Ch.34Corpse Collecting (1)

Ms. Sylvia only opened the door after changing into her pajamas inside her room.

She didn’t playfully flaunt her naked body or unbutton her clothes to tease me, but the way she quietly gazed at me with those deep red eyes was far more beautiful than any bold exposure could be.

As I slowly entered her room, she gently took my hand and led me to the bed.

There was no ticklish feeling, seductive playfulness, or sexual tension in the atmosphere.

It was like the comfort of walking to a fireplace after being soaked in cold early winter rain, shivering, and then sitting in a soft armchair while watching the flames flicker endlessly like a fantasy.

There was only a warm coziness that seemed to envelop and melt my entire body.

As I lay down on the bed, guided by her hand, that coziness seeped into my body, surrounding me with a sensation that relaxed every joint and muscle.

Sylvia slowly blew out the candle on the desk.

The room, beautifully tinged with wavy orange light like a heat haze, was instantly enveloped in darkness.

Tonight’s darkness felt more comforting than frightening.

Perhaps it felt that way because of her presence as she slowly but unhesitatingly came to my side.

“Could you move over a bit?”

“No, it’s fine.”

The bed was wide enough, but once the lights were out, it was difficult to gauge how much space Sylvia had.

Since it was her bed anyway, I thought I should be the one to sleep in a smaller space and tried to move back a little, when suddenly her long arm slipped between mine and firmly embraced my back.

“Whoa!”

“This works fine.”

Sylvia’s bed was warm and cozy as always, but I thought that no bed or blanket could ever be as snug as her embrace.

This wasn’t the first time I’d fallen asleep in her arms, but unlike last time when she squeezed me tightly like a snake, her embrace now was gentle, like a mother bird brooding over an egg, making me want it even more because it felt so good.

Sylvia’s lips were positioned roughly at my forehead.

I could feel her breath tickling my hair.

Her voice, quietly whispering against my head, seemed to resonate through my entire body with a tingling sensation.

“Ash.”

“Yes.”

“Tell me a story.”

“What kind of story?”

“Anything will do. But make it a bright one.”

“A bright story?”

“Yes, it doesn’t have to be funny, but I want to hear a happy story.”

“Hmm… I haven’t exactly lived an unhappy life, but when you specifically ask for a happy story, I can’t think of anything right away.”

“Please, I feel like… I might have a nightmare tonight.”

Sylvia said this while slightly tightening her arms around me.

Having already seen what happens when she has nightmares, I felt a complicated mix of emotions.

If she suffered from nightmares tonight, it would probably be my fault for tactlessly bringing up stories about her colleagues.

I took my time, recalling the Count’s mansion where I had lived with my family.

“Well… I’ll try, but I only have ordinary everyday stories like the ones I usually tell…”

“That’s perfect.”

I nodded slightly, but I still hadn’t decided what to talk about.

Thinking I should start before Sylvia fell asleep, I began to speak whatever came to mind.

After all, that place was the only background in my memories.

“The Count’s estate where my family was indebted was famous for its wheat fields that turned golden every autumn.”

Like a fairy tale beginning with “Once upon a time,” that’s how I started my story.

My tongue, stumbling at first, soon began to move smoothly.

Just recalling the beautiful Goldfield estate caused memories to blossom one by one in my mind.

The comical memory of running away after being stung by a bee in the garden.

The memory of my father, after finishing work late, begging to wake up Laila after hearing she had taken her first steps, pleading with her to walk just once more.

The memory of my mother protecting a new maid who was trembling after breaking a plate, while neither the Count nor the Countess cared about the broken dish, leaving the new maid bewildered.

Once I started talking, memories from the mansion began flowing easily.

As she listened to my stories, Sylvia would quietly laugh, share brief comments, and gently stroke my head after each story ended.

I was so happy to see her enjoying my stories, and I didn’t mind being immersed in old memories myself.

Ah, the Goldfield County.

My hometown. My home.

Naturally, my stories shifted to anecdotes about the Count and Countess.

Having lived in the small servants’ quarters within the Count’s mansion, most of my memories were set there, and of course, I had many memories with those two.

Although we were employed as servants, they never used their status to pressure us and instead treated us better than we deserved.

Even though I now hold only a baronial title without land, it was only after becoming nobility myself that I truly realized how precious their attitude had been.

The Countess especially adored me, my sister Maria, and Laila.

When we became nobles thanks to my sister Maria, they rejoiced as if it were their own good fortune.

“The Count had a daughter who was the same age as my sister.”

“…”

Sylvia didn’t respond.

Judging by her slow and rhythmic breathing, she seemed to be drifting off to sleep.

I softened my voice even more.

So as not to disturb her as she fell asleep.

“On the day we became a baronial family, the Count rejoiced, saying, ‘I always thought of you as family, but now we can truly become family!'”

In truth, I had barely mentioned the Count and Countess until now.

They had merely shown kindness to us, and since the relationship wasn’t quite close enough to call them family, these stories had been pushed back until now.

But I was running out of family anecdotes, and perhaps the Count and I could be considered family in a way.

Because…

“Gratefully, I was betrothed to his daughter, the young lady…”

“What?”

Sylvia, whom I thought was asleep, suddenly spoke up.

There wasn’t a trace of sleepiness in her voice.

*

Half a dozen people covered in large robes were camping in the forest.

Without tents, some men slept using their robes as blankets around a single campfire, while two others were supposed to be keeping watch but merely poked at the fire instead of surveying their surroundings.

The robes were covered in mud and tattered in various places, and their expressions and eyes showed signs of exhaustion.

Suddenly, one man threw the stick he had been using as a poker and growled.

“God damn it, this is the worst.”

“Hmm… I wish you’d mind your language, but I understand how you feel…”

The man sitting across from the grumbling one sighed and quietly put down his branch.

But the growling man was apparently not done venting his frustration.

“That virgin priestess is a—”

“Hans, please.”

“But Father Melburn, don’t you agree? She sent us into this dangerous forest to retrieve her fiancé’s corpse! Aren’t you angry?”

“Lower your voice. As you said, this forest is dangerous. Especially at night.”

Just as Melburn finished speaking, the eerie cry of a night bird echoed through the night sky.

Hans rubbed his arms and fell silent.

Though he had stopped Hans from cursing Alice, Melburn fully sympathized with his complaints.

This forest was dangerous.

The horses had sensed something just approaching the forest and struggled to escape, ignoring commands. Those forcibly brought into the forest trembled violently before collapsing or fleeing without looking back.

Since there couldn’t be a plague that selectively killed only horses, it must be that the horses, with senses keener than humans, detected something with their animal instincts that made them reluctant to enter this forest.

With most of their supplies lost when the horses fled, proper camping was impossible, and having to traverse this treacherous forest with no proper paths on foot had exhausted everyone within a day of entering.

Judging by the state of the paths, they probably couldn’t have ridden the horses even if they had managed to bring them in.

Moreover, as if some boundary had been crossed, attacks from monsters and wild animals had increased as soon as they set foot in the forest, further contributing to their fatigue.

“The mission is already impossible. With our current supplies, we can only last two days.”

“…That’s right. We could hunt as we go, but without establishing a proper settlement, we can’t conduct both search and hunting simultaneously.”

“The game won’t stay still for us, but let’s plan to stay in this forest for only two days. We’ll have to withdraw after that.”

“Finding a human corpse in this forest within two days is impossible. You know that well, Father Melburn.”

“I do…”

Melburn pushed back his hair that had fallen forward, then clutched his throbbing head.

Hans spoke with exasperation.

“Why wait two days? This mission is already impossible. We should withdraw now. You know that none of the nearby villages we passed had a church. We have no money and no horses. If we don’t hurry, we’ll die on the way back before we even make it.”

Hans’s points were all valid.

It was pathetic that they had lost both horses and supplies at once, but it was already done.

And there was no solution.

Without a church nearby, they couldn’t even get support for their return journey.

As Hans said, the two days’ worth of food should be saved for the journey back.

But Melburn shook his head and said:

“…We need to try.”

“What?”

“We need to at least have the excuse that we tried. To report our failure to the Virgin Priestess.”

“Damn it all.”

“Hans.”

Melburn stopped Hans from cursing further.

Hans spat on the ground with a disgruntled expression.

“Look, think about the path we’ve traveled. It’s too rough for horses to pass through properly.”

“And?”

“According to our investigation, they entered this forest in a carriage.”

“Ha, that’s practically suicide. They’re certainly dead already. Making us pick up corpses, damn it!”

“Exactly that.”

“What?”

Melburn nodded and waited for Hans to calm down before slowly speaking.

“If they came in a carriage, the horses would have been difficult to control, and with such rough terrain, a large carriage couldn’t have traveled properly.”

“…Meaning?”

“The carriage must have overturned shortly after entering the forest.”

“…”

“And they departed from Goldfield territory.”

Melburn showed a roughly drawn map in his notebook as he continued his explanation.

“We entered this forest from the western direction, and that carriage probably entered somewhere around the northwestern part of the forest…”

“Near that entrance… Ah, that narrows down our search area considerably.”

“Let’s search this area diligently for two days, and if we still don’t find anything, then we must consider it the goddess’s will.”

Melburn put the notebook back inside his coat and patted Hans’s shoulder.

Hans nodded at Melburn.

In truth, while Hans was somewhat quick-tempered, he wasn’t a shortsighted person.

He knew well that Melburn wasn’t the type to stubbornly endanger his subordinates and colleagues for his own advancement or promotion.

Alice Goldfield.

That crazy woman who created that insane pig farm.

Hans could fully understand Melburn’s position, having to follow the nonsensical orders of that woman.

Melburn looked down at the blazing campfire and apologized to Hans in a respectful tone.

“I’m sorry nonetheless… Focus on getting back alive rather than the search.”

“…If the Virgin Priestess says anything when we return after all this effort, I can’t promise I’ll keep my cool. I’ll really lose it.”

Melburn weakly chuckled at Hans’s sulky tone, his beard growing bushy.

“Though she’s fierce and merciless to evildoers, she’s still a daughter and pride of the Goddess Church. She might be disappointed, but she’s not the type to punish us just for that.”

“Haah…”

Hans sighed deeply and looked up at the sky.

Melburn also raised his head, following Hans’s gaze.

Above them stretched complete darkness without even a single star, let alone the moon, as the embers from the campfire struggled to rise, flickering weakly.