of sight by now and only the fire remained behind as a witness.
"Young master, what are you doing outside? Hurry and come back inside before you burn" the shout came from the inn the party was staying at, the old woman standing beyond the doorframe.
The outside seemed to be burning brightly but the inside seemed unharmed. The lack of fear in the elder female's face also brought confusion on the party's face but they decided to trust her on her words.
After all, if the house had still not burned up then it was likely that it would be alright in the future as well.
"I'll go check for the Hinou uma and try to find it. You all should go inside and rest" Xiao Lan shot down the offer as soon as it made itself known. He did not trust Fu Hua to come back if he allowed him to leave.
Besides, the magic cuffs were a problem as well and he was not going to risk anything.
"You are to stay here since I don't trust you yet. Commander Yuhan, you go instead" Fu Hua did not protest the other's words since there was no reason to. If the other wanted Commander Yuhan to investigate then it was more than welcomed.
The commander did not wait for more words to be passed before he left. He had work to do after all.
"Now that it's solved, can we go inside? I'm not sure I want to stay outside any longer" detective Song broke the tense silence with his shaking voice and hurriedly moved inside. The elder looked at the party with a sympathetic gaze.
The elderly clearly felt sorry for the party who had witnessed such a scene for the first time. Their noble lifestyle must have sheltered them in harsher realities and this was certainly a shock to them.
The elder lady decided she needed to treat them for this and improve her expression further if she could. Maybe then even the elderly couple could leave this nightmarish palace.
"Does this happen often?" Xiao Lan asked once they were safely inside. The Patreon they had saved had yet to speak anything, likely taking Fu Hua's warning too seriously.
"It happens almost every night now. The demonic monster comes and it burns everything outside. If you are caught outside you would not survive those flames" the female told it like a fairytale one imparted to the youngsters at their night bed.
"How long has it been going on for?" Fu Hua asked, his voice suspicious. Xiao Lan did remember what the other had said about reports from this area and he straightened up a bit.
"The fire monster or the general attacks? Monsters started showing up a little after priestess Fu died but it was manageable for a while. The Xi family helped a lot at the start but then this fire monster appeared somewhere around the last five-six years? I have lost count, I'm afraid" the elderly finished it in a jesting voice.
She knew if she actually made it a big deal then it would be bad. Noble Xi had not liked it when the locals have complained about it to their higher-ups. That's why they had stopped sending those complaints to the court - because Xi family had not liked it when they did.
However, they could not stop the guests and visitors from sending their complaints though. But since there was no official help notice, they had dropped the issue. And then these nobles had come and the elder lady was not sure why.
Were they here to help them or to destroy them? This was why the first impression had been so important for the elderly couple.
But now it has all likely gone down the drain.
"Five-Six years ago huh, a curious coincidence perhaps-" Fu Hua trailed off, his eyes lost in memory. Had that not been the last time Fu Hua had been here? Xiao Lan was willing to bet the other had a hand in it.
"Is it your fault?" Xiao Lan did not raise his voice but the accusation was there nonetheless. He had drawn the conclusion even before he had asked the question.
"Hinoe uma is a divine god which requires very specific practice to call forth and bind to one's will. Do you really think I will make a mistake if I decided to summon the other? If you cannot tell, the beast is masterless right now" Xiao Lan had noticed it too but he had not wanted to believe it.
It was just easier to blame Fu Hua for everything and it also made him feel better. It did not matter that his heart twitched when he did this, he just wanted to feel better overall.
"A divine beast? H-Have we angered a god?" the party had forgotten that they were not alone and such things should not be discussed in open public.
The elder lady was shaking at the news, her eyes terrified. Clearly, a deity's wrath was worse than a demonic being at any given day since there were only so many ways one could protect themselves against them.
"It's likely not your fault and these two must be mistaken. Please take my apologies on behalf of them spreading these rumours. Though we would like to know how these houses survived the fire" detective Song was the one who came to the rescue as he shot the fighting pair a look.
This was not the place and time for fighting over such delicate topics.
"Oh, I see. The main shrine gave us all protective talismans before the di-beast showed up. They said it was for the monsters but many people refused to believe them. T-Then this one showed up and the houses without talismans burned down overnight at the outskirts. After that, everyone just got one and we renew them once a week" this smelled like a ploy of some kind.
The timing she told them about the talisman sounded far too coincidental for it to actually be a coincidence. So, an actually planned attack?
Fu Hua had gone even paler hearing those words, his hands shaking just a little beneath the cloak.
"Can I see those talismans? I promise not to touch them" the elderly looked concerned at his words. Fu Hua tried to give out the most calming smile he could til the female finally relaxed and nodded in agreement.
"Of course you can. You can even get one tomorrow since they will be distributing them on the first day of the festival week" this was indeed good news and would serve as a piece of evidence should they need it in the future.
"I understand. Please lead the way my lady" the elderly giggled at those words, now fully recovered and forgetting her fears. Behind the group, the other two followed the group too.
They were not sure what this was about but it seemed important enough to follow so they did.