The Villa of Taxidermy
The front garden of the villa was packed with taxidermied people.
Taxidermied figures dressed in splendid suits and gowns stood guard in grotesque poses, frozen mid-gesture.
Erzebet and I stepped down from the carriage and approached the figures carefully, keeping our guard up.
As before, I moved first, and without needing any explanation, Erzebet watched our surroundings and covered my back.
Having confirmed the basic rules with a paper doll as I'd done before, I soon turned my full attention to the taxidermied nobles.
"From the looks of them, these are the aristocrats who attended the party."
"All of this many of them... were people?"
"Yes. Most of them were probably caught in the early stages of the anomaly. They likely didn't realize an anomaly had manifested and rushed to leave the villa, only to be turned like autumn leaves."
"Then were they also killed by the beasts of the forest?"
"No. Unlike the victims we encountered earlier, these have no wounds and weren't in a combat stance. This isn't the result of an attack."
Hearing my words, Erzebet drew a little closer and examined the figures herself. She studied them intently, stroking her chin, then nodded.
"Indeed, they seem to have simply tried to leave the villa rather than fight. And judging by how many were caught with their carriages, they were on their way home."
"It's regrettable that so many had to die, but thanks to them, we've nailed down one rule for certain."
"Already?"
"Yes. The moment anyone inside the villa tries to step outside, they get turned into a taxidermy piece. In other words, once we go in, there's no leaving until the anomaly is subdued."
Failure meant death, and escape was not permitted.
It was a common occurrence in this line of work, but it would be a cruel arrangement for Erzebet. After all, few people willingly take on a suicide mission they can't run from, no matter how great a Grand Master they are.
"You can stay out here—I'll go in alone. Someone needs to guard the carriage."
"No. I appreciate the consideration, but I cannot do that. Protecting you to the very end is my mission."
"Are you serious?"
"Of course. Just as I have until now, I will follow only your orders, so please don't worry."
Erzebet showed no intention whatsoever of waiting behind. If anything, she seemed eager for me to enter the mansion already.
Was it the nerve of a Grand Master? Or her loyalty to Henrietta?
Either way, having such a capable supporter along was a good thing for me. Though if anything happened to Erzebet, I suspected the guilt would be crushing.
"Fine then, Sir Knight. In exchange, I'll go in first. If there's no problem, I'll signal you, so wait here a moment."
"Understood."
I sent a paper doll into the garden first and confirmed there were no issues. Only then did I carefully step over the open front gate and go inside.
Passing the taxidermied nobles, I finally crossed into the building itself. Seeing nothing wrong with my body, I waved to Erzebet.
At my wave, she too cautiously entered and came to my side.
"Fortunately, merely entering poses no problem."
"Indeed. More importantly, it sounds like people are gathered deeper inside."
As we approached the ornately decorated double doors, we heard voices and the murmur of a crowd beyond. We exchanged a nod, and while I opened the door, Erzebet drew her morningstar and braced for an ambush.
Fortunately, what greeted us was not a monstrous anomaly intent on killing us, but a crowd of nobles gathered in the main hall with haggard faces.
"P-people...?"
"Which family sent them this time?"
"What does it matter which family they came from...? Those people are trapped just like us now anyway..."
Most of the nobles cast us glances mixed with familiarity and resignation. Evidently, more than a few rescue attempts had failed before ours.
One noble, however, took one look at Erzebet and me, twisted his face into an expression of pure arrogance, and strode right up to us.
"I say! What exactly have you people been doing out there?!"
"I beg your pardon?"
"It's been ten days since I was trapped in here!! Does anyone outside even know I exist?! What in the world are the Imperial forces doing?!"
Who is this gentleman, and why is he taking his frustrations out on complete strangers?
This man, along with all the other nobles, apparently assumed I was either an employee of some aristocratic house or an agent sent by the state. It seemed I needed to adopt a more professional stance here.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding. I am not with the Imperial forces—I am a monster hunter. I've come to subdue the anomaly that manifested here."
"A monster hunter?"
"You were not trapped here by dark magic or a curse. An anomaly occurred, and its rules have taken hold. Which means, from this point on, you will need to follow the instructions of a professional—namely, me."
I raised my voice so that everyone gathered in the main hall could hear me. And naturally, starting with the gentleman who had vented at me, complaints began erupting from every direction.
"Ha! Follow your orders? Since when does some glorified hunter give commands to nobility?!"
"What even is an 'anomaly'? Wasn't this some dark wizard's act of terror?"
"Spare us the nonsense and just contact the Imperial forces or the Ministry of Magic!"
My mentor's old saying came back to me all over again. The true enemy of a monster hunter is not the monsters, but the ignorance of the public. Every time I run into people like this, those words resonate more than ever.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I understand that you find me untrustworthy. But I am a professional who has resolved nothing but situations like this. The person who sent me was none other than the young lady of House Cloychelk. So if you would first hear me out—"
"Not even the Marquis of Cloychelk himself, but some lady of the marquis's house hired you?"
"Do I look like I'm playing children's games?! We've been trapped in here for ten days!"
Ugh, seriously.
Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that Henrietta hired me. From the nobles' perspective, a professional hired by a young lady who'd only just come of age—marquis's daughter or not—apparently didn't inspire much confidence.
After all, daughters of noble houses had something of a reputation for chasing romance over practicality. Most of these people probably believed Henrietta had read some romance novel, been moved to tears, and dispatched me on a whim.
"Sir Lehin, would it be acceptable for me to step in here?"
"You, Sir Knight?"
When I faltered, Erzebet, who had been waiting quietly behind me, came to my side. I brightened at once.
"Of course. Please, say a few good words about me."
"Leave it to me."
With a single nod, Erzebet stepped forward. The moment her face became clearly visible, murmurs rippled through every corner of the main hall.
"Wait—that person..."
"C-could it be Sir Erzebet Weiss?"
"Good heavens, why would a Grand Master be in a place like this...!"
Sure enough, every last noble recognized Erzebet and erupted in astonishment. Having seized the room's attention in an instant, she spoke in a voice that was calm yet resonant with authority.
"We have come here on the orders of Lady Henrietta Cloychelk, to save all of you as well as the Marquis of Lanancia."
"The lady of House Cloychelk sent you?"
"Yes. And the man standing beside me is a proven professional who has resolved crises of this nature countless times. I assure you, he will see every one of you safely home."
At the touch of Erzebet's hand pointing toward me, the nobles' gazes changed beyond recognition. The very aristocrats who had been calling me a glorified hunter moments ago now began searching my face for the thinnest thread of hope.
The substance of what was said barely differed at all, and yet the reactions were this different. Reputation really does make the person, I suppose.
It stung a little—I was among the top ten in this field, you know.
"If you wish to return home safely, you must cooperate with me actively. From this point on, please answer my questions precisely."
I spoke to the nobles, standing at Erzebet's side. They adopted a far more attentive posture than before, and I put my questions to them one by one.
"First, I need to establish when this situation began and where it originated. Does anyone here know?"
"I—I know! It was ten days ago, around ten in the morning!"
The one who answered was an elderly gentleman gone visibly pale.
"Could you tell me the details?"
"I had a brief errand before leaving the manor, so I went to the banquet hall looking for the maids. But they had been clearing the hall, and there they stood—frozen solid, mid-motion."
"The maids, you say?"
"That's right! And then came the screaming from outside! The screams of people trying to leave the estate! When I went to look, they were frozen just like the maids!"
By the circumstances, the first to be taxidermied must have been the maids clearing the banquet hall.
I nodded to the old gentleman. "Thank you for your answer, my lord. We'll investigate the banquet hall first. Before we go—does anyone know where the Marquis of Lanancia might be?"
"He was here until this afternoon. No one has seen him since dinner, but perhaps he's somewhere near the banquet hall?"
"The Marquis is at the banquet hall?"
"Yes. For some reason, he's been wandering back and forth around that area."
"Understood. If he returns here, please let him know that Sir Erzebet and I have arrived. Sir Knight, let's head to the banquet hall first."
Leaving the nobles gathered in the main hall behind, I asked them for directions and made my way to the banquet hall.
As we walked down the ornate corridor, Erzebet spoke up, her voice tinged with worry.
"They all seem terribly worn down... Their health didn't look good, either."
"That would be the dread of not knowing when they might be turned into taxidermy. It's a marquis's villa, so food and supplies should be plentiful—there's no need for them to panic just yet."
Along the corridor, we could see a few servants carrying items or chatting with one another. Dozens of nobles were trapped here, yet the villa was still, at least in part, running normally. Reassured by that, I arrived at the banquet hall and looked for the maids who had been turned first.
"There they are. That must be them."
Peering inside through the open door without stepping in, I found the maids without difficulty. They had been taxidermied exactly as they stood, mid-motion, folding the tablecloth off a long table.
Like the people in the garden, they bore no visible wounds of any kind.
But this place was far from any exit, and those maids hadn't appeared to be trying to leave anywhere...
Then why on earth had they been turned?
That was when it happened.
Erzebet, her eyes fixed intently on something, murmured almost to herself.
"That's strange..."
"What is it, Sir Knight?"
"Ah—Sir Lehin. Forgive me, but... would you take a look over there?"