9. After the Rain

“A horrifying monster. It’s that bad?”

Blair forced steadiness into her trembling voice as she asked.

“A beast mutated through alchemy is nearly impossible for a human to fight. I don’t know which deranged alchemist did this, but it goes beyond malice. This is murderous intent.”

Ariela glared at the vial of murky purple substance as she spoke.

Murderous intent. Without a moment’s thought, it was Duke Brienne’s doing. This was the ‘violent method’ he had spoken of.

“What makes the mutant even more terrifying is that it can be set on a specific target. By having it ingest something like the target’s hair.”

“……He must have fed it Kalintz’s hair.”

Blair bit her lip and closed her eyes.

“There is some good news. There’s an antidote.”

“An antidote?”

“I only had time to make two vials.”

Ariela took out two small bottles filled with clear liquid from her pouch.

“The problem is how to deliver them……”

She rubbed her chin with a grave expression.

“We could ask the Valian royal guards for—”

“I’ll go.”

Blair answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“We can’t trust anyone else here. I’ll go myself. Give me one of the antidotes.”

Ariela looked mildly surprised, then handed over one of the small vials.

“Actually…… I was going to ask you anyway. I heard you’re an excellent rider.”

“I should be the one asking for favors. Please hold onto the other antidote, Ariela. You’re a member of the mercenary company Kalintz formed, aren’t you.”

“Of course. I’m the vice-captain, no less. If I let the princess consort go alone, I’d be dismissed.”

That was news to Blair, but there was no time to dwell on it.

A short while later, Ariela returned with a sturdy-looking horse and several well-built men.

“They’re personally hired. Their skills are reliable and they know how to keep quiet, so don’t worry.”

She assigned two of the three escort mercenaries to Blair.

“I’ll head west, so please go east, Your Highness. If you happen to encounter the mutant along the way…… run at full speed.”

Blair climbed into the saddle quickly and swallowed her nerves as she nodded.

“Take this as well.”

Ariela handed her a dagger about the length of a forearm. It was light, well-suited for self-defense.

“I sincerely hope you won’t need to use it.”

“Thank you, Ariela. Be careful yourself.”

Blair set her jaw and spurred her horse toward the eastern depths of the dense forest.

❀❀❀

“Did you…… hear that?”

At Ernst’s question, Kalintz looked silently into the forest.

A wrenching, twisted sound, like something wringing out its own innards. It was nothing like the cry of any ordinary animal.

“It seems there’s more than just wildlife out here.”

Rashid too stared toward the direction of the strange sound with a rigid face.

“……Everyone, get ready. Something’s out there.”

Kalintz tightened his grip on his sword and spoke to the knights.

Shhhhhh—

A cold wind swept through the dense forest.

Even the leaves held their breath. Everyone stood in taut silence, nerves drawn to a razor’s edge, when—

Crunch—

It was the dry rustle of dead leaves. Not from the direction of the strange cry, but from behind them.

“Behind us!”

“Aaaargh!!”

The urgent shout and the knight’s scream came almost at the same moment.

Crash—!

The knight took a direct hit and was sent flying into a tree.

“D*mn it!”

Ernst quickly leveled his bow at the unidentified creature.

The beast was covered in dark hide and coarse fur, and its shape resembled a boar, but its size was absurd. Its thick tusks curved like hooks, long and brutal enough to shatter bone on a glancing blow.

And its eyes blazed a burning, blood-red.

“Ernst! Go for the eyes!”

“I was already planning to!”

Ernst released the bowstring with full force.

But the beast moved with impossible agility for its size, dodging the arrow clean.

“What the—!”

Ernst was reeling and bracing for the counterattack when he stopped at a strange sight.

The beast had come to a halt and was scanning them. Like it was looking for someone.

Following that gaze, Ernst shouted urgently.

“Your Highness! Get clear!”

The beast raised its tusks and charged straight at Kalintz. The speed was overwhelming, enough to freeze an ordinary person in place.

But Kalintz waited for it, calm and still. The moment it reached him, he rolled sharply to the side.

Losing its target, the beast couldn’t check its own momentum and drove straight into a tree.

Its long tusks buried deep into the trunk and held it fast. Kalintz seized the moment, snatched Ernst’s bow, and drew the string.

The arrow shot true toward the beast. But even a steel-tipped arrow was not enough to pierce that hide.

“It might as well be stone. What on earth is that thing.”

Rashid had drawn a long spear at some point and asked.

“I couldn’t say. Only that it’s someone’s malice made flesh.”

“It does seem to be targeting Your Highness specifically. I’m not sure how that’s even possible.”

Grrrrrr—

The beast wrenched its tusks free from the tree, let out that eerie sound again, and stamped its feet before charging at Kalintz once more.

Barely dodging another headlong charge, Kalintz spoke to the knights.

“I’ll draw it in. Throw the net.”

“Can a net hold something that size?”

“Just needs to slow it down for a moment.”

Kalintz scanned the area as he spoke.

“I’m going to drive it into the rocks by that cliff and make it collide. Throw the net then.”

“Once it’s caught, I’ll throw the spear.”

Rashid added, listening to Kalintz’s instructions. Kalintz looked at him with an expression that said he didn’t love the idea, but said nothing and turned his eyes back to the beast.

The beast was already preparing to charge at Kalintz again. It came at him even faster than before.

Kalintz sprinted toward the large boulder near the cliff.

The beast’s threatening breath was almost on the back of his neck when he kicked off the rock face and launched himself upward.

Crash—!

A thunderous impact shook the ground. The beast’s furious howl followed close behind.

“Now! Throw it!”

At Kalintz’s shout, the knights hurled the chain net. Caught off guard by the sudden restraint, the beast thrashed its massive body wildly.

Rashid seized the opening and threw his spear at the beast.

Shriiiiiek—!

Struck in the left eye, the beast raged even more violently. Kalintz dodged the dangerous thrashing and severed the tendon in its right hind leg.

At last, the clattering of the chain net grew quiet.

“Quick reflexes. The combat arts taught at court wouldn’t allow for that kind of response.”

Rashid murmured in an even tone.

“I’ve had my reasons.”

Kalintz had no desire to exchange more words with him and answered curtly.

“At the masquerade too. It seems there are many who want Your Highness dead.”

“That is not your concern.”

“It concerns me when the people around you keep getting caught up in it.”

Kalintz’s expression went cold. He knew exactly who that meant.

“Listen. I can guess what you’re thinking. But she’s still my wife until she goes to the Armos Islands. Stay out of what isn’t yours.”

“……What do you mean by—”

Rashid frowned and tried to ask, but never finished the question.

A tremor ran through the ground beneath their feet.

“Your Highness! The ground is shifting!”

Before Ernst’s words were even finished, a sharp cracking sound rang out.

The large boulder the beast had collided with was splitting apart.

“That impact must have been worse than I thought. Everyone, fall back!”

Kalintz gave the order and moved quickly.

Grrrrrr—

That hair-raising, unnatural cry came again.

The beast had torn through the chain net entirely and was charging like it meant to shatter the earth. There was no way a severed tendon should have allowed that.

Kalintz cursed under his breath, drew his sword, and took a defensive stance. There was no way to dodge this one.

Clang—!

The sound of tusk meeting sharp metal cracked through the air. The creature’s monstrous force sent Kalintz skidding and rolling several meters back.

“Ngh……!”

Kalintz groaned at the searing pain in his wrist and pushed himself off the ground.

“That damned boar.”

He gripped his sword in both hands and squared himself against the beast charging at him again. A head-on fight was not winnable.

Kalintz deflected the attack and twisted his blade to find the kill.

But at that moment.

Rumble—

The ground dropped away beneath him, and a thick cloud of dirt swallowed his vision in an instant. An unpleasant weightlessness wrapped around his entire body.

He turned his head and saw the beast’s enormous body falling alongside him. Even as it plummeted off the cliff, it let out a threatening cry.

“Your Highness!!”

Ernst’s shout, already growing distant, scattered rapidly above him.

❀❀❀

“Wasn’t that the sound of something collapsing just now?”

Blair pulled her reins at the noise coming from somewhere deeper in the forest. Looking more carefully, she could see a haze of dust rising in the distance.