Chapter 362: Bread and Dagger (60)
Chapter 362: Bread and Dagger (60)
The vine Old Man Pope had given me truly possessed a miraculous efficacy.
With every step I took, it felt as if a path was being drawn of its own accord. Upon the map envisioned in my mind, the trajectory of my movement was being marked in real-time.
It was a novel sensation.
I could now guess how Old Man Pope was able to find his way through the coniferous forest. With an item like this, one could naturally grasp every corner of these woods.
I, too, was reaping the full benefits of it.
My eyes scanned the scorched surroundings. In the place where everything had burned, a world of black and white unfolded.
Only charred debris bore witness to the structures that had once stood here.
Judging by the tents and other auxiliary facilities, it was clearly a military camp. The army of humanity had already penetrated this far into the region.
Even if they had suffered a fire from an unknown cause.
That was the point I found questionable.
The North was a cold and dry place.
Once a fire started, there was always a risk of it spreading indefinitely. It was fortunate that snow covered the ground; otherwise, last night’s fire could have escalated into a massive catastrophe.
And yet, there was a reason why the coniferous forest could maintain such dense woodland.
It was because the environment was not easily flammable to begin with.
The coniferous forest was a place where water droplets froze the instant they fell. Furthermore, the winds that blew in all seasons were the primary culprits in extinguishing any sparks that had just begun to flicker.
Naturally, the probability of a natural fire occurring was extremely low.
That left only one answer.
Last night’s fire had been deliberately set.
However, I couldn't guess who the culprit was. Who would dare touch the army of humanity?
If it were the elves, it was possible.
Humanity and elves were in a hostile relationship. Setting fire to a military camp was nothing more than a standard military operation.
But my suspicions began at that very point.
As far as I knew, the elf village I was staying in was the only one in this vicinity. And our village didn't even know the location of this camp.
This meant that the prerequisite for them to burn this place down didn't exist in the first place.
Only two possibilities remained.
Either the elf who went missing yesterday set the fire, or there was a third suspect.
The former was soon proven wrong.
My eyes caught the remains of burned restraints. They were items that could not be made with elven technology.
They were kidnapped.
I immediately deduced the circumstances.
An unfortunate elf wandering the coniferous forest had been caught by a human scouting party and interrogated.
It would have been difficult to start a fire while restrained. Moreover, everyone in the camp would have been keeping a close watch on that elf.
Having discarded another hypothesis, my eyes carefully scanned the surroundings.
In a corner of the fire scene, there was a particularly anomalous piece of terrain.
It was a low burial mound.
Swords and spears were thrust into it. To anyone’s eyes, it was a grave for the fallen.
Had the soldiers of the camp returned to recover the bodies?
I soon shook my head, rejecting that reasoning. If they had, they should have been more proactive in erasing their tracks.
No commander wanted to expose their position to the enemy. They wouldn't have missed a golden opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the elf village.
Immediately after performing such a conspicuous act as arson, they would have naturally cleaned up the remains left here.
In the end, unable to find an answer, I had to turn back.
There was no sign of even a corpse for the missing elf. And the culprits who set fire to the camp were still shrouded in shadows.
To put it bluntly, it wasn't a great result.
But what could I do?
I was a knight. Unless I was a professionally trained scout, there was a limit to the full story I could uncover.
For now, the best move was to return to the village as quickly as possible.
Then I could borrow the wisdom of the villagers.
For the most part, they were simple elves, but among them were experienced elders like Old Man Pope. For now, I had no choice but to rely on their wisdom.
Yes, that’s what I thought.
Until I saw the village engulfed in flames.
I felt the heat licking at my face. It was an unmistakable fire. If not that, what else could I call that red, glowing inferno?
For a moment, I couldn't regain my senses.
The human camp had burned down last night. Naturally, they shouldn't have returned here for several weeks.
And yet, it had only been a few hours.
While I was away, the village was burning. Hearing the clashing of weapons, it was clearly an attack.
Who on earth, and why?
What jolted my sinking mind were the successive shouts echoing out.
"Burn the warehouse first! These bastards have quite a lot of food, don't they?"
"N-no! Do you know how long it took us to gather that food...!"
"Gather all the elves in the center!"
I stumbled, then took a step forward.
My heightened senses transmitted every detail of the scene to my optic nerves. Among the burning buildings was the food warehouse.
It was where the snow leopard meat from the last hunt was stored. How happy the elves had been back then.
Now, it was on the verge of turning to ash.
That wasn't all.
The huts of Luguet, Dolph, and Isha were also burning. Fire was just beginning to catch on Old Man Pope’s hut.
I couldn't stand it any longer.
I immediately kicked off the ground and shot forward. Repeating leaps as if flying, my body soon reached the center of the village.
There, elves tied tightly with ropes were gathered. And soldiers were dragging them toward the center.
I saw the seal of the Yurdina family.
My mind unraveled like a tangled ball of yarn. There was no way the Yurdina forces would do this.
The Yurdina army never strikes elves first.
I had been assured of this by Senior Delphine, and it was common knowledge in the Empire. The Empire was always the side suffering damage from the elves.
They never stood on the side of the aggressor.
At least, that was what I knew until today. But what was this scene unfolding before my eyes?
Unfortunately, I didn't even have the luxury to sink into thought.
A convulsive cry burst from my throat.
"Stop!"
The soldiers who were setting fires and moving elves came to a dead halt.
Everyone’s gaze, including the elves, turned toward me.
A strange silence settled against the backdrop of the burning village.
The soldiers couldn't speak for a long time. Their eyes widened, and they soon exchanged glances.
My eyes hurriedly checked the elves. Fortunately, it seemed no elves had died yet.
If so, I could save them.
I was Ian Percus. A hero of humanity and a man who enjoyed the absolute trust of the Yurdina family’s next head.
The elves might be a different story, but if the opponents were human, they couldn't be free from my influence.
Even now, look.
At the soldiers who were only hesitating with confused eyes.
I roared once more.
"Stop this, right now... What do you all think you're doing? Since when has humanity attacked innocent elves!"
At my reprimand, the soldiers began to look visibly flustered.
They hesitated, lowering the torches they held or loosening their grip on the elves they were dragging.
Only then was I certain.
It was working. At this rate, I could save the elves without any casualties.
Just as I was inwardly rejoicing.
Suddenly, a familiar voice struck my ears.
"...Haha, well now. To think I'd meet you in a place like this."
As the boisterous laughter rang out, the bodies of the hesitating soldiers stiffened all at once.
They immediately snapped to attention and offered a salute. It was the highest level of courtesy, something they hadn't even shown me.
An honor that only a respected superior could enjoy.
My eyes slowly turned toward the source of the voice.
"So, in the end, you're saying you don't know the location."
It was a reproach mixed with a sigh.
Several people were gathered in a hospital room in a corner of Yurdina Castle.
Not only the patient, Seria, but also the Saintess, Elsie, Emma, and even the Princess.
It was everyone Ian had brought along. Yuren also kept a silent watch like a shadow behind the Saintess.
The Saintess looked somewhat anxious. It was evident just by how she kept biting her lip in unease.
It wasn't just the Saintess.
Everyone gathered here had troubled expressions. Only Seria, the target of the reproach, kept her head bowed low.
She murmured as if making an excuse.
"I can't pinpoint the exact operational location. I know the general direction, but the coniferous forest is uncharted territory. It's a miracle we even managed to go that deep."
"But you said the Master is staying nearby!"
It was a sharp retort from Elsie, who was losing her temper.
Indeed. It was a common occurrence to lose one's position in the coniferous forest.
In normal times, it wouldn't even be something to blame her for.
Because it was a kind of force majeure.
However, the reason the women were agitated now was because of the information Seria had brought.
Near the last place Seria had been.
In an elf village located there, Ian was staying.
And with his memory lost, at that.
Every time they thought of that fact, the women felt as if their throats were parching. No matter how much cold water they drank, their thirst wouldn't be quenched.
When Seria couldn't say anything, Elsie eventually clicked her tongue and turned her head.
"Tsk, so why the hell did a fire break out... What were you doing until the fire started?"
"I did my best!"
Seria argued back, her eyes welling up with tears as if she felt wronged.
"The guard was flawless and perfect. I didn't let my guard down for a second either... There were definitely no presences other than the soldiers."
"Does that even make sense? You must have missed the elves' presence. Who else would there be to set a fire?"
But Elsie’s attitude was cold as ice.
Seria had no proper rebuttal. No matter what she said, it would only serve as testimony to her own incompetence.
However, Seria couldn't let go of her lingering doubt until the very end.
"No, there really was no presence..."
"It is highly likely that Sister Yurdina made a mistake."
It was the Saintess’s assertion. Seria eventually cast her gaze down again.
She looked dejected.
Though it didn't evoke much sympathy from the Saintess, whose head felt like it was about to explode with worry for Ian.
"If you were attacked in the coniferous forest, the probability of it being elves is overwhelmingly high. If it wasn't..."
The Saintess started to speak, then suddenly felt a certain suspicion flash through her mind.
It wasn't a very persuasive hypothesis.
But what if Seria was right?
If, that night, no outsider had truly infiltrated.
Then there was only one answer.
"...There must be a traitor."
Someone who could plant their own person in the Yurdina army and secretly set a fire.
There was only one person capable of that.
The traitor of the Yurdina family who was blocking information regarding the elves.
Of course, that deduction was soon discarded.
No matter how much she pondered, there was no reason for a traitor to burn down the military camp.
At least, not with the clues given so far.
Bloodstains are left upon the snowfield.
A groaning boy was being held by a thick gauntlet.
With bruises all over his face and coughing up blood, it seemed he had undergone a fierce battle.
The result was, presumably, the boy’s total defeat.
As if boasting of this, the victor was dragging him by the scruff of the neck. I quickly realized the boy’s identity.
A name escaped my lips like a groan.
"Old Man Pope..."
With thumping footsteps, he passed by my side.
Even then, I couldn't move, as if frozen. The man who appeared out of nowhere threw Old Man Pope without hesitation.
With a thud, Old Man Pope was piled on top of the elves gathered in the center.
"Old Man Pope!"
A commotion broke out among the elves.
Since Old Man Pope, the pillar of the village, had fallen, they were suddenly struck with terror.
The man stood with his back to that scene.
His attitude was as if the wailing elves were an orchestra performing a symphony. He wore a proud smile and spread his arms wide.
His blood-stained mouth curved into a fierce arc.
Just as it always had.
"Young Master, were you perhaps here? Hahaha! You've worked hard mingling with these low-born elves all this time."
"He has nothing to do with this!"
It was a shout from Luguet, like a desperate struggle.
The man’s eyes glanced back. Even while his hands and feet were bound, Luguet defended me, the veins in his neck bulging.
"That man lost his memory! He didn't betray you humans! So don't touch him!"
"Hmm," the man fell silent for a moment.
Stroking his chin, he gave a slight nod to one of the soldiers. At that, the soldier began to run hurriedly toward somewhere.
The man placed a hand on his forehead.
"Good heavens... The list of things to report has grown. To think, amnesia."
Immediately after.
Smack! A clear striking sound echoed out.
It happened in an instant. The man’s kick struck Luguet’s temple directly, and Luguet collapsed unconscious without even being able to scream.
Watching that, I had no choice but to cry out the man’s name.
"Sir Alex, stop!"
At those words, the man’s eyes slowly moved as if surprised.
He was an old knight with a sturdy build.
His hair had long since turned pure white, but his razor-sharp aura remained the same.
Before long, he let out a short, hollow laugh.
"That uselessly soft side of yours is still the same, Young Master."
The Silence of Marquis Yurdina, and a loyal retainer said to have served the family for generations.
He was the culprit who burned the elf village.