"...So they really were taken out. A complete wipeout, huh?"
Yugo stood over the remains of the Arachlaws, having followed the traces to the site where they were last seen.
The corpses were a mess of severe bruising—the aftermath of a merciless assault. They had clearly been left out all night; dark, dried patches of blood stained the earth here and there.
After confirming the remains weren't much different from the one left at the Village Entrance, Yugo turned his attention to the other clues scattered around the area.
"Footprints... and they're pretty big. Definitely not an Arachlaw's."
If the bodies had been left here, there had to have been a struggle. Yugo’s search quickly yielded footprints significantly larger than those of the monsters.
They weren't quite human, but they weren't entirely alien, either. They belonged to a bipedal creature—a Humanoid Magic Armor Beast. Yugo logged the information into his mind and turned back to the Arachlaw remains once more.
"...Judging by the bruises, the fists are about the same size as mine when I've got the Blaster on. It's almost certain. The culprit is most likely someone who transformed into a Magic Armor Beast."
The behavior was too calculated for a wild monster. Wiping out the entire pack and then delivering a single corpse to the village was a deliberate act.
It was an appeal to the villagers... or perhaps a direct message aimed at him. Yugo’s thoughts immediately turned to Gamba as the likely culprit behind the extermination.
The motive made sense. By eliminating the Arachlaws threatening the village with his own strength, he could prove the Outsider was unnecessary and drive Yugo away.
Though it was unclear where the boy might have obtained the transformation ability, Gamba was exactly the kind of person the Masterminds loved to target—someone harboring a deep, simmering darkness.
If there was any silver lining, it was that Gamba had only used this power to hunt Arachlaws. If he was using it to save people rather than commit crimes, he wouldn't necessarily be held accountable.
"The real problem is whether he’ll actually listen to a word I say..."
That was the sticking point. Gamba was overtly hostile toward outsiders. If Yugo handled this poorly, the friction might push the boy over the edge, causing him to use his power for actual criminal acts. Yugo sighed, scratching the back of his head.
"No, it’s too early to say for sure that it’s Gamba. It could be someone else entirely. I shouldn't jump to conclusions. Besides..."
Gamba looked guilty as hell, but in Nichiasa shows and suspense dramas, the most obvious suspect was almost always a red herring.
He needed to stay objective and gather more evidence before making a call. At the same time, Yugo realized there was a more immediate problem at hand.
"Regardless, I can't just leave these things lying here."
He took one last look at the Arachlaw remains. Though no expert, he estimated the time of death to be late last night—likely around midnight—based on the state of the blood. He focused his will, deploying his Blaster and wrapping himself in his Flame Armor.
With a focused effort, he unleashed a torrent of fire from his fists that reduced the corpses to ash. Once the task was done, he canceled his transformation and let out a weary breath.
"I’ll head back and report what I found to the Village Chief. Then I’ll start looking for more solid clues on the culprit."
Sharing his findings might provoke a reaction that would point him in the right direction. It wasn't a pleasant way to conduct an investigation, but it was his responsibility. Steeling his resolve once again, Yugo began the walk back to the Village.