Kakaros, like a large hound, sniffed ahead as he moved forward.
We followed him to the ramparts encircling the village. Sure enough, there was another enormous breach in the wall.
“A rat made this? It must have the strongest jaws ever….”
Even Gerard, seeing the hole for the first time, muttered in disbelief at its absurd size.
“That’s why I say they’re monsters. Even a bear couldn’t do this.”
Gerard, who had been trailing along without understanding, finally nodded as if it made sense.
“Kakaros, will we have to go far?”
Kyle asked as we stepped through the breach to the outside.
“I don’t think too far.”
But though he said it would be quick, we walked much farther than expected—enough to appreciate the breadth of Baron Kaindel’s estates.
“The soil is very fertile.”
Elonen remarked as we passed rich fields and paddies. Then Kakaros headed into the forest to the northeast.
This forest held a different air from those we’d passed through. I realized why when we came upon a swamp.
“The swamp seems poisonous. Stay on the ground I tread or it will be dangerous.”
Scanning the swamp with sharp eyes, Kakaros warned us—and his words snapped me to attention.
“Are swamps normally poisonous?”
Having lived where no swamps existed, I knew nothing of them. I asked Elonen, and he shook his head.
“Not usually. This isn’t natural poison, I suspect.”
His matter-of-fact reply only deepened my unease.
Earlier I’d seen Gerard selling an antidote potion; I seriously considered asking for a dose. But imagining his posturing if I asked made me shake my head.
“How far are we going? Rats carried food this far?”
Gerard, who had obediently followed, now grumbled, losing patience.
“The scent grows stronger. We’re close.”
Crouching, Kakaros began to sniff the ground. The rest of us, following his lead, sniffed too.
Then a foul stench caught in my nostrils and I covered my nose in reflex.
“Ugh, the smell.”
This odor, different from swamp stench, assaulted my senses so horribly I could barely breathe.
“I have a bad feeling. Rishian, stay at the back. You never know what’s ahead.”
Kyle blocked my path. I had no desire to lead, so I slipped to the rear.
We pressed on, noses pinched, until we stopped again.
“What is that?”
I heard Kyle murmur. From the back, I craned forward, but Elonen held me back.
“You’d best not look.”
“Why not?”
Told not to do something, I only wanted to peek more. I leaned over my companions’ shoulders—and froze.
“…What is that?”
Unbidden, I found myself echoing Kyle’s words.
Ahead, centuries-old trees stood skeletal. From a long branch hung a rope. Following the rope with my eyes, I saw a body dangling.
“Ugh!”
Now I knew the source of the stench. Nausea surged and I covered my mouth, stumbling backward.
“I told you not to look. Are you all right? You’ll feel better after you vomit.”
Elonen patted my back, and the bile rose again. I turned and emptied my stomach.
“How pathetic.”
At that sudden voice, I looked up to see Gerard standing there. He held something out; I took it without thinking.
“It’s a herbal remedy. Rub it under your nose to breathe more easily.”
Gerard clicked his tongue, then turned and rejoined Kyle without looking back.
“Good idea. Better to apply it than keep retching.”
Though reluctant, the stench and nausea left me little choice. I pressed the viscous liquid under my nostrils. The sharp mint scent let me breathe at last.
“It looks like he was a mercenary.”
Kyle, who had lowered the body, said. He was rifling through the corpse’s pouch.
“Here—a mercenary badge. The copper indicates third-class mercenary.”
Kyle showed us the badge he’d found. A mercenary badge is an ID issued by the Mercenary Guild; third class is the lowest rank.
“Why would a mercenary hang himself here?”
“Someone killed him and hanged him.”
Gerard said curtly, drawing his staff. He, too, seemed to realize this mission was no simple rat purge.
“Be careful, everyone. We don’t know what lies ahead.”
I wanted to tell the party to turn back. Kakaros must sense it too: the miasma grew stronger the deeper we went. A powerful, above-mid-tier monster must lurk in this forest.
“Why not take this badge back to the baron and report that something dangerous lurks here?”
But Kyle brushed aside my suggestion easily.
“If there’s danger, we should handle it ourselves. That’s why we came.”
Hearing him, I remembered Gerard’s remark about trailing the Hero. Though we’d traveled together only four days, I understood why he’d said that.
“Let’s go, Kakaros.”
Kyle urged the elf on, and I followed the party once more.
And the horrific finds did not end with the first mercenary.
“I think this is the fifth one.”
Elonen murmured, looking at another body. Kyle pulled it down, found its badge, and showed it us—another copper third-class badge.
“It seems an entire mercenary group was wiped out here.”
Elonen said sadly. Indeed, something was very wrong. It was unlikely a mercenary company would face sudden slaughter here.
“Did the baron mention hiring mercenaries at all?”
Gerard leaned against a nearby tree and asked Kyle. Though I had been present, Talin had never mentioned mercenaries.
“He only said rats plagued his storehouse… Oh, wait, he did say they attacked people.”
Kyle’s words reminded me of Talin’s voice:
“They raid and carry off food as if shopping… We tried everything to stop them, but they also attacked people…”
“Right, he said they attacked people when we tried to stop them.”
Thinking back, it was odd. From the moment he said “exterminate rats,” something felt off.
“The baron must be hiding something from us.”
Gerard muttered, folding his arms.
At that thought, the unease I felt when first meeting the innkeeper at the village entrance resurfaced as more than mere intuition.
Just then I felt a faint vibration in my pocket. I reached in absentmindedly—and froze.
The magic crystal taken from the monster that had attacked the innkeeper was vibrating.
“What’s the matter? Are you uncomfortable?”
Elonen asked worriedly. I considered telling them about the crystal but hesitated. If it truly implicated me, I didn’t want to alarm the party yet.
“I feel sick. Let’s rest a moment before moving on.”