Sever the Wolf's Tail (1)
The documents contained sketches that realistically captured the scene of the incident, along with detailed explanations.
"Did you draw these yourself?"
"No. I used a Mueject supplied by House Voenac."
The Voenac family had gone to considerable expense to temporarily lend Muejects to the sheriffs guarding each district. These devices could sketch everything before them without missing a single detail, so they were used to investigate and preserve crime scenes. Thanks to them, the public safety in the villages had improved overwhelmingly compared to other regions.
Rood listened to the explanation and examined the drawings closely. They depicted the fallen children, their eyes wide with terror, and the blood-spattered surroundings in such vivid detail that the images were deeply unpleasant.
"The overall appearance is similar in each case, but if there's one difference... it's that the missing body parts vary between incidents."
At Rood's words, Stock nodded heavily.
"I thought it was a coincidence, but now that you've called it murder, it's clear... Damn it. Damn it all!"
Rood stared at Stock. He had seen men like this several times even during the war. They were the type who usually lived warmly, forming close bonds and helping others, yet their eyes now held the same hollow look as those who had lost comrades.
Looking at them, Rood had realized one doubt and one lesson. The lesson was that there was nothing more unstable and meaningless than sharing affection with comrades. The doubt that came to mind was this: Why does this world inflict greater pain on good people than on the wicked?
Those devastated by their comrades' deaths were usually the ones who were harsh on themselves and considerate toward others. And such people died easily in war. Because when three allies behind them were in danger, they would throw away their own lives to protect them.
On the other hand, those who would use the soldier in front of them as a shield in an emergency would, after the battle, grab an extra chicken leg during meal distribution and say:
"That bastard's probably happily handing out chicken legs up in heaven right about now."
Rood had no desire to criticize their way of thinking, but they weren't the sort of people he particularly liked. What he did favor was when upright individuals, despite living in misery, still treated their remaining comrades with the same warmth as before.
He had never offered them words of comfort, but on the battlefield he would keep an eye on them and rush out to help a few times when they were in danger.
Rood opened his mouth to comfort the suffering sheriff.
"Sheriff Stock, if you have time to lament your own fate, invest it in catching the wolf instead."
Stock looked momentarily furious at Rood's words, but soon nodded.
"You are correct."
Rood thought to himself, Yeah, I did well to comfort him.
Since Rood had never treated others with such warmth before, he felt an awkward emotion. Of course, the person receiving his comfort was burning with inner rage, but Rood had no way of knowing that.
"The first murder took a hand, the second a leg, the third the eyes. In each case, those parts weren't visible at the scene."
The bodies themselves had been too badly mutilated, and since wolves were thought to be responsible, it would have been difficult to realize the damage was intentional. If wolves were the cause, people would assume the parts had simply been eaten, not that someone had deliberately collected them.
Rood acknowledged that if Isabelle had not pointed out it was murder, he too would have easily overlooked the clue.
"If this really is murder, why is that bastard doing something like this?" Stock asked.
Rood shrugged. "I still don't know. Though it seems like he's either an extreme pervert or has some reason for collecting the parts."
Rood picked up the documents and spoke to Stock.
"Would it be possible to make copies of these documents using the Mueject you have?"
"It should be possible. Since they're for Lady Isabelle, I could simply give you the originals."
"Even so, having copies would be useful for exchanging information on both sides."
Stock nodded. He was told that copying the documents would take half a day. Rood left word that he would return around ten o'clock in the evening, between the evening bell and the first night hour, to collect the copies, then departed the sheriff's office.
Rood entered a small room on the second floor of a tavern in Boeub Village and unpacked his belongings. He tied a brief note to the leg of his messenger hawk and sent it flying out the window. The note simply stated that the missing body parts appeared intentional and listed which parts had been taken in each case.
Since all Rood could do now was wait for the hawk to return, he grabbed the room key and left the tavern, intending to survey the entire village. I used to be a special operative, after all. This much is expected.
Rood walked a full circuit around the village, following its wooden palisade. Given the nature of the one who had mutilated the bodies, if the culprit had entered from outside the village, they would have inevitably left claw marks or some other evidence on the fence.
Rood stopped in his tracks before one section of the palisade.
"Here it is."
When he crouched down, he saw deep claw marks as if something had tried to leap over the fence. A few strands of gray fur had also fallen below them, so Rood smiled.
"This might turn out to be easier than I thought."
In Rood's opinion, the culprit had most likely used a real wolf or a similarly trained animal to commit the murders. The scars on the wood could not have been imitated with a sword or any bladed weapon. It also seemed unlikely that human strength had created marks this deep using a wolf's claws. Unless the person was at the level of a pseudo-knight, but there was no reason or justification for such a person to visit this small village.
"If there's a hunter in this village... that man would be the culprit."
It was highly unlikely that a hunter would live in these flat plains, but if one did exist, focusing the investigation on him seemed reasonable. After all, the hunting dogs kept by hunters were sometimes crosses between wolves and dogs.
Since there were signs of intrusion from outside, he would need to investigate hunters from nearby villages as well. Rood now read the second memo Isabelle had prepared for him in advance.
Examine peculiarities through clear evidence remaining in the village and conversations with the residents.
Rood was confident in his ability to find evidence in the village, but he had no idea how to strike up conversations with residents he had never met. If he asked directly, most people would likely say they didn't know anything or would only spread strange rumors.
I suppose I have to ask anyway.
Rood finished checking the palisade but confirmed that the only clue that could be considered evidence was the claw marks. He then turned his steps toward the village interior.
Rood approached a middle-aged woman who was struggling with a basket of laundry.
"Excuse me. I'd like to ask you something."
"Yes? M-me?"
"I wanted to ask if you know anything about the strange incidents happening in the village."
"Oh dear, I don't know much! I only know as much as those ladies over there heading to do their washing~"
Rood nodded and promptly took the woman's laundry basket from her.
"It looks heavy. Let me carry it for you."
"My goodness, you don't have to do that... But what brings a handsome young man like you to a place like this?"
"I've been ordered to investigate the incidents, so I came here."
"Oh my, my son should be there too. I wonder if he's doing well! He used to be such a diligent child who listened well, but lately it seems like he's gotten some strange ideas..."
Rood continued listening to the woman's chatter until a puzzling part made him ask again.
"May I ask your son's name?"
"It's Hal. Just Hal."
Rood remembered the name instantly. Ah, that acrobatic monkey.
"I know him. He's exceptionally skilled even among the royal guards."
"My goodness, you know our boy? Oh, I didn't want them to give him dangerous work..."
By the time they reached the washing area, Rood had been forced to listen to a great deal of information about Hal—information he had little desire to know—rather than anything about the incident.
"I'll set this down here."
"Oh, thank you, young man!"
"By the way, what a coincidence. To meet Hal's mother. When I return, I'll tell him to send his greetings once in a while."
"Oh, that would be wonderful! Ah, that's right! You'd be better off asking that lady over there about the incident rather than me. She's so bright and hears rumors faster than anyone..."
In the end, Rood spent five minutes listening to Hal's mother chatter before bowing his head in thanks. As if fleeing, he approached a woman wringing laundry at the opposite washing spot.
"I was referred by Hal's mother."
"Goodness, you startled me!"
When Rood touched her shoulder, the laundry she had been wringing slipped from her hands and began drifting slowly downstream. Rood quickly ran and retrieved every piece, then placed them before her.
"I'm sorry for startling you."
"It's a good thing you picked them all up. I nearly would've gotten an earful from my husband when I got home!"
Just as Hal's mother had said, the woman turned Rood's mistake into a joke. Rood bowed politely.
"So what introduction brings you here? My younger sister's daughter seems exactly your type. She's the one with the biggest chest in the village."
The woman who had been pointed out snapped back.
"If you're going to take her, do it quickly! Just watching her laze around the house makes my insides burn black!"
"That's not why I'm here. I've come to investigate this wolf incident."
At those words, the atmosphere at the washing area turned ice-cold. Only the sound of flowing water filled the silence, making the mood even chillier.
"Go on your way. None of us here know anything about that."
"Indeed. What would women like us know?"
After that, only the sounds of splashing laundry could be heard.
"I am Rood, dispatched from House Voenac. Please share any rumors you've heard, no matter how small. I will definitely resolve this."
Even after Rood's plea, there was no response.
"It's all right, sisters."
One woman rose from her spot and stared directly at Rood. The tears staining her eyes were so obvious that even Rood could recognize them at a glance.
"I should be the one to speak of my own child."
"You are... the bereaved family of one of the victims."
The woman clenched both fists tightly and said, "I......"