Chapter 15: The Banshee (8)
Hearing Shelly’s guess, Wester snapped his fingers. “Exactly. Just as you said, Achilles lost confidence in the future of Pukati Town and developed the idea of leaving to find opportunities elsewhere. Having grown accustomed to a life of respect and admiration in Pukati, he naturally wanted to take the banshee with him, to continue playing the role of his ‘prophet’—but he clearly couldn’t control her well. I suspect this is why the banshee lost control and began hunting so widely in town.”
“Left with no other choice, Achilles had to reveal the banshee’s existence to the townspeople, hoping that their attacks would weaken her. Then, while she was vulnerable, he could forcibly capture her and take her away… Look at this list. It details all the weapons the town government procured before the banshee’s extermination. They were all ordinary iron tools—enough to injure the banshee, but not to kill her. Even knowing the banshee’s true form, Achilles still pushed for this procurement. His intentions were completely transparent.”
Shelly frowned. “But the museum says the banshee was killed, dismembered, and completely suppressed…”
“Things didn’t go as planned,” Wester said. “Achilles thought victory was certain, but during the expedition against the banshee, an exorcist suddenly appeared in the town. That exorcist gave the townspeople many suggestions. As the public hero of the town, Achilles could not openly oppose him. Through a series of coincidences, the townspeople succeeded in subduing the banshee… You can probably guess what happened next, right?”
Shelly nodded. At this point, if he couldn’t guess what happened next, he might as well check his brain at the hospital.
—Achilles was undone by his own scheming and lost his only remaining son. After the banshee was sealed, he sank into grief, lost all will, and relaxed his control over the town. McCoff seized the opportunity to manipulate the townspeople into holding a ritual, hoping to create a new prophet. They didn’t know that the “deity” they were praying to in the ritual was none other than the banshee they had suppressed. Ironically, when Achilles—the only one who knew the truth—had a conscience and tried to stop it all, the townspeople killed him.
Driven by greed, the people held ritual after ritual, until finally the seal was broken, and the banshee returned. The shadow of a lost child once again hung over the entire town…
“But what good is knowing all these stories? I just want to find my child as soon as possible,” Shelly said, frowning and mustering courage to ask.
Wester let out a nasal snort. “Of course it’s useful. If I’m not mistaken, the banshee’s true form is Lamia, the serpent-bodied banshee of Greek mythology. This is a mythological creature that is historically documented. In theory, as long as human memory of her does not vanish, she can never die.”