Elizabeth was quite curious about that bag, but she refrained from mentioning it to Jason. The Kote couple also wanted to know more, but didn't ask because they knew Jason well enough to understand that if he wanted to share, he would have done so already. Unnecessary questions would do nothing but irritate him.
The Kote family was familiar with Jason, but the Steven siblings were not.
"Mr. Jason, that bag from earlier… it was pretty cool," Hill Steven said to Jason, "It's like a wizard's hat or wand. So, are you actually a wizard?"
A wizard? Jason glanced at him, then broke into a sudden grin. He slapped Hill Steven on the shoulder and replied, "Yes, I am indeed a wizard. Now that I've touched your shoulder, you'll slowly turn into a stone man." Disregarding Hill Steven's reaction, Jason walked away.
Stunned, Hill Steven turned to his sister, Lily Steven, and exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no, Mr. Jason, I was just… joking, right? Hey, Mr. Jason, don't leave… I feel like my legs are becoming incredibly heavy."
"Do your legs feel heavy?" Lily smacked his shoulder and shook her head, "I've told you not to mess with him. Why can't you just keep your mouth shut? Aren't you the one who is adept at seducing women with your words?" With that, she left him standing there and followed Jason towards the town.
Walking in front, Elizabeth, hearing this exchange, looked back at Hill with a smirk. So, he was just another smooth talker who knew how to charm women, and she had actually developed feelings for him. What a joke! She looked at Lily, who was catching up, and her impression of her improved.
Hill Steven closed his mouth awkwardly and followed the others. After a while, he felt his legs growing unnaturally heavy. Before they even reached the car, his legs felt as if they had been filled with lead, and he could only shuffle forward. He noticed he was falling further and further behind the others.
"Hey, wait up—"
Hill Steven shouted towards the figures moving away, but they just continued walking, seeming indifferent to his struggle.
"Alright, I'm the worst one—" Hill muttered to himself. He trudged on, his legs heavy but still working, just making it harder to walk.
The sky, once adorned with a beautiful moon and shimmering stars, was now pitch black, and something was slithering in the bushes making a hissing sound.
"Damn it, why aren't they waiting for me?" Hill muttered, suddenly slipping and falling onto the grassy ground, the impact sending pain shooting through his bones.
Unable to see anything, he took out a small flashlight, got back on his feet, and continued onward. But the path in front of him was so dark that even the beam from his flashlight couldn't penetrate the blackness. He kept running into towering bushes.
His hand seemed to have been scratched by the blades of grass. He muttered several curses under his breath before shouting, "Hey, Lily, where are you? If you can hear me, make some damn noise. I can't move my legs, that wizard must have cursed me."
He truly felt as if he couldn't move. His legs were as if they didn't belong to him. But his cries were met with silence. The figures in front seemed to have disappeared, or maybe they had just left. He had been abandoned.
"God, what did I do to deserve this? Damn it, Lily, you shouldn't have left me like this." Hill Steven grumbled, planning to hobble to a spot where the bushes were not as tall and sit down to rest.
Then it felt like rain was falling from the sky; he felt wet drops on his neck. When he wiped his neck, his hand was not only wet but also sticky with an unknown substance. He felt a chill down his spine.
The noise coming from the bush made him uneasy. It was a rustling sound as if something was approaching from a distance. In the darkness, two lights flickered on and off.
As the lights drew closer, he quietly drew his sword. The unknown liquid was still falling from above. The lights were getting closer and closer. It seemed as if they were hanging in the air.
Using the dim light, he gazed upon a pair of eyes that were akin to lamps. Below them was a triangular head, much like a snake's, and a mouth covered in patterns that suddenly opened wide. The enormous head rose high, and the lamp-like eyes stared directly at Hill Steven. "Lamia!" Hill Steven suddenly screamed out. Drawing his sword, he found that he could not move his body. It was as if he was being encased in slowly hardening cement. His body refused to follow his orders.
"Lamia is alive - it's Lily, Lamia is not dead!" He yelled with all his might, yet he could do nothing to stop the massive snake's head that was lunging towards him, mouth wide open.
"Ah!" He suddenly shuddered, as though something was lifting him up.
"Hey, Hill, what's wrong with you? God, you're soaked! We should get going!" A crisp voice suddenly came to his ears. He involuntarily glanced around, the sky was still somewhat dark, yet he could see the moon and the stars, as well as Mr. Kote and his family standing not far away. Beside them stood Jason, with a meaningful smile on his face.
"What were you doing? You're completely drenched," Lily Steven looked at Hill and shook her head, "Mr. Jason was just joking, how could he turn you into a statue? Isn't that right, Mr. Jason?" The last part was directed at Jason.
"Of course," Jason shrugged, smiling carelessly, "Let's keep moving. Once we're out of this thicket, we can find our car, then each of us can go home." He then proceeded to lead the way.
The Kote family followed Jason, leaving only Lily looking at Hill Steven, who was still breaking out in cold sweat. "Look, we've been left behind. You didn't turn into stone, stop sitting around and let's go. I don't want to wait any longer, how much more are you going to pay for your stupidity?"
Hearing this, Hill hurriedly caught up with Lily, who was already turning to leave. As they walked side by side, Hill didn't feel as though his legs were heavy, everything felt light and normal.
"I swear, it felt as though I just experienced something, Lamia is not dead!"
Lily just shook her head at him, disdainfully saying, "Are you not just jealous of Mr. Jason because you lack the ability to hunt monsters like Lamia? There's absolutely no need for that, we can't compare to him, he's the real monster hunter. An impressive one at that."
"Why did it feel so real just now?" Hill recounted everything he had just experienced to Lily while still feeling uneasy. "I think he's not a monster hunter, but more of a wizard. I'm right, he's a wizard."
"Don't overthink it. Even if he is, I wish there were more wizards like him!" Lily shook her head, finding Hill becoming rather neurotic. She ignored him and continued walking ahead.
After passing through the bushes, Jason found his car. Just as he was about to get in, Lily Steven called out from behind, "Hey, Mr. Jason, wait! I think there's something that might interest you."
Upon hearing this, Jason stopped and looked back at the Kote family, "You guys go ahead, I'll have a chat with them."
Mr. Kote nodded and led his somewhat dazed Elizabeth to the car. After they got in, they disappeared into the night. Jason shrugged at Lily, indicating that she could speak.
"You know why there are zombies here?" Lily looked into Jason's eyes, "I can give you a clue."