Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Silence and Shadows (1)

Despite achieving victory, the cave was filled only with silence.

Swish, swooosh.

Thud, thud, thud!

Instead of shouting at the dazed rookies, the veteran mercenaries silently handled the cleanup. Following Ella's instructions, they dug up the point where the anomaly had begun, purified the contaminated soil, and wrapped the Draug's shattered core in silk cloth to take with them.

These were things that needed to be sent to the Mercenary Guild.

Additionally, the corpses of the village residents were gathered outside the cave and burned, while Viscount Erchi's body was further processed to make it unrecognizable. All they took were his armor and insignia.

"This is..."

"...Commander."

Rustle—

During the process, a body enhancement potion was found in Viscount Erchi's possession, but Royce threw it to the ground without a moment's hesitation.

No one objected.

No matter how precious body enhancement potions might be, they had seen enough of Viscount Erchi's wretched state to last a lifetime.

And there was something more important remaining.

Trudge, trudge.

Right after the cleanup was finished.

Though no one spoke up first, the Mountain Rabbits gathered outside the cave as if by agreement. Grief flowed through the place where comrades had assembled.

Those who had once been colleagues now lay as cold corpses in one place. Twenty-six dead.

Tap, tap, crack!

However, since there was no time to collect 'oaths', Vice-Captain Marik personally prepared for the cremation. When Hadiya brought dry branches and fallen leaves, a fire was quickly set.

Whoooosh.

"Lady Ella, please."

The flames burned well.

Calix watched the Mountain Rabbits seeing off their comrades and fell into deep thought. Though they weren't given noble graves like knights, the flames that burned at the end seemed just as dignified.

"Kriya, please bless those who fell here today. Though the path they walked may have been shrouded in sin and darkness, they raised their swords for those they loved, staked their lives, and tried to protect each other. We pray that their final steps will not be submerged in shadow."

About fifty mercenaries bowed their heads regardless of rank. Those who had lost their oath-bound companions wore indescribable expressions, and some threw traveling money into the flames.

Moreover, Volga... Wept as if the world had collapsed.

Calix couldn't help but feel it wasn't someone else's business. Though it couldn't be helped, it was true that he had failed to look after the rookies. One side of his chest felt heavily pressed down.

Still, he was fortunate to have his mentor, the dwarf Basim.

"Sniff, sniiiff—"

"It's not your fault."

"Sob sob sob..."

"This fool. Don't cry like a castrated male. It's embarrassing to watch."

Though he spat out his characteristically harsh words, he never pushed away Volga, who continued to sob while clinging to his shoulder.

The other veteran mercenaries weren't much different. For the first time, they approached the rookies first to comfort them. Someone offered words of consolation, someone else silently applied medicinal herbs to wounds, but there was great meaning in those simple actions.

While pretending to care for others, they also comforted themselves.

Yes.

Humans grow through failure. They develop by overcoming the brink of death, what was two becomes one, and rabbits move forward by forming groups.

That was the faith that Calix observed.

"...Mulke. Timur. Aliya. Rion. Alec—"

"Let the wind caress them, and let the flames of spirits never fade. Embrace and comfort those who grieve in Your arms."

Just as Ella's prayer was ending.

Whoooosh—

Then, the wind blew.

The funeral flames swayed here and there but didn't lose their vigor, and soon divine power spread thinly, warmly embracing everyone's hearts. Even among the Mountain Rabbits who had no faith, in that moment they bowed their heads believing there might be a being who would hear their prayers.

Thump!

Then suddenly, Calix felt an unexpected fluctuation.

The mass of mana located in his heart had suddenly stretched and awakened. Then it greedily devoured the thinly sliced, rippling divine power.

Sluurp, crunch crunch.

Because it was hungry. Because it had been squeezed dry fighting the Draug. Thinking this was the time, it tried to replenish energy. Naturally, it didn't consider its master's feelings at all.

'Ah, please just...'

His eyes shut tight.

***

Though the cleanup on the battlefield was finished, there were still matters to settle, so the Mountain Rabbits headed to Erianka's main castle the next morning.

Whether fortunately or unfortunately, there was no one to interfere with their conversation. All the soldiers dispatched from the main castle had fled.

"Cowards. We ask them to guard the village a bit, and they can't last one night before running away."

"The enemy was that strong."

That was precisely Commander Royce's question.

"The Draug was impossibly powerful. Lady Ella, you said it eventually escaped."

"Yes, because it had absorbed countless souls. My abilities were insufficient to purify all the fragments."

"I think so too. It was a rarely seen level even in the eastern region. It's ominous. The words it spouted keep circling in my head."

"Words, you mean...?"

He was the one who had fought closest and longest. Naturally, the amount of information he had gathered was proportional to this.

"'I do not exist alone','The shadow is vast and cannot be blocked by human hands', and so on. It muttered various evil whispers."

"Don't keep it in your heart. The 'Language of Shadows' has been passed down since ancient times. It's rough and coercive. Just hearing it will harm the soul."

"Yes. Of course. But I can't shake the suspicion. Something, something bigger exists."

"That's..."

Ella trailed off, then bit her lip with an expression as if she had resolved something. Inwardly, she agreed with Royce's opinion.

"I'll report to the Order."

This time, it was the other person whose words were blocked. Because he knew the hidden meaning behind the statement 'I'll report to the Order'.

After clearing his throat, he answered as calmly as possible.

"Are you planning to return?"

"..."

"I heard the prayer had changed. Departing from the established form is only possible when one must bloom flowers. You're 4th tier now. The Order will welcome you with both hands raised, saying you've achieved enlightenment at such a young age."

"No, not yet."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. There's still something I haven't resolved."

"...Is it something the Mountain Rabbits can help with?"

"Yes. I absolutely need the Mountain Rabbits."

Then that was enough.

It had already been several years since being with Ella. Knowing that she wasn't the type to speak empty words, he was convinced with just one answer.

"Then, I'll leave the anomaly matter to Lady Ella. What remains is... Viscount Erchi."

"As I mentioned again, there was no evil energy remaining in his corpse either."

However, this was different.

Viscount Erchi.

Why had he become corrupted?

The answer lay within the main castle of the Viscount.

***

The soldiers who had fled were standing guard at the outer perimeter of the main castle.

"Th-the Mountain Rabbits..."

"...They came back alive!"

"What, what happened?"

Their confused state was brief. They couldn't dare block the mercenaries' steps. Because they had shown Viscount Erchi's insignia.

"How do we know that's real?"

"Shut up and open the gate. We're not in the mood for games. We have the qualification. We have the duty to announce his final moments and notify the royal family."

"..."

"Will you refuse?"

What followed was even greater commotion. When they announced that Viscount Erchi was dead, they half-believed it and quarreled among themselves.

"Damn bastards... As expected, they knew the truth about Viscount Erchi."

"Mm, if not, there'd be no reason for such a commotion."

Creak, creeeak!

Then soon, with the sound of chains turning, the outer castle's main gate opened. In the Mountain Rabbits' view appeared desolate streets. The same appearance as before, with private houses lined up on both sides of the straight main road, but there were no signs of people.

They had been consumed by ominous rumors all this time and wouldn't think of coming outside.

Clatter, clatter!

From then on, things went smoothly. The inner castle gate was wide open, just like when Viscount Erchi had burst out.

Inside was the same. Though there were corpses scattered in the corridors that had recently met misfortune, there was absolutely no one blocking their way.

No knights or soldiers, no servants, not even dogs or cats were visible.

"...Except for the injured, we'll search. Stay together in groups of at least three, and send a signal immediately if problems arise."

"Yes!"

Calix also helped with the search as much as possible, but the more he looked, the more his strange feelings amplified.

As he went up the stairs and examined the floor. He saw fine cracks in the stone floor. It was strange. These weren't traces of battle, but rather... Wounds as if scratched by fingernails.

The memos left by the head butler were the same.

「The lord has been throwing letters and shouting for several days.」

「Every night, he coughs while making strange sounds. His condition seems to be worsening. There were continuous screams that his body felt like it was breaking apart.」

「Another servant died today. The territory's residents no longer want to enter the inner castle. It's not a matter of money.」

"Calix! The commander wants you to come up to the top!"

"Got it."

Meanwhile, he received the commander's summons and headed to the top floor of the inner castle. The higher he went, the clearer the dried bloodstains on the walls became.

Was this also the Viscount's doing?

However, there wasn't time to come up with a clear answer.

The topmost floor.

Inside the room were luxurious desks, parchment, quill pens, and decorations scattered about. At a glance, it looked like the Viscount's office, but the reason for the unsettling feeling was that all these things were strewn about.

The desk was gouged in various places, paper scraps were torn and scattered everywhere, and quill pens were stuck horizontally into the walls. Additionally, there were dried bloodstains.

These were traces of someone having caused a rampage.

"Calix. Though your body might not be comfortable yet, I unavoidably needed help, so I called you."

"What is it?"

"I found a letter."

He needed someone who could read.

Calix nodded toward the commander and looked at the opposite wall. At shoulder height was a square hole. It was a document taken from a safe.

Soon, his hands grasped the parchment.

Dust had settled thinly on the surface, and the paper gave a rustling feeling as soon as fingers touched it. Seeing red powder on the outer surface, there must have been a seal... But since it had already been opened, there seemed to be no way to determine the pattern.

And inside, there was only one word written as if someone had scrawled it leisurely.

「Gift」

At this, Royce, Vice-Captain Marik, and Ella all let out sighs simultaneously.

"A gift? That's all?"

"Yes. Just one word."

"Hmm..."

What had been given could be inferred without difficulty.

"Commander, he was shedding tears of blood. It went beyond neural network overload to the point of almost completely bursting. It's natural that he lost his mind. And the only thing that could cause that—"

"Would be a poorly made body enhancement potion."

"Yes. What we destroyed in the cave was probably that 'gift'"

Vice-Captain Marik presented a reasonable deduction, but that was as far as it went. The important thing was who exactly had sent the contaminated body enhancement potion.

"Were there no other letters?"

"Not particularly..."

"...Hm?"

Then suddenly, Royce's gaze turned toward the floor. Calix was examining the safe, then continuously sweeping the office floor with his hands.

The question soon turned to admiration.

What he held in his hands were fragments that had fallen among the dust. Precisely, pieces of sealing wax used for stamping. In an ordinary noble's office, it would have been cleaned up long ago, but Viscount Erchi's case was a bit different.

"...Trying to piece together the seal fragments? Is that possible?"

"Yes. Since it was roughly broken, there are large pieces too. It won't take long."

"Smart fellow. Well done!"

Swish swish swish swish.

Marik lavished uncharacteristic enthusiastic praise, then even patted Calix's head several times. However, the smile didn't linger very long.

Swish—

When the large pieces were assembled as the center, the shape of the pattern was partially restored. Though the bottom part was completely cut off, the top part alone was clearly recognizable.

It was in the shape of a serpent coiled around a sword.

"...The crest of House Saitz."

"..."

"So that's how it was. That's what it was."

A tenacious, bitter relationship.

Shriiiiek—

And at that moment, a whistling sound echoed from the floor below. Baron Volgram, a noble under Viscount Erchi, had arrived, leading dozens of soldiers.