Episode 6: Nothing Unusual

"You truly found nothing at all?"

At my question, the holy knight seated across from me slowly bowed his head. He was the captain of the survey team, just returned from a search that had lasted more than ten days. Traces of the long journey still clung to his armor and cloak. He had wiped them clean, and yet dried earth was packed into the seams of his boots, and fatigue lay thick across a face long scoured by sun and wind.

"Yes, Saintess. We searched the Valley of Weeping and the surrounding forest three times over, but we found no trace of any large-scale movement of magical beasts."

"Did you check the entire valley?"

"Every area a person can enter has been confirmed. We sent scouts separately along the cliff tops and deeper into the forest, and where the terrain was difficult to approach on foot, we examined it with detection magic and familiars."

I looked down at the map spread across the desk. Red lines branched in several directions from the mouth of the Valley of Weeping — the routes the survey team had covered. They had combed not only the highway through the valley, but the forests stretching away to either side and the ground above the cliffs, without leaving a gap. This was not a party that had glanced around and turned back.

"And the mana reactions?"

"All within normal range. The demonic miasma given off by the beasts likewise did not exceed ordinary levels."

"By ordinary levels, you mean there were beasts."

"Yes. We found several low-grade magical beasts on the outskirts of the forest."

I lifted my head at once.

"What kind, and how many?"

"As I just said, we found several low-grade magical beasts on the forest's outskirts. Their species, their numbers, and their behavior were all within the range of a normal year."

"Any sign they had grown fewer, or more, than usual?"

"None. Their feeding and the spread of their territory also matched the last patrol records almost exactly."

"No sign of any breaking from the pack? Being driven off by a higher-ranked beast, or shifting their habitat — nothing of that sort?"

"None."

The holy knight answered without hesitation.

"Feeding signs and droppings were normal as well. Had a powerful predator or a large herd appeared nearby, the habitat would have changed. No such signs were confirmed."

"If a place earns the name Valley of Weeping, wasn't it always thick with magical beasts? Isn't it strange that you found only low-grade ones…"

"Despite the name, it is not a region where magical beasts appear often. It was named because the wind blowing between the cliffs makes a sound like a person crying."

The holy knight moved a finger across the map.

"It is a passage leading to the border between the Aeternia Empire and Luminaris, so the guards of both nations patrol it regularly. There has not been a single large-scale magical beast attack in the past ten years."

"…Not a single one?"

"Yes. Even the discovery and subjugation of higher-ranked magical beasts amounts to only two cases in those ten years. If anything, it is far safer than the other valleys and mountain roads nearby."

One of the questions I had prepared was wiped away, leaving nothing behind. I lowered my eyes to the report again. I could read most of the densely written lines now. Only twelve days ago, those same sentences had been meaningless symbols. A few unfamiliar technical terms were mixed in, but I could follow the whole of it well enough.

"Did you also look into the merchant caravans and travelers who took that road recently?"

"Yes. We confirmed six merchant companies that recently passed through the Valley of Weeping, along with adventurers from various guilds. All of them crossed the border without any particular trouble."

"And missing persons?"

"We cross-checked the records of the nearby villages and the border guard. There have been no missing-person reports in the past month. They say there was not even a case of livestock taken by magical beasts."

"Is there a chance the local guard is hiding something?"

"We examined the ledgers and patrol records ourselves. Testimony and records matched, and we found nothing suspicious among the guardsmen."

"What about underground?"

"Pardon?"

"There could be caves, or tunnels the beasts dug themselves. Is it possible we found nothing on the surface because they're hiding under the ground?"

The holy knight thought for a moment, then set a finger on a point of the map.

"There were two natural caves north of the valley. Both were shallow, and no traces of magical beasts were found inside. We also used ground-detection magic, but no large cavities or underground passages were confirmed."

"And flying beasts nesting inside the cliffs?"

"We sent familiars up and checked even the cracks in the cliff face. Aside from a few birds' nests, there was nothing."

The answers came back without a hitch. Every possibility I had thought of was something the survey team had already checked once.

If they've turned over every place worth searching and still found nothing…

What if it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠simply had not arrived yet? What if someone meant to drive the magical beasts into the Valley of Weeping, timed to the hour of the attack? In the original, it was written only as an assault by a herd of magical beasts. Why they had appeared so suddenly was never explained. It might not have been a natural incident at all, but an attack someone had set in motion on purpose.

"During the investigation, did you find any artificial traces?"

"Artificial traces, you say…"

"Drugs or bait to lure magical beasts. Magic circles, summoning rites — things of that sort. Is there any chance someone is deliberately preparing an attack?"

The holy knight considered, then answered.

"The priests inspected every part of the valley, but no such traces were found. There were no signs of erased mana, nor of a barrier having been set. As I said before, no unusual mana reaction was detected in the first place."

"I see."

I answered shortly, but the suspicion did not leave me entirely. Finding no traces did not mean there was no hand behind this. It might only mean that whoever had arranged the attack had not yet begun — or that they had moved too cunningly for the survey team to uncover. But that was nothing more than a possibility. I could not abandon the departure for the sake of an enemy whose identity, purpose, and even existence I did not know. Whatever else was true, I had to reach the Academy if I was to save them all.

I pressed my lips together and tapped the edge of the desk with one finger.

Tap. Tap.

The steady sound rang through the quiet room. In the original, what fell upon the Saintess's party was unmistakably a great herd of magical beasts. Their exact strength was never given, nor their kind. Even the way the battle began went undescribed. All I knew, as a reader, was the result: that an attack had struck in the Valley of Weeping; that everyone in the party, Nina and the escort among them, had died; and that the only survivors were Bern and Elysia. And that Elysia had failed to save them even after regressing dozens of times.

Yet here we were, three days from the attack, and there was still no sign of anything. Could a massive herd of magical beasts appear all at once without leaving a single trace?

"The true purpose of the search wasn't leaked, was it?"

"As you commanded, Saintess, the true purpose of every investigation was kept secret. We told the local guard only that it was a routine survey to inspect the border terrain and its ecology."

"Any chance word leaked from inside the survey team?"

"Every member who took part has served the Church for a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠long time. We verified their identities and movements before and after departure, and no one acted alone during the search."

The holy knight paused, then added, carefully,

"If something still concerns you, I will dispatch the survey team once more."

"Again?"

"Yes. If we double the numbers and add high-ranking priests and mages, the search can be made still more precise."

I turned my gaze to the window. The sun beyond it was already sinking. I could send them out again. But we departed tomorrow. Even if I sent people now, the results would reach us only after we had already passed through the Valley of Weeping. Worse, if I was late, I would miss the beginning of the original story. The protagonist's party needed me.

"No. It's all right. We don't have the time."

I said it as I looked back at the knight.

"And we've already investigated enough."

"Then I will relay the order to prepare for departure as planned."

"You've worked hard. The search must have been exhausting — go and rest. And please tell the others who went with you to rest well, too."

"I am grateful for the Saintess's consideration."

The holy knight rose and bowed deeply. The door closed. His footsteps faded, and I was alone in the room again. I picked up the final report lying on the desk.

For a long while I stared at the report's last line.

If the future I knew was not wrong, the cause of the tragedy had to be waiting somewhere in the Valley of Weeping. Yet the search had found nothing. Not on the ground, not on the cliffs, not in the caves — not even a trace of mana. There was not so much as a hint that someone had tried to draw the beasts in on purpose. There truly was nothing unusual at all.

I closed the report slowly. Paper whispered against paper, and the last sentence slipped out of sight. Whether I could wholly believe that conclusion, I did not know. But as I was now, I had no grounds to overturn it either.

I turned to the window again, and the grounds outside offered themselves up in pieces. Holy knights who would depart tomorrow were checking white armor and weapons. Along one side of the training yard, carriages marked with the Church's emblem stood in a row, and in the corridor, supply crates packed with recovery potions and antidotes were stacked in neat order. All of it had been prepared over the days just past.

A veteran escort from the Church, far larger than in the original. An elite knight order dispatched from the Empire, due to join us at the border tomorrow. And Bern de Lacroix, who had reached the rank of Sword Master at twenty. Recovery potions and antidotes in plenty. Defensive, healing, and offensive holy magic, drilled day and night until the formulas and the prayers sat in the bone. Above all, I had this body — and in divine power, this body yielded to no one.

We fail, even after preparing this far?

If anything, that made less sense. The Elysia of the original had been struck knowing nothing. I knew the place. I knew the hour. I knew what ending was waiting. Even if someone I could not name was moving the beasts from the dark, it changed nothing. To succeed, they would still have to break through this force and reach Nina. There was no way they could.

I laid a hand on the report.

"We depart as planned."

No one would hear it. There was no hesitation left in the words.

The morning of departure.

I was just about to leave my room for the main gate of the Papal Palace when the door opened lightly and Nina came in. In her arms was a small basket, wrapped with care in cloth. Through the gaps, a savory-sweet scent of butter rose in soft curls.

"Saintess! Ta-da—! Look at this!"

When she unwrapped it as if it were something precious, several egg tarts appeared, baked a fine golden brown. The shapes were still a little crooked, but a gloss ran over their surfaces, and they looked good enough to eat at a glance. Nina broke into a wide smile, wearing the face of someone who had just gained the whole world.

"I baked them this morning, just like I promised, for the day we leave! You have to eat them while ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they're hot!"

The sweet butter scent tickled the tip of my nose. She held the basket out toward me, watching with eyes full of expectation.

"Would you like to try one?"

"If I eat one now, won't they all be gone before we even set out?"

"I made a lot, so it's fine!"

She answered with complete confidence, but there were only six in the basket. One for me, one for Nina, one passed to Bern, and half of them would vanish.

"This is a lot?"

"It is to me. And I'll bake more on the way!"

"If that's the standard, I have nothing to say."

I picked up an egg tart, and Nina held her breath, waiting on my reaction. The crisp crust broke, and the sweet filling, still warm, spread through my mouth. Less burnt than last time, and the shape had come out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fairly respectable.

"It's good."

"Really?"

"Yes. Much better than last time."

Nina shrugged, as if this much were nothing at all.

"I've been practicing. Once we reach the capital, I'll make you something even better."

"Before that, look after what's left. Don't eat them all."

"When have I ever done that!"

"You were just about to take one."

Nina's hand, reaching for the basket, stopped in awkward midair. I smiled faintly and stepped out of the room first. Behind me she followed at a quick little trot, like someone who had been caught.

"Saintess, not even one? Really?"

"We'll eat them together once we're in the carriage."

"Then I'll get the black tea ready right away!"

Her voice rang down the corridor, as bright as ever. I did not let the ominous thoughts go any further. The investigation was finished. The preparations were enough. All that remained was to pass the attack safely, just as planned, and arrive at the Imperial Capital of Aeternia.