The Returned Expedition (2)
Two hours later, in the infirmary of Kelebor Castle.
"How is your body holding up?"
"Well enough that I can move on my own now. Thank you for your consideration."
Hagner bowed his head as he answered Bernus's question. Yet he still had not fully recovered his strength; his body trembled faintly.
"I'm sorry. We failed to rescue you all in time."
"It's all right. Everyone was prepared for the possibility…"
Hagner waved a hand as if to dismiss the matter, facing Bernus's heavy voice. For a moment, silence settled over the sickroom.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"Yes, my lord."
At Bernus's next question, Hagner nodded. He closed his eyes as though gathering his thoughts, drew a short breath, and steadied himself.
"The first few days went quite smoothly. We didn't run into any barbarians or monsters. The expedition's mood was decent enough. But…"
"But?"
"It was about a week after we began the survey. We had set up camp and were resting when the ground suddenly began to shake."
Hagner's body shuddered like a leaf in the wind as he spoke that far. Bernus drew out a waterskin and held it out to him. Hagner snatched it up in haste and gulped the water down in one go. Once he had calmed somewhat, he steadied his breathing and resumed his account.
"Before long, they came pouring out of the darkness."
"They?"
"A herd of Stone Horn Bison."
Stone Horn Bison. Enormous creatures that lived in the Twisted Land; the closest comparison would be a yak or a buffalo.
"You're saying the Stone Horn Bison charged you?"
"Yes."
Hagner nodded at Bernus, who asked as though he could scarcely believe it.
"Hah…"
At that answer, Bernus let out a hollow groan. It was only natural—while Stone Horn Bison were certainly dangerous beasts, they were fundamentally docile so long as one did not attack them first or approach too closely.
"I can hardly believe it… Why would they…"
"In any case, once day broke we returned to the camp. It was a complete wreck. When we checked, only about half of us were still alive."
"Go on."
"We buried the dead, and the survivors were discussing whether to continue the expedition or return to the count's territory. And then… their attack began."
As if the memory were one he would rather not revisit, Hagner closed his eyes and slowly regulated his breathing. Understanding the man's feelings, Bernus waited for him to speak again.
"The barbarians. Those damned bastards."
"…"
Hagner ground his teeth so hard that a grating sound escaped his lips.
"There were a sickening number of them—at least several hundred. Some of us tried to flee, others stood and fought… but in the end everyone was either killed or taken prisoner."
"I'm sorry."
"It's all right. As I said before, everyone must have been prepared to some degree."
Hagner offered a faint smile toward Bernus, who had spoken once more, and continued.
"I somehow managed to survive and was dragged off as a prisoner. Another four or five probably died along the way… but let's skip that part. At any rate, the place we arrived at was an enormous barbarian village. It looked as though at least tens of thousands lived there."
"Tens of thousands? Are you certain?"
Bernus tilted his head at the claim. The Twisted Land was a place of nothing but snow, ice, and rock. Farming was out of the question, and the absence of food meant no large village or city could ever form.
"I was surprised myself. I never imagined a settlement that large could exist. Anyway, they hauled us into the village. After walking a long while we reached the center, and there stood some bizarre statue."
"A bizarre statue?"
"I don't know how to describe it. An octopus? Tentacles? One thing was certain—it was an incredibly grotesque-looking statue."
"Hmm…"
Having never heard anything about the barbarians' religion, Bernus gave a short murmur.
"They brought us before the statue and started shouting something loudly. According to the scholar next to me, they were saying the word for 'sacrifice.'"
"And then? What happened next?"
"Th-that is…"
Hagner let out a short sigh. Cold sweat beaded on his exposed skin, and his body trembled far more violently than before. Bernus offered him the waterskin once more. After drinking, Hagner steadied his breath and lifted his head.
"They began cutting off the others' heads. They sprayed the blood from the severed necks in every direction, and the way they welcomed that blood… it was truly too horrific."
"It's all right. They can't touch you now."
Speaking to Hagner, who still trembled slightly as if not yet calm, Bernus patted the man's shoulder.
"One by one their heads were cut off, and when my turn came—suddenly everything around me went dead silent. I thought my ears had gone deaf."
A brief silence followed.
"And then, from among the barbarians, that one appeared."
"That one?"
"A figure wearing a black mask and wrapped in a robe. It… had the shape of a human, but it was absolutely not human."
"It looked human, yet was not human?"
At the riddle-like words, Bernus gave a low murmur.
"I can't explain it clearly myself, but that was the feeling I got."
"We'll set that aside for now. What happened after that?"
"That thing pointed at me and shouted something. At the same time they dragged me before it, and it pulled a strangely shaped dagger from its robes and did this to my eye."
The scar that marked his left eye, and the pupil that had turned a dull gray. Anyone could easily guess how immense the pain must have been.
"After that… I don't remember well. When I came to, I had been abandoned in the White Corridor."
"With basic treatment already administered?"
Hagner nodded at Bernus's question. Bernus regarded him for a moment, then rose from his seat with a final "You've done well" and headed out of the sickroom.
"What do you make of it?"
"Something's wrong. It doesn't make sense."
In the northern tower, upon Bernus's return from Hagner's sickroom, Milia narrowed her eyes as though she could not understand. Setting aside the Stone Horn Bison's attack on the expedition, she could not fathom why the barbarians would treat Hagner and send him back.
"What about you?"
"Perhaps a kind of warning? Something like 'Stay off our land'…"
At Milia's question, Schwarz, standing beside her, gave a low murmur. For the moment, he could think of no other reason.
"It's not entirely without possibility…"
"Or could it be some sort of trap?"
There existed types of magic that carved a mark upon a target and then activated. But—
"I considered that as well, yet the examinations turned up nothing unusual."
The mages of the count's house and the priests of the church had already inspected his condition, yet no particular anomaly had been found. It was a mystery, pure and simple—no other word came to mind.
"Haa… My head is starting to throb."
"Shall I pour you another cup of tea?"
"Yes, please."
With a soft trickle, tea filled Milia's cup. She savored the rising fragrance, then took a sip from the steaming cup.
"For now, all we can do is hope nothing comes of it."
"I suppose so."
In a situation with no clues at all, fretting would only waste time. Bernus nodded in agreement with Schwarz's words—when a soldier came down the stairs and knelt before him.
"My lord Count."
"What is it?"
Bernus turned toward the soldier and asked.
"Count Heinz requests your presence. He says he has something urgent to discuss…"
"Understood. I'll go at once."
At that, Bernus set down the teacup he had been drinking from, rose, and began to walk. Milia and Schwarz followed after him, their footsteps echoing through the tower.
A short while later, after climbing the stairs, the three arrived at the floor where Heinz was in the midst of a dissection. What greeted them was Heinz himself, covered in a black fluid that appeared to be the bodily fluids of the monstrous creature.
"I heard you were looking for me."
"You arrived sooner than I expected. You were downstairs, I take it?"
At Bernus's voice, Heinz turned and removed the goggles coated in black fluid. Sweat ran down his face at the same time. Watching him, Bernus asked in a calm voice,
"So. Have you discovered something?"
"Hoo…"
A sigh escaped Heinz's lips. As though sensing something, Bernus narrowed his eyes and regarded him.
"I could use a smoke. I quit after Philip was born, you know."
"…"
Faced with his friend's uncharacteristic manner, Bernus waited in silence for the next words. It was a consideration of sorts.
"Forgive me. Calling you here only to keep you waiting."
"Not at all. You must have your reasons for acting this way."
"Thank you."
Heinz gave a short, dry laugh as he looked at him, then let out another brief sigh before the dissected corpse of the monstrous creature and spoke while facing Bernus.
"To start with the conclusion—this… no, these things were human."