Chapter 52
Nathan shook his head with a dazed look.
“Oh. That’s right. I completely forgot.”
“Professor?”
“I should go find him while you’re washing up.”
Can someone really forget something like that?
Nathan touched his forehead and looked somewhat absent-minded. It was as if some worry had taken over his thoughts.
“…I’ll wash up first and come out. I have a lot to tell you.”
“Understood.”
“And this.”
Alice pulled out some herbs from under her sleeve. What had been three dried herb stalks when she packed them now lay limp in her hand like torn seaweed after their long journey.
‘I’m probably going to get scolded for bringing this.’
But contrary to her expectations, Nathan’s eyes brightened.
“You found it! How long has it been? Hmm? How was it stored?”
“It was kept dried in a box inside the abandoned ship. There’s about two handfuls left.”
“Thank you. Well done!”
Nathan took a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully gathered the herbs. He handled them as if collecting gold dust.
“Good, good. This amount is fine. I’ll dry it properly first.”
He seemed to have forgotten about the wine and Arno as he bounded up the stairs. Alice sighed and entered the bathroom.
There was only cold water, but just having water without salt or debris felt like bathing in an emperor’s hot spring.
As she hurriedly washed away the fishy smell from her body, her mind worked coolly.
‘First, I need to talk about the wraiths beneath the cliff. Second, the history of the village and the true nature of the residents. Lastly… how to break the curse the wraiths claim is on the village.’
They want to wipe out the villagers.
How would Arno react to hearing that?
On the second day of their visit, when Arno excitedly called the rulebook a “list of the villagers’ weaknesses,” he would have eagerly planned something.
But the Arno now, who nearly broke a bone because of Madame Adelaide and almost died by strange creatures…
‘I can’t even imagine.’
Alice emptied the water bucket and left the bathroom. Arno only entered the clinic chasing after Nathan when Alice’s hair was almost dry. Until the door closed, his eyes anxiously scanned the surroundings.
“Arno.”
“Ah, ah! Alice! W-were you alright?”
“Yes?”
She had wanted to ask why he hadn’t properly restrained Fiore. But seeing him look Alice up and down like she was a walking corpse left her speechless.
“Are you really okay? There… there?”
“…A lot happened, but I’m back. Sit down first.”
Arno wobbled and sat down in a clinic chair. Nathan hurriedly warmed some wine as if remembering something late. The first glass went not to Alice but to the still tense Arno.
Alice got the chance to speak first.
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me. But I swear I’m telling the truth with a clear mind.”
“I believe you.”
Arno nodded while sipping his wine. Alice began by describing what she saw beneath the cliff.
The ship Lumière, which ran aground ten years ago, and its crew were there. The cursed sailors, neither dead nor alive, explained to her how the village Reki was formed…
When she described the sailors’ appearances, Nathan furrowed his brow slightly.
“Arno. Did you see something similar? Do you remember anything?”
“I don’t know… but I do remember a very foul, fishy smell. Like rotten corpses by the shore…”
“Alright. Keep talking, Alice.”
If they doubted the truth now, how could they ever believe the story that the taxidermied animals had come back to life?
Alice adjusted her sentences in her mind, but the absurd core wouldn’t change. In the end, much drier words than what she had heard from the navigator slipped out.
The spirits of prisoners who died in the detention center cursed the sailors with illness. The taxidermied animals were accepted as their kind. The perfectly preserved animals swallowed the souls of the prisoners and the bodies of the sailors and came back to life. From then on, Reki was born as a village of new residents…
‘I know I said it sounded like a ridiculous old story.’
Well, at least Arno would believe it. He had always said the villagers looked just like animals.
The problem was Nathan…
Holding his pen, Nathan looked more serious than Alice had expected. Did he think his student had gone mad?
“The taxidermied animals on the Lumière came back to life.”
“Yes. I checked the ship’s inventory. The traits of the villagers I’ve treated so far are similar to those of the animals.”
“…”
“Well, I’m not an expert in veterinary medicine. But as you know, my father was very interested in natural history, so I also… ”
“I believe you. More precisely, since we have the results, we should at least believe the process.”
“Results?”
Nathan hesitated a little before speaking.
“While you were gone, a patient came in. That patient had lesions in the same places as the items I ordered ten years ago but never received.”
“What? Wh-who was it? You ordered taxidermied animals?”
“…I don’t think telling you will help the situation. It was a common animal sample. Only the lesions were unusual.”
“…”
She wondered why they would taxidermy an animal with lesions but didn’t ask further.
It was a relief not to be dismissed as nonsense.
‘Does Arno believe me?’
When their eyes met, Arno quickly nodded as if there was no need to hear more.
Was it time for the next topic?
How to break the village’s curse.
Taking a deep breath, Alice opened her mouth. But what came out was a different subject, stepping back a little.
“Inside the ship, I met someone who knows you, Professor. Unlike the other wraiths, he was alive.”
“Hmm? Who?”
“A man with black hair and a small build. When he asked if I had companions and I gave your name, he shouted ‘There’s a thief!’ and almost got killed by the sailors.”
“…Ah. That bastard got on the ship.”
Nathan frowned.
“He was the assistant who came with the village. When the researchers fled, he abandoned me and ran away.”
“There was an assistant too?”
“They needed someone for chores. I didn’t mention it because I thought he was dead anyway.”
“…”
“To think he’s still bitter about a small fight… Alice, you should never go near the ship again.”
Arno laughed for the first time.
“Ha! You’re so kind to your student already. Planning to go down to the cliff yourself next?”
“We have enough information about the wreck.”
“Yes, who doesn’t know your way with words? It’s obvious why that assistant ran away.”
“…”
“By the way, miss, you almost died? What kind of trick did you pull to come back in one piece?”
“I wasn’t exactly in good shape… but it wasn’t my doing.”
Now she could finally ask properly.
“Arno. Didn’t you decide to keep Fiore restrained?”
“…”
“Fiore helped me again this time. He said he came because it got quiet beneath the cliff. Of course, since he helped, it turned out well… Arno?”
“You went there? That guy?”
The sneer she had just regained disappeared completely. Arno’s small eyes shook violently. The feeling behind it was clearly fear.
“Arno. Fiore said he met you this morning. Did something happen then?”
“Y-yes. So, in the morning…”
“I’ll bring another drink.”
Nathan moved.
After drinking a warm glass of wine and confirming no one else was around,
Arno slowly began to speak.
***
That morning, Arno went all the way to the fence far from the cliff and swung a crowbar. The fence, set up more as a territorial marker than to keep intruders out, creaked and broke quickly.
“Sorry, but I’m going to say you broke it while rampaging.”
Arno petted the horse he had brought out of the management office for the first time in a while. The old horse blinked, not understanding.
Next, he had to find Fiore.
During his stay in the village, Arno had roughly learned the residents’ various daily routines. Since he was on horseback that day, finding Fiore wasn’t difficult.
At the entrance to the thicket leading to the village, Fiore was just coming out.
“Hey, Fiore! You’re up early. Are you collecting honey or something… Hey, hey, stop!”
Suddenly, the horse started to back up.
‘I thought he was used to the residents by now. Why again?’
About ten meters away, Fiore smiled quietly and raised both hands.
“Calm down and come down slowly. I won’t come closer.”
“Sorry for the sudden scare.”
“I’m not going to eat you, you beast.”
Fiore laughed. But his smile didn’t calm the horse at all…
Even Arno, who had just gotten off the horse, shuddered.
‘Smell of blood?’
