Sever the Wolf's Tail (2)

The woman, who seemed younger than the others, paused for a long moment before she spoke.

"I was... that child's only sister."

"You were a relative of the first victim." Rood could easily infer this from the memo he had seen through Stock. The note had described how the victim had lost both parents and lived alone with their older sister, making shoes together. It was a story heavy enough to make even Rood, who was quickly scanning the contents, pause.

"It's already been three months. Yet the memory... is still so vivid." The woman's eyes revealed no trace of sadness, anger, or any other emotion.

"My sibling was lying in the field beyond the wooden fence. At first, I didn't even realize it was them."

Emptiness. She spoke of what had happened in a flat, unhesitating tone.

"They told me one arm was missing. That hurt more than the fact that my sibling had died. Because..."

The moment the woman tried to continue, the middle-aged women beside her shot to their feet.

"Girl! That's enough! Let the man ask his questions!"

"It's all right, ladies. Talking about this doesn't bother me anymore."

At her words, the women lowered their heads, squatted down again, and began pounding the innocent laundry with their bats even harder.

"Where was I... Oh, right. My sibling dreamed of playing the piano. That's why it was so upsetting."

"I see." Rood listened to her with equal calm. Death was familiar to him, and such backstories naturally followed. More than that, however, he had no desire to react strongly while in the position of asking questions. Even the questions themselves might be rude; he knew that carelessly judging or comforting her situation would only leave another kind of scar.

"Was there anything unusual on the day your sibling went missing?"

"No. My sibling liked playing with friends far more than making shoes, so they were always skipping work. The only difference was that when we ran into each other on the street, their expression seemed a little brighter than usual..."

"When did you realize they were missing?"

"I prepared dinner that evening, but they never came home. We turned the entire village upside down searching. The owner of the field found them the next morning."

Rood nodded. "Do you remember the last thing your sibling said before they disappeared?"

"Just... to look forward to it. That they'd be back soon. I have no idea what I was supposed to look forward to, though."

Look forward to it? Rood inferred the circumstances. The victim had told her to expect something before leaving, yet was found dead in the field the following morning. Was there a connection? To Rood, the two did not seem deeply related. It only pointed to the conclusion that a child who loved playing with friends had been excited about skipping work. Still, something about the victim's final words nagged at him, though there was no way for him to know what it meant.

I'll have to write this down and add it to the report when the messenger bird returns.

"By the way, isn't this supposed to be about catching a wolf? May I ask why you're inquiring about these things?"

"Ah, that's..." Rood chose his words carefully. She might not have fully accepted what had happened, but as the sister who had lost her only sibling, she must have spent the past three months building her own thoughts on the matter. He could not tell her that the cause of her sibling's death might not have been a wolf at all, but murder.

"I was asked to investigate whether anything was needed for defense."

"I see. Honestly, after all the precautions that were taken, it did seem absurd that these incidents kept happening."

At her words, the faces of the women around her turned ashen, but she continued.

"After the lord collapsed from illness, that witch who was killing my family..."

"Aigoo! Stop that!"

"The girl's gone a little mad since the incident! Young man, you didn't hear anything!"

They leaped forward so quickly they nearly dropped their laundry bats, trying to cover her mouth, but she kept speaking.

"Aah, I thought the troubleshooter might be different, but you're just here to calm public sentiment... Mmph! Let go! Just let me speak!"

Rood lowered his head. He was not a member of House Voenac; he was merely a guest. Even if she insulted the nobility, even if it concerned Isabelle, it did not concern him. Her complaints were not pleasant, but Rood believed her long-held resentment was justified. As the family of the first victim, it would have been difficult to feel any goodwill toward a lord who had failed to prepare properly even after two more incidents occurred.

"Thank you for cooperating with the investigation."

"Thank you? If you were really thankful, you should have caught this wolf already! Mmph!"

The woman, having lost all reason, hurled curses at Rood. The laundry area had turned into a small, chaotic play. She and those trying to silence her became tangled together in a mess. Rood watched the scene silently for a moment, then bowed his head.

While Rood tended to prioritize finding the cause of events and solving problems over emotions, the fact that he always resolved things in such an extreme manner made it clear he was inherently a person ruled by feeling. This was something Rood himself knew all too well.

"I'll take my leave now."

As long as the case remained unsolved, that resentment would pierce their hearts like a rusty nail, becoming a poison that festered their lives and tormented them forever.

I don't know what kind of bastard is imitating a dog to kill people, but I will catch and punish them without fail.

Rood made the promise to himself alone. He would not leave the village until this matter was resolved.

Rood visited the families of the second and third victims, but all he received were similar stories.

'I heard the sound of metal clashing in the middle of the night. Like creaking, I suppose.'

'There was a wolf's howl along with the sound of a sword. You know, that chilling sound of cutting through the air.'

The only additional detail from the other two testimonies was the strange account of having coincidentally heard the sound of solid metal, like iron.

"Strange. From the wounds I saw on the wooden fence, there shouldn't have been any trace of swords or steel at all."

When Rood returned to the scene and examined the marks, the gouges in the fence were dug far too deeply.

If someone had deliberately scratched it multiple times, it might be possible... but this is clearly a mark left by a single graze.

He examined the trace again, but it was unmistakably a wound made by an animal's claw or bone. Rood's mind grew increasingly tangled.

Is this really a wound inflicted by a wolf?

Rood shook his head. Worrying about it would not solve anything, so he returned to the lodging he had claimed.

When he opened the door, the messenger bird that had arrived was tilting its head this way and that by the window. Rood opened the window to let it inside, untied the note fastened to its ankle, and read it.

"Two days? Why?"

From what Rood had observed, the murder ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cycle had gone from one month to three weeks, then from three weeks to two. He had reported it as an anomaly. Yet while he had predicted the next murder in a week, Isabelle had forecasted it in two days.

Anyway, if that bastard is going to move in two days, the safest option is to gather the children and protect them.

However, the conditions to carry this out were lacking. Ordering the other parents to gather the children in one place would be difficult in itself. If the culprit caught wind of the persuasion process, it would cause problems. If the killer realized their identity was at risk of being exposed, they might go into hiding for a while or leave the village entirely.

"In the end, even if it's dangerous, I have to wait for the moment they target a child, launch a surprise attack, prevent the damage, and eliminate the enemy at the same time."

Rood first wrote down all the information he had gathered, then added a request to devise a plan for catching the culprit. The messenger bird flew across the darkening sky without a single wingbeat, as if night were its true domain.

"Ha, this is difficult. It would have been so much easier if I could just sweep the enemy away."

For Rood, dealing with one hidden person was far more troublesome than facing a hundred in open combat. Because of this, thoughts on how to solve the case refused to leave his mind.

The copy transcribed by Mueject should be finished in about three hours.

As his thoughts continued, his head began to throb painfully. In the end, Rood lay ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠down on the inn's bed and decided to rest his eyes. He reminded himself to wake as soon as the transcribed copy was complete and send it via the messenger bird.

Rood fell asleep wondering whether Isabelle, once she received the copy, would be able to solve this case or not.

One of the occupational habits Rood had developed while living as a soldier was the ability to fall asleep the moment he closed his eyes and to wake at the exact time he had decided upon. As soon as Rood closed his eyes, drowsiness poured over him. Just as his mind began to drift, a strange voice reached him.

"What are you doooing heeere?"

The giggling voice sounded like a child's, yet it was mixed with the metallic rasp only heard from the throats of the elderly. It was closer to a woman's voice than a man's, but beyond that, it was so bizarre that nothing else could be determined.

What is this?

When Rood looked around, he found himself in a pitch-black landscape. Both his arms and legs were bound by purple chains, leaving him unable to move. He realized that something beyond the darkness was watching him, only its head protruding.

"I'm asking, aren't I? What are you doooing heeere?"

"What is this, a dog dream?"

Rood immediately understood that this place was a dream. However, it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was questionable how he could be so clearly aware that it was a dream while simultaneously feeling the restraints as if they were real.

"If you keep interfering, you'll sooon die."

Pink chunks of flesh began crawling toward Rood from the darkness. They soon climbed over his arms, legs, and body, twisting his entire form.

"Kuaaagh!"

Crack. Crunch.

Rood's arms and legs twisted into unrecognizable shapes. Even though it was a dream, the horrifying pain was enough to make him want to faint. He shouted toward the source of the laughter.

"Who are you!"

"There's no neeecd for you to know thaaat."

The tentacle-like flesh that had broken Rood's arms and legs slowly gathered around his neck.

"You won't be able to catch me anywaaay."

"Kgh! Is it you? The vermin behind the incidents!"

Rood instinctively realized it. The one who had committed the murders had entered his dream to threaten him.

"Even if that's the caaase, what can you dooo about it? You don't even know who I aaam."

"I'll find out soon enough! Even if I can't—"

"Aah~ You're talking about that murderess. She's a much nastier bitch than meee. Why don't you go kill heeer instead."

The flesh entered Rood's mouth and traveled up his nose, constricting his airway.

"This is your final waaarning. Stop interfering and get looost. Understaaand?"

Crack!

"Huk!"

Rood woke with a start as he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rolled off the bed. He clutched at his neck, which had been twisted in the dream, and coughed violently.

What... was that just now?