Chapter 54
Man-eater.
That phrase sparked a memory in Alice’s rational mind.
‘Sharks can eat people. Their main diet is fish, but sometimes they mistake a person leaning on a wooden plank riding the waves for a seal and take a bite.’
A story her father told her in childhood.
It wasn’t a ghost story but advice. It was reality.
Still, what moved Alice’s lips was not reason but another feeling.
“Are you talking about Fiore?”
“Who else? His Majesty the King? The doctor sipping wine over there?”
“Maybe he was hurt by someone else or an animal…”
“Miss, snap out of it. Have you ever seen a predator around here? Huh? This huge forest is right here, but we haven’t seen a single wild boar, let alone a wolf!”
“…”
“Ah, you grew up in the city and didn’t know? Then learn this now. It’s normal for all kinds of beasts to live in the forest. The ones who now rule this land are those bastards!”
Arno pointed outside the window. The afternoon sun streamed in at an angle. The outside view was peaceful without hiding anything, but that very peace made one uneasy. Outside the large enclosure made to look like a village, it felt as if someone unseen was watching them…
“Alice.”
Thud. Arno leaned on the table with his elbow and leaned toward Alice. Turning away from the strange scene, his realistic threatening gaze fixed on her.
“You. How many times have you been helped by Fiore?”
“…About twice, I guess.”
“Then it must be more than three times. You should know when to hold back.”
“You know I’m not good at that.”
“Women like that are more dangerous. They think they’re smart, rational, and honest, but they always fall for some strange guy.”
“Wait. Are you saying… ”
“Is he your boyfriend, miss?”
“Not that weird joke again… ”
“It’s not a joke. Last time, I thought he was just using you, but now it’s beyond that. The way you talk… Look at you now, giving me a sideways glance.”
“Why would I say anything nice about someone who can’t even do his job properly? I almost died and came back!”
“Raising your voice won’t work. Answer me straight. What’s your relationship with that guy?”
“…”
She was speechless. It was partly because it was absurd and partly because she had too much to say.
He was a thief and a victim, as you know.
That twisted into a suspicious village resident and visitor. Just like you.
Maybe even a villager and a doctor.
But when she recalled his warmth on her back as she escaped the ship…
At that moment, Nathan slammed the table.
“Stop talking nonsense, Arno.”
Because Arno turned his head, Alice managed to hide the mix of emotions on her face.
“Nonsense? You say I’m talking nonsense?”
“What else do you call a person hopelessly in love with a thoroughbred? Alice is a talented person who can look into and control her emotions and thoughts.”
“People can’t even understand their own children. How can they understand their students? You trust your own head too much, not your students.”
“No! What I trust is—”
“Enough.”
This time Alice knocked on the table. Arno glanced at her face and saw the irritation bubbling beneath. He didn’t press his question further.
That was a relief. Although her irritation was not toward Arno’s question but toward Nathan’s wrong and old conviction, it was enough to put out any fire, whether rainwater or sewage.
Still, that doubt lingered in Alice, tickling somewhere in her chest. To escape from finding an answer, she quickly changed the subject.
“The sailors also told me how to break the village’s curse.”
Arno and Nathan’s eyes changed instantly. Arno shouted as if vomiting.
“Tell me! What is it? What kind of method?”
“They said to kill all the villagers.”
“…What?”
“The current residents set the curse’s conditions. They said if the residents disappear, the curse would vanish too…”
“Ha…”
Arno covered his face with both hands. A groan escaped him.
“I could have said that kind of solution. Are the corpses trying to take revenge on the beasts through us?”
“I can’t be sure it’s not true.”
“This is driving me crazy.”
Arno hit his forehead repeatedly. Was he trying to spark some thought through self-punishment? But his expression never lost its shade of despair.
‘Arno has definitely changed.’
He might have gotten excited and planned to kill all the villagers after hearing that “solution.” That worry was pointless.
Instead, Nathan gave a strange response.
“Don’t think too long. It’s more efficient to take an easy path taught by others than to study an incomprehensible field recklessly.”
“Ha, teacher. So you want to try it?”
“I won’t make you do the killing. Relax.”
“You’re finally growing up, teacher. That was quick!”
Arno drained the last drop of his drink. His face flushed slightly, but his expression remained dark.
“They’re real beasts. If we just attack, we’ll literally be eaten. We need to find a way to escape first…”
“Finding a way to escape is your choice, Arno. I’ve said all I can.”
“…”
Only when Arno glared at Alice did his old sharpness return. Alice didn’t know how to reflect such hostility. She just used her weapon—her words.
“Remember, it’s your turn to go to Doctor Esha’s cabin this time.”
“Ah…”
“You’re free to think about escape, but don’t neglect your duty.”
Arno’s face twisted. Without giving him a chance to explain, Alice turned her head sharply and suddenly raised her voice.
“If you need help, say so. I’m a bit stubborn, but I don’t run away from what I’m supposed to do.”
***
The meeting, even with reasonable sentences, ended around then.
Arno couldn’t find an excuse to run from his duty, even with the help of alcohol. He left the clinic after repeating groans like “Well, teacher… no.” Earlier than usual, carrying even the poker from the fireplace.
Nathan, who had been thinking, suddenly spoke.
“Oh dear. Who’s cooking dinner?”
“We’ll eat whatever we have. By the way, professor, I want to ask about the herbs I brought.”
“Now, all of a sudden?”
“I couldn’t bring it up in front of Arno. I was afraid he’d get greedy for the herbs.”
“…”
“These are narcotic sedatives, right? Even in unrefined form, they work faster than opium.”
“Yes.”
It was no mystery. Considering Arno’s state after taking them and how the wraiths kept them carefully, it was obvious. Nathan would have been more surprised if he hadn’t guessed.
But the question that followed wasn’t welcome.
“Did you import these herbs yourself, professor?”
“…Why do you think so?”
“You figured out the herbs by their partially digested fibers and even made an antidote. That’s not an easy task. I thought maybe you knew about the items. Also, if you ordered taxidermied animals through that ship, it wouldn’t be strange to order herbs together.”
“I said too much nonsense.”
Nathan sighed.
“Yes. As you guessed, these were obtained through unofficial routes. But can medicine advance with only approved drugs? Even now, ten years later, there’s nothing as fast-acting as this sedative! Someone has to bring it into the lab… ”
“I’m not questioning the justification. I just wondered if you could ever stop researching, even in this situation.”
“…”
“Of course, you didn’t order the herbs risking danger. But next time, please be honest about what happened and what you want to do… I know what kind of person you are.”
A smart person. Someone who knows they’re smart and always believes their actions will bring good results.
He’s not arrogant or a villain.
Above all, he firmly believes he is a “reasonable person.”
Even if he doesn’t listen, he at least pretends to pause his solo run.
Nathan hesitated for a moment, then looked up at his lab and said,
“Well. This time, given the ‘situation,’ it might be more effective.”
“Yes?”
“I came up with a way to break the curse using these herbs.”
