Ch.489Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

The corpse is familiar. To be more precise, it became familiar.

That summer when I was first deployed to the African continent. Because the air conditioner was broken, my senior and I came out to the terrace to escape the heat.

The hookah I took a sip of at my senior’s recommendation tasted like fruit. I coughed from the unfamiliar harshness. As my senior was chuckling, gunshots rang out from somewhere.

That day, I witnessed a corpse for the first time.

It was a corpse with its head blown off. The large hole in the front windshield and the embedded pellet suggested it was hit by a shotgun. The uniform of the deceased proved their identity.

It’s the same now.

A uniformed police officer sits in the driver’s seat. With his head blown off. The crushed face is barely recognizable. Only the lower jaw remains above the neck.

The exposed bright red gums and teeth covered in vines.

“……”

It was so different from the corpses I had become accustomed to.

Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

Lucia washed her blood-soaked hands and rotated her wrists.

“How is it?”

“Not a good feeling.”

She lowered her gaze slightly while rotating her wrist.

“This is the first time I’ve taken someone’s life with my own hands.”

Lucia dropped her hands, immersed in a deep afterglow of emotion—whether guilt or discomfort, it was hard to tell. She kept her words brief.

Francesca straightened her bent back and lightly crossed her arms.

“There’s no need to be so gloomy. The person was already dead.”

“…Still.”

Lucia opened her tight throat to respond, but Francesca’s words were a step ahead.

Some might consider her a pen-pushing bureaucrat from her administrative background, but Francesca was no ordinary civil servant—she was an administrator from the Magic Tower’s Secretariat. And her experiences at the Magic Tower and Fatalie were more than enough to turn a person into a realist.

“Does this look like a person to you, Holy Maiden?”

The matter-of-fact question was casually thrown out. When Francesca nodded toward the headless corpse, everyone’s gaze turned in that direction.

The corpse appeared normal at first glance. But up close, its abnormal state was immediately apparent.

Vine-like stems climbed up the esophagus and onto the tongue. The stems covering the tongue like a white coating split in two directions, burrowing into the molars. After wrapping around the gums along the teeth, they met at the front teeth.

At a glance, it looked like someone wearing braces. Or like someone who had eaten a mouthful of salad. That made it all the more eerie and frightening.

The plant emerging from inside a human body shocked everyone.

With only the lower jaw remaining, the stems climbing up the esophagus were nakedly exposed, making everyone too afraid to even touch the corpse.

Her voice, seemingly devoid of emotion, coupled with the horrific scene before them, gave an almost cynical impression.

In the calmly settled atmosphere, Francesca continued speaking.

“This is not a human.”

“……”

“It’s a victim that has become a monster.”

She firmly drew the line by defining the police officer as “a human transformed into a monster.”

It was both a message not to feel any more guilt and an expression to make everyone aware of the situation.

“……”

Lucia, standing there glumly, nodded weakly. Francesca then gestured as if to say that was enough.

I patted Lucia’s shoulder and offered brief words of comfort.

“It’s not your fault, so don’t be disheartened.”

“…Yes.”

How could the police officer’s condition be her fault? Therefore, his death wasn’t her fault either.

Leaving Lucia with a faint smile, I walked over to where the police car was. There, Camilla and Francesca were examining the police officer who had transformed into a monster.

“How are you? Feeling any better inside?”

Camilla, who was looking inside the police car with her hand on the roof, nodded repeatedly and answered.

“A little better.”

“You don’t look good. Are you still feeling nauseous?”

“Actually, a bit…”

Right after the police officer transformed, she started complaining of unexplained nausea. At first, everyone thought it was motion sickness, but now it was clear that wasn’t the case.

Magicians with developed ki-sense are sensitive to environmental changes. Camilla, being able to handle vast amounts of magical power, was much more sensitive than the average magician. That’s why she experienced similar symptoms when demons appeared and when black magic barriers emerged.

I recommended rest to the pale-faced Camilla.

“Will that be okay? It might be dangerous.”

“What’s dangerous? Right now, it’s just a corpse with half its head blown off.”

“But still… what if it rises like a zombie and attacks…”

“You’ve watched too many movies. Stop arguing and go rest. Leave this to us.”

Although Camilla, who was deeply into creature features, objected, she didn’t insist. She returned to the car and quietly took her rest.

After sending Camilla away, I approached Francesca. She was calmly staring at the police officer who had transformed into a monster.

“Have you figured anything out? Please tell me if you have any hunches.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer for you.”

The Magic Tower is a gathering place for authorities on magic.

Since the Independence War, it has governed magicians, and now it’s called the spiritual home of magicians, guarding the center of magical society. No government agency could match the Magic Tower when it came to magic.

However, even Francesca, who had closely assisted the Tower Master and the elders, seemed completely at a loss this time.

She frowned with an ambiguous expression before beginning to speak.

“There are various organisms that parasitize humans, but I’ve never heard of plants being among them.”

“Then what is this?”

“Well… perhaps it’s the malicious hobby of some nasty magician?”

She was asking if it might be the work of a necromancer.

“A necromancer. You’re not suspecting the Exiles?”

“No.”

She firmly stated it wasn’t the work of Exiles. I asked why.

“Why?”

After pondering for a moment, Francesca began explaining the difference between Exiles and necromancers.

“It’s well-known that Exiles are the main targets of investigative agencies. They’re spread across so many countries that once an incident occurs, it’s constantly reported in foreign media. But unlike Exiles who cause minor disturbances, the incidents caused by necromancers are on a completely different level.”

Francesca glanced toward the corpse, or more precisely, at the plant growing from it.

“They have nothing to lose, and they’re a fundamentally different breed. They don’t hesitate to commit such acts.”

“You seem oddly certain. Do you have any evidence…?”

“It was also necromancers who summoned demons in the north. Led by Martinez, who was my subordinate.”

I kept my mouth shut.

Francesca wrapped up her explanation as if it were no big deal.

“So, if you ask for my opinion, I can only answer that a necromancer is behind this. Though it’s hard to be definitive. Right now, I can’t think of anything else.”

It was a rational conjecture based on experience and data.

However, as she said, there wasn’t enough evidence to conclusively attribute it to a necromancer.

A plant parasitizing humans and a tree that devours people.

What commonality might they share?

Since the tree that devoured people was related to cultists, it might possibly be their doing. While Francesca continued examining the dead officer to find new clues, I went to find Lucia.

“Francesca says it seems like the work of a necromancer. What do you think?”

“Necromancer… That certainly makes sense, but from what I observed, there were no magical traces.”

Lucia, who had personally dealt with the police officer who transformed into a monster, put more weight on a different hypothesis than on necromancers.

Using the fact that the police officer transformed into a monster in an instant, she presented a new opinion.

“Generally, rapidly changing a human body goes against the natural order. For instance, divine power and magical power that heal wounds.”

In their natural state, divine power and magical power have the same properties as the elements that make up the world.

Though they hold infinite possibilities, divine power and magical power alone cannot create anything.

Just as having hydrogen and oxygen doesn’t automatically create water. To make water, the two elements must be chemically combined.

“Simply pouring divine power doesn’t make wounds disappear. Just as magicians channel magical power through circuits to cast spells, clergy must go through a similar process for healing to occur.”

“…So the sudden growth of the plant too?”

“Yes.”

Lucia nodded as if I understood correctly.

“If it were the work of a magician, traces would remain on the corpse. When magic is cast, minute magical power remains at the scene.”

“Magical traces. I know about that. Were there any on the corpse?”

Divine power and magical power differ in direction, but clergy and magicians with excellent ki-sense can detect the manifestation of magic and divine power just from traces floating in the air.

That’s how ancient magicians survived witch hunts. It’s also why inquisitors could hunt magicians. And it’s currently used by modern investigative agencies to catch magicians who cause trouble and throw them in holding cells.

But no traces were found on the corpse.

“When I examined the officer, I found nothing.”

She added that it was likely something other than magic.

Conflicting claims were raised. It was time for verification. Although I wasn’t as proficient in investigations as Clevins, I had an eye for people.

I called Francesca over and had the two face each other. After closely examining the corpse and exchanging various conversations with Lucia, she supported Lucia’s opinion.

“As the Holy Maiden said, I couldn’t find even a speck of magical traces. I’m not an expert on plants, but this is also a plant I’ve never seen before… It might be a dangerous magical plant unknown to the world.”

“I must inform the Papal Office. Of course, Al-Yabd should know too.”

“How about it, can the plant be collected?”

“I’ll try, but don’t expect too much. We don’t know how dangerous it might be. We might have to eliminate it immediately.”

That’s not a problem. We have Camilla. If her flames can burn demons, what’s a plant?

Francesca took out tools from her luggage and began collecting samples. Lucia said she couldn’t just stand by and followed.

The problem was the federal government troops.

These guys were so scared of the plant that they wouldn’t even go near the police car. Officers and soldiers alike were holed up in their trucks, mounting guns and just watching the surroundings.

In the midst of the Holy Maiden and the administrator rolling up their sleeves, when I asked what they were doing, they boldly spouted nonsense about “providing perimeter security for protection.”

Their intention might be good, but shouldn’t they do it properly?

We’re investigating up front, but they’re slowly backing away among themselves—what’s the use of such security? Protection my ass.

They showed signs of running away at the slightest danger, but even they couldn’t refuse my request for cooperation.

The soldiers who were awkwardly lingering near the trucks hesitated when told they needed to go collect plant samples, but eventually followed the two women with long faces, like cows being led to slaughter.

And there was good news.

Camilla’s condition had improved considerably. Whether from resting a bit, her complexion looked brighter than before.

I opened a bottle of water and handed it to her, and she gulped it down without stopping until the bottle was empty.

“Phew…!”

“Your color has returned a bit. Feeling better?”

“No… I still feel like death.”

She shook her head, but it seemed her stomach was churning again. She hastily stopped what she was doing and finished her answer.

Hmm. Is the motion sickness lasting longer because she’s on an empty stomach?

I understand that her developed ki-sense caused the nausea. But an empty stomach might have contributed too. Wondering if a sweet snack might settle her stomach, I offered her chocolate, which she accepted without the slightest hesitation.

“Thank you!”

“Eat slowly. You might throw up.”

I broke the chocolate into her palm with a snap and checked toward the police car.

Federal government troops surrounded the police car. More afraid of the corpse inside the police car than external threats, their gun barrels pointed not outward but at the driver’s seat.

Regardless, Francesca and Lucia removed the corpse without hesitation.

Due to the head being blown off by a punch, the passenger seat and back seat were nothing short of a sea of blood.

The two women removing the corpse from the police car that had turned into a violent crime scene were, how should I put it, like criminals who could cause a worldwide sensation. Not for their crimes, but for their beauty.

“……”

Watching the dead police officer’s body being covered with a tarp, I muttered to myself. What on earth was that plant?

I wasn’t particularly expecting an answer. But one came.

From behind.

“It is a precious sprout gathering energy to become a divine tree.”

Where the voice came from, an old man was standing. An old man with a cane.

His posture was so natural and comfortable that it almost created the illusion that he had always been there.

At first, I thought he was a clergyman.

I knew all the personnel from the Papal Office, but I didn’t know everyone from Al-Yabd, so I thought he might be someone from Al-Yabd who had been in one of the cars that fell behind.

About two seconds later, I grabbed the gun placed on the driver’s seat.

That old man was not from Al-Yabd.

When I checked visually before departure, I hadn’t seen such a face.

“The sprout germinated, so I came in a hurry. To think I would meet such noble guests…”

Camilla, who was turning her head in confusion, instantly turned pale. Her complexion was not just dark but almost blackish.

Only after glancing at her did I become certain.

I pulled the trigger and.

At that moment, the old man opened his mouth.

“When a traveler visits, you shall receive them with all sincerity and treat them with the utmost hospitality.”

There wasn’t the rotten smell I had once detected from the Bumazas.

However, an inexplicable ominousness emanated from his words.

“Bestow hospitality and fulfill your duty as a host. The Mother of All has nurtured you with kindness and generosity, so the guest’s pleasure will honor you. This is the teaching of our prophet recorded in the As-Sujuda chapter.”

As the trigger was pulled and flames flashed.

The old man’s cane struck the ground.

“Since guests have arrived, I must properly entertain them.”

Life sprouts through the soil. Greedy germination begins. Life budded its desire through the cracks between gravel, sand, and pavement blocks. The stems with a transparent green tint grew larger, quickly transitioning from deep green to dark brown.

The sharpness for life grazes the skin. Branches adorned with thorns leave a long wound on the side, aiming for the back of Lucia’s head in the distance.

-Whoosh-!!

Flames rushing in from the left incinerated the branches.

The trigger that couldn’t be pulled is now pulled all the way. The extended index finger aims at the target.

Resounding gunfire and lively flames engulfed the old man in the blink of an eye.