Chapter 126

A woman covered in scratches all over her body was running along a mountain path at night without even a single light.

Her hair was disheveled, her clothes were torn and looked unsightly, and her body, which hadn't done any proper exercise for years, had reached its limit.

But only her eyes burned bright blue, refusing to die out.

'They deceived me!'

The talk of witches and such was ultimately nothing but a legend.

The most important thing was that no one knew how many people they had caused to fall to their deaths with such stories.

Moreover, Arenheit's name or her own might be added to that list of victims.

The woman, who had stumbled on a stone, tumbled down and let out a low groan.

'If I had known this would happen, if I had known I would return here, I could have done more.'

There would have been more she could have tried.

When leaving Hartmann Castle, thinking she could never return, she had killed herself off.

The future, dreams, hopes, and even the desire for atonement to receive some forgiveness.

Having once died in all these aspects, she could not give up now.

Giving up now would truly be an act of cowardice.

Once in a lifetime was enough for such a deed.

Amelia sprang up, clutching her dislocated shoulder from falling on the mountain path, and began to run again.

She vaguely knew the direction Leandros had gone.

If she kept going, she would surely find Jen and Leandros somewhere.

After running for a while with gritted teeth, something caught her eye.

A round stone buried in a pile of fallen leaves, or something like that.

A whitish color entered her vision despite it being the middle of the night.

Feeling an inexplicable sense of déjà vu, she approached hesitantly.

When Amelia poked it with her finger, the round stone jumped up.

"Impudent!"

"Sn-snowman! W-weren't you at the l-lodging? B-besides, wh-what happened to your b-body!"

What rolled out was the snowman that Arenheit had brought along.

To be more precise, it was only the snowman's head.

"Human female. Saw me. Finally lived. Body disappeared. Insolent human stepped on it. I, escape. But failed. Path slippery."

"Insolent h-human?"

"My worshipper. Went with human male from inn. Climbed mountain. Human male said my worshipper's horse is here. My worshipper deceived. Came near here. Human male hit my worshipper!"

"If y-you mean the human m-male from the inn, you're t-talking about J-Jen, right?"

Her guess was correct.

So Jen had brought Arenheit here.

She bit her lip tightly.

"Th-then you were w-with him. Why d-did you fall d-down here?"

"My worshipper being dragged away. My worshipper must live. This body, dramatic escape attempted. Going to inn. But no magic. Being consumed. My worshipper far away. Head sacrificed over body. Rolling with head difficult."

Although she couldn't understand all of the snowman's words, she did grasp that this snowball had tried to help Arenheit.

Amelia picked up the snowman, dusted off the soil and grass, and asked.

"D-did you h-hear why th-they did such a th-thing?"

"Don't know. Inn human male, said thirteenth pig. Then my worshipper collapsed. Around here, witch's house exists. Took to witch's house. And people, came again."

Witch, thirteenth pig.

Amelia naturally recalled the legend of the witch.

The story of the witch.

The half-human, half-beast people who had become livestock.

If those weren't just completely groundless stories.

"I'm l-looking for Sir L-Leandros right n-now. We were all a-ambushed, and it m-might be related to th-those pigs."

"I go too. My worshipper, needs magic. Feel it. Magic, almost gone."

"M-magic, you s-say."

"Humans and plants-animals have magic. My worshipper, much magic. I can feel it. But weakening. Humans and plants-animals, dying. Disappearing."

Humans have magic, this snowman could feel Arenheit's magic, and it was gradually weakening...

Amelia let out a small scream.

She ran frantically.

As she wandered around, shouting Leandros's name loudly enough to wake all the animals living in the mountain.

Finally, a voice responding to her call was heard from the opposite side.

"Lady!"

How delighted she was to see the face that came through the dense trees.

Amelia ran to him in one breath.

"Sir, I, I f-found the D-Duke's snowman, but, they p-pigs..."

"I know, Lady. I've also found out where His Grace is."

"How on earth?"

Amelia noticed that Leandros had blood on both hands.

And that Jen was nowhere to be seen.

But she didn't question that, just as Leandros didn't say anything about her shoulder.

"Th-this snowman s-says His Grace is in d-danger."

"We should hurry."

Leandros stopped as he was about to go down first.

"You don't have to come, Lady."

"Wh-what, why?"

"I might understand if it were the castle, but from now on, once you're involved, it will be difficult to turn back. Whether His Grace is revealed as a Hartmann, or you are revealed as the Lady of Baron Arnold."

"B-but still."

"You're injured, so you'd surely want to hold these villagers accountable for their crimes. Will that be alright? Even if bad rumors spread."

Leandros was clearly showing consideration for Amelia.

Amelia understood this well.

Though his face wasn't clearly visible in the darkness, a thick bloodlust seeped from his every gesture.

In a situation where he might do anything upon descending to the village, should she really go down with him?

For her, who needed to remain as the Baron's lady who had come to Hartmann Castle for recuperation,

There was nothing good about accompanying the Hartmann knight.

At least from now on, there was a high possibility that there wouldn't be.

Even though she knew it would be better to act separately from here.

"B-bad rumors will s-surely arise. His G-Grace didn't even t-try to hide it."

"Then, Lady, you—"

"But, e-even so, I d-don't want to r-run away now."

"Lady."

"I've a-already done e-enough cowardly th-things. I kn-know I c-can't disrespect the d-ducal family any f-further. But e-even if that's the c-case."

She wanted to run away.

She wanted to lie back in bed and spend the day without thinking about anything.

She didn't want to get involved in such matters.

Amelia didn't want to be entangled in any more tumultuous affairs.

But even more than that,

She wanted to beg forgiveness from the Duchess whom she had all but killed.

She wanted to atone for her sins and escape from the guilt that continued to bind her to Arenheit, who resembled the Duchess but was not at all similar.

"I can't run away anymore."

Because even if she ran, her sins would eventually find her.

She had to face them and atone.

Hearing Amelia's words spoken decisively, Leandros silently nodded.

They barely managed to leave the mountain and go down, but the inn was completely empty.

It was a scene that proved all the village people were in cahoots.

Seeing this, the two didn't even wait and immediately headed out of the village.

A wide grassy field and farmland located on one side of the village.

A modest farmhouse built in the middle of it.

Though the house looked desolate, if one went through the back door and out to the spacious backyard.

"Please go back!"

"Please, just this once, please!"

The sound of people desperately crying out.

They were gathered inside an animal pen, looking down below, begging for them to please go back.

Beyond them, the noisy grunting of pigs could be heard.

Even smacking sounds.

Leandros and Amelia pushed through the kneeling people without hesitation.

And the two ended up witnessing the scene unfolding below.

Amelia let out a sharp scream.

"Your Grace!"

Hearing the scream, the villagers realized that intruders had come and shouted, picking up the plows and sickles they had been holding.

Leandros and Amelia were positioned with the pit behind them, surrounded by the villagers in front.

A perfect standoff.

The innkeeper stepped forward.

"Sir Mercenary. Give up on the lady and the young master. How much is your commission? Instead, we'll pay you a much more generous escort fee, so please pretend you didn't see what happened here."

"...Pretend I didn't see?"

"If you say they met with some accident, the villagers can even be witnesses to the accident. Then you'll receive double the commission, and we'll quietly pass by, which is good for everyone."

"Let me ask one thing. Are you afraid of being caught after committing such acts?"

"Do you think we want to do such things?"

"Are you saying this situation isn't your fault?"

When Leandros asked back, the innkeeper's voice gradually rose.

"Originally, this place wasn't like this. It was a peaceful village where everyone lived together!"

"This is what you call peaceful?"

"After the Hartmann ducal family was annihilated, those pigs appeared. They suddenly sprang out from the ground, attacked the animal pens, ate all the livestock, and then took the children underground!"

It was a cry that seemed to spit blood.

Leandros listened to it silently.

"The representative is far away, saying he would exterminate them only if we brought evidence that those monsters had taken the children... We did our best to prevent them from crawling out, always howling with hunger!"

"And so?"

Leandros, unable to endure anymore, sneered.

"So you gave your best by throwing people to them? To feed mere pigs?"

"That, that was an accident!"

The innkeeper gasped.

Blood vessels stood out in her eyes, and the orange torchlight reflected off them, making them gleam like those of a madwoman.

"It was just that someone staying at the farmhouse slipped and fell here. But, but it was so strange. It was quiet for a long time. Nothing disappeared, and no one died. It was peaceful. We thought it was a miracle..."

The innkeeper's face suddenly became peaceful.

As if she alone were standing on a peaceful walking path, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"...But a sacrifice was needed for a miracle. We simply made the wisest choice for the village."

Rationalization.

In a situation where someone had to disappear, the perpetrators had merely fabricated a comfortable excuse that suited them.

Hearing this, Leandros couldn't contain his disgust.

The innkeeper, unaware of this, drove her point home.

"Yes, that's right. We only made a rational choice!"

"I see. Now I understand your circumstances well."

"Oh, really?"

Was he persuaded?

The innkeeper's face brightened slightly.

That lady had jumped in herself, so she would be eaten by the pigs. There was no need to save her.

The mercenary before her had been well-persuaded, so she would give him money and send him away, and while he was off guard, they would dispose of him, and the truth would be buried forever.

"In that case..."

"But what does that have to do with me?"

With those words, the innkeeper's expectations shattered.

Yes, it couldn't be resolved so easily.

She gestured with her hand behind her back, signaling.

The villagers slowly surrounded Leandros and Amelia, pressuring them toward the pit.

The blades of the farming tools flashed threateningly.

"S-Sir."

Amelia whispered, but Leandros simply silently observed the villagers.

Meanwhile, the grunting sounds from below only grew louder.

Oink, squeeeak, oiiink, squeeeak.

The pigs, feasting on a fresh banquet, looked up.

For them, always hungry, the hole above was a precious opening from which food fell.

Normally, such dull pig heads wouldn't have thought this far, but the pig-humans, satiated by consecutive feedings, became excited by the strange smell of the crowd gathered outside.

What was up there?

If they went out through that opening from which food fell, wouldn't there be more food?

The pigs, having consumed flesh and blood rich in magic, harbored desire.

They all began to climb the steep walls of the pit.

Oink, oiiink, oiiiiink.

The first pig to reach the top of the pit stuck out its unsightly snout, sniffed around,

And grabbed Amelia's ankle, who was closest.

"Ky, kyaaaah!"

Just as Amelia was about to be dragged in after falling, Leandros forcefully stomped on the pig-human's wrist.

With an ominous cracking sound, the pig-human fell back beyond the pit.

However, it wasn't just that one pig-human that had climbed up.

Someone among the villagers screamed.

"P-pigs, pigs! Aaaaaaah!"

Unfortunately, a person standing close to Amelia became the next target.

He was caught by just one leg and dragged into the pit.

Dropping his farming tool, scratching the ground with his fingernails, and struggling not to be pulled in, he finally cried out.

"Save me, save me, please—"

The moment his head disappeared, the screaming stopped.

Instead, a strange sound began.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Everyone, including Leandros and Amelia, was staring in that direction.

A moment later, a pig's head popped out of the pit.

It smiled with its snout utterly dirty. No, it seemed to be attempting the act of smiling.

It was somehow a comical sight, but no one who saw it could laugh.

The pig-human's teeth were completely covered with something red and sticky.

The villagers, upon seeing this sight, began to scream and throw away what they were holding, starting to flee.

The pig-humans' dinner time had begun.