The Villa of Taxidermy
As I spoke, the paper doll approached the taxidermied figures, deliberately turning its body and prodding them with its hands.
Even so, the paper doll kept its original shape, and the taxidermied people didn't move at all.
Fortunately, it didn't seem to be the kind of anomaly whose rules triggered from such simple actions.
"You can come closer now."
"You've identified the conditions, then?"
"No, I've only confirmed a minimal safety line. I'll investigate in detail from here on, so could you keep watch?"
"Understood. I'll guard you, Lehin, so investigate with peace of mind."
Having relaxed a little, Erzebet drew out her morningstar and took her place at my side.
With my back entrusted to her, I examined the taxidermied figures closely, my heart treading as if across thin ice.
Judging by their appearance, they looked like petty thieves or village riffraff. No doubt they'd heard the Duchess was confined to her villa and come to scavenge whatever they could from the forest.
They carried weapons—swords or blunt instruments—and held postures that suggested they had been fighting something only moments before. Since their gazes lingered on empty air, their opponent was likely either enormous or capable of flight.
Then, as I studied the claw marks and wounds scattered across their bodies, I found a decisive clue on the ground: the corpse of a bird, its head severed.
The cut was clean—one of the men had apparently cleaved its head off with his sword.
From this, I was able to get a rough grasp of the anomaly.
"I've figured it out. It seems the condition for becoming taxidermy is being attacked by the birds of this forest."
"You mean anyone wounded by the birds is turned into a taxidermy figure?"
"Exactly. They're probably birds mutated by the anomaly. And as a result, they seem to retain the birds' characteristic traits. Would you like a look at this?"
When I pointed to one of the victims still holding a sword, Erzebet leaned in with a look brimming with curiosity, and I continued my explanation as I watched her.
"Look closely—this man with the sword alone bears noticeably fewer marks of attack."
"Why would that be?"
"None of these people are carrying lanterns or torches. They came during the day. With weather like we've been having, the sunlight would have been intense at midday, and this man would have thrown off reflected light with his blade. It's proof that these mutated birds dislike reflected light, just like ordinary birds."
"Ah...! Then if we use lanterns and reflective surfaces as well, we could handle the mutated birds with ease."
"Precisely. Before they come hunting us, we'll lure them in first and deal with them. Will you do as I instruct?"
"Yes. Leave anything to me."
To Erzebet, who nodded, I handed the lantern.
"From now on, I'll use a special tool to lure the birds in. When they swarm, protect me with the reflected light, Sir Knight. While they're held off, I'll perform the ritual."
"The ritual...?"
"Simply put, it's the process of making them something we can fight back against. If my ritual succeeds, you'll be able to deal with them easily too."
Unlike the Grateful Deer, this anomaly wouldn't trigger an instant-death mechanic the moment it was attacked.
If it did, every taxidermied figure here would have been petrified mid-attack. Every last one of them had been frozen in a defensive posture without exception, and the clear presence of a bird corpse that had been struck meant that attacking was permitted.
Which meant that as long as I granted the anomaly form, Erzebet could fight it too.
With that in mind, I drew out a gold-rimmed ticket. The next instant, a strangely shaped mask appeared in my hand in a burst of golden light—a mask covered in snow-white fur, resembling the face of some grotesque tiger.
I covered my face with the mask and gave a quiet command.
"Cry. In a voice like birds courting."
The mask, its mouth clamped shut, bared hideous teeth. The next moment, a cry utterly unlike its appearance began pouring from its jaws.
"Kweee, kweeeeee, kkek-kkek-kkek-kkek-kkek!"
A sound like a chorus of songbirds rang out loud through the dark forest.
Startled by the sudden noise, Erzebet's face flickered with surprise, but she soon raised her morningstar with a grave expression.
About a minute passed. Then, from far off, came the sound of many wings beating at once.
Before long, countless shadows fell over our heads, accompanied by a nauseating sound like metal grinding against metal.
"They're coming!"
"Yes!"
The instant she felt the birds stir, Erzebet turned the lantern's glow toward her own morningstar. The weapon radiated a bright light of its own, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day.
Soon the shapes of the incoming birds stood out clearly against the darkness.
"What in the world are those...?"
Erzebet muttered, her face drained of color.
As expected, every one of the birds was grotesque. Their bodies were no different from ordinary songbirds, but their heads had been replaced, each and every one, with the form of a blade—scalpels and taxidermy shears and all the other tools of the trade had taken the place of their heads. And their eyes were properly, horribly attached. It was truly nightmarish.
"It's working! Keep holding it steady!"
"...! Understood!"
Giving orders to Erzebet, I drew a long cut across my palm with the dagger. The blood welling from my hand floated up into the air and began to move on its own, like a living creature.
[Skreek-skreek-skreek-skreek!!]
The blade-headed birds let out shrill screams and wheeled around me in a frenzy. Erzebet's light kept them from drawing near, but they were poised to lunge the moment an opening appeared.
"Lehin! Is it not ready yet?!"
"Working on it! It'll take a little longer!"
Watching the birds, I thought about what name would suit them.
A trait that turns living creatures into taxidermy, and a form like birds fused with taxidermy tools. Judging by those facts alone, the name to give this anomaly was self-evident.
The birds that make taxidermy.
But just before I could speak the name, something unexpected happened. A tree beside us suddenly writhed and sent roots sprawling to blot out the lantern's light.
"...! Lehin!"
In the blink of an eye that the light was obscured, the birds shot toward me, now caught in its blind spot. Erzebet desperately swung her morningstar, and the birds that met it burst apart with a dull crunch.
"...!"
At that sight, I discarded my original name and immediately forged a new one.
"O being born unwanted, existing though it cannot exist, acting though it must not act!"
[Skreek-skreek-skreek-skreek-skreek!!]
The birds that had escaped the blow closed in to arm's length. Just before they could carve my body to ribbons, I hurriedly shouted the name.
"From this moment, your name is the Taxidermy-Making Forest! Taxidermy-Making Forest! Take form!"
The instant I spoke the name, my blood—shaped into written letters—seeped into the forest all around. Then liquids of every hue flooded the birds and the forest alike in vivid, brilliant color.
Just as I'd predicted.
Watching the birds take the blows, I realized the birds weren't the anomaly's core. It wasn't the birds—it was this entire region that was the anomaly.
The moment form was granted to the anomaly, I swung the dagger in my hand. Its blade stretched out long, mowing down in a single sweep the birds diving at me.
Slaaaash!!
[Skreek-skreek-skreek-skreek!!]
The birds that touched the jet-black blade were cut clean in two and dropped to the ground.
"Duck!"
"...?!"
Chaaang-g-g-g!!
With Erzebet's shout, the chain of her morningstar rang out. I dropped flat on reflex, and a moment later a dull impact sounded just above my head.
Looking closer, I saw the morningstar was detonating the birds that dove at me faster than the eye could follow.
"Good lord."
Wham! Whaam!! Wham-wham-wham!!
Erzebet's assault could only be described as artistry. Every time she swayed her body and swung the morningstar, silver flashes flickered and dozens of birds exploded midair.
A few birds tried to attack Erzebet herself, but they slammed into the chain coiling around her and were shredded on the spot.
Just as the one-sided slaughter was reaching its peak—
[KAGAGAGANG!!]
[Drrk, drrrk!!]
More beasts emerged from between the trees. Wolves and lynxes with saws and shears for heads appeared, taking up attacking stances.
"Sir Knight! The birds aren't the end of it! The anomaly isn't just the birds—it's this entire area!"
"Then what should we do?!"
"Everything for about a hundred meters ahead is probably within the anomaly's domain! So for now, let's fall back!"
"If that's all, it won't be difficult! Lehin—would it be acceptable if I blew the entire forest away?!"
"I'm sorry—Sir Knight, what on earth...?"
Erzebet seized the chain of her morningstar and spun it rapidly. Dazzling light erupted from the blunt head, swelling larger and larger.
Belatedly understanding what she intended, I could barely contain my horror.
"It's acceptable, but is that even possible?!"
"Yes! It's dangerous, so get back!"
"...!"
The moment I heard her words, I sprinted behind the carriage. Simultaneously, I stretched the dagger's blade out long, entwined the taxidermied figures, and dragged them toward me.
The instant my safety and theirs was secured, Erzebet swung the spinning weapon with all her might, and a colossal flash erupted.
FWHAAASH!
KWAAOOOOOOM!!
The flash became an explosion. The vast reserves of mana comprising her aura vented all at once and blasted the entire area away.
The tremendous shockwave pushed me and the carriage back several meters. It was a miracle the carriage didn't overturn.
When the shock had somewhat subsided, I poked my head out—and found myself unable to close my mouth.
"This insane..."
The silver explosion had precisely and utterly obliterated the color-stained forest—the anomaly-turned woods. Every tree had been reduced to ash, and an enormous crater gaped in the ground. Naturally, the blade-headed beasts caught in the blast had vanished without a trace.
"Is this sufficient?"
Seeing me crawl out from behind the carriage, Erzebet asked in a perfectly composed voice. To cause a natural disaster and then wear that attitude.
Using the secondary function of the Kinship Bond, I confirmed whether the anomaly had survived. The Kinship Bond ties the anomaly and me together as blood kin, allowing us to check on each other's life or death from the moment the connection forms.
Having confirmed that the Taxidermy-Making Forest had been completely annihilated, I answered with a sigh of relief.
"Yes... more than sufficient. The anomaly is completely gone. It seems it vanished along with its medium, the forest."
"Then can we save the Duchess as well?"
"I'm afraid not. What we just dealt with was probably a Stain."
"A Stain?"
Watching Erzebet tilt her head, I continued my explanation.
"Hunters often liken anomalies to ink. The stronger ones are called Spreadings, and when a Spreading occurs, stains tend to splatter out in its wake."
"Like how a heavy drop of ink splatters stains across the page—is that the principle?"
"Precisely."
"How did you know it was a Stain?"
"The villa where the Duchess is confined is quite far from here, and above all, the rule and the tragedy behind it were far too simple."
Still talking, Erzebet and I climbed back onto the carriage. Since she'd blown the road away, we'd have to detour in another direction, but it wouldn't take long.
Driving the carriage again, we soon arrived before the villa.
Seeing the villa's garden from a distance, I swallowed dryly. Erzebet, too, realized something had gone terribly wrong and spoke to me.
"Lehin, look over there..."
"I see it. It looks like the situation is quite serious."