Chapter 10
Morning returned once more to the hills of Kisof. The hill, which had been tumultuous through the night, was now filled seamlessly with tents and large barracks of the Norden army in place of livestock and shepherds.
The mountain ranges encircling the village, the grass growing greener by the day, the morning breeze laced with a chill, and the chirping of birds.
The Norden soldiers, greeting a peaceful morning amidst this fresh and beautiful nature, exchanged pleasant greetings and savored the leisure of the postwar era.
Only Shevik waited anxiously for the archduke. He had brought his direct subordinates out of concern that rumors might leak in the first place, but since this wasn’t an operation that would benefit from reaching the ears of the homeland, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.
“When on earth is he coming….”
He had assumed the return would be swift, but Erich’s homecoming was proving quite delayed. Shevik glared toward the forest path with bloodshot eyes.
At last, a small moving dot appeared in his field of vision. Spotting Erich approaching on foot while carrying a woman in his arms, Shevik urgently gestured to summon a nearby soldier.
“Call the military doctor! And bring a stretcher too.”
***
In any situation, military discipline must never falter—that was the iron rule Erich von Norhert had always emphasized. And in line with his conviction that no one should be an exception, Erich himself had faithfully adhered to that principle.
Though he might be called a devil of utmost cruelty by the enemy, in front of his own subordinates, he always presented a model of restraint.
Shevik cleared a path at the rear of the barracks to allow Erich entry. The sight of the Norden Empire’s prince returning from the forest in a torn shirt, carrying a civilian woman in his arms, didn’t strike Shevik as particularly appealing, even to his own eyes.
Once inside the barracks, Erich showed no inclination to set Yulaina down, continuing to hold her close in his embrace.
“Uh, should I lay her down?”
Shevik fidgeted, glancing around, but it didn’t prove much help. Neither the bed nor the sofa seemed quite suitable for laying down a woman caked in ashes, blood, and mud.
“Hand her over; I’ll hold her.”
In the end, Shevik extended his own arms.
“No need.”
Erich replied curtly.
Just as people harbor a desire to monopolize affection toward others, a ruthless object of vengeance can also inspire possessiveness and obsession. The thought of handing this woman over to someone else’s hands felt inexplicably unwelcome.
“Are you worried I’ll run off with her?”
Shevik muttered playfully, stealing a quick glance at Yulaina’s face.
“She’s passed out. That’s a relief. I was worried she might be dead.”
“She just happened to survive, that’s all.”
Leaving a nonchalant reply, Erich gathered up her arm that had slipped from his hold. Now that he looked closely, her arms were covered in scratches and scrapes all over.
“I was scared stiff, thinking you were bringing back a corpse. Anyway, about the cabin later—”
Shevik was about to continue when.
“Loyalty! Major Helmut reporting.”
A military doctor with round glasses entered in hurried steps. His dark blond hair was combed back impeccably without a strand out of place, and he stood ramrod straight in an outfit so immaculate it bordered on obsessive cleanliness.
“Your Highness, are you unwell anywh—”
The unfinished words trailed off. Bewildered and puzzled eyes darted back and forth between Erich and Yulaina.
“This person is….”
“Treat the patient.”
Without further explanation, as the limp woman’s body slid into his arms, Helmut caught her reflexively.
“Uh…. Stretcher.”
The two soldiers who had been hesitating rushed forward to lay her body on the stretcher. Erich, who had been watching silently, quietly called the major’s name.
“Helmut Ausgunt.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Don’t entertain any stray thoughts—just treat her well.”
Erich muttered curtly, sinking deep into the makeshift sofa. It was a stern warning loud enough for not only Helmut but also the medics carrying the stretcher to hear.
“That would be unthinkable, Your Highness.”
Perhaps taking the remark as a slight, Helmut’s stiff face flushed slightly red.
“As a doctor, I will fulfill my duty in treating her.”
“Fine, go on then.”
Erich nodded dismissively, sending them off. But perhaps a lingering unease remained. His hand was a bit rough as he lit a cigar.
“You’re going to bore a hole in the major’s back with that stare.”
The first to notice the subtle shift was Shevik. As he filled Erich’s glass with whiskey, he chuckled.
“Don’t worry too much. It’s Helmut, after all. Sure, he’s an oddball with no one around him, but when it comes to handling his work, our Helmut is flawless.”
“It’s guys like that who are the scariest.”
“Why do you dislike him so much?”
Erich drained his glass in one go and spat out coldly.
“I’ve always disliked him, just because. But right now, I’m on the verge of disliking him five times more.”
Pfft, Shevik’s face, which had been leaking laughter, suddenly stiffened.
‘Wait, is this about not wanting another male around? Something like that?’
***
The forest, densely packed with spruce trees towering as if to touch the sky, cast a dim shadow even in the early morning.
Bathing in the sunlight that splintered through the gaps in the shade, the two men strode purposefully along the forest path.
The moment something rustled in the underbrush, Shevik drew his gun like lightning.
“Shh.”
Having spent long years on the battlefield, the two men instinctively backed each other up and slowly approached the bushes without a word.
One, two, three.
Exchanging signals over their shoulders, the two men leaped into the bushes, aiming their muzzles.
Flutter!
Seeing a small rabbit scamper away in panic, Shevik lowered his gun with an awkward expression.
“I must have been on the front lines too long.”
“Better safe than sorry.”
Erich replied softly, glancing around.
“The scenery is stunning, though.”
The forest buried the night’s commotion as if nothing had happened.
Yet, perhaps remembering the horrific tragedy, the mountain birds that had been perched in a line on the roof of Valter’s cabin quickly took flight upon spotting Erich and Shevik, and did not return.
Erich and Shevik circled the cabin once, inspecting it thoroughly. Aside from the mound of earth in the backyard from burying the bodies in the basement, there was nothing particularly noteworthy.
“Ugh, gives me the creeps.”
Shevik glanced at the dirt pile and shuddered, but Erich remained indifferent.
“What’s the big deal now?”
His heavy boots stepped onto the front porch, eliciting an unpleasant creak from the old planks.
In contrast to its serene exterior, the interior of the house was a complete mess. Miscellaneous items had been dragged out, spilled, and slashed with knives during the search, scattered everywhere.
“What is it you wanted to show me?”
“First, this.”
Shevik unfolded a handkerchief and pulled something from his pocket, handing it over.
“What is it?”
“You can look forward to it.”
It was a crumpled piece of fabric. Stained with faint blood and heavily soiled, it looked grotesquely worn, but upon closer inspection, a thin sheet of paper was attached to it.
“It’s not some ancient artifact.”
Shevik grinned playfully as he continued.
“As soon as Valter saw me for the first time, he casually doffed his hat and bowed politely. At the time, I thought, ‘Crazy bastard, what’s with the greeting?’ But it suddenly came to mind, so I rummaged through the hat that was lying in the workshop, and sure enough. I found this attached to the inside.”
Erich spread the dirty fabric with his fingertips.
Soon, a vulgar exclamation burst from his neatly shaped lips.
“Damn it, Shevik!”
Shevik straightened his shoulders proudly at the sight of Erich’s genuine broad smile.
“Right here—see the signatures for ‘Marcus’ and ‘Valter’?”
Erich nodded, a satisfied smile rising on his face. It was a contract related to pharmaceutical development.
“I figured someone so meticulous wouldn’t leave evidence in an illegal business. But maybe there was a lack of trust even between them, leading to this memorandum. Anyway, it’s far better than nothing.”
“It’s like throwing eggs at a rock, though. It’d be even better if we could find the business location.”
“Exactly. If we could just seize a couple of the ventures Marcus has been running, the Norden Empire’s treasury would overflow.”
Just the thought seemed revolting, as Shevik shook his head in disgust.
“For now, let’s head upstairs. There’s more to see up there.”
***
The cabin’s narrow, worn staircase was barely wide enough for an adult man to pass through.
“It must have been built a few hundred years ago. Weren’t people smaller back then? Ow!”
Shevik, who had been chattering away while turning back to Erich, slammed his forehead into a log beam crossing the ceiling. It was already the second time. His excessive height seemed to be the issue.
“Damn, even in civilian areas during battles, I never saw houses this crappy.”
Rubbing his reddened forehead, Shevik grumbled incessantly.
Having barely ascended the cramped stairs, the two men surveyed the spacious attic. The old attic had a low ceiling and was starkly bare, but it was neatly organized.
“Pretty sparse, huh?”
Shevik shrugged.
Aside from an old bed, a small wooden desk, a large wardrobe, and scattered books with a tilted bookshelf, nothing else caught the eye.
“Living in a room like this your whole life would drive you mad. You can barely see outside.”
As Shevik said, the already cramped attic made it hard even to look out. All there was was a small window above the iron bed, its paint peeling in places.
Still, clear, golden sunlight quietly streamed in through that tiny window. The two men trampled the pooled sunlight in the room as they meticulously searched through Yulaina’s belongings.
