Chapter 85. Interference (2)
Why did Gluttony attack Count Dabirk and leave the traces behind? If it had wanted to, it could have erased every drop of blood.
But they did not.
The reason was simple, once thought through. It was clear enough from Gluttony's past deeds.
Kidnapping people, and creating red fragments with their life force.
The same applied here, it must have intended to use the forces sent to subjugate Red Hat as material. That was why it had stunned them rather than killed them.
Unlike ordinary citizens, trained humans held more life force to extract. Considering that the creature had already been moving boldly of late, this explanation was more than plausible.
'So Gluttony must be hiding here as well.'
That was why Verden had come in person.
Since he had decided to deal with Gluttony, he had no intention of letting it roam free. Left unchecked, it would one day end up blocking Verden's path.
Gluttony had interfered with Verden in just such a manner before, so he was convinced it would continue to do so.
Thus, after four hours following the Central Knight Order, he reached the site.
Looking around, knights and soldiers guarded the area without a gap. To approach carelessly would mean discovery in short order.
Thanks to the Ring of Rune his senses were enhanced, but not to the degree of overhearing conversation from this distance.
And since mages were present there as well, rashly casting magic was out of the question.
'That means I must approach directly.'
Verden activated the magic embedded in the Robe of the Wanderer.
Invisibility was an enchantment of the fifth tier.
Unlike the basic spell
Using invisibility, Verden slowly lowered his altitude.
Even after entering the perimeter, no one noticed him.
Silently, Verden headed toward the Central Knight Order.
***
The officer in charge rushed forward at the sight of the Central Knight Order.
He immediately saluted Rupel, bowing low.
"We have been waiting! Please, this way."
The officer guided them to the scene.
Before long, a blood-soaked land appeared, a stench of gore stabbing the nose. Even though it had rained two days prior, the traces remained this thick.
They soon reached the heart of the site.
A massive cloth covered something.
"The state was so gruesome we had to cover the bodies."
"Show us."
At Rupel's order, the officer gestured heavily.
Soldiers gripped the corners of the cloth and pulled it back.
The shattered remains of knights' corpses. Torn apart by immense force, the cross-sections were jagged, hardly any retaining a proper form.
"This is insane..."
"Ugh!"
The gruesome sight made some soldiers gag and turn away. The Central Knight Order, however, betrayed not the slightest reaction as they examined the scene.
Dukel clicked his tongue.
"Doesn't look like the work of humans. What do you think, Rupel?"
"Not yet certain."
Rupel turned to the officer.
"For the number of corpses, there are not enough heads. And Count Dabirk's body is absent."
"T-that… the heads, we cannot say. We gathered the bodies nearby and brought them together here. And as for His Excellency's remains, only that is left."
The officer pointed to a severed wrist lying among the corpses.
Thick, callus-free hand. The torn garment was bloodied, but the fabric was clearly of fine make.
It matched Count Dabirk's attire when he had departed from the royal castle.
"You never found the rest of his body?"
"That is correct. And furthermore, one body is missing. A man named Luke, one of the tournament's participants, once a former Academy professor, specialized in mental magic."
Rupel narrowed his eyes, nodding silently.
After examining the corpses for a time, he gave orders to Harold, the mage of the Central Knight Order.
"Harold, the 'Shadow of the Reverse.'"
"Yes, Sir Rupel."
Harold drew an old lamp from his spatial bag.
The principality's treasured artifact, Shadow of the Reverse.
Its light revealed traces from up to a month past. As the white flame bathed the ground, countless signs long since washed away by rain emerged once more.
The officer gasped.
"This is..."
Distorted, massive footprints marked the ground.
Not human in the least, stamped here in multitude.
Though the sizes varied, the shapes were alike, suggesting a group. Dukel studied them closely, then spoke.
"Torn corpses, missing heads, and these tracks..."
"They're Red Hat's traces."
The so-called head collector, Red Hat.
It fed solely on the heads of living beings. Strong enough to tear apart dozens of soldiers with ease.
And thanks to its grotesque appearance, the faint of heart were often seized with terror, unable even to respond properly.
The officer tilted his head.
"Red Hat… I do not know the name."
"A cunning monster. It digs traps like a human, some individuals even manipulate minds. By any measure, an abnormal species dangerous to mankind."
"I-I see. But if these signs match what you saw before, does that not mean the culprit is already clear?"
"Perhaps, but we cannot be certain. Red Hat has been sighted in the principality only twice before. And more decisively, they never form groups."
Abnormal species.
To assume identity based only on similar traces was folly. Some possessed abilities beyond reason.
One must never jump to conclusions.
"If Red Hat is indeed the cause, we must pursue at once. To slaughter the Count's knights means this one is far stronger than the Red Hat I faced. Delay could bring needless sacrifice."
The reasoning was sound.
Beside him, Dukel nodded firmly. As vice-captain, he personally commanded the soldiers, preparing the pursuit.
Verden had watched everything unfold.
'A lamp that reveals lost traces. Such an artifact exists?'
Thanks to it, he gained clues without lifting a finger.
Verden pulled out the compass of the Black Hour.
Though still unsteady, its needle moved differently than before. Noticeably slower. Perhaps meaning Gluttony was among them.
Just then, as Verden took a few steps toward the Central Knight Order, Rupel turned his head toward him.
"Hmm? What is it, Rupel?"
"No, I felt something strange… perhaps I was being too sensitive."
Rupel turned back again.
Verden, frozen mid-step, let out a silent breath of relief.
'So this is why he is the commander of the Central Knight Order.'
He had no choice but to maintain distance.
Stowing the compass, Verden resumed the pursuit.
***
Harold held the Shadow of the Reverse.
On horseback, they followed the abnormal tracks into the forest. Yet soon they had to halt.
The tracks split in four directions.
They could not all go together, for that risked losing the quarry.
Rupel made his decision.
"We will divide our forces."
Knights and soldiers conscripted from the city were split into four squads, each accompanied by two knights of the Central Knight Order. Even without the Shadow of the Reverse, their skill would suffice to trace the signs.
Moreover, the 3rd Central Knight Order was an elite chosen through special training and education. Their combat ability lacked nothing.
The 3rd Central Knight Order numbered eight in total.
They paired off into groups of two.
Rupel looked over everyone.
"You all have signal flares, don't you?"
"Yes, of course."
Green flares, when the mission was accomplished.
Orange flares, when engaged in combat or pursuit.
Yellow flares, when reinforcements were needed.
Red flares, in case of dire emergency.
Rupel explained the system of signal flares to the soldiers and knights from the city.
It was to prepare for the event that a Central Knight Order member died or was gravely injured. Of course, should that happen, annihilation was already likely, but one could never know.
At Rupel's command, the squads dispersed.
Verden watched them splitting into four directions.
'Which one should I follow?'
In truth, whichever he chose, it hardly mattered.
Gluttony would not move to target only one of them.
'Still, it would be good to know their positions.'
That way, he could react more quickly.
Verden stealthily approached the first squad.
There, he fused a tracking magic circle and a concealment magic circle, inscribing it onto the soldier at the rear.
Next, the second squad.
Since the commander Rupel was with them, the risk of attempting anything was too high. He had no choice but to skip it.
Lastly, the third and fourth squads.
Each of those had a mage, making the use of magic circles difficult. Even if successful, it would soon be discovered.
'...That leaves that side.'
Dukel.
The son of Marquis Ravishrun, whom he had met at the agent's banquet.
If he had to pick between them, it was more reasonable to follow the vice-captain, who held the higher rank.
The invisibility still had plenty of duration.
Verden trailed after the third squad from above the trees.
***
Leading the way while examining tracks, Dukel noticed the young knight beside him stealing glances at him.
"Something the matter?"
"N-no, it's just… forgive me."
"It's fine, speak."
Prompted, the young knight reluctantly opened his mouth.
"Well, the enemy annihilated Count Dabirk's knights, they're monsters, and yet we're dividing our strength like this… I wondered if that was wise."
"Oh, that's all? Don't worry. We didn't prepare signal flares for nothing. And if danger comes, our commander will come save us. For all his looks, he's one of the ten strongest in the principality."
"What?"
The knight's eyes widened.
Not even thirty years of age, and already that powerful. Even being the son of the famed marquis' house, it was hard to believe.
"As a child, he was sickly, always bedridden. But when he miraculously recovered, he showed his true colors. A real monster. I trained myself well, sparred with him many times, but I couldn't even win a contest of strength against him."
"So… that must be what they call a genius?"
"A genius, indeed. And as you saw, he never speaks arrogantly, and he always helps those in need. Isn't that so, Merck?"
"Yes."
Merck.
He was a man who had become a knight thanks to Rupel's patronage. There were many like him who had received Rupel's help.
"That's why, myself included, many knights respect Rupel. Of course, because of that, as his friend I'm always compared to him."
Dukel laughed heartily.
Yet he felt no jealousy. Rather, he seemed proud of his friend. That was Dukel.
At that moment, something caught his eye.
High up on a tree, a blunt mark had been left.
"Red Hat's trace. We've entered its territory."
At Dukel's gesture, everyone drew their weapons.
The enemy was a monster that had annihilated the Count's knights. Fearsome, but that was all. The Central Knight Order was here.
Before long.
They found many corpses of demi-humans and beasts, headless.
***
Dukel and another examiner.
While knights and soldiers kept watch and examined the corpses. Judging by the signs, they had been attacked after the rain two days ago.
'Which means, they could still be nearby.'
Yet when the tracks seemed to end there, Dukel clicked his tongue.
Even Dukel could do nothing without clues. And if this was indeed Red Hat's territory, care was necessary, for they could just as well be ambushed.
"…?"
Just then, Verden sensed a presence.
So faint he might have missed it had he not sharpened his senses. It was not human.
Tilting his eyes to the side, he saw something crimson in the forest, watching Dukel's party.
'Is that Red Hat?'
A face without features, a lump of flesh. Skin peeled away, muscles twisted together. Its form marked it undeniably as an abnormal species.
It seemed not to notice Verden cloaked in invisibility.
Red Hat stared for a while, then slipped into the shadows.
Verden looked at Dukel.
He seemed not to have noticed Red Hat, instead gathering parts of corpses and rallying his men. Night was falling, so they seemed intent on returning to the rendezvous point.
'Should I chase Red Hat?'
The invisibility would soon wear off.
Catching the trail and yet waiting idly for things to happen, that was not Verden's way.
Just as he turned to change course.
──────Boom!
A red flare burst in the sky.
"Red…?"
Sensing something had happened, Dukel rushed toward the source of the signal.
And he was struck by the sight before him.
Soldiers sprawled everywhere.
The ground awash with blood, yet most still barely breathing. Knights, too, unconscious and groaning.
With them had been Harold and Jeron of the Central Knight Order. Harold lay staring dead-eyed at the sky, already gone. Jeron, drenched in blood, wheezed raggedly.
And one Red Hat was about to kill Jeron.
"How dare you!"
Dukel seized a spear lying on the ground and hurled it with all his might.
The blow tore off Red Hat's shoulder, and in a flash Dukel was upon it, seizing its neck and slamming it to the ground.
He drew his sword and brought it down.
Crack!
Red Hat's head was severed.
Confirming its death, Dukel rushed to Jeron.
"Are you alright, Jeron?!"
"Du, Dukel… sir…!"
"Never mind, drink a potion first."
Dukel opened the examiner's bag, its strap severed.
The bottles of potion inside had shattered from impact. Without hesitation, Dukel took out his own finest potion and gave it to Jeron.
Color returned to Jeron's face, his breathing steadying.
Jeron weakly raised his hand, pointing.
"Sir Dukel… over there, a strange Red Hat…!"
"What?"
Dukel and the others turned their eyes where he pointed.
And they saw it.
A dark-crimson figure, standing in the shadows, staring straight at them.
"What in the world…"
And at that moment.
Thunk.
A hidden blade pierced Dukel's side.