Chapter 51: Interrogation
The battle had ended, but the cleanup continued until dawn. While the shell-shocked recruits stood by, mid-level mercenaries like Volga collected the corpses and sorted through the salvageable wagons, replacing their wheels.
Hwareureureuk.
However, at daybreak, when the moment came to cremate the dead, the emotions that had been building up burst forth. As the leather armor of those who had lost their masters burned while spewing acrid smoke, voices filled with anger erupted as if they had been waiting for this moment.
"By the gods, this makes no sense. You said they were assassins! For heaven's sake, riding on wolves... Handling such monsters, how could they be assassins!"
"Wasn't it different from what was written in the commission proposal or whatever it was called?"
"Half of the new recruits died! Weren't we used as bait? Didn't you deceive us!"
To this, the Mountain Rabbits responded with silence. All those swept up in emotion were recruits. Those who had joined the Mountain Rabbit group but had not yet proven themselves. They understood their inadequacy but did not agree with it.
Calix's feelings were the same.
While anger and sorrow could coexist, what was done was done. He could only hope they would shake off those emotions quickly.
However, that hope remained just a hope.
"We need to speak honestly with Lord Adrian. Please answer. Why didn't you tell us the truth?"
"I did tell you."
"...Pardon?"
"Do you remember how much this commission was worth?"
"..."
"200 gold coins. Not a small amount of money. There's no job on the battlefield where you can earn this much gold without spilling a drop of blood. It's enough to buy about ten healthy male slaves, or at least two warhorses. And yet you came. Why? Because of the money. So there's no need to be surprised now."
"Y-you should have told us in more detail—"
"Stop. That's enough."
As the recruits' anger showed signs of spreading to the client, Vice-captain Marik stepped forward to cut off the conversation. Veteran mercenary Gregor also added a clicking sound with his tongue.
"Making such a fuss. You don't know how to honor comrades who have departed far away. Cook Comrade. When I was young, if you acted like that, we'd start by whipping you while teaching you."
"What's this senile old man saying!"
Huuk—
At that moment, the emotional outburst was crushed by the killing intent pouring from the surroundings. Calix reacted first, with Basim, Zahira, Hadiya, and others backing him up.
For the recruits, this must have been quite bewildering. All they had seen of Gregor until now was his deranged behavior—using his shield as a plate, or handing over small pebbles as if giving something great (the old man considered them coins).
Didn't he perform well in battle against the assassins?
Unfortunately, Gregor had not awakened, and all the recruits saw was a fleeting moment of him charging with his shield.
"That's enough. We were the same. After our first battle, we were out of our minds too."
At this, Volga stepped forward to ease the atmosphere.
"Goodness, making that stupid idiot look decent! These newcomers are even worse than morons!"
Basim's lament followed suit.
After a silence that lasted for some time, the recruits' resistance naturally dispersed. However, even the veteran mercenaries weren't entirely unaffected.
"Those bastards used evil power. No matter how many times we cut them, they wouldn't die."
"Their retreat at the end was strange too. Why did they withdraw? I heard it would take quite a while for Lady Ella's prayer to be completed."
"It is strange, isn't it? Only four full members died, and thirteen recruits—almost half died. If we include those unable to fight, a third of our forces are gone. On the other hand, those things... Could have kept fighting."
During the cremation, Dwarf Basim and combat expert Zahira whispered various questions while watching the flames.
In truth, the Mountain Rabbits were also divided into two groups.
'The client didn't tell us everything.'
Half accepted the danger of the commission as it was, while the other half looked at Adrian with wary eyes. Calix tried not to be swept up in this atmosphere.
Neither belief nor suspicion. He maintained an attitude of organizing and analyzing reality as objectively as possible. And the conclusion came out clearly.
"The client's words are correct."
"Cook Comrade?"
"With this level of commission fee, it was highly likely they wouldn't be ordinary assassins. We were so focused on the Storm's Forest that we missed something important. We let our guard down."
"..."
"We acted as if everything would work out fine just by moving as we always had. We thought we'd be able to use the Wind's Scar, and we were full of hot air."
They had underestimated the enemy.
They had been overconfident.
Their preparation should have been more thorough.
Perhaps this was the first failure he had tasted since joining the mercenary company. Even so, there was not a single part to blame on the Captain, comrades, or the Prince of Latia. Only cold self-reflection would create a better tomorrow.
However, there was one thing that needed to be confirmed.
"Lord Adrian. May I ask you one thing?"
"As much as you'd like."
"The assassins wielded evil power. It was as if they refused death."
"And you killed those things. Last night's battle was very impressive."
"Then what are they after? Why do they want to kill you? Aside from the political reason of the struggle between republicanism and monarchy, what is the reason those terrifying things specifically target the Prince of Latia?"
"..."
Had he struck a nerve?
The person in question fell silent, but Calix's Neural Accelerator provided the answer instead.
[Allied Neural Accelerator identification complete]
[Latia, confirmed as 'Vernu Navigator']
[As an early model, it bears the touch of a mage]
[It is the work of 'The Pointer']
He didn't miss even the smallest hint. Looking at the last sentence, Adrian Deconti's Neural Accelerator was clearly made by the Mage Yelayen.
And 'pointing' meant seeing into the future. Such a being wouldn't have created a simple acceleration device.
'Just as I use special powers having inherited Ashapel Raimund's Neural Accelerator, he too might have some unique ability.'
Meanwhile, Calix's fingers trembled slightly. The mana flowing from his heart detected the other person's Neural Accelerator and scattered small waves.
It was Ranita's bloodline ability.
Instead of sensing the mana emitted by living creatures as usual, it greeted them gently as if meeting a welcome neighbor.
In an instant, the puzzle pieces snap fell into place.
In his mind, the words he had overheard during the previous battle surfaced. It was the conversation the assassins had exchanged at the last moment.
[Hides the cursed thing. Light... Must extinguish.]
Did light mean human life? No. If that were the case, they should have used the term 'extinguish the light' for Calix and the other mercenaries as well. They expressed it directly as 'kill' for others.
It was a decisive clue.
"Isn't it strange? Last night's battle too. They didn't express killing you, but said 'must extinguish'."
"You heard that? I only heard mumbling."
Calix quietly looked at Adrian. His expression was not easy to read. The person who had been throwing light jokes until just a moment ago was now strangely keeping his mouth shut.
As if the situation had become one where he could no longer throw around frivolous words. Then he let out a short sigh.
"You're really persistent."
Though no further words followed, there was no major problem in deducing. In Calix's experience, there was only one thing that could be 'extinguished' in the human body.
The color of light visible to his eyes. More precisely, the mana of the magic stone installed in the Neural Accelerator.
"...Adrian, what role does your Neural Accelerator play?"
At this, Calix asked again while staring at the other person. A shallow flame briefly flickered in his eyes, then he wore a gentle smile.
It was a more meaningful smile than usual.
"This is troublesome. Didn't you clearly say you'd only ask one thing? To keep digging into something I can't answer."
"...I know, that your Neural Accelerator is special."
"Well, I am the Prince of the Latia Republic, aren't I? Though it's just a title."
Having caught the tail, now was the time to pull hard.
"Yes. And it's the work of 'The Pointing Mage'. If a mage's power dwells in it, it's highly likely not a simple acceleration device."
"..."
"Is my guess correct? Does your Neural Accelerator... Have a special purpose?"
"...Look here, are you that curious? Do you really want to hear it? From then on, you'll become a party to this incident—will that be alright?"
Calix fell silent. It was a question he shouldn't answer carelessly. However, before that, the other person smiled again.
But that smile didn't have the light feeling from before. Rather, it was tired. In a way, it seemed resigned.
"Well, fine. There's no point in denying it anymore. You're right. You deduced it well. To a degree that I can't understand with my own head..."
Adrian paused briefly and looked at Calix.
"You found it astonishingly."
The flames of the cremation site swayed as they illuminated their faces.
***
For mercenaries, injuries were both inevitable and a fatal problem. Especially if one was injured during a commission, the situation became even more complicated.
"The assembly will be in a month, at the Orsuko Viscounty."
"Yes. But is it alright to take even the wagons?"
"Considering the assassins might return, they're all just baggage. They'll only hold us back. It would be wise to move with only food supplies."
Captain Royce chose to separate the injured and workers before delving deeply into the eastern kingdom. While loyalty couldn't be expected from those doing odd jobs, the official members would wait at the promised location.
And soon, led by Adrian Deconti, 55 mercenaries headed east.
The reason for separating the group was soon revealed.
Tseutseutseutseutseuk—
"...It's much worse than what we heard."
"Ominous."
There was little life energy in the east. It didn't simply mean the atmosphere of the village. The wind carried whispers whose identity couldn't be discerned, and the trees were grotesquely twisted, evoking an eerie feeling. Along with that, bright yellow weeds had grown through the snow on the ground.
"What the hell are these weeds, so unlucky. It's winter now."
"I feel like we've stepped in shit big time."
However, there were no signs of being pursued by assassins. Hadiya was scouting the surroundings at every moment, and the warning whistle remained silent throughout.
Meanwhile, at the very back of the group, two men were separated. One was the client Adrian Deconti, and the other was Calix, who had been summoned by him.
"Do you feel it? A strange energy is surging in the air."
"Yes."
"The assassins wielding evil power must be connected to this too. In a way, this is proof that the Storm's Forest isn't fulfilling its role. It's not appearing in one specific region like an anomaly, but moving around chasing a target."
The other person's words were not wrong. This region was strange. A stickiness that seemed to scrape against the skin. An unidentifiable discomfort weighed down the mind.
So it was natural for the Mountain Rabbits to waver.
Peok!
During the march, Dwarf Basim kicked a recruit who was trying to pluck weeds.
"Don't touch just anything! These useless bastards! If you get poisoned by toxic plants, I'll dump you on the roadside!"
"Damn, these recruits are completely off..."
"The previous batch was outstanding. Because Calix held things together."
As said, it was partly due to the danger of poisonous plants, but also a means to steady those who were wavering. Adrian nodded as he watched this.
"The hierarchy is well established. Excellent for mercenaries."
"..."
"I mean it sincerely. Isn't it quite orderly even in this situation? Ordinary mercenaries would have run away long ago. Well, an organization that shines during crises is a real organization. From not abandoning the commission to teaching inexperienced mercenaries. Very excellent."
Calix looked up at the man mounted on a donkey. There was no hint of sarcasm. Of course, the Mountain Rabbits' system was excellent.
Even now, as Dwarf Basim reprimanded, Volga stepped forward again to soothe.
It was the carrot and stick tactic.
"Master, don't dig too deep. You'll discourage the young ones."
"Tell them to just die. They already look half-dead."
"But half of them are still alive, right?"
"...Haah."
Right at that moment.
Hweek.
When Captain Royce raised his fist, the Mountain Rabbits' footsteps stopped all at once. In the distance, traces of humans had appeared at some point.
Dozens of dwellings.
A village.
"A-are we resting here?"
"My toes have no feeling, this is good."
The recruits let out voices full of joy, but wariness seeped into the faces of the veteran mercenaries.
On a tree at the village boundary, something was hanging.
"That... Could it be an animal?"
"Yes, it's a cow's carcass. It seems to be warning of something."
The beast that once ran across the fields eating grass was finely dismembered and hung on thick branches. The flesh had decayed and gave off a foul smell, but the blood had not dried and continued to flow.
The interior appearance of the village felt equally strange. All the windows were closed, and bloodstains had dried on the walls. Even from a distance, a desolate energy pervaded it, with no signs of human presence at all.
"Where's Hadiya?"
"She didn't blow her whistle. Ah, she's coming now."
Soon, the veteran mercenary in charge of scouting returned with a hardened expression. Meanwhile, Adrian casually muttered next to him.
"I have a good feeling. Nothing will happen here. I guarantee it."
Somehow, there was an unusual degree of certainty dwelling in his words.