Everything seems perfect today. Thanks to eating Sarracenia in the morning, I’m feeling good, and even the weather that had been hindering our research is refreshing. After completing all preparations and arriving at the forest, Asrein spoke.

“What did I tell you?”

“You told me not to overexert myself, Professor.”

“Yes. Please don’t disappear from my sight.”

“Of course not!”

I nodded so vigorously my hair became disheveled, and he briefly explained the progress of the research.

“The creature inhabiting the Bivrint Forest has been identified as the Level 2 dangerous magical creature ‘Sainur.’ Although the knights who surveyed this area said they couldn’t find any magical creatures, let alone traces of poachers… I need to see it with my own eyes. Keep quiet and be careful with every movement.”

“Yes, Professor.”

“So, Tae-oh, where did you last encounter the magical creature?”

“I’ll lead the way as far as I remember.”

Though I hadn’t left the forest of my own will, I clearly remembered the path to that place. Fortunately, the fog had cleared, making it easier to navigate through the forest to the path leading to the nest.

After walking for a while, familiar scenery began to unfold. Before heading to where I’d encountered the magical creature, we stopped at the bush where Sezan had sensed something. Just in case, I poked through the leaf-covered area with a branch like yesterday.

“Sir Sezan. This is where you saw the trap, right?”

“Yes. This is the place, according to my memory. However….”

While traces of something heavy pressing down remained, the trap had already been removed. How could there be so little evidence? Setting traps where magical creatures frequently pass and withdrawing immediately upon discovery – this must be the work of a professional organization.

Disappointed, we moved on to our destination. A large rock big enough to hide behind and a moss-covered stream. This was where I had poured the hallucinogen on that person. After confirming there was no sign of activity, I pointed to the unnaturally split bushes.

“You see those strangely split bushes over there? That’s where I found the Sainur’s fur, and where I encountered what I believe was the creature.”

“It might be the path to their nest.”

“Yes. That’s what I thought too.”

Asrein silently began examining the area around the bushes. As he requested, I thoroughly searched other nearby areas within sight. But from where I sat, I couldn’t find any traces of magical creatures, let alone anything else. It seemed someone had deliberately cleaned everything away. Just as I was feeling this subtle discrepancy, Asrein urgently pushed through the undergrowth.

“…This is….”

“What’s wrong?”

I jumped up from my spot and approached him. What Asrein had discovered was none other than – leaves stained with blood. He slowly raised his head to look at me. Knowing what he was asking, I frantically waved both hands. I had never set foot in that direction, so that couldn’t be my blood. …Then….

Sharing the same anxiety, Asrein calmly used a branch to part the pile of leaves. As he did so, traces that had been hidden by the leaves began to emerge one after another. A considerable amount of scattered blood stains, forcibly torn fur. …This doesn’t bode well. Asrein held up the stiff fur to the sunlight filtering through the trees, examining it from various angles.

“This is Sainur fur.”

“…Surely not….”

“But it’s not recent. Tracking won’t be possible.”

While I unconsciously let out a sigh of relief, I couldn’t shake the deep sense of unease that had settled in. This fur and blood don’t belong to the young creature I encountered yesterday. Then whose are they? I thought I might understand why the baby Sainur had been wandering alone in the forest. Standing up from my spot, I tried to speak to Asrein as calmly as possible.

“We should hurry and check.”

He quietly nodded and entered the narrow thicket. Though Sezan cut through the tough grass with his sword, it was barely wide enough to stand upright. But there was no time to complain. Throughout our walk along the path, we discovered blood stains regularly spaced on the ground. Moreover, as we got closer to what we presumed was the nest, an unpleasant smell grew stronger. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time I’d encountered this acrid smell.

“……”

I had smelled this before when seeing mass animal deaths. Thump. Thump. My heart, squeezed by anxiety, beat so violently it seemed ready to leap from my mouth. Not even feeling the sharp branches scratching my clothes and cheeks, I hurried my steps. Then, as soon as we emerged from the thicket, I instinctively had to cover my mouth and nose.

“…Jin. Bring out the clean water.”

Inside the cozy nest made of thick wood lay the bodies of dead magical creatures, packed together.

Who had set fire to their peace? They had ended their lives pressed against each other, seeking each other’s warmth until the very end. The acidic smell assaulting our noses, blood crusted on their hides, insects crawling over their cold, stiff bodies. If not for these things, they might have looked like they were peacefully sleeping. That made the scene all the more heartbreaking. Unable to easily speak any words, I quietly approached his side.

Asrein silently examined the Sainur that had met its end in a crouched position. I had firmly believed that if they were hunters, they would have hastily withdrawn after being discovered by us before capturing the magical creatures. But to think they had already drawn blood…. Though the circumstances pointed to an obvious conclusion, I desperately clung to a thread of hope as I struggled to speak.

“Could it be the work of a predator?”

“I wish I could believe that… but unfortunately, it’s not.”

Asrein carefully washed away the wounds with the clean water Jin had brought. While thoroughly examining them, pushing aside stiff fur, he explained with utmost seriousness.

“If this were the work of another magical creature, there would be flesh torn away by claws or messy wounds. But look at these marks.”

As the blood crusted in the fur was washed away, wounds from sharp blades were revealed. This could never have been the work of another magical creature.

“As you know, there’s only one species that could leave marks like these.”

“…Humans.”

“Moreover, they show quite skilled knowledge of magical creatures. I can see why the knights couldn’t find this place.”

Sainurs are extremely sensitive to environmental changes. Therefore, they choose nests that aren’t easily visible even in dense forests. The poachers had reversed this characteristic to their advantage, hiding the Sainur corpses in their nest before moving them. This way, they weren’t discovered by patrolling knights or scavenging magical creatures. It was a despicable method that made me want to curse, but there was one thing I couldn’t understand.

“But the bodies are intact. If this is the case… what did they kill them for…?”

“As you say, most poached magical creatures are sold completely – hide and meat included. With large magical creatures, they often take only the most valuable parts, since it’s difficult to move them while avoiding others’ eyes.”

Carefully reaching toward the Sainur’s head, he gently stroked the sunken eyelids with his long fingers.

“Sainurs have… eyes called ‘ma-an.'”

Unable to even wipe away the tears that involuntarily sprang forth, I quickly scanned the bodies. Unbelievably, every single one was missing its eyes. I covered my mouth to suppress the rising nausea, but couldn’t contain the emotions that escaped between my fingers.

Their bodies pressed together to protect each other, claws deeply embedded in the ground refusing to be taken, tails wrapped around smaller individuals – all created a painful scene. Looking at this miserable sight, I roughly opened my bag and pulled out paper.

It was a way to remember their final appearance, these beings who had already completed their lives. I recorded every detail meticulously, from their individual characteristics to the wounds on their bodies. Supporting the paper with my injured right hand, the pen nib pressed hard against the bandage. Though it felt like the wound might reopen, I paid no mind. Only the increasingly crooked writing conveyed my complicated emotions.

As I was transcribing the tragic scene into words, Asrein, who had been examining the bodies, casually asked.

“Tae-oh. You said you encountered a young one?”

“Yes.”

“…But I don’t see it here.”

He was right. Though we searched around the nest, we couldn’t find the young Sainur. Could that child be dead too? Or had it sensed our presence and hidden somewhere else? I desperately hoped it was alive somewhere. Gripping the pen tightly, I painfully swallowed my anxious fears.

By then, Asrein had finished his observation and stood up, speaking in a solemn voice.

“By principle, when magical creature remains are found, we should notify the authorities and use them for research. But these didn’t return to nature by natural calling, so let them remain here according to their final wishes.”

His golden eyes fixed in the air were remarkably calm.

“Any objections?”

He asked. In unspoken agreement, no one answered. It was the quietest agreement in the world. He put his white gloves in his jacket and gently stroked the Sainur’s brow with his bare hand. Then, with eyes closed, he remained silent for a while. I didn’t dare try to guess what emotions were held in his slightly furrowed brow.

After finishing his moment of silence, he slowly turned his head and spoke.

“Sir Sezan. Would you help?”

“Anything you ask.”

“While I conceal their forms, please recite prayers beside them.”

“…Understood.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Sezan knelt on one knee beside him. Then, like Asrein had done, he placed his hands on the Sainur’s body and carefully began reciting prayers.

Receive them on your cold path. Soothe their blackened souls with your merciful touch. Born from humble seeds and having fulfilled their given life, open the gates that they may return to your land. Embrace them with hands as broad as Synthia leaves, and guide them with Cantu flowers that shine even in the dark night, so these pitiful ones may not lose their way.

“That someday when holy rain moistens the earth, allow them to be born again in this world.”

The quiet voice gently wrapped around the cold air. For magical creatures living free lives, their god was the trees, the forest, all encompassing nature itself. It was a requiem for those born from nature, returning to nature.

“…Please, grant this.”

As soon as the prayer ended, Asrein attempted a massive spell. Finding the strongest branch in the nest and placing it over the bodies, he closed his eyes again and muttered to himself. Then buds sprouted from the dry branch, soon becoming vines with broad leaves. The rapidly growing vines began to wrap around the Sainur bodies, resembling moss covering a large rock. Like a cocoon before becoming a butterfly, they were becoming part of nature.

Meanwhile, Jin brought bright red flowers with their roots intact from nearby and transplanted them beside them. Someday when they return to the earth, these nameless wildflowers will bloom even more beautifully. Until then, the tough vines will prevent anyone from coveting their bodies. For that moment, I stopped recording and watched the quiet funeral.

That’s when it happened.

“……?”

The magical creature’s body, gradually being wrapped in vines, moved slightly.