Chapter 33
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Kuncan’s Gift
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#
“The flow of mana is quite strange here.”
Roberta surveyed their surroundings from atop her slowly walking horse.
Since leaving Meyer County, Ulrich’s party had passed through four different territories. Now, they were crossing an unnamed swamp. A thick fog obscured their vision.
She wrinkled her nose at the swamp’s musty odor and narrowed her eyes to see more clearly. Everything was gray. The hazy fog, the gray trees, and the surface of the water reflecting them both blended together, blanketing the world in gray.
Some said gray was the color of the underworld. Roberta now found herself agreeing. This gray swamp they were traversing was steeped in death. A swamp should be filled with stagnant water and teeming with floating plants, but this one was not.
The water was so shallow it barely concealed the swamp floor, revealing bleached bones buried in the dark soil. Countless skeletons, clad in rusted armor, were scattered among the crooked, leafless trees.
“The fighting was too fierce.”
It was a scar left by the Osnover civil war, Ulrich had said. Even with the fog, she could sense the swamp's vastness, and everywhere she looked, skeletons lay strewn about.
“As you know, humans who have received the Infant Sacrament carry mana within their bodies. And even when life ends, some of that mana is bound to remain in the corpse.”
A large number of corpses also meant a large amount of mana.
“Even so, this is excessive. Mana only lingers in a corpse for a short time, and it’s extremely rare for it to remain in a skeleton, isn’t it? The will that held the sacrament is gone, so there’s nothing to anchor the mana.”
Thus, when a life ended, the mana held within the body was supposed to disperse into the atmosphere. While it sometimes failed to do so and pooled for long periods, such cases were rare.
Roberta observed the flow of mana. It was thick, tangled in the damp, sticky air. It felt stagnant and suffocating, like being in a room with all the doors and windows shut on a hot summer day.
“Normally, yes. But there are exceptions.”
“A Mana Zone… you mean?”
A Mana Zone.
A term for a place where the amount and flow of mana were abnormal.
“It doesn’t seem to be at that level yet, but it will need to be managed.”
“It’s quite a problem that places like this still exist even after the civil war has ended.”
“It can’t be helped. They must have a mountain of other issues to deal with.”
*Well, I suppose so,* Roberta sighed to herself.
Typically, when a conflict arose between secular lords, the one who claimed the land bore the responsibility. They were supposed to take immediate action to prevent the dead from rising and to stop the spread of disease.
If the lord was unable, the local diocese was expected to step in. Otherwise, the people living on that land would be the ones to suffer.
“The war isn’t over just because a new dynasty has taken the throne. The vast majority of Osnover’s secular lords are novices. People who were never nobles to begin with, or whose claims to nobility were laughable—those are the ones who have suddenly been elevated to the rank of lord.”
Not only was each individual lord incompetent, but the administration itself had collapsed during the long civil war. Most lords likely didn’t even know how many people lived in their domain or the extent of their lands, Ulrich explained.
*And in this situation, they’re confronting the Pantheon.*
There were probably many lands like this across Osnover, neglected and showing signs of turning into Mana Zones. She let out a sigh. The Pantheon couldn’t possibly be ignorant of the situation, yet they had recalled their priests.
*The damage might not be visible now, but it will grow with each passing year. Once a Mana Zone forms, it affects the surrounding environment as well.*
How many people would suffer because of it? And who would bear the brunt of that suffering? The thought filled her with sorrow.
“……?”
Suddenly, she turned her head to the right.
A dark shape was faintly visible beyond the fog. It was the shape of a person. Though it was only a silhouette, she felt its gaze fixed on her.
A person?
That couldn't be. This place was deserted. In the last town they had passed through, a merchant had warned her when she mentioned her route. He said it was an ominous place that no one dared set foot in.
The moment she reined in her horse, the figure vanished.
It dissipated into the mist as if it had been a mirage, erasing its form.
#
The three of them left the swamp behind, but not the fog. It had also settled over the village beyond the wetlands, having drifted over from the nearby swamp.
“What brings you here?”
A young man emerged from the fog and blocked their path.
“Greetings, brother.”
Roberta came forward and greeted him.
“Night is approaching, and we seek a place to rest until morning. Would you be so kind as to welcome us as guests?”
She conjured the priest’s seal on the palm of her bare hand. The young man’s eyes widened. It wasn’t because he saw the seal. He had looked startled the moment he saw her, dressed in her priest’s vestments, emerge from the fog.
“Ah… you’re a priest.”
The young man wiped the surprise from his face and bowed his head cautiously.
“I apologize, but, uh, there’s… no place to host guests here, Priestess.”
Roberta smiled and waved her hand dismissively.
“I know we’re imposing. We would be grateful for any place at all, just to get through the night. Is there perhaps a place with at least a roof over it?”
His reply was slow. He hesitated for a long time.
“Well…”
“Is it not possible?”
The young man faltered, like someone who wanted to refuse but couldn't.
“If you insist… please wait just a moment.”
The young man hurried off into the village.
“It seems like he was wary of you, Priestess,” Fritz remarked, watching the young man’s retreating back.
“Yes. It does seem that way. I don’t know why, though.”
“Could it have something to do with the rumors?”
*Perhaps,* Roberta murmured, lost in thought.
*The rumors… they said many strange things happen here.*
The merchant in the previous town who had warned them about the swamp and the village beyond had also added this:
“A great plague swept through that area. They also say the dead from the civil war have risen. More recently, there have been stories of monsters, and many people have gone missing. You must be careful.”
At the time, she had handed Fritz a purple plum and hummed thoughtfully. When so many different rumors attached themselves to a place, they were usually just tall tales. The truth was often unclear, causing one rumor to breed another until the story became a grotesque caricature of itself.
Of course, even baseless rumors had an origin. Whether born of a misunderstanding or malice, no rumor was without a source. There might even be a speck of truth to it. It was just that, in her experience, she had very rarely seen any real truth in them.
*Well, for now, it’s just a little suspicious.*
Fritz then turned to Ulrich.
“Ul… I mean, Lord Armin, what do you think?”
He had almost called him Ulrich by mistake but corrected himself. Shortly after they left Meyer County, Ulrich had instructed the party to use his alias whenever possible.
When it was just the three of them, they could speak freely, but in the presence of others, he was Armin, the adopted son and knight of the Duke of Dithmarschen. Fritz was Armin’s squire, and Roberta remained a priestess.
“……”
Instead of answering, Ulrich stroked his chin.
Before long, the young man who had been on watch returned with a middle-aged man.
“My apologies for the wait, Priestess.”
He introduced himself as Tapio.
“It took some time to prepare a place for you.”
Tapio led the three of them to a hut on the edge of the village. It seemed someone had been living in it until just a moment ago. A fire was still burning in the hearth, and a pot of soup was simmering over it, as if the owner had left in a hurry.
“This is the only place we could arrange.”
He bowed repeatedly, adding that he didn't know if it would be to their liking.
“Not at all. I am the one who has imposed on you.”
Roberta took a few silver coins from her pouch and handed them to Tapio.
“I don’t know if this will be enough compensation, but please take it.”
“Th-thank you.”
He clutched the silver coins and glanced at her sideways.
“Are you perhaps planning to stay for a few days…?”
“We’ll just spend the night and leave tomorrow morning.”
“Ah! Is that so!”
Tapio broke into a wide smile.
“Then… if you have any problems, please call for me personally, Priestess.”
Fritz watched him walk away through the window and commented.
“He didn’t seem too pleased, even after receiving the silver, did he?”
“No. He just kept watching me. He didn’t seem to have the luxury of caring about the silver.”
“It looks like they’re hiding something. I just don’t know what.”
*Indeed,* Roberta replied, her mind racing.
*Why are they so wary?*
No particular reason came to mind. She had heard the nasty rumors, but they offered no reason to be wary of a priest or to hide something from one. On the contrary, they should have welcomed a priest’s visit.
Even if there were no incidents, it was almost unheard of for people to show hostility toward a priest. Though the Pantheon’s authority had waned, priests were still the bridge connecting the heavens and humanity.
The two of them continued to share their suspicions—how the village seemed to have too few people for its size, how the swamp’s influence couldn’t be good—but they made no progress.
“What do you think, Lord Ulrich?”
Fritz asked Ulrich.
“It seems we’ll need to investigate.”
“So you’re suspicious too, then?”
Ulrich didn’t answer. He remained silent, seemingly lost in thought, while Fritz went to the still-burning hearth to prepare dinner.
Roberta quietly studied Ulrich’s expression. *What is he thinking?* He hadn’t ignored the boy’s question. He was likely just delaying his answer because it wasn’t yet clear.
*The fact that he hasn’t acted immediately suggests it’s not something critical.*
A question tinged with unease swirled in her mind. But there was nothing she could do right now. Poking around the village would only heighten their vigilance. Besides, if it were a problem that could be solved by asking, it wouldn’t be a problem in the first place.
After their meal and until they went to bed, she waited for his answer, but eventually, she closed her eyes.
#
Then, she suddenly opened them.
It was the dead of night, the darkness illuminated only by the moonlight filtering through the window. Roberta had been lying in the pitch-black hut but had woken for no reason. She should have been in a deep sleep, yet she was wide awake as if she had never slept at all.
She lay in her sleeping bag, blinking her eyes. She hadn't had a nightmare, but sleep had completely abandoned her. They had to leave the village early in the morning, so she shifted in an attempt to fall back asleep. But sleep would not return.
*Is it just an uncomfortable bed?*
Suppressing a sigh, she slowly sat up. Perhaps a drink of water would help her settle back down.
“……?”
But something was strange.
There were only two people in the hut. Roberta and Fritz, just the two of them. The other person, Ulrich, was gone. She blinked in the darkness.
The spot where Ulrich had been lying showed only the impression of someone having been there. A short distance away, Fritz was sleeping soundly. Neither she nor the boy had noticed his departure.
*Did he step out for a moment?*
She felt a sense of bewilderment. Nothing like this had happened since they left Dithmarschen. Where would he go alone in the middle of the night? No, why would he sneak out, leaving her and the boy behind? Did he go out for some air? He was a man who didn't sleep much, so it was possible.
“Fritz, wake up.”
Roberta shook Fritz’s shoulder. The boy, forcibly roused from a deep slumber, could barely open his eyes as he looked at her with a silent “What is it?”
Instead of answering, she took his head and turned it toward where Ulrich’s sleeping bag lay.
“Huh…? Where did he go?”
“I don’t know. He was gone when I woke up.”
It was obvious no one could have taken him. He had likely gone out on his own to confirm something. If so, what was it that he needed to confirm in secret?
The two of them geared up and left the hut. The night was dark, but the fog had lifted somewhat, allowing the faint moonlight to light their way.
Roberta spotted an orange glow seeping out of a long house. Signaling Fritz to follow quietly, she headed toward it.
The building was a single story and quite long horizontally, with three windows. One of them was slightly ajar, letting the light escape, so Roberta peered through the crack to look inside.
“I know you’re mostly active at night, but not today.”
It was Tapio, the man who had led them to the hut.
“It can’t be helped. It would be a disaster if we were discovered.”
“Still, they said they’re leaving tomorrow morning, right?”
A man and a woman stood beside him. Roberta saw numerous long shadows stretching out around them. A quick count revealed more than a dozen.
*Why are they gathered at this hour?*
Villagers, gathered in the middle of the night?
She opened the window a little wider to see the others.
And then, the owners of the shadows were revealed.
“That’s—”
Fritz inadvertently started to speak. Roberta quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. Even without hearing the word Fritz had failed to utter, she knew what it was.
Monsters.
That’s what Fritz would have called them.
Everyone in the house, aside from the three humans, had a different form. It wasn't just a matter of having different appearances. Though they had human features, it was difficult to call them human.
One had the upper body of a human and the lower body of a snake. Another had a human body below the neck but the head of a bull. Another had wings instead of two arms. And another creature had no human features at all.
*So this is why they were so wary of me.*
Roberta frowned. She examined them one by one, but they didn't match any species she knew. They were not creations of the gods from their time in the heavens.
Why did they have such forms? The swamp came to mind. Could that pit, where countless lives had perished and the flow of mana had become twisted, have created this group of misshapen beings?
It was only natural that Fritz would consider them monsters. And it was just as natural that they would be wary of a priest’s visit.
*What should I do?*
After listening to their conversation for a while, she pulled Fritz back. She couldn’t just ignore this. She had heard the rumors—of monsters appearing and people going missing.
She placed a hand on her hip. To confirm the truth of the rumors and uncover their true nature, she prepared to charge in.
It was then that Ulrich appeared. The man who had left the hut without her or the boy noticing had walked into the house. He stood before the group, their eyes wide with shock.